With the sun poking its head out on the weekend, much of the city was indoors exploring the culinary world at the 13^th annual EAT! Vancouver Food + Cooking Festival at BC Place. The floor of the stadium was transformed from May 1st through 3rd into a maze of booths and demonstrations of delicious and decadent creations: artisan chocolates, premium chefs knives, aromatic cheeses, craft beers, and oh so much more.

Our group started our gastronomical adventure just after 10:00 am. Going down the ramps to the arena level, we stopped to get our wrists wrapped in a band repeated stamped with “Age Verified” so we wouldn’t have to produce ID at the Sips pavilion. At the entrance to the show floor was the booth for purchasing the tasting tickets used throughout the event. However, the price for the tickets had increased to $10 for 10 or $20 for 20; previously it was $5 for 10 and $10 for 20.

First stop: Legacy Liquor Store. Right by the entrance, this shop offered an array of wines, spirits and beers, and for a 5% discount on Sunday under the premise they didn’t want to carry it all back to their physical location in the former Athlete’s Village. I took them up on this offer for two six-packs of Stanley Park Brewing’s Windstorm Pale Ale. I quite enjoyed this brew after first trying it at Craft Beer Market a few months prior and was happy to find some I could savor at home.

Edible Canada sponsored a decent sized tent with many different treats available. I tried a delightful blackberry and bourbon jam from the Preservatory, a uniquely textured espresso honey that was somehow smooth yet a little grainy from Honeyview Farms, and some popcorn liberally sprinkled with bacon salt from Amola.

For two taste tickets, I could sample a toasted baguette topped with duck, fig jam and arugula served up by Pinnacle Hotels. A little sweet, but savoury; it turned out to be a crowd pleaser for our group. I could go on and into detail about all the little things I consumed. Bosa Foods had their usual samples of succulent hams and cured meats, vinegars and olive oils, served alongside freshly poured Italian espresso. Cheeses from Switzerland always puts on a show with their legendary cheeses, including one that was pretty pungent. BC Hothouses doled out juicy grape tomatoes. Matt & Steve’s returned to serve tangy and crisp green beans and caesar mixes. Even the Hawaii Papaya Industry Association setup a booth and sliced up some vivid and sweet papayas.

Now it was time for the drinks. With a wave our hands, it was past security and into the Sips pavilion. I kept the number of libations at a minimum as I would be driving later in the day, so I made my way over to the Beverage Concepts Intl. & Network Agency to look for a nice rum. I was introduced to Diplomatico’s vintage 12 year-old rum, with a limited production of 6,000 bottles from. For two tickets, I got a taste of this amber from Venezuela with hints of vanilla and raisins. If it wasn’t so expensive (Legacy Liquor was selling it onsite for $158 per bottle), I’d have gotten one to enjoy for special occasions.

By the time we finished with the spirits, we made our way to the Bite of Vancouver stations at the back row of the event. I’ve been underwhelmed in the selection of participating restaurants in previous years, mainly due to the lack of variety. There appears to have been a marked improvement this year, with a number new eateries including Bella Gelateria, Caribbean Spoon, Baodown, and Basil Pasta Bar to name a few. Since I was in the mood for some pasta, I dropped five tickets at Basil Pasta Bar for a heaping helping of spaghetti served with puttanesca sauce. Served fresh with a savoury sauce, olives, capers, a generous pile of basil and fresh grated Parmesan cheese, it was perfect. I was going to grab some jerk chicken afterwards, but by then I was teetering on sad full (the feeling you get when you’re too full it makes you sad).

I had a good time this year, enjoying everything EAT! Vancouver Food + Cooking Festival serves up. I’m looking forward to next year, and maybe some pacing to fit more food in! Pictures can be found on Gallery.

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