Mashed Thoughts of dPotato http://dpotato.posterous.com My online journal of my amazingly boring life. Don't expect anything juicy. I write those in my real journal at home safe away from prying eyes. Except for maybe my sister. posterous.com Mon, 11 Jul 2011 11:00:00 -0700 3rd Annual Mascot Race at Hastings Racecourse http://dpotato.posterous.com/3rd-annual-mascot-race-at-hastings-racecourse http://dpotato.posterous.com/3rd-annual-mascot-race-at-hastings-racecourse

The 3rd annual Mascot Racing was held yesterday at Hastings Racecourse. This event benefits Variety the Childrens Charity. There were a lot of mascots participating this year and several races were held between the furry characters. Every two horse race, a mascot race was held. There were three qualifying rounds and one final race to determine the winner. I didn't stay for entire thing as I had to go prepare for the NKOTBSB concert in the evening but I definitely want to stay until the end next year because it is so fun to watch! The race had two hurdles to hump over this year and many of the mascots are just not built for racing - the poor things. Many of them were fell. Poor Philbert from Purdy's Chocolate fell again and he was doing so well too. 

This was also the first time I went to the racecourse to watch the races. Betting on the horses is so confusing! But we decided to try our luck and placed a two dollar bet on horse #5 and he won! We had beginners luck. Hahah. We won 80 cents from that bet. We were screaming so loudly when our horse was in the lead racing toward the finish line. I bet everyone could tell we were first-timers! I love watching the horses race. It's so exhilerating. Horses are such beautiful creatures and there is something that I love about their raw power and speed. I will definititely go again. Perhaps next week, since there is Weiner Dog racing next!

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/970191/avi.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4SOeK3XR0Lfj Jenny dpotato Jenny
Sun, 10 Jul 2011 01:09:02 -0700 Summer Live at Stanley Park http://dpotato.posterous.com/summer-live-at-stanley-park http://dpotato.posterous.com/summer-live-at-stanley-park

It was a beautiful sunny day today! Perfect weather for the Summer Live event at Stanley Park. I skytrained downtown and had intended to take the bus or the free shuttle down to Stanley Park but the lineups for both of them were horrendously long! So I started walking instead. It took a while since it's quite far and I also took the scenic route. Lots of people seemed to have the same idea as well. If you are going tomorrow, you might want to walk or ride a bike there instead. 

When I finally got to Brockton Point, music was playing on several stages and field was full of people enjoying the sun. Sponsor and activities boothes were set up around the perimeter. There was a big kids zone where all the family activities were being held. Public Dreams had giant Jenga and Twister games going on and there were people teaching guests how to juggle and spin plates. Several booths were dedicated to kite making and other craft activities. In one of them invasive plant species were being used to create art. Most people were weaving them into wreaths.

Later I saw Bollywood dance performance and a giant robotic snake, which I thought was so cool! The BC Lions mascot and other costumed characters were walking around taking pictures with kids. If you get thirsty, no sweat! There were water fountains set up around the site and Dairyland was also there giving away small cartons of chocolate milk and Armstrong Cheese was offering cheese samples to people. The chocolate milk was very popular since it was so hot out. It was great to just kick back in the shade and enjoy the cool milk.

The Mint had there own booth and was hosting a giveaway of a prize pack which includes a Sasquatch coin. You are suppose to find the answers to a quiz which are located on Sasquatch coin signs around the kid zone. But in reality, you only need to fill out the form since they don't check the answers to the quiz.

All the food vendors were located in another area and there the Vancouver Aquarium was giving away coupons and also tickets to the aquarium but only if you manage to spin onto the WIN slot on the wheel. Two players from the BC Lions were at the next booth signing autographs.

After I walked around the entire site, the bus lines heading out of the park was long too so I walked back downtown. I passed by the Rose Garden and snapped a few photos. So pretty and they smelled nice too.

