The Mr was my designated driver so I only went to a couple wineries in the area.  Lake Country has a whole host of wineries including Gray Monk Estate Winery.

Tastings are $5-7 for 5. You can choose from a selection of say 10 wines.  If you purchase bottles, then the fee is typically used towards the purchase.

Blind Tiger is a newer winery.  It is a small family run certified organic winery that opened to the public in 2015. 

My sommelier* was fantastic.  He was a young energetic fellow who excitedly talked about the various wine-related outtings that he had recently been on.  He was an absolute delight!  He asked what wines I like, suggested some and off we went.  He was the perfect sommelier: funny, warm and also left room for me to explore the tasting notes. 

Where to buy: Only through their winery or virtual store.

Click here to reach them.

At Blind Tiger I got: Pinot Gris (2017), Reserve Pinot Noir (2017) & Speakeasy Red (2014).

Ex Nihilo has great range of wines and especially full-bodied reds. 

Tasting wasn’t the nicest experience.  It was a larger bustling winery.  The sommelier’s lukewarm detached demeanor led me to one conclusion:  That  she was a rogue ex-operative from an Archer-esque outfit… and her arch nemesis Barry finally got her 20**.

Where to buy: since the ex-operative was not chatty, I have no idea if they have shops that carry their goods in the GVA.

Click here to reach them.

At Ex Nihilio, I got: Chaos Rosso Red (2018) and Reisling (2017).

Recommendations

I loved Blind Tiger because they were friendly & non-pretentious.  Reminded me of the delightful Les Corcelettes in Oliver.

El Nihilo had delicious wines as well, but this was not a warm and fuzzy tasting experience.  I also wanted to buy the Voignier… but both the tasting & purchase was reserved for “members”.   I don’t know what this means but the sommelier didn’t invite or tell me how to become a member.  I guess as long one leaves with delicious bottles of wine… What else matters?

Let’s Play Footsie-notes
*Not sure if sommelier is the correct term.  I thought it was better than Taster Guy or Taster Attendant.
**The Ex Nihilio sommelier wasn’t rude per se.  She answered my questions albeit in a detached fashion… with an underlying je ne sais quoi.  Something else clearly had her attention.  Eyes darted around, preoccupied energy, latency of responses… The only conclusion is that her rival finally sniffed out her shoddily-disguised witness protection deets.

ESSENTIALLY, IT’S FANCY WHITE BYOE* PICNIC IN A SECRET LOCATION. 

Long drawn out explanation here. 

L e R o o t s

Well it started off in the 80s in France with a french dude who wanted to host an elegant outdoor dinner.  He asked his buddies to meet at the park but dressed in white, to be easily identifiable. 

Then… His son started the tradition in Montreal 30 years later.  It trickled into Le Grand Pomme… And now it’s in like 80 cities, worldwide.

The Registration Process.

1. You put your name down for Vancouver’s DeB waiting list.  (We did this in Winter 2018),
2. You’ll be emailed 3 more times with VIP RSVP dates (different invitation levels May-July),
3. Once you get to level 3, you choose your Table/Team Leads, meeting location and if you’d like: booze and nibbles.

We ordered our wine and food.

The Day-Of Travel

When we registered, I didn’t know if Kells was working so I figured the best thing to do was to choose Skytrain option.  (We both live near-ish to stops.)  But it was evening rush hour and we got some snarkerton looks**.  Some peeps smiled and asked if we were going to “that white party”. 

Not gonna lie, N&K’ers: travel was onerous.  But, we’ve got some workarounds for next year.

L e E v e n t

We brought our own tables. But, since they were all the same shape/size with the white dressings, the whole thing looked like one seemless En Blanc party.  And if there’s one thing Nals enjoys, it’s symmetry.¶

Once all folks were set up, we started off with the napkin wave.  Then we tucked in. 

