Archive for April, 2012

Thanks & One “Last” Plea

Thanks & One “Last” Plea


First of all, I want to thank every single person that I know for being so patient with me (and for all your voting). Facebook contests (especially of the daily voting variety) are awesome for brands, but not so awesome for the contestants or the friends and family and networks of the contestants.

For 7 days I’ve been eating and breathing facebook. I’ve spammed you all over (and over and over and over and over and over and over). I’ve spent more hours that I care to admit analyzing the votes. So has the hubs. And the friends we are staying with. And my mom and dad. And people who I didn’t even realize would root for me.

It’s been bizarre.

It’s been gut wrenching.

It has quite possibly been my 15 minutes of “fame”.

Luckily, there are only 31 hours left to vote. Depending on your voting time, that means you can get 1 or 2 more votes in for me!

I started out in the middle of the pack, spent a day or so in third, a day in fourth, and over the last couple of days have been relegated to a (comfortable) fifth. (But one more solid rally could get me back to fourth!)

A fourth or fifth place finish isn’t necessarily bad. Of the three people selected for the next round, one is the winner of the popular vote, and two will be selected through an interview. Do I think that means the votes don’t matter? No at all (if I did, I wouldn’t have been spamming you over and over and over and over and over and over). This is a social media job after all.

And quite honestly, my interview was awesome. So awesome that if I don’t get chosen it just means that they are looking for something else. It’s kind of a neat place to be. I’ve never had such a good interview. I’ve also never before interviewed for a job where they are either looking for me, or they aren’t.

Barring some kind of cataclysmic event in the next couple of days, I don’t think I’ll win the voting contest. But, I really, really want to end on that top row (i.e., at least fourth). So, please take a few seconds to vote for me in the next 31 hours (twice, if you can)! Tell your friends. Ask them to tell their friends. I want to come out of this voting process looking as strong and as well connected as I possibly can!

Still need convincing? Well, here’s why I told Tourism Richmond that I’m the best person for the job.

And once again: thank you. Also don’t forget to vote!

April 30, 2012 1 comment Read More
a flying pig :: yaletown

a flying pig :: yaletown

Yesterday was a very exciting day for me! Not only was it day one in the voting competition for the Richmond 365 Days of Dining competition (vote for me!) but, I finally met my lovely blogger friend Melissa of West Coast Nest, after almost a year of being super close on the internet. It actually felt like a internet date, which was kind of hilarious.

Melissa suggested that we try out A Flying Pig in Yaletown, since she’d heard great things but had never tried it out herself.

We refer to our restaurant as a “nouveau Canadian Bistro”… offering a simple, seasonally inspired menu with fresh, local ingredients at a great value. Our open concept kitchen brings the Chef to your table, delivering a memorable overall dining experience. (Source)

Since I’ve been away from the lower mainland for four years, I’m not super up to date on the food scene. Anyone I told this was where we were going had only good things to say.

A Flying Pig

We arrived shortly before 6:30 on a Tuesday night to a bustling restaurant, and it remained busy for the two hours we were there. The restaurant only takes reservations for lunch and brunch, but luckily two spots at the window bar were available upon our arrival. It was comfortable, and as a food blogger I love that natural window light!

Our servers were excellent, and the perfect amount of attentive, the vibe was fun, and then we got our food…

The Food

A Flying Pig had me from the bread. It was fresh out of the oven—soft and warm—and served with high quality EVOO and balsamic vinegar.

Melissa and I both ordered the beetroot and arugula salad (to the delight of both our servers), so we had very high expectations once it arrived. The salad featured yellow and red beets, whipped goat cheese, and an apple cider vinaigrette. It was amazing. The spicy arugula coupled perfectly with the other flavours, and on top of that, it was a generous serving of salad. Highly recommended.

For our mains Melissa ordered the seafood pappardelle (with mussels, salmon, prawns, halibut, in a spicy rose sauce), and I ordered the halibut with yukon gold potato gnocchi and corn nage. Melissa assures me her dish was delicious. But let us talk about the halibut. Moist. Flaky. Delicious. The corn nage was a perfect accompaniment, and the gnocchi was awesome. I loved my meal. And I ate the entire gigantic plate. Needless to say, we had no room for dessert!

Both servers told me that my meal (arugula + beet salad and the halibut) was their favourite paring on the menu, and while I’d like to go back and try other dishes… I might just have the same meal. It was delicious.

The Bottom Line

A Flying Pig; 1168 Hamilton Street, Yaletown; Vancouver, Monday to Friday, 11:30-midnight, Saturday and Sunday, 10:30-midnight.

At $106 before tip, this meal was an awesome value (two starters, two mains, and four glasses of wine). Go there. Get there early. Eat the halibut. You won’t regret it.

April 25, 2012 1 comment Read More
richmond, bc (travel tuesday)

richmond, bc (travel tuesday)

Today’s Travel Tuesday? (Ooh! Alliteration!)

You guessed it: Richmond, BC! I’ve not spent that much time in Richmond (yet), but with a little help from you… all of that is about to change! Starting today, April 24th through next Tuesday, May 1 (at 4 p.m. PST) I need your help! And I need it once a day. Here’s what you can do:

  1. Vote for me here https://bitly.com/I5IyP5; and
  2. Encourage your friends and followers to vote!

Thank you so, so much, I owe you lunch on (and in) Richmond.

