Archive | April, 2013

River District Farmers Market Starts Saturday, May 4th

29 Apr

RiverDistrictFarmersMarket2013 River District Farmers Market begins this Saturday May 4th at the foot of Kerr Street in SE Vancouver (8683 Kerr Street).  If unfamiliar with the area, you only need to travel one block South of SE Marine Drive along Kerr Street and you are at East Kent Avenue.  Once there, you will see Romer’s Burger Bar to your right and just beyond it a view of the Fraser River.

After an inaugural first run last year, this Farmers Market is back for another season every Saturday from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. until October 26th.  There will be more vendors on hand with fresh local produce, prepared food, local artisans showcasing  handmade products as well as musical entertainment.

This is a great scenic spot to cycle or walk along the riverfront, or stop in at Romer’s Burger Bar situated right next to the market for brunch, snack or early dinner after the market. I know burgers are their specialty, but if you don’t try their Whiskey Doughnuts, you have missed something truly heavenly. I must confess I have lived along the Fraser River in SE Vancouver for many years and this is a unique and special place.  If you haven’t already checked out this secret little oasis tucked away in East Vancouver, the Farmers Market is a perfect time to make your way down.

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Got Craft? The Spring Edition Coming This Weekend To A New Venue

25 Apr

newpostcardwebGot Craft? the largest independent craft fair will be held Saturday, April 27th and Sunday, April 28th at Templeton Secondary School, 727 Templeton Drive. This event was scheduled to be held at the Maritime Labour Centre, but due to a fire at that venue, the organizers have done some fancy foot work and managed to secure a new location.

This event will be an opportunity to see first hand how much collective creative talent there is in this City.  If you want to get a true sense of all the talent in photos, I invite you to check out the Lookbook at Issuu created for this event.

If you’d like to flex some of your own creative muscle, there will be many do-it- yourself workshops.  Have you ever wanted to learn how to knit? If so, Sunday Knit Social is on hand to show you basic knitting moves.   To round things off nicely, as I’m sure all that shopping will make you hungry, there will be food carts on hand including Varinicery Pakoras, JJ’s Trucketeria and Taser Grilled Cheese.

The event runs from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day.  Tickets are $3.00 cash at the door. Children under 10 are free. If you are one of the first 50 guests on each of the days, you will receive a free swag bag.  Now that’s an incentive to get out early if you aren’t generally inclined to!

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Clockwork Universe – A Steampunk Art Happening At Havana Gallery April 28th

24 Apr

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Avenue for/des Arts is a Vancouver not-for-profit visual arts group that is presenting  Clockwork Universe – A Steampunk Art Happening on Sunday, April 28th at the Havana Gallery, 1212 Commercial Drive. What is Steampunk you might ask?  Wikipedia describes it as:

“… any of the artistic styles, clothing fashions, or subcultures, that have developed from the aesthetics of steampunk fiction, Victorian-era fiction, and films from the mid-20th century.Various modern utilitarian objects have been modded by individual artisans into a pseudo-Victorian mechanical “steampunk” style, and a number of visual and musical artists have been described as steampunk.”

Think science fiction and futuristic then throw in some Victorian dress, fantasy and maybe a little technofantasy imagery.  This weekend’s opening show will explore Steampunk ideas and icons. The show will also feature 14 pieces of Steampunk-influenced art as well as  local musicians and performers. To round out the experience, Vancouver Alternative Fashion will be presenting a Steampunk Fashion Parade of local designers.   Everyone is encouraged to participate and come dressed in their Steampunk finery. The art show runs from April 26th to May 7th. The opening and cabaret happens this Sunday, April 28th from 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

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I Love East Van Pins

23 Apr

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I Love East Van Pins are currently available at Safeway’s Commercial Drive & Broadway location (1780 Broadway) for $2.00. All proceeds from the sale of the pin benefit Easter Seals and the Special Olympics. For sale while quantities last.  Support two great causes and show your East Van pride.  I’ve got mine. Do you have yours?