When I was in Home Economics in highschool, I loved the din at the end of the class when we’d sit, eat and talk.  It was warm, enveloping and cozy.  The low conversational murmur, infectious laughter occasionally breaking through, soft clinks of cutlery and glass…  That’s exactly what DeB reminded me of.

Because the N&K Team & Table Leaders were organized, we were set up in great time.  We chatted with our lovely teammates.

We had a special guest that evening: DeB royalty Francois and his wife.  It was her birthday and Francois serenaded her.  He was probably a bit tipsy, and the singing was a bit off-key but it was the ballsy thought that counts.

When it was dark enough, we ended off with a magical moment: the signature group sparklers.

When it was dark enough, we ended off with a magical moment: the signature group sparklers.

Final

Thoughts

DeB criticisms include pretentious, classist, overpriced, not family friendly and lost the original intent. Kids are not allowed on-site due to alcohol. But other than that, we found that there were a variety of folks there. Some were dressed in simple whites and other tables had lavish lights and overhead deco.

N&K can tell you is that it was a fun, friendly, magical evening. We will definitely be doing it again next year.

Footnotes
*Bring Your Own Everything like food, real cutlery, tables, chairs, table linens and centrepieces. Note that alcohol can only be purchased through DeB.
**Not because we had so much stuff but because we looked so cultishly regal in our blanc ensembles.
¶ This could be because I like to organize things or maybe it’s a facet of biology.

Nals & Missy R went there for brunch in early February for our 16th Friend-a-versary Celebration. As it was wintertime, it was cool. But that usually-shy sun was shining brightly. And I could easily see where the pier was nipped off in the storm a few weeks prior.

We were the first or second customers so it was wonderfully quiet. Restaurant was filled with wooden tables & chairs, minimalist beachy feel. This went well with the laid back feel of Marine Drive & Pier. Our server was lovely – helpful, attentive but not intrusive.

Our order

We had Baked Brie (carmelized garlic, blueberries and homemade crostini) to start. Missy R had the Schnitzel (Vienna style with rock salt & lemon). I had the Cuban Croquette Eggs Benedict (with fabulous bursts of pepper jelly).

And drum roll…

All dishes tasted delicious. Coffee was tasty strong. Missy R had the perfect Bloody Caesar, extra spicy.

However

The dishes could’ve been warmer, especially Brie. Apparently, TripAdvisor (TA) diners have observed this before. TAers also observed that portions were small. We both have healthy appetites and we thought they were a good size. But we also had drinks and Brie.

Other considerations

Parking can be a bit of a pain so take time or carpool. And also take time to stroll along the waterfront. Enjoy the view, salt air, maybe get an ice cream or window shop. And remember: do not get close to or feed the wildlife. Watching Marine Life: safely. What could happen if you: don’t.

Do N&K recommend Uli’s?

Missy R has been here before & enjoyed it. And, yes we both would recommend this place.

So, we were herded off to a cosy private room upstairs. Menu was closed but it was a 3 course affair.

For starters: We could choose the Mushroom Truffle Cream soup or Caesar salad. We all ordered salad. This was crispy, bacon-y, dressed in the garlic creamery and topped with delightful curls of parm. I love a good Caesar salad. However, I find that most restaurants drench gorgeous green romaine hearts in some awful glue-like dressing. And I end up forking off the dressing to try to eat the now-wilted romaine.
Second course: I chose the Wild BC Salmon. Most others chose the short ribs. Portions were huge and hot. Seasoning was spot-on.
Third course was a deconstructed berry cheesecake. This was the bit of sweet to end the night. Each table also had assorted macaroons and other too-sweet crunchies. A thin slice of dark chocolate cake and an espresso would’ve ended the meal perfectly.
After we ordered, wait staff brought out the surprise appies – skewers of protein like satay chicken, grilled shrimp, etc. Defo delicious but also a bit odd to eat without side plates.

