Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill in Yaletown is one of Vancouver’s most critcally-acclaimed restaurants and widely recognized as one of the city’s best Mediterranean restaurants. Since its opening in 1999, Cioppino’s and sister restaurant next door, Enoteca, is a favourite of oenophiles, foodies and celebrities including Diana Krall, Elvis Costello, Al Pacino, and Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo.

Known for its award-winning wine list and creative take on traditional Mediterranean dishes, Chef/Owner Giuseppe “Pino” Posteraro’s upscale restaurant offers deceptively simple pastas, pan-seared fish and hearty grilled meats. Chef Pino emphasizes cucina naturale, or natural cooking, which showcases the organic and natural flavour of ingredients by using simple preparations and light sauces. His cooking is influenced by his world travels and extensive culinary experience in Europe, Asia and North America. Food is prepared precisely and to perfection and service is equally impressive, with highly attentive and professional staff.

Pino’s pasta dishes are well known for their “lightness” as the pasta itself is made in-house from traditional recipes. Both lunch and dinner menus feature a wide variety of large and small meat and seafood dishes which focus on the seasonal availability of fish, game, fruits and vegetables. Cioppino’s wine cellar is one of the largest in the city, which would also explain its appeal to celebrities. It was most recently recognized with the highest award, winning Platinum at the 2012 Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival. Zagat also rated its food 28 points for World’s Top Restaurants for 2012, calling it “extraordinary to perfection.”

Cioppino’s cherry wood and terracotta interior creates a cozy and intimate setting for diners and its private rooms are perfect for special occasions and large parties while Enoteca provides a more casual dining experience with a pale wood interior. Wine rooms of varying sizes such as the Dom Perignon OEnotheque and the Champagne Library are available for private events and functions. Both restaurants feature open kitchens, full-service dining rooms, and large patios are also available.

This past weekend, I bought “The Bone Bowl”, a non-slip dog feeder with removable bowls, from Bosley’s in Yaletown for my dog Teddy Bear. It’s super stylish, affordable and comes in six trendy colours: orange, blue, black, green, pink and white.  Designed by the UK-based Hing Designs and is available for $25 at Bosley’s in Yaletown.

By Joanna Lee, Modern Mix Vancouver writer

Caché Bistro & Lounge is a French-Asian fusion restaurant and true to its French name, is hidden in a corner of Yaletown at Drake and Hamilton.  Only four months since its inception, Cache has already received praise from the local dining industry and has even won OpenTable’s 2012 Diner’s Choice Award.

Caché is helmed by brothers Jason and Alex Mok, who previously worked with the former chef to the King of Belgium.  Alex and his wife, Zoe, hosted “underground supper clubs,” cooking and serving friends and locals at their Vancouver apartment.  Custom menus were designed by Alex and the two hosted intimate dinner parties before bringing their passion for food into the restaurant industry.

The menu is French and Asian inspired and primarily “nibblies” and tapas style.  Fairly priced for their size, dishes include the signature spinach and cream cheese stuffed portobello cap ($13), veal tenderloin tataki ($14) and the foie gras creme brulee with flying fish caviar ($10).  Sides include yam fries ($5) with a special house made ketchup (sans preservatives we were told) and lotus chips with chipotle mayo.  Instead of the conventional bread served as an appetizer, Cache serves deep fried pickles coated in cornmeal and crispy chickpeas with a lemon vinaigrette before you even order.  Drinks include hand-crafted cocktails such as a blueberry mojito and the Pineapple Express and one will also find German and Belgian beers on the menu.  Cache serves brunch seven days a week as well as a seasonal 3-course $35 set menu, with a variety to choose from and changing every two weeks.

Cache is a hidden gem with upbeat french music and great ambience conducive for lounging.  The food is affordable, fresh, and focuses on seasonal ingredients.  Cache is a great addition to Yaletown and absolutely worth trying.

Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar is a seafood-centric, fine dining restaurant known as one of Vancouver’s best restaurants. Located within a heritage warehouse, Blue Water Cafe is situated in the heart of Yaletown, one of the city’s most vibrant neighbourhoods. The restaurant has received many accolades and awards, and has been profiled numerously in Vancouver Magazine, Food & Wine Magazine, and the Lonely Planet Travel Guide. It has been voted by the Concierge and Clefs d’Or as the best restaurant overall for cuisine, service and ambiance. Blue Water Cafe won this year’s Straight’s Golden Plates for Best (imported) Wine List and tied first for Best West Coast Cuisine.

Executive Chef Frank Pabst, one of Canada’s most accomplished chefs, is highly regarded for his creativity and leadership in the kitchen and his technique is disciplined and diverse. Having learned his trade in some of Europe’s finest kitchens, Pabst insists on using seafood from wild and sustainable harvest. Notable dishes include the West Coast Sablefish ($36.50) with miso-roasted eggplant, baby bok choy, and quinoa, Pacific Ling Cod ($28.50) with porcini-wrapped prosciutto, and White Sturgeon ($34.50) with chioggia beets and cauliflower puree.

The raw bar is equally impressive, offering some of the finest and freshest sushi, sashimi and nigiri in the city, prepared in front of diners by skilled sushi chefs such as Yoshiya Maruyama, who is meticulous in preparation and presentation. The restaurant also houses a wine cellar containing two private rooms that can easily accommodate up to 80 people, ideal for wedding parties and banquets. The long bar is perfect for a quick bite (oysters), signature and aged cocktails that have been cask-aged, and has an extensive collection of over a hundred malt whiskeys. Blue Water Cafe also has one of the most extensive wine and sake lists in the city with Wine Director and Restaurant Manager, Andrea Vescovi at the helm. He has been recognized as Sommelier of the Year by the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival and one of Western Living’s Top 40 Foodies under 40.

Blue Water Cafe is a Yaletown flagship known for its great design, consistent food and quality service. It remains one of the city’s most sought after reservations and is ideal for people-watching and celebrity-spotting. Blue Water is open daily from 5:00pm.

Blaq Sheep Coffee House & Bistro opened last December on Pacific Boulevard.  Although slightly out of the way from the Yaletown core, this coffee house and bistro is a cozy space to stay for a while catching up with a friend over coffee/tea or to do some work on your own.  MMV writer Manveet and I both ordered standard tea-based drinks, however, we were told that Blaq Sheep’s mochas are made with a spicy cajun kick.  Soups, sandwiches and sweet baked good are also available.  Blaq Sheep is open from 8am to 8pm seven days a week.  Check it out the next time you are looking for an independent alternative to Starbucks, Blenz or Waves.

As you’ve read on Modern Mix Vancouver and on Twitter, I recently adopted my dog Teddy Bear from the local rescue agency, Pamela’s Dogs.  This is probably obvious to most veteran downtown pet owners, but downtown Vancouver is a very accommodating neighbourhood for being a small dog owner.  In addition to several off-leash parks, boutique pet shops, and multiple dog-friendly shops (eg. Fine Finds Boutique, TD Bank, etc.), there is also Pawsh Dog Spa.

Pawsh Dog Spa on Smithe and Beatty Street, at the edge of Yaletown, has consistently been in The Georgia Strait’s Best of Vancouver Top 3 for “Pet Spa and Pet Grooming”.  With rates starting at $50, Pawsh will take care of all your dog grooming needs in a 2 -3 hour drop-off appointment.  This includes a wash, blow dry, haircut, brushing, nail cutting and ear cleaning.

Before the grooming, Teddy had uneven lengths of long wispy hair and a thick double coat.  After, his entire coat was given a trim with clean, straight edges, and the undercoat brushed out and detangled for a lighter, brighter, airy coat.  Teddy came out of Pawsh with a much more defined, shine-y coat.  As gross as this may sound to a non-pet owner, the area around his bum-bum hole was also neatly trimmed so poo wouldn’t get stuck in the long fur (no photos of that on Modern Mix – let’s keep it G-rated!)  See below for a “before and after” comparison of Teddy.  The differences are subtle in the photo, but in real life, his fur feels softer, that “wet-dog” smell has been washed out, and his nails make less of a “click click click” sound on my apartment’s hardwood floors.