Now I'm pooped! I did so much walking my feet hurt. I had fun though and enjoyed the awesome weather.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/970191/avi.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4SOeK3XR0Lfj Jenny dpotato Jenny
Sat, 02 Jul 2011 16:48:00 -0700 Canada Day 2011 http://dpotato.posterous.com/canada-day-2011 http://dpotato.posterous.com/canada-day-2011

It is hard to believe but this is the first time that I've been downtown Canada Place during Canada Day and the first time I've stayed to watch the fireworks! It was very crowded and there were a lot of people dressed up in red and white and had their faces painted with maple leafs. Bands were playing music on the main stage and there were a lot of food stalls around. We spent the day walking around looking at the various booths then headed to toward the city centre in preparation for the parade. Apparently it was also Cannibis Day at the Vancouver Art Gallery and the weed smoke was stinking up the area. People seemed to be selling weed right in the open with the police just a few feet away! The nerve!    The parade was enjoyable. It was about an hour long and had many of different groups participate: multicultural groups, theatre, dancers, singers, cheerleaders, bands. There was even a Star Wars group of Stormtroopers! Translink had a bus in the parade but it said "Not in Service"! I laughed. They should have displayed a "Happy Canada Day!" instead of that. After the parade it was very hard to find a washroom that did not have a humongous line because everyone then headed over to the waterfront to wait for the fireworks! Thankfully, we had tickets to the View for a Change viewing area courtesy of a Canada Place contest so we weren't packed like sardines like at the new Convention Centre.  

We found a place against the rail next to a woman who's daughter's boyfriend was in charge of the fireworks! She let us know that they have been preparing since Tuesday for the show and all sorts of other interesting tidbits about his company. The fireworks were spectacular as expected. The colours were beautiful and the height of the explosions were amazing! It was definitely worth going down for and I plant to go again next year! Happy 144th birthday Canada!

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/970191/avi.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4SOeK3XR0Lfj Jenny dpotato Jenny
Thu, 30 Jun 2011 18:08:00 -0700 Canada Day Events in Vancouver http://dpotato.posterous.com/59179142 http://dpotato.posterous.com/59179142

Canada turns 144 years old tomorrow so it's time to dress up in your patriotic red and white colours and celebrate! There is no shortage of celebratory events happening around the Lower Mainland - it's hard to choose which ones to attend!

Here's some of the events happening around Vancouver:

  1. Canada Day at Canada Place

    Canada_place
    It's the largest Canada Day celebration in Western Canada and includes all sorts of free concerts, kid-friendly activities, a parade and fireworks. There is even a mobile app for people with smart phones to plan their experience and keep up to date with the schedule of events. The celebration starts at 10am and goes on until 6pm. After the festivities are over, the 3rd Annual Canada Day Parade will begin at 7pm starting at Georgia & Broughton Street. The Burrard Inlet Fireworks Show will follow at 10:30pm.

  2. Canada Day at Granville Island
    Starting at 8am and going on 'til midnight, there will be lots of food, free jazz performances, kid-friendly activities, and a parade. The 12th Annual Canada Day Parade is begins at  1:30pm starting at Ocean Construction and ending at Ron Basford Park.

  3. Canada Day at the Olympic Village
    Celebrate Sustainability on Canada Day with WE CANADA in a multi-city event. There will be food, music, dance, documentary films and sustainability workshops and much more.

  4. Stevenston Salmon Festival
    Starts at 6:30am with pancake breakfast, 10am Canada Day parade, then the famous salmon barbecue starts at 11am. 1200 lbs of wild salmon are going to be grilled over over fire pits in Stenston village in Richmond

  5. North Vancouver Canada Day Celebrations at Waterfront Park
    Lots of performances and kid-friendly activities

  6. North Shore Canada Day Parade
    Pancake breakfast starting at 8am-9:30am and a parade at 10am.

  7. Free Pancake Breakfast at Park Royal
    10am-11am free pancakes, music and balloon artists for the kids.

  8. Lonsdale Quay Market
    Music, face painting, balloons for kids.

 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/970191/avi.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4SOeK3XR0Lfj Jenny dpotato Jenny
Tue, 14 Jun 2011 18:44:21 -0700 Green Lantern - Join the Corps Vancouver http://dpotato.posterous.com/green-lantern-join-the-corps-vancouver http://dpotato.posterous.com/green-lantern-join-the-corps-vancouver

A large Green Lantern symbol lit up the Sears Building on Granville and Robson after 9:30pm last night, calling to all with the desire to Join the Corps.

