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Small Plates on the Lake sets the mood

There are few pleasures remembered as fondly as dining al fresco during the summer, whether it’s a family picnic, a wedding or an ice-cream cone at the beach.
Nancy Small
Small Plates on the Lake

There are few pleasures remembered as fondly as dining al fresco during the summer, whether it’s a family picnic, a wedding or an ice-cream cone at the beach.

Tourism Burnaby is taking that experience to the next level with its Small Plates on the Lake event this month.

Three popular Burnaby restaurants – Hart House Restaurant, Reflect Social Dining + Lounge, and ebo Restaurant – will offer small servings of their specialities while overlooking Deer Lake Park , as the Jerry Boey jazz trio serenades those attending the Aug. 27 event.

Tourism Burnaby decided on the event as a way to showcase both the wonderful food available in the city, and Burnaby’s hidden gem – Deer Lake Park.

“The small plates was something we wanted to create as part of an exposure for Deer Lake Park,” Nancy Small, Tourism Burnaby’s executive director, told the NOW. “Some people don’t want it to be discovered, but I do. It really is quite special there. There’s something quite magical about being in the middle of a city and you’re on a lake on a rowboat. You know, it’s quite unique.”

The event is being held on the south plaza by the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, with the park and lake just down the hill.

“It’s going to be quite stunning,” she said.

Tourism Burnaby supports and promotes a number of events at the park, she said, including the recent Burnaby Blues + Roots Festival.

The jazz trio, which plays events throughout the region, will give the event a relaxed air, Small said.

“We just wanted to add to the ambience,” she said. “We think live music really helps to do that.”

The goal is to see the Small Plates on the Lake event become an annual affair, she said.

“You have to start somewhere, and we really want this to become an annual thing,” Small said. “We hope it can get bigger than just the three restaurants, but we’re excited about the three restaurants that we have on board.”

They hope to have about 150 to 200 guests during the inaugural event, she added.

The event was inspired by others, such as the Pemberton Longtable Dinner and local food truck festivals, according to Small.

“It’s kind of a combination of a bunch of different things we’ve seen,” she said.

The event is part of Tourism Burnaby’s current culinary initiative. The other two aspects of the initiative are the new Passport to Food, being sent out to 40,000 homes in the city, and the Taste of Burnaby event taking place at the end of September.

Small hopes the events will attract both locals and people from our neighbouring communities.

“We want them to kind of rediscover or discover what Burnaby has to offer,” she said.

Small Plates on the Lake takes place at twilight on Thursday, Aug. 27. Tickets are $55 each and include a beer or wine sampler. For more information, go to www.tourismburnaby.com/smallplatesburnaby.

 

Correction: Aug. 26, 2015 10:15 a.m. A previous version of this article stated the event was scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 27, when it is in fact Thursday, Aug. 27.