Archive | January, 2015

New In Town: Bâtard Boulangerie & Cafe Moderne Comes To The Fraserhood

30 Jan

Batard2We would like to introduce you to the newly opened Bâtard Boulangerie & Cafe Moderne located at 3958 Fraser Street.  This is a French style bakery brought to you by  Chris Brown of Rise Artisan Bakery and Bruno and Sally Born restaurateurs and owners of Finest at Sea.  This is a great addition to the Fraserhood. Outside of the amazing French style sweets and excellent coffees, there is the bread. Big levain loaves and dense rye breads that you can purchase by the 100 grams instead of a large loaf.  They also carry a great selection of Farm House Cheeses and a selection of French cheeses from Les Amis de Fromage and charcuterie from Oyama Sausages.  You can also expect to find Chris Brown’s award winning artisanal marmalades “The Bitter End”.  These are truly heavenly marmalades.

Bâtard Boulangerie is perfectly situated on Fraser Street next door to Graze Restaurant which is next to Earnest Ice Cream between 23rd and 24th Avenue.  Now, does that not make for a delicious block we ask?  The 100 year old space they renovated is beautiful, cozy and makes for a great meeting spot. And as of June 2015, Bâtard Boulangerie is now open 7 days a week from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm. Batard3

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3rd Annual Spring Fling At The Biltmore Cabaret January 28th & 29th

28 Jan

StringFling2015The 3rd Annual String Fling concert takes place at the Biltmore Cabaret January 28th and 29th. This event is presented by Four on the Floor, a  Vancouver-based string quartet.  The line-up for this year’s String Fling includes Jim Byrnes, Ryan Guldemond, Dustin Bentall, Parker Bossley, Hannah Epperson, Dominique Fricot, Dan Moxon and Tonye Aganaba. Each artist will be performing three songs with the quartet and Four on the Floor will be playing original pieces and covers in between the sets. Tickets are $20 and available in advance at Red Cat Records, Zulu Records and hipcity.ca. Doors open at 7:00 pm, show begins at 8:00 pm. To learn more about Four On The Floor, check out their video interview with Stuart Derdeyn of The Province.

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New In Town: DiOliva Tasting Bar In The East Village

26 Jan

DiOliva2We would like to introduce you to a new business in town, one that all food lovers should make a detour to.  It’s called Di Oliva Tasting Bar located at 2632 on East Hastings Street in the East Village.  Di Oliva Tasting Bar is brought to you by owner,  Lisa Funaro.  Lisa brings you an amazing selection of extra virgin olive oils and balsamic vinegars from various parts of the world including Australia, Peru, Chile, Southern France and Italy to name a few.  All the olive oils are cold pressed for high quality and freshness. The balsamic vinegars are from Modena, Italy and aged up to 25 years. The olive oils and balsamic vinegars are all organic and infused with 100% natural ingredients meaning no artificial flavours, colours or additives. And yes, tasting is encouraged and made very easy with their set up.  You will find very different types of olive oils including the more grassy flavours, as well as the mild tasting ones great for baking or those with very robust peppery flavours.  As for the balsamic vinegars, we can only say wow!   Some of our favourites include Blueberry Balsamic, Honey Ginger Balsamic and the Espresso Balsamic was hands down our favourite.  There are descriptions on the face of each which sets out the flavours/notes of each much like a wine.  Generally, oils and vinegars are $12 for a 200 ml bottle, $20 for a 375 ml and $32 for a 750 ml bottle. There are some exceptions for a couple of specialty items like the Toasted Sesame Oil for $15 for 200 ml, $22 for 375 ml and $37 for a 750 ml.  This is one of the bottles that made a return trip home with us.  Amazing flavor.  There are also sample bottles for $5.00 and sets of 4 for $20 which make a perfect gift.

Outside of the oils and vinegars, you will also find some delectable sauces like the one that founds its way home with us which was a tomato, olive & ouzo sauce.   Lisa will soon be offering free tasting events in the evenings for groups of 8 to 10 people at which time all attendees also get 10% off their purchases. Di Oliva provides the appies, you provide the people.   They are also working on a Recipe Board and have a host of ideas for how to use the oils and vinegars in cooking, baking and beyond.  We encourage to check out this great new addition to East Vancouver.  Di Oliva Tasting Bar is open Tuesday to Saturday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Sunday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and closed Mondays.

