ottawa foodies

I popped into the Hazeldean LCBO today and asked if they had any copies of the latest LCBO Food and Drink magazine. NOPE! In fact, the helpful customer service person explained that they received exactly two shipments, both of which were gone very quickly. I asked if they couldn't charge a nominal fee of a buck or two to allow them to print more copies. She replied that they had considered it a few years ago and decided not to do it; the LCBO probably makes enough money already.

So why don't they print more magazines to meet the demand??? It seems utterly ridiculous to be completely out of the Christmas issue before December even starts!

I had tried to get a copy from that location earlier in November and all they had were the French ones. I also tried another location in the meantime, and the cashier just laughed at me and said they disappeared within a few hours of arriving.

You can have my copy....I've read it and I rarely use the recipes, especially at Christmas time when my family wants the traditional stuff....tried and true.

While, it's not the same as having the magazine, all the recipes are online.

FreshFoodie I can also offer mine. Or if you are at the Rideau Street LCBO in the forseeable future you can try there. They had a few left at the customer service desk when I was there yesterday...

Hey guys!

I sent an e-mail to the LCBO a while back and asked if they could send me a list of the dates that the mag would be in stores.

They happily obliged and I put the dates in my calendar at work so I can go pick one up the day they are out.

She had given the dates to me for 2010 so the last date I had was for the holiday one.

I will have to send them another e-mail for 2011 dates.

Just a suggestion for any die-hard LCBO mag fans :):)

Thanks all! :-) Really, it's just the principle of the thing that bothers me -- there's no good reason not to meet the demand.

I'll check out the online recipes and that should be enough to keep me happy. ;-)

I asked my 19 year old daughter to pick me up a copy at the Rideau Center location (she works in the mall). They keep them behind the counter and refused to give her a copy unless she made a purchase. Has this happened to anyone else?

HEy!
I regularly collect the LCBO F&D magazine. A couple of times I missed out but I was able to order backissues online at $5 a pop to cover shipping. Check on the LCBO website, I forget the link but they came within days from Toronto. More impressive than many of the cookbooks out there and they're freeeeeee!

XOXOXOXO KC

the winter issue will be out Jan 12 2011.

FF: Same thing happened to me. I was lucky that I could pick up a copy from the second shipment.
I asked the customer service person it would be nice if I could subscribe the magagine like "Vintage" magagine...

LCBO issues nice magagines, full colour pictures on nice paper...but I wonder all the costs are added to the wine sales price?
I don't mind getting a cheap looking magagine...if they charge less on the wine.

To chime in on the frustration front, the LCBO across from where I work (the one on Sparks St.) actually put up makeshift signs (read: pieces of paper) saying they were all out of the magazines by end of day on DECEMBER 1st!!

The publication, although brilliant, is clearly being run by a twit with neither foresight nor business sense.

/end rant

And so as to not make this post entirely just a complaint, has anyone tried any of the recipes from this coveted mag yet, and if so, can you post the link to the recipes? Inquiring minds want to know!

F&D is a FREEEEE magazine and the holiday 2010 came out the first week of MOvember. I try to go the first day it comes out as they totally fly off the shelves so by now the stores would be out of this freebie. It's a thick and huge magazine and I love it. Just phone contact customer service for them to ship you a backissue for $5 if they have stock leftover. I picked up a few back issues here and there from years ago and they all came within a week in a nice brown envelope. They mentioned they print between 500,000 to a million copies per issue and depending on advertising revenue. The magazine is a break even operation to promote sales of new product instores. $5 is probably the same price you'd pay for a Gourmet or Martha Stewart magazine at the newsstands. Just make it a habit to go to LCBO the day new issues are released like the other millions of Ontarians will be for the next one coming out Jan 12.

Some of the recipes are complicated with lots of ingredients but I have followed full menus and individual recipes and have had quite successful results. A friend made a cake from the fall 2010 book and it was a 7/10. I like the themes and menus.
Living in the outback means I can get a mag when it appears--you do require a purchase to get a magazine even at the rural LCBO outlet stores. You can order them--I haven't tried this myself.

Who has the latest one? It came out a couple of weeks ago. Someone told me that there is an article about someone who makes bitters. I need that article.

They had a bunch at Innes yesterday. Article on bitters, but don't think it was a profile. Just one of those "these three bitters used in these three recipes" kind of thing.

Rizak, there were lots at Elmvale Friday. If you can't find a copy, I have one you can have.

Hey rizak the lcbo in Richmond had a big stack of them yesterday. They nevr seem to go to quickly at that location.

Thanks, smoker guy. I guess I know where I'm going today at lunch.