Right after the Canucks game I headed to the "secret" location to see what was up. It was only 8pm but there was a lot going on already. The Green Lantern street team were set up and parading up and down Granville street with their big Green Lantern posters taking photos with hopeful Canuck fans and handing out swag. A shaved ice machine was set up and there was a long line up to get the lime flavoured treat with a green glowing stir stick in it!

A huge crowd started to build as it got closer to 9pm. The street team did a great job of handling the crowd given how big it was. Rings, t-shirts, coasters, foldable water bottles, drawstring bags, temporary tattoos, glowsticks and Green Lantern toys were all given out. 17 lucky people also received a advanced screening pass to go see the movie tomorrow!

I usually don't see such events happening for movies held in Vancouver; they are usually reserved for bigger cities like Toronto, but Green Lantern is filmed in Vancouver and the star Ryan Reynolds was also born here! I hope last night's success will mean more events like these will be held in Vancouver!

Green Lantern is coming to theatres this Friday! I can't wait to watch it!

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/970191/avi.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4SOeK3XR0Lfj Jenny dpotato Jenny
Tue, 14 Jun 2011 14:02:00 -0700 EAT Vancouver 2011 http://dpotato.posterous.com/eat-vancouver-2011 http://dpotato.posterous.com/eat-vancouver-2011

Please update your bookmarks to http://www.mashedthoughts.com

 

 

On Sunday I went to EAT! Vancouver for the first time. EAT! Vancouver Food + Cooking Festival is an annual food convention where celebrity chefs, popular local restaurants, food and beverage manufacturers, wineries, retailers and many others from the culinary world gather for three days of food heaven! I went with an empty stomach and left at the end of the day stuffed full of delicious food and bag laden with samples. There were many displays and vendors giving away samples - Yoghurt, beef jerky, Clamato, McDonald's iced coffee, candied salmon, humus just to name a few.

Rob Feenie of Cactus Club Cafe was also there presenting on the main stage. I stayed to watch him for a little while but my hunger got the better of me and we purchased some tickets to trade in for food. There was so much to see and taste! EBO Restaurant and Milestones were there. I thought EBO's presentation of their food was the nicest! There was also a junior chef competition. USA won gold, Canada took silver and Chile placed third.

Just looking back at the pictures makes my mouth water! I can't wait go again next year!

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/970191/avi.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4SOeK3XR0Lfj Jenny dpotato Jenny
Sat, 11 Jun 2011 23:02:00 -0700 Dragon Boat Festival 2011 http://dpotato.posterous.com/dragon-boat-festival-2011 http://dpotato.posterous.com/dragon-boat-festival-2011

After the Green Lantern event at Metro I headed down to the annual Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival at False Creek. The weather was beautiful and water's edge was packed with people watching the races. The vendors are located at the Olympic Village this year due to construction on the other side of Science World. The races are exciting to watch but since I don't know anyone participating in them watching one was enough for me. Hahah. I was more interested in the cute dogs there as you can see by my photos.

The Dragon Boat Festival is still on tomorrow. Make sure you line up to get your picture taken on a boat; you can get a small Rio Tinto Alcan foldable water bottle afterwards. Sad to say that there is no cooking show or tin foil giveaways this year.

Phew what a long day! And tomorrow I'll be going to EAT Vancouver! There's always lots to do in Vancouver!

