AWESOME THING WE DRANK #671: Summer “Junmai Sour” At Fat Dragon On The DTES

We’re in the office currently fantasizing about the “Junmai Sour”, an original sipper from barman Matt Martin at Powell St.’s new Fat Dragon Bar-B-Q. Think fruit tea-steeped sake and gin frothed with egg white and given licks of lemon, sugar, orange blossom and mint on ice. That’s a pretty exotic (not to mention ideal) amalgam to compliment weather like this, and so we fixate, trapped and longing…

GOODS: Powell’s “Cadeaux Bakery” Has You Covered For Sweet Mother’s Day Solutions

Cadeaux Bakery is located at 172 Powell Street in Vancouver, BC | 604-608-8889 www.cadeauxbakery.com

The GOODS from Cadeaux Bakery

Vancouver, BC | Cadeaux Bakery is ready for Mother’s Day (this Sunday!) with all manner of gifts for Mom; everything from small and large cakes and pastries to a variety of decadent desserts. Be sure to get your orders in now for customized cakes and tarts, or swing by to pick up some beautiful hand-rolled truffles, made fresh daily. We’ve definitely got something that every mother would love. Learn more about the bakery after the jump… Read more

GOODS: “Cadeaux Bakery” On Powell Street Has Joined The Growing Scout Community

We’ve invited Cadeaux Bakery on the DTES to join our curated GOODS section as a recommended place for daily indulgences (mmm, sticky buns). They’re now proud members of Scout, and as such we will be posting their news in addition to hosting a page for them on our awesome list of independent goodnesses. We’d like to take this chance to thank them for their support of Scout, and for making BC a tastier place to live.

ALL THE LOCAL “GOODS”

Seen In Vancouver #364: Heeled “Shoefiti” Bomb Above Main St. Between Union & Prior

Evidence of “Shoefiti” – the act of tying a pair of shoes’ laces together and throwing them like a bolas up and around a telephone wire so that they hang down as decoration – is everywhere in Vancouver. More often than not, the ones we see are just the result of a new pair of shoes. But sometimes they’re used as markers. They could advertise the presence of a drug dealer, or a memorial, or a skatespot, or countless other things. You may have even heard tell of entire graduating classes throwing shoes up en masse around their campuses, or construction workers tossing them up to mark a completed project, or of soldiers painting their combat boots yellow and hanging them outside their respective bases whenever they come home from tours of duty, but the point of the “bomb” on the West side of Main between Prior & Union is lost on us. It’s just a few blocks away from our office, but we’ve only just noticed it. All of the shoes are high heels, which makes it – as far as we know – one of a kind in this town. Is it new or old? Is it an expression of memorial for missing women, the late night consequence of a ladies night that got out of control, or a meaningless pile-on? We’ve asked around and found no reference to it on the web, so we have no proper clue. Spill the beans if you know the score…

EVERYTHING SEEN IN VANCOUVER

The View From Your Window #132

From D.D. | Carrall & Cordova in Gastown | Vancouver, BC | 11:14pm | SHARE YOUR VIEW

We love posting the photographs that reveal the views from our reader’s windows. Whether it’s a back alley in the fall or a sandy beach in high summer, we’re always stoked to see what you see from home, work or while on the road. Some of our all-time favourite reader submissions below… Read more

GOODS: Fat Dragon & The Two Campagnolos Are Primed For Walk-Ins This Mother’s Day

Campagnolo Roma is located at 2297 East Hastings Street in Vancouver, BC | 604-569-0456 | www.campagnoloroma.com

The GOODS from Fat Dragon, Campagnolo, and Campagnolo Roma

Vancouver, BC | Mother’s Day is upon us and we want to help you show your mom some appreciation. Join us at Campagnolo & Campagnolo ROMA for brunch or Fat Dragon Bar-B-Q for lunch, Sunday, May 13. Mom will receive a single stem flower while supplies last and our bar team has designed some beautiful spring time cocktails with her in mind. Reservations aren’t available, so just come on in! Get all the details on the special cocktails after the jump… Read more

