20 posts tagged “food”

After a threat of first 90%, then 30% chance of precipitation, race day morning dawned perfectly cool with a mix of clouds and sun.  Not a drop of rain was in sight.  (Thank you, Vancouver!)

Shane and I left the apartment just before 6 a.m. to head to the race start (on the other side of downtown).  We drove over to park in Shane’s work lot, as it’s located right next to the Skytrain, which we planned to take the rest of the way (my monthly transit pass allows me to travel with an extra passenger on Sundays, woo!).  We arrived at the starting line around 6:20, giving us plenty of time to use the Port-a-Potty and stretch.

The half-marathon group lined up as we got closer to 7 a.m. (the official go time for the race).  We jumped in around the middle of the pack, both of us feeling a lot of nerves at that point.  I was anxious about running my first half-marathon; Shane was feeling the pressure of meeting his ambitious time goal (1:45).  But soon we were flowing with the massive, 6,000-strong crowd toward the start.  We wished each other well and set off on our individual journeys to The Black-Eyed Peas “Pump It” blaring over a pair of gigantic speakers.

I felt good from the beginning.  All the time spent tapering (not to mention the pure adrenaline of finally running this long-planned-for event) gave me an extra bounce in my step as we moved into the Gastown portion of the race.  I thought maybe I was running a bit faster than my anticipated 2:15 pace time, but I didn’t know for sure.  (Nor did it really matter; my primary goal was just to finish.)

Around the 10km (or 6-mile) mark, the route followed the seawall leading into Stanley Park and then hopped up on the road that circles the park (Park Drive).  This was when I started to feel nervous again, as the infamous Park Drive hill to Prospect Point was coming up.  Prospect Point is essentially the highest point in Stanley Park, and veterans of this half-marathon will tell you this long, steep climb to the top is intensely challenging (especially being located in the middle of the race).

Thankfully, since Shane and I had done a training run on this hill, I was able to reach the crest without any issues.  It also helped that some amazing spectators were lining the road, yelling encouragement at the top of their lungs (supportive words can do wonders for tired legs).  And the downhill on the other side?  That was almost worth the pain of ascending (almost).

Soon I hit the 10-mile mark and began running along Beach Avenue.  A large crowd had gathered by English Bay Beach to cheer us on, so that was a nice boost.  I definitely struggled as we entered the last 3km (about 2 miles remaining).  My calves were burning like they’ve never burned before, but I knew we were close, so I pushed through the discomfort.  And sure enough, soon the end was in sight.

If you’ve never experienced the finish line of a race, it is simply incredible.  The enthusiasm from the assembled crowd and the pick-up in pace by just about every runner out there is electrifying.  I flew through the end, crossing the finish with my arms held high and cheering as loudly as my tired lungs could handle.  I recently heard this moment described as empowering, and I couldn’t agree more.  I felt like I could take on absolutely anything.

Shane and I met up within minutes of my finish, both with the AWESOME news that we had done better than we’d hoped.  I managed my first 13.1-miler in 2:05:24, ten minutes faster than I expected to be (holy shit); Shane broke his half-marathon PR by nearly six minutes, completing in 1:43:12 (well under his goal).  Hell yeah!

We then made our way back to Shane’s work to shower up - a logistical decision made because we had reservations in the restaurant just above Canada Place at 11:30.  This particular place - Café Pacifica in the fancy Pan Pacific hotel - is known in Vancouver for its extravagant (and yes, expensive) brunch buffet, which we were eager to partake in.

After logging the longest distance I’ve ever run, that food tasted fucking delicious.  There were freshly-squeezed juices, assorted pastries, salads, fruits, sushi, dim sum, stir fry, salmon and sole, bacon and sausage, (every kind of) meat and potatoes, omelettes and eggs Benedict, and the most beautiful dessert spread you can imagine.  We lingered there for a couple of hours, taking our time through four (yes, four) separate buffet trips.  It was a wonderful way to end what was truly a spectacular morning.

And - as you might expect when everything goes so perfectly according to plan - it wasn’t long before we were discussing when we might want to train for another half to do it all over again.

January was a pretty slow month as far as events go, but we did participate in Dine Out Vancouver.  This is an annual, two-week event where local restaurants try to boost clientele by offering special three-course menus for $18, $28 or $38 (depending on how nice of a place you want to visit).  The menus consist of 2-3 choices for appetizers, entrees and dessert.  We sampled the selections at three $18 places; here’s a look at what we ate.

