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The Rumpus Room (Main Street, Mount Pleasant)

Raul — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 16:01:32 +0000

The highest concentration of hipsters per square foot in a room, the friendliest and nicest service, and the tastiest burgers in a fairly large perimeter around Mount Pleasant can be found at The Rumpus Room on 11th Avenue and Main Street. Recently renovated, apparently, because I recall that there was another establishment there (one that I thought of writing about because it always seemed so… lonely).

I asked around on Twitter on where to have dinner close to my house (I have been working from home for a day and a half, when I’m polishing papers, literature reviews, journal articles or syllabi I often do this – lock myself at home). But nobody mentioned a restaurant I hadn’t visited yet, so what I did is I went to The Rumpus Room (on my friend Heather Watson‘s suggestion).

The restaurant itself is decorated totally hipster, but it’s so relaxed it’s almost unnoticeable. I sat on a very comfy reclining chair and ordered a standard burger ($9) with a potato salad side. I found the prices extremely reasonable. The potato salad was extremely well done, perhaps one of the best I’ve ever tried. Not crazy about the celery, but the creamy dressing complimented very nicely the sometimes a bit dry kaiser.

It was totally my fault that I didn’t order any toppings on my burger (speaking of which, they use hormone-free, free-range meat, just as an FYI – important these days). I felt a lot of garlic flavour and the beef patty was very moist and cooked (as they say) to perfection. I definitely think if I add roasted garlic (one of the toppings that The Rumpus Room offers) and probably some avocado, a basic burger can be a total heaven.

After dinner I absolutely had no space for dessert. The bartender and server both were extremely sweet and told me about their Sunday movie nights. Good times, I’ll definitely be back to The Rumpus Room.

Ryu Sushi (Main Street, Mount Pleasant)

Raul — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 15:00:58 +0000

I was really sad to see the Windjammer (a very old-fashioned, really cute English pub that offered apparently some really good fish and chips that I never got the chance to check out) disappear. But I’m glad that there’s an affordable (maybe not the most sophisticated) and tasty sushi restaurant near my house. I used to be a huge fan of Zipang Sushi but the last two times I have visited it’s been pretty awful.

The decor at Ryu Sushi is modest, clean and welcoming. I am pretty impressed with the size of the restaurant that they inherited. I’m not sure they’ll give their patio much action, but I am looking forward to checking it out soon. Ryu Sushi doesn’t boast any fanfare nor do they claim to be the best sushi in town. They offer affordable sustenance-like sushi at very decent price points and great customer service. The staff were incredibly warm and kind and welcoming. And I was just as pleased to have some grub to keep me on the go. We’ll have to see how they fare through time.

Cafeteria (Main Street, Mount Pleasant)

Raul — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 16:00:49 +0000

There’s something about Cafeteria that doesn’t completely fulfill me. It’s not the fact that it’s a “posh-ish” restaurant on Main Street. On the contrary, I think it’s a very welcome addition to the neighbourhood. I had been really looking forward to trying Cafeteria but it wasn’t until a couple of weeks ago that JT and I had the opportunity to test-drive the food. Tasty, but I think that a wee bit on the higher end of pricing.

I found this particularly dumbfounding for a neighbourhood that prides itself in affordable grub. To enable myself to really check it out, I went there without reviewing any of my foodie friends’ reviews, to see it for myself. I got the crispy chicken with olive oil mash and roasted garlic. Absolutely delicious. I may have been way too hungry but I found it slightly pricey ($18) for the portion size. We shared a chocolate tart with kumquat marmalade ($7.50) for dessert. Again, I might have just been way too hungry, but it was great food (as I noted on Twitter).

I’ll definitely have to come back to Cafeteria for a second try. The menu changes almost every day, so it’s a great opportunity to not get bored and try something new.

Mainly Main (magazine)

Raul — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 16:07:25 +0000

That I am in love with my neighbourhood (South Main Street, SoMa or Mount Pleasant, whichever way you want to call it), is not at question at all. I’ve written dozens, perhaps hundreds of blog posts highlighting great restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and the history of my beautiful neigbhourhood. I am even doing a giveaway where I ask you what makes the area where you live so awesome (the Travellers Deck contest). So when I walked into Latitude on Main the other day for brunch with Mark and David from GayVancouver.net, I realized that there was another issue of the online and print magazine “Mainly Main“.

Mainly Main is a new print magazine that launches this December! Featuring commentary and satire, this East Van monthly periodical is sure to get noticed.

For some reason, my brain didn’t connect the dots, and I didn’t realize that someone I met in person and actually have hung out with is the brains behind the Twitter account of @MainlyMain. So, for all things associated with our fine area (Main Street), you can read Mainly Main. I look forward to reading the next issue!

The Arts Studios (Vancouver Coastal Health) Silent Auction and Holiday Sale

Raul — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 22:52:48 +0000

You all may know that I co-organize Mental Health Camp Vancouver (and I spearhead the Mental Health Camp movement as well) with my dear friend Isabella Mori. I have a very big stake in de-stigmatizing mental illness, and thus I’m a big supporter of anything that is associated with, and promotes wellness, health and de-stigmatization for folks afflicted with mental illness.

The Art Studios is a program within Vancouver Coastal Health that offers art classes, art workshops and mental health programming to Vancouver residents (age 16 – 90 yrs) who are living with mental illness. This is a unique program that currently services 300 residents in Vancouver who live with mental illness. The Art Studios is in high demand with approximately 100 people waiting to participate in their first art class.

I asked Lisa Wallace from VCH to share some of the stories of the participants in the program.

Sandra is one of the active participants of the program. Sandra was diagnosed at the age of 14 with schizoaffective disorder. Not allowing her diagnosis to dictate her life, Sandra went on to get a university degree and work a 9-5 job. When Sandra suffered a relapse in 1998, she was forced to quit her job after working for eight years. Discouraged and concerned now without her day to day working routine, Sandra discovered The Art Studios. Through her time at the Art Studios, Sandra rekindled her interest in painting, received valuable support, and created new friendships.

Darcie is another active participant of the Art Studios program. Darcie suffered severe depression as a result of a car accident and subsequent back injury. Prior to the accident, she was worked as a nurse and had a busy, full life. Darcie has been a participant of the studio for the past three years. She feels that it provides her with “a place of both understanding and acceptance; a place to socialize, to meet new friends, and a place to go when I need some gentle support”.