SEEN IN VANCOUVER #362: What’s Up With The 400 Block Of Columbia St. In Chinatown?

by Michelle Sproule | There’s been a lot of cool stuff going down on a single stretch of the DTES lately. The 400 block of Columbia is being transformed into something of a magnet to young, independent Vancouver creatives. It is already home to Shudder Gallery, Beats & Bikes, and Positive Negative Gallery, and very soon it will welcome a new shop called Duchesse Vintage & Such, the new headquarters of small scale design house Strathcona Carpentry, and a German street food parlour called Bestie. Here’s a little skinny on each one…

Duchesse Vintage and Such

430 Columbia Street | Anna McLean & Anna MacLellan | Anticipated opening: June, 2012

Duchesse is going to be sweet vintage shop for both men and women. It’ll offer a carefully curated assemblage of vintage clothing, furniture, housewares and all manner of oddities. Ricky Alvarez is doing the interior design and Glasfurd & Walker are doing all the logo, branding and signage work (see Bao Bei, Meat & Bread, etc.). Can’t wait for this one. Anna(s) got taste!

Positive Negative Gallery

436 Columbia Street | Adam Lupton | Open

“Positive Negative is all about creativity: the thought, the expression, and the execution that creative people pour into their passion – their work.” It’s an artist-run gallery that loves showing and promoting local and international artists and designers every month. Colin Moore’s show Monsters of Görlitzer Park is up and running until May 5th, and then it’s the international polaroid show Anywhere But Here from May 16th to June 2nd. The gallery is open Wednesday to Saturday from 1pm until 5pm. Check it out if you haven’t already.

Beats & Bikes

420 Columbia Street | Justin Jung, Syavash Yorish, German Pombo | Open

Beats & Bikes is a collective group of local designers, musicians, artists and makers that work on creative projects that involve music and bikes. They’re also the folks that brought us this rad PSA on what happens when you steal a bike.

Shudder Gallery

433 Columbia St. | Director:  Mysa Kaczkowski | Asst. Coordinator/Designer: Sylvana D’Angelo | Asst. Coordinator: Sharona Franklin | Open

“Encouraging national participation from artists and performers across Canada for the last 5 years, Shudder Gallery aims to promote all forms of contemporary creative communication and visual arts for the emerging artist. Opening a dialogue within the community and across Vancouver, Shudder is a platform for discussion and discovery.” Be quick to drop in to check out Alex Heilbron’s Haphy, “a light-hearted but emphatic response to the habitual interpretation of contemporary art.” The show only runs until this Saturday, May 5th.

Strathcona Carpentry: Chinatown Experiment

324 Columbia St. | Devon Abson and Devon McKenzie | Opening Soon(ish)

Devon and Devon of Strathcona Carpentry are the contractors behind Gastown’s Housexguest and Strathcona’s Board of Trade aesthetic, as well as numerous residential projects. Their new space is going to function primarily as an office but the storefront will provide a platform for testing out new construction processes, design ideas and to judge the so-called sustainability of new “eco products”. The idea for the experiment portion of their project evolved from their own need as small contractors to try to gain knowledge to build sustainably but remain profitable even on small scale projects.

Bestie

105 East Pender (at Columbia) | Clinton McDougall and Dane Brown | Opening in August

We broke the news on Bestie recently. As you may recall, it’s going to be a 25 seat sausage and beer restaurant in the old “Panda On Pender” location at 105 East Pender just off Columbia (look for the old “Chinese Records, Books, Tapes” sign). Though it technically isn’t on the 400 block like the others, it does share the same secret back alley.  As we wrote previously, their concept is simple: three sausages, three beers, three sides, three sauces, and three wines on tap. Stoked.

