Black Rook Bakehouse

There are a few consumables that I am always on the lookout for: new craft beer, awesome sandwich shops, cinnamon buns, diverse 5¢ candy collections, and worthwhile pies. While the concept of pie is simple - filling inside of a pastry shell - there are many factors that can make or break one of these universally-popular baked goods. There are runny fillings, there are cheap fillings, and there are bland fillings. And there are lardy crusts, there are dry crusts, and there are tough crusts. It is very difficult to find a pie with the perfect filling, regardless of whether we are talking savory or sweet, and a rich yet delicate crust. 

Black Rook's Bumble-Rhubarb

Black Rook is pretty close to making a perfect pie. A generous co-worker purchased a whole pie for my going away on one of my last days of work and everyone in my department was thoroughly impressed. I have tried Savary Island Pie in West Vancouver, and I live near Aphrodite's on 4th, but both of these touted pie producers are overpriced and only just above average. Representing everything that Black Rook creates, this pie had a rustic crust that was supple and looked as though it even contained some whole wheat. This pie was custom and contained rhubarb, raspberries, and blackberries. The filling was dense and didn't budge once cut into. It was also a perfect balance of berry-sweet and rhubarb-tart.

I have yet to try the range of items at Black Rook, but this one pie experience ensured that I will be a repeat patron. Thanks Rory! 



Keywords: "Best Vancouver Pies", "Black Rook Bakehouse", "Alex Dawkins"

Chai Beer Bungle

It is no secret that beer has reigned the beverage scene here on the West Coast for the past four or five years. Coffee was all the rage during the 1990s, fueled by the ubiquity of Starbucks and the promotion of single origin roasts. Residents of the Pacific Northwest went gaga for superfruits around the turn of the century, with pomegranate and blueberry juice hitting the shelves. And the 2000s saw the rise of an increasingly lavish trend in mixology develop. The second decade of the twenty-first century has been all about wobbly pop, and the countless ways in which this pop can make one wobbly.

I am the first person to become inappropriately excited over new beers, and I have a particular fondness for seasonal beers. I like pretty much every pumpkin beer I try, and I am also partial to ginger and unusual saisons. But every year these seasonal beers just keep getting more and more outrageous. This year, for the first time, I started dismissing many beers for being too interesting, and criticizing breweries for alienating their fans with over-the-top concoctions. New Belgium's Coconut Curry Hefeweizen was a spicy failure, and Wynkoop Brewing's Rocky Mountain Oyster Ale just shouldn't have been made.

Unnecessary Testicle Beer

While chai-flavoured beer is more understandable than curry or testicle, it still put me on the defensive. I really do like chai tea though, and we all know I love beer, so I wanted to try (and like) both Big Rock's Life of Chai and Whistler's Chai-Maple Ale. Neither of these were "bad" but they definitely didn't work. The Life of Chai was a dark copper colour and was essentially an amber ale with a bouquet and subtle finish of cardamom and rose. It was a fairly light ale though, and was also highly carbonated, which helped with drinkability. The Chai-Maple Ale was a dark oxidized bronze colour with an unpleasantly sweet aroma. It also tasted more like chai than the Big Rock ale, which was perhaps due to filtering the beer through tea after fermentation rather than adding ingredients to the boil, which is the approach Big Rock took. In both cases, I found the initial few sips interesting and then wanted to move on. This seems to be the case with many seasonal and experimental beers. In my opinion, the consumer should be able to drink a pint of most any beer (yes, including barley wines), but I didn't want to do this with either of these tea-based brews...and I definitely don't want to do it with a beer made from bull balls.

Spicy, Interesting, and Undrinkable

 

Keywords: "Alex Dawkins", "Life of Chai", "Cheakamus Chai-Maple", "Chai beers"

Glenora Distillery on Cape Breton

I really want to like this whisky. I lived in Scotland for two years, I really love malt whisky, I am proud of my Scottish-Canadian roots, and the concept of an authentic single malt distillery in Canada is truly exciting. But like whole roasted barley in the grist mill, my expectations were crushed due to poor customer service and a below average product.