The Art Studios has been an important piece of Sandra’s and Darcie’s recovery. It has given them a sense of belonging and community, art skills and opportunities, empowerment and hope for the future.

On Thursday, November 25th, at the Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street, Vancouver, from 12-8pm. Sandra and Darcie will be one of the many participants of the Art Studios’ selling their works of art at the Art Studios’ Annual Winter Sale and Silent Auction. Lots of wonderful Vancouver businesses have donated items to the Silent Auction. The Art Studios greatly benefits from public support at this event. Art Studios artists keep all monies from the sales of their own art. All funds raised through the Silent Auction and admission donations go towards additional quality art supplies for the Art Studios. Please consider attending and buying some of these fine works of art.

The Facebook page for the event is located here.

Uptown Barbers Shop (Mount Pleasant) – Guest post by @DanHaves

Raul — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 21:45:43 +0000

An odd curiosity of infidelity is the frequent scenario in which you hear a reaction like “he cheated on her with her?” You can, of course, mix and match the personal pronouns.

Well, today, I cheated on my hairdresser. And some might say “you cheated on her with him?”

I had been going to a great hair salon on Broadway, just off of Main – Karynne Renn and Andie Maddalozzo’s Bangs Salon – but the $45 for a haircut was proving too costly. By no means are they overcharging; Karynne gives an excellent haircut (and free advice on raising kittens!). But when money is tight, vanity has to be the first thing to go.

So I slinked on down the street to a little place called Uptown Barbers Shop at Main and 8th. You’d probably walk right past this place on most days. Dimly light on the inside, and wedged into a stretch of road that includes a very bizarre jukebox store and the controversial Fox Cinema. It’s certainly not the first place you’d look for a haircut.

Prepared to slum it, as it were, I walked in with my head on a swivel – I didn’t want anyone seeing me being unfaithful.

A friendly Frenchman sat me down in a vintage barbershop chair facing the street and he began to snip away. After a few moments of anxiety – what if Karynne was to walk by? – I was able to enjoy the view of one of the oldest intersections in Mount Pleasant. Some people might be put off by not facing the mirror while receiving hair surgery, but I quite liked the suspense. Plus, I passed the time wondering what it would have been like to live here in 1908.

With very few back and forths, my haircut was done, and a fine haircut it was. A little shorter than what I was used to, but a solid cut for a good price ($16).

At Uptown Barber, if you can look past its dingy interior and interesting collection of neighbours, you’ll get a no-nonsense haircut without breaking the bank.

As for me, I thanked the barber (I neglected to get his name) and performed a modified version of the walk of shame, imagining all the things I would say to Karynne when she inevitably finds out about my infidelity.

If you’re out there, Karynne. I hope you understand. Think of all the money I can spend on my kitten now.

Dan Haves is a photographer and journalist, and his website is located here. Thanks Dan for the guest post!

Habit Lounge (Main Street, Mount Pleasant)

Raul — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 15:45:48 +0000

My good friends K and L invited me for brunch to Habit Lounge for a post-birthday celebration, and I’m glad we chose this particular restaurant. I had eaten at The Cascade before (both restaurants are owned by the same folks) but I had never had a chance to try the food at Habit Lounge (despite living in the area).

I ordered a 3 egg omelette with chorizo, mushrooms, spinach and tomato ($10). This particular dish on their menu brings goat cheese, but since I hate cheese, they kindly removed it. When my food arrived to the table I thought my omelette looked smaller than my friends’ dishes (who had ordered just scrambled eggs), but overall, it was really tasty and I almost couldn’t finish it all.

I will have to come back to Habit for dinner, though I will admit I was a tiny bit surprised a family brought their little kid and the staff were incredibly kind to them. I have seen a dearth of restaurants in this city who cater to families who go out for brunch (I struggled to find a place where to take my friends with kids that would not be Little Nest yet again).

Definitely will do a return trip to Habit Lounge for dinner and/or drinks. Worth the trip. And the staff and service were really good.

Lucy’s East Side Diner (Main Street, Mount Pleasant)

Raul — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 18:30:40 +0000

The day that Lucy’s East Side Diner opened for a soft launch (Saturday September 25th, 2010) was the day I decided to drop by and visit (though their actual launch will be October 1st, I think). I went there with my good friends Arieanna and Ianiv Schweber, their son Aiden and Arieanna’s Mom.

We all ordered burgers, where mine was a basic ($6.00) with an addendum of cheese plus bacon minus cheese ($3.50). I found the burger reasonably priced and really tasty, but what the shocker was was the $4.50 that my drink (a simple root beer) cost.

That’s what freshly squeezed orange juice costs! My total bill came to $17.50 with tax and tip, which for a simple diner (a la Nice Cafe), it’s actually quite expensive (for one person). I will have to come back and not order drinks and just eat a burger or any of their other dishes, but I was quite shocked at the final bill (again, for a diner – this would be normal at Crave on Main or The Well).

The best part, though, wasn’t the actual place but more the opportunity to spend time with the Schweber family. Time with friends is priceless, and for that I’m grateful.

Lucy’s East Side Diner is located between 11th and 12th Avenue on Main Street. It will open officially on October 1st, I believe.

Au Petit Cafe (South Main)

Raul — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 16:00:52 +0000

I would have never been to Au Petit Cafe if Minna hadn’t ever brought me here. Even though it is located in South Main (and therefore, pretty close by to this cute little Vietnamese restaurant). I went here for dinner/lunch with Minna and Erica Lam (Minna, as you may know, is the co-founder of The Network Hub and Erica writes The Style Spy and is also a social media strategist for Cossette West).

Au Petit Cafe is tiny, but always busy from what I hear. And the food is really good, but more than anything pretty inexpensive. I ordered a French bread sub with shredded chicken, vegetables and hot peppers, which I do not remember the price but I would say it was in the range of, at the most, $6.50.

Inexpensive food, great service, very nice people (the owner spoke to me in French, which I found extremely sweet). Overall, a great experience shared with awesome friends.

Car Free Day on Main Street

Raul — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:12:45 +0000

Even though I was still pretty sick over the weekend (I’m getting better now), I went to the Car Free Day (Main Street) for a bit with Minna (The Network Hub) and Erica (The Style Spy). We had a good time (even though I had to wrap myself in a good jacket, and the sun came out mid-afternoon). I was pretty impressed with the excellent organization of the festival, and the abundance of options for everything from Greek food to Jamaican to even a taste of Ethiopian.

