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

The Scout List, Vol. 448

Autumn in Strathcona | photo: Michelle Sproule

From our calendar to yours comes this carefully considered agenda of cool things we are doing, wishing we could do, or conspiring to do in Vancouver from November 22 to November 28, 2017. Please note that you can now get the Scout List – with a few extra pieces of intel included – sent to your inbox every Thursday. Sign up for your subscription in the sidebar.

NOODLES + WINE | Have you looked out the window? The last of the leaves are dropping from the trees and there are puddles the size of small lakes. This is just the kind of almost-winter day that you want to slide up to a hot bowl of soup and a nice glass of wine in comfortable corner and watch the world go by. Good news: sous chef Jian Hui Cheng and sommelier Meghan Carr (both from Savio Volpe) join forces for a one-night-only Singaporean Laksa pop-up at The Federal Store tonight that checks all the boxes: noodles, natural wines, Singaporean beer and cozy vibes. Thurs, Nov 23 | 7-10pm | Federal Store (2601 Quebec Street) | DETAILS

OPENING | The Course of a Distant Empire opens at Winsor Gallery this week. This will be the first comprehensive exhibition of the Vancouver-based figurative painter Jay Senetchko, and it looks to be a good one! Senetchko is a storyteller, painter and thinker who creates fantastically detailed, slightly dark art. Expect a spectacle-based exhibition focused on the philosophy that “time, space and reality are part of a recurring cycle, rather than a linear series of events with an eschatological end.” Try to put all of that in a painting (it takes a big canvas!). We love Senetchko’s work. Check it out with us at the opening on Thursday night (show continues to January 3rd).  Thu, Nov. 23 | 6-8pm | Winsor Gallery (258 East 1st Ave.) | DETAILS

BUY ART | We say it every year: return those empties, sell some books, dip into the piggy bank — do whatever you have to do to pull together some cash and then get yourself to Emily Carr’s legendary Student Art Sale this weekend. It’s one of the best ways to score original works by talented local artists before they’re “discovered” and their prices climb beyond the reach of us normal folk. Browse through everything from paintings and prints to sculptures and clothes. Also, this is a great excuse to slip in and take a wander around the new campus! Nov. 24-26 | 12pm-5pm (8pm on Friday) | Emily Carr University of Art & Design (520 East 1st Ave.) | DETAILS

WABI-SABI | The Winter Shop at Atelier St. George (7e7) kicks off this weekend. Not familiar? 7e7 is an extension of the aesthetically elevated and much loved Le Marché St. George. The 7e7 showroom is a larger space just off of Main Street on East 7th, “a haven for design-centric people who appreciate beautiful objects in all of its handmade imperfections.” The winter shop, inspired by ‘bonfires, skating on frozen rivers, black branches scratching snow’, will see the serene, stunning studio filled with quietly beautiful objects. Expect Janaki Larsen Ceramics, The Wild Bunch flowers, clothing by Mandula, Cloth Studio textiles, Bocci Lighting, Klee Larsen art and photography, Karin Carlander textiles, art by Patricia Larsen, and much more. Nov. 25 – Dec. 23 | 11-6 Mon-Sat (11-5 Sun) | 7 East 7th Ave | DETAILS

MAKE | Chinatown’s art, craft and creation hub Blim is offering a beginner’s screenprint workshop this weekend. The three hour class will walk you through the process of burning an image to a screen with photo emulsion. This image can then be used to print on paper or textiles. The cost of the workshop includes an 8×10 screen burn that you get to take home so that you can continue to develop your screen printing craft in your PJs (if you want to). This is a fine time of year to get crafty! Sat, Nov. 25 | 2–5pm | Blim (115 Pender St.) | $80 | DETAILS

FILM | If you’re feeling the need for some European culture but travelling is too time consuming, costly or complicated, get a quick fix at The Cinematheque’s 20th European Union Film Festival this week. 25 films from 25 EU member countries, including award winners and official Oscar submissions, should do the trick (even if you can’t catch all 25, one or two and a side of buttered popcorn could transport you just long enough). For a full listing of films and their associated details, have a look here. Nov.24-Dec 4 | Various times | Pacific Cinematheque (1131 Howe St.) | DETAILS