I visited Nova Scotia this past summer to meet my girlfriend's family and to enjoy my first tryst with bawdy Maritime culture. I loved Nova Scotia. In fact, the more time that passes the more fondly I look back at those two and a half weeks. We essentially drove around the entire province: visiting Lunenburg on the South Shore, then up to Cumberland to see Advocate Harbour and Cape Chignecto, then through the apple-filled Annapolis Valley for a stay in Bear River (the Venice of Nova Scotia), and then east to Cape Breton. Cape Breton was a highlight because of its insular character, Acadian quirkiness, outstanding hiking, and gastronomical attractions. Cape Breton has a large number of farms, great access to seafood, and a surprising number of boutique liquor producers. We stumbled upon an emerging craft brewery in the middle of nowhere (just outside of an intersection known as Nyanza) called Big Spruce, and the celebrated Nova Scotia winery Jost is known to use grapes from Cape Breton on a regular basis. Another aqueous attraction on this little island is Glenora Distillery.

Established in 1989 and perhaps best known for its court case with the Scottish Whisky Association, rather than for its scotch, Glenora is one of the few distilleries in North America that is producing a single malt whisky; that is, a whisky that is made from 100% barley from a single distillery. We took a tour of the distillery, which was very short and restricted for $7 per head, and then checked out the gift shop which was run by a brusque middle-aged termagant. Glenora basically makes two products: Glen Breton Rare 10-Year Single Malt and Glen Breton Rare Ice. The Ice is very similar to the regular 10-year except for the fact that it is aged in Jost ice wine barrels. We tried both while at the distillery and found the standard Breton Rare to be unconcentrated, harsh, and bland. The alcohol was very evident as well, and the use of absolutely zero peat did nothing to improve this whisky's lacklustre character. The Ice was better, however. One of my favourite single malts in the world is Edradour's Port Barrel whisky and the Breton Ice has a similar multi-layered profile and honeyed finish.

I am glad that I have a bottle of North America's top selling single malt whisky in my liquor cabinet. It is an okay dram, and I enjoy buying consumables from the source, but Glenora needs to do a lot of work before it can compete with any of the operations in Scotland.

Keywords: "Edradour Port Finish", "Jost Ice Wine", "Alex Dawkins"

Top 10 Albums of 2013

What does it mean when a good portion of my favourite albums for 2013 were electo-pop and upbeat? Does this say something about trends in good music right now, or did I gravitate towards this type of music due to my state of mind and musical taste at this particular point in time? Perhaps 2014 will answer these questions for me, but what I do know about the ten albums below is that I didn't love many of them right away. Throughout the year I bought and downloaded a huge number of albums, and my digitization job enabled me to put in many hours of careful listening. This resulted in my returning to albums that I listened to cursorily early in the year, and eventually understanding and really enjoying them. I was an instant fan of Kveikur, Olympia, and If You Leave but only began to become obsessed with Empty Estate, Move in Spectrums, and Run the Jewels during the second half of 2013. Here are my faves in no particular order...except for Sigur Ros who hold the number one spot...because they are the best band of all time. Ever.

1) Sigur Ros - Kveikur

I have a friend who went to the Airwaves music festival in Iceland last winter. Sigur Ros was (logically) headlining this blustery event, and their show at the end of the five days was oversold, to say the least. My friend said that this group of Sigur Ros fans was particularly passionate about the music, and knew every word to every song. This is impressive since many Sigur Ros lyrics are derived from a made-up language. While the band was flawless and the crowd was in rapture for most of the performance, many people reacted when Sigur busted out 'Brennisteinn' and the title track of this album, as a special preview of the songs they were working on. Sigur Ros is soooo good, and their fans soooo loyal, that these reactions were by no means negative but were rather a result of confusion and uncertainty. Kveikur is the complete opposite of their last album, Valtari. While the latter is the band's slowest and most reflective album to date, the former is the band's fastest and most boisterous album to date. I saw Sigur Ros twice this year, in San Francisco and Vancouver, and was also unsure of this elfish group's newfound industrial edge, but it is now one of my favourite albums. Ever. Kveikur has cojones. Yes, even elves have balls.