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It’s a diverse group, and there’s much to anticipate. As a nearby resident, I’m thrilled about each and every one. I’m sure some of my neighbours would decry them as “gentrifiers” or the foot soldiers thereof (because we all know young artisans, first time restaurateurs, and curators are just rolling in it), but that brand of blinkered assumption comes with the territory. They’re each and every one of them young, independent-minded Vancouverites, and no one should fault them for making a go of it. There’s also word of a biker-friendly cafe going in on the same block, but the owners don’t yet have possession and are hesitant to discuss it publicly until they have a signed deal. We’ll have more on that as it develops, but in the meantime, give this block a proper stroll. Though only three of the above are open now (the rest are coming this summer), it’s still very much worth a wander.

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Michelle 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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GOODS: Railway St.’s “Union Wood & Supply Co.” Tabling New Wares From Texan Safari

Union Wood & Supply Company is located at 503 Railway St. in Vancouver, BC | 604-675-9033 | www.unionwoodco.com

The GOODS from Union Wood & Supply Co.

Vancouver, BC | This week at Union Wood Co. we unpacked another box of finds from our recent trip to Texas. We picked up some really unique pieces. Here are three highlights:

1. Oversized vintage raw steel arrow
2. Adjustable height vintage stage light with copper fittings
3. Antique industrial stretcher rescue basket

Learn more about the shop after the jump… Read more

GOODS: Railtown’s “Two Chefs & A Table” Offering Brunch Three Ways On Mother’s Day

Two Chefs And A Table is located at 305 Alexander Street | 778- 233-1303 | www.twochefsandatable.com

The GOODS from Two Chefs And A Table

Vancouver, BC | Mother’s Day brunch is a ritual for many families and this Sunday, May 13th Two Chefs and a Table will offer its brunch three different ways in two cities to allow the widest ranges of moms to enjoy its wildly popular made-from-scratch classics. Along with a traditional Two Chefs brunch in their Gastown bistro, Mother’s Day will also see the return of the pop-up brunch at Cork & Fin and the first-ever brunch service offered at Two Chefs Richmond.

Requests for brunch have been a constant since Two Chefs Richmond opened last August and this Mother’s Day, those requests will be answered with a full à la carte service of Two Chefs and a Table brunch classics like Monsieur Andre’s breakfast, Big Lou’s Breakfast and a range of Hashes and Benedicts. Brunch in Richmond will be served from 9am-2pm and reservations can be made by calling 604-233-7769.

Mother’s Day will also see the return of the Two Chefs/Cork & Fin pop-up brunch in Cork & Fin’s gorgeous Maple Tree Square room. The most popular items from the last pop-up like Crab Benny, Shrimp & Grits and Short Rib Hash will be carried over alongside some brand-new seafood-themed brunch creations. Brunch is $24.50pp including fresh pastries, a Mimosa and choice of brunch entrée. Reservations can be made by calling 604-569-2215 or at corkandfin.ca.

A full brunch service will also be offered at Two Chefs and a Table’s airy Railtown Bistro with extended hours for Mother’s Day. Seating will be first-come, first-served making this a great option for brunch those families who’d rather not make reservations. More after the jump… Read more

GOODS: “Fat Dragon Bar-B-Q” Celebrating Local Spot Prawns With A Feast On May 17th

Fat Dragon Bar-B-Q is located at 566 Powell Street in Vancouver BC | 604-558-0880 | www.fatdragonbbq.com

The GOODS from Fat Dragon

Vancouver, BC | Enter the Dragon! BC Spot Prawn season is right around the corner and we are keeping the tradition of our annual BC Spot Prawn Boil alive at Fat Dragon Bar-B-Q, the newest addition to our restaurant family. We are starting with one date – Thursday, May 17. Only 12 seats are available, so gather around a communal table and chow down on local, sustainable BC spot prawns, Sawmill Bay clams and Fat Dragon hot links all simmered in a savoury broth with Asian ingredients including daikon radish, long beans, bok choy, bamboo shoots, ginger, lemongrass and red chilies. Details after the jump… Read more

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