The Greedy Pig

From The Greedy Pig

I met a friend today for lunch at the Greedy Pig in Gastown (Cordova St). The Greedy Pig is a great little lunch spot that serves high-end sandwiches. They also have a decent wine list. In the evening, this place turns into a full blown wine bar. It is frequented by employees of the nearby Vancouver video game company Electronic Arts (they represented nearly 100% of the clientele today).

Sandwiches go for about $11 with wine by the glass starting at $6.
Today, I had the killer Roast Beef (from Oyama on Granville Island), Foie Gras, and Mushroom sandwich ($11) and a Peter Lehman Shiraz ($8 glass). My friend had their Ratatouille Sandwich ($11) which happens to be their only vegetarian option. The sandwiches are small, but very tasty.

An overall thumbs up from me.

Tequila Tasting at Bryan's

Bryan and Harry hosted a Tequila Tasting Event at Bryan's place in the West End. Harry is a big time and well-known wine expert in town and Tequila tasting is a bit outside his usual worlld of wine. He did a great job contextualizing for us, though. My preferences seem to lean towards the un-oaked Reposados. Price also didn't follow my preferences.

Good times.

Bosa Foods Italian Supermarket

From Bosa Foods

I have been a regular at the Bosa Foods store on Victoria Drive for many years. It is literally a 5 minute walk from my home near Commercial Drive. Sometime last year, they opened their new giant location on Kootenay St (near Boundary and First Ave).

I was preparing for a dinner party Saturday night so I popped in for some ingredients. The pictures, I hope, will speak for themselves.

Chambar

From Chambar

Chambar is one of my favorite restaurants in Vancouver. The food is fantastic and the service is impeccable. It manages to feel casual and "high-end" at the same time. I like to sit up front by the window where the ambience feels more "pub-like". You can choose to sit at the back to have a more "white-linen" experience.

Chambar is often described as a "Belgian" restaurant. Sure...they have a good selection of Belgian beer (not the best in town - Stella's on Commercial Dr holds that crown) and Moule Frite. I consider it closer to a casual French bistro with middle-eastern influences perhaps?

In any case, my favorite way of eating at Chambar (and at any restaurant, really) is to sample round after round of small-plates. Their appetizers are fanastic (I like the charred octopus and the foie gras terrine).

They have an excellent cocktail menu and a highly skilled mixologist. Try the jasmine tea infused maritini - I don't recall what it is called.

Cheers!