Vancouver Magazine

Wine Pick of the Week

vanmag — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:00:00 -0400

June 13, 2013

Celebrate our Top Chef with top wines...

Are you a Top Chef Canada addict? I sure am. This Monday was a nail-biter as the three awesome finalists faced off in Calgary... and our very own home-grown talent won it all. Product Development Chef Matthew Stowe works beside Iron Chef Rob Feenie at Cactus Club restaurants and his five-course West Coast dinner convinced the uncompromising judging panel to give him the top prize. Let's raise our brimming glasses of B.C. wine to Cloverdale's Chef Matthew Stowe.

Father's Day Gift Guide 2013

vanmag — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 19:52:35 -0400

This Father's Day, go beyond the barbecue. We've selected twelve classy gifts from top shops around the city that will make him feel like an ultra-dapper dad.

Click to launch slideshow

Normann-Copenhagen Whiskey Glasses

Roll-Up Travel Charger

Multi-Stripe Dress Shirt

Smoke and Pickles Cookbook

Westside Briefcase

Madras Plaid Tie

Safety Razor

Gourmet Kayaking Weekend

Main Street Car Free Day 2013

vanmag — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 18:13:29 -0400

This year, Main Street's Car Free Day has stretched to 21 blocks of auto-snubbing community festivities. We pick three pit stops for your stroll from Broadway to 30th (or the other way around, if you'd rather head downhill).

Picture of Health

Chef Favourites at Earls

vanmag — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0400

The Earls development team is constantly researching trends and tweaking dishes. New favourites? The Bronx burger, sandwiched in a squishy housemade brioche bun, the more health-conscious prawn and quinoa salad, and four new dishes that made it through rigorous testing by regional chefs. For all the hoopla around housemade bread (“This is what really sets us apart from our competition,” says director of culinary development Reuben Major), president Mo Jessa sees the humble tomato as the key to Earls’ success.

The Evolution of Earls Restaurants

vanmag — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0400

The Earls North Vancouver test kitchen is buzzing. Timers ring. Oven doors slam. Restaurant servers working their regular lunch shift jump aside as a stampede of visiting chefs barrels down the narrow dish pass, banging in and out of the walk-in freezer.

Get Outside! Summer 2013 in B.C.

vanmag — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Our beauty, that vaunted natural splendour, makes us the envy of the world. But sometimes we overlook what's closest to home. We explore four routes to reacquaintance with with B.C.'s outdoors

A Pair of Summer-Ready Rieslings

vanmag — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Red Rooster Riesling, Okanagan Valley, VQA 2011

Barfly: Mai Tai

vanmag — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Why Éminence Calls Vancouver Home

vanmag — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Boldijarre Koronczay, the president and founder of Hungarian line Éminence Organic Skin Care, loves Vancouver so much that he picked our city to station his worldwide headquarters. Why Vancouver? The moderate climate was a big factor; Éminence is an organic line, so considering transportation from Hungary and storage, the products are not in danger of spoiling (or freezing) if they have an unavoidable delay on a YVR tarmac.

Foncie Pulice's Photographic Legacy

vanmag — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0400

I have a picture of my father walking along Granville Street, somewhere around the time I was born. It's shot in smoky tones of black and white, and you can see the neon swirl of the old Studio Theatre sign over his shoulder. His hands are stuffed inside a billowing overcoat, and he's wearing the wide-brimmed fedora I remember trying on as a kid. Like the town he called home, he looks young, carefree, and eager to step into the future.

Recently Reviewed: Restaurants with Charm

vanmag — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Burdock & Co.

2702 Main St., 604-879-0077. Burdockandco.com

Get Outside and... Cycle

vanmag — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0400

The Vancouver Bicycle Club has been affably getting folks on the road since 1976. There are mountain bike routes and off-road tours, but star attraction is the weekly city route. Saturdays are 30 to 50 kilometres (destinations like Iona Island or the North Shore), with coffee break midway; Sundays might double that, but without offputting elevation gains. Wednesdays are short and leisurely (Stanley Park to UBC and back), ending at a restaurant. The vibe is social.

Get Outside and... Eat

vanmag — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Pincer Movement

Your fishing guide and chef at Swallow Tail Canada will teach you how and where to catch the tastiest B.C. dungeness crab. (Fishing is from docks using casting traps.) Then, chef will demonstrate how to prepare your catch and cook it West Coast style-guess what's for the concluding lunch? $139 per person (group of 4 to 10); $149 per person (private tour, minimum two guests).