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/970191/avi.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4SOeK3XR0Lfj Jenny dpotato Jenny
Sat, 11 Jun 2011 21:41:00 -0700 Green Lantern Events in Vancouver http://dpotato.posterous.com/green-lantern-events-in-vancouver http://dpotato.posterous.com/green-lantern-events-in-vancouver

I popped in to take a look at the Join the Corps event at Metropolis Comics & Toys today. The store was hosting a Green Lantern party and had lots of contests going on. I didn't stay for the entire duration of the event but I met some enthusiastic Green Lantern fans and also met the people behind @WB_Vancouver on Twitter. Very cool! The Warner Brother reps will be Play On ( the Street Hockey event happening at Metrotown Kingsway parking lot) again tomorrow at 2:30pm. If you find them you can get some cool Green Lantern swag like rings, t-shirts and bags. 

Also on Monday, Vancouverites will have a chance to Join the Corps! There will be a "Green Lantern" symbol projected somewhere in the downtown core at 9pm. The specific location is unknown but each day, Warner Brothers is releasing a clue to lead you to that secret location! The first 17 people to find the location will receive advance screening passes to see the movie on Wednesday! Other prizes will be available as well. But if you are a Canucks fan and there is a Game 7 which one would you go to? Hmm Tough call. Remember that Monday night is also game day so there'll be a lot of people downtown! So make sure you are on your feet!

Here are the clues:

Pre clue #1: During the Olympics the streets near this building were closed for the celebrations of superheroes clad in red and white.

Pre clue #2: Everyday it overlooks the most artistic building in Vancouver.

CLUE #3:  One of its neighbors is a vault for priceless works of art.

CLUE #4:  If shopping is your superpower, you can utilize it at this building.

CLUE #5:  Masked with secrecy this building has no windows.

CLUE #6:  One of its neighbors has never lost to its archenemy: high clothing prices.

CLUE #7:  If villains needed money to fund their evil plans they would target its neighbour recognized by its green logo.

CLUE #8:  The son of Rob meets his Gran at this ville.


Green Lantern is in theatres next week, Friday, June 17th, 2011.

 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/970191/avi.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4SOeK3XR0Lfj Jenny dpotato Jenny
Sat, 07 May 2011 23:31:00 -0700 Coca-Cola's 125th Birthday Celebration http://dpotato.posterous.com/coca-colas-125th-birthday-celebration http://dpotato.posterous.com/coca-colas-125th-birthday-celebration

The Happiness Truck was driving all around the Vancouver downtown area today and stopping periodically to give a little happiness to those who pressed the button (And who doesn't want to push a button that is labeled 'Push'?). These Kids Wear Crowns were also playing live in Robson Square and Coca-Cola gave out free bottles of coke to those who attended. It was a simultaneous party with Montreal and Toronto. Despite the rain and hail, there was a pretty good turnout. Wish I could have stayed longer but I found out that I had won a contest for Canucks tickets that very night and I had to pick them up at Cactus Club! Open happiness!

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/970191/avi.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4SOeK3XR0Lfj Jenny dpotato Jenny
Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:44:00 -0700 UBC LipDub Live! http://dpotato.posterous.com/ubc-lipdub-live http://dpotato.posterous.com/ubc-lipdub-live

The official UBC LipDub is now live on Youtube! Watch and share! Pacific Blue Cross is donating a penny for every view to Make a Wish Foundation!

I had a lot of fun participating in this but my screen time is limited to 2 seconds. Hahaha. You can see me starting at frame 2:14.

Lipdub

There is also an official launch party tonight at Robson Square starting at 8pm which will include live bands from 30:Live Entertainment Group. Marianas Trench is rumoured to be at the party as well. Come out and join us! Winning! LOL

 

 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/970191/avi.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4SOeK3XR0Lfj Jenny dpotato Jenny
Sun, 03 Apr 2011 22:12:00 -0700 2011 Vancouver International Autoshow http://dpotato.posterous.com/2011-vancouver-international-autoshow http://dpotato.posterous.com/2011-vancouver-international-autoshow

After afternoon tea, I joined my family at the Vancouver International Autoshow. This year's show was held at the Vancouver Convention Centre since the usual BC place is still under construction. There was a LOT of people there. Good thing I already had tickets because the line up was super long!

