It’s that time of year again. . .for the Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival, which kicked off last month, and runs until Valentine’s Day.

According to a press release passed along by my friend and colleague, Rhonda May, who’s also the editor of CityFood magazine (online and print) and the Festival’s organizer:

<<This is the second year of the festival, and this time there are double the cafes, shops and food artisans participating — including some amazing newcomers such as Chef David Hawksworth’s Bel Cafe; Chief Thierry Busset’s Thierry Chocolaterie, Patisserie and Cafe; as well as young entrepreneurs like Beta5Chocolates (who are teaming up with The Juice Truck in Gastown).

With 13 venues and 15 chocolate artists offering a range of over 50 off-beat flavours, there will be a hot chocolate style for everyone–from the classic (milk chocolate orange at Gem Chocolates) to the edgy (“The Surprise Flower” at Chocolaterie de la Nouvelle France), to the health-conscious (Vegan Black Sesame at CocoaNymph). Each venue will be offering drinks that were especially created for the Festival, along with edible treats from their regular menus. For example: A Sparkle Cookie at Thomas Haas, a slice of Erin Ireland’s “It’s To Die For” Banana Bread at Bella Gelateria.

New this year is a Photo Tweet-up Contest where Festival goers may post photos of their hot chocolate drinks for a chance to win a $300 value gift basket!

You’ll find information about participants, flavours, the complete calendar, and this year’s charity recipient, The Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre, on the Festival’s official information page.>>

Thanks for the heads up, Rhonda!

We all know that a box of chocolates or a bouquet of roses are de rigueur gifts for Valentine’s Day. But let’s be honest. . .they aren’t very creative.

So why not offer up a much more inspiring and inspired gift for your sweetie this year?: a Waterways brunch or dinner cruise of Lake Washington?

Last summer, Spencer and I thoroughly enjoyed sailing from Waterways Cruise’s HomePort on the south shore of Lake Union, through the Montlake Cut, past Hunt’s Point, and back around the lake during one of the company’s Sunset Dinner Cruises.

The newlywed couple who sat next to use had opted for a Special Occasion package, so their tabletop was festooned with fresh red rose petals. Talk about impressing your sweetie!

We set off after a Champagne toast and welcome from the captain as musician Ryan Shea Smith regaled us with live music on vocals, guitar, and keyboard.

Our generously portioned amuse bouche comprised super-tasty slices of the freshest Yellow-Fin Tuna, Mustard-Soy Ginger Aïoli, Seaweed Salad, and Microgreens. A lusciously fresh seasonal salad followed.

My subtly-spiced wild salmon came encased in a banana leaf and accompanied by a cascade of pineapple salsa and a blanket of aromatic coconut jasmine rice.

Dessert was the perfect light and airy sweet bite: Angel Food Cake with Strawberry Coulis and Cinnamon Whipped Cream.

Wines included offerings from Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia, and other leading Northwest wineries.

All of this gustatory goodness, not to mention picture-postcard views of Seattle and Bellevue, will make for an unforgettable Valentine’s Day for any lucky loved one.

Here’s the Valentine’s Day menu:

First Course

Crab Cake Nouvelle

Pacific lump ginger scallion crab cake, atop mango aioli with dragon fruit and crisp rice noodle nest

Second Course

Farmers’ Market Salad

Herbed Laura Chenel goat cheese, Prosciutto di Parma, Ciliengini mozzarella, teardrop tomatoes, candied pistachios, and petite greens, with a spring herb vinaigrette

Third Course:

Your choice of Entrée:

Filet “Oscar”

A beautiful pan seared filet mignon medallion, cut in half and stuffed with Pacific crab, asparagus and sauce béarnaise, set on a cloud of whipped potatoes with sheep’s milk cheese, in a pond of rich Port wine demi-glace

-or-

Salmon Bonne Femme

Sautéed local salmon with toasted almonds, roasted vegetable and sheep’s milk cheese risotto, accented with a vanilla bean beurre rouge, passion fruit, and microgreens

