Best food weekend. Ever!

I went to Vancouver last weekend, and ate really well...as I tend to do in Vancouver.

Upon arrival in Vancouver, and exhausted from the 4-hour drive through Seattle and Vancouver traffic, Jessica and I made a beeline to one of my favourite sushi restaurants in Vancouver, Kitsilano Sushi. We both got the sushi special which includes miso soup, california roll, tuna roll and theVancouver specialty, yam tempura roll. All for the low low price of 5.95$! I heart Vancouver's fast-food-sushi-addiction! I switched out my tuna roll for a spicy dynamite roll, and Jessica got chopped scallop roll (also one of my faves) instead of california roll. We also got edamame. Jessica had never had a yam tempura roll before. She was impressed.

Bellies filled we went to Safeway to find ourselves costumes for the party. It had an ocean theme, and given that we had both were wearing green shirts, we decided to go as algae (me) and sea kelp (Jessica). We managed to score FREE green ribbon from the nice gentleman at the flower department which we tied around our wrists, arms, belt loops and hair. The party was awash with sailors and Hawaiian girls; we awarded ourselves the Most Creative Costume award and we accepted graciously.

Post-party, we awoke (in the car - long story) with a craving for eggs. So we went to Sophie's on 4th. I ordered Eggs Florentine...my all-time favourite way of eating eggs! (Who can resist the oooey-gooeyness of the egg yolk intermingling with the hollandaise sauce and the spinach, and the crunchiness of the English muffin underneath...mmmm....) Jessica had never had Eggs Florentine before. I let her have a bite of mine and she was impressed. Jessica had scrambled eggs with turkey sausage. Summary: Sophie's makes delicious food!

After brekkie, we swung by the house and picked up Kerstin and Kirsten and we all went to MEC for and outdoors-wear shopping extravaganza. I bought a new backpack with waterpouch-holding capabilities. (I can't seem to go to this store WITHOUT buying a new bag...so dangerous!) To be honest, I have used it for a couple of days, and I'm not a huge fan. I wish it was a little bit bigger and I wish the pocket placement was more accessible/more numerous. Oh well, it carries 2 L of water and is good for hiking. Jessica bought a new rain jacket and Kirsten bought a whole lotta stuff, including the EXACT SAME BAG that I bought, and ANOTHER EXACT SAME BAG THAT I ALREADY HAVE for Natascha. Well, at least they don't live in the same city as me so we won't mix up bags like Karen McCaig and I used to do with our blue MEC satchels.

Tired from shopping, we went to Kitsilano Beach and laid in the grass. A bird flew by and pooped on me. I was not impressed. At least Kirsten did not take a photo of this and post it on Facebook like she did to Natascha. Or did she...

Around 7pm we met up with Pam and her friend Peter and had sushi "lunch" and another delicious sushi restaurant on 4th (name forgotten, but I went there once with Matteo). I didn't keep track of what everyone else ate, but I had Alaska Roll. Yum!

Then we went back to Kits Beach and watched the Fireworks Competition on sleeping bags in the sand. While we waited for the show to start, I taught Jessica to sing O Canada (...she's American...). She tried to teach me the Star Spangled Banner, but could not remember all the lyrics. (Booo! Bad American!) The fireworks were so-so. If Seattle were entered into this so-called international competition they would surely win...I did not see a 3D cube or planets, and the music was accompanying rather than enhancing the display. I found my mind wandering to my next meal...

Mmmm...Nevermind. Ok, so this place is possibly one of my favourite bars in Vancouver...The service is usually pretty lousy, but the food and drinks are really good (unless you like beer, then it's kind of expensive). My absolutely favourite menu item at this place is the Spiked Crab and Spinach Dip with Navajo Fry Bread and Tortilla Chips Drizzled with Balsamic Syrup. I have capitalized it, because it deserves it...Sometimes I daydream about this dish, and a little bit of drool will leak out of my mouth and I have to suck it back in. (Like now.) I had been raving to Jessica about this dip and the accompanying fry bread for 7 months, and of course she had never had it before. It did not disappoint, and Jessica was impressed. They also make delicious martinis. And a mean spicy Caesar (the drink not the salad or the Roman emperor). I opted for the Caesar because you can't get Caesars in the U.S. because they don't have Clamato(!!) The Caesars at Nevermind come with one or (if you are lucky) two marinated green beans. I think it is one of my all-time favourite drinks. Jessica had never had a Caesar before. I let her have a sip of mine, and she was impressed.

The next morning we had a light breakfast of a croissant, nectarines and an organic latte. All very satisfying.

Then we went shopping on Granville (the cool part, not the sketchy downtown part). I didn't buy anything but Kirsten and Jessica bought got new sandals.

For lunch we opted away from the all-you-can-eat sushi since there were only three of us, and had Korean food at Shabusen instead. I had forgotten how much I heart Korean food, especially all the little accoutrements that come with your main meal (I had grilled beef). My favourites remain the tofu, kimchi, the bean sprouts with the seeds at the ends, and the white radish. We were pretty stuffed by the end.

The ride back was pretty uneventful. We got lost finding the border. Jessica perfected O Canada. We stopped at the Seattle Premium Outlet on the way back and I bought some trouser shorts from the Gap Outlet before they closed for the day.

Summary: Good food and good laughs in Vancouver. (See, Daddy! I DID eat crab in Vancouver!) In Vancouver we counted 32 Priuses (almost exclusively taxis), 31 Minis (!) and 6 (?) Smart cars. South of the border there were 26 Priuses, 3 Minis and 7 Honda Elements. What do you make of that??