Vancouver

© 2004-2013 Rebecca Bollwitt - Miss604. Reflections is a patio lounge and restaurant tucked into a 4th floor courtyard at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia with covered open-air seating, a fire pit, comfy couches, and water features that help you escape the bustling city below. Having recently re-opened for the season, you can enjoy cocktails, lunch, and dinner in the lounge seven days a week from 11:30am until 11:00pm with live music on Sundays. The seasonal lunch menu includes dishes like the roasted summer squash salad (with raisins, pine nuts, and sherry vinaigrette); the seared albacore tuna sandwich (with arugula, sun-dried tomato, black olive tapenade, on a ciabatta bun); charcuterie (country style ham, manchego cheese, quince, toasted hazelnuts, grilled baguette); and more. To celebrate the opening of Reflections for the season, they have offered up a prize for a Miss604 reader that includes lunch for two and bottomless mimosas. Here’s how you can enter to win: Leave a comment on this post (1 entry) Post the following on Twitter (1 entry) RT to enter to win lunch for 2 + mimosas at @RWHotelGeorgia’s #Reflections from @Miss604 http://ow.ly/ldzpb I will draw one winner at random from all entires at 10:00am on Saturday, May 25, 2013. Must be of legal drinking age to enter and use this prize. Please enjoy responsibly. © 2004-2012 Rebecca Bollwitt - Miss604.com. If you are not reading this via official Miss604 channels, this content is being reproduced without permission. The post Win Lunch at Reflections at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia appeared first on Vancouver Blog Miss604.

© 2004-2013 Rebecca Bollwitt - Miss604. Vancouver loves its fun runs and the Radiant Run happening at UBC on a warm, dark August evening promises to have plenty of fun included. This 5km run will feature music along the route and participants are encouraged to wear their “neon, craziest, most wildly bright outfit” along the course to make a moving light parade. The event begins at 6:00pm on Saturday, August 24, 2013 at UBC’s Thunderbird Stadium and the run starts at 8:00pm. The Freshest DJ Collective will supply the music and beats for runners and walkers of all ages and skill levels. The course, which is fairly flat, will be lit with “glow glow dancers”, colourful murals, and lighted installations. It will go along roads and through plazas, and will have areas for spectators (marked on the course map which is coming soon). This is not a competitive race and everyone is encourage to go at their own pace to enjoy the experience. The Afterglow party will have more music, an assortment of Vancouver’s best food carts, and a beer garden (for those of legal drinking age). Registration is now open and the run is limited to just 5,000 participants. Proceeds from the Radiant Run will support the Make-A-Wish Foundation of BC/Yukon and Cystic Fibrosis Canada. Follow the Radiant Run on Facebook and Twitter for more information and be sure to sign up before it sells out. Miss604.com is a Social Media Partner of Vancouver’s first Radiant Run. © 2004-2012 Rebecca Bollwitt - Miss604.com. If you are not reading this via official Miss604 channels, this content is being reproduced without permission. The post Radiant Run Vancouver 2013 appeared first on Vancouver Blog Miss604.

Follow Me Foodie to Surrey Restaurant Week! The 1st Annual Surrey Restaurant Week May 24 – June 2! Enter to win $100! Bet you didn’t see that one coming! I didn’t, but I’m happy to. I flip flop with these “Dine Out” events because often I find they don’t represent the restaurant on a regular night, but I do like the fact that it gives people incentive to support the restaurant industry. I have a soft spot for restaurants in the suburbs because they get overlooked. I’ve found some hidden gems and excellent restaurants and some of my favourite places for Japanese, Indian and Latin food is in fact in the suburbs. Downtown Vancouver has excellent eats, but the ethnic eateries in the suburbs are fantastic to explore. Surrey Restaurant Week is May 24 to June 2 (10 days) and is presented by BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association (BCRFA) and Tourism Surrey. Restaurants are offering 3 course set menus at $20, $30 and $40. Over 40 restaurants in the Guildford, Whalley & Surrey City Centre, Fleetwood, Newton, South Surrey, and Cloverdale neighbourhoods will be participating and the dining options are diverse. I took a look at the participating restaurants and I was ecstatic to see Tokachi (amazing gomaae and sashimi), Taste of Punjab, and McJac’s Roadhouse Grille (get a sourdough loaf to go) participating. Those are some local favs in Surrey, and I hope this gives you incentive to make the trip out and visit them. If you’re already in the neighbourhood, than I’m jealous. Those restaurants can rival restaurants in Metro Vancouver. I’m also really curious about Pachamami Sabor Latino and Morgans Restaurant & Wine Bar as well as a couple others. See  the full list of participating restaurants and menus here. Follow Me Foodie’s Surrey Restaurant Week Contest! I’m giving away a $100 worth of gift certificates to a restaurant of your choice participating in Surrey Restaurant Week. Please see here for participating restaurants and their menus. The gift certificate does not have to be used during Surrey Restaurant Week. How to enter: 1) Comment on this post with which restaurant you would like to try in Surrey Restaurant Week. or 2) Tweet: Follow & RT to enter! I entered to win $100 to dine out during Surrey Restaurant Week from @followmefoodie –> http://bit.ly/14IF55N CONTEST CLOSES FRIDAY May 23 AT 11:59PM. Terms & Conditions: 1. Contest open to Canadian residents. 2. FollowMeFoodie.com and BCRFA retain the right to approve entries. 3. Prize not negotiable, cannot be exchanged or taken as cash. 4. Allow 15 days for prize delivery. 5. If winner does not respond within 30 days of the closing date of the contest another winner will be selected.

