Air Canada enRoute invites Canadians to vote with their forks on EATANDVOTE.com, as part of Canada's Best New Restaurants 2015

TORONTO, Aug. 11, 2015 /CNW/ - Canada's award-winning inflight magazine, Air Canada enRoute, in partnership with lead sponsor American Express, invites Canadians from coast to coast to vote for their favourite new restaurant from a list of nominees at EATANDVOTE.com. The list was drawn up by a highly respected expert panel of regional scouts, including many of the country's leading critics, producers and food industry insiders.

From a pilgrimage-worthy restaurant on Galiano Island in British Columbia to a revolving-restaurant makeover in Quebec City and a rollicking oyster house in St. John's, this year's contenders are as diverse as they are delicious. The nominees for 2015 from Air Canada enRoute include:

Adelaide Oyster House, St. John's, NL; AnnaLena, Vancouver; Bar Raval, Toronto; Bauhaus, Vancouver; Boralia, Toronto; Brux House, Hamilton; Buca Yorkville, Toronto; Ciel!, Quebec City; DaiLo, Toronto; Dandylion, Toronto; Drake Devonshire, Wellington, ON (Prince Edward County); Enoteca, Winnipeg; GEMA Pizzeria, Montreal; Grapes & Soda, Vancouver; Hanmoto, Toronto; Jatoba, Montreal; Lavanderia, Montreal; Little Sister, Toronto; The Merchant Tavern, St. John's, NL; The Nash, Calgary; North & Navy, Ottawa; Pigeonhole, Calgary; Pilgrimme, Galiano Island, B.C.; Port City Royal, Saint John, NB; Le Renard et la Chouette, Quebec City; Rostizado, Edmonton; Sai Woo, Vancouver; Salmigondis, Montreal; Soif, Gatineau, QC; La Table des Gourmets, Val-David, QC; Wild Mountain Food & Drink, Sooke, B.C.; Yasu, Toronto

Air Canada enRoute seeks out new restaurants launched during the past year (approximately June 2014 to June 2015) that advance the Canadian culinary identity; they are places where the overall dining experience will have a lasting and significant impact on our restaurant culture.

The panel's list of restaurants has been visited and judged anonymously by international food and wine writer Andrew Braithwaite during a month-long, coast-to-coast dining marathon. Now, customers are invited to start planning their next great meal at the country's newest hot spots, and to vote for their favourite restaurant among the nominees. They are also entered to win a trip, courtesy of Air Canada, to dine at the nominated restaurant of their choice, plus $500 spending money. Additional information, including the contest rules, may be found online.

"Air Canada is excited to see a diverse array of restaurants shortlisted for this year's Air Canada enRoute Canada's Best New Restaurants program," says Johanne Dumont, General Manager, Brand Management, Air Canada. "This program continues to be a great opportunity to support new culinary experiences across Canada while giving our customers a chance to have their say to eat and vote for their favourite restaurants.''

"We're proud to be the official credit card sponsor of this year's Air Canada enRoute Canada's Best New Restaurants program," says David Barnes, VP of Communications and Advertising, American Express Canada. "As a brand that is committed to providing its Cardmembers with memorable travel and dining experiences, aligning ourselves to this program is a natural fit and we're excited to see which restaurants Canadians vote for."

"An overwhelming number of Canadians shared their votes last year during the Eat and Vote contest, and we are very excited to continue with the program as part of Canada's Best New Restaurants this year," says Ilana Weitzman, Editorial Director, Air Canada enRoute. "We can't wait to see which restaurant joins the ranks of past winners like Saskatoon's Ayden and Vij's Railway Express in Vancouver as Canada's favourite through the popular vote."

This year's Top 10 list of Air Canada enRoute Canada's Best New Restaurants and the Eat and Vote contest winner will be featured in the November issue of Air Canada enRoute and at enroute.aircanada.com, encouraging travellers to taste and discover the latest trends in the Canadian food scene. As of November 1, the updated Air Canada enRoute Eats app (available on iTunes) will showcase this year's Top 10 restaurants – and all the 2015 nominees – as well as previous years' winners, along with Air Canada enRoute-tested and -approved restaurants across the country.

About Air Canada

Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline, serving more than 190 destinations on five continents. Canada's flag carrier is among the 20 largest airlines in the world and in 2014 served more than 38 million customers. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 64 Canadian cities, 52 destinations in the United States and 78 cities in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance™, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network, serving 1,321 airports in 193 countries. Air Canada is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four Star ranking according to independent U.K. research firm Skytrax. For more information, please visit aircanada.com.

About American Express in Canada 

American Express in Canada operates as Amex Bank of Canada and Amex Canada Inc. Both are wholly owned subsidiaries of the New York-based American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc., the largest operating unit of the American Express Company. Amex Bank of Canada is the issuer of American Express charge and credit cards, with outstanding products like the SimplyCash™ Card from American Express©, the American Express® Gold Rewards Card and the American Express® AeroplanPlus® Gold Card. American Express opened its first offices in Toronto and Hamilton in 1853 and now employs approximately 3,000 Canadians coast to coast. For more information, visit AmericanExpress.ca or connect with us at Facebook.com/AmericanExpressCanada and YouTube.com/AmericanExpressCAD.

About Air Canada enRoute

Air Canada enRoute is Air Canada's award-winning travel media brand. An inspirational authority for the global traveller, it reaches passengers at every step of their journey through its multimedia portfolio: print publications (including Air Canada enRoute, the iconic magazine with over one million readers each month, Air Canada enRoute Edition, the Air Canada enRoute Inflight Entertainment Guide and a series of special-interest publications), digital channels (enroute.aircanada.com), a dining app (enRoute Eats) and many prestigious programs and events (Canada's Best New Restaurants, the Air Canada enRoute Film Festival, the Air Canada enRoute Hotel Design Awards).

Air Canada enRoute is produced by Spafax, one of the world's leading content marketing agencies and providers of inflight media, with offices in 15 cities around the world. enroute.aircanada.com

Follow on Twitter and Instagram @enRoutemag, #EatandVote

SOURCE Air Canada's enRoute

For further information, visuals or to request an interview, please contact: Phil Birnbaum, Spafax, [email protected], 647-789-7297