2) El-P and Killer Mike - Run the Jewels

I really like half of this album, I really dislike half of this album, and I wholly respect El-P and Killer Mike for every song that they created here. The good songs - 'Run the Jewels', 'A Christmas Fucking Miracle', 'Job Well Done' - are tongue-in-cheek, raw, and packed with astoundingly literate rhyming. The bad songs - 'Ddfn', 'No Come Down', 'Get It' - are sapped by bland, dark beats and fall into the rap-traps of self-aggrandizing and sexism. I had a feeling this album was important when I kept coming back to it on my iPod, and continued to be impressed with the wordsmithing despite "disliking" certain songs on the whole. The friendship and chemistry between these two very different men and musicians is also adorable.

3) Daughter - If You Leave

I saw this London trio at the Doug Fir in Portland in May and was an instant fan. They are like a broody Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Elena Tonra - with her short, dark, banged hair - even resembles Karen O at times. Pretty much every song of this debut deals with the mindset of an insecure and angsty young woman, the lyrics rife with concerns revolving around reproduction and loneliness, and this can be wearing when you listen to If You Leave from beginning to end. The songs are so delicate and mysterious, however, that you often do want to listen to the complete album every time. Bonus points were given to Daughter when the lead guitarist whipped out a bow for 'Touch', in an effective homage to my favouite band, Sigur Ros. Daughter actually opened for Sigur Ros in Europe this year as well.

4) Chvrches - The Bones of What You Believe

I dismissed Chvrches before I gave them a chance. I gave them an initial listen and thought the upbeat tempo of most songs and teenage vocals of Lauren Mayberry were twee and superficial, but then I revisited the album a few months later, influenced by all the hype I've read online. While I still find some songs obnoxious and poorly written (see: 'Gun' and 'Night Sky'), I find others (see: 'Tether' and 'Lies') carefully layered and perfectly composed. Mayberry's utterly charming brogue and the sheer danceability of most every song got under my skin and has made this a go-to album for me.

5) Atoms for Peace - Amok

I think Thom Yorke is a musical genius, in the true sense of the term, so basically everything he touches is ranked in my top albums each year. Atoms for Peace - whose songs are all propelled by Brazilian percussionist Mauro Refosco's forro rhythms and Flea's dancing basslines - is not Radiohead-like, and it takes a few listens to adjust to Thom's voice with a different band in the background. This album is full of laptop-generated breakbeats and glitches that at first sound facile when compared to rock elements found in Radiohead songs, but the depth of the loops and layers created by Atoms for Peace become apparent once you finally convince yourself that this is not Radiohead! I appreciate how the musicians on this album do not get completely absorbed by the complex textures that they are creating, like a jazz jam band at Minton's Playhouse, forgetting the fact that there is a passive audience trying to engage with the music being produced. Atoms for Peace walks the line between frenetic innovation and accessible rock without falling into either, and this is what makes Amok so awesome.

6) Half Moon Run - Dark Eyes

Is this folk? Is this indie? Is this Sixties-inspired harmony rock? The first few times I listed to this album in its entirety I found the twinkly keyboard-driven tracks 'She Wants to Know' and 'Judgement' frothy and irksome, especially in contrast to the album's serious and evocative tracks. The songs 'Full Circle', 'Need It', and (my favourite) '21 Gun Salute' perfectly blend harmony, foreboding bass, poignant lyrics, and driving percussion, and help to counteract the jangly superficiality of the album's lighter compositions. I have read reviews of Dark Eyes that draw attention to the overworked sound and congested musicality of the album. I too agree that many of the songs sound busy and overly ambitious, but I chalk this up to the band's enthusiasm and immense skill. These Canadian guys are in their early twenties, are experiencing great early success, and are incredibly creative...I will forgive them for sounding too talented on their debut.