There were plenty of bands providing excellent entertainment for the crowd.

The Vancouver People Summit also took place between 30th and 33rd Avenue, on Main Street. It almost felt like “Sustainability Row”. Very cool, lots of booths associated with non-profits who do work on sustainability, social justice, equity and international development.

New forms of transportation were also showcased, including the Spider Car.

June 20th is @CarFreeMain – @CarFreeYVR #CFMain

Raul — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 22:14:58 +0000

My good friend J. Karen Parker has volunteered for Car-Free Day Vancouver for a couple of years now and I have written about it every time since. This year, volunteers have taken it upon themselves to promote each one of the regions, and I’m obviously promoting my own (I live near Main Street).

The first annual Car-Free Vancouver Day, on Sunday June 15, 2008 ushered in the next phase in this bold experiment that had been gradually happening in Vancouver for many years. It took the car-free meme to the whole city, and represented the next level in our evolution toward healthy communities, authentic cultural celebrations, and car-free streets. On that day, FOUR communities presented their own Car-Free Festivals: Kitsilano, West End, Main Street, and Commercial Drive. Each Festival was envisioned and organized by the local core organizers, and each had a unique flavour.

[Car Free Festival's About Page]

Sunday June 20th is a tricky day because my Mom arrives on the 23rd, so I know for a fact I’m going to be insanely busy. But I’ll try to at least check it out for a bit. Hope you will join in the fun too! If you live on the Main Street area, please remember that Main Street will be closed from 12th Avenue all the way up to 33rd.

The Mount Pleasant/Main Street social scene

Raul — Fri, 28 May 2010 17:15:10 +0000

A couple of years ago, I wrote a post where I indicated what the community who visits Main Street/Mount Pleasant could be looking for in terms of activities. I often write about my neighbourhood because I love promoting local businesses, and of course, I’m interested in getting to know my formerly-industrial-now-residential area more in-depth.

This post could be extremely long if I don’t put the brakes on it, so I’ll just mention a few things that might be of interest for potential visitors, in particular, some of my personal favorites.

Lower and Mid-Mount Pleasant – early Riley Park

Drinks/bars/restaurants

- The Narrow (2nd and Main)
- The Whip (6th and Main)
- The Foundation (7th and Main)
- The Cascade (10th and Main)
- The Well (13th and Main)
- Burgoo (14th and Main)
- The Five Point (15th and Main)
- Latitude (16th and Main)
- Public Lounge Eatery (17th and Main)
- Coppertank (21st and Main)
- Crave on Main (23rd and Main)

Coffee shops and tea/dessert places
- Cuppa Joe’s (Broadway and Main)
- Gene (Kingsway Main)
- Our Town Cafe (Kingsway Broadway)
- Waves (10th and Main)
- Bean Around the World (10th and Main, 20th and Main)
- Sweet Revenge (25th and Main)

What are your personal favorites on Main Street-ish? I am going to update this post when I get more time.

The Foundation Lounge (Main Street)

Raul — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:19:54 +0000

It seems as though I’m on a vegetarian rampage. Last Sunday I had dinner at Bandidas on Commercial, and this week, I had lunch at The Foundation Lounge. As I mentioned on Twitter, Mexican cuisine is actually largely vegetarian/vegan, and I am, after all, a scholar of environmental policy (so, eating less meat does reduce my ecological footprint – congruent with my research and values!)

I had been to The Foundation with my friend Todd Sieling before, but somehow I never wrote about it. Todd and I recently met up for lunch again, and we returned to Foundation for a second visit. The first time I was there, I had mango with black beans on a bed of rice, but this time I tried the “BLT-ish” sandwich (vegetarian bacon, lettuce, tomato and guacamole). For $7, I would say the “BLT-ish” a really good deal, as it includes a side salad. I wasn’t hungry at all after lunch, which means that (at least for me) the portions were generous enough.

I would strongly recommend The Foundation for lunch, I haven’t really been here for dinner but as far as lunch goes, the service is prompt, cordial and the food is really good. The previous time I needed to add salsa to my rice as it was a tad sweet, but this time, I think I made the right choice for food. And of course, catching up with good friends and engaging in intellectually stimulating conversations is always fantastic.

Miranda’s Hat (Main Street)

Raul — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 04:22:56 +0000

A couple of months ago, I decided to go back to competitive volleyball. The best way to re-build my muscle strength is through swimming, in my opinion. I’m of the opinion that if you are going to do something, you need to start RIGHT AWAY. No nonsense of the type “oh, I’ll start swimming…tomorrow“. So I grabbed a friend of mine and we went shopping on Main Street.

Where, oh where was I going to find swimming trunks that would be discreet enough for a faculty member at the university? And not spend half of my monthly allowance? The answer was, surprisingly, Miranda’s Hat. Located on Main Street, at 3680 Main St, near 23rd Avenue (pretty much across from Crave on Main)

What I love the most about Miranda’s Hat is that the sourcing of their products is of high ethical, and environmental standards. I bought two swim trunks (one of them, quite obviously, is much more revealing than the other one, because of course, I think that it’s better to have more modest swim trunks for the university pool), and I was quite pleased both with the pricing and the quality. I would recommend you to visit Miranda’s Hat any day of the week!

The Mount Pleasant Community Centre

Raul — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:07:07 +0000

Pretty much anyone who reads my blog knows that I live in the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood, in Vancouver. I am a big promoter of where I live for several reasons. First, I find it incredibly accessible. I live within walking distance (less than 5 blocks) from three of the major bus routes in Vancouver: 3 Main/Downtown, 8 Fraser/Downtown and 19 Metrotown/Downtown. Second, I find Mount Pleasant absolutely great. It is a very lively neighbourhood. I actually think it is true that Fraser may quickly become “The New Main”, and as a matter of fact Main Street is a wonderful, happening neighbourhood. Third, I love Mount Pleasant’s character.

I have written about many restaurants and other amenities around my neighbourhood, but I had been a tad remiss in showcasing the brand spanking new Mount Pleasant Community Centre, which was re-deployed from Ontario and 16th Avenue to the corner where Kingsway, Main and 7th Avenue all converge.

The MPCC has fantastic, modern and well-equipped facilities, although I’m 100% sure that residents do miss the outdoor pool (I hope someone saves it!). I am a member, and I exercise in the fitness centre. For a quick overview of the MPCC and everything that they offer you can read up more on this link.