The 100-Metre Diet

Get Outside and... Sail

vanmag — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Inner circle

MacSailing, the school at the Jericho Sailing Centre, offers instruction for old salts and sea pups alike. Bring your own boat or learn aboard one of the centre's iconic twin-hulled Hobie 16s. $650 for 10 hours' instruction for two.

Friends with Benefits

Get Outside and... Compete

vanmag — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Spartan Sprint

June 1, Mount Seymour
The sprint-brainchild of a Royal Marine and seven ultra-athletes is a five-kilometre race with 15 obstacles that require "total athleticism and mental toughness." Contestants run, jump, crawl, climb, slide, dodge, carry, throw, and think on their feet as they attempt to beat last year's top time of 25:20.

The Golden Age of Golf Course Design

vanmag — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Imagine that around the time of Frank Lloyd Wright and pioneering modernists such as Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius, there was a B.C. architect producing work of the same quality and originality. Well regarded locally, he never saw his reputation spread beyond the region, and over time a lot of his creations were altered or destroyed. Decades passed, tastes changed, and eventually he died, broke and largely forgotten.

3 Stunning Vancouver Hikes

vanmag — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Lois Tomlinson stops to look up at the sunlight streaming through the cedar and fir boughs waving high above us. The Vancouver area hiking and tour guide has climbed peaks from Mt. Kenya to Kilimanjaro and is about to trek to Everest base camp-for the third time-but when she's home, she brings groups from tourists to seniors out into the wilds with her company, Natural Trekking.

36 Hours in Halfmoon Bay and Secret Cove

vanmag — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0400

To get to Seventh Heaven you need about three hours and a sturdy steed. Andy Petraschuk, a grizzled, honest-to-gosh rancher and native of these parts, will guide you there. At the top of Mount Daniel, looking down over Pender Harbour, across the Strait of Georgia to Texada Island, and up and down the Sunshine Coast, it's hard to believe you were sipping bad coffee in the Horseshoe Bay ferry lineup just a few hours before.

72 Hours in the South Okanagan

vanmag — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Astride the 49th parallel runs the unique pocket desert of Osoyoos. (That it's the northernmost extension of the Sonora Desert is a common misconception.) Visit once and its distinctive scrubby benchlands and ubiquitous fields and orchards will grab your imagination. In winter, 5,000 people call the town home; in summer that swells tenfold.

Vancouver Celebrities: June 2013

vanmag — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Vancouver Celebrities: June 2013 Click to launch slideshow

David Burdeny

Parviz Tanavoli and daughter Tandar

Patricia Isaac

Kanwar "Ken" Boparai

Chelsea Hartwick and Lee Mckeown

Shannon Bosa Yacoub and Emad Yacoub

Kevin Falcon and Bruce Langereis

Josh Pape and James Iranzad

Manny Osborne-Paradis and Mike Janyk

Paloma Kwiatkowski and Carrie Wheeler

Anastasia Tofan and David Aisenstat

Q&A with Karen Lam

vanmag — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Evangeline, your second horror feature that will screen here in the fall, is about female revenge. What compelled you to make this film?

Evangeline is a classic revenge fantasy about a university student in Anywhere, North America, who is murdered by psychopath frat boys. She returns from the grave to wreak revenge. I was exploring the concept that to forgive is divine. It was important to contradict that-to tell a story about a young woman whose own life is worth avenging.

Where is Vancouver's Big Bookstore?

vanmag — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0400

This is how much Sonya Wall loves books: when she got married, she held the ceremony in her own bookstore-in the mystery section. (A propos, it turned out when her marriage died years later, and only more so when she and her ex later remarried.) The next bump was fatal, though, when her store, Zebra Books, was murdered in 2000 by downloading and Costco discounting and unsupportive Toronto and American publishers who dismissed Vancouver as nothing but a distant colonial outpost.

Editor's Note: June 2013

vanmag — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0400

I've been thinking about resolutions lately-even though it's not New Year's and no, I haven't had a health scare. But really, is there ever a bad time to take stock? Some of the motivation is business.