© 2004-2013 Rebecca Bollwitt - Miss604. Canadian technology media personality Steve Dotto of Dotto Tech is hosting a series of events around the Lower Mainland with a talented line-up of speakers. The theme for these ProTECHtivity seminars is about being productive with your technology (apps, devices, etc.). The next one is coming up on Thursday in West Vancouver. What: ProTECHtivity North Shore Where: Hollyburn Country Club When: Thursday, May 23, 2013 from 8:00am to 4:30pm Tickets: Available online. WIFI, coffee, and snacks are included. Steve Dotto will be the first speaker of the day, talking about productivity apps, and he will be followed by a coffee break then Victoria’s own Mike Vardy with his session “Personal Productivity Power Session: Task Management”. Darci LaRocque will be up next with “Top Tips Managing your Smartphone AND your Email” and after lunch, Linda Chu’s talk “Paper Chase” will focus on organization. Brooks Duncan will follow with “The Paperless Office”, then Steve will return with “Evernote and Beyond” including some of his essential tool tips to round out the day. I have the pleasure of being invited to Steve’s Dotto Tech show on AM650 radio every few weeks and he’s not only an entertaining and informative speaker, he definitely knows the best tools for the job whatever skill level you might have when it comes to technology. Book your spot today as this event is just a few days away. If you can’t make it to the North Shore, you can catch the same line-up in Victoria on June 6th or in the Fraser Valley on June 20th. Follow @DottoTech on Twitter and Protechtivity on Facebook for more information about this workshop and upcoming events. © 2004-2012 Rebecca Bollwitt - Miss604.com. If you are not reading this via official Miss604 channels, this content is being reproduced without permission. The post ProTECHtivity Workshop in West Vancouver appeared first on Vancouver Blog Miss604.

Photo credit: placbo | Flickr Legend has it that the chicken wing, or Buffalo wing if you prefer, was conceived one winter night in 1964 in Buffalo, New York.  Until then, wings were thought of as scraps – used for stock or just thrown out.  Then Teressa Bellissimo, owner of the humble Anchor Bar, came up with the idea of deep frying the puny little things and tossing them in cayenne sauce.  A bar classic was born. Of course, Vancouver’s no slouch either in the wings’ department.  Pub food aficionados know that there are hundreds of places across the city to get a decent helping, from traditional hot wings to crazy variations incorporating everything from pineapple to curry. This month, many of those delicious wings are being put to the test as part of the inaugural Vancouver Chicken Wings Challenge.  Dozens of restaurants across Metro Vancouver are facing off to take home the title of the city’s best wings, from May 14-June 9.  And – in the democratic spirit of chicken wings – winners are picked not by professional judges but by everyday wing enthusiasts across the city like you. Here’s how it works. Stop into as many of the 14 participating restaurants as you can before June 9 and dig into an order of their wings.  Then log onto contest organizer Vancouver Foodster and vote for your favourites.  According to contest rules, wings should be judged on “originality, creativity, uniqueness, traditional, non-traditional, price, value and most importantly taste.” Here are just a few of this year’s entries to whet your appetite: Kimchi Chicken Wings: The classic Korean condiment inspires this creation at downtown’s Rogue Kitchen: Wings are glazed in a kimchi puree reduced with honey, orange and wheat ale, then served with sliced cucumber and herb salad.  $12.99, Rogue Kitchen and Wet Bar, 601 W. Cordova St.   Confit Chicken Wings:  Downtown’s Kingston Taphouse offers an upscale take on the original: Locally sourced Fraser Valley wing confit is fried in duck fat, then tossed with orange cardamom salt and pepper and drizzled with sherry chervil creme fraiche.  $7,   Kingston Taphouse and Grille, 755 Richards St.  Gramercy Grill’s Chicken Wings: The West Side restaurant puts a pan-Asian spin on the classic recipe: Wings are marinated in pineapple, then dusted with roasted garlic and bell pepper and served over crispy vermicelli and red curry veggies.  $12, Gramercy Grill, 2685 Arbutus St. Grilled Harissa Drumettes: Harissa, the Tunisian hot chile sauce, makes this dish pop at Denman Street’s Sol Sun Belt.  Wings are served with mango salsa and house-made harissa and drizzled with argan oil.  $10-$14, Sol Sun Belt Cookery, 550 Denman St.   See the full list of participating restaurants here. Got your own favourite spot for wings?  Let us know below.   For more updates on Vancouver and beyond, follow me on Twitter @RemyScalza.

I love having Monday off. I feel like summer is just around the corner and we have so many fun activities planned. Can't wait....Here's what I got up to this past weekend!mojito madness // Tableau with Jenni Aquabus to Granville Island // Sushi Taking advantage of Spot Prawn season // making pesto // getting back into the roséLinking up with Sami!

I got them done! I will be taking these flags to Amy to take with her to the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild meeting tomorrow. If these hearts look familiar, it’s because I took them from this…I’m not even sure what I was planning when I made it in the first place, but it worked perfectly for this project. And yes, those are roosters on the heart. For reasons unknown, I want the people of Boston to have them. I stamped the back of both of them with some StazOn (permanent ink) and ironed it on for good measure. Soon they will be off to the United States to go along with all of these flags. It will be beautiful. I still have a lot to clean up in the craft room/guest bedroom. Today I just pushed everything aside and sewed in the middle of the mess. Oscar’s been hanging out in this room a lot – he started going in there when Lorne stayed with us a couple of weeks ago. Oscar can usually be found on the bed.  In between piles of fabric and boxes. SHAMEFUL. He doesn’t seem to mind it too much, though. Well. Maybe he minds a little bit. Alright, alright…I’ll get it done soon.

The Sedins waltzed home to Sweden, entered the tournament, and absolutely kicked ass, propelling the Swedes to a gold medal. How dominant were they? Daniel Sedin scored 1 goal and 5 assists in 4 games. When asked post game what type of hockey "Swedish hockey" is, Daniel said: "boring." And then almost laughed. Dank was injured in the 3rd period when he was checked through an open gate by Swiss player Matthias Bieber. Daniel scored no points in the final game. Henrik Sedin finished with an astounding 4 goals and 5 assists in the 4 games he played. Dominating. He scored 2 goals and had one 1 assist in the gold medal game. How sweet is this reaction: (Photo by Richard Wolowicz/HHOF-IIHF Images) Atta boy, Hank! Now bring some of that...

Earlier this afternoon in the great Scandinavian nation of Sweden, Henrik Sedin put up two goals and an assist — including the game-winner — to lead his Tres Kronor to a World Hockey Championship title over Switzerland. It's the first time the host nation has won gold since 1986. As a fan of the Vancouver Canucks, I was sort of hoping the Sedins would help end a different title drought this spring, but I guess this will do. Here are Henrik's thoughts on the game courtesy of the IIHF's official recap: "It was a tight game," Henrik said. "It could have gone either way, I felt. It was lucky we got our first two goals pretty quickly after their first one. After we scored our third, it felt pretty calm on the bench." A great quote from Swedish Captain Staffan Kronwall on what the Sedins meant to their team: "The Sedins came in and they gave us hope. They came in and changed the team for us, really." Henrik and brother Daniel were a bit late to the party, joining Tres Kronor soon after Vancouver's four-game sweep at the hands of the San Jose Sharks, but they turned Sweden into a contender immediately upon arrival. Henrik finished with 9 points in 4 games, while Daniel finished with 6. Loui Eriksson was Sweden's top scorer with 10 points, but he played in all 10 games. The area where the Sedins helped the most was on the power play, as they were able to take advantage of the larger ice surface to feast on inferior opponents. After fighting to find a groove on the man advantage all season in the NHL, the twins looked refreshed on international ice. Fans are already using this as evidence that somehow Alain Vigneault and the coaching staff were holding Daniel and Henrik back this year, as if the extra room and the considerably lower level of opposition talent had nothing to do with it. The Sedins get all the prime offensive zone shifts and top power play minutes in Vancouver; if they're being stifled by anyone it's the world class players that are usually defending them, not the coaches. There are, however, some interesting questions that arose from their play at the Worlds. First, they were being used to kill penalties, which they have never done in Vancouver. The Sedins proved they can handle a tough defensive workload this season, so perhaps this is something that whomever is coaching the Canucks next season will consider? Secondly, the twins showed great chemistry with linemate Loui Eriksson, who is rumoured to be on the trade market. Is an Edler-for-Eriksson swap a possibility? He's one of the more well-rounded players in the NHL, and would provide the shot of offense the team has needed for two seasons now. With their new super weird gold helmets, the Sedins are one trophy away from hockey's Triple Gold Club. Even though they were a game away in 2011, somehow the twins still carry around this stigma that they can't win when it matters. Because of that, it was fun to see them not just win gold but carry a team while doing it. They proved they can win, and that at 32-years-old they still have a lot left in the tank. Any chance the new coach lets them wear those helmets next season?

Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge Did you blow your entertainment budget on a Mother’s Day gift? A new spring wardrobe? A pre-booked summer getaway? No worries. I’m sure someone deserved it. Toward the end of May, the weather starts behaving (sun, sun, sun) and the jam-packed Vancouver summer event schedule begins. The result? A multitude of free events and activities for local adventurers. So what are you waiting for? From stunning hikes, to summer night markets and admission-by-donation gallery days, get out and experience Vancouver’s best cheap fun. 5 Free Things To Do In Vancouver Now 1) Experience the Vancouver Chinatown Night Market makeover Vancouver’s oldest summer night market, the Vancouver Chinatown Night Market, has stepped up its game by involving new players from the growing Vancouver Chinatown community. Traditional Chinese cuisine and crafts will appear alongside Vancouver’s hottest new food trucks and the young creatives moving into the historic neighbourhood, ranging from pie makers to to purveyors of Chinese cuisine 2.0. Don’t miss a wild new program of arts and entertainment such as Mah Jong Socials, ping pong and outdoor movies. Fridays-Sundays, 6pm to 11pm May 17 through September 8, rain or shine. It’s located on Keefer Street between Main & Columbia. 2) Leg it on a great Vancouver hike Whether you stick close to town and walk the Stanley Park Seawall or head up the fierce 2.9km ascent up Grouse Mountain, known to local masochists as the grind, it’s time to get outside. 3) Browse Vancouver farmers markets Some of Vancouver’s farmers markets (Trout Lake, Kitsilano) are already open for the summer season. Browse local produce, meat, cheese, plants and other sundries ranging from granola to handmade soap. Chat up a producer. Get inspired for your weekly menu. Find the weekend schedules here. 4) Kick it in a world-class Vancouver park Want to play frisbee under the blooms in Queen Elizabeth Park? Or cross the stunning (and for some, nerve-wracking) Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge on your way to a waterfall picnic spot? Whatever your yen, Vancouver parks have got you covered. Use the Vancouver Parks App to find exactly what you’re after:  vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture.aspx 5) Reward your brain at the Vancouver Art Gallery Scope the permanent collections and new exhibits  (we love Grand Hotel) at Vancouver Art Gallery–the largest art gallery in western Canada on Tuesday nights by donation, from 5pm – 9pm. BONUS: Rock the Vancouver Jimi Hendrix Shrine The free Jimi Hendrix Shrine opens in June. But you can start doing your research on Hogan Alley, once home to Vancouver’s African-American population including Jimi’s grandmother, Nora Hendrix, now. The shrine used to be part of Vie’s Chicken and Steak House, the destination for soul food and fantastic shows including performances by Louis Armstrong and Nat King Cole. Today, the shrine features old pictures and memorabilia of Jimi Hendrix and family as well as of the neighborhood. Here’s a short documentary to get you excited. You can easily reach it on foot from Gastown. Opening hours and map here. Want more updates on Vancouver fun? Follow me on Twitter @TJerven