You’ve dined in the dark, drank vodka in an ice bar, and munched on deep fried crickets. Been there, ate that.

But have you supped on sustainable seafood in a plastic dining room floating on hundreds of pop bottles?

Jaded diners get ready to be wowed: the new School Of Fish Plastic Dining Room moored at the False Creek Yacht Club has the most exclusive 12 seats of the summer. 

Book it out and host the most memorable dinner party of your life (minus the cooking and cleanup). Or make it a date, and meet likeminded folks who enjoy the finer things in life.

There’s plenty to love, like the glittery chandelier and white nautical décor by The Cross, and a set 6-course menu by C Restaurant’s Robert Clark. Our Qualicum Bay scallop was alive 20 minutes before it was served, still attached to its beautiful shell and bathed in a sweet dashi broth.

Young founder Shannon Ronalds, whose School of Fish Foundation is the charity behind the project to educate young chefs, managed (with the help of C/Nu owner Harry Kambolis) to secure all of the 20 permits needed to launch the project (and is hosting every dinner for the next 60 days, when the dining room floats to future locations).

A seat at this table is most certainly the catch of the day.

To reserve ($215 per person including wine), please call Shannon Ronalds at 778-997-6977.
To learn more, visit www.schooloffishfoundation.org
To view more images of the dining room, please visit our Editors' Diary.

Looking to cause a stir with your risotto? At Cookworks new Western Living Test Kitchen, small class sizes, a central location, chefs you know (think Vikram Vij) and amazing wine pairings mean this might just be better than a night on the town.

Debuting March 22 with The Food Network’s Cook Like A Chef star Ned Bell, you’ll learn to prepare Okanagan wine-fed beef (apparently some of the tasting rooms up there are not that exclusive) and sample the latest from Road 13. Grab your gal pals (or treat your mom); it’s like your own intimate catered soiree—without the recycling duties the morning after.

$89 at Cookworks, 1548 W. Broadway, Vancouver, 604-731-1148. For complete class schedule, click here.

Now that breakfast meetings are the new lunch meetings, you’ll be glad to hear Market by Jean-Georges now opens at 7 a.m. so you can get that deal done over Alsatian sausages, dim sum, or French toast with roasted apples.

But if the deal requires more time (and perhaps a glass of wine) consider the new Taste of Autumn menus.

We loved the Savory Island Clam Chowder with smoked bacon and thyme ($8 on the bar menu) and Jean-Georges himself highly recommends the new Seared Scallops with Cauliflower.

And if the deal requires home entertainment? Chef Jean-Georges to the rescue once again:  here he shares his new recipe for Seared Gulf Shrimp with Silky Squash exclusively with Vitamin Daily readers on our Forum. Now if only he'd come over and cook it.

Market by Jean-Georges, The Shangri-La Hotel, 1128 W. Georgia St., Vancouver, 604-689-1120, www.shangri-la.com

Need to impress your (possibly) future mother-in-law popping by for lunch this weekend? Laddish London chef Neil Taylor—relocated to Vancouver's Cibo, lucky for us—shares his top farmer's market summer salad recipe exclusively with Vitamin Daily Vancouver.

Cibo Trattoria's Buffalo Mozzarella, Heirloom Tomato, Peach and Basil Salad

Ingredients
250 g buffalo mozzarella
4 to 6 assorted heirloom tomatoes (depending on size)
½ bunch green basil, washed and picked
½ bunch purple basil, washed and picked
2 large peaches
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp finely chopped red chili or chili flakes (optional)
Salt and pepper

Method
In a bowl, combine the olive oil and lemon juice and set aside.
Drain the buffalo mozzarella and let dry on a paper towel.
Blanch peaches for 10 seconds in boiling water, then place in ice water and peel off the skins.
Roughly cut the tomatoes and peaches into bite size pieces and add to a medium mixing bowl. Rip half of the purple and green basil and add to the same bowl.
Dress the salad with the lemon juice and olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
To plate the salad, divide the tomatoes and peaches between four plates. Tear off bite-sized pieces of mozzarella and place randomly on top of the salads. Garnish with more ripped basil and a light dusting of chili.

For more tomato tips and recipe ideas from Neil Taylor catch him at the Trout Lake market (August 22) and the West End market (August 29), www.eatlocal.org

We sat down with Curtis Stone, the Aussie chef known for approaching women in the supermarket and helping them make a special meal, to get his top five tips for making the most of summer entertaining.

1.  “Start with one ingredient and build on it. If you find great asparagus, get it. If entertaining outside, picture the smell of the grill or the cocktail in your hand and what you want to eat with the asparagus—maybe it’s crispy prosciutto, parmesan cheese or scallops.”
2.  “Have a glass of wine. Straight away your cooking improves. People drop their guard, and I think what holds people back in the kitchen is a lack of confidence.”
3.  “Do a bit of preparation. It might be that you’ve made the dessert and it’s ready to roll. Or it might be that you make the salad, you mix all the stuff together and you mix the dressing and it’s right beside it, so it’s just ready to pour over.”
4.  “Save a job for someone when they arrive. It takes the burden off you too. A drink is a good place to start, because everyone knows how to make a drink. Or even a serious job like grilling. Just have everything they need ready for them.”
5.  “Little touches. When people entertain, and do it well, there’s a few, really small touches that make it feel as though they’ve gone to some effort for you. I usually pick a bit of fresh lavender and stick it in the bathroom or put out some finger bowls with rose petals and a slice of lemon.”

Curtis' cookbook Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone and cookware both available at the Bay Downtown, 674 Granville St., Vancouver, 604-681-6211, www.hbc.com

See Joy Pecknold’s sit down with Stone on today’s Editors’ Diary.

It’s spot prawn season and the Chefs’ Table Society is showcasing some of Vancouver’s finest epicures, including former Aurora Bistro star and current Diva at the Met sous chef Jeff Van Geest. Lucky for us, Jeff walked us through a prosciutto-wrapped spot prawn and asparagus recipe guaranteed to amuse our bouche.

Ingredients

6 spot prawns
6 slices of artisanal prosciutto
olive oil to drizzle
2 lemon wedges
6 spears of asparagus, peeled and ends removed
1 Tbsp hazelnut oil
1 Tbsp grapeseed oil
1 Tbsp hazelnuts toasted, chopped
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp chopped shallots
¼ tsp chopped fresh thyme
Sea salt and cracked black pepper

Method

Hazelnute vinaigrette: Whisk equal parts hazelnut oil, grapeseed oil and apple cider vinegar. Add chopped thyme, shallots and toasted hazelnuts. Season to taste.
Peel spot prawns and wrap each with prosciutto. Drizzle with olive oil. Blanch asparagus in boiling water (place in ice bath to avoid overcooking).Broil spot prawns for 2 minutes. Plate asparagus, pour hazenut vinaigrette, and arrange prawns on top. Finish with a squeeze of lemon. Serves 2.

Get the catch of the day ($12/lb, boat arrives at 1 p.m. daily) before season’s end at False Creek Fishermen’s Wharf, 1505 W. First Ave., Vancouver. For more festival info visit www.chefstablesociety.com