Chilli House Thai Bistro

Appetizers: Chicken Satay (chicken marinated in a mixture of Thai spices and coconut milk) and Beef Lettuce Wraps (lean ground beef with fresh basil)

Entrees: Horw Mok Maprao (boneless chicken with red curry sauce and coconut meat) and Matsaman Curry Ostrich (ostrich in matsaman curry topped with ground peanut)

Dessert: Deep-Fried Banana with Mango Ice Cream (like it says) and Black Glutinous Rice Pudding (black rice in a salty-and-sweet pudding mix)

The Calling Public House

Appetizers: Butternut Squash Soup (with sage and parmesan croutons) and Mixed Greens Apple Salad (with creamy cheddar dressing, candied pecans and crisp proscuitto)

Entrees: Seared Trout Filet (with snow crab risotto and vegetable salsa) and Wild Mushroom Ravioli (with pommery mustard sauce and pecorino)

Dessert: Blueberry Cheesecake with Warm Buttered Peaches

Darby’s Pub

Appetizers: Roasted Butternut Squash Fondue (dipping sauce of spinach, edam and 3-year-old cheddar served with garlic bread) and Spinach and Egg Timbale (with fresh-cut salsa and sour cream)

Entrees: Darby’s Mac ‘n Cheese (with chicken, broccoli and 3-year-old cheddar) and Fish Curry (catfish, carrot, potato and parsnip in garam masala sauce with jasmine rice, yogurt and naan)

Dessert: S’mores Torte (graham crust, chocolate ganache and homemade marshmallow topped with toasted almonds and coffee caramel)

Shane and I are HUGE fans of eating out, so we certainly enjoyed all of our Dine Outs.  I will say, however, that the Thai Bistro and Darby’s were far superior to The Calling.  (Because there is no way cold, canned peaches sprinkled with cinnamon counts as “warm buttered peaches”.  Bitches.)  Oh, and the s’mores torte?  Absolutely to-die-for good.

Shane and I technically have two anniversaries – July 22^nd (on which day we marked EIGHT YEARS since our first date together, wow) and today, October 8^th (the day we got officially hitched in 2006).  Being the restaurant whores that we are, we love using both milestones as an excuse to eat out.

Since our anniversary fell on a weekday this year, we opted to mark it early instead of waiting until tonight.  So on Sunday evening, we drove over to Queen Elizabeth Park for dinner at Seasons in the Park, a classy, casual restaurant with awesome views of the city.  The weather was overcast, chilly and a bit drizzly, but we decided to brave the outdoor patio anyway.  It was a great choice; we kept dry under the patio roof, had blankets and overhead heaters to keep us warm and were one of only two groups sitting outside (so the noise level was nice and quiet).

We took our time working through the meal, ordering salads first, then entrees, dessert and drinks.  The food was delicious (particularly the sunburnt lemon pie) and the service impeccable.  As night fell and the city began twinkling with its infamous lights, we remarked on how grateful we are, not just to live here, but to live here together.  Sharing the joy of this journey with each other is by far the best thing about our experience abroad.

(I am still playing catch-up on my blog posts.  So our recent adventure in Whistler will have to wait; instead, I’ll share with you what we did on the 13^th.)

A week ago Saturday, we attended the Moon Festival in east Vancouver.  The event began in the evening at Slocan Park, where we had a killer dinner.  Our main entrée was harvest soup, a homemade medley of hot, fresh vegetables including enormous chunks of potato and yam.  We followed that up with the most delicious crepe: a combination of apple compote, ricotta cheese and maple syrup, all wrapped in a warm, buckwheat shell – to die for!

The festivities at Slocan Park featured a fun musical performance by The Twisted String.  This is not a group per say, but a performance concept.  According to their website, “it is a series of fiddle squads, each consisting of 8-12 hot young fiddle players; the instrumentation is mostly fiddle but can include other instruments as well.”  The group played a bunch of upbeat Celtic tunes and to add to the fun, they were all wearing mismatched, neon-colored outfits.

Around 7:30 p.m. (when the moon was rising), the lantern procession began.  Everyone in the park – many carrying candlelit lanterns themselves – lined up and followed a giant, glowing paper lantern moon and a small brass ensemble along the ravine to Renfrew Park.  It was a riot!  We waved to the neighbours who came out to watch the mini-parade, and we were entertained by various people in stilts and costumes along the way.

