February 23, 2010 | 2010 Olympics >
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One of the most coveted passes in the Vancouver Winter Olympics – apart from tickets to men’s hockey finals – has got to be entry into the Molson Canadian Hockey House at Concorde Place in False Creek.
With 65,000 square feet of club & dining areas, VIP sections, giant high-def screens, plus celebs and hockey legends dropping by – it’s a big draw. The only snag being the cost – it starts at $99 for a full day Fanzone pass (including food).
Hockey being Canada’s national game, it’s surely what’s creating the biggest crowds and most outrageous costumes during the 2010 Olympics. The question is: where to watch the game if you don’t have tickets to the real thing?
Here are five of Vancouver’s best sports bars:
G Sports Bar & Grill (1208 Granville St) – A great spot on the Granville Strip, perfect for clubbing afterwards. Loads of big screens with HD TV, decent pub food and $4 Jager shots.
The Score (1262 Davie St) – the Official Pride House for the 2010 Winter Games, the Score offers 71’ Plasma TVs, PPV Canucks games, a long range of local brews, and specialty beers.
The Shark Club (180 West Georgia Street) – Just two blocks from Vancouver’s major sports venues: BC Place and GM Place, this is the ‘go-to’ place to either watch the game on banks of HD TVs or for post event beer & nachos.
Yagger’s (433 West Pender) – Get comfy on a high back cushioned bar stool and tuck into Jagermeister glazed chicken wings as well as specials on shots. Catch all the major sports games on big screen, followed by a round of Rock Band.
The Sunset Grill (2204 York Avenue) – my local pub in Kitsilano, the Sunset is a lot like the Cheers bar, where everyone knows your name soon enough. Great for a Sunday roast, big screens are strategically placed so no one misses a goal.
February 22, 2010 | 2010 Olympics >
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Taking over the red brick Roundhouse community centre for the Vancouver Winter Games is Casa Italia, and hearing about some decent food sampling – I headed down to Yaletown to check things out.
One of the more impressive Olympic pavilions, the Italian house offers air hockey, Italian lottery tickets, clothing and merchandise and even a cool art exhibition of retro-looking chairs, vases and sports gear.
As for the food, I happened to be there at lunchtime which is when they dish up free tastings of wine, delicious parmigiano reggiano, salami and bruschetta. Benissimo!!
Trendy Yaletown itself, offers some of Vancouver’s best restaurants, including the Italian celeb-hangout, Cioppino’s. For oysters and hearty chowders, try laidback Rodney’s Oyster House, or for West Coast and Asian fusion, head to Goldfish Pacific Kitchen or Glowbal Grill & Satay Bar. After dinner, the neighbourhood’s hip lounges come to life. Some, like the Keg, Earls and the Opus Hotel (where U2 recently stayed) offer view-tastic rooftop lounges.
It seems every whim is catered to in Yaletown. Salons are springing up devoted solely to eyebrows or blowdrys as well as full-service spas. And pampered pooches even have their own bakeries and spas. One quirky venue I love is the Raw Canvas Café on Hamilton Street. Customers can express their artistic streak by paying for a canvas, then, armed with a set of oil paints – produce their masterpiece.
February 19, 2010 | 2010 Olympics >
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While at the 2010 Aboriginal Pavilion in Vancouver for their Globespotting show, we decided to make a night of it and sample some Aboriginal food too. As it turns out, ‘Lounge Night in the Jack Poole Hall’ was the best choice we could have made.
Situated near the Romanesque-style Vancouver Library, Queen Elizabeth Theatre - and not far from trendy bars and boutiques in Yaletown, and historic Gastown – it turned out that the Jack Poole Hall was just about the ONLY place to eat, drink and sit and watch the Games. There was no cover charge and even a DJ. Every other bar or restaurant was jam-packed and the streets were alive with jubilant hockey fans.
Run by the Olympics four host First Nations: Lil’Wat, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh, the Aboriginal Pavilion offers a full schedule of fashion shows, cultural films and music. And of course food! We tucked into pizza made with BC forest mushrooms, bison skewers, ‘bear paws’ – fried bannock (flat bread) and little quiches made from Salt Spring Island cheese.
February 18, 2010 | 2010 Olympics >
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At the heart of the Place de la Francaphonie or ‘French Quarter’ on Granville Island – is Club Adrenaline. By night it exudes a bustling, bohemian vibe as the Games are shown on big screens and French-Canadian comedians and musicians take the stage to entertain diners, drinkers and dancers.
By day a magnifique lunch can be had, to break a sightseeing tour of the artists’ studios and Public Market on the Island. I can recommend the tender Boeuf Borguignon with a side of poutine (French fries with cheese curd from Quebec). And a glass of French red paired perfectly with my Crème Brulee for dessert.
I could have taken a kayaking tour around False Creek to work off the calories, but chose instead to take a lazier option – the chic little Aquabus over to Downtown Vancouver.
February 12, 2010 | 2010 Olympics >
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After catching the Olympic Torch Relay on artist-haven Granville Island, it was time for a spot of lunch. Next to the Aquabus Ferry dock and the Public Market, sits Bridges Restaurant with its bright yellow roof and huge patio (one of the best for al fresco dining in summer). Now converted into the House of Switzerland, it offers Swiss athletes and everyone else, a chance to re-fuel, warm by the fire and catch the Games on flatscreen TVs.
As school groups posed in front of a huge photo of the Swiss Alps, we headed through the restaurant decorated with Swiss flags and memorabilia – to the back deck, where under heat lamps we could watch fishing boats, shoppers and even a Bernese mountain dog, brought in especially.
Bridges are offering a complete Swiss menu in addition to their usual West Coast fare. Depending on the day, freebies include gorgeous chocolate and Ricola sweets, accompanied by live music. We sampled fizzy soft drink, Rivella and contemplated cocktails named ‘Swiss Miss’ and ‘Glacier Express’. Calorific cheese fondues follwed, and we completed our foray into Swiss cuisine with apple strudel. Yodelay!
February 11, 2010 | Tips from Us >
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When I first moved to Vancouver 12 years ago, one of the first thing I noticed was the coffee culture. Vancouver has been called Canada’s coffee capital for good reason.
For Vancouverites, coffee isn’t just something you have when you wake up in the morning, it’s almost celebrated and can be consumed into the evening (you will notice some cafes stay open until after dinner).
Not only are there more coffee shops than anywhere I’ve been, if you get invited into a Vancouverite’s home it isn’t that uncommon to see an espresso maker on the counter. To help keep you caffeinated, the following is my guide to where to find the best coffee in Vancouver.
The Wired Monk (2610 4th Ave.): This bistro in the heart of Kitsilano is a favourite with locals. Features homemade soup and stews and provides live music on Saturdays and Sundays.
Medina (555 Beatty St.): A stylish little café opened by (and beside) the owners of the award winning Belgium restaurant Chambar. The baristas here work with a pastry chef to create some very unique coffees such as their white chocolate pistachio mocha.
Mink, a Chocolate Cafe (863 W. Hastings): Brewed coffee is made one cup at a time and their mochas are the best in the city. Each coffee comes with a free chocolate. If you need more to satisfy your sweet tooth craving, they offer 30 varieties of hand crafted chocolate bars (Key Lime is my favourite).
WaaZubee Cafe (1622 Commercial Drive): It is really hard to pick just one place for coffee on Commercial Drive, since there are options on every block. Their americanos are perfect. Incredibly strong and served on a little silver tray with milk and water on the side. This is a restaurant, so unfortunately you can’t get a coffee to go (though you can just go in and order coffee).
February 07, 2010 | Tips from Us >
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How does a city get a “new” neighbourhood? I’m not too sure, but it appears to have happened in Vancouver with the creation of the Crosstown neighbourhood.
Is this a marketing gimmick? Maybe. But Crosstown is certainly developing its own personality and is worth a visit. Here’s where to find it and three of my Crosstown highlights:
Where is Crosstown?South of Gastown, East of Chinatown; bounded by Expo Blvd, Pender, Main and Cambie.
