WHEREmail

// January 2008

Dear Subscriber

This month Where editors announce their picks for the 10 best new restaurants in Canada. Plus, hot concerts, festivals and sporting events, the low-down on global plane tickets, and a slew of contests. We also reveal where to find the world's largest pyramid (it's not where you think!).

WHAT'S HOT IN JANUARY:

Victoria

The Victoria Salmon Kings, ECHL hockey affiliates of the Manitoba Moose and the Vancouver Canucks are having their best season ever at Victoria's Save-on-Foods Memorial Arena. Join the fun as these young pros heat up the ice this month at the city's newest arena.

Toronto

Skating parties with DJs, great live bands and hot restaurant deals will take the nip off of Jack Frost this season at WinterCity Jan 25 to Feb 7—there's tons of free family events and even a Dutch troupe performing Alice in Wonderland on stilts! Watch an offbeat group of teens sing—and spell—their way into your heart as they compete for the coveted trophy in the Tony Award-winning musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee starting Jan 29.

Ottawa

Carmen—the sultry temptress from Bizet's classic opera—is back, but she's wearing a pair of ballet slippers. Renowned Argentinean choreographer Mauricio Wainrot has created this masterwork, Carmen, the Passion, especially for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Get ready for a dazzling evening of lust, betrayal, and murder Jan 24 to 26.

Edmonton

Kick off the New Year with a taste of "cava" crooner Michael Buble who smacks of sophistication and sparkle, he plays Jan 17 at Rexall Place. Check out the perfect marriage of rock and rage when Canuck rockers Three Days Grace drop in on Jan 30 to declare "I Hate Everything About You," at the Shaw Conference Centre.

Winnipeg

The Manitoba Theatre Centre's 8th annual Master Playwright Festival highlights the work of gritty and dynamic American writer David Mamet Jan 17 to Feb 10. Mametfest features hard-hitting work, including Sexual Perversity in Chicago, Glengarry Glen Ross and American Buffalo, in both stage and film format. Contact the main box office at Manitoba Theatre Centre, 174 Market Ave, 942-6537 for ticket info.

Canadian Rockies

Watch as teams carve massive blocks of ice into intricate sculptures during Ice Magic International Ice Sculpture Competition at The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, Jan 25 to 27. If you can't catch the carving, admire the art until it melts away.

Vancouver

Aspiring Nancy Kerrigans and Kurt Brownings will be everywhere at this year's BMO Canadian Figure Skating Championships Jan 16 to 20. The event brings 150 of Canada's best skaters to Vancouver.

Calgary

This month, Calgary's funny bone gets hit hard with two hilarious acts: George Carlin and Jim Gaffigan. Carlin visits Jan 16, and is sure to tackle the controversial subjects he's known for while Gaffigan rolls in on Jan 26, riding the success of his 2005 DVD and Comedy Central special, Beyond the Pale.

Halifax

When rock god Ozzy Osbourne was booked to play in Halifax on January 26, tickets sold out so quickly that organizers added a second show on Jan 28. Check out the music legend at the Halifax Metro Centre on Duke Street.

Tourism Vancouver's Dine Out Vancouver™ presented by Visa invites you to savour Vancouver's delectable food and wine scene January 16-February 3. Choose from $15, $25 or $35 three-course menus at over 180 restaurants. Or plan a fabulous gourmet getaway—special Dine Out Vancouver hotel packages including dinner for two start at $129. Book now!

The WHERE List:

THE 10 BEST NEW RESTAURANTS OF 2007

The regional editors of Where Magazine announce their top ten new restaurants for 2007. After visiting hundreds of new establishments and sampling scores of menus, our editors have come up with a selection of the top new offerings from talented chefs and innovative restaurateurs from coast to coast.

Benitz Bistro, Ottawa

The veteran team of award-winning chef-owner Derek Benitz and his wife, owner Meghan McManus works to create a flawless experience at this intimate 50-seat bistro. At Benitz Bistro he's not just a well-known name; chef Benitz cooks every meal served. Make an advance booking for the chef's table and prepare to give over your palate with sourced ingredients from micro-producers and luxury purveyors.

