Monday, June 6, 2011

Vancouver Weekend Getaway

Since Dayne wasn't able to attend "Mini Tales" with me in March and I still had a fantastic Living Social deal for the Pan Pacific we headed north Easter weekend just to do a little eating and drinking.

We checked in to the Club Lounge and they upgraded us to a Harbor View room which was very nice. The weather was looking awesome for the entire weekend and the views of the mountains, sea and city were gorgeous!

First stop for the weekend was L'Abattoir where we met friends for a few cocktails before having an outstanding dinner. I ate here on my last trip also and just loved it! A definite favorite in Gas Town. L'Abattoir does a couple of barrel aged cocktails which I was excited for Dayne to try but unfortunately none of them were ready when we were there. Next time!

Cocktails continued at Calabash Bistro where the drink menu boasts some seriously delicious rums from Puerto Rico, Trinidad, Cuba, etc.  I had the Cohiba Rakston which was the clear winner of the evening! Havana Club 7 year old, coco nib infused Appleton VX, Late bottled vintage port, agave syrup and bitters, stirred and strained into a chilled glass coated with Cuban cigar and vanilla pod tincture. Thanks to Shawn at Clive's for the tip on this spot!
Making our way back to the Pan Pacific we noticed PourHouse was still open and for the first time since our initial visit 3 years ago it wasn't packed. We stopped in for a very nice nightcap and enjoyed the near empty bar.

The next morning, as we were heading out of the elevator, we ran (almost literally) into Rod Stewart! I never recognize stars but there was no mistaking the aging crooner. Star sighting! :)

We spent our day poking around the Vancouver Flea Market, checking out Vancouver photographer Brian Howell's "Shopping Cart" exhibition at the Windsor Gallery, eating poutine at Fritz and drinking beers at Granville Island Brewery and then walking it all off with a stroll around the sea wall at Stanley Park. It was just perfect weather to be out and about (Canadian accent please).

We started our evening with dinner and drinks back in Gas Town at Boneta. Another cute little place doing both cocktails and food excellently. We really enjoyed it here but both of us thought we liked L'Abattoir a bit better overall.

A quick taxi afterward to China Town and we bellied up to the bar at The Keefer. Quirky, dark and a tad mysterious the drinks were delicious here as well. We both loved the apothecary ambiance, grim x-rays, test tube lights, house made tinctures and infusions. This may be my favorite bar in Vancouver right now.

No weekend in Vancouver would be complete without soup dumplings at Lin Chinese on Broadway (for me at least!). We met our friends there the next morning for a delicious brunch of green onion pancakes, Beijing meat pastries, soup dumplings & honey prawns.

Love Vancouver!

All photos here                 

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