Getting Lost...: in Vancouver

February 2010- Crisp Air. Fresh Seafood. Snow-Capped Mountains. Foggy Mornings. And the Olympics.

Vancouver was a truly breathtaking city with so much to offer. It's small, but not too small, walkable & easy to find your way around. Good food, friendly locals, the word delightful comes to mind. We recently had the pleasure of visiting during the 2010 Winter Olympics with our great friend Ed.

The Olympics were MAGICAL, hundreds of thousands of people donned their country's colors & got crazy! Everyone we met was friendly, jovial & well to be honest, drunk. Cow bells rang, people chanted, danced in the street, think Mardi Grad (minus the smell of vomit & urine).

As you know Brad & I LOVE to eat, especially in new cities and lucky for us, Vancouver has some amazing places to grub, these are some of our FAVS...
Go Fish
If you're craving, "straight-off-the-boat seafood," this is your spot. A cute and quaint shack on the water's edges just east of the Granville Island entrance you will find Go Fish. I read about it & once we arrived, we had weary and protective locals asking "how did you know to come here or who told you about this place?" Of course, once the questions started we knew we had found a hidden gem. If your navigation skills prove worthy & you find it, definitely go for the FISH & CHIPS, the fish is super crunchy (breaded in panko), first dip it in the tartar sauce then add a little sirachi & it'll knock your socks off. We happened to go on a cold overcast day in which there was no line, but beware because when the sun is out, we heard the line for Go Fish, goes on & on & on...

The Seafood Shack

Lee's Donuts
Brad & I RARELY if ever eat donuts, and yet as soon as the cab driver told us to go, it's all we could think about... and so began our donut mission. Hidden (ok not really hidden, we just kept passing it without realizing) in the Public Market on Granville Island you will find the original Lee's Donut counter. Just follow your nose to the sweet smell of sugary dough & delight. They're truly light, fluffy, melt in your mouth delicious! We recommend the original glazed flavor (sigh) what I would do for one warm tasty donut right now...

Donuts with a smile

Tojo'sHave you ever wondered who invented the California Roll or the BC roll? Well I haven't, but that's neither here or there, because there's no need to wonder anymore, it's Chef Hidekazu Tojo. He's basically the Mr. Miagi of sushi & not only did we have the pleasure of eating his unbelievable sushi creations, but we also got to meet him and watch his crazy fun loving antics around the restaurant. While our eyes ended up being bigger than our tummys, we highly recommend starting with the Tuna Tataki, followed by the specialty salmon roll (by far the best I've ever had). A classic, but also a favorite was the spicy tuna roll, which had the perfect balance of spicyness & fish, you could actually taste the tuna for once! Is it expensive? Yes. Is it worth every penny? Yes.

Isn't he just how you imagined?

Jap-a-dogA trip to Vancouver isn't complete without a jap-a-dog. After many weeks of seeing it featured on the TODAY show, Anthony Bourdain, and Samantha Brown (she still has my dream job), we knew we had to track the Jap-a-dog cart down. After getting an insider tip, we located the cart on Burrard & Smithe & waited (impatiently) in line. We each tried a beginner dog; "the Terimayo" which has teriaki sauce, Japanese mayo, and seaweed, plus I added some sweet chili sauce for fun. It was ummm great... well truth be told I can't say it was amazing because I think the seaweed had an aroma that threw us all off a bit, but it was a definitely an experience! Plus, who wouldn't want to try a Japanese hot dog from the same cart the artist Ice-T has a picture on?
p.s. rumor is they're opening an official shop on 530 Robson St.

NubaAnother yummy spot for food in Gas Town. Serving authentic Lebanese cuisine we dined on hummus, tabboleh, olives, meat kabobs, fresh pita & more. Really tasty, cool ambiance (down in a basement), crowded, fun & easy on the wallet.

Chill Winstons
Once you're in Gas Town, be sure to pop over for an after-dinner drink. This bar lives up to its name in that it's a chill...cool bar, nice people, great decor....however beware, bars are really strict about filling up to capacity & if you peek in a place & see spots open at the bar, but all the stools are taken, chances are, you're not getting in & they'll be "at capacity." Weird!

Of course, you can never go wrong at the Four Seasons & the restaurant bar Yew, serves great grub & drinks, we found ourselves there for happy hour each night before we went out, plus the bartenders are really cool & give great suggestions. Other places we heard about but didn't make, Pour House, Irish Heathers, Lift, and Goldfish Pacific Kitchen. Just too much to do, too little time!

A few more pictures to share for fun!

Me trying to wave to everyone on the TODAY show (top right!)