Pho Hoang (Main Street)

Raul — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:03:27 +0000

I recently had the pleasure to have Phở with my friend and colleague Liv Hung (who blogs at A Beautiful Life) as we were enjoying a relaxed Saturday afternoon. We were wondering where to eat and came across Pho Hoang (which is a very short walk from my house). We settled for a small plate of Phở as neither of us was really hungry. I chose the beef (well done) version without any meat balls (although next time I should try them). We soon discovered that at Pho Hoang, small actually means big. As far as flavor goes, it’s good Phở. I think it may not be on par with the place that is the favorite of Lorraine and Colleen (Hanoi Pho).

I certainly can see how many people can love it. Even amongst my fellow UrbanSpoon foodies there’s some disagreement. From my conversation with Liv, I think she liked it and quite frankly, so did I. Admittedly, Phở is not the kind of food I’d normally eat (only when I really, really crave noodle soup) but if I were to consume it more regularly, Pho Hoang would be the place for me.

The Main Event

Raul — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:20:48 +0000

I’m a big promoter of my neighbourhood, so I’m always looking for stuff that’s happening in Mount Pleasant/Main Street, particularly charity events. I am delighted to hear about The Main Event, taking place from January 18th to 24th. From their website:

“The Main Event – East meets West” 2010 will include an array of Main Street’s restaurants, offering three-course tasting menus for set prices of $25, $35 and $45. All restaurants will join the fight against hunger by donating a percentage of their food receipts from this tasty, week long event to The Greater Vancouver Food Bank

Having reviewed a huge number of restaurants in the Main Street/Mount Pleasant area, I can certainly attest to the fact that this will be a great event. It’s already started and it will be going through the week. You should definitely consider attending, particularly seeing as a portion of the proceeds is going to a very important local charity, the Vancouver Food Bank.

Grub (Main Street)

Raul — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:00:16 +0000

I was on one of my usual (and delightful) walks with the lovely Emme Rogers when we happened to stumble upon Grub, a relatively new (2009) wine bar/restaurant that I had been wanting to try for a long while. When I first viewed the room (late in 2009) I figured it was another version of Gudrun’s or Salt Tasting Room. I have to admit that it’s probably a combination of both, although the food (from what we heard from the women who were our neighbours at the next table) is apparently excellent and the prices for mains ($ 18-19 apiece) sound in the range of a middle-to-high-end restaurant.

Emme and I ordered rather different drinks. I ordered a Tommy Collins, a refreshing, tall-glass drink with gin, cucumber and muddled sugar, whereas she ordered an Autumne Gatsby, a cocktail with lots of ginger flavors, cinnamon and gin. I found the service at Grub very good and incredibly friendly. I think the prices for drinks and food are reasonable and I look forward to coming back here for actual dinner. We had a chance to glance (and drool over) the plates that the women in the table right beside us were eating (halibut in one case, cod in another case), they said it was really good, on par to Les Faux Burgeoises.

I inquired about possibly having Valentine’s Day dinner here as I know that downtown Vancouver will be crazy. I’ll report back once I know more about the actual event. One thing I can tell you – it’s a great place for drinks. Not too noisy and far away enough from downtown that it’s not too mainstream.

Fire on Broadway and Main (Vancouver)

Raul — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:27:36 +0000

I just found out this morning via Twitter that there was a fire at the Main and Broadway area, and I came by to check it out. I live very close to the area, and I have had dinner or brunch at several of the affected places before. So, it was important to me to see what happened.

From my view (I couldn’t get much closer) I can see that Kishu Mountain and Slickity Jim’s appear to be completely burnt, Lugz seems very damaged, but from the outside, I can’t see any damage to Militant Penguin (but there might be on the back, or on the side). I see that the accountant office is charred, and I can’t see any remains from Zocalo so I assume it is also gone. Feeling very, very sorry for the business owners of the damaged businesses.

I can see the firefighters trying to assess (now that they contained the fire) the origin of the fire. Very proud of our firefighters too. Apparently the fire broke around 4 am. I am sitting at Waves on Main and 10th but since ~~I have to head to the office, I might not be able to see much more~~. I am at the office now.

Latitude (Main Street)

Raul — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:00:35 +0000

I had the opportunity to go and try Latitude on Main last night with my good friend Jeremy Osborn, who just launched his new startup Good Energy. Jeremy didn’t get a chance to attend my birthday celebration so he took me out for drinks and some appetizers.

As for Latitude, I have to say that I really liked it, and I didn’t find the drinks extremely expensive (beers for $ 5, which is substantially cheaper than many other places). Latitude is a lounge, and I enjoyed just having a couple of Pisco sours and some chickpea fries with mayo. You can follow Latitude on Twitter here – I did actually encourage the owners to get on with the program and use social media!).

The music wasn’t overwhelming and the service was actually delightful. I will definitely bring other friends to Latitude, although I foresee that this will be a hangout place where I’ll share drinks with them rather than dinner (not because I don’t think dinner is good – I haven’t tried their larger plates yet, but just because Latitude gives a nice lounge-y feel).

Chutney Villa (Main and Broadway, Mount Pleasant)

Raul — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 23:11:34 +0000

I had thought of writing a review of Chutney Villa (see the menu here) the first time that I went there but I never managed to get around it so the second time I went there with JT I became determined to write a review as I’ve noticed that I keep visiting new restaurants and not writing about my experiences there. Lately, my blog has had a lot of focus on theatre, and my own personal stuff, and less on restaurants, so I figured I had to ramp up the foodie content.

You might be wondering why the heck I took photos of the decor (very pretty) instead of the food? Well, the truth is, we ate SO FAST I didn’t even have a chance to take photos. I know that my friend Degan took photos (as I found them on her Flickr account). We both ordered taali chicken kurma which came with rice, veggies, chutney, pachadi, rasam, vadai, and dessert. I would say that, while really tasty, I found the portions small.

The cuisine at Chutney Villa is primarily South Indian (yes, there are varying cuisines throughout India!). While not too inexpensive, it’s not really outrageously expensive either. I’d recommend it as a good example of well-made Indian food (although Nirvana just a couple of blocks away is good too!). Overall, nice food and great ambiance.

