Vacation Food Reviews

When DH and I go on vacation we love to eat! We have two food rules on vacation: try to avoid chain restaurants at all costs and sample as much local cuisine as possible. That was easy to do in Vancouver and Whistler. We ate lots of good food in several great restaurants while on vacation and I thought I'd share some of it with you. One overall impression we have a food in Vancouver is their concept of bar food is way different than our concept of bar food. We went to Yaggers one afternoon to watch a Red Sox/Yankees game. If you go here, you can download their menu and see what I mean about their food choices. In several of the restaurants we ate it many of the menu items were similar. Way different from our normal burgers, chicken wings and pizza we find here in New England.

Our favorite dinner was our anniversary dinner at the Rimrock Cafe in Whistler. DH had a Mixed Grill dinner with caribou, lamb and a beef filet. I had filet mignon. For dessert DH had tiramisu. I had almond tuile filled with homemade vanilla and chocolate ice cream topped with homemade chocolate sauce. If you ever go to Whistler, you must go the Rimrock!

Our favorite lunch was in Vancouver when we visited Granville Island, a shopping and eating mecca. We ate lunch at Dockside Restaurant. The food was great and the view outstanding. I had the most wonderful lunch salad made with butter lettuce, pea shoots, fresh pies, feta cheese and grilled watermelon topped with green goddess dressing. I added grilled chicken for some protein. I can't wait to try my own version of the salad. DH had fried halibut and french fries.
Our most unusual meal was a three-course fondue meal at Bavaria Restaurant in Whistler. Dinner started with cheese fondue with bread cubes, followed by Beef Bourguignonne served with four sauces: teriyaki, chipotle mayonnaise, garlic mayonnaise and mango chutney. The final course was chocolate fondue with strawberries, bananas, pineapple, marshmallows and ladyfingers. We love fondue and hadn't eaten it in a long time. It was a wonderful way to enjoy dinner.

Our favorite appetizer came from Tantra Lounge at the Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver. It was Baked Goat Cheese rounds and Carmelized Onions served on toasted baquette slices. Another new taste for us and one I'll be trying to make soon.

A new food adventure for us on this trip was visiting a downtown grocery store. In this case, I discovered Urban Fare. It's more than a gourmet shop. It has a restaurant and a coffee bar, plus every imaginable gourmet food item. If I lived in downtown Vancouver I would shop there a lot. I've started a new vacation shopping tradition: buying a grocery tote. This one from Urban Fare is great. It even has a zipper pocket inside to hold the grocery list.
Finally, two kitchen/food items I bought for myself on vacation: a new apron and a martini glass. I'm not a frequent drinker, but I had one martini nearly every day at dinner. I learned I love Chambord as the base of the martini. Today I'll be off to the liquor store to buy a bottle.
I don't watch Desparate Housewives, but this Desbearate Housewives apron was too cute to pass up. One of DH's nicknames is Teddy Bear so this apron is perfect for me. Note, DH took this photo while I was making taco salads last night and it was already dirty!
I always try to buy items made by the local artists when we are on vacation. I don't see the sense in going somewhere and buying trinkets made in China. Here is a close-up view of the martini glass. The other side has a painted red heart. It is hand painted by a local Whistler artist, Kerry, a mom with three young boys. You can also visit her blog and read about her.
I'll be back in a day or two with photos of some the home improvement projects that our handyman did while we were gone. I'll also talk about my first Coffee At Home challenge then.