Enjoy last of summer from the Boathouse Bar

Psst! Have you heard the great 'appy hour specials at the Boathouse locations? Drop in the bar for a drink and have with it some great appies like sliders in salmon, beef, and halibut, or the beef satays, or the quesadilla. Appies start at a wallet-friendly 2.79. And the ringer? Oysters are a buck a shuck! It's perfect for the summer, to enjoy the last warm days with drink and snack in hand, and of course, good company.

The Boathouse has 6 locations: Vancouver (English Bay), West Van (Horseshoe Bay), Richmond, New West, Port Moody and White Rock.

Check out Altar Boyz, and Songs For a New World

There's no shortage of talent and opportunity to see said talent in Vancouver. Song and dance is something that we have here in good supply. So here are two that I've been to see recently and I'm telling you: go watch 'em!

Altar Boyz is playing at the Arts Club in Granville Island, and is an off-broadway show that's been playing in lots of places since 2004. It takes pot shots at boy bands and Christian music. Since altar boys are traditionally found in Catholic churches, of which I am a member of, I found lots to chuckle at about these boys. The ensemble cast has lots of energy and the show is like watching a pop music concert, but it's all about G.O.D. Lots of fun and worth seeing.

"Songs For a New World" is at Pacific Theatre, a small venue that you've likely driven past many times but didn't know was there, in the basement of that church on Hemlock and 12th. Last year, I saw "The World Goes 'Round" by the Not Another Musical Co-op (and I'm not alone in enjoying it: they earned a Jessie nomination for the ensemble!). This time, Songs for a New World is a song cycle, but you won't find these songs in other off-broadway plays. They were written and arranged to fit a common theme. Nonetheless, the songs are catchy, polished Broadway quality. Songs that stay with you long after you've left the theatre.

The talent is fantastic! I'm still a fan of Alison MacDonald: she does a wickedly great Mrs. Claus. And Jennifer Neumann has wonderful vocal range and is such a treat to listen to. The men are new to the Co-op's show this year: Daren Herbert has style and rich voice that I loved in The Steam Train, where he also demo'd his b-balling skills. Jonathan Winsby comes off from a run of Les Miz at Arts Club; he is "stage presence" personified for me.

So check out Songs For a New World and Altar Boyz before the 29th rolls around and you'll regret missing out!

West End Farmers Market: yummy food!

My dad loves cherries and had to make the visit to the West End farmers market when he got the email blast from his fav cherry provider, Jobsthof Orchards (their market schedule).

While there I snapped a pic of me eating lovely swiss cheese, ham, mushrooms and egg crepe, from "Et Voila!". Extra cheesy and what a good breakfast! And the batter was made with buckwheat. Don't usually find that around town. So tasty!

Lots of vegs and fruits, it would have been a treat to pick up beets and zuccini for a dinner. Potatoes too! And some local fresh sausage or fish would have been just the ticket!

I loved best that the market stalls were set in front of a beautiful row of character homes in Mole Hill. I could have sworn that I was transported to a village in France!

West End Farmers Market, at Nelson Park, 1100 Comox St., at Thurlow
and I'll have to visit Et Voila at their location in Harbour Centre downtown!

Vancouver Folk Music Festival

This weekend is Vancouver Folk Festival weekend! Three days of folksy music, outdoors, on the beach. And weather should be nice! Does life get better than this? Enjoy nature and music. I want to check out Saturday night: Steven Page (formerly of BNL) and The Proclaimers ("I will walk 500 miles...") are two of the five main stage acts. There's tons to see as the party starts at 10am and there are 7 smaller stages to check out. All of it for the price of one ticket!

The Folk Fest is one of the first I've heard of in Vancouver that organize a plate service, to reduce waste. Yay for the environment!

And one last thing: for the first time they've got a beer garden. Party responsibly! ^_^

Vancouver Folk Music Festival
at Jericho Beach, July 17-19

My first Japadog

After all I've heard and seen about Japadog stands, I finally got to try one today. And when we get there, J. and I face several boards full of different sausage and topping combinations. Which one do I pick? The one with the quote from Vancouver Magazine: "101 things you have to taste before you die".

It was a fantastic Japanese pork sausage (kurobuta) topped with terimayo: teriyaki sauce, Japanese mayo, seaweed slivers, and something else. Kurobuta has a "bite" similar to a european wiener casing. The kind that crunches when you bite. And it's an incredibly juicy dog. I love the scent of seaweed before I bite, and the mix of salty sweet and fatty in each bite of the dog.

They've also got "turky" and bratwurst dogs. And what I'm looking forward to my next visit when I'll get the dog topped with okra! Yum!

Japadog, on Twitter as @JapaDog
Two locations on Burrard St.: at Smithe and at Pender
And new location at Coal Harbour Community Centre

New Main St. Station Farmer's Market

Finally! A farmers' market for the mid-week groceries run! Starting this past week, on every Wednesday until the fall, there is a string of farmers' market booths along the park opposite the bus depot on Terminal St. Oh joy! Now I can stop by on my way home (it runs from 3pm to 7pm) and pick up breads, cheeses, vegs, fresh herbs and even meats!

