Archive | January, 2016

Havana Restaurant Partners With The Cultch

15 Jan

Havana2Havana Restaurant is an amazing delicious spot located at 1212 Commercial Drive. There is a bit of Old Havana in Cuba at this eclectic spot.  Havana is also a great supporter of local arts whether it’s their own theatre in the back or the area next to the theatre showcasing local art. Whether you come for lunch, brunch or dinner, the place is always hopping and we might add has amazing food and drinks. Added bonus is the outdoor patio which is packed a good portion of the year.  Now there is one more reason to stop at Havana for a bite. They have just announced a great partnership with The Cultch.  Havana is offering 15% off your food purchases on any evening you attend a performance at The Cultch. If you didn’t already know, Havana is located just a short walk from The Cultch. So really it’s a perfect spot to stop before or after the show.   As we regularly attend events at The Cultch, you can bet you will be finding us here before a show. Just remember, you will need to show your ticket.

HavanaAppie HavanaDrink

Photo Credit: Havana Restaurant

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3rd Annual South Hill Community Dance January 31

14 Jan

CommunityDanceYou are invited to the 3rd Annual South Hill Community Dance being held at Moberly Arts & Cultural Centre on January 31st.   This is a family affair for all ages presented by South Hill Neighbours.  Everyone is welcome to attend.  As expected, there will be dancing which will be led by several different dance teachers. You will travel around the globe learning dances from various cultures.  The aim is to get you up on the dance floor to move, laugh and, of course, dance. You don’t need a partner, just show up and join in. There will be food and light refreshments on hand. The Moberly Arts & Cultural Centre is located at Prince Albert and 60th Avenue in SE Vancouver. The event runs from 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm. Come out and join the fun.

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Roomful of Teeth At The Fox Cabaret January 25 & 26

13 Jan

RoomfulofTeethThe Music on Main and the PuSh Festival present a Roomful of Teeth on January 25th and 26th.  A Roomful of Teeth is a Grammy award-winning vocal group. The group was founded in 2009 by director Brad Wells. The ensemble consists of eight classically trained vocalists dedicated to re-imagining singing in the 21st century. Through study with masters from singing traditions the world over, they continually expand their vocabulary and singing techniques by commissioning and creating new works.  This is their first appearance in Vancouver. If you wish to listen to their sound, you can check them out on Bandcamp.com.  The event takes place at The Fox Cabaret, 2321 Main Street and kicks off at 8:00 pm both evenings. Tickets are available from Tickets Tonight.

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6th Annual Hot Chocolate Festival January 16 – February 14

12 Jan

HotCocoaThe 6th Annual Hot Chocolate Festival presented by CityFood Magazine is back again. The event runs from January 16 to February 14 in various locations around Vancouver. There are over 24 chocolateries and cafes participating in this year’s event. Each venue will make one or more special hot chocolates which will only be available during the festival. We expect some delicious concoctions to tantalize your taste buds.  In East Vancouver, lots of personal favourite spots are participating in this year’s festival including East Van Roasters, French Made Baking in Mount Pleasant. As well as Schokolade Artisan Chocolate in the Hastings Sunrise area. They are offering a hot chocolate that will have us running over. It’s called I Need You! and has 100% dark chocolate, double foam and caramel expresso and is garnished with dark chocolate meringue. Hello!  Last Crumb Cafe on Main Street also has us drooling with both of their selections. One titled His Lordship HC is a vanilla Early Grey hot chocolate served with a vanilla bean butter cookie plus their Bananarama which we hear tastes like a chocolate banana cream pie sounds pretty amazing. New to the festival this year is 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters + Lucky’s  Doughnuts, Earnest Ice Cream (Quebec Street location only) and Railtown Café whose offering is a Pandance With Me which is a lime leaf and chili infused coconut milk hot chocolate served with a housemade pandan whippet cookie. Wowzers! To see the full list of venues participating, check out City Food Magazine’s Calendar of Events.