-or-

Chef’s Capelli D’Angelo

Foraged mushrooms and truffle essence, angel hair pasta, organic baby spinach, tomato rose, and grilled vegetables in creamy Chardonnay-tarragon sauce

Fourth Course

Chocolate Amaretto Cheesecake

With fresh-berry compote, salted caramel, and passion-fruit whipped cream

Our friends at Tourism Vancouver sent word that the 10th annual Dine Out Vancouver, the largest restaurant festival in Canada, will run this year from January 20 to February 5, and will feature new events, special hotel offers, and the highest number of participating restaurants to date–a whopping 225!

They report that three-course, prix-fixe menus will be priced at $18, $28, and $38, with suggested BC VQA wine and beer pairings courtesy of Wines of British Columbia and Kronenbourg 1664, available at an additional cost.

Participating hotels will offer rooms priced at $78, $108, and $138 per night, and some are featuring special Dine Out packages, too.

In celebration of Dine Out Vancouver’s 10th birthday, the list of daily dining experiences has expanded to more than 70 events. Samples from this year’s tantalizing schedule include Plated & Paired at the Public Market, featuring fresh eats and wines from 10 top B.C. wineries; Kronenbourg 1664’s popular Brasserie Mystère; the brand-new Street Food Cart City; and “Salt & Pepper” events featuring salsa dancing, an exclusive chef’s table experience and more. Tickets for paid events range from $25 to $150.

Mark your calendars now. . .

For the Seattle Wine and Food Experience, the premier showcase for wine and food in the Northwest.

The event will take place Sunday, February 26, 2012, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, 305 Harrison Street in Seattle.

Guests will experience a world tour of wine, beer, and all things culinary, according to a recent press release.

The event benefits The Giving Grapes Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization that assists local charities who provide financial assistance to service industry professionals.

Event features include:

Wines from around the world

Featured Wine Region: Oregon

Beer and cider exhibit

Sip Northwest Distillery Row

20+ chefs preparing gourmet bites

Viking demo stage hosted the “Chef in the Hat” Thierry Rautureau

Fonté Coffee Lounge

Artisan Food “Shop”

Washington Beef Bistro

Live Music

Wineries from a variety of countries as well as Washington State, California, Oregon, and Idaho are participating in the event.

“Our wines have always enjoyed a strong following among Seattle wine lovers, and the Seattle Wine and Food Experience is a premier event,” said Steve Burns, Oregon Wine Board Interim Executive Director. “To be the lead regional sponsor is an exceptional opportunity for Oregon’s top wineries to build and strengthen their following in Washington.”

Tickets are $49.

Uncle Tony’s Pub was the setting for our afternoon wine-and-food-pairing in the Old Town section of Québec City.

While some might think of the phrase “Québec wines” as an oxymoron, we were happy to try to prove them wrong. Here’s some useful background info from the Quebec Wines website:

“There are over 30 wineries in Quebec located in five distinct regions.

“Although grapes have been cultivated in Quebec for centuries, it is only in the last 20 years that local wine production has taken off in a big way.

“Few people outside the region are familiar with Quebec wines because the majority of production is consumed domestically. Many wineries sell out their inventory simply by marketing to visitors of the winery.”

When we arrived at Uncle Tony’s, places had been set up in a back room with three wines and samples of Wild Boar and Venison Paté, Brie Cheese, and dried apricots, along with a basket of sliced bread.

The white wine, Orpailleur Classique, was sourced from one of the original five founding wineries in Québec, Vignoble de L’Orpailleur. Made of 90% Seyval Blanc and 10% Vidal, it was a light-bodied and crisp wine that displayed green-apple aromas and flavors as well as what our wine guide described as “boxwood” notes and a green-bean finish.

Comparing the wine to a Sauvignon Blanc (which was more of a fond wish than actual reality), she suggested we pair it with the raw-milk, Brie-like local cheese.

