A no messing around guide to the coolest things to eat, drink and do in Vancouver and beyond. Community. Not clickbait.

SCOUT LIST: 10 Things That You Should Absolutely Do Between Now & Next Week

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by Michelle Sproule | The main objective of this website is to scout out and promote the things that make Vancouver such a sweet place to be. We do this with an emphasis on the city’s independent spirit to foster a sense of connectedness within and between our communities, and to introduce our readers to the people who grow and cook our food, play the raddest tunes in our better venues, create our most interesting art, and design everything from what we wear to the spaces we inhabit. The Scout List is our carefully considered, first rate agenda of super awesome things that we’re either doing, wishing that we could do, or conspiring to do this week. You can also check it out in the Globe & Mail, from our calendar to theirs…and yours!

FERMENTATION | Vancouver’s R&B Brewing and the crew at The Bottleneck on Granville Street (right below The Commodore Ballroom) are joining forces to host Beer Feast this Tuesday nigh, which will see Todd Graham of R&B pair a selection of beer with a four course dinner prepared by Bottleneck chef Hugh Carbery. The theme of the evening will be ‘fermented’, so think pickled, smoked and cured meats, cheeses and pickled veggies and – of course – beer. Not bad for a Tuesday night!
Tue, March 11 | Doors 7pm/Dinner 8pm | The Bottleneck (870 Granville) | $60 | DETAILS

WINNOW WEDNESDAY | Gastown’s East Van Roasters make their chocolate from scratch. And when they say “from scratch,” they really mean it. The tiny shop imports, roasts, winnows (removes the papery shell surrounding the bean), and grinds 22kgs of cacao beans for every batch of their house-made chocolates. It’s an involved process and downtown eastside social enterprise relies on the hands many employees and volunteers to get the job done (particularly when it comes to removing the shells from the freshly roasted cocao beans). This Wednesday night you can pull up a chair and learn about chocolate making while you help to winnow. Those willing to donate their time and energy to the noble cause of hand-processing chocolate will be given a cup of tea or house-roasted coffee as well as salty chocolate chip cookies and EVR brownies to snack on. Hang around until the end and you can take some cacao shells home to make tea with.
Wed, March 12 | 6:30-8:30pm | East Van Roasters (319 Carrall) | Free | DETAILS

EXPLORE | Standing proudly at the north end of Burrard Street, Vancouver’s Marine Building, which opened in 1930, is certainly one of the most iconic and stunningly beautiful heritage buildings in the city. If the doorway is any indication of the level of craftsmanship and style of the offices inside, just imagine how impressive it must be to set foot in the art deco-styled penthouse! Next week you will have an opportunity to do just that. On the night of Wednesday, March 12th, the Heritage Vancouver Society will lead an informative tour of the building’s jaw-dropping lobby and gorgeous penthouse. Tickets aren’t cheap, but this will be money well spent, particularly because your 100 beans counts as a donation to the Heritage Vancouver Society (tax receipts will be issued) and there will be a reception that includes wine and hors d’oeuvres.
Wed, March 12 | 5:30-8pm | Marine Building (355 Burrard) | $100 | DETAILS

FILM | The Pacific Cinematheque is running a series of classics that have been meticulously restored by the UCLA Film and Television Archives. In the age of digital, well, everything – the opportunity to watch a film in it’s original 35mm format has become increasingly rare. Don’t miss out on experiencing this medium the way it was intended: 35mm film projected on to a big screen with a bag of popcorn in your lap. Restored films include everything from film noir and comedy to silent films, thrillers and documentaries). This Thursday you can catch Cary Grant in The Thirty Day Princess (6:30pm) and W.C. Fields in International House (8pm). The UCLA Festival of Preservation screenings continue with more shows (Robert Frost: A Lover’s Quarrel with the World on March 20 and Mantrap on March 26).
Thu, March 13 | Various times | Pacific Cinematheque (1131 Howe St) | DETAILS

EVIDENCE | There’s a show on at The Robert Lynds Gallery that I’m interested in checking out. Site[d] is a mixed media series by artist JG Mair that documents details of East Vancouver ‘sites’ by taking them out of their physical context and presenting them in stand alone vignettes, a process that lends the work a somewhat archival feel. The idea (as the artist explains) is that these details “provide a lingering glimpse of the transitory state of the urban fabric. Each work suspends time and space revealing a landscape trapped between decay and growth.” Beyond the larger issues of such as land-development and displacement the collection conveys the depth, history and personality of place. Site[d], the works of JG Mair, has been curated by Michael Bjornson and continues until mid-April.
Now through April 12 | 1639 West 3rd Ave | Free | DETAILS