Personal Space: Josh Dunford

vanmag — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Image: Lucas Finlay
read more

Strip Club Cooks Up Gourmet Menu

vanmag — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0400

My name is Leeesa," came the purr, "it's so nice to meet you. Can I interest you in a lap dance?" There were no takers at our table, and we sheepishly admitted that we were just here for a meal. Her tone immediately brightened. "Have you tried our new menu? We've got an awesome new chef, and the food is sooooo good!" It's not often that Lisa's services are passed over in favour of what's coming out of the kitchen, but now that chef Stuart Irving (Cobre, Bin 941, and Wild Rice) has taken over at the No.

Remembering Art Phillips

vanmag — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0400

On April 26, a Friday, admirers, family members, friends, public servants, entrepreneurs, opportunists, and general citizens gathered to remember prominent businessman and politician Art Phillips.

Transitioning Shaughnessy's Real Estate Market

vanmag — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Loy Leyland's Porsche cruises slowly around the Crescent. As we pass through the ring of old mansions built for CPR executives over a century ago, deeper into this affluent enclave within the city, we start to see another kind of structure: houses built in the last couple of years for the wave of investors from Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan who are the majority of Leyland's clients.

Our Picks for Jazz Fest 2013

vanmag — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Continuing in the genre's century-old habit of treading on convention, the 2013 TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival has lined up over 1,800 musical rebels. Miles Davis Quintet pianist turned mad scientist Herbie Hancock (June 30, Queen Elizabeth Theatre) is the icon of this year's outing.

Three Stops for Vancouver Craft Beer Week 2013

vanmag — Wed, 29 May 2013 13:54:46 -0400

With Vancouver's brotherhood of breweries seeming to multiply by the day, this fourth annual "celebration of fermentation" has more going on than ever. Even so, nearly half of the big events (Opening Night Gala, Hoppapalooza IV) are already sold out. For the more spontaneous beer-loving crowd, our top three picks:

Brothers in Hops

Whistler Getaway Guide

vanmag — Mon, 27 May 2013 12:15:08 -0400

Set among the coastal mountains, the Sea to Sky corridor and resort town of Whistler offer some of BC's most spectacular scenery. But there's much more to this region than stunning views and photo ops. Unparalleled dining, world-class festivals and cultural events, outdoor activities, and more are right at your door when you vacation—or live—in this vibrant community. So whether you're visiting for a weekend or looking to relocate to one of the most beautiful places on earth, don't forget to check out the amazing offerings profiled below.

J.Crew Pacific Centre Now Open

vanmag — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

24th Bard on the Beach Offers a Salty Selection

vanmag — Tue, 21 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

If Kenneth Branagh movies have taught us anything, it's that Shakespeare is meant to be lively, salty, mischievous fun. Message clearly received by one Christopher Gaze, artistic director of Bard on the Beach, now in its 24th season. With the wines and the chocolate and the zany period settings, if Bard were Hamlet, it would be a lot more Branagh's than, say, the iconic Sir Laurence Olivier's.

The Ingenious Inventions of a Paraplegic Athlete

vanmag — Tue, 21 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Two of us on a hot summer day, we stop in a pub on the way home from work-lots of beer," recalls Jaimie Borisoff. "Neither of us wearing seat belts." The pickup went off River Road in Delta and smashed into a telephone pole, launching the driver to his death. Borisoff escaped with barely a mark ("I just kind of rattled around inside")-except, as one witness described it, a 180º twist of his torso.

Washington Getaway Guide

vanmag — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:59:43 -0400

From world class cultural and historic sites to the Pacific Northwest's best shopping and dining, Washington State offers something for everyone. Venture off the beaten path and explore some of the Greater Seattle area's most charming and vibrant towns.

Learn more about:

• The City of Edmonds
• The Bellevue Collection
• The City of Lynnwood

How to Make a Living at Pro Wrestling in BC

vanmag — Tue, 14 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

King of the Yukon appears from behind a curtain, head-banging to CCR's "Fortunate Son." He holds up his championship belt, and the standing-room-only crowd jumps to its feet. "Long live the King!" they chant as he makes his way into the ring where his opponent, Bishop, awaits him. The bell sounds. For a few minutes it looks like an easy pin for the King; then Bishop gets an arm around his neck, picks up the King, and drops him to the mat like it's nothing.

Sigur Rós at Deer Lake Park

vanmag — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:01:07 -0400

Sigur Rós is having a big year. The Icelandic ambient post-rockers are marking the 19th anniversary of the band's formation with a massive tour of North America, Europe and Asia that started last July and will stretch until the end of November. Their seventh studio album, Kveikur, is due out June 17 (at which point they'll likely be just landing in Dresden, Germany).

