don't be a jerk... chicken!

Went all the way to Maple Ridge (okay, it was only about an hour and 20 minutes by bus) to see my friend's jewellery booth at the Caribbean Festival. I didn't know Maple Ridge had a Caribbean community, but hey, I wasn't going to say no to Caribbean food! Jerk chicken and goat curry, anyone? The smell of it was absolutely intoxicating, but the line-ups were super long and I was starving, so it was popcorn and mini doughnuts for lunch! Met a lot of cute puppy dogs, and managed to take some pictures, too. Oh, and there were a lot of people judging as well. Me and my friend could turn it into an Olympic sport, given the chance.

If you want to check out more jewellery from Beads Deep, like their Facebook page here ---> ♥

Beads Deep's selection of earrings.

The creative minds behind Beads Deep: Tanya and Andrea.

The Beads Deep booth was right next to a dog food vendor who was giving out samples. So many cute dogs stopped by to say hello and have a sip from the water bowl.

Another jewellery vendor selling funky necklaces.

A band setting the mood for the Caribbean fest. A lot of reggae was played.

I think her name is Sandy? Can't remember now, but as you can see, she had her toe nails painted red! So cute!

Lots of bright bags, jewellery and nicknacks.

Not quite sure what this was for... to honor fallen soldiers, maybe?

Cute kid sweater jackets and cardigans that you won't find at the GAP.

this is my vancouver ♥

The Boston Bruins won Game 7 and the Stanley Cup and unfortunately, a riot ensued almost immediately afterward. The violence was mostly confined to the Georgia Street and Hamilton area, close to Library Square and the Canada Post office. While most fans went home dejected and sad, a few assholes decided to do some property damage downtown. But, the amazing thing that happened the next morning was the thousands of volunteers showed up, armed with garbage bags, mops and brooms to help clean up the garbage and broken glass on the streets.

So, I want to dedicate this post to the extraordinary heroes that came and took time out of their day to help clean up the mess, and to the Vancouver Police Department, firefighters and ambulance workers for keeping the general public safe. On behalf of myself and many true Canucks fans:

 {  THANK YOU }

Check out this link to see the "thank you" post-it notes left on the Vancouver Police cars that were parked along Granville.

bonjour mon ami!

Me and my friends have been on a bit of a French cuisine kick, and our latest conquest was this little nonchalant bistro on 4th Avenue in Kitsilano that can be easily overlooked with its white storefront and pale green signage. We wandered in after work, without reservations, but managed to get a table in about 10 minutes, as it was still fairly early for dinner. After much debate over the menu (since we wanted to sample everything!), we finally settled on some starters and entrees. In hindsight, if we had known the portion sizes would be so generous, we would have ordered only two entrees or maybe even one because we all had leftovers to bring home.

French bread with butter and olive tapenade to start.

Escargot in garlic butter, served with fresh greens on the side drizzled with sweet balsamic vinegar. As far as I'm concerned, you can never go wrong with escargot.

I had the endive and poached pear salad with spiced walnuts, Stilton cheese and balsamic dressing. The Stilton cheese was not overpowering and the it was a delicious warm salad.

Shared a warm caramelized onion and Maplewood smoked bacon gruyere tart with my dining friend.

My friend ordered the Filet of Sole served with almond butte. Very generous portions and the sole was tender and delicious buttery goodness. 

Duck confit macaroni & cheese was the next entree to arrive at the table and it was absolutely decadent. I could eat several servings of the macaroni and cheese, but I did find the duck to be a tad chewy.

On my place: mac and cheese, ratatouille and a serving of rabbit in white wine and mustard sauce.

We thought a side dish of ratatouille would be just that, a side dish and not a platter! But it was very delicious.

We will have to come back and try the other dishes, especially the beouf bourguignon, Fisherman's stew and the lamb shank with rosemary, apricot, tomato in red wine sauce. I wander if Julia Child would approve...

summertime

This is what summer is all about: hanging out in the backyard with friends and grilling up some food while enjoying the sunset.

The view from my friend's backyard. Gorgeous.

Uma, my friend's dog, handing around the table, hoping for a few scraps of bbq goodness.

Chips and salsa, jello shots, wine and coffee to keep the day going.

Nothing like food from a BBQ.

Homemade gingerbread spongecake topped with summer fruit and custard for dessert.

back to business

Several external factors out of my control have prevented me from getting back into my usual blogging routine, so for a while, the posts will be sporadic until I can find a better solution. Here's a quick update of what's happened since Vegas:

• Went to Montreal for 4 days and became slightly addicted to poutine, escargots and crepes.
• Had my first smoked meat sandwich in Montreal. It was a lot of meat. 
• Canucks made it to the Stanley Cup finals! They're playing against the Boston Bruins.

And now, I'll leave you with this little gem: