It’s time to join the Satori Factory line.

From the chef behind Chau Veggie Express comes Satori Factory, a café on Victoria Drive right next door. Serving up rose-infused lattes, organic artisan teas and a rainbow of macarons, it’s the morning pick-me-up we all need. Tucked in amongst its traditional baked goods are vegan croissants. Are they as good as the buttery kind? I couldn’t tell you – they were sold out by the time I got there. And that’s always a good sign.

—Kelsey Dundon

5054 Victoria Dr., Vancouver, http://www.satorifactory.ca

Sean Heather's latest instalment to the downtown feast-side, Rainier Provisions, offers up tasty, well priced plates, Stumptown coffee and some essentials to stock the larder at home.

This cosy room has all of the usual heritage trappings... exposed brick, high ceilings and dodgy floors, but with some unexpected extras like a wall papered with Nineteenth century reproductions from French seed catalogues, lest we forget to eat our vegetables. Try the kale caesar or the hot sandwich (carved roast beef, horseradish mayo, cheddar and lettuce) served on a Parker roll (soft, pillowy roll from a old recipe from 2'0s-'30s dug up by Heather and now made in their in-house bakery). Shop for Moccia & Urbani salumi, Marcona almonds or jars of preserved lemons from Morocco and yellow tomatoes from Italy. Soon to be up and running: an industrial blue barrel full of Italian extra virgin olive oil they will pump into your own container and charge by weight. Also on offer are craft beers, bourbon and wine.

Now that's our type of grocery shopping. —Murray Bancroft

2 W. Cordova St., Vancouver, 604-558-2473, www.rainierprovisions.com

These five Vancouver bakeries will melt your cinnamon heart. Because on Valentine’s Day, it’s A-OK to eat your feelings.

Butter

Tucked away in Mackenzie Heights, Butter’s new home is bigger, better and – dare we say -- buttery-er. 4907 MacKenzie St., Vancouver, www.butterbakedgoods.com

Lemonade
Gluten-free goodies that are actually good? It’s a culinary miracle. 3385 Cambie St., Vancouver, www.lemonadebakery.ca

SweetSalt 
Part café, part bakery, SweetSalt is like Candy Land for the kids. 3497 Fraser St., Vancover, www.sweetsalt.ca

The Gluten Free Epicurean
On top of their wheat-free baked goods are vegan offerings, which is as cleanse-friendly and guilt-free as it gets. 633 E.15th Ave., Vancouver, www.glutenfreeepicurean.ca/home.htm

Lucky’s Doughnuts
Right now, our favourite doughnut shop is serving up cinnamon-glazed crullers shaped as – what else? – hearts. 2902 Main St., Vancouver, www.luckysdoughnuts.com

—Kesley Dundon

How do we love thee? Let us count the ways…

1. Send a love letter the old fashioned way - on real paper - with a card by Vancouver-based designer and illustrator Mélanie Kimmett's Pretty Paper Please. Made on recycled paper, these hand-cut notes are stylish, modern and simply delightful. $4 at www.prettypaperplease.com

2. Sharing a bottle of Chocolate Box Shiraz after a matinee of this year's Palme D'or winner, Amour, at the Fifth Ave, sounds like a pretty romantic plan to us. $24.99 at www.bcliquorstores.com

3. Jewellery? Well, 'tis the season. And we are charmed by this Birks Mini Muse bracelet - the red silk cord is just what we need to catch Cupid's eye. $195 at www.birks.com

4. Your love can stand under your umbrella ('ella… 'ella) with this red, heart-shaped version from The Love Umbrella Project, which donates proceeds to the Leave Out Violence youth organization. By donation (minimum $50) at http://theloveumbrellaproject.com

5. Need to perk up your love life? Try a bag of Milano Coffee's "La Futura" espresso blend, which just won gold at Italy's International Coffee Tasting Competition. Serve with breakfast in bed and two tickets to Rome. For locations visit www.milanocoffee.ca

You have your favourite sushi joints and you have your favourite cocktail bars, but do you have a favourite sushi bar?