The Regional Assembly of Text (Main Street, Vancouver)

Raul — Sun, 24 May 2009 20:50:01 +0000

Credit: eldan

If you’ve been reading my blog for long enough, you’ll know that I’m a big supporter of small business, eclectic shops and in general anything that has to do with Mount Pleasant and the Main Street area of Vancouver. I live here, and I’m blessed because I get quick access to anything I may possibly need, or within a very quick bus ride. Anyhow, in my previous explorations of Mount Pleasant I had come across The Regional Assembly of Text, but had never remembered to write about it.

I was recently reminded of this cute store, founded in 2005 by Brandy Fedoruk and Rebecca Ann Dolen because I walked by a couple of days ago. The first time I visited was with my friend AF. We both thrive in writing letters the old-fashioned way. I think I’m a natural-born writer, despite the fact that when I was little I never felt competent to write stories. I never thought of myself as a storyteller. At least, not until now that I’ve been blogging for over three years.

In my quest to find more about the Regional Assembly of Text I found this post by Sophie Munn who mentioned she’d like a store like this in her region (I think she lives in Brisbane). One of MANY really cool features of this cute little store is the Letter Writing Club. There is no cost and everyone is welcome. From their paper advertisement:

We provide paper, envelopes, typewriters, tea, cookies & encouragement

The Letter Writing Club takes place every first Thursday of the month at 7:00pm. I seriously hope to attend the next one. If you want to find out more about the Regional Assembly of Text, please check their website or drop by (it’s located near 24th Avenue and Main Street).

The Narrow Artist Lounge (Main Street, Mount Pleasant)

Raul — Fri, 01 May 2009 19:50:21 +0000

It’s become a bit of a tradition for Lorraine and I to walk back from downtown to close to my place whenever we have an event that we both attend. We both love walking with friends and it’s a good exercise. Recently, we stopped for a drink at The Narrow on 3rd Avenue and Main Street, in the lower part of Mount Pleasant. I had heard about The Narrow from Shallom, Terri and Victoria, so I figured we should’ve checked it out.

In their own words, The Narrow is “dark and moody but still with a sense of fun”. It’s a really neat concept, with wonderful art and a very skillful bartender. I would probably come back for a night out in the town, and it was a nice ambiance and atmosphere for what both Lorraine and I wanted, which was only have one drink and go on our way.

Kishu Island (Main St., Mount Pleasant)

Raul — Fri, 01 May 2009 15:00:23 +0000

Both Lorraine and I love sushi. I happen to be both a lover of sushi AND a lover of all things Main Street. Since we were hanging out around the area, we decided to try Kishu Island for dinner recently. The funny thing is, I love the Kishu Mountain so I figured, Kishu Island would be just as good. Actually the first time I went I had a horrible experience, but given that I’ve now gone twice and haven’t had such a horrible experience the second time around, I figured it was about the appropriate time to give them a review.

We ordered a traditional box each one (about $9.00 per person) and it was more than enough food for each one of us. Their boxes are traditional bento boxes and therefore were pretty much sushi for sustenance. I wouldn’t say this is gourmet sushi, but it was good enough. The company was excellent, and I managed to bump into a former student of mine, whom I really like. Overall, I still prefer my Kishu Mountain to this one.

The planning process and development of Mount Pleasant

Raul — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 22:25:08 +0000

I am, as many of you know, a researcher of urban sustainability. Much of my research focused on understanding the transformation pathways of industrial regions. Mount Pleasant (and South East False Creek) is one of these previously-industrial-now-mixed-development areas in the city of Vancouver. Mount Pleasant is also where I call home, and I (as many of you know) am in love with this part of Vancouver.

Sadly, I have been unable to participate in the planning process for the Mount Pleasant area. For some reason, the meetings always end up being on a day that I am either overbooked, sick or otherwise unable to join. This time, I am using this post as a placeholder to remind me of the issues surrounding the development of Mount Pleasant, as I am currently linking to the website of the City of Vancouver’s page for the Mount Pleasant Community Planning Program. A schedule of the Community Liaison Meetings (CLM) is posted there.

At some point, hopefully within the next couple of months, I’m going to have to go through their Fact Sheets. It’s really incredible, the amount of work that has been done to understand my neighbourhood, and if I can contribute, by all means, I am going to try. I’m after all, someone who has made urban sustainable planning part of his research areas. It’s hard to fit everything, but heck, by all means I’m going to try!

Restaurant review: The Wallflower Modern Diner (Main Street, Mount Pleasant)

Raul — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 18:16:03 +0000

Just when I thought I had scooped a new restaurant opening, I saw on the newspaper that Andrew Morrison (now of Scout Magazine fame) had already written about the fact that The Wallflower was opening in the space where defunct Aurora Bistro used to be. While I am NOT at all happy with the demise of Aurora Bistro (who would be happy about restaurants closing? Not me, that’s for sure!), I am glad that at least someone decided to use the space, and renovate it in such an interesting way.

The Wallflower Modern Diner is exactly that – a modern diner. Its room is well decorated although during the day may look a bit dark (but that’s ok – it’s not terribly dark). K and L took me there for brunch recently (as we all thrive in trying out new restaurants, and we hadn’t hung out in a long while). K ordered a set of breakfast sliders (small burgers with scrambled eggs as the filling), L ordered a burger with a salad side and I ordered an omelette.

While in my opinion it was good value for the money (omelette for $ 7.00 – about standard in comparison to other breakfast places around the neighbourhood), I wasn’t really excited with the rest of the brunch menu. I have to be fair to them – they just started operations literally, 2 weeks ago. I’d be more than happy to sit down with them and recommend a few items if they wanted me to.

Good news for The Wallflower are that the place seems to be successful so far. When K and L and I went there, it was packed literally 15 minutes after 11 in the morning. I think that it will be a successful venture, as the menu, the room, the decor and the staff are all the same – non-pretentious, comforting, and welcoming. I really want The Wallflower to succeed, to be quite frank. I don’t have a stake in the restaurant (I don’t even really know the owners) but I sincerely wish them well. I want my neighbourhood (Mount Pleasant) to thrive, and in these uncertain economic conditions, I will certainly spend my money in local restaurants.

I haven’t tried The Wallflower for dinner, but once I do (and once my friend K sends me the photo of my brunch) I’ll update this post.

Restaurant review – The Reef (Main Street)

Raul — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 06:16:19 +0000

I have NO CLUE how I have managed NOT to write a restaurant review of The Reef (located on almost King Edward and Main Street). A Caribbean hangout, the food is really good (you can find anything with a Jamaican or Caribbean flavor) both for dinner and for brunch. For dinner, I always recommend the jerk chicken AND of course, jugs of mojito.

