Revolver @ Cambie Street, Vancouver

  

Given our hopeless addiction to coffee and coffee paraphernalia, we were on an exploration in Vancouver to find some good Java! (there's really only so much Starbucks I can handle...I never used to be like when I live in NYC...)

I was given a magazine in a tea shop one day and as I was reading, it had a great article about Revolver-a super evolved coffee bar that specializes in the art of drip coffee.  And given the naissance of individual coffee brewing that has finally reached our shores in the U.S., we couldn't ignore the opportunity to enjoy what Canada has to offer us!

To begin, We were in love with this shop!  Located on the corner of brick building in Gastown, this store had an awesome feel and ambience that exuded the rich aroma of ground coffee, with images of sipping a cup on a cloudy day starring outside through the large panes of glass watching people walk by, contemplating their next moves...

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Legends Salmon Bar @ First Street, La Conner

Open grill perfect for Salmon!

We were totally excited for our road trip from Seattle to Vancouver, and along the way, the guides said to take the coastal roads through the small towns.  (Check out out post for Tulip Town, it's pretty amazing)!!   One of the towns that we came across is La Conner - an artist enclave with restaurants and art galleries filled with bric-a-brac that made this stop pretty unique!  It was a very, very popular town, even though getting there wasn't entirely easy.

As is our ability to eat at any time of the day (a skill that we have acquired through years of training and discipline)  we wandered around Main Street to find the perfect place.  Now there's a lot of attractive restaurants in La Conner, and looking at the patrons, they all seemed to be quite satisfied with their meals.  but it was this one place, and outdoor shack, that drew our attention: Legends Salmon Bar.




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Matt's in the Market @ Pike Street, Seattle

Dining Room and Bar

We landed in Seattle at eight in the evening, and although it was a relatively short flight, we left in the late afternoon and were tired.  Luckily, the adrenaline for us to explore still in our bodies, we veered outside and meandered through the Downtown streets to see what evening activities laid out before us.  We immediately went down to Pike Place, and as touristy as it is, it was wonderful to walk around and venture the closed stalls.  It was here that a small restaurant called Matt's in the Market is located and after circling the block a couple of times. we found the hidden entrance to this second floor venue...

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In N' Out Burger, Various Locations

Going through all the gourmet burgers that we rifle thru on a regular basis, once in a while it's nice to go to a fast food joint to get a regular, good ole' fashioned burger without having to feel like you've sold your soul to the evil incarnate...

Coming from the East Coast, In N' Out was this idolized burger business model which marketed fresh ingredients in a super paired down list and even a secret menu which gave those in the know, 'an insider elite status' (it was even brought up during class at The Hotel School...although I wouldn't call it a menu, rather a variation on existing items )  But, In N' Out has that evolutionized mystique, a cross between nostalgia, fast-food fare with that healthy, Californian fresh-food zeitgeist that dupes all of us into believing that we're eating healthy and saving the dolphins with each purchase...

With that said, the burgers, the architecture along with its core values has become a staple in the West Coast culinary landscape and it's always on the list of places we go to grab something quick and delicious, (it's really bad that there's one across the gym...)

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Millenium Biltmore, Downtown Los Angeles

Hotel Lobby and Front Entrance

The Millennium Biltmore was originally named the Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel on Pershing Square in Downtown Los Angeles.

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Susan Feniger's Street @ Highland Ave, LA

Chaya Toast - a street food lover's paradise!!

Front Entrance

There are times you come across a restaurant concept that peaks your interest with a combined intensity of excitement & anticipation, along with a little curiosity & bewilderment 

(what a cool concept but how the hell does that work)?

This restaurant really peaked our interest, a restaurant concept centered around street food from the world; there's something about this that could truly be a success! One of the few obstacles though would be the authenticity of each regional street food and the ultimate ambience of the venue that would lend one to believe that they are in the environment from which the food comes from...

I have enjoyed Susan's restaurants before, albeit in a quirky hit or miss kinda of way, but I am fond of her personality and her success stems from an honesty that is the antithesis of the 'celebrity chef' out of control, circle jerk engine that permeates the industry like a scourge....

