In case you didn't know, I'm a huge Food Network fan. So when I heard that there's a new show called "World's Weirdest Restaurants" starting on April 4, I was pretty excited about it. And when I learned that I could interview with the host Bob Blumer, who is the host of "Surreal Gourmet" and "Glutton for Punishment", there was no reason to turn it down. Via Skype, let's hear from Bob more about the show.
Fundraising Dinner at H.A.V.E. Cafe
H.A.V.E. Cafe is the store front of a culinary training program that is designed to provide the community with skills training and opportunities for employment. The acronym stands for Hope, Action, Values and Ethics. Through work, I had the pleasure to attend its very first fundraising dinner last week. This year they've kicked off a fundraising initiative called "Project 374" to raise fund for renovations and the upkeep for the school. The cafe will also be renamed to Cafe 374 soon. Why 374? The cafe/culinary school is located at 374 Powell Street, Vancouver. Chef Alex Chen, who will be representing Canada in Bocuse d'Or in Lyon in 2013, put together the menu for the evening. Chef Alex's dishes were basically a new take on the classics.
Novo Pizzeria – Old World Ingredients with New World Creativity
If there was one secret to great food, it’s passion. When someone really cares about the food they are serving, it shines through. This was my first time trying Neapolitan pizza. It’s a thin crust pizza cooked in an old-fashioned wood burning stove that heats up to almost 600 Celsius, for 60 to 90 seconds. This is done to produce a crust that is crispy on the outside yet still moist and chewy. “Simplicity is beautiful” rings true at Novo.
C Restaurant – Dine Out 2012
I received an invitation to a sit-down media dinner at C Restaurant, to sample its Dine Out menu. I said yes without a blink. C Restaurant and I go way back. In fact, it all started with a DOV dinner back in 2004, when the menu was - hold your breath - only $25. That was before my photo-taking/food-blogging time, but I remember it was a very enjoyable dinner, especially for the value of it. Then, I went back for another DOV dinner in 2008, and the price already went up to $35, nonetheless a wonderful meal. In 2011, I visited C again for one of its tasting menus, courtesy of deal coupon discounts; it was a different experience because the dishes were smaller in portion and I could tell that the culinary direction had changed since my 2008 visit (sorry, was in hiatus mode so there wasn't a post on this). This media invite has piqued my interest in trying the now more upscale C Restaurant, at an affordable $38 DOV price.
Black + Blue – Dine Out 2012
Despite the expected, typical hits & misses during Dine Out, I tend to use this period to try out new restaurants and assess the potential return in the future. If a restaurant could impress me during this time, it would probably be even better when visiting post Dine-Out. This year I continue this tradition, and first up, Black + Blue, the latest addition to the Glowbal Restaurant Group empire. Frankly I didn't know what to expect from this restaurant because I've heard mixed reviews about it, in fact mostly negative both from regular diners online and my coworkers. Keeping an open mind, I gave it a try.
VanFoodies.com 
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