Renfrew Park surrounds a small ravine that has a little creek running through it.  For the festival, the entire ravine was aglow with candles and paper lanterns of all shapes and sizes.  With a clear sky and full moon above, you can imagine how beautiful it was to walk along the trails by the water, looking at the elaborate hanging lanterns as well as the smaller ones floating in the creek.

Up above the ravine, we treated ourselves to some tea and moon cakes (we opted not to eat the duck yolk portion).  Although we left before the final performances of the evening, we definitely got our fill of not only good food but the relaxing atmosphere that comes from such an amazing set-up (and from bringing a community out together to reclaim the night).

I have gotten behind on (Photoshop) finishing my recent pictures, so today's post is not going to be about this past weekend, but the weekend before.  What was so special about Labour Day weekend?  Well, if you haven’t already heard, Carrie came to visit!  Her timing was perfect, as we already had plans to attend some festivities that weekend, and Shane had Monday off (plus enough ETO hours to take off Tuesday as well).

We started things out at the Chinatown Night Market on Friday evening.  This is an annual event that runs throughout the summer, with Chinatown vendors lining up along Keefer Street to sell miscellaneous wares and trinkets for dirt cheap.  Although we wandered from tent to tent for awhile, we only purchased the mysteriously-named Egg Balls (like a waffle, but with big pockets of air/dough instead of squares) and a couple of carabiners.  But if I ever need “4 bra for ten dollar,” I know where to go!

On Saturday, we bussed out to the Pacific National Exhibition, also known in BC as PNE or The Fair.  This was like a bite-sized version of the MN State Fair, with the same kinds of exhibits (farm animals, QVC-type merchandise) and food (mini donuts, foot-long hot dogs, etc.), but in a much smaller dose (e.g. one cow instead of one hundred).

Highlights of The Fair included:

• The sand castle competition, which impressively managed to weather the previous week of rain.

• Giant art sculptures made from canned and packaged food (all of which was subsequently donated to charity).

• Eating a delicious, warm scone filled with raspberry jam and cream (apparently a long-standing Fair tradition).
• Watching the Superdog show, featuring lots of energetic dogs running around various obstacle courses.  Or, in the case of one standout performer named Fabio, trying to DESTROY said obstacle courses (he was easily our favourite pup).

• Local beekeepers demonstrating a “bee beard” – attracting bees to form a ring (of thousands!) around a person’s neck.
• A duck race, where the finish line involved sliding down into a tiny plastic pool.  (There was also a pig race, but it was not nearly as entertaining, in my opinion.)

• Trying poutine (the Canadian staple of fries, cheese and gravy) for the first time.

The following day, we drove to Shane’s work (conveniently located next to the Waterfront Station) to take the SeaBus across Coal Harbour to Lonsdale Quay.  Here, the Party at the Pier was being held (promoting the port's role in the city).  Since Shane’s work was a sponsor for this event, he finagled us free tickets for a 45-minute harbour cruise to start the day.  We boarded the boat at noon and took a leisurely tour down along the North Shore and back again.  The weather was great, although the breeze off the ocean was chilly at times.

Highlights of the rest of our day included:

• Eating a fabulous halibut fish taco (oh, Tin Fish, how we miss thee).
• Scoring FREE CUPCAKES from the Maritime Museum tent.
• Finding more freebies (colourful bracelets and pins) at the BC150 tent.
• The tugboat “ballet,” which basically involved boats spinning around and making huge waves.
• Coming face-to-face with Salty Sam the Seagull (yes, in person!!! OMG!!!).
• Window-shopping at Lonsdale Quay, North Vancouver’s equivalent of the Granville Island Public Market.

Later that evening, we decided to take Carrie to a place called Shenanigans for dinner.  (Those of you familiar with our pub trivia days will recognize this as our team name at Kieran’s.)  We had never been to this particular establishment, but we figured it would have to be good, what with the classy Robson Street address and all.  Well, no, it is in fact a DIVE.  Our food was decent and the pitcher of beer we ordered quite tasty, but I don’t think we’ll be frequenting that pub (and its used-hotel-furniture decor) ever again.