Orpailleur Rouge, a red blend made from three local varietals, displayed notes of cherry and black currants, and, once again, “boxwood.” It was designed to pair with the paté, and was likened to a California Merlot, Beaujolais Nouveau, or a Spanish or South African red. Hmmm. . .again, wishful thinking.

Les Vergers de la Colline L’Ensorceleuse 2008 Mistelle de Pomme was an intriguing dessert beverage described as an Ice Cider.

The multi-award-winning Ice Cider was produced from a whopping 80 McIntosh apples per each bottle, according to our wine guide. It was very apple-y tasting, with notes of licorice and oak.

It paired okay with the dried apricot, but would have been better with our wine guide’s suggestions–drizzled over a fruit salad or served with a dark chocolate tart.

We arrived in Québec City right on time at 8 a.m. and were excited to have an entire day to spend there before returning to the Eurodam for one last dinner prior to disembarkation the next day.

We had scheduled a shore excursion that included a 1 1/2-hour walking tour of the Old Town and a tasting of Québec wines at an atmospheric pub during the afternoon.

So we were on our own all morning, and after several hours of window shopping, we decided to eat lunch al fresco at a famous Old Town restaurant–Le Lapin Sauté–where the patio dining area overlooked a pumpkin-filled plaza.

Here’s the homey interior of Le Lapin Sauté, clearly being enjoyed by locals and tourists alike.

Our Planked Salmon Salads were among the best dishes on the entire trip!  The salmon had a light maple glaze and the greens were very fresh and clean. I’m not usually much of a fennel fan, but the layer of pickled fennel was surprisingly refreshing and formed a fitting contrast to the lovely fatty salmon.

I had a glass of Québec Vidal, a light white varietal that smells and tastes slightly of apples. As you might imagine (since it is so cold with such a short growing season in this new wine-growing region) it was a bit thin with there wasn’t much of a finish.

Québec winemakers might do better to stick to their famous ice wine and hard cider. There were more than half a dozen hard ciders on the menu!

One of my favorite things to do when we are traveling far and wide is to sample the local specialty foods and drink.

And during the third port call of our Fall Foliage cruise this fall, we did just that in the northern Maine town of Bar Harbor.

The weather was gray and damp/cold, just the way we like it. I don’t think I have ever seen so many moose- and blueberry-themed items in my life at all the little souvenir shops scattered throughout the town.

The fact that four other big cruise ships were in port the same day as us didn’t help. We felt overrun by fellow cruisers!

Our first encounter with local cuisine was of the beverage variety. We enjoyed sipping and sharing a bottle of Old Soaker Bar Harbor Blueberry Soda.

The soda wasn’t too sweet and tasted of natural, not synthetic fruit. Spencer said it reminded him of the Grapette sodas he enjoyed as a child.

We bought our bottle of pop at the oldest continuously operating grocery store in Bar Harbor.

With 110 years under its belt, J. H. Butterfield Co., purveyor of fancy food, wine, and beer, was located at 152 Main Street.

In addition to blueberry soda, the venerable store featured all sorts of ale, wine, turnovers, muffins, maple products, and local and imported cheeses. We enjoyed sampling the big wedge of Grafton Village Cheese Extra-Sharp Cheddar Cheese and even back to the boat with a small wedge for late-night nibbling.

Located on the ferry dock in Bar Harbor, Grumpy’s Bakery’s window tempted with other local specialties–freshly baked blueberry pie and muffins and apple cider.

But after a couple hours of sightseeing and shopping, we wanted something more substantial, so headed over to the wildly popular (lines out the door) Stewman’s Lobster Pound at 123 Eden Street and 35 West Streeet.

There I discovered that a lobster pound is “a place where live lobsters are cooked outdoors in wood-fired lobster pots. The centerpiece of any shore dinner, a freshly steamed lobster is beyond perfection accompanied by clams, mussels, corn on the cob, and a baked potato.”

