Vancouver Street Food: An Olympic Guide

February 18, 2010 By Remy Leave a Comment

Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared on the Inside Vancouver blog, as part of special coverage of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Vancouver's got great restaurants, but what about its street food?

The secret is officially out on Vancouver’s food scene. Earlier this month, The New York Times declared Vancouver among “the best eating towns in the history of the Winter Games.” Gourmands and epicures the world over are – at this very moment – feverishly blogging about the city’s innovative restaurants and chic-chic bistros. But for me, a city’s culinary clout isn’t just about the gourmet stuff. To truly be a culinary capital, a city has to deliver on the low-end, as well. And it doesn’t get any lower end than street food – no waiters, no tables, not even a door. New York’s got great street food. So does Tokyo. But how does Vancouver stack up? The answer: If you can find street food in Vancouver, it’s bound to be good. But finding it is the tricky part. Stringent health and sanitation by-laws mean there are very few vendors actually selling food on city streets. There are plenty of hot dog carts, of course, but not the kind of cornucopia of sweet and savory treats you see in other places. However, what Vancouver lacks in abundance, it makes up for in diversity, novelty and sheer deliciousness.  [Read more...]

Filed Under 2010 Olympics, Food & Wine, Vancouver, blog entry Tagged With 2010 Olympics, Babylon Cafe, Cafe Crepe, Japadog, street food, Vancouver

The Mass Transit Pub Crawl: Vancouver’s Canada Line

February 17, 2010 By Remy Leave a Comment

Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared on the Inside Vancouver blog, as part of special coverage of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Granville Street is one stop on the unofficial Canada Line pub crawl.

The Olympics have transformed Vancouver in many ways, not the least of which was the construction of the Canada Line – the city’s gleaming new rapid transit system. Built over four years and at a cost of more than $2 billion, the Canada Line enables Olympic visitors to zip all the way from the airport into downtown Vancouver in fewer than 30 minutes. And after the Games are finished, it will allow commuters from the city’s suburbs easy access to the heart of the city, saving time and reducing Vancouver’s carbon footprint. But the Canada Line can also be put to less noble purposes. [Read more...]

Filed Under 2010 Olympics, Food & Wine, Vancouver, blog entry Tagged With 2010 Olympics, Canada Line, pub crawl, Railway Club, Vancouver

Olympics for Procrastinators: So you still wanna come to Vancouver

February 7, 2010 By Remy Leave a Comment

Like birthdays and anniversaries, Olympics tend to be the kind of thing that sneaks up on you.  Next Friday, the 21st installment of the Olympic Winter Games kicks off in Vancouver.  Now, I live here.  For at least the last five years, it’s been just about all anyone has talked about.  But I know that the rest of the world has had more pressing things to worry about than crowning the next Nancy Kerrigan.  The good news is that if you still want to come, there are plenty of flights, beds and tickets available (For a price, of course).  I broke it all down for The Washington Post.

Vancouver Snapshot: Last-minute travelers’ sprint is a quadrennial Olympic event

By Remy Scalza, Special to The Washington Post

So between slogging your way through the Great Recession and following the inaugural season of “Jersey Shore,” you haven’t had much time to think about the Olympic Winter Games starting in Vancouver, B.C., on Friday. But now, all of a sudden, those Morgan Freeman commercials for Visa — the ones with the slow-mo shots of Olympic glories past — have you in the spirit. You want in, front-row center, as the next generation of Apolo Ohnos is crowned.

Is it too late? Maybe not.

Click here for the full article on The Washington Post site.

Filed Under 2010 Olympics, Published Articles, Vancouver Tagged With 2010 Olympics, Accommodation, Fan-to-Fan, Flights, Hotels, Last-Minute, Remy Scalza, Tickets, Vacation Rentals, Vancouver

Vancouver side trips: Eagle capital of the world

January 31, 2010 By Remy Leave a Comment

Maybe Ben Franklin had it right.  Turkey booster until the bitter end, Franklin railed against the choice of bald eagle as America’s symbol.  “He is a bird of bad moral character,” Franklin wrote. “He does not get his living honestly.”  Up close, it definitely looked that way.  I had a chance to visit Brackendale, B.C., the world’s self-proclaimed bald eagle capital, while researching a story for The Washington Post.  A few eagles kind of looked like the majestic bird on the back of the quarter, but most were busy tearing into rotten salmon, which end up floating in the rivers after spawning is over.  One local lady called them nothing but big seagulls.  Still, it was pretty impressive to see dozens all in one place.

Vancouver snapshot: Bald eagles find a home in Canada

By Remy Scalza; Special to The Washington Post

The highway turnoff is easy to miss. On the rugged stretch of mountain road that connects Olympic cities Vancouver and Whistler, B.C., just past the midway point, is a small, handmade sign. Look hard and you’ll see a bald eagle in profile, beak painted a brilliant yellow, beady eye aglow.

Next stop: Brackendale, self-proclaimed World Eagle Capital.

“One year, we counted 3,769 bald eagles in one day,” says 40-year resident and avian enthusiast Thor Froslev. “You practically had to have a hard hat on to go outside.”

Click here for the full article on The Washington Post site.

Filed Under 2010 Olympics, Published Articles, Vancouver Tagged With 2010 Olympics, Brackendale, eagle watching, eagles, Remy Scalza, Vancouver

Escaping Molson Monotony at Vancouver’s Microbreweries

May 26, 2009 By Remy 3 Comments


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Vancouver's oldest microbrewery, Granville Island Brewing offers relief from Molson monotony with varieties like maple cream ale and honey lager.


While Canadian food, like poutine, may not be standard international fare, Canadian beer has found its way into refrigerators the world over.  Molson dates back to 1786 and now ranks among the world’s largest brewing companies.  Its importance to Canuck culture is such that “Molson muscle” has entered the Canadian lexicon as slang for beer belly.  But while Molson may be the most quintessentially Canadian brew (check out their I Am Canadian commercials if you’re in doubt), there are plenty of contenders for the title of best beer north of the border.

[Read more...]

Filed Under Food & Wine, Vancouver, blog entry Tagged With 2010 Olympics, Beer, British Columbia, Canada, Granville Island, Vancouver
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