HighlightsT&T Supermarket: A fantastic Asian supermarket with walls of baked goods, fresh seafood, produce, and imported goodies (they have an entire aisle of Pocky). I love the egg tarts and the frozen shrimp har gow (shrimp dumplings) from Hon's.
Medina Café: Pros: Best Belgian waffles in town; best waffle toppings in town (raspberry caramel and fig orange marmalade are my picks, as seen above); and the silkiest, milkiest lattes with yummy flavours (try the raspberry caramel).
Cons: Everyone else knows this too, which means the early-bird gets the table on weekends. Aim to be there at 9am, when they open, and you're golden. Or be the really-lazy-bird and show up 2pm and it may have cleared out by then.
Chambar: Your search for the tastiest mussels in the city ends here. The mussels at this Belgian restaurant are whoppers; I like mine in their white wine butter broth, which is extra tasty when generously applied to pommes frites. A good selection of beer, as well, including lambics, tripels (my fav), and trappiste.
T&t Supermarket at 179 Keefer; Medina Cafe at 556 Beatty St; Chambar at 562 Beatty St
February 04, 2010 | Tips from Us >
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Because writing about Granville Street’s nightlife seems wrong without covering the best post-bar snack places. And let’s face it: nobody (unless those with great will power) is going home without something to dig into after a night out.
The DogFather: I love The Dogfather. Not only for its name, but for the humungous chili cheese dogs that warm my tummy at 2 in the morning.
Fritz European Fry House: More Quebecois than European, the poutine here is an indulgent and positively delicious snack before bed. With variations like Italian Poutine and Chicken Poutine and endless dip options (mango curry chutney, anyone?) you can’t go wrong. I like to think of it as a reward for dancing away all those calories!
Megabite Pizza/Romano’s Pizza/Numero Uno: Or any other dollar-slice pizza joint for that matter. There are plenty of places around here that serve this staple (and cost-friendly) post-bar snack.
Other places: Tsui Hang’s – sweet and sour pork and chicken chow mein at 5 am? Yes please. Then there’s Babylon Cafe for delicious Middle Eastern falafels (which I like to think of as a healthy alternative) and Kuroshio Sushi where you can get late-night sushi (including a sushi burrito I have yet to try) at cheap prices.
Locations: The DogFather, 700 Nelson St; Fritz European Fry House, 718 Davie St; Tsui Hang's, 1193 Granville St; Babylon Café, 716 Robson St; Kuroshio Sushi, 1011 Granville St.
February 04, 2010 | Tips from Us >
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The Granville Entertainment District, a five block stretch of Granville St. (between Drake St and Robson St), is crammed with bars and pubs that attract partyers pretty much every night of the week.
How do I know this? Well, not only have I had my fair share of night outs here but I also happen to live close by so I can hear (far too often) the sounds of these late-night partyers.
Reasons to go:1. The choice: there are bars, lounges, clubs, concert venues and restaurants for almost everyone. And since they’re sandwiched close together, you can easily bar-hop.
2. The streets are closed to vehicle traffic after 7pm (on weekends and during summers) ensuring it’s pedestrian-friendly.
3. There are numerous post-bar snack places that offer a greasy piece of pizza or a hotdog. A must.
My favorites:The Roxy: It’s been around for awhile and still it’s a Vancouver favourite. This includes our beloved Canucks who often enjoy a post-hockey game celebration here. What’s good? Live music and theme nights. What’s not? Long line-ups.
El Furniture Warehouse: No, it’s not a furniture store. This hole-in-the-wall kinda of bar is endearingly laid back. My favorite part though? Nothing on the menus is over $4.95. Seriously.
Other notables: Doolin’s Irish Pub for pints of Guinness; Whineo’s for a great selection of wine and appies; The Yale Hotel for live jazz music; and Sip Lounge where every food item incorporates alcohol.
Locations: The Roxy, 932 Granville St; El Furniture Warehouse, 989 Granville St; Doolins, 654 Nelson St; Whineo’s, 1017 Granville St; The Yale, 1300 Granville St; Sip Lounge, 1117 Granville St.