Vancouver Celebrities: May 2013

vanmag — Mon, 13 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Vancouver Celebrities: May 2013 Click to launch slideshow

Paula Giroday, Jovanna Huguet, and Fiona Vroom

Alvaro Prol and Bill Kerasiotis

Tera Van Beilen, Savannah King and Matthew Williams

Scott McIntyre

Linda Wong, Doug Chiu, and Betty Funston

Karen Lam and Sonja Bennett

Jillian Lebeck, Laura Crema, Sherri Chisholm, and Jodi Proznick

Astrid Sars, Karin Plato, and Karen Graves

Alan Anderson and Jill Killeen

Gregory Henriquez and wife Zena

Sheri Keenan and Brenda McAllister

Mother's Day Gift Guide 2013

vanmag — Fri, 10 May 2013 18:35:48 -0400

You know Mom will treasure anything you give her (the macaroni art still hanging in the den is proof enough). But she's probably hipper than you think, so give to impress this weekend with some of the hottest items in the city. As seen on CTV Morning Live!

Click to launch slideshow

Rica Bathtub Tea

Whistler Naturals Skin Care

Ilia Lipstick Crayon

Tata Harper Replenishing Nutrient Complex

Armani Baby Blanket for Free the Children

Chalkboard Planters with Stand

Norm Glass Kettle Teapot

SAHN Bike Helmet

Le Creuset in Soleil

Mala Collective Necklaces

Mark Holden Adventure Series Scarf

Ziegfeld Collection Pearl Earrings and Ring

24th Annual Restaurant Awards

vanmag — Fri, 10 May 2013 17:33:54 -0400

On April 22, 2013, Vancouver magazine hosted its 24th Annual Restaurant Awards at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre, the year’s most anticipated celebration of the city’s top culinary talent. Party goers sipped and savoured Vancouver’s best food and drink in anticipation for the awards presentation hosted by Michael Eckford and Fiona Forbes. First time gold recipients included Wildebeest, winning Best New Restaurant, and Revolver, winning the inaugural Best Coffee House award.

Blast From the Past: Vanmag October 1981

vanmag — Thu, 09 May 2013 12:58:47 -0400

Another gem from the 1981 archives:

"The Computers are Coming". With a cover that looks like a B-list alien invasion film, how can you not be intrigued?

Spot Prawn Season 2013

vanmag — Wed, 08 May 2013 15:36:44 -0400

For the next few weeks, Spot Prawns are sure to pop up on the menus of every BC-loving restaurant in town, and for good reason. Chefs love the leggy little things for their vibrant hue and delicate, sea-sweet flesh that's delicious both raw and cooked. So do we - but also because their limited seasonal existence makes a great excuse to party.

Shop

Personal Space: Chris and Robin from Stepback

vanmag — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Image: Lucas Finlay

San Francisco's Real (Expensive) Estate

vanmag — Mon, 06 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

DOWNTOWN

$388,000  942 Ingerson Ave. 3 beds, 2 baths, 700 sq. ft.
Downtown is a long way away and jamming three bedrooms in 700 sq. ft. is nobody's idea of luxurious, but that said, this place is something of a steal (and close to Candlestick Park-go '49ers).

Getaway Guide: San Francisco

vanmag — Mon, 06 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Long before Vancouver topped the cost-of-living index, San Fran-never Frisco-was the original place that begged the question, How can anyone afford to live here? Add in an iconic cable bridge, a long-running locavore food scene, and numerous enclaves loaded with bespectacled hipsters with no apparent means of support and it becomes clear that the City by the Bay is a brother-in-arms worth looking up again.

Stay

The New Generation of Tech-Savvy Farmers

vanmag — Thu, 02 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Facing each other in traditional speed-dating lines, 60 or so fidgety farmers from across B.C. trade awkward glances. But all it takes is a few nudges-about land access and composting tips rather than pet peeves and star signs-from coordinator Sara Dent for the volume in the room to skyrocket. Everyone comes alive at the chance to talk dirt at this inaugural Young Agrarians conference, held in January at Summerhill Pyramid Winery in Kelowna.