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Review of PostSecret: The Show Now On At The Firehall Arts Centre

24 Jan

PostSecretTheShowAn innvovative new production opened at the Firehall Arts Centre on January 20th called PostSecret: The Show. This production brings to life one of the most popular blogs in the world PostSecret.com. In November 2004, US artist, Frank Warren, created a viral movement when he printed 3,000 self-addressed postcards and handed them out to people on the streets and asked them to mail their secrets to his home in Washington, DC.  The secrets were to be anonymous and the secret could be regret, fear, betrayal, desire, a confession or childhood humiliation.  Postsecret.com is now one of the most visited advertisement-free blogs in the world with over 700 million visitors from all over the world.  Vancouver’s TJ Dawe along with other Vancouver collaborators Kahlil Ashanti and Justin Sudds bring to life this innovative project that pushes the boundaries of crowd-sourced storytelling, combining intimate live performance with secrets from around the globe.  Part of the aim of the production is to show you are not alone. When you hear some of the secrets revealed, guaranteed you will find ones that resonate with you. For me, it was the postcard that read “Don’t Take Away My Sunshine is the saddest song in the world”. When my dog was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer that took him a few years too early, I sang that song to him all the time. He seemed to love it and showered me with wet dog kisses, but it always pulls at my heart strings. Some of the secrets took on a serious tone, such as suicide, but the positive we came away with is how PostSecrets.com saved so many lives literally and figuratively with words as well as actions.  PostSecret: The Show is full of raw human emotion in all its honesty, for better or for worse. Guaranteed you will see yourself in the secrets revealed to the world.  Some will make you laugh out loud, some with pull at your heart strings, some will truly make you think, but by the end, the show does in it’s own unique way make you see ‘we are all in this together’.  Each and every one of us has the ability to reach out and make a connection to someone and make a difference in someone’s life. Everyone will take away a little something different from this show which has been criticized by a few for being much like a TED Talk. This is a fair comment, but we felt that’s what made for a unique and engaging show. We encourage you to see the human in humanity.  PostSecret The Show runs till February 7th at the Firehall Arts Centre. Tickets are available online at Firehall Arts Centre.

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Fundraising Dinner At Graze Restaurant For The Vancouver BC SPCA February 3rd

23 Jan

GrazeRest#2You are invited to Graze Restaurant, 3980 Fraser Street, on Tuesday, February 3rd for a fundraising dinner for the Vancouver Branch of the BC SPCA. The SPCA is a non-profit organization that helps nearly 37,000 injured, abused and homeless animals each year and relies on generous donations from supporters. On February 3rd, dine at Graze Restaurant between 5:00 – 10:00 pm and Graze will donate 20% of the sales from your bill to the Vancouver SPCA. Graze Restaurant is a vegan restaurant that provides locally and organically produced ingredients. Their food is creative, nutritionally well-balanced and simply delicious. Whether you are a strict vegetarian, a flexitarian who enjoys trying everything or an omnivore who simply wants a familiar and satiating meal, Graze was something for you. One of their delicious entrees has made it onto Erin Ireland’s Must Try Five List. That being their now rather famous Vegan Perogies with crispy shallots served with an intensely smoked coconut cheddar sauce, sour coconut cream and spicy tomato jam. As Erin would say, it’s To Die For.  You can make your reservation by contacting Graze Restaurant at T:  604-620-8822. Come out and support this charity that does so much for animal welfare within our community.

Photo Credit: Graze Restaurant

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Beer Chocolate & Spirits Tour By Vancouver Brewery Tours On February 14th SOLD OUT

22 Jan

VDayVBTFeb14Ryan Mackey owner of local tour company, Vancouver Brewery Tours, is hosting a unique tour for Valentine’s Day “For The Love of Craft”.  Vancouver Brewery Tours will take you on a tour of some great East Vancouver spots.  In no particular order, they will take you to the newest craft brewery in town Strange Fellows Brewing located at 1345 Clark Drive with a great space, then to Storm Brewing. Owner and head brewmaster, James Walton, has been on the craft brewery scene since 1995, then a delectable detour to one of our favourite places for chocolate, the Schokolade Chocolate Café in the East Village. They have a dark chocolate bar with caramel, lavender and sea salt that is a must try should you get the chance.  Then off to another local favourite Odd Society Spirits which are the makers of many spirits including East Van Vodka, Crème de Cassis and Wallflower Gin. Odd Society Spirits makes some creative cocktails in their Tasting Lounge including a fennel sour that caught our eye.  The For The Love Of Craft runs Saturday, February 14th from 2:00 pm to 5:45 pm. Tickets are available from Vancouver Brewery Tours for $79 per person.  Beer, chocolates and spirits really how can one go wrong?

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The Road Forward At The York Theatre February 5 to 7

21 Jan

RoadForward-landscape-300x225The Road Forward is a multi-media musical inspired by the ground breaking movement of the Native Brother and Sisterhood of British Columbia. This performance is dedicated to the countless First Nations women who have disappeared on B.C.’s Highway of Tears this blues/rock musical integrates traditional and contemporary art forms, historical media archives and interactive live performance.  This event is brought to you by PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, Touchstone Theatre and Red Diva Projects.   The Road Forward will be performed at the York Theatre, 639 Commercial Drive, on February 5 – 7. Tickets start at $19 and are available online via The Cultch.

