Vancouver Elite Secret Midnight Supper

Who does Yelp Vancouver think they are?

In a dinner that brought together old friends with new, celebrated great British Columbia food and the allure of a good ol' fashioned surprise, Robin held an Elite Secret Midnight Supper on Saturday night. After weeks of encrypted messages and talk threads, the lucky few attending Elites spent the day foraging for six special, local, seasonal ingredients to bring to dinner that night. At 10pm we showed up at Kitsilano Daily Kitchen's doors where Chef Fowke and his team then prepared a 6-course feast, black-box style. 

Greeted with a Pegu Club Cocktail made with local Schramm's Vodka, yelpers' "anticipation of what was to come was almost overwhelming." And what did come was "six courses of bliss." Photographer Tyler McGowan wasn't the only one snapping photos that night, as "Elites were twittering away, busily taking pictures when a dish dropped on the table." A small group with a mighty voice, #SecretYelp was a trending topic in Canada that night!

The first course made Vincci L's "eyes widen and glimmer with happiness." Team Oyster's Miyagi & Golden Mantles were paired with a Quails' Gate Chenin Blanc. Then came a second course that brought the room to a silence. "Brought in by Kat S, hours fresh of some magical fishing boat (guts intact), this was the star of the night," and was paired with a tasty Desert Hills Viognier. But the third course of Saltspring Island goat cheese served with an 18-bean ragout alongside Thornhaven's Pinot Noir could've made "a short-term vegetarian" out of Mark C. And the Vancouver Island Mushroom Risotto was "so astoundingly rich and savoury" that it was begging to be paired with a Burrowing Owl Merlot.

AND THERE WAS MORE. Raised "the way cows should be fed," the Big Creek Valley beef found a friend in Hestor Creek's Cab Franc, reminding Christine R of her "own family dinners." And finally for dessert, "a rhubarb crisp with blueberries procured by the resourceful Vincci L practically in her own Richmond backyard" was paired with the luxurious Sumac Ridge Pipe.

Burp.

Despite the length of a 4-hour meal that went until 2am, the atmosphere and energy at each of the tables was completely relaxed. "The entire experience has made Yelp more alive for me. The space which Yelp elite parties takes up in my head has moved from "lots of good food and liquor with cool people" to "an exploration of what it means to be a Vancouverite…with cool people."

And that, friends, was a yelpy good time.

A huge thank-you to the Daily Kitchen for not just an amazing meal, but an unforgettable experience; and to our photographer extraordinaire, Tyler McGowan, who worked on his birthday.

/ robin m
vancouver community manager

rm & kf, midnight diners