Behind TED's Big Move to Vancouver

vanmag — Thu, 02 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Even before this gathering of media, politicians, tourism professionals, and thought leaders, much had already been said about the decision to bring TED Talks—the four-day conference of “Ideas Worth Spreading”—from its 13-year home of Monterey, California, to Vancouver for 2014 and 2015. Headlines promised the “prestigious” forum—the “Holy Grail”—would “legitimize” us. Twitter was, naturally, afire.

The People vs Gregor Robertson

vanmag — Thu, 02 May 2013 03:00:00 -0400

The mayor is unhappy. You can tell by the press of his lips, a sure signal of his annoyance as he stands there enduring criticism from Diana Davidson, a lawyer and recipient of the Order of Canada. "I was warned not to even try with you," she tells him after a rambunctious public forum about the Broadway subway line, held at St. James Community Centre. "You're too surrounded by yes people. We're not going to vote for you, because your council doesn't even listen. You're going to be paying for what you've done.

Our Picks for DOXA Documentary Film Festival 2013

vanmag — Wed, 01 May 2013 18:01:38 -0400

"Google and the World Brain"- Image: DOXA Documentary Film Festival

The documentary-invented by one Canadian (Robert Flaherty's Nanook of the North, 1922), named by another (NFB founder John Grierson)-holds a long-standing grip on us. Here, seven picks for our local doc fest.

THE HUMAN SCALE

Vancouver Opera Debuts Tea: A Mirror of Soul

vanmag — Wed, 01 May 2013 17:31:31 -0400

Image: Vancouver Opera

Contest

vanmag — Wed, 01 May 2013 13:46:59 -0400

Vanmag.com does not currently have any contest running. Please check back soon for your chance to win great prizes from Vancouver magazine and our generous partners.

Or visit our sister site, WesternLivingMagazine.ca, for more contest.

Vancouver Magazine

Wine Pick of the Week

Father's Day Gift Guide 2013

Click to launch slideshow

Main Street Car Free Day 2013

Picture of Health

Chef Favourites at Earls

The Evolution of Earls Restaurants

Get Outside! Summer 2013 in B.C.

A Pair of Summer-Ready Rieslings

Barfly: Mai Tai

Why Éminence Calls Vancouver Home

Foncie Pulice's Photographic Legacy

Recently Reviewed: Restaurants with Charm

Burdock & Co.

Get Outside and... Cycle

Get Outside and... Eat

Pincer Movement

The 100-Metre Diet

Get Outside and... Sail

Inner circle

Friends with Benefits

Get Outside and... Compete

Spartan Sprint

The Golden Age of Golf Course Design

3 Stunning Vancouver Hikes

36 Hours in Halfmoon Bay and Secret Cove

72 Hours in the South Okanagan

Vancouver Celebrities: June 2013

Vancouver Celebrities: June 2013 Click to launch slideshow

Q&A with Karen Lam

Where is Vancouver's Big Bookstore?

Editor's Note: June 2013

Personal Space: Josh Dunford

Image: Lucas Finlay read more

Strip Club Cooks Up Gourmet Menu

Remembering Art Phillips

Transitioning Shaughnessy's Real Estate Market

Our Picks for Jazz Fest 2013

Three Stops for Vancouver Craft Beer Week 2013

Brothers in Hops

Whistler Getaway Guide

J.Crew Pacific Centre Now Open

24th Bard on the Beach Offers a Salty Selection

The Ingenious Inventions of a Paraplegic Athlete

Washington Getaway Guide

Learn more about:

How to Make a Living at Pro Wrestling in BC

Sigur Rós at Deer Lake Park

Vancouver Celebrities: May 2013

Vancouver Celebrities: May 2013 Click to launch slideshow

Mother's Day Gift Guide 2013

Click to launch slideshow

24th Annual Restaurant Awards

Blast From the Past: Vanmag October 1981

Spot Prawn Season 2013

Shop

Personal Space: Chris and Robin from Stepback

Image: Lucas Finlay

San Francisco's Real (Expensive) Estate

DOWNTOWN

Getaway Guide: San Francisco

Stay

The New Generation of Tech-Savvy Farmers

Behind TED's Big Move to Vancouver

The People vs Gregor Robertson

Our Picks for DOXA Documentary Film Festival 2013

"Google and the World Brain"- Image: DOXA Documentary Film Festival

Vancouver Opera Debuts Tea: A Mirror of Soul

Image: Vancouver Opera

Contest

How Do Winners Pick Up Prizes?

Image: Lucas Finlay
read more