En Famille Dinner: Provence Marinaside at 1177 Marinaside Cres., Vancouver will celebrate the arrival of spring and their 10 year anniversary with a dinner tonight, March 28 for $30. Reservations: 604-681-4144. Info: www.provencevancouver. com.
Lobster Festival is on until Saturday, March 31 at Le Gavroche, 1616 Alberni St., Vancouver. Guests can enjoy a lobster-packed three-course dinner for $39. To complement this special menu, guests can purchase Provençal wine pairings for an additional $25. Reservations: www.opentable. com/legavrochereservationsvancouver or 604-685-3924.
Book Signing: Meet Montreal Chef Martin Picard over snacks and good cheer Thursday, March 29, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Books to Cooks, 1740 West Second Ave., Vancouver. Picard will be signing his new book Sugar Shack which celebrates the rustic traditional foods of maple sugar shacks. Tickets: $85 which includes a signed copy of the book. Registration: 604-688-6755. Info: www. bookstocooks.com.
Japanese Cooking Classes will take place Thursdays, March 29, April 12 and 26 from 10: 30 a.m. to 1 p.m. followed by an Osaka Supermarket tour Wednesday, May 2 from 10 to 11 a.m. All classes include hands-on teaching, recipes and all the ingredients and will be held in Edgemont Village, North Vancouver. Fee: $150 per person. Registration and exact location: Kimiko, 604-727-5331 or kimiko@ kimikoskitchen.com.
Winemaker's Dinner: ORU restaurant will host an exclusive four-course dinner featuring the wines of Quail's Gate Thursday, March 29 at 6: 30 p.m. The special menu is a collaboration of executive chef Darren Brown and chef Roger Sleiman of Old Vines Restaurant at Quail's Gate. Cost: $105. ORU is located in the Fairmont Pacific Rim at 1038 Canada Place, Vancouver. Reservations: www. orucuisine.com.
A Taste of Park and Tilford: To celebrate the local bounty of foods from North Vancouver and the surrounding areas over 50 tasting stations with three demo stations will be available Saturday, March 31, noon-5 p.m. at Save-On-Foods, Park & Tilford, Brooksbank Avenue and Cotton Drive, North Vancouver. Seafood chef Karen Barnaby will demo a halibut and chips recipe from her book Halibut: The Cookbook. The dish highlights halibut with accessible local ingredients.
East Meets West: Winemaker Johannes Selbach of SelbachOster Winery in the Mosel region of Germany will pair up with Vikram Vij of Vij's and Rangoli restaurants for an afternoon of east meets west food and wine pairing Saturday, March 31, 3-5 p.m. at Books to Cooks, 1740 West Second Ave., Vancouver. Selbach will pour his award-winning Riesling and will speak about his winemaking process and winery. Vikram will pass morsels from Vij's and Rangoli restaurants while sharing insight about how Rieslings are the perfect wine to pair with spicy, complex Indian flavours. Tickets: $75 which includes a copy of either Vij's or Vij's at Home. Registration: 604-688-6755. Info: www. bookstocooks.com.
Taste Washington: A twoday event that will showcase 200 wineries along with top restaurants and wine seminars March 31 and April 1 at CenturyLink Field Event Center in Seattle. Corresponding hotel packages are available. General admission is $75 and allows patrons to attend the event from 2 to 5 p.m. VIP tasting begins at 1 p.m. and allows wine enthusiasts early and exclusive access to winemakers and chefs for $125. Two-day ticket prices are $99 for general admission and $150 for VIP admission. Tickets and info: www.tastewashington.org.
Edible Canada Market Dinner Series: Multi-course seasonally inspired dinners prepared right in front of your eyes paired with select B.C. and Canadian wine, beer and spirits. Chef Derek Dammann of DNA, Montreal will be featured Thursday, April 5. Cost: $150. Dinners will take place from 7 to 10 p.m. at Edible Canada at the Market, 1551 Johnston St. on Granville Island, Vancouver. Info: www.ediblecanada.com. Reservations: 604-558-0040.
Communal Dining: Starting April 9, Wild Rice restaurant will serve a themed, prix fixe menu on the second Monday of every month at 117 West Pender St., Vancouver. The first dinner will be an Ocean Wise menu of sustainable fish and seafood. The banquette tables will be arranged to create two large tables each seating 10 people and dishes will be served traditional Chinese style on large platters which will be passed down the table for all to share. The price for April's dinner is $45 and includes a welcome cocktail at 6: 30 p.m. with the actual dinner starting at 7 p.m. Reservations: 604-642-2882.
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner: A secret supper featuring simultaneous dinner parties hosted in elegant private homes and prepared by some of Vancouver's most exciting chefs Saturday, April 14. Each intimate dinner party consists of a themed, three-course dinner paired with wines from Vista D'Oro in a secret location. At the end of the evening, all the guests will convene for the dessert and champagne finale at a central location to share stories and compare menu notes. Guests pick their three favourite themes from a list of five and shortly before the event they will be informed of their host and given location details. Cost: $129. There are also a limited number of spaces available for the dessert finale only at $29. Tickets: www.growingchefsguesswho. eventbrite.com. Funds raised will go to Growing Chefs - a non-profit society that teaches elementary school children about food and urban agriculture.
Arts Club Spring Wine Dinner: The West Restaurant team will hold a wine and cocktail dinner for an Arts Club fundraiser Tuesday, April 17, 6: 30 p.m. at 2881 Granville St., Vancouver. Six of California's wineries will be paired with a five-course menu. Cost: $195. Tickets: 604-687-5315, ext. 248 or specialevents@artsclub. com.
California Wine Fair: An opportunity to sample a wide selection of more then 350 premium wines from 110 of California's top producers Wednesday, April 18, 79: 30 p.m. at the Vancouver Convention Centre, East Building, Rooms A and B, 999 Canada Place Way. There will also be a silent auction in support of the Arts Club Theatre Company. Admission: $75 available at the Arts Club Theatre Company Box Office at 604-687-1644 or www. artsclub.com. Info: 18005582675 or www.calwine.ca.