7) Au Revoir Simone - Move in Spectrums

I liked this album the first time I heard it, but I didn't love it. It is safe, pleasing, electro made by Brooklyn hipsterettes. Then the songs 'We Both Know' and 'Let the Night Win' caught my attention after a few full-length listens. These songs are long and very well balanced. Drawn out yet engaging. I have never been a fan of dream pop per se, but in my mind these two songs epitomize this genre. I appreciate how Au Revoir Simone has pop songs but counterbalance the naive toe-tappers on the album with thoughtful and complex songscapes that push six minutes in length. This was on heavy rotation between September and November. I also like them just that much more after finding out that their name comes from a line spoken near the end of Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, one of my favourite movies as a kid.

8) Austra - Olympia

The more I learn about Katie Stelmanis the less I like her. But the more I hear of Austra the more I like them. Yes, her crazy range and powerful vibrato drive this Canadian electropop outfit, but the band is super tight and is coming up with some really unique backdrops for Queen Katie. The layering of synth and keyboards is even more dynamic on Olympia than it was on the band's 2011 debut Feel it Break, and - shock! - the other members of the band were actually allowed to contribute to this album. Their backing vocals on many of the tracks contrast nicely with Katie's operatic leanings and provide this album with a more eclectic feel than their debut. I think one of Austra's problems is that they are better than they know they are. I have seen them live twice now, and their performances did not reflect the polished quality or gravitas of their recorded material. I am not saying that Austra is a studio band - their concerts were good - but I do think that when their persona catches up with their talent we will all be in for a treat.

9) Wild Nothing - Empty Estate

I thought this EP was just good until I started focusing on the transitions between songs 'Ocean Repeating' and 'On Guyot', and 'A Dancing Shell' and 'Hachiko'. Most of the songs on this album, and Jack Tatum's last album Nocturne, would not be as vital and energizing were it not for his inclusion of long and atmospheric interludes such as 'On Guyot' and 'Hachiko'. It is always a bit risky recording instrumental, long, meandering tracks, but this is especially true when one specializes in New Wave pop. However, these instrumental, long, meandering songs make this album, on the whole. I don't like Jack Tatum, and feel bad for the musicians who tour with this ego maniac, but his music is very well composed and appealing. Separate the art from the artist, as the saying goes. 

10) Bleached - Ride Your Heart

The Pitchfork review of this album states that most songs are "unimaginative" and based upon "generic declarations of love". But you don't listen to Bleached for insightful lyrics or sophisticated instrumentation. This is a band comprised of two sisters - Jennifer and Jessica Clavin - who fronted a popular underground punk group called Mika Miko in LA between 2007-2010. While the Clavins have taken a Sixties surf approach with Bleached, their basic formula of genuine and unpolished rock - with a generous dousing of Americana and grit - remains constant across both bands. I also agree with Pitchfork's observation that while over half of these songs are well balanced and really fun, some are just boring fillers. But I suppose it wouldn't be a record made by the Clavin sisters if it was ambitious and carefully created...that ain't them. But the good songs on here are really, really good.


Keywords: "Top Albums 2013", "Pitchfork Top 2013", "Alex Dawkins Vancouver"

Omakase at Octopus' Garden

Two years ago I went to Tojo's for my birthday. My friends and I went all out and ordered the omakase, or "chef's menu", which consisted of six adventurous courses. Tasting menus are always exciting because you are putting your trust in the chef's ability and in those ingredients which happen to be fresh that day. In my mind, the excitement is elevated when ordering this in a Japanese restaurant because the daily fresh ingredients are often an array of rare and wiggly sea creatures. I wanted to try omakase at Octopus' Garden because it is about 33% cheaper than Tojo's and I know two people who think it is just as good. My girlfriend treated me, which is extra special due to the fact that she can be a bit squeamish when it comes to raw bivalves and bottom-feeders.