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Italian Grappa Tasting Italian Cultural Centre February 11th

11 Jan

GrappaYou are invited to an Italian Grappa Tasting at the Italian Cultural Centre, 3075 Slocan Street, on February 11th.   Grappa is a uniquely Italian alcoholic beverage that is made from discarded grape seeds, stalks and steams that are the by-product of the winemaking process. It has been called Italy’s ‘elixir’ and has been around for many generations. It was popular in Italy and mainly produced there, but is now being made by distilleries in various parts of the world including just south of Vancouver in Oregon.  On the evening of February 11th, Carmen d’Onofrio of Stile Brands will take you through a tasting of 7 Italian grappas. Having had the pleasure of taste tasting grappas in Italy, we expect this to be a very delicious experience.  Tickets for this event are $45 and can be purchased by contacting the Italian Cultural Centre at 604.430.3337 or online.  The event runs from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm in the Trattoria Hall.

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Dark New Comedy ‘All New People’ Comes To Havana Theatre January 17-30

8 Jan

AllNewPeopleHavanaA dark new comedy is coming to Havana Theatre this month called All New People.   Ben Bilodeau, an actor for many years in Vancouver, is making his directorial debut with this fast-paced 4 person play.  The play was created by actor/writer Zach Braff. If the name is not familiar, you may recall him as one of the ‘doctors’ on the TV sitcom Scrubs.  All New People opens with a young, disenchanted Charlie on a chair with an extension cord around his neck, intent on ending his life. Unknowingly, his plans are about to be put on hold with the unexpected arrival of a spiritually misguided, British real estate agent, a Thespian-turned-fireman and a dim-witted, but well-intentioned working girl.  Zach Braff brings you a perky, sitcom-style comedy that we hear is guaranteed to keep you laughing as these unlikely roommates open their hearts to each other and you. All New People runs from January 17 -30. Tickets are $20 and available online from Brown Paper Tickets.

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Vancouver Design Jam For Community Art in Mount Pleasant January 28th

7 Jan

Nerd-Jam-Web-HeaderThe Mount Pleasant Business Association is hosting a Design Nerd Jam on Thursday, January 28th. The Mount Pleasant BIA is inviting its members as well as local artists, art businesses and organizations, community groups and developers to share their ideas on what might be fun and engaging public art in Mount Pleasant.  Mount Pleasant is a creative hub filled with artists and artist studios, but there is a feeling that there is little evidence of that on the streets of Mount Pleasant.  Thus, the upcoming Design Nerd Jam which will be held at the Heritage Hall.  What is a Nerd Jam you might ask?  Basically, it’s an idea factory. The premise is to have a fun, fast, creative brainstorming session with various stakeholders in the community.  You are invited to join the conversation on January 28th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.  An RSVP is requested which can be done online. If you would like more information, you can email Charmaine@mpbia.ca. at the Mount Pleasant BIA.

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Dine Out Vancouver 2016 Happens January 15 – 31

6 Jan

DOVF_Logo_StampDine Out Vancouver, Canada’s largest restaurant festival gets under way January 15th with a record breaking 288 restaurants participating this year. This year, restaurants will be offering 3 prix-fixe menus, $20, $30 or $40. There are also a number of special events as part of Dine Out and the caliber of them improves every year.  This year, we see The Acorn Restaurant and Odd Society Spirits have partnered to offer A Distiller’s Dinner on January 24th for $99.  The gang at Off the Eaten Track is offering ‘How It’s Made: A Brewery, Distillery & Winery Tour’.  They will take you on a tour of  Odd Society Spirits, Vancouver Urban Winery and the Big Rock Urban Eatery. You will, of course, have the opportunity to sip on award-winning craft vodka, gin, three BC wines, and two local ales. This tour also includes a bite to eat at the Big Rock Urban Eatery all for $70. Tours run January 17, 21, 24, 28 and 31.  Lastly, our friends at Vancouver Brewery Tours have a Craft Beer & Food Pairing Tour on January 15, 21, 22, 28 and 29 for $79 as well as a Craft Beer & Sweets Pairing Tour on January 21 and 28th for $75.   If you wish to participate in any of the events during Dine Out, we recommend purchasing tickets promptly, many sell out quickly some already have.  If you have a particular restaurant or event you really want to try, make your reservation.  Many fill up quickly and reservations start today. We’ve set out some of the East Van restaurants participating below.  For a full rundown of all the participating restaurants and events, visit Dine Out Vancouver.