Nothing at the show really caught my eye except maybe the Canucks Camero and Whitecaps car! And maybe also Subaru's sexy Sumo wrestler who was taking photos with people! Hehee! The Ford Fiesta was there again and some of them had awesome looking decals put on. I love the shininess of new cars. Too bad once in the real world, there isn't anybody that will give it a wipe down every half hour. Hahah it's a small world because we bumped into the same girl that works at these types of events AGAIN and we also saw our aunt and uncle who was also there!

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/970191/avi.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4SOeK3XR0Lfj Jenny dpotato Jenny
Tue, 29 Mar 2011 18:20:37 -0700 UBC Lipdub Filming http://dpotato.posterous.com/ubc-lipdub-filming http://dpotato.posterous.com/ubc-lipdub-filming

LipDuuuuub? Lip Dub Who Ha Ha! That was the chant echoing on the campus of UBC on Saturday where the first ever UBC lipdub was being filmed. I was one of the thousand of people who signed up to participate. The songs that we were dubbing to was a mashup of Raise Your Glass by P!nk and Celebrity Status by Marianas Trench.

Sign in started at noon and while we waited for more people to join, we had to learn a dance for the flash mob portion of the dub. The LipDub crew managed to secure a helicopter to film the mob from above! We were given blue ponchos and filmed at the back of the Anthropology Museum. Unfortunately the ponchos made everyone very hot (and not in a good way) because we kept having to run in and jump again and again for several takes!

After the flash mob portion was done, my group went to the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre to set up. The part we were responsible for was to throw all sorts of junk down from the upper floors of the library while singing of course. You don't know how hard that is! There was a lot of confusion on when we where suppose to chuck our balloons, tissue paper, beach balls and army men. I hope they don't use the last take because that one was the most disorganized.

There were horses, dogs, bouncy houses, a trampoline, cars, a Transit bus and Josh Ramsay from Marianas Trench involved in the lipdub shoot! I even got a photo of Josh as he passed through Irving Library. It wasn't a very good one since I was on the 3rd floor looking down. I didn't see everything because we weren't allowed to leave our zone and a lot of the day was just waiting around but that's the film industry for you I guess. So a lot of what the video will look like is a mystery to me.

After that was finished, we headed toward the UBC Swimming Centre for the last shoot of the day. It was a underwater shoot which had scuba divers, divers and other random people in the pool. I don't get what the sign they hung up is suppose to mean though. Does anybody recognize it?

Shooting wrapped up at 7pm. Finally after a LONG day, the LipDub crew treated us all to much needed pizza and drinks. I had a lot of fun and I can't wait to see the finished product. The official premiere will be on April 8th!

Check out the UBC LipDub website here.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/970191/avi.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4SOeK3XR0Lfj Jenny dpotato Jenny
Sun, 13 Feb 2011 23:27:00 -0800 Lunarfest http://dpotato.posterous.com/lunarfest http://dpotato.posterous.com/lunarfest

Lunarfest was one of the main attractions downtown during the Olympic games. Last year it was lantern trees, this year it is a lantern aquarium! It was a very long line up last week to get in and I saw it was a long line up last Saturday as well. The Vancouver Aquarium was also there with Beebop the Beluga whale and their own display of sea life such as DELICIOUS LOOKING prawns, crabs, seastars and different types of fish. I took a picture of the prawns so you too can see how delicious they look.

We finally got inside, after oh maybe a half hour wait. I was quite pleased with the display. The lanterns were very pretty hanging from nets and I liked the LED light curtain too. It was white the first time I went. The second time it changed colours! There were also 3D white paper cut outs of sea life on display after the main display. Those were pretty cool. I liked the flying fish the best. 