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Canadian Premiere of PostSecret: The Show At The Firehall Arts Centre January 20th

19 Jan

PostSecretTheShowThere is an innovative new production coming to the Firehall Arts Centre on January 20th called PostSecret: The Show.  It brings to life one of the most popular blogs in the world PostSecret.com. US artist, Frank Warren, created a viral movement when he printed 3,000 self-addressed postcards and handed them out to people on the streets and asked them to send in their secrets. Postsecret.com is one of the most visited advertisement-free blogs in the world with nearly 700 million visitors. There have been six PostSecret books one of which made it to the New York Times bestseller list. In 2011, 300 of the postcard images became an exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art In New York.

On January 20th, Vancouver’s TJ Dawe along with other Vancouver collaborators Kahlil Ashanti and Justin Sudds will create a live immersive experience based on unheard PostSecret stories in collaboration with Frank Warren. This innovative project pushes the boundaries of crowd-sourced storytelling, combining intimate live performance with secrets from around the globe. You can expect a “visual, auditory and emotional journey through the beauty and complication of our deepest fears, ambitions, and confessions.” PostSecret: The Show showcases original music along with recorded voices, projected images and video in the hopes of reminding audiences that no matter what you may be facing in your life, you are not alone.

A preview show takes place January 20th with opening night taking place on January 21st. PostSecret The Show runs till February 7th. Tickets available online at Firehall Arts Centre.

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Rescue Me: Roman A Neapolitan Mastiff Cross Looking For His Forever Home

18 Jan

Roman

Welcome to the next installment of Rescue Me in which we feature pets waiting for adoption at the Vancouver SPCA. Today we would like to introduce you to a sweet boy named Roman. He is a Neapolitan Mastiff Cross who is 5 years old.  Roman was surrendered to the Vancouver SPCA because his people could not care for him properly. Upon his arrival Roman was severely underweight, but has now gained some weight and is already at 125 pounds and gaining. He has been recently neutered and had surgery to his eyes to correct inward growing eyelashes.  Roman is a social, friendly and calm dog.  The Vancouver SPCA is looking for a special home for this boy.  He requires people who are familiar with the breed and/or large dogs.  Roman as you might expect at 125 pounds is a strong dog and not suitable for a frail guardian.   Roman is a wee bit nervous around lots of traffic and loud trucks thus a home that is in a quieter area would be best for him. He has not lived with other animals so the Vancouver SPCA thinks he would be best suited for being your one and only at home.  One disclaimer, you must be prepared for a bit of drool, but in return you will receive extra love. Come meet this big sweetie at the Vancouver SPCA Shelter, 1205 East 7th Avenue.  If you would like more information about Roman, the Vancouver SPCA would love to hear from you. You can reach them by telephone at 604-879-7721 or by email at vancouver@spca.bc.ca. As always, we thank you in advance for sharing this information to help find this sweet boy his forever home.

UPDATE January 30, 2015 Roman found his forever home.

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Check Out What’s Happening For Dine Out In East Vancouver

16 Jan

DOVF_Logo_StampDine Out Vancouver, Canada’s largest restaurant festival gets under way January 16th with lots of delicious events on the horizon.  There are over 270 restaurants participating in this year’s event with prix-fixe menus ranging from $18 to $38.  Each year, they seem to up the ante with the special events.  In East Vancouver, there are quite a number of notable mentions.

First up, Vancouver Brewery Tours is offering a brewery tour and East Side Food Tour for $71. They will be making stops at some favourite East Van breweries including Bomber Brewing and new arrival Strange Fellows Brewing and then over to Big Lou’s Butcher Shop, La Grotta del Frommagio, Famoso Neopolitan Pizza and East Side Beer Food. Next up for events, Richard Wolak of Vancouver Foodster has organized a number of brunch crawls around the City. In East Vancouver, Richard will be conducting the Commercial Drive Brunch Crawl on Sunday, February 1st making stops at Federico’s Supper Club, Famoso Pizzeria, Bakery Sate and Stateside Craft. If you prefer to check out some delicious spots on Main Street, Richard will be leading the tour on the Main Street Brunch Crawl on Saturday, January 24th making stops at Rosemary Rocksalt, Miura Waffles, Radicle Juice, Nirvana and East End Chai.  Off The Eaten Track Tours will be hosting two great tours. First up is the Main Street Hidden Gem Tour which hits four great spots on Main Street including The Shameful Tiki, The Honey Shoppe and Trafiq.  They will also be hosting a Best Bites of the East Village for $50 which will make stops at Saltenas, Windsor Meats, Steam Tea House and Jackalopes Drive.   If you prefer to check out some restaurants during Dine Out, we’ve set out a list of those participating in this year’s event in East Vancouver.  Note, most participating restaurants take reservations, but a few are first come first served.  For a full listing of restaurants, visit Dine Out:

Cafe Kathmandu

Caffe Roma and Lounge

Campagnolo Roma

The Cannibal Café

Carthage Café

Chicha Restaurant

Chutney

East Is East

Federico’s Supper Club

Graze Vegetarian

Romer’s Burger Bar – River District

The Reef on Main Street

The Five Point

Bon Appetit!

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