As high maintenance as it sounds to bring your pet to the “spa”, this is really basic hygiene that every dog needs to go through – regardless of whether you’re taking them to a “spa”, to the vet, or taking care of it yourself at home. The “spa” part is really just for the reassurance for the pet owners that your dog will be taken care of in a safe, pampering environment.

Pawsh will give you a phone call approximately 15 minutes before your dog is ready to be picked up.  If you’re early, feel free to browse through their selection of pet products.  There are studded collars, jewelled leashes, premium doggy treats as well as Canucks-themed clothing.  If you’re late picking up your dog, he’ll wait for you in a play pen area.  When I arrived at Pawsh, Teddy was wearing his new little bandana, patiently sitting and waiting for me to come pick him up and bring him home!

Pawsh is open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 5:30pm. For popular Saturday grooming appointments, Pawsh recommends booking at least one week in advance.

Beginning Wednesday March 7th, head to the Glowbal Group’s upscale comfort food restaurant Society (1257 Hamilton Street) for movie night in their upstair lounge. The March movie is Bridesmaids, which I saw in theatres several months ago.  It was pretty funny in a shockingly gross way – ie. toilet and fart humor, but disguised as a chick flick I’ve heard Bridesmaids referred to as the chick’s version of of Hangover 2, which came out at around the same time. If you’re looking for a laugh, or a girl’s movie night out, check out Society.

Had a chance to check out Illuminate Yaletown this year, thought it was a nice 15 minute walk along the two-block span Mainland Street. We stopped by to check out the fire dancing which was probably the main live attraction of the night. Further along, nearly at Davie Street, there were some ice sculptures which were illuminated by changing coloured lights.  Check out the video below for footage from the fire dancing performance.  If you missed Illuminate Yaletown tonight, the sculptures and performances will still be on display tomorrow evening (February 11, 2012).

My favourite taster of the night was the candied bacon, apple and blue cheese crostini.  Loved the sweet, crunchy bacon, paired with the crispy, tart granny smith apple slice.  And the blue cheese added a wonderful creamy texture to the bite sized delight.  This would be a super easy apple-inspired appetizer to make the next time you have to bring a dish to a social gathering.

The chicken brie and apple sandwich would make a great lunch.  A similar (if not the same) version of this sandwich is available on the Earl’s menu for $13.50.

For those of you more inclined towards the sweet apple flavour, these baked pies on a stick were a fun twist on your traditional apple pie.  A thick crunchy crust enveloped warm apple filling.  Might be hard to make on your own, but the idea of having pie on a stick can be inspiring.

So there you go, three apple-inspired bites in celebration of Apple Month!  At the end of the evening, each guest received a jar of “Apple Pie In-A-Jar” to take home, which is the creation of Mijune Pak of Follow Me Foodie.  Apple Pie In-A-Jar has an almond crust, Mexican vanilla bean and cardamom spiced Ambrosia and Gala apples, a crispy salted buttercrunch layer and topped with a maple cinnamon creme brulee … and all fits into a jar!

For the rest of February, while you’re out grocery shopping during Apple Month, you will notice additional displays of B.C. Tree Fruits apple varieties available at this time of year, including Royal Gala, Ambrosia, McIntosh, Spartan, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith and Fuji. You will also be able to sample apples in various produce stores during the month.

By Manveet Virk, Modern Mix Vancouver writer

Are you set to hang on to winter for one last blast Vancouver? Illuminate Yaletown is just around the corner with fourteen artists putting in their hearts and souls to give us awesome interactive light shows that will make the streets glow from blocks away.  Part of the popular City and Slope Event, Illuminate Yaletown is for those who want to stay within city limits and witness Yaletown making a remarkable transformation. If you still need convincing, check out the images from last year’s Flickr 2011 Illuminate Yaletown Photo Contest. All I can say is… eat your heart out LiteBright!