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Starbucks Bearista Photo 4

Pikes Place Bearista

Katsu Burger @ East Marginal Way, Seattle

So when we first knew that we were heading to Seattle and Vancouver, I immediately poured over every food website and blog to see what I could discover, on Eater they showed the, 'Eater Seattle Heat Map'12' (sizzle sizzle....crack) and on it was Katsu Burger.  Intrigued, I had to know further (I did I did) as it sounded like my two most favorite food items combined into one!! Could it be? Was this a sign from the Hindu Elephant God Ganesha, with his multiple arms reaching over to me beckoning  me to enter Gluttonous Nirvana?!?!?


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Bottega Louie @ Downtown, LA

Trenne Pasta with Braised Prime Rib Eye

Front Retail Section

We have been coming here for some time now, and I can remember when we first came across this place, it had this great downtown, classic feel to it that I have missed for so long.....  Be it NYC or Milan, it's got a distinct urban vibe that isn't trashy lounge with slutty orgy beds or tragic hipster pretentiousness with roaming Thomas Jane-like vagabonds lurking in dark corners...

Located on the ground floor of a majestic downtown high rise, it's high ceilings with white walls in neoclassical style gives an instant sense of relief, as if you've entered into a temple of couth...and sugar....

Pastry Section

Really, the front area houses an enormous Patisserie, lined with every conceivable dessert and pastry imaginable....and to the side is a bread section equally tempting and a sandwich/salad reach-in for your business, on-the-go types....which is a shame to have to leave such a pretty place.

It really is a metropolitan venue, with several spheres of activity housed under one roof, it's an ordered chaos that is always lively, (if not noise deafening) but alway fun to people watch!!!

To Main Dining Room, Cafe & Bar to the left

Open Kitchen

What I loved the first time I dropped in;  I was walking downtown in the late morning, and from the corner, I saw thru the large panes of glass smartly dressed men and women seated in European cafe chairs and tables sipping cappuccinos and reading the newspaper.... HEAVEN!!  Intrigued, I went inside and was in amazement to the open aired ambience, to the left was a wonderful Cafe with a full Bar reminiscent of European setting. I didn't even care about the Dining Room in the back, I was just happy to sit down and enjoy a Cappuccino and Croissant!




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Speed Flying from Mont Blanc

This video is absolutely beautiful!!

Happy Mother's Day!

Starbucks Bearista Photo 3

Starbucks Vancouver Bearista Bear

Melrose Night @ Melrose Ave, LA

Joyrich!!!

We were heading towards Sepulveda Blvd after our workout from Gold's Cole to take more pictures of the Japanese venues along that street and then move on to Santa Monica, when driving along Melrose we saw food trucks sprouting like dandelions on the side of the street and we had to pull over!!! Street Fest!!

Turns out, it was Melrose Nights, a food truck and retail shop event occurring during the first week of every month and we just happened to pass by on the night it was happening...fortuitous! Having only eaten at very few Foodtrucks in LA, this was a great opp to score a couple of bites and review them!! And given the weather was really nice, it was great to hang out on the streets, revisit a few of the Melrose dives that I used to love to go....

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Japadog @ Robson Street, Vancouver

Kurobuta Terimayo

So this being a first for the both of us to Vancouver, I went all over the internet trying to find some good grub that would be unique and diverse;  I came across an episode of, 'No Reservations' with Bourdain, and seeing that it didn't involve an entire show about him drinking until his ass fell off the chair, or some diatribe about the slow decay of society morals and woes, I trudged thru the hour with him traipsing all over Vancouver, stuffing his inebriated pie hole with late night snacks...(I actually like watching him, but for some reason I also like making fun of him more)!

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Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana @ Green Valley Ranch, Henderson

The fondest memories I have studying in Italy: drinking espresso at Bar Rosso in Campo Santa Margherita, and smoking cheap cigarettes with friends all day long, and eating a ton of food.... I literally stuffed my face with so much Italian (food) that I should have come back 300lbs heavier, which since walking was the main transportation method in Venice, I managed to lose weight (best fricking deal ever)!!! It was, to say, a most wonderful experience....