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Federico’s Supper Club

19 Apr

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The home of Federico’s Supper Club at 1728 Commercial Drive, has a long history of entertainment dating back to the 1920s.  Federico’s Supper Club is located on the same site as the former Grandview Theatre which is pictured to the left in all its former glory.   In later years, this property housed Luigi Moka’s Ristorante where Federico Fuoco grew up watching his father, Gianni Fuoco, entertain the patrons of Luigi’s with his band.

In 1999, Federico Fuoco established his supper club which has predominantly been a venue to dine and dance the night away.   In recent years, Federico’s Supper Club has been offering up a greater variety of events.  Some of the those events include live music featuring the likes of legendary blues musician, Wes Mackey.

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Wes Mackey will be performing next Wednesday, April 24th at 8:00 p.m.  Not a show to be missed for any blues lover.  Prior to the show, come early and enjoy $9 pasta dishes during their Pasta Hour Special which runs from 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. as well as 50% off select wines.   Pasta Hour Special is offered every Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday. Also, on these days, you have the choice of the Chef’s Tasting Menu which offers you a 6 course Tasting Menu for $49.

This Friday is the return of the Dinner, Comedy and Dance Nights which is a co-production with Jeff Turner Entertainment Group. This is a once a month event. Stay tuned to Federico’s website for upcoming shows. On deck this evening, is Patrick Maliha at 9:15 p.m.  Whether you are coming to dine and dance with a group, or dinner with the family after work,  the food and service at Federico’s Supper Club just can’t be beat.

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Neapolitan Pizza At Via Tevere Pizzeria

17 Apr

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There are many pizza places to choose from on, or near, Commercial Drive in East Vancouver. I recently had the pleasure of finally trying Via Tevere Pizzeria, 1190 Victoria Drive.  I have attempted to go before, but the line ups were a regular sighting which obviously said something about what was waiting within. So one Sunday evening, our group came prepared to wait, but the wait wasn’t long at all.

Via Tevere Pizzeria has been open just over one year now. It is the making of two brothers, Dom and Frank, whose family roots are tied to Naples, Italy. They make true Neapolitan pizza translation very thin crust and I will add now delicious!  Their pizzas are 12” size and are perfect for sharing which is exactly what we did with all four of them. You know the brothers must be doing something right to be featured on Food Network’s You Gotta Eat Here which aired on April 12th.

The restaurant has character from the heritage building it is housed in, to the funky yellow 1969 Fiat 500 mini-car parked out front with Via Tevere branded on the side of the car. Then there is the wood fire brick oven, amazing chandeliers and not to mention the staff. The restaurant has a warmth to it and is very family friendly.  Via Tevere Pizzeria is open for dinner Tuesday to Thursday 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., Sundays from 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. and closed Mondays. If there is a wait, I promise it will be worth it.   Bon appetit!

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Love! Valour! Compassion! Coming to the Havana Theatre Friday, April 19th

15 Apr

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Ghost Light Projects presents Love! Valour! Compassion! starting this Friday, April 19th at the Havana Theatre, 1212 Commercial Drive.   The show features eight men that head to the country for three weekends of fun, infidelity, soul-searching and skinny dipping.

Ghost Light Projects is a registered non-for-profit society that was founded in 2009 in Toronto and relocated to Vancouver in 2012. It is now in its fourth season and operates solely on the support of ticket buyers. So come out and see the show.  Love! Valour! Compassion! runs until April 27th. Tickets are available in advance for $25 through Brown Paper Tickets, or at the door $30 (if available). Show starts at 8:00 p.m.