And the restaurant is justly proud since President Obama ate there last summer.

We’d been eating a lot (this, after all, was a cruise!), so I opted instead for an authentic Lobster Roll–lobster salad on a toasted brioche-style bun with cole slaw and a pickle.

Frankly, I found this New England delicacy kind of underwhelming. I did much better the day before in Gloucester, Massachusetts, with with my steamed “lobsta.”

But Spencer gave me bites of his Fish ‘n Chips platter so I didn’t starve. And we felt very sanctimonious when we passed up a slice of good-looking blueberry pie à la mode for dessert.

Glosta lobsta: Braiden wrestles a 1 ¼-pound lobster

During the second port call of our Fall Foliage cruise on the Holland America Line, we stopped in Gloucester, Massachusetts, a.k.a. “Glosta.”

It was a small and not very interesting town, sadly. But we did enjoy lunch at the Seaport Grille, a popular waterfront restaurant and bar, before we got back on the boat.

I was drawn to this particular place (among several recommended dining options) when I saw one of the specials of the day–Steamed lobster with coleslaw, puréed squash (which reminded me of sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving) and potatoes au gratin–all for an astonishingly low $12.95.

I didn’t eat much of the starch or coleslaw, but I did manage to eat the entire lobster. Here are the poor creature’s sad remains.

Glosta lobsta eaten

After I excitedly emailed the “before” photo to a select group of family and friends, I received this response from my talented web designer, Christopher Prouty, founder of Studio 99 Creative.

“There is no better lobster than a Gloucester lobster,” he said. “And here’s a tip. A splash of vinegar in your melted butter adds some incredible flavor… got that from an old Maine lobster man.”

I was intrigued. But what kind of vinegar to use, I wondered. Balsamic would certainly be a big statement. Apple cider would add an interesting tang. Blueberry? Not so much.

Another round of emails elicited suggestions from both Chris and his wife, Amy.

“Malt vinegar for me,” Chris replied, “but Amy is a traditionalist and likes white. You know you get the right amount when it is indiscernible, yet different than regular butter. Yum-yum.”

BTW, my Gloucester lobster paired perfectly with a glass of California Sauvignon Blanc.

During our first port call on the Holland America Line’s Fall Foliage cruise from New York City to Québec City, we stopped in Newport, Rhode Island.

We began our exploration of this venerable and historic city on the legendary Cliff Walk, an easy bus ride from downtown.

We enjoyed a brisk stroll with threatening skies above, crashing waves on one side, and the back side of millionaires’ formidable mansions (nicknamed “cottages”) on the other.

Upon returning to downtown, we strolled the main drag, Thames Street. It’s pronounced the American, not English way, like the proper name, James, with the “Th” pronounced like  the “th” in “the.”

It was a pretty ticky-tacky mix of chain stores you’d see in any American city plus some local businesses, but offered another good stretch of our legs.

Between that and the Cliff Walk, we had worked up a pretty good appetite, so settled in at the historic Black Pearl, which had been recommended by a friend of mine who hails from Newport.

A gorgeous lobster salad  at the historic Black Pearl in Newport, Rhode Island

Here’s the lobster salad I enjoyed–plenty of the freshest shellfish mixed with just the right amount of mayo and served over tender butter lettuce and a handful of sweet pear tomatoes. A good pairing with real brewed iced tea.

We are so happy to revisit these amazing Blue Mussels served at Voilà Bistro in Madison Valley.

The Blue Cheese Mussels at Voilà Bistrot in Seattle’s Madison Valley neighborhood never fail to please, especially when paired with a hearty California Zin. Here’s the before dish (above).

And the after. . .nothing is left but artfully arranged shells! You’ll find the recipe for Blue Cheese Mussels in Pacific Northwest Wining & Dining, where Voilà Bistrot chef/owner Laurent Gabrel suggests pairing them with a good-quality Washington-State Merlot.