by Claudia Kwan
claudia@foodconnect.com

They’re the ones usually providing the party so I was intrigued to see what Vancouver’s restaurateurs and staffers get up to when they’re partaking in the merriment en masse. I was warned ahead of attending the Vancouver Magazine restaurant awards to eat something beforehand, to keep a water bottle handy, and to pace myself.

Gotcha.

My first thoughts upon arriving in a ballroom at the Sheraton Wall Centre: what a stupendous concentration of stunningly good-looking people. Vanmag contributor Steve Burgess backed up my observation with one of his own, having seen three well-dressed guys do double takes at a blonde hostess with almost hilarity-ensuing intensity back up an escalator.

The restaurants were strutting their finest stuff, both with the staff and the cuisine being proffered to attendees. Of particular note: slow cooked pork belly—so tender it fell apart if you frowned at it—topped with pear, ‘Asian slaw’, and Dungeness crab, and grilled Balinese swimming scallops lightly fragranced with some kind of herb-infused oil. (My hands were too full to take notes, and my usually trustworthy memory is coming up empty on that point. Sorry about that.)

The food tables were getting their fair share of attention but the line-up for Effen vodka martinis was definitely the longest. The name appears to have become funnier every time people got back in the line for another drink.

After several hours in which to become well-lubricated and well-fed, people crowded into the half of the room that had been sectioned off behind gauzy white curtains for the official award announcements.

To keep the ceremony a little shorter, only about half of the 41 categories were presented on stage. Heartfelt speeches silenced the raucous crowd, as the owner of Dona Cata (winner, “Best of the Americas”) struggled for words to explain how she had opened the restaurant to honour her now-deceased grandmother, ‘my best friend’, and as Vanmag drink columnist Christina Burridge accepted a charitable contribution from the magazine to honour the memory of her husband, noted food writer and broadcaster James Barber.

Then there was the funny, like the entire Boneta crew whooping aloud every time they were referenced, Hiro Watanabe of Tojo’s pretending to fumble for his speech while accepting a “Premier Crew” designation and finding imaginary parking tickets, and the ludicrous get-ups of the Kingyo trio as they performed a long elaborate pointless skit riffing off Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech. (Think skintight blue spandex and plastic red wings, on the guy dubbed ‘Devil Boy’ for the rest of the night, and another in a massive blonde Afro wig.) Vikram Vij haggled to trade in all of his “Best Indian” awards for one “Restaurant of the Year” and was rejected in a gale of laughter.

In some cases, the awards echoed other recognition. After being chosen one of the top five in the world by Travel and Leisure magazine, it was hardly a surprise that The Terrace at Mission Hill scooped up the “Best Winery/Vineyard Dining.” Bacchus at the Wedgewood took nods for “Best Bar/Lounge”, “Best Hotel Dining” and contended for “Best Last Course” as a sign of the quality that recently allowed the hotel to claim a prestigious Relais & Chateaux designation. Both of these previous honours were acknowledged within the magazine’s copy.

There has been a lot of criticism in the past about how the judges make their decisions, about what the categories are (and aren’t), and of course, who the winners are. I’ll leave that discussion to others, but at the end of the day, if you don’t feel the awards matter, then it doesn’t matter whether the restaurant you’re patronizing does or doesn’t have one.

For other people, it’s a little additional mark of distinction for a restaurant at which you already dine, or an incentive to check out a new place to see if the award is warranted.

It’s also quite the excuse for hospitality workers to let down their hair and let loose—but I’m not sure if they really need one.

You can find a full list of winners at www.vancouvermagazine.com.

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