Walking (and Eating) Through Vancouver BC

Every year or two, BowlingWidow and I like to hop on Amtrak and take a short trip north or south.  Typically that means either Portland, Oregon or Vancouver BC.  Both are great cities to visit.  This year, as in 4^th of July’s past, we chose Canada.  We didn’t have a real agenda and wanted to check out a couple of places we haven’t been before as well as some old favorites.

  

Vancouver:  Looking West Toward Stanley Park

One of those new places is North Vancouver.  It’s just a 10 minute SeaBus ride away from the downtown waterfront and the fare is included in the daily SkyTrain passes we bought.  North Vancouver is fairly easy to experience in just a few hours as most of the shops and restaurants are located on Lonsdale Street.  We had lunch at a Greek restaurant called Anatoli Souvlaki on lower Lonsdale near the ferry terminal, and can recommend it as a good place to eat.  My wife particularly liked her Greek Salad and Spanakopita.  We also happened upon a decent brewpub, Sailor Hagar’s, a few blocks off of Lonsdale.  It was surprisingly good, as Canadian brewpubs are very hit and miss (usually miss) when compared to what we have in the Northwest.  One more word about North Vancouver:  elevation.  Be prepared to walk up a long hill if you’re touring the area on foot.
      

Looking At The City from North Vancouver

Speaking of food (and when am I not?) we found a really cool Jewish bakery and deli, Solly’s, in the Broadway neighborhood, south of town.  We liked their bagel (with a generous amount of cream cheese) and coffee special so much that we went there twice for breakfast.  And at around six bucks for two of us it was a bargain.
      

Solly's Bagels:  A Must Visit...Twice For Us!

Since we’ve got Greek and Jewish cuisine fairly well covered here, let’s move on to the other two ethnic styles we had, in no particular order.  After a pint at the Yaletown Brewing Company (not surprisingly in the trendy new Yaletown neighborhood) we walked next door to an unassuming restaurant we nearly walked past called L’Antipasto.  This is a good Italian restaurant with prices that aren’t through the roof.  I recommend the Ravioli alla Filly, which is ravioli stuffed with lobster and crab served with a fresh tomato sauce.  BowlingWidow made a meal out of a couple of the fine tapas they have on the menu.

The City Turned Granville Street Into a Latino Fest for a Day!

    
In past years, to cover Asian cuisine, we’ve bypassed Chinatown and headed straight to the suburb of Richmond, 10 miles south of the city.  Usually we go for dim sum and have had good luck, but wanted to try something different and went to a noodle house, Neptune Wonton Noodle, in the Golden Village Shopping Center.  And get something different we did.

My noodle bowl with beef was no doubt a favorite of the regulars but to our palates, the spices and sauces were a bit too fish flavored.  BowlingWidow figured she'd be safe by ordering what was essentially a bowl of chicken noodle soup, but the chicken parts, only partly cooked and complete with bones and fat was a bit much for her to handle.  Next time in Vancouver I think we'll be back to dim sum.

A Nice Evening at The Alibi Room

Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention a stellar ale house we found a short block east of the Gastown District.  It's called The Alibi Room and is a must visit for any beer aficionado who shows up in Vancouver.  There are around 50 interesting beers on draft, most from Canada and the US West Coast.  If you want to eat there, you can do so successfully but with a limited menu.

I'll close with a few fun photos from the trip.

At The Train Station in Everett:  Don't Worry, No Humping Took Place

 

Ketchup Chips:  A Major Canadian Food Group

Vancouver May Not Be As Sanitary As Thought Upon Further Investigation

 

High Fiber Cereal in a Vancouver Grocery Store