Food & Drink

The Glowbal Collection (restaurant group) will be extending its hours during the Olympics:
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Glowbal Grill Steaks and Satay: Sun to Sat – Open 9:30am to 2:00am
COAST Restaurant: Sun to Sat – Open 10:00am to 2:00am
Sanafir Restaurant and Lounge: Sun to Sat – Open 11:00am to 2:00am
Italian Kitchen: Sun to Sat – Open 10:00am to 2:00am
Trattoria Italian Kitchen: Sun to Sat – Open 11:00am to 2:00pm
SOCIETY Restaurant and Lounge: Sun to Sat – Open 9:30am to 2:00am
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Also, throughout the month of February THE GLOWBAL COLLECTION is launching a Central Reservations Hotline to accommodate bookings in all THE GLOWBAL COLLECTION Restaurants. This will be a great option for those last minute lunch and dinner reservations. Call Central Reservations at 604-629-3424.

After Haiti’s devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake, CRU Restaurant (1459 West Broadway) is mustering its efforts to help the families and children who have lost their possessions and their loved ones in this overwhelming tragedy.
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On Sunday, January 31 2010, CRU Restaurant will invite Vancouverites to support the people of Haiti at a Haiti Earthquake Relief Fundraising Dinner. Guests will enjoy an outstanding four-course dinner paired with wines from CRU’s renowned cellar. The evening will also feature a silent auction. The event starts at 6:30pm and requires a minimum of a $100 donation per person.
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CRU staff will volunteer their time at the dinner, and the restaurant will donate all the food and beverages for this important event. 100% of the proceeds from the dinner will be donated to relief efforts in Haiti. The monies raised will also be matched by the Canadian government, doubling the amount of support that will be provided to the beleaguered country. Make your reservation now by calling 604-677-4111.

The newly rebranded “Glowbal Grill – Steaks & Satay” (1079 Mainland Street) is offering 50% off lunch entrees for the rest of January:

Executive Chef Erik Heck has created new menu favourites. With addition of ‘steak’ to our moniker, the focus is on prime cuts of beef. Our new restaurant features a ‘Meat Cellar’ – essentially a glass-walled meat cooler, displaying aged cuts of beef: ribeyes, striploins and tenderloins. When steaks are selected they will be pulled down and butchered to order.

The new menus are a ‘globally inspired’ combination of regional and exotic ingredients. Although steaks take centre stage, seafood, a variety of sizzling satays, and glowbal’s famous spaghetti and Kobe meatballs remain menu staples

Practically everyone I knew got at least one Starbucks gift card for Christmas! Here is a reminder of what you can get by registering your Starbucks giftcard…

Yum! I love tea. Below is the press release from The Urban Tea Mechant, which is opening a new flagship store this week in Vancouver:

This week, downtown Vancouver will be introduced to a new concept in retail shopping, dining and service with the opening of The Urban Tea Merchant (1070 West Georgia Street), a three thousand square foot store on West Georgia and Alberni Street offering a unique blend of food and beverage, retail, home decor and, say owners Karinna and Tom James, “a sensory experience”!
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As the exclusive North American distributor for the luxury French tea line, Thé Ô Dor, The Urban Tea Merchant will carry the complete line of the beautifully packaged hand blended aromatic teas as well as a wonderful collection of fine harvest teas, all purchased by weight. The retail shop will feature unique European home decor merchandise, gifts, china and glassware with an interesting selection of tea related products including tea pots and kettles, as well as Charbonnel et Walker chocolates and imported French macarons. Additionally, the retail store will offer a tea consultation counter where guests can taste and choose their preferred blends.
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The Urban Tea Merchant is also home to Vancouver’s first Salon de Thé, a 30 seat tea salon offering exquisite afternoon teas, light lunches and petit plates in a separate dining area, and a Thé et Chocolat Bar, offering en route (to go) classic teas, tea lattes & chilled tea infusions as well as chocolates and scones.
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Lunch items, with recipes that incorporate tea infusions, include a quiche trio, beef tenderloin with white truffle mash puree, poached salmon or duck breast as well as more casual items like beef pot pie and macaroni with trois fromages. The Urban Tea Merchant opens this week, December 3rd, 7:00 am until 7:00 pm with expanded hours through the holiday season.

Earlier this month, the Glowbal Group’s newest initiative “Society” (1257 Hamilton Street) opened in Yaletown. With the tagline of “Opposites Attract. The Unexpected Reigns”, Society most definitely has unique, unexpected menu offerings!! Described as a “union of opposites”, the menu offers comfort food – but with a twist.

So for example, classic tomato soup accompanied by mini grilled cheese sandwiches (hmm, following the “tapas” trend?), Mac & Cheese balls (think crabcake style), apple pie with vanilla ice cream and a Nutella milkshake (spiked with Baileys). As for prices, Society’s express lunch menu is a pretty good deal. Less than $10 for sandwich-y types of food. Also, several of their menu items contain cotton candy as an ingredient, including on their drinks menu, the “Candy Collins” which is probably the most creative drink I’ve ever had. It came with a generous fluff of cotton candy on top, and I was advised by the bartender that I could either eat it plain, or melt it into my gin to sweeten as desired.