Fortunately, the next morning we redeemed ourselves with brunch at the amazing Sophie’s Cosmic Café on West 4th.  I had read about this restaurant for years, as it is much acclaimed Vancouver.  We all ordered mouth-wateringly good breakfasts, including a side of hot, perfectly-spiced hash browns that I now refer to as GGHBE (Greatest Goddamn Hash Browns Ever).  Plus, the menu is easy on the wallet!  We will definitely return there soon.

After eating, we drove out to Pacific Spirit Regional Park to work off our meal.  Shane recently purchased a hiking book and had selected a 10k for us to do within the park.  The route was pleasant and scenic, if a bit long (six miles goes a lot slower when hiking rather than running).  Even after three-and-a-half hours of walking, though, we still weren’t all that hungry; I heart you, Sophie’s.

We wrapped up the long weekend on Tuesday, heading over to Granville Island for the morning and then hanging out at English Bay Beach in the afternoon.  Carrie flew out of YVR that night, and the overriding feeling we experienced in dropping her off?  Anticipation for our trip back to MN in a few short weeks!  (Because as much as we love being here, we don’t so much love that YOU all aren’t here, too.)

We had a hot, hippie weekend here in Vancouver (though, sadly, not involving any hot hippies).

On Saturday, we biked over to classy West 4^th Ave. in the Kitsilano neighbourhood for the Summer of Love event.  As with so many of the warm-weather festivals we’ve attended, this was another opportunity to explore a commercial street sans car traffic.  Now that one of us is receiving income again (in-what? come again?), we actually did a little shopping this time.  Shane bought some swim trunks for fun and a pair of steel-toed boats for work, while I purchased an awesome sweatshirt (for all that important Not Work I do during the week).

With a ‘60s theme out on the street and in the shops, the mood was cheeky and fun.  Classic cars lined the middle of the road and the live bands on either end covered Woodstock-era music.  We enjoyed a healthy lunch consisting of a mango/coconut/nutmeg smoothie and two salad tortilla wraps (one curry flavoured, the other Mexican style).  Groovy.

Then on Sunday, we got in The Couv and drove over to Trout Lake Park in eastern Vancouver (not to be confused with the Eastside, which is downtown).  The Latin Summer Fest was being held out there, and we went straight for the fabulous food lines for an empanada, sopapilla and some Jamaican jerk (read: HOT AS HELL) chicken.  We spent most of our time perusing the marketplace, as the products were almost all foreign fair-trade or hand-made.  Of course, the drum circle (and as I type this I can hear Cartman cursing) stole the show.  The circle was open to anyone, started at 2 p.m. and went on for a good four HOURS.  We opted not to hang around that long, but only because we forgot to bring our drums.

As for the weather, it was steamy both days.  We’ve gotten used to having breezy, sunny summer days in the low 70s 20s with not much humidity.  It’s the perfect temperature for the active, outdoor stuff we like to do.  So having sticky weather in the 80s high 20s?  We were sweating like bastards.  It’s hard to believe that’s what the norm was for us at this time last year.  (And on that note: enjoy the Fair, MN residents!  We will definitely miss stuffing our faces with you.)

We stopped in at the Sawan Mela festival last weekend.  It was held in the Punjabi Market area, an (East) Indian commercial district in southern Vancouver.  Considering that we’ve been able to bike, ferry or walk to many of our events, we viewed this as a Big Trip Out and took The Couv – even though the round trip was still under 20 miles.

There wasn’t much to do at the festival.  A few booths were set-up for food (roasted corn, curries, ice cream) and sponsors.  I did manage to score some free Timbits, aka donut holes from the Canadian donut giant, Tim Horton’s.  And Shane sampled some kulfi faluda, a pistachio, cardamom and rose-flavoured ice cream with soft noodles on top.  Yum.

Thankfully, the performances made our trek out there more than worthwhile.  Sawan Mela is billed as a celebration of South Asian culture.  So we got to hear traditional South Asian singers (one a duo of five-year-old twins) and watch of variety of South Asian dancers (including one who performed with fire).

My personal favourite was a dance group composed entirely of young boys (probably 8-12 years old).  Decked out in colourful green and blue robes/turbans, they jumped and twirled and kicked around stage with so much enthusiasm and energy, I couldn’t help but smile.  There’s something very rewarding about seeing children of any culture embrace their heritage so warmly.  (Especially on a breeze-less day as hot as that Saturday!)

We hit the streets again this past weekend, attending two outdoor festivals on opposite ends of town.