SCRATCH | Scratchboard is the process of creating drawings and illustrations by using a sharp tool to remove layers of dark clay or ink to reveal a light lower level. Think of it this way: remember when you scribbled a mess of coloured crayon on paper and then covered all of the colour with back crayon so that you could use your fingernails to remove the top layer of wax to create stunning works of kindergarten art? Well, scratchboard works on the same principle but it’s much more refined with results that can look like highly detailed (think beautifully precise linocuts and etchings). This is really the kind of thing you need to see rather than read about, so head to the Hot Art Wet City gallery on Main Street this Friday night to catch the opening of Scratch, a show of new scratchboard artwork by local artist Andrea Hooge. Then you’ll understand. Bonus: Brassneck is only a few doors down and it’s almost always a guarantee that there will be a cool food truck parked outside. To recap, that’s art opening, craft beer and cheap good food. Sounds like a fine Friday night on Main Street.
Fri, March 14| 7pm | Hot Art Wet City (2206 Main St) | DETAILS

LAUNCH | Sad Mag is a cool local magazine that celebrates independent art and culture in Vancouver. It’s issued on a quarterly basis and contains some seriously compelling pages packed with images (film or Polaroid, nothing dig­i­tally manip­u­lated). This Saturday night they’re hosting the launch party for their latest issue (no. 15) Grit & Gristle. This issue will “explore eat­ing and drink­ing in Van­cou­ver, Sad Mag style. We’re inter­ested in the Dive bar, the hole in the wall eatery and new and inno­va­tion foodie things hap­pen­ing in the city: GRIT + GRISTLE. It’s kinda dirty, gritty, but won’t give you food poi­son­ing, we promise. We want to get between your teeth. Chew the fat about Vancouver’s new, strange or fas­ci­nat­ing culi­nary caveats.” Sounds pretty bang on to us! The opening party will include original artwork and photography from the artists who contributed to the magazine.
Sat, March 15 | 7-10pm | Make Studios (257 E. 7th Ave) | Free | DETAILS 

EXPLORE | At the Dr. Sun Yat Sen gardens this month, anthropologist and photographer Evelyn Nodwell is showing a selection of photographs taken during her travels to the villages and small towns of Guizhou Province in China. This Saturday presents a fantastic opportunity to check out Nodwell’s photos because not only will the artist be in attendance, but she will also be joined by National Geographic photographer Sam Abell. The two will have a walking conversation of her works as they are displayed in the Garden’s gallery. Sam Abell has a forty-year photographic career under his belt, including having one of his images (have a look) named one of the 50 greatest pictures ever made at National Geographic. He’s also a bit of an expert on gardens so this is likely to be an interesting event.
Sat, March 15 | 2pm – 4pm | Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens | Chinatown | DETAILS

WINTER FARMERS MARKET | Stay strong, take your vitamins, and eat well by loading the fridge with fresh, local food. Shoot over to 30th and Ontario to get your fill of fruits and veggies. Look for kale, crispy apples, leeks, beets, potatoes and squash, as well as goodies like baked goods, preserves and local honey. Yay farmers!
Sat, March 15 | 10am – 2pm | East Parking Lot Nat Bailey Stadium | DETAILS

CULTURE | Opera Pro Cantanti is performing Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi Sunday night. From Opera Pro Cantanti: “While families at war swear eternal hatred, two young hearts are inextricably bound in love. The result is tragedy at its most poignant. With soaring melodies, glorious harmonies and a timeless theme, I Capuleti e i Montecchi is one of Bellini’s true masterpieces.” The setting of the Cambrian Hall makes this community scale performance intimate and thoroughly enjoyable. Plus Don’t Argue Pizza is just down the block for post performance pizza and beer.
Sun, March 16 | 7pm | Cambrian Hall (215 E 17@ Main) | $18 (not including pizza) | DETAILS  

Check the Globe & Mail every Thursday for our Special Weekend Edition of the Scout List

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late-may-2009-169Michelle Sproule grew up in Kitsilano and attended University in Australia and the University of Victoria before receiving her graduate degree in Library Sciences from The University of Toronto. She lives in beautiful Strathcona and enjoys wandering aimlessly through the city’s shops and streets with her best friend – a beat up, sticky, grimy, and uncooperative camera.

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