If The Eatery is that place for you, then you’ll be especially happy to know The General Public is now open on Main Street and feels very much like The Eatery 2.0 (it’s backed by the same team). We tried three of their house rolls: the Green Hornet with tempura prawns and mango ($6.95), the KFC with chicken and avocado ($5.95), and the GP with tuna tempura on the inside and spicy tuna on the outside ($7.50). We left stuffed. Which means the Malaysian Retreat – tempura-battered banana and ice cream ($6.50) – will have to wait until next time. —Kelsey Dundon

3289 Main St, Vancouver, 604-558-4676.

Gluten sensitivity and delicious Italian staples have finally found each other.

The masterful chefs behind the Campagnolo restaurants have been perfecting their gluten-free cannelloni recipes since the summer, and the dishes now claim a permanent place on the menus. Over at the original Campagnolo, Squash Cannelloni ($17) is accompanied by ricotta, brown butter, and sage, while Campagnolo Roma embraces a meaty version with Cannelloni al Forno ($18), featuring braised chicken, kale, and a tomato sugo made with the legendary tomatoes from the Stoney Paradise farm.

Free of gluten, but loaded with flavour. —Anya Georgijevic

Campagnolo, 1020 Main St., Vancouver, 604-484-6018, www.campagnolorestaurant.ca

Campagnolo Roma, 2297 East Hastings St., Vancouver, 604-569-0456, www.campagnoloroma.com

If your culinary adventures have taken you around the world, make your next stop Israel.

Jerusalem: A Cookbook is a collaboration between two chefs: Sami Tamimi, who grew up in the Muslim east side of the city, and Yotam Ottolenghi, who grew up in the Jewish west side. If the style of the book looks vaguely familiar, it is because Ottolenghi is the non-vegetarian chef behind the vegetarian cookbook Plenty, a Vitamin Daily pick. While some of the recipes will have you grocery store-hopping in search of harissa paste, others, like fried tomatoes with garlic, are quite simple. And each is photographed so beautifully the book deserves to be displayed on your coffee table.

Tell your tastebuds to start packing. —Kelsey Dundon

$39.95 at Chapters.ca

There is nothing quite like a great sandwich.

One of city’s finest comes courtesy of perpetually lined-up Finch’s Tea & Coffee House on West Pender. With its quaint Parisian interior and sandwiches with the ability to transform to the French capital, Finch’s has become one of our favourite spots in the city. Now, Strathcona dwellers get to enjoy Finch’s Market, the café’s newly opened sister spot, bound to become a neighbourhood hangout. Along with the baguette sandwich menu, including our beloved prosciutto, pear, brie, and walnut combo ($8.95), Finch’s Market carries organic milk, select produce, and gourmet preserves.

We hear hot menu items are in the works, so keep your eyes peeled and your appetites ready.

—Anya Georgijevic

Finch’s Market, 501 East Georgia (at Jackson), Vancouver, 604-558-1644, http://www.finchteahouse.com

Getting to the meat of it isn’t always easy.

Unless you take part in Save On Meats’ new cooking classes for carnivores. In Mastering Meats 101 you’ll grind out your own sausage and cure your own bacon. Rather not go whole hog? Poultry Butchery teaches you how to use the whole bird. And if you already have a bit of experience under your apron, the Art of Charcuterie will send intermediate meat-lovers home with their own duck prosciutto.

It’s an all-around sausage party. —Kelsey Dundon

$85 per person, Save On Meats, 43 W. Hastings St., Vancouver, www.saveonmeats.ca/classes

What makes the perfect breakfast after a touch too much fun? French toast made with Panettone slices and topped with mounds of mascarpone cream hits the spot every time.

Method
Whisk four eggs together

Add a smidgen of ground cinnamon and the grated zest of half an orange

Soak your Panettone (sliced as thickly as you like) in a dish for ten minutes of so

Fry in a buttered pan on both sides until golden brown

Dust the toast with icing sugar and serve with a generous dollop of mascarpone cream

Happy New Year!

—Athena Tsavliris