April 24, 2012 1 comment Read More
Hello Everybody!

Hello Everybody!

Good morning friends—both old and new—I’m so excited I could just about burst! If you are new here (and I have a sneaking suspicion that lots of you are today), welcome! If you are a regular, you might be wondering just what is going on… well, I have great news:

I made the top 12 in Tourism Richmond’s 365 Days of Dining contest!

WOOHOO!!!

Over 1,500 people applied for this position and I made the top 12. For my fellow math geeks, that’s 0.8% of applicants. Needless to say, I can’t really believe that this is happening. Cue happy dance and level of happiness approaching—or probably equal to—this.

Next Steps

Round two of the competition will whittle the top twelve down to the top three. One of the top three will be the public’s choice, and this is where I am going to need your help!

Starting tomorrow, I need you to mobilize everyone you know to vote for me. I promise, I will never, ever, ask you to vote for me on a facebook competition ever again! I may also bake you a cupcake. (Though… you may not really want me to do that.)

Voting will run from tomorrow, April 24, 2012 at 9 a.m. PST until May 1, 2012 at 4 p.m. PST on Tourism Richmond’s facebook page. I’ll update this post—and tomorrow’s post—with more details about the process when I learn them. In the meantime:

I MADE THE SHORT LIST!

A gigantic thanks to Tourism Richmond for this amazing opportunity.

April 23, 2012 1 comment Read More
Make It! + Food Trucks

Make It! + Food Trucks

Yesterday evening I stopped by Make It! Vancouver for some shopping and snacking. If you haven’t heard of Make It!, well, it’s not your grandma’s craft show.

The vibe at the show is funky, hip and modern very different from you traditional granny craft show!(not that there is anything wrong with that) Music is performed by up-and-coming local musicians and there are always tasty treats to be enjoyed. Make It is about appreciating creativity, connecting entrepreneurs, and giving conscious shoppers an alternative to the mall. (Source: Make It)

Make It! is awesome. The vendors are amazing: products range from jewellery to ceramics to clothing to food stuffs to art to accessories. Since we are in the midst of moving, I didn’t do too much buying, but I did to lots of business-card-getting and have some ceramics and art in mind! The vibe is super fun: the show was bustling when I went at around 6:30 Friday night, DJ’s are spinning, there is a bar—should you wish to indulge in a beverage—and vendors (and sponsor tables) are super friendly.

By the time I finished my shopping (there are 110+ vendors), I was hungry! Parked outside the show? Food trucks! I chose Taser Grilled Cheese (156 favourites on the Vancouver Food Truck App) and The Juice Caboose (24 favourites on the app).

I indulged in a $5 Special smoothie (mango, banana, hemp seeds, cardamom, and agave) and a So Gouda grilled cheese for $6 (gouda, havarti, caramelized apples, and bacon). I’ve never had cardamom in a smoothie before, and I think it is a bit of an acquired taste. However, by the end of my 16oz drink, I was loving it.

Unfortunately, the girl at Taser was run off her feet; she mentioned that last year she wasn’t super busy on Make It’s Friday night, so she was underprepared (not enough food and no assistant). My sandwich could have been a bit more melty, but that being said the ingredients were delicious, and it bet if you give her a try on a regular day, the sandwiches will be awesome. I was impressed with the size of my sandwich, it was huge!

Make It! runs today from 11-6 and tomorrow (Sunday) from 11-5 at the Croatian Cultural Centre at 3250 Commercial Drive (details), and I highly suggest stopping by and supporting local artisans (and local food trucks!)

April 21, 2012 2 comments Read More
The Craigslist Decorator

The Craigslist Decorator

Happy Friday friends! Remember that amazing place I told you about in big time stress mode on Tuesday? Well, we found out a couple of days ago that we got it, woohoo! Move in day: May 15.

We’ve got the top two floors (including the attic, with it’s sweet sloped roofline) of this 101 year old character house. The front of the house faces north, and our sweet, XL back patio faces south. And it is going to be absolutely perfect for my newest project: The Craigslist Decorator.

“What is the Craigslist Decorator?” You ask? Well, basically I am going to decorate an awesome and unique apartment for under $1,500 using mostly (you guessed it) craigslist! This project has been years in the making. I first had the idea when were thinking of moving to a new place in Toronto, probably 3 years ago!

Since we aren’t moving in until May 15, I won’t be craigslisting or thrifting much until then, but after that… watch out! I’ll be posting once or twice a week with updates, which will be a mix of regular blog posts, vlogs, and more

The first stop? My new office. In the attic. I can’t wait! And, a great source for inspiration? You guessed it: pinterest!

I’m so excited about manufacturing some sort of built in shelving unit to line the sloped ceilings, creating both an awesome workspace and an inviting meeting space for client consultations.

We’ve also got a large kitchen (which is south facing, sunny, and will be amazing for morning coffee), a gigantic bathroom, a living room, and bedroom with a walk-in closet! (Welcome to grown-up hood, Al)

So. I’m excited.

Have a super Friday friends! I’ll be back tomorrow with a food post, since I’ve sort of fallen off the rails a bit while I’ve been busy meeting all this summer’s clients, and obsessed with place-finding!

April 20, 2012 2 comments Read More