Wait staff were whisper quiet and quickly filled our wines and waters without asking. Their area to move around was a little cramped with 3 round tables, with half the room carved out for the slides and presenter. It was Christmas party time so whenever the doors were kept open, we could hear the din outside. I’m not sure what they could have done about the noise besides keeping the doors closed. (But during service, this is not possible.)
Ok… but what about the rest of the restaurant? Hardwood floors, vaulted ceilings, muted lighting, dark wood walls made for an intimate feel, without the cramped space. There are various dining areas: outside, lounge, bar side, mezzanine and private rooms.

Kells has been here before and enjoyed it. Like me, she also thinks this is reminiscent of Purple Café. Our review is here.
Recommendation: if you like traipsing into downtown Vancouver, eating in a busy trendy North American restaurant, then Glowbal should be on your list.

The $8 admission gets you into 170 exhibits, workshops & presentations. (FOLKs Were eligible to enter the door prize after geTting 8 vendor stamps.)

Some vendors were assertive but no one was pushy. Everyone was super friendly.

There were the usual suspects: clothing, hair, makeup, food/cooking, anti aging¹, fitness, home decor… But also realty, sensory deprivation, aromatherapy & sexual health.

We stopped or breezed by:

Army of Sass : dance drop-in and set classes for all shapes, ages, experiences and fitness levels.

Avon : cosmetics, etc.

Bathfitter : don’t provide estimates without a free in-home consultation.

Chef Pieter : delicious cream cheese dips like aged white cheddar habanero & cranberry ghostpepper.

Club Pilates : mat & remoter classes.

Edward Jones : financial bits n bobs.

Epicurious : delish spice rubs and bottles of goodness (with little or no salt)

Hanky Panky : sexual health & clothing.

Little Fox Apothecary : aromatherapy goodness.

Mr. Frank’s Spices  : yummy spices that come in funky re-usable shakers.

Pure Romance : sexual health & sexual medical/physio aids

Spark Fitness : small class sizes allow for more instructor attention.

Sweet Legs : kitten-y soft patterned leggings that keep your gams warm. Comes in kidlet, average & voluptuous sizes.

Zealous Art : art parties & classes, she outreaches!

Conclusion

Yes you should go with your girlfriends, sister, mom, neighbor…. set aside a couple hours and maybe even go for lunch.  

Don’t forget to stop at nearby Little UnChocolate Candy Store.

Footies
1 This was a non-surg eye lift, and worked with bee venom. As our Miss K gets all anaphylactical around bee/wasp stings, we thought we’d steer clear.

This post is based on the Carnaval del Sol, which is a spicy festival for the Latin Americas.

.   .  . L  a s t   year we tried

This year we tr i e d .  .   .

Cubana BBQ

These guys were not ready at 1 pm when we came by. I probably waited an hour for the food.  They had lots of staff, who were all working hard.  But they didn’t communicate with the crowd. Cubano sandwich was good but maybe had a quarter cup of protein for a huge hoagie-sized bun. We ordered beef for our other dish, and this was the size of a deck of cards. (Others ordered chicken which was an entire leg. It barely fit in the box!) Beef was a bit tough. But both dishes were tasty.

Portions were disappointingly small.  I don’t think this place was worth the wait.  Next time, I will go when there is no line up, and defo order the pollos!

Mi Casa Mexicana

We ordered the tamale (jalapeno & cheese), cochinita pibil and pambazo. We’ve had tamales before but not like these ones. As we sat down, a woman excitedly asked us where we got the “authentic Mexican food”. Simply fantastic food! You must try.

Find Mi Casa Mexicana

Cocadas Coconut Smoothies & More… (Venezuela)

Festival Review

Nals and the Mr have gone the last few years. We are pleased to see that the Carnaval has gotten bigger and better organized (from its grassroots in Trout Lake).

Last year, the weather was hot AF and the main stage was right in the middle of the eating area.  It was hard to sit and chat, as the music was blaring.

Footnotes

1 aka yuka, manioc, Brazilian arrowroot. Mmm this is also a staple of Fijians. Read more