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Second Time Around, Eastside Flea – Saturday April 20th

14 Apr

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If you missed the first Eastside Flea in March, well you are in luck. The Flea will be back this Saturday, April 20th at the Wise Hall, 1882 Adanac Street.  The rafters will be filled with vintage items once again, but as before there well be new items available including handmade leather goods by Hannah Newton and  Dominic Tweed.  New vendors on board this time around include Eastside Re-Rides with leather goods and Jordan River Soap Works with handmade products. The Flea runs from 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.  Organizers lucked out with a perfect sunny day the first go around in March, here’s hoping for the same the second time around.

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Earnest Ice Cream – Seriously Good Ice Cream

12 Apr

EarnestIceCream Bike PhotoSeriously good ice cream is quite a statement and I can assure you that they don’t exaggerate when they use that phrase. Who is they you might ask? That would be Ben Ernst and Erica Bernardi, the master minds behind Earnest Ice Cream. These East Vancouver residents launched their business less than a year ago.  So far, seriously good ice cream.

Ben and Erica make their ice cream from scratch emphasizing fresh local ingredients, translation no chemical stabilizers, artificial colours or flavours. The ice cream is then packaged in reusable pint sized mason jars which sell for $10 each at the Farmers Market with $1.00 returned when you return the jar.  Their passion for ice cream is obvious by the creative array of flavours. Some of their seasonal choices include Strawberry Basil, Blackberry Pepper and Pumpkin Pie.   Readily available now is my personal favourite Whiskey Hazelnut.  This is the flavour that got me hooked, although I am currently working my way through a jar of Salted Caramel ice cream which is delicious in its own right.

This weekend you will find Ben and Erica at the Winter Farmers Market at Nat Bailey Stadium, 30th & Ontario, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.  They will have on hand some of the favourites including Salted Caramel, Whiskey Hazelnut,  Oatmeal Brown Sugar, Milk Chocolate, Cardamom and Lavender along with a few others. They will also have on hand their now famous ice cream sandwiches. Ben and Erica are at the Farmers Market about every 2nd weekend and do post on their Facebook Page when they will be at the market next. If you aren’t able to make it to the market, Earnest Ice Cream is available at Woodland Smokehouse & Commissary, 485 Commercial Street, (just South of East Hastings Street) and about a dozen other retail locations.   To learn more about Earnest Ice Cream and the retail locations where their ice cream is available, check out their website at www.earnesticecream.com. Bon appetit!  You won’t be disappointed.

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Wine Seminars at Vancouver Urban Winery Starting Sunday April 14th

10 Apr

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Have you wanted to learn about wine and wine pairing in a fun, informative environment? If the answer is yes, you are in luck. Vancouver Urban Winery is offering their version of Sunday School. A series of four ‘informal and irreverent wine seminars’ which will be hosted by Sommeliers David Stansfield and Lisa Cook. Both sommeliers have extensive experience with wine. The aim of these seminars is to demystify wine and make it a fun and engaging evening for everyone.

There will be a series of 4 seminars starting this Sunday, April 14th. The initial seminar is titled #101 – A World Tour of Wine. The second seminar held on April 28th is titled #102 – BC vs. The World which will be an interactive evening with brown-bag, blind tasting. The third seminar being held on May 12th is #103 – Better Know A BC Winery – Joie Farms which will include back vintages and barrel samples presented by winemaker and owner, Heidi Noble.  And if you are going to know a BC winery, this is one to know.  This award winning winery just cleaned up at the 2013  Great Northwest Wine Competition in Washington state where it was awarded thirteen medals. The last seminar in this series is being held on May 26th  is titled #104 – How To Buy Wine and Influence People. The view of this seminar is to assist people in deciphering wine labels and understanding wine scores.  All four seminars will be held at Vancouver Urban Winery, 55 Dunlevy Avenue. The cost is $35 per class or $120 for all 4 classes. Tickets can be purchased through the winery or by visiting www.vuw.eventbrite.com.  Classes run from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., but doors open at 6:00 p.m.  Everyone is encouraged to come early and meet their hosts and tour the winery. Cheers!

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