The Public Dreams Society also put on a parade both weekends. Basically they put on magnificent costumes and walked down Granville street to with drummers leading the way. I LOVE the fish head man! So pretty! The jellyfish man reminded me of some one in Alice in Wonderland. He talked in a funny whimsical Wonderland-type way. LOOL

 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/970191/avi.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4SOeK3XR0Lfj Jenny dpotato Jenny
Sun, 13 Feb 2011 22:30:00 -0800 Illuminate Yaletown http://dpotato.posterous.com/illuminate-yaletown http://dpotato.posterous.com/illuminate-yaletown

After the Olympic events I met up with some friends to go to see Illuminate Yaletown. (It was a very full day!) Thank goodness it stopped raining! Mother Nature did a little illuminating of the sky before the sun set too. It was very beautiful sky after a heavy rain. There were a lot of interesting displays on. This was the second day Illuminate was on and there were ice sculptures that were already melted. =( I really liked the Factory - it gave me a laugh!

I never realized that Vancouver had so much things to do before! I'm flying through my bus passes like crazy!

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/970191/avi.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4SOeK3XR0Lfj Jenny dpotato Jenny
Sun, 13 Feb 2011 22:18:00 -0800 Vancouver 2010 Olympic Anniversary http://dpotato.posterous.com/42757304 http://dpotato.posterous.com/42757304

Wow, a year passed by so fast! Yesterday was the one-year anniversary of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games! Because of this there was whole lot of celebration downtown! Unfortunately it was POURING RAIN! Typical Vancouver weather I guess! But that didn't stop a lot of people (including me) from making the trek downtown and taking part in the celebration! We unfortunately missed the opening celebration in Robson Square because the buses were full and skipped us. We went to investigate anyways and there were a lot of people lining up to get autographs from the Olympic athletes. We also ran into someone we always seem to bump into at these sorts of events! There was street hockey being played on Granville despite the rain. Many of the indoor events had a long lineups such as the Vancouver Art Gallery which offered free admission. Lunarfest had a relatively short line in the morning and early afternoon but the lineup exploded in the evening! Canadian figure skater, Patrick Chan was also there in front of McDonald's signing autographs. We had to wait in line so long in the freezing rain. My feet all wet but I got a photo with him and he autographed my McDonald waterbottle! Yaaaay!

If you missed out this weekend don't worry there will also be another mini celebration (for the closing ceremony), the TD Bank Winter Carnival, on Sunday, February 27th, 2011 from 12:00pm until 4:00pm at Robson Square.

 

 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/970191/avi.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4SOeK3XR0Lfj Jenny dpotato Jenny
Tue, 08 Feb 2011 23:12:00 -0800 Chinese New Year Parade http://dpotato.posterous.com/chinese-new-year-parade http://dpotato.posterous.com/chinese-new-year-parade

Yay! Welcome the Year of the Rabbit! Chinese New Year was on Feb 3rd this year but the annual parade was held last Sunday. This was the first time I attended (that I remember). I wasn't planning to go but I saw so many articles about it online that I couldn't resist. Plus I LOVE Lion dances as you can probably tell by all my pictures. The parade started at noon at the Millennium Gate on Pender Street and route is about 1.2 Km long. It wasn't just Chinese participating, there was Vietnemese (their new year also is on the same day), Natives, Irish and all sorts of others! It was very cool. The parade lasted about 2 hours but the poor Lion dancers had to keep on going because ALL the stores hung up lettuces for the Lions to eat and they have to do it for luck! So they didn't finish until about 4pm! My sister met up with me after the parade ended and we went to Tinseltown to "walk the flower street". It was very crowded and there were a lot of shows going on but it couldn't beat the parade! I had to wake up super early to go to church first so I was kinda exhausted by the end of the day. But it was absolutely worth it!

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/970191/avi.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4SOeK3XR0Lfj Jenny dpotato Jenny
Wed, 02 Feb 2011 09:00:00 -0800 Dine Out Vancouver 2011 - Ebo Restaurant http://dpotato.posterous.com/dine-out-vancouver-2011-ebo-restaurant http://dpotato.posterous.com/dine-out-vancouver-2011-ebo-restaurant

I went to Dine Out again yesterday night. This time we went to Ebo Restaurant which is in the Delta Hotel in Burnaby. I think hotel restaurants tend to have better menu and service and their Dine Out menu was only $28! The dinner was exceptionally good and our servers were very polite and knowledgeable. Each dish was explained to us when it was brought out (except for the dessert because it was a different person) and that made it much more interesting!