Since then, I've quit smoking (lozenges are the way to go), but still guzzle down the caffeine...And having Pizza in Italy was another out- of-this-world experience; having an individual-size, thinly crusted pizza, eating with a knife and fork with the freshest ingredients,  you couldn't ask for anything more satisfying than even the simplest of them all: the Margherita.  With just three ingredients-Basil, Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella, it is the purist and most difficult of flavorful pizzas to achieve.

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Piroshky Piroshky @ Pike Place, Seattle

Okay, so it's another Bourdain recommendation, (I mean, really....In N' Out is your go-to Burger Joint in LA?) but in this case, I love Bakeries, so I took a leap of faith and went to Piroshky Piroshky- a small Bakery on Pike Street by Pike Place Market that sells the famous Russian savory and sweet baked goods.

It was an absolutely beautiful day; the sun was out, it was moderate warm and everyone was in good spirits as they traversed the street like a slow moving herd of cows.....(moo I say, moo)......

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Roaming Dragon Foodtuck @ Downtown, Vancouver

So I was sitting outside at Blenz Coffee on Robson, trying to get my caffeine on, attempting to dry swallow an incredibly sweet and undesirable Cinnamon Bun; when out from nowhere, Roaming Dragon Foodtruck rolls up to the curb in front of me and starts to set up shop...If that isn't a sign for me to try it, I don't know what is!!!

But I had to wait a bit for the sugar high to settle....so I watched them set up and get their groove on...Meanwhile, I looked them up to see what they were about....

So their byline is: 'Bringing authentically unauthentic Pan-Asian deliciousness to Vancouver, offering unique interpretations of dishes and flavors familiar throughout Southeast Asia.  In terms of awards, Roaming Dragon Foodtruck has received  Vancouver 2011 Restaurant Awards Gold Best Food Cart.




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Capilano Suspension Bridge and Cliff Walk, North Vancouver, British Columbia

Capilano Suspension Bridge

The Capilano suspension bridge is located in North Vacouver, British Columbia.  Originally built in 1889 (don't worry its been updated since then!!), the bridge is 446 ft long and 230 ft above the water.   The park covers 26 majestic acres and includes a Treetop Adventure, 7 smaller suspension bridges in the evergreens, Cliffwalk, a cantilevered walkway attached to the granite cliffs high above the Capilano Canyon, and Totem Park, a collection of story poles placed there by local natives over the years.

View from the bridge

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Totem Poles @ Stanley Park, Vancouver

  

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Tulip Town @ La Conner, Washington

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Snoqualmie Falls, Snoqualmie Washington

Images of Gastown, Vancouver BC

Statue of, "Gassy' Jack, Gastown

Gastown Steam Clock

Gastown is an old historic neighborhood in Vancouver right by the waterfront and railroad tacks; named after seaman 'Gassy' Jack Deighton who opened up the first Saloon, it was Vancouver's original Downtown core, it's now a mixture of hip and funky fashion stores and contemporary interior boutiques alongside touristy stores, reminds me of the West Village in NYC with the old historic architecture mixed with eclectic, even somewhat gritty inhabitants and head shops...

It's such an interesting mix of new and old architecture, with cafes, architecture offices and antique stores all crammed into one neighborhood, it's a real time look at the evolution of a culture.  Definitely when you get a chance to visit Vancouver, it's a great place to hang out and spend the afternoon!!







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Capriotti's Sandwich Shop @ Eastern, Henderson (various locations)

The Capastrami

The Bobbie

Once in a while we have a hankering for a good Sub; there's nothing like biting into a fluffy, soft, chewy roll upon which your mouth hits payload with a good, thick, hearty deli meat mixed with the crunch of vegetables....it's a mush of satisfying flavors swirling around that's instantly gratifying....(of which we're devout followers...)

Capriotti's is a bit of that East Coast shop, reminiscent of your favorite local neighborhood deli.  A sense of nostalgia sweeps over you upon entering the doors; the black and white checker tiled floors, kids in white aprons running between chaos and order; from the front counter where you order to the back counter with the flat top griddle where all the magic happens, it's a quintessential universal memory.....an American Classic.

Capriotti's has been on several, 'Best Sub Sandwich' lists, with 'The Bobbie' being it's most popular, (it's even made it into Urban Dictionary)....It's definitely earned it's recognition and is worth trying out for yourselves!!!

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