Mark Anthony Wine Release & Rue Faubourg in Kerrisdale

Mark Anthony Fall Release

At their recent fall trade event, Mark Anthony showed off some of the latest releases from their clients, including Weingut Markus Huber’s Grüner Veltliner Hugo 2010 from Austria. Perfect with seafood and white meat, it’s a stunning stone fruit and citrus quaff with lots of apple on the nose, and a long, clean, mineral-rich finish. Find it for $22.99 at private wine stores.

Another great find was Tenuta Sant’Antonio’s Scaia Rosso Corvina, a light, un-oaked, varietal with lots of berry and plum on the palate, and a light nose. Best with some Verace Napoletana pizza (margherita or even salsiccia), or a nice hearty pasta (think puttanesca or Bolognese). $14.99 at private wine stores.

Rue Faubourg arrives in Kerrisdale

Rue Faubourg

The tea house craze is still going strong in Vancouver, and the one of the latest additions is a small, bright tea atelier on West 41st Avenue, in the heart of Kerrisdale. Faubourg has brought together the concepts of tea house, bistro, bakery and café in one small space. The design is bright and chic (natch), and the room is constantly busy. The service in the back “bistro” showed more North American indifference than French hospitality, but the counter service was welcoming and cheerful.

We tried the afternoon tea, a selection of sandwiches, scones and elegant treats. The quality of the loose tea was average, the selection was not extensive, and the sandwiches were a bit bland, but where they blew us away was with the sweet side of things. Lemon-poppy seed scones were the cakey, lighter, fluffier, French version of a scone and melted on the tongue. Mixed berry soufflé was incredible, so light it seemed to float on its base, with a fresh, lightly sweet taste. The mini lemon tart and opera slice were also bits of heaven, with just the right amounts of tart and rich, respectively. I would come back in a heartbeat for one of the full-sized treats (served at the front), with a proper café au lait.

– By Anya Levykh

Written By: Anya Levykh

Anya Levykh was born on the shores of the Black Sea, in what was formerly the USSR. The cold, Communist winters were too much for her family, and, before she was four feet tall, they had left for warmer climes in the south of ...