Chinese Restaurant Awards noms open – Westender

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DJ Kearney, the noted sommelier, wine judge and educator, has joined New District, the BC-based online wine marketplace, as their wine director and website editor.

The eighth annual Chinese Restaurant Awards have launched the nomination period for their Diners’ Choice Awards. Vote now for your top picks in multiple categories. Voting deadline is Jan. 31, 2016.

A new Spanish tapas joint has opened on Commercial Drive. Cabrito – Tapas Bebidas offers Spanish wines, house-infused spirits and cocktails to pair with its tapas selections that feature Ocean Wise seafood and non-medicated meat.

L’Epicerie Gourmande is once again selling their tourtieres over the holiday season, accompanied with housemade pear chutney, for $20 for an eight-inch family size pie. The store is also offering a three-course Christmas dinner to go for only $30 per person.

Lucky’s Doughnuts has launched their holiday menu until Dec. 24, including the stöllen, a German-style spiced citrus cake doughnut filled with a marzipan pastry cream and covered in granulated sugar; the eggnog snowball, an eggnog pastry cream topped with Swiss meringue and fine coconut; a mulled wine old fashioned; and a maple custard long john with maple glaze.

L’Abattoir will be offering its à la carte menu on New Year’s Eve in the main dining room, as well as a special four-course menu in its private dining room around a communal table. The four-course menu includes duck foie gras torchon, baked Pacific oyster with black truffle, roast fillet of beef with butter-poached lobster, and caramelized banana with white chocolate for dessert. Tickets $175 per person, including dinner and beverage pairings.

La Pentola is offering two NYE menus. The six-course early seating at 6pm includes roasted quail with squash puree, crab and prawn squid ink tortellini, and beef tenderloin, and costs $65 per person. The seven-course late seating at 8pm includes a glass of Prosecco, oysters on the half-shell, foie gras torchon, seared scallop with parsnip and polenta gnudi, and buttered popcorn ice cream, and costs $80 per person.

Mamie Taylor’s is celebrating New Year’s Eve with a whole hog pig roast on Dec. 31, 8pm-2am. Tickets are $100 per person and include devilled eggs, cornbread, hush puppies with pimento cheese spread, okra, suckling pig roast and crackling with buttermilk buns, mac ‘n’ cheese and southern slaw, and for dessert, apple turnovers, rocky road brownies, and sweet banana pudding. Pescatarian and vegetarian options available.

Wildebeest is offering a special NYE four-course menu, available all evening with multiple seatings. Options include arctic char with golden roe, beet terrine with goat’s cheese, venison carpaccio, oxtail agnolotti, hamachi tuna with cured ham broth, butternut squash gnocchi, pheasant breast with quail roulade, smoked sablefish with potato pave, spinach tagliatelle, beef striploin, cheese or dessert. Tickets are $69 per person.