I’ve been visiting The Reef much more in recent weeks, particularly for brunch. The brunch menu is somewhat exotic, affordable, and tasty. I love their scrambled eggs with chorizo. The service is really good, and it is one of those rare places where you can have brunch on Sunday without having to line up (I damn sure hope I won’t be in a line up, I always have bad luck when I write good reviews for restaurants – they start to pack up!)

I had recently the pleasure of having brunch with Tanya, Gus and MJ one day and another day I went there with H, C, A and D (all of them civilian friends). Both days I had a wonderful time. I hope to be able to visit The Reef more often, since I do live in the neighbourhood.

I would strongly recommend The Reef to anybody who wants good lunch and/or good dinner. In many ways, it’s better positioned simply because it has a nice patio, great and friendly staff and wonderful food.

Dessert place review – Sweet Revenge Patisserie (Main St.)

Raul — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:45:47 +0000

Best. Dessert. Place. Ever.

For ML’s birthday, my friends AF, BS, ML and myself headed to Sweet Revenge Patisserie on Main Street and about 26th Avenue. This Victorian-themed, little hole-in-the-wall is home to some of the best dessert this side of the Atlantic Ocean. Sweet Revenge *does* look a bit like the old English tea houses.

We had several delicious desserts (and none of us was actually able to finish any of them, they were SO decadent!). You can see more of these sweet creations on my Flickr stream.

Restaurant review – Zipang Sushi (Main Street – Mount Pleasant)

Raul — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 18:10:49 +0000

I know that I had promised a professor who is a really good friend of mine that I wouldn’t review Zipang Sushi to ensure that the place didn’t get even more crowded (lately, I’ve been lucky to find out that people have started to flock to the places I’ve recommended for dinner or brunch, when I come for a return visit, and I am slightly afraid this will be the case with Zipang – but at the same time, it’s crowded already, so I guess I am just going to add a bit more crowding to the system, hehe)

Some people may argue that this is technically Riley Park/Little Mountain. We arrived at 5.20pm on a Saturday evening and the place was packed already. We had a garden fruit sushi roll and a California roll (we weren’t all that hungry, but it was more than plenty for the both of us). The rolls are very flavorful and as somebody mentioned, real works of art (I would’ve taken photos, but I was out and about shopping with my very good friend AF, so I didn’t have a camera with me).

Specialty rolls are slightly more expensive ($6.75-8.75) but very much worth it. The rest of the rolls are priced reasonably (like the majority of Vancouver sushi restaurants, around $3.00). Admittedly, the service can be quite slow (and if you’re hungry, that’s not a good idea) but the sushi is simply amazing.

I would definitely come back, but (a) I’ll make sure I’m hungrier so I can try more types of sushi (b) will bring a camera with me and (c) will arrive exactly at 5:00pm to ensure I’m not waiting forever! Closes on Mondays, just so that you know.

Fresh Start Recycling and Disposal Ltd.

Raul — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 17:30:19 +0000

A few weeks back, Rebecca directed Kara Alcorn (Customer Relations, Fresh Start Recycling and Disposal Ltd.) towards my site and suggested that I talk to her. I have to say that I am very positively impressed with Fresh Start (as we bloggers have begun to call this young company).

Obviously, you’re going to ask me – so what IS Fresh Start?While I am sure you’ll check their site, basically let me tell you that Fresh Start takes the business of recycling one step further, and brings the recycled stuff to charities. Moreover, one element that really impressed me was that they look for local charities within the communities where their clients are located.

Founded in 2004 by Vancouver native Thomas Goodall, Fresh Start Recycling & Disposal Ltd. is committed to reducing clutter in your life while minimizing our impact on the environment by reducing the amount of material that goes straight to the landfill.[Fresh Start Recycling website]

Let me give you an example. Currently, my friends Ianiv and Arieanna Schweber are in the North Shore area, and are currently renovating their house. Their floor has to be fully torn apart and they need to install new flooring. They’ll probably also need to remove and recycle stuff. The obvious choice of company to do this? Fresh Start, of course!

By demonstrating that recycling can be still a successful business model AND that you can incorporate elements of corporate social responsibility (CSR), therefore enhancing how and where the product is delivered and the ethical/social aspects of recycling within local communities, I think Fresh Start is indeed off to a very fresh start, and a successful one!

Even smarter, Fresh Start maintains a relationship with customers, vendors, potential clients. How? By using one of the most innovative forms of communication – Web 2.0! Yes, sir! Fresh Start has a BLOG. I can’t help but feel really excited about this, because I am always a firm believer that you can meld social media with sustainability, and as you can see, Fresh Start is doing it!

In addition, of course, I should highlight the fact that their office is in Mount Pleasant, very close to my house, as a matter of fact!

Kudos to Fresh Start as well, because they were the first corporate sponsors of my Blogathon 2008. While I am raving about them in this post (and very legitimately, as I do believe in their positive intentions), they did NOT sponsor this post, so this is in NO way paid advertisement. They DID, however, sponsor a forthcoming post that will describe in more detail the whole concept of Recycle, Reuse, Reduce (3Rs), and for their contribution to the BC Cancer Agency and my Blogathon, I am very, very grateful!

Restaurant review – Burgoo Bistro (Main Street)

Raul — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 06:14:08 +0000

Very few things in life are better than having dinner with one of my very best friends at a restaurant preceded by a solid reputation (I had raved about Burgoo Point Grey before). I had been eagerly anticipating the opening of Burgoo’s third location (very near to where I live). Located on Main and 15th, where the old Subway used to be, Burgoo boasts a huge patio. If I hadn’t been wearing dress slacks and a dress shirt, I would have probably enjoyed it even more, as it was sunny Saturday evening.

My first impression wasn’t all that good because the expected waiting time was close to a half-hour. Considering that I can eat at 10 amazing restaurants within a 10 block radius (and yes I know what I’m talking about because I live in the area and I’ve eaten at almost all of these restaurants!) without having to wait in line, I was a bit baffled by the wait. However, Burgoo staff earned several brownie points. First, they called me to inform me that they wouldn’t take reservations for less than 6 people. I found that element as a signal of good service. Whomever called me, she was very courteous and nice. As for the no-reservations, that’s ok, I can understand that. Even Toshi Sushi does it.