Dinner started off with a bread basket. I love bread and it always pleases me to have a complementary bread basket. Our party tried all the dishes except the Beetroot and Goat Cheese and Cream Spätzle with Butternut Squash. My favourite dish was the Roasted Baja Scallops. They were large and tasted amazing! The presentation of the dishes were very nice too. Each plate was like a work of art. I had the tuna for the main course and it was awesome and filling! It didn't look like much but trust me, everyone was very full by the end. I finished off with the Warm Apple Crumble. It contained a biscuit and cute little (and tasty) peach jelly cubes. We all agreed that we wanted more cubes in our desserts.

I highly recommend Ebo. I enjoyed the dinner very much!

Here is their full Dine Out menu:

Wild Mushroom Soup (V)
Purée of Wild Mushrooms, Feta Cheese, Seasonal Mushroom Sauté,
Truffle Oil


Beetroot and Goat Cheese (V)
Marinated Baby Beets, Molten Marcella Goat Cheese, Organic Lettuce,
Textures of Apples, Pine Nut Granola


Roasted Baja Scallops
Vanilla Scented Cauliflower Puree, Serrano Ham, Capers & Sultana Raisins


˜˜˜˜


Tuna
Rare Rice-Crusted Albacore Tuna Steak, Avocado Purée,
Asparagus with Serrano Ham, Chili Gastrique


Braised Beef Rib “galbijim”,
Crushed Potatoes, Braised Carrots


Cream Spätzle with Butternut Squash (V)
Slow Roasted Hazelnut Crumble, Caramelized Brussel Sprouts,
Chevre Noir


˜˜˜˜


Warm Apple Crumble
Granny Smith Apples, Raisins Coconut Streusel and Vanilla Ice Cream


Baked Marble Cheesecake
Berry Compote

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/970191/avi.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4SOeK3XR0Lfj Jenny dpotato Jenny
Fri, 28 Jan 2011 00:07:00 -0800 Dine Out Vancouver 2011 - Gramercy Grill http://dpotato.posterous.com/dine-out-vancouver-2011-gramercy-grill http://dpotato.posterous.com/dine-out-vancouver-2011-gramercy-grill

Dine Out Vancouver is here again! This is an annual event that happens for two weeks of the year where participating restaurants in Vancouver offer customers a special 3-course menu at set prices ($18, $28, or $38). If you wanted to try a restaurant, now would the time to do so.

I also have a new camera so I apologize for the blurry photos while I'm still learning how to use it.

This year I went to Gramercy Grill with a bunch of friends. Their Dine Out menu was $28 and they had a fair selection dishes and also add-ons if wanted. I thought the food was faily good. I really enjoyed the Seared Ahi Tuna as the appitizer. My friends said they enjoyed the other appitizers as well. We were a table of five and we each ordered different things to try. The Cream of Cauliflower soup looked very good and so did the Triple A Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio which was the other one I wanted to try out. The main course was Braised Australian Lamb Shank. It was very succulent and the meat just slid right off the bone. I tried a little of my friend's Wild Mushroom & Asparagus Risotto and it was delicious! For dessert I tried the Crème Brule. It was cold and the sugar was melted and only crispy in the middle but it did taste very good cold.

The food at Gramercy Grill was good but the portions may be a little small for some people. Customer service was another matter. We had to wait a LONG LONG time between courses. I don't know if it was just us because another table came about when we were just finished the main course and waiting for dessert and they finished around the SAME TIME as us! We had to wait about 15 minutes just to get cold desserts! Yes ALL of the desserts were cold or room temperature! It shouldn't have to had taken that long to bring out. Then after when were paying the bill, we told them what to charge on the individual credit card and they them took away only to return 10 minutes later to ask us the amounts again! Was it because we didn't order any extras or wine or coffee? It shouldn't matter. All patrons should be treated equally!