Saturday it was the Dragonboat Festival.  We made our way down to False Creek near Science World, where the dragonboat races were being held.  There were eight dragon-shaped boats in each heat (with competing teams ranging from recreational to hard-core).  The individual boats contained around 20 paddlers, a steersperson and a drummer (to keep the two paddling sides in sync).  The groups would line up and race 500 meters, working the oars as fast as possible the whole time.  We were impressed at just how quickly the boats were going – the average finishing time for the course was between two and two-and-a-half minutes.

We watched a handful of heats and walked around the festival grounds for awhile.  It’s amazing to me how many people were a part of this event.  The informational handout estimated that 180 teams and more than 4000 athletes were participating in the two-day competition.

On Sunday, we biked over to Greek Day on Broadway (one of the major commercial streets in the Kitsilano neighbourhood).  Similar to last weekend’s Car-Free Day, the road was closed to traffic.  So we traversed several blocks on Broadway on foot, discovering another loose-leaf tea store and enjoying the Greek entertainment (kickass techno music! and dancing!) along the way.  We ate a fabulous gyro and tried loukoumades, which are like mini donuts flavored with honey, cinnamon and sesame seeds.  Of course, we also had to devour this ethnic gem from a familiar store (but in a new location):

And in a moment that wins the Most Surreal Experience award so far in Vancouver, we randomly ran into VeryScaryCarnival and her husband near the end of the evening.  It was definitely strange (but nice) to have someone here acknowledge us and NOT apologize for thinking we were someone else.

The last couple of weeks have seen some exciting developments in the beverage department around here.  To start with, we finally received our first TeaSource order from MN!  I’ve been experimenting with new flavors from the local tea stores here (pleased to meet you, Ginger Peach Sencha), but unfortunately, the prices are too steep (haha) to sustain a crazy, loose-leaf tea whore like me.  Even with the extra cost of shipping, my hometown store is STILL cheaper; thus, the delivery of the special package from abroad to feed my addiction.

We’ve also discovered some fun, local drinks.  At Granville Island, we tried the fresh Ginger Mint Orange juice from Fraser Valley Juice and Salad.  Absolutely drool-worthy.  Who would have thought such a combo could taste so good?  We also ordered a Mint Hot Chocolate from the Blue Parrot Coffee café out there – made with real peppermint.  Like a mouthful of warm, liquid candy.  Mmm.

Finally, we stopped for a new kind of bubble tea while shopping at the Metrotown mall.  (Yes, we actually went to a mall!  In Canada!  And it was huge!)  For those who may not know, bubble tea is similar to a shake.  The beverage is generally made with a mixture of fresh fruit, milk, crushed ice and tea.  The signature part of bubble teas are the black, ball-shaped tapioca pearls (or flavored, candy-like jellies) that sit at the bottom of the cup and are sucked through a big straw to add texture to the drink.  (Still with me?)  The one we tried, however, was plum-flavored with gobs of PUDDING on the bottom.  Weird but yummy.

In conclusion, I would like to thank Canada for helping expand my liquid palate.  (And, yes, that includes you, Molson.)

We’re finally starting to settle into something of a routine around here.   Our new schedule involves more time reading/learning, job-hunting and “publicly loafing” (Shane’s term, aka “exploring outside”) and less time napping, blog-reading and watching daytime TLC.  (But have you guys seen that show with all the kids?  MY GOD.)

While financial worries are always lingering in the back of our my mind, I’m finally noticing just how much our quality of life has improved.  Here are a few of my favourite things about living here so far:

• Waking up to the soothing sounds of rain.
• Accessing running routes in the woods, along the oceanfront or through the city, all from our front door.
• Keeping just one light on during the day, rain or shine.
• Buying our fruits and veggies from the corner stand (and getting helpful produce-picking advice from the folks working there).
• Grocery-shopping as members at Choices (and purchasing weekly fresh bread from Uprising Breads bakery there).
• Finding out Nature’s Path is a B.C.-based company (and benefiting from their local sales).
• Walking to the bank, the library, the post office, the drug store and Cupcakes (at their new and bigger location!).
• 

  And pigeons on children
  Eating amazing sushi for less than $5.
• Driving the car only once or twice a week (and regularly parking a block or less from home).
• Having almost everything a bus, bike or boat ride away.
• Watching all the wildlife in our neighbourhood, especially the puppies, puppies and more puppies.
• Living so close to my brother.
• Spending this time off with my best friend.