Bolero, Calgary

Styled after Brazilian churrascarias, Bolero offers a rodizio-style experience where carvers circle the room carrying different kinds of meat on sword-like skewers and diners signal with a colour-coded dowel when they want a carver to stop at their table. The meat is then carved right at the table! Bolero offers 15 kinds of charcoal-roasted meat as well as vegetable and pineapple skewers.

Chop, Edmonton

Chop offers a superior culinary experience in a stylish yet relaxed setting. The star of the menu is aged, hand-cut certified Angus beef, broiled in specially designed ovens at 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. The delicately seasoned fresh seafood and house baked artisan breads are also highlights.

Fresh Café, Winnipeg

This brilliant daytime eatery serves contemporary dishes and juices, all bursting with flavour and colour. Fresh Café turns breakfast into a dining experience, and as the name implies, fresh ingredients are the focus. The kitchen sources straight from the farm, utilizing whole bison, roasting Manitoba turkeys and going through crates of free-range Vita eggs.

Fuel Restaurant, Vancouver

Fuel Restaurant seduces with its simplicity: a kitchen looking right onto the street, plus front-and-centre seats to catch the action. On the plate, owners Robert Belcham and Tom Doughty celebrate all things local and seasonal with a weekly changing menu. Look for confit leg and poached breast of Polderside organic chicken, and seared rare Albacore tuna with Stoney Paradise sungold tomatoes.

Lucien, Toronto

Step inside the dark-umber-wood interior at Lucien for a gracious welcome that hints at the attentive service to come. For mains, executive chef Scot Woods gives classics a modern spin, pairing Irish organic salmon with pumpernickel dumplings, and monkfish with Indian spice and buttered chickpeas.

Mosaic Social Dining Lounge, Halifax

Reinterpreting the tradition of communal dining, Mosaic offers up a modern twist. The menu at this upscale chic restaurant draws influence from around the world for small-plate creations that are designed for sharing, including oxtail and quince poutine, and dry-roasted pork back ribs.

niche, Victoria

Adding new flavours to Victoria's dining scene is niche, located in historic James Bay, just steps from the city's Inner Harbour. Within a renovated heritage home, niche's contemporary interior draws attention to where it should be: the food. Under the guidance of chef Jason Leizert (whose experience includes Vancouver Island's famed Wickaninnish Inn), the regularly changing menu showcases seasonal—and often local—ingredients.

The Trough Dining Co., Canmore

With hardwood floors, a glass waterfall feature, slate counters and an orange-terracotta finish, the 10-table Trough Dining Co. offers intimate, upscale dining. The ever-changing menu has choices not found on your dinner table at home: the balsamic-braised lamb shank spends all day slow roasting, while the jerk-spice ribs take four days to prepare.

Wabora, Muskoka

Wabora, a modern, open space, serves authentic Japanese and Korean food. House specialties include an extensive selection of sushi, including the Wabora roll with yellowtail, salmon, tuna, smelt egg, avocado and cucumber. A Hibachi table—a staple of many Korean restaurants—allows you to watch the chef grill your choice of meat, seafood or vegetables. 295 Wellington St, 705-646-9500

Click here for the full press release for Canada's 10 Best New Restaurants on where.ca.

TRAVEL SPECIALS

As a service to readers and our tourism partners, here's a selection of special travel deals. For more information or to book, please contact the providers directly.

The Romance Package at Delta Grandview Resort in Muskoka

Package includes:
• accommodation
• breakfast for each adult daily
• two 30 minute massages at the Amba Health and Beauty Spa
Complimentary:
• access to all on-site recreation facilities and nature programs
• outdoor parking
Offer Expires: 2008-03-13
To Book call: 1-877-472-6388

Triple Aeroplan Miles

Earn triple Aeroplan miles when flying to London or Paris with Air Canada. Valid for round-trip or two point-to-point flights before January 31, 2008.

(All prices in Canadian dollars. WHERE accepts no responsibility for the accuracy or availability of these packages. Please contact package supplier directly.)