Top Table Toasts 14 Prestigious Accolades – West, Araxi, Blue Water Cafe, and CinCin Sweep Annual Restaurant Awards

Vancouver, BC – at the 19th Annual Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards held Monday at the Sheraton Wall Centre, a panel of 19 expert judges concurred to present West, Araxi, Blue Water Cafe, and CinCin with a combined total of 14 coveted industry awards before an audience of British Columbia’s leading restaurateurs, chefs and service professionals.

West

· Restaurant of the Year, Gold
· Best Service, Gold
· Bartender of the Year, David Wolowidnyk
· Best Last Course, Honourable Mention
· Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, Platinum

For the fourth consecutive year, West was awarded the most hotly contended title of Vancouver’s Restaurant of the Year, an honour that recognizes the restaurant at the peak of a city emerging as a world-class dining destination.

With Executive Chef Warren Geraghty now commanding the kitchen, “West (Gold) under Brian Hopkins, gets highest praise: ‘So smoothly executed,’ one judge remarked, ‘you don’t even know how they did it until you realize you’re not walking out of the restaurant – you’re floating’.” (Vancouver magazine)

On the heels of winning Grey Goose’s national cocktail competition, Bar Manager David Wolowidnyk was declared Bartender of the Year. “It’s not just that his knowledge of booze is encyclopedic,” writes judge Andrew Morrison. “His palate borders on the extra-sensory; his sixth sense for what his guests are looking for, extraordinary.”

Continuing to evolve in the pursuit of excellence, Hopkins and his team also emerged the clear leader again this year for Best Service, while Pastry Chef Rhonda Viani received an honourable mention for Best Last Course.

Araxi

· Best Whistler, Gold
· Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, Gold

For an unprecedented nine consecutive years, Araxi cemented its standing as Whistler’s culinary cornerstone with a Gold for Best Whistler.

“For Araxi to once again earn this distinction, reflects our ongoing commitment to delivering superior products and experiences to our guests,” says Restaurant Director Steve Edwards.

According to Vancouver magazine: “This enduring room seems to get better every year. Chef James Walt takes his pick of ingredients from the nearby Pemberton Valley and crafts them into lush, textured dishes full of flavours,” continuing on to praise the wine list for featuring “an impressive array of local and imported bottles,” as well as “seamless” service.

Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar

· Best Seafood, Gold
· Restaurant of the Year, Bronze
· Best Formal Japanese, Silver
· Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, Platinum

With a Silver place finish each year since opening its doors in 2001, Blue Water Cafe was elevated to Gold for Best Seafood, a nod to “Frank Pabst’s expert, understated way with wild and sustainable species, and faultless sushi from Yoshihiro Tabo.” (Vancouver magazine)

Receiving Silver for Best Formal Japanese, judges remarked “The Raw Bar at Blue Water Cafe (Silver) consistently cranks out some of the best sushi and sashimi anywhere…thanks to disciplined and exert knife skills, top-notch sourcing, and informed service.” (Vancouver magazine)

Heralded by Vancouver magazine for using “a delicate touch to make sustainable seafood sing”, Executive Chef Frank Pabst was also recently voted ‘Chef of the Year’from Critics in the 11th annual Georgia Straight Golden Plate Awards.

CinCin

· Best Last Course, Gold
· Best Formal Italian, Honourable Mention
· Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, Gold

A legend in his native France and the man whom Gordon Ramsay proclaimed as the “best pastry chef in London”, Vancouver has also taken note of CinCin’s Chef Patissier Thierry Busset with Gold for Best Last Course.

Having just returned from Paris where concepts were sealed and specialized equipment purchased, Busset’s plans are well underway for his world-class pastry and handcrafted chocolate shop with TopTable. With an anticipated opening of this Winter, further details and location will be released in the coming months, while “The city waits with bated breath for his upcoming pastry shop.” (Vancouver magazine)

Attributing the collaborative strength between Executive Chef Francois Gagnon and Restaurant Director Ricardo Ferreira, CinCin also received an honourable mention for Best Formal Italian.

Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival – Wine List Awards

Also announced during the ceremony, were The Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival Wine List Awards, with Blue Water Cafe and West taking top honours in the newly-introduced Platinum category, as one of only three restaurants overall who “raised the bar a level higher”. CinCin and Araxi were among a small, distinguished group adorned with the Gold designation.

Credit was awarded for presentation, harmony with the menu, and varied representation of styles, varietals and vintage depth. Each restaurant’s in house wine program, staff knowledge, storage facility and glassware were also adjudicated.

West, Granville Rise 
Executive Chef, Warren Geraghty
Restaurant Director, Brian Hopkins
www.westrestaurant.com

Araxi, Whistler 
Executive Chef, James Walt
Restaurant Director, Steve Edwards
www.araxi.com

Blue Water Cafe, Yaletown
Executive Chef, Frank Pabst
Restaurant Director, Stephan Cachard
www.bluewatercafe.net

CinCin, Robson Street
Executive Chef, François Gagnon
Restaurant Director, Ricardo Ferreira
www.cincin.net

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Full library of high resolution images available upon request.

Media Contact: 
Shelley McArthur
Communications Director
TopTable Restaurant Group
t: 604.836.8005
e: shelley@toptable.ca