Second, they really sped up the process, and kept checking on us to see if they could seat us earlier, which was good as I was more than happy to go elsewhere (my very good friend LF is way more patient than I am). Finally, they were very accommodating with our requests, so I can’t complain. Certainly, the service was courteous and the staff were under a lot of pressure because this was opening weekend (they’ve only been open for 4 days). I did feel that the transition between the appetizer (Plait Francaise, with tapenade, pickled onions, cheese and grapes) and our main courses (a Thai chicken dish on rice and a Kentucky burgoo).

I am fairly confident that the staff will pick it up with time, because really, I only recognized one of the waitresses from Burgoo Point Grey, so I am pretty sure (given that I spoke with whom appeared to be one of the owners) that they were training new staff. Will I recommend Burgoo Bistro on Main Street? Yes. Will I go back soon? Not until the buzz and hoopla have calmed down. But I had a wonderful time, particularly with my friend LF. We had not had time for just us in a solid year. Nevertheless, we got a chance to catch up, discuss important topics, personal life matters, and even yak about my blog.

Of course, I am very grateful for having had such a great dinner with my friend LF, but even more so because she is always very honest with me, even when I am being a bit self-centered. Because, whether we like it or not, being a blogger is a tad self-absorbed — “here, read my thoughts on SO AND SO”. Although… I would like to believe that I am not a self-centered individual, more so self-centric

Overall, good times. Tomorrow morning I’m having a Raul morning all by lonesome followed with potentially “Get Smart” movie and dinner (not sure where – but potentially downtown). Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend, because I sure am

Car-Free Festival: Reporting back on Main Street

Raul — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:18:27 +0000

The Car-Free Festival: Main Street Edition was very much a lot of fun. My friend Karen Parker was volunteering for the West End one, but I wasn’t really much in the mood to swing by (and I had to finish inserting a few references in EndNote). [Sorry Karen!]

For me, eating cotton candy is one of those things that transports me back to a wonderful childhood. I hadn’t had a chance to eat cotton candy since I was 20, so this tasted like a little piece of heaven! I was also very touched by the fact that young kids were helping out and making the cotton candy.

I wanted cotton candy… so they were kind and gave me one!

Main Street was closed between 12th Avenue and 16th Avenue (thank you and kudos to the Vancouver Police Department, the City of Vancouver Fire Department and all other local support, because it was VERY well protected. I felt really safe walking there, thanks to road closures and having an ambulance standing by!). Another really cool element was an exhibition of many different modes of transportation with bikes.

You need balance to do this!

I had an opportunity to speak with a number of people in different booths, which was REALLY cool. Some of them had already read my blog! YAY! Furthermore, there were a lot of exhibits that showcased the amazing stuff we have on Main Street, including the Happy Bats Cinema (who offered veggie dogs, popcorn and soda by donation!). I mean, how cool is that?

The music was fantastic, and I made a point of listening to musicians on all three stages. This photo is from the main stage (on 13th Avenue)

I plan to write more detailed posts with focus on each one of the booths/businesses that were showcased, but in the mean time, I know you want to check my Flickr account for more photos, so go there right now

SIDE NOTES – Some other local bloggers also have done reviews/links/photos of Car-Free Festival. Do you mind dropping a comment and I’ll update this post as I get the links? Thanks!

Car Free Festival – Main Street, Grandview, West End and Kitsilano

Raul — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 19:22:17 +0000

In lieu of hanging out with my Dad (who is 6,000 miles away, in Mexico), I am planning to take a little bit of a Raul day and go to the Car Free Festivals. Given that I live in Mount Pleasant, I am pretty sure I’m hitting the Main Street Car Free Festival. I am also maybe going to swing by the Commercial Drive (Grandview) one for a bit, and perhaps the West End one. There will be photos AND videos coming up soon

Restaurant review: The Locus (Main Street)

Raul — Tue, 27 May 2008 22:41:44 +0000

Even though I live very close to The Locus, it is rare that I eat at this place. I had dinner there once and was utterly unimpressed. But this week, I had a celebratory lunch and thus had to find something around the neighbourhood. Surprisingly, no restaurant was open. Niether Zipang, nor Crave. So we settled for The Locus. I am glad we did. I had a venison burger with a side of chorizo gumbo (soup) and it was simply outstanding.

So, what is the Locus?

Located at Vancouver’s busy and thriving trendy Main Street neighborhood, the Locus Restaurant offers an eclectic fusion of modern and classic favourites. The staff sources the best local and seasonal ingredients to create innovative dishes and delicious daily specials.
[The Locus website]

The decor would turn off someone like me, who does not thrive in kind of gothy, dark, red light kind of decor. However, admittedly, the food is simply excellent, so I am not going to complain about that. What I really wanted was to consume good, well prepared food, which is the highlight of the Locus. I would come back during the day. At night I think I’d be a little bit creeped out. But the place is so popular, I can understand how some people might like their unique and eclectic decor.

I have heard that it’s also a great place for brunch though I’ve never tried it. They have a great patio, so maybe it’d be a good place for some beers and brunch. We’ll see.

Is Toshi Sushi really all that good?

Raul — Fri, 23 May 2008 02:45:27 +0000

I consider myself a decent food critic by now, not that I do it for a living (please note the comma splice, Jenn!). However, besides trying to write lots of restaurant reviews for you my dear readers, I also consider myself a pretty sweet guy. So it always breaks my heart and makes me feel awful when other bloggers identify the places I’ve practically trashed as “awesome”. For example, a recent review by Jeffery Simpson for Vancouver MetBlogs indicated that his favorite restaurant in Vancouver was Toshi. Another review by Quentin on Beyond Robson claimed that “Toshi never let sushi lovers down”. Well, I hated the food. Not the place, not the owners, and not the staff. The food.

Toshi Sushi *might* have been on a bad night (they chose a really bad night to be off, because it was the night I was celebrating ML’s birthday so I was the one taking her there for dinner!). But with the recent review by Jeffery, I’m starting to think that *maybe*, only *maybe* I caught Toshi on a bad night. Given that I live only a few blocks away, I am willing to give it another try. Just to be on the safe side, I’m going to also schedule drinks at Public Eatery on Main Street, in case I catch Toshi on another bad night, I’ll just wash the sushi down with a few drinks. Anyone care to join?

