This week’s Chef’s Choice is the Lobster & Shrimp Brioche, made with fresh lobster, hand-peeled shrimp, sun dried tomato rémoulade, and a toasted slice of brioche. Served with a side of wild mixed greens and dill pickle.

Meet Katherine, our new Group and Events Coordinator!

Over the years we’ve become known for hosting some of the best events in town, a reputation Katherine is all too happy to keep up.  Following her parents’ footsteps and joining the restaurant industry (her father owns Danny’s Wuntun House and she can’t say no to his BBQ duck or anything with noodles), she came to Joe’s in search of a different challenge and found everything she was looking for–structure, a faster pace, volume, and a great support team. Fun fact: if she wasn’t living in Vancouver, she would be living in a shoe box in New York as an event planner.

Frenchy chats with Raj Taneja in this week’s issue of 24 Hours on what it takes to be a good host. His philosophy? Treating our guests as if he was receiving them in his own home.

This week’s Chef’s Choice hits the patriot in all of us - the classic Canada Prime Rib Steak served with horseradish and bacon mashed potatoes, fresh asparagus, butternut squash sauté, and a dose of cabernet jus.

Meet Brett Hoglund, Sous Chef at Joe Fortes.

Having grown up in a small farming town in rural Manitoba (pop. 2,600) helping his mother cook and bake, it was only inevitable that Brett would eventually end up in the kitchen. After moving to Winnipeg to attend college, Brett decided to venture west to Vancouver to pursue his culinary career and follow global trends. He counts the busy, high-paced, and ever-changing culture of the food industry as reasons for cooking up a storm for a living, and has a soft spot for Southern eats (barbeque, whiskey, and all of their friends).

This week’s Chef’s Choice: the purely delicious Pavlova, housed in a perfectly baked meringue (crispy on the outside and chew in the inside) with layers of banana custard, fresh whipping cream, stewed raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries, with a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

Last Monday Frenchy flew to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to celebrate the life of dear friend and Canadian great Leslie Nielsen. Here he is with Leslie’s 1963 Bentley Flying Spur, Sergeant Major Debbie Reitenbach, Joe’s regular Don Elkington of Coast Spas, and Superintendent J. Greg Peters.

You will be missed.

Can you tell we love this time of year?

Executive Chef Scott Pratico and his team served up a feast for The Native Health Society this past Wednesday, complete with Joe Fortes proprietor Bud Kanke dressed up as good ‘ol St. Nick. The single mothers and kids at the center were too much fun to be around as always – guess they enjoyed the Holiday version of our monthly lunch, too!

This week’s Chef’s Choice: Braised Lamb Shank drizzled with pinot noir reduction and served with buttermilk mash potatoes, fresh asparagus, and butternut squash sauté.

Attention all foodies: The Vancouver Sun has compiled the best cookbooks of 2010 for gift giving. Here’s a list of who made the cut.

This week’s Chef’s Choice: Our take on the classic Banana Cream ‘Pie’. Slices of caramelized banana layered on custard and loaded with white chocolate shavings, toasted coconut, whipping cream, and rum toffee sauce.