I don't know if I will be returning. Good food, if not paired with good customer service leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

Here was their Dine Out menu if you want to ever try them out:

Appetizer Choices:

Cream of Cauliflower Soup

Hearts of Romaine Salad
pancetta lardons, crispy capers, grana padano cheese, roasted shallot & garlic vinaigrette

Triple A Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio
truffle aioli, crispy capers & grana padano

Seared Ahi Tuna
sesame seeds, seaweed flakes & pea shoots orange ginger vinaigrette

Entrée Choices:

Oven Roasted Sablefish Filet
miso, ginger & tamari cream roasted baby carrots & asparagus, vegetable spring roll

Wild Mushroom & Asparagus Risotto
grana padano & mascarpone cheese

Cherry Creek Free Range Chicken Breast green onion mashed potatoes,roasted baby carrots & asparagus, truffle tapenade

Braised Australian Lamb Shank
merlot jus, butternut squash puree, roasted baby carrots & asparagus, pickled celery & carrot

Butternut Squash Agnolotti
sautéed spinach & tomato sauce, topped with grana padano cheese

Angus Triple A Beef Tenderloin
additional $5
garlic mashed potatoes, roasted baby carrots & asparagus, shiitake mushroom merlot jus

Baby Back Ribs & Blue Cheese Macaroni additional $5
house made whiskey barbeque sauce

Dessert Choices:

Lemon Tart
local berry coulis & whipped cream

Pecan Pie
cardamom caramel sauce & whipped cream

Warm Flourless Chocolate Torte
caramel sauce & whipped cream

Duo of Cheeses additional $4

Crème Brule

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/970191/avi.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4SOeK3XR0Lfj Jenny dpotato Jenny
Tue, 25 Jan 2011 19:28:00 -0800 The Great British Columbia ShakeOut http://dpotato.posterous.com/the-great-british-columbia-shakeout http://dpotato.posterous.com/the-great-british-columbia-shakeout

Shakeout
At tomorrow 10:00 a.m. the largest earthquake drill in Canadian history will be taking place in British Columbia! My work place probably didn't register for this but apparently there are 420,000 people going to be participating.

There is always the threat of the "Big One" looming in BC, ever since more than ten years ago I think. And I had heard we were overdue for one and it was rather anti-climatic when none really did occur. The last earthquake we experienced was the aftershock from Seattle and that was back in high school. It was rather funny at the time because I felt it shaking before everyone else and I was looking around the classroom to see if anyone else felt it but the everyone was acting normally and the teacher kept teaching. I was tempted to raise my hand and ask if it was an earthquake but more tremors started up and my teacher screamed "OMG IT'S AN EARTHQUAKE!!!!"

So now everyone can practice drop, cover and hold on after all these years of going soft with no earthquakes. It never hurts to be prepared. Which reminds me that I still need to put together an earthquake kit.

You can find out more about the ShakeOut here at http://www.shakeoutbc.ca/.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/970191/avi.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4SOeK3XR0Lfj Jenny dpotato Jenny
Tue, 18 Jan 2011 09:00:00 -0800 With Glowing Hearts: A Vancouver 2010 Social Media Story - First Screening Available Free http://dpotato.posterous.com/the-first-screening-of-a-documentary-of-olymp http://dpotato.posterous.com/the-first-screening-of-a-documentary-of-olymp

The one-year anniversary of the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic games is fast approaching and there are events going to be hosted everywhere in February. One of these events is a film called With Glowing Hearts: A Vancouver 2010 Social Media Story. This documentary will talk about how social media had a huge and positive impact during and after the games for the people living in Vancouver by letting everyone tell their own story. For a limited time, tickets to the screening are free! Request tickets here: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1203033305/?ref=estw

Watch the trailer here:

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/970191/avi.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4SOeK3XR0Lfj Jenny dpotato Jenny