The inaugural Small Plates on the Lake event last Thursday was a great success, according to Anna Schlagintweit, manager of business development for Tourism Burnaby.
The local tourism bureau organized the event, which offered up tasting plates created by chefs from Hart House Restaurant, Reflect Social Dining + Lounge, and ebo Restaurant, while attendees looked out over Deer Lake Park and the Jerry Boey jazz trio played into the evening.
“It went really well. We actually sold out,” Schlagintweit told the NOW. “Approximately 200 people came over the course of the evening, which was really exciting for us.”
Tourism Burnaby received a lot of positive feedback at the event, she added, with people asking about tickets for next year.
“Ebo and Reflect and the Hart House, they just prepared such beautiful plates for the guests,” Schlagintweit said.
The event included a Golden Plate Award, with attendees voting on their favourite dish of the evening.
Reflect Social Dining + Lounge’s grilled wagyu tenderloin won for best dish, according to Schlagintweit.
There was also a draw for attendees, with dinner for two at Reflect as the prize.
While Schlagintweit could not confirm whether there would be another Small Plates event next year, Tourism Burnaby’s executive director, Nancy Small, told the NOW previously that they hope to keep it going.
“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.”
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.