Upcoming event – Living Car Free – Climate Cafe

Raul — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:30:47 +0000

I always knew that some day, someone would finally clue in and decide to host more environmentally-oriented events in my neighbourhood. Of course, I am pretty sure that almost 90% of you don’t know that throughout the month, Rhizome Cafe plays host to a LOT of events, many of which are focused on social justice and sustainability. But it’s only one venue. There should be MANY events in other venues. Main Street/Mount Pleasant has LOTS to offer in terms of great spaces for socially responsible happenings.

Well, it turns out that someone realized that the concept of the Philosopher Cafe could be applied now as a Climate Cafe, so via Stephen Rees, I found out about the Climate Cafe that will take place on May 20th at Bean Around the World on Main and almost Broadway. Living Car Free is the theme of this month’s Climate Cafe.

I kind of feel guilty that with all the stuff that has been happening around me, I haven’t been paying much attention to upcoming events and thus might have kept you my dear readers a bit out of the loop. I promise to be more “on the ball” next time Hat tips to Stephen Rees for always reminding me of stuff that I probably should know about but have been insanely busy to remember. His blog is awesome!

There is a world beyond Cambie, you know?

Raul — Wed, 14 May 2008 18:30:00 +0000

Having met so many new great folks in Vancouver has also meant that I’ve had to share pretty much my personal history time and again. Every time I say “I live around Main Street, in the Mount Pleasant area”, EVERYBODY tells me something like “oh that is such a great neighbourhood, it’s so lively, it’s a very happening part of town, Main is so great“. True, Main is a great area, I will not deny it.

Photo credit: CanadaPenguin on Flickr.

Many people seem to think that Main is also a hotbed for hipsters and artsy folks. I won’t deny that either. With trendy, awesome galleries like Jem Gallery, Blim and Little Mountain Studios, it’s kind of hard not to see Main as a happening, artsy, trendy, chic area.

That’s the reason why I was so incredibly taken aback when I heard numerous people tell me that “they never go as far east as Cambie“. EXCUSE ME? There IS a world beyond Cambie, you know? I will confess that when I lived in Point Grey, Fairview Slopes and South Granville, I rarely ventured beyond Cambie. But denying that there is much more to explore beyond Cambie is kind of ridiculous.

*SIGH* Don’t get me wrong. I love Cambie, and I’ve had great times around there. But I have fully embraced my condition of East Van boy (well, technically not that much of a boy as much as a young man), and I’m fully happy with it. Funny how it goes, a lot of people tell me “you’re not really East Van. You’re *barely* East Van, you’re pretty much West Side”. Hmmm. No, I don’t think so. And I’m proud of living in East Vancouver, having a little cute apartment around Main and being a Mount Pleasant/Riley Park resident. So there.

Restaurant review: Splitz (Main Street)

Raul — Tue, 13 May 2008 18:45:25 +0000

There are many reasons why I love the Main Street area (from 2nd Avenue to 41st is the area I know best). You can find almost anything you want, you can do anything you want (although outdoorsy activities are somewhat limited to the pocket parks). One of the best assets that Main Street has is its restaurant scene.

You can find almost anything you want (Ethiopian, with Nyala – Indian, with East is East, Chinese – with Sun Sui Wah). In my case, I was craving burgers. Hat tips to Matt Collinge who pointed me to Splitz Grill. I *needed* another solid, reliable burger joint, since the demise of Sodas Diner. Plus, The Red Onion is not precisely very close to me.

Located almost at 28th Avenue and Main St., Splitz offers what I would say are the best if not some of the best (competing with The Red Onion) burgers in town. Inexpensive, large burgers, great service, the Splitz sauce is to-die-for, family-friendly. My only complaint is that you get to order in line, so it becomes slightly fast-food-ish. But the food is OUTSTANDING. I would definitely go back! And next time I do so, I’ll be very happy if I’m joined by fellow readers/bloggers.

I have scheduled this post around lunch time so that people can get hungry, hehehe.

PS – Hat tips to Michael Kwan for spotting typo!

Petition: JJ Beans should have WiFi

Raul — Sun, 11 May 2008 01:16:05 +0000

Everybody who knows me well will know that I am a fan of JJ Beans House of Coffee. It’s a local chain of coffee shops

JJ Bean offers some of Vancouver’s finest coffee, freshly roasted in small batches every day. We have five retail stores in the Vancouver area, and we supply wholesale coffee to over three-hundred cafes and fine-dining restaurants in the lower mainland.

Our passion is great coffee. Our goal is to share that passion with everyone we touch. Come visit us and discover just how great coffee can be.[JJ Beans]

They have a location very close to my apartment, so I *love* meeting my former students, colleagues and friends there. It provides a comfortable atmosphere where you can chat, discuss career options (for my former students) or just simply edit a paper. There is ONE thing you can’t do there, though: surf the internet (thus, you can’t use Twitter or MSN or GTalk or write a blog post).

While having coffee at Bean Around the World with Rastin and Teresa we were complaining about the fact that JJ Beans doesn’t have Wi-Fi. Teresa has commented about this on her blog, and we all agreed that we should start a petition to have JJ Beans reconsider and offer Wi-Fi.

WHY SHOULD JJ BEANS HAVE Wi-Fi?

Because we like to geek out to good coffee. And JJ Beans has awesome coffee.
Because it would attract a whole new crowd, including the students who love multi-tasking and the geeks.
Because it would make my life SO easy.
[Add your own reason]

Since I’m not on Facebook, I can’t start a petition on it. But I’m more than happy to talk to the managers about it. I’ve had some great conversations (one of the most recent, with Jonathon Narvey) while having a coffee at JJ Beans, so what could be better than being able to geek out there with blogo-friends?

Eatery review – Liberty Bakery (Main Street)

Raul — Sat, 03 May 2008 22:16:11 +0000

There is only one thing that sucks about being allergic to squash … you can’t really enjoy butternut squash soup (oh wait… I hadn’t told you I’m allergic to squash… yep, I am… and I’m lactose intolerant. *sigh*)… But the best butternut squash soup in town, I’ve been told, is produced by Liberty Bakery, on Main and 21st. Avenue.

Photo credit: Raul on Flickr.

This little piece of heaven is wonderful for work-related meetings (when I’m working from home and other friends/colleagues who live near by are doing the same), or just for lunch. I’ve had their wonderful sandwiches on foccacia bread (in my case, I like turkey but they’ve got also hummus-based delicacies). Needless to say, great food and a very comfortable, home-like atmosphere. We should probably organize an intimate Tweetup or Blogger Meetup here, just a few folks