The first course was a delicate salad of pea shoots, beet blossoms, and organic greens topped with one piece of wild salmon and one piece of wild smoked salmon. We had heard, through Yelp and friends, that the chef often starts things off with the restaurant's trademark quail egg and uni shooter. We had been dreading this mucousy concoction so were relieved when this beautiful, light salad was offered in its place.

Dun, dun, dunnnnnnnnnnn...the shooter was the second course! We thought we had avoided it, but no. There it was in front of us, in all of its slimy glory. A gelatinous raw quail egg floating atop two oozing orange uni sacks sitting in a base of okayu. Erin and I just stared at one another, trying not to look scared or disappointed over the monstrosities sitting before us in two transparent shot glasses. We whisked this unctuous mixture with our chopsticks and then reluctantly raised the glasses to our mouths, silently daring one another to take the first seafoody slurp. The flavour - an earthy and salty umami - was not bad, but the texture challenged our internal fortitude and triggered our gag reflexes. Three chewy sips and it was gone. The third course could not have come any sooner.

  

The third dish was a palate-cleansing white-and-brown mushroom soup, served in a joka (a small ceramic kettle commonly used to serve shochu). The broth was rich but clear and light. The thinly-sliced mushrooms in the soup were tender and comforting. We both agreed that we could eat much more of this. It was like a mylar first aid blanket for our mouth holes.

The fourth dish was a grilled pork medallion coated with a thin layer of uni. After never having uni before, we had it twice in one night! This was an interesting dish. I liked it less with every bite due to the strong flavours of the charbroiled pork and salty uni. It was satisfying though, and suited the rainy weather outside. This was a hearty dish.

The fifth course was sashimi. Beautifully presented on a long white ceramic plate, we were given the following uber fresh selections: blue fin, otoro, octopus, smoked mackerel, cod, and herring roe. The textures and subtle flavour differences between all of these samples were really enjoyable. The chef did a wonderful job of including creatures that offered unique mouthfeels and tasting characteristics. 

The sixth course was arguably our favourite. It was so simple, yet so elegantly prepared. It consisted of a thin slice of rock cod that was poached and served in a mildly sweet baby shiitake broth, topped with a sprinkling of green onion. Like the mushroom soup, Erin and I wished that there had been copious amounts of this. But I suppose it would not have been as memorable or as precious had there been more of this expertly-crafted dish. So good.

The seventh dish came in a charming painted box, and we were excited to see that this was the long-awaited nigiri course. Containing house-smoked salmon, blue fin, mackerel, smoked mackerel, cod, and tamago to finish things off, these nigiri were dainty and delicious.

At this point, we were feeling the protein coursing through our veins and sensing that even one wafer-thin mint would do us in. However, our dimpled and hospitable Japanese waitress came to our table with yet another dish, a dessert of matcha tiramisu. We didn't really want to eat this final dish, but the mascarpone was so light and the cake so moist that we couldn't resist. It was served with pear green tea, which was the perfect end to the meal, since this is my favourite.

While I believe that omakase should only be ordered once in a while due to the cost and richness involved, it is definitely a memorable experience that everyone should try. Thanks for such an awesome dinner out, Erin :)

Keywords: "Alex Dawkins", "Omakase Tojo's", "Octopus' Garden Vancouver"    

Analysis: Three Pumpkin Beers III

In October of 2010, I reviewed three seasonal pumpkin beers. I found the experience so rewarding that I repeated this squash-based beer tasting last year with three different products. At this point, I have reviewed the following: Howe Sound Imperial Pumpkin Ale, Brooklyn Brewing Post Road Pumpkin Ale, Granville Island Pumpkin Ale, Tree Brewing Jumpin' Jack Pumpkin Ale, Phillips Crooked Tooth Pumpkin Ale, and Steamworks The Great Pumpkin Ale. I scoured the liquor store shelves this year to find three more that I have yet to try. I tried these three with my family using a blind taste test. We added Crooked Tooth to mix this year as well, to see how the winner from last year stood up against these newbs. Here are the results:

Pumpkin Beer Taste Test 2013

1) Fernie Brewing Pumpkin Head Brown Ale

This was the darkest of the three beers we had and the blind taste test revealed unanimous similarities made between this beer and typical winter ales. With a vanilla bouquet and coffee finish, this beer was sweet but was controlled with light hop usage. Two of the tasters argued that this could not be a pumpkin ale! I insisted that it was, although they have a case since the label of this beer states that it is a "brown ale brewed with pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg". In my mind, this is not a true pumpkin ale because it does not share many characteristics with typical pumpkin beers and is first-and-foremost a brown ale. Having said this, everyone really liked it, and it was easy to drink due to its low carbonation and and subdued sweetness.  B+

2) Nelson Brewing Organic Pumpkin Ale 
I lived in Nelson for four months, four blocks from Nelson Brewing, and grew to really like their beer. I still buy it today and think that their After Dark black lager is one of the most drinkable and well-made beers being produced in BC. Therefore, I was really excited to try their Organic Pumpkin Ale, as this is the first year that they have made this. This beer poured a light copper colour and had a nice head. Similar to Fernie's Pumpkin Head, pumpkin was not the dominant flavour. This beer packs a spicy wallop, and two members of our group noted that it tastes a lot like chai tea. One person really disliked it because of the after taste, which she associated with Jagermeister. This beer was not sweet, so its heavy spice characteristics suit both dinner and dessert.  B

3) Central City Red Racer Pumpkin Ale
We all reacted negatively to this beer. Although the pumpkin flavour was arguably the most evident in this beer of the three that we tried, it was also quite hoppy and very tangy. It had an acidic quality too, and the extremely high carbonation did not do anything to improve the drinkability of this poorly-balanced ale. Despite local acclaim, I have never liked Central City beers, as it seems like the unfavourable traits in one beer can be identified in all made by this brewery. It is also strange how this particular beer was unpleasant while previous pumpkin ales made by Central City have been decent. That's another point off for inconsistency!  C

Keywords: "BC pumpkin beers", "Night Owl Pumpkin Ale", "Alex Dawkins"  

Pronto Caffe

Several of my friends and fellow Yelpers have recommended this tiny trattoria, and I was charmed upon entering this neighbourhood restaurant last night. The simple wooden chairs, narrow layout, and coffee bar overlooking the kitchen sparked flashbacks to my travels in Italy, and the staff were accommodating and friendly when my friend brought his baby unexpectedly and we requested a larger table. This initial charm and the great customer service were the highlights of the restaurant, however, as the food only detracted from our first impressions. 

To start, we ordered the appetizers on special which were a tomato-beef soup and a skewer of prosciutto-wrapped prawns. The soup was hearty and thick, which suited the brisk autumn night, but it was also a bit heavy. The prawns were large and well cooked, but the chef coated them in breadcrumbs after they had been wrapped in prosciutto, and this coating was soft and moist when it arrived. The flavour was amazing, but the soggy texture didn't really have us wanting more.

The mains ordered were the spaghetti pomadoro (with a side of meatballs), the gnocchi special, and the shortribs special. The spaghetti was solid, made with a fresh and vibrant tomato sauce. The meatballs were okay, dense and only lightly herbed. My friend's wife said that the kitchen cheated with the gnocchi, making them from a rolled dough rather than as individual hand-formed dumplings. This wouldn't have bothered me, personally, except for the fact that they tasted like they were from a roll of dough...a little bit tough, with sharp edges. The shortribs themselves were great - probably the best thing that was ordered - but they were served atop a Milanese (= parmesan and saffron) risotto made with long grain rice. Long grain rice?! I am not a snobby foodie, but I was kind of shocked over this, even if Pronto categorizes itself as a "blue-collar" trattoria. The flavour was good. The texture was awful. 

And the ciliegia on the cassata was that they did not have any draught beer. The negroni I ordered was very good, but Pronto is going to need to do better than bottled beer to snag some of the adjacent BierCraft crowd. Especially since BierCraft has pretty decent food.

Keywords: "Pronto cambie street", "cincin review", "Alex Dawkins"