Life in the Lower Mainland (BC, Canada)

After a somewhat disappointing dinner at Section(3) on Friday night, my dining companion and I zipped over to Bel Cafe at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia for a civilized and decadent dessert. Many years ago, when there was still the mainstay jazz venue The Georgia Street Bar and Grill, there was a patisserie (?) here as well, but with much less seating and long counters filled with goodies -- operating mostly as a take-out place. Can't even remember the name now, honestly. Now there's maybe a third of the selection but much more seating. The walls are lined with cushioned seating and the space between the tables is very generous. The space in front of the counter, however, is squashy and has to be shared with kitchen staff coming and going. Still, it's a fair enough compromise if one is aiming for business-class patron seating rather than a table arrangement where you're walking sideways to get anywhere between tables. You can order and pay at the counter, of course, ...

I dropped by Section(3) last night with a foodie buddy who lives downtown. It always looked like more of a bar scene to me from the outside and I subconsciously avoided it, but the menu had some intriguing things on it, like an interesting sounding Baked Brie, Coca-Cola Braised Rib (apparently one chunk of meat about the width of a can of Campbell's soup and half as tall). So finally I decided to give it a go. I had opted for an early dinner (5pm) to avoid any dinner rush or the usual Yaletown crush. At 5pm, most places there had just a handful of diners and you pretty much had your choice of seating (but I made a reservation anyway... just in case of private parties or what not monopolizing the establishment). Theoretically, this means prompt and attentive service, right? Well... not always. But I'm getting ahead of myself. If you haven't been to Section(3), you probably don't know the history of having had a mere 48 hours to change their name or be sued. Most of ...

I walked in for my usual Friday morning volunteering shift and happily there were still Christmas treats leftover. Among them were a few packs of THINaddictives almond thin cookies , doubtless picked up en masse from CostCo, where admin seems to get everything else. With over 200 volunteers, we buy bulk. :) These thin cookies were biscotti-like, especially in how they are double-baked . The word biscotti itself is derived from a Latin meaning double-cooked/double-baked. Double-baking not only gives a bread or cake the crunchy exterior, but helps to preserve it for unreasonably long periods of time. And because it then becomes hard and crunchy, such things are typically jazzed up with some sort of creamy coating and dipped in coffee. The very thin cookies (about 3mm thick) from THINaddictives were very strong with almond flavour and not so much with the cranberries, though it was clearly real cranberry baked into it. There was a slight chewiness to it which prevents the usual bisco...

You may have heard that Organic Lives opened a downtown Granville location last week in the Chopra Yoga Centre . I had had a delicious chocolate cake ("The Ridiculous") from them earlier this year, and was curious about their non-dessert menu. The menu is raw (with the exception of some few ingredients in select items -- I was told the maple syrup in some dessert doesn't classify as raw), organic, and vegan, but you may not notice. The Chopra Yoga Centre front desk is now divided into two parts. The reception desk on the left, and Organic Lives on the right. Yes, the entire kitchen is right behind the reception desk in the spacious lobby. Run by a single chef. The ladies behind the counter have a peaceful serenity that borders on the eerie, but I'm sure that's harmless. Because it's a small space, the full menu from their larger store/restaurant on Quebec Street near Science World isn't available. The all-important chocolate cake is there, and a ...

Staggering out of the Christmas Market weighed down by profound disappointment (instead of what over $20 of food should have felt like in my tummy), my dining buddy and I closed our evening outing with a trip to Starbucks for proper coffee. I got a seasonal Caramel Brulée Latte , extra hot, plus one Chocolate Crème Whoopie Pie for myself and one for my patient dining buddy. When the cashier went to ring it in, she asked which type of Whoopie Pie we wanted, only to realize there was just the one type in the display case. It's a bit harder to find on the website, but there is apparently a Red Velvet Whoopie Pie . Each Whoopie Pie is slightly bigger and sandwiches more cream than your typical $2 macaron . IF you compare it to macarons, then at $1.60 they don't sound too expensive. But if you didn't know macarons were $2, then $1.60 for something smaller than a moist chocolate muffin must look like a rip-off. The Chocolate Crème Whoopie Pie is quite soft, very moist, a...

Just back from the Vancouver Christmas Market set up on the plaza at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre downtown. It ends on Christmas Eve. I was curious about some of the "Traditional German Market Food and Beverages" mentioned on the Christmas Market website , but was wholly unprepared for the prices. $8 sausages? $9 waffles? My expectations were high. If it were a free event like Greek Day on Broadway , I might have toned down expectations. But this event seemed to be touted as being an authentic German import, and on top of any costs was $5 per adult in admission fees. My dining buddy and I started with a big savory waffle from Das Waffelhaus , supposedly made with spices mixed in ($7.50). For $1.50 you could have bacon bits (real bacon, not bacon bits with artificially reddish orange fake "bacon" you can find in supermarkets) mixed in, bringing the total to $9 for a waffle just over 1 centimeter thick and maybe 6 inches wide. It was surprisingly bland. If anyth...

A flyer came to my home advertising for a local newspaper carrier on Wednesday, December 14th. I can only suppose the perpetually spotty deliveries had spurred this. Carriers Wanted The NewsLeader is currently looking for carriers in your area. Here's a route that's available for you! Route: BB22622653 Papers: 99 (Door-to-door delivery to dry and wind-safe locations) The NewsLeader is delivered every Wednesday and Friday to the residents in yoru neighbourhood. The papers are dropped off at your home with the flyers pre-inserted and ready to go! 24-Hour carrier insurance High school graduation credit "Carrier of the Week" awards Seasonal carrier activities Referral & Replacement Bonus Programs $60 per month approx. Additional pay for special deliveries. If you are interested in delivering newspapers in your area please call 604.436.2472 Email: circulation@burnabynewsleader.com Okay, let's do the math here: ($60/month x 12 months) / (52 ...