We stayed in downtown Vancouver at our friend Carm's place in a trendy area called Yaletown. Tons of hair salons, hot yoga joints, etc. And, lots of chic little restaurants. Our original intention before arriving was to grocery shop and cook most of our meals to save money, and treat ourselves to a few dinners out just here and there. But Carm told us that with the comparatively high prices of groceries and reasonable prices at restaurants, it would be worth it to eat out. And with so many choices around us (and being in lazy vacation mode) we were easily convinced.
Our first stop after settling at Carm's place a little, was brunch! We went to Subeez, a place with funky tribal and gothic art on the walls, and church candles (featuring pictures of saints and the Virgin Mary) on the tables.
The server asked what we wanted to drink. Now, one of my favourite things about Vancouver (and there turned out to be quite a few) are all the great microbreweries around. A co-worker told me that I had to check out the brewery tour at Granville Island Brewery Co. while I was out there, so to accompany my brunch, I went for GIB's Winter Ale. When I brought the glass to my lips, the first thing I noticed was its sweet, creamy aroma. When I took a sip, my eyes lit up. "Guess what it's made with!" Carm quizzed. Vanilla? Maple syrup? Nope. Definitely something sweet and rich, though. "White chocolate!" Carm revealed. Bingo! It was so good! Wish I'd bought some to take home. But as it turns out, it wouldn't be the most interesting beer I'd have out west.
Anyway, back to brunch. Will had the chorizo frittata and I had the mushroom and goat cheese eggs benedict. I love eggs benedict. It's so damn rich and indulgent, but after a 4.5 hour flight with no food served, I figured why not. Besides, Carm said we'd take a bike ride through Stanley Park afterwards, so I needed the sustenance.
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| omelette with chorizo sausage, bacon, banana peppers, salsa, cheddar & jack cheese |
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| soft poached eggs with hollandaise, mushrooms, goat cheese, and fresh basil |
That's another great thing about Vancouver. It's so easy to live an active lifestyle. With so much beautiful scenery, and the mild weather (never really too hot or cold), it's easy to jump up and just go for a run or a bike ride along the seawall. And with everything in the downtown core, you end up walking everywhere you want to go (even if it's to get a big fat burger). It ends up balancing out. I ate and drank like a mofo for 6 days and didn't gain a pound. Carm said he lost weight since moving out there without changing his eating or drinking habits. Another point for Vancouver, LOL.
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| riding bikes along the seawall at Stanley Park |
Anyway, it was still Day 1, and this piece of magical Vancouver equilibrium hadn't been revealed to me yet. So when it was time for dinner at La Brasserie, I went with the conservative choice. This cozy Franco-German restaurant had such mouthwatering delights on offer as truffled poutine, duck confit, and suckling pig. I went with the poisson du jour, which was pretty good, but after tasting Carm's pork cheeks and Will's steak with truffle morel butter (oh god morels), I sort of wished I'd went that route.
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| tasty, but ain't no pork cheeks :P |
Also indulgent: the "litre steins" of Konig Ludwig. This definitely was a workout for their arms.
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| cheers and a half! maybe more! |
The next morning we grabbed a quick breakfast at Timmy's (interesting fact: Starbucks is way more prevalent than Tim Horton's due to proximity to Seattle), and we were off to Whistler! Apparently we were really lucky with the weather, Carm said he'd only seen visibility and conditions like that once before. Words can't do it justice. It was breathtaking. Sitting on a slope looking out at the mountainpeaks around you, and the clouds below you... then speeding down a friggin mountain, an honest-to-god, not-Blue-Molehill, moderate-avalanche-risk, there-are-cliffs-and-you-could-die MOUNTAIN, on a 5 foot long piece of fibreglass. Fuck am I ever cool. LOL. Anyway, Whistler did beat me up pretty good that day. Glad I bought a helmet!
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| Will taking in the view |
Our next day, the weather wasn't so good. Rain at the base, though there was snow as we went up the peak. We'd go down a run and go from fog, to snow, to hail, to rain, which sounds bad but was actually pretty cool. It was gray and overcast so no pictures from the slopes, but here's our lunch!
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| Will's prosciutto & pineapple pizza |
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| Carm's chicken & bacon sandwich |
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| my pulled pork |
To drink, we got a pitcher of Whistler Brewing Company's Winter Dunkel. This is the beer that beat GIB's already very yummy Winter Ale. Brewed with milk chocolate and orange zest, it barely even tasted like beer, it was more like a milkshake! Not exactly something you want to be drinking all night to get a buzz on, but definitely good with a meal. Too bad they don't even bottle it :( They only make a few kegs in the winter and serve it at certain restaurants on the mountain. Just another reason for me to go back out west ;)
That evening at Cascade Lodge, we relaxed our sore muscles in the hot tub (interspersed with refreshing dips in the pool) while double-fisting double shots of whiskey with ginger ale. Sooo we got drunk pretty fast :P I tipsily made tacos for dinner and passed out while Will and Carm watched Jackie Chan's Rumble in the Bronx, LOL.
The next morning, Carm made a yummy breakfast with some extra help from leftover taco ingredients:
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| scramble with red peppers & cheddar cheese, with bacon (and leftover yam fries from a dinner at The Keg) |
Then we boarded a Greyhound back to Vancouver, where more great food awaited us for the next few days. To be continued!
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