BIRDS OF A FEATHER | Don’t hold your breath waiting for sunshine, put on your gumboots and grab a hot coffee or tea and hustle down to Stanley Park for a dose of nature on Sunday morning. The Stanley Park Ecology Society has organized a guided walk that will focus on seabirds. Learn how to identify species, hear a little bit about seasonal bird behaviour, and fill your lungs with some outstanding fresh air while you’re at it. Bonus: it’s surf scoter season!
Sun, Nov. 26 | 9-11am | Stanley Park Nature House on Lost Lagoon | $by donation | DETAILS

PARTY | Local designer, musician and all-around awesome personality Isabelle Dunlop is opening up her Main Street studio/shop next Tuesday from 8-10pm to celebrate the addition of a new Sean McFarland painting. Guests will be treated to an evening of acoustic music performed from the front couch with a line-up of no less than seven local musicians (including her own band, Combine the Victorious). Besides enjoying an intimate show among lovely people, it’s also an opportunity to check out Dunlop’s latest colourful fashion creations, featuring some amazing Italian wool. It’s going to be quite the shindig! Tue, Nov. 28 | 8 – 10pm | 4158 Main St. | FREE

LECTURE | Get over to the newly opened Polygon Gallery in North Vancouver next week. The $18 million, 24,000 sqft Patkau Architects-designed stunner of a building is worth a wander on its own, but this coming Tuesday night the gallery will also host a public lecture in which London curator Vali Mahlouji will discuss Archaeology of the Final Decade, a unique curatorial think tank that “makes vivid the intersections of art, society, feminism, law and religion, and the impact of social displacement and erasures on cultural memory and the present condition.” For a more in-depth look at lecture details, check the event page here. Polygon Gallery is located on the waterfront in the Lower Lonsdale. Tue, Nov. 28 | Tue–Sun, 10am–5pm | 101 Carrie Cates Court, North Van | $ by donation | DETAILS

HEADS-UP | The Empty Bowls Project is holding their annual ceramics sale next Wednesday night and we’re letting you know about it now so that you have time to clear your schedule, line your pockets with cash and make your way to Cartems Donuterie to score yourself a sweet selection of handmade bowls. The Empty Bowls project is an annual fundraiser that sees a whack of super talented local pottery artists donating their work to this by donation sale so that money can be raised for Backpack Buddies, a great program that makes sure that over 1,400 inner city school kids who rely on school meal programs during the week have healthy food to eat over the weekend. Expect to see over 70 pieces, everything from funky to functional. This is a great opportunity to pick up a present or two — maybe even a bowl for yourself. Wed, Nov. 29 | 4-7pm | Cartems (2190 Main St.) | DETAILS

FURTHER AFIELD….

NEW WEST | Everything feels further when it’s wet outside, but don’t let the rainy weather dampen your need to explore! We suggest getting bundled up and checking out the New West Quay. The old city and its riverside take on an especially nostalgic and magical quality on these rainy days. Only a foot-bridge’s length away from the New West skytrain is the recently updated River Market which is host to a full calendar of family-friendly events and has no shortage of tantalizing food choices to fuel your ventures. Since no decision is often the best decision, we suggest grabbing a Food Crawl passport to make the most of your options, which vary from tacos to Thai. You can get your art fix just a short jaunt away at the New Media Gallery and warm up with a beverage from the Old Crow Coffee Co. down the street. Next, walk along the Fraser River boardwalk to Steel & Oak Brewing Co. and get cozy with some great local beers and vinyl tunes. If you want to make the very most of your visit, this weekend (Sat, Nov. 25th) is also Pecha Kucha Vol. 17.

VICTORIA | If you happen to be on the Island this weekend – or want an excuse to get out of town – then take note that on Saturday, November 25th, Category 12 Brewing is throwing their 3rd Anniversary Bash. Not only is the brewery opening up their facilities for the celebration, but party-goers will also be treated to a special surprise: the opportunity to try the four brand new beers they’ve spent the past year brewing up for the occasion. Considering Category 12’s current and previous quirky offerings (like the “Anti-Pumpkin Beer” Zombie Repellant Ale) we’re sure that whatever is in store will be memorable. Tickets are limited to 125 and are by donation ($15 suggested minimum), so snag yours now! Sat, Nov. 25 | Category 12 Brewing | 2200 Keating Cross Road #C, Saanichton | 6:30 – 10pm DETAILS 

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