List of Farmers' Markets around Vancouver from Eatlocal.org
New Station Street Market, eatlocal.org

Jazz Festival kicks off: check out CBC Studio One free jazz

Free is such a common word -- free shipping, free gift with purchase, free hot dog -- but I sit up and take notice when it's for something of quality. And CBC Studio One series has got quality in spades. From now until and including July 1st, there will be a different jazz musician every night. Shows are a comfortable 45 mins and there are two to choose from: 5pm or 6pm.

I went to Mimosa last night and they were fantastic! Spicy latin rhythms, fun ska, and at times, bright silly lyrics (I love the song about the bumblebee!). Lead vocalist Rebecca has a wonderful voice. Mimosa also performs in english, french, and spanish! How Canadian! And when they sing a song made for Halloween, you can't help but feel like moving your feet.

There's still time to check out the rest of the series. Line up outside the CBC building (775 Cambie, between Robson and Georgia) starting at 4:00pm.

CBC Studio One Jazz Series, part of Vancouver International Jazz Festival

Mimosa

A Vancouver icon: Hamburger Mary's

I don't have pictures of Hamburger Mary's but maybe that's for the better: you have got to experience this place with your own eyes. They have great '50s diner decor, lots of neon and lots of memorabilia hanging on the walls.

Yes, here you can experience the hamburger in any incarnation. They have four or five different patties you can choose from, including organic beef, bison and wild game combination. Food here will hit the comfort spot and stick to the ribs. I had the truly big Winnipeg perogies, only because I wanted to know if I could eat the full pound that it claimed to be (I couldn't finish!).

Hamburger Mary's Diner, 1202 Davie Street, Vancouver, BC (604)687-1293

A really big burger: Costco

As with all things from Costco, this burger is also club-sized. It's a full half pound (weight before cooking) of meat. They put a nice slice of chedder, some lettuce and tomato. Fries and a drink round out the meal. For just under 6, it is very good bang for the buck.

Available at Costco on Expo Boulevard (map)

Noodles and Dumplings: Wang's Shanghai Cuisine

The food court at Crystal Mall is just so well hidden. In fact the quality and variety of food is so great, I'm not surprised that almost every table is filled at lunch hour, even on the weekend. I hit Wang's and must order a basket of Xiaolongbao. For under two toonies, you get five lovely little pockets of meaty and soupy goodness. And perfect for the summer are Wang's cold noodles: a delicious peanut and sesame sauce over a huge bed of cucumber, soy beans, cooked ham and rice noodles. Keep looking if you can't find Wang's: it's on the far, dead-end side of the food court, the last stall on the east wall.

Wang's Shanghai Cuisine, Suite 2110, Crystal Mall, 4500 Kingsway, 604-909-6688

Opera in the City

Want to enjoy high art, but in a small dollar setting? Here's some tips for those who, like me, are watching where the spending money goes.

Opera students will invariable stage a huge production as a final project or end of the year goal. UBC School of Music has a wonderful opera program. This past Spring, I was pleasantly surprise by the calibre and talent that appeared on stage in a production of Verdi's Falstaff, based on characters from some of Shakespeare's plays. Tickets then were only around $25, when the professional shows will start at $50 to 90 a ticket. Feel good about supporting students as they embark on their careers. Bonus: save your program and you can proudly say in 5 to 10 years time, "I remember seeing so-and-so before becoming famous!"

UBC Opera

Going up on the talent scale to amateur, I absolutely recommend checking out Opera Pro Cantanti (Opera for the Singers). Their mandate is to be together sing and perform opera, it's that simple. So J. and I went to their year end gala, a marathon 4 hours of opera! There were ample breaks, and even so, at $20 per person it's certain great value for your dollar. There are some performers who make the evening a real treat. Pro Cantanti is fantastic for anyone who wants to try or experience opera for the first time, but the thought of going to a black-tie grand theatre gives you hives. Pro Cantanti performs in the Welsh Hall off Main St. and holds at most 100 seats. Check out their extensive schedule for Summer all the way to Spring 2010: lots of variety, big name composers; Italian and English-language productions. I recommend keeping an eye out for when Lucia di Lammermoor comes up in their repertory cycle (a different opera every couple of weeks). Highlight: they want to bring operas to everyone, so money should not be an obstacle: they have a pay-what-you-can policy.

Opera Pro Cantanti

Twitter from your Rogers phone

Sometimes when I go out, I say to myself, "Oh, I would love to put that up on twitter, right now on my phone." And think longingly of the US cell phone providers who have that set up. Well, joy! Rogers Wireless has now got a deal with Twitter to allow SMS updates to your twitter account and updates to your phone via SMS! I can tweet from my phone! And it's all a part of my package SMS plan, so no extra charges, and I can get some real mileage out of my SMS plan. Extra joy!

Media release