Arriva Restaurant
Cafe Kathmandu
Campagnolo Restaurant
Campagnolo Roma
Cannibal Café, The – Commercial Drive
Carthage Café
Chicha Restaurant
Cuchillo
East is East Chai Lounge – Main Street
Falconetti’s Eastside Grill
Federico’s Supper Club
The Libra Room
Lombardo’s
Merchants Oyster Bar
Nonna’s Table
Poor Italian Ristorante
Romer’s Burger Bar
Torafuku
The Reef – Commercial Drive

VBTDineOutTour2016

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RESCUE ME: Sawyer A Pit Bull Cross Is Looking For His Forever Home

5 Jan

SawyerWelcome 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 Sawyer. Sawyer is a 5 year old male Pit Bull Cross and is a very active boy. This boy would love nothing more than to accompany you on your outdoor adventures. Sawyer is super smart dog that will require some mental stimulation to keep his mind busy. His friends at the SPCA think Sawyer would do well with agility or nosework, but then he also loves play time with his toys. We understand that Sawyer can get over stimulated and become jumpy and mouthy, therefore, a home without children is best. Sawyer does need a confident, dog-savvy guardian with behaviour experience to help him reach his amazing potential. He is also learning to love his crate and with a bit more practice will be able to use his crate as his own personal safe space.  Sawyer is okay with dogs and may do well in a home with a friend though he can get a bit amorous with the female canines. He seems to find cats a little too fun to chase so a home with felines, likely would not be best.  Sawyer has an infectious personality and a tail that wags at the speed of light. You are invited to come down to the Vancouver SPCA and meet this handsome boy.  If you think you could give Sawyer a forever home, the Vancouver SPCA Shelter would love to hear from you. You can find them at 1205 East 7th Avenue or by telephone at 604-879-7721 or by email at vancouver@spca.bc.ca. As always, we welcome any shares to help find Sawyer find his forever home.

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TEDxEastVan Is Looking For Speakers & Volunteers for April 2016

4 Jan

WebIn case you haven’t heard, TEDxEastVan is coming to the York Theatre on Saturday, April 23rd. For those unfamiliar with TED Talks, they are a day long event that brings together creators, catalysts, designers and thinkers to share their ideas. TEDx is a local self-organized event that brings people together for deep discussion and connection within a small group.  Talks from TED conferences are shared with the world for free as TED Talks videos on TV, radio, Netflix and many websites and are now available in more than 90 languages.

The TEDxEastVan team is searching for people with interesting ideas to speak at this year’s conference. They are on the hunt for scientists, artists, entrepreneurs, inventors, writers or Joe/Jane Average down the street. What gets you on the stage is your great idea.  So first up, you need to apply. Once/if accepted, they will help you through the process with coaches to help you fine tune your talk.   If you think you or someone you know has a great idea worth spreading, then you are encouraged to apply at TEDxEastVan 2016.  The deadline for application is January 16th. If you have questions, you can email them directly at speakers@tedxeastvan.com.

Now on the other hand, if you prefer to be part of this amazing day, but not as a speaker but instead as a volunteer, there are many opportunities available. We invite you to check out the full listing at Volunteer Opportunities. If you have experience with graphic design, communications/marketing, project management, speaker development, volunteer management, camera operations, video production or video editing, TEDxEastVan would like to hear from you.

If you want to be inspired and share ideas, this will be the place to be on April 23, 2016. This is certainly where we will be. Hope to see you there.

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