Christmas is over, the New Year has passed and spring is still a while away. If you’re suffering from a case of the holiday blues, drown your sorrows and eat them away at some of these delicious dining experiences. From Food Festivals to Culinary Walking Tours, there’s plenty to indulge in around town!
Attend a Food Festival
Chocoholics will love the annual Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival. With over 60 flavours of hot chocolate to sample from, you’ll be spoiled for choice. Hoping to try something unusual? From jasmine tinted hot chocolate to a pecan and maple flavoured one, you will be sure to find it there. Lactose intolerant? No worries, some vendors will specialize in non-dairy hot chocolate. Running from January 19 till February 14, this unique festival will take place in various cafes and chocolate shops across Vancouver. If you’d rather sip a glass of wine, head out to the Vancouver International Wine Festival. Running from February 24 to March 2, this is Canada’s premier food and drink event. Sample wines from different places at the ‘Wine Minglers.’ Want to be more wine savvy? Attend a wine seminar or two. The festival also hosts ‘Winery Dinners’ during the week, where the entire meal is influenced by exclusive wines from around the world. If you want to experience the wine and cuisine of a particular region or country, check out their popular ‘Brunches’ that celebrate the end of this festival. Tickets are available online at VanWineFest.ca
A Traditional High Tea
If you’re in the mood for a traditional English high tea, with scones and all, Fairmont Hotel is one of the best places to go. Unwind in the gorgeous lobby lounge with your friends or family and re-connect over a scrumptious tea. Fairmont’s ‘High Tea at the Castle’ runs daily and they are pretty good about catering to gluten-free, vegetarian or vegan diets. For details, visit Fairmont.com. Another great alternative is the Afternoon Tea at the Truffles Café. Situated inside the Visitor’s Center at VanDusen Gardens, enjoy the breathtaking views of the gardens while you enjoy classics like buttery scones, coconut macaroons, freshly baked croissants with house-made strawberry jam and steaming cups of VanDusen’s private label black tea. Details at www.trufflesfinefoods.com
Make Art at Raw Canvas
If you’re up for an unforgettable night out with friends or looking for something special to do on Valentine’s Day, check out Raw Canvas. Their motto is ‘Eat, Drink, Make Art’ and this unique restaurant is part wine bar, tap house and art studio. Choose from their delicious handcrafted food and drink menu and when the mood strikes, head out to their painting pit and unleash your inner artist. You can pick a blank canvas off the menu and they provide the paint, brushes and everything you would need for your masterpiece. However, keep in mind that this is 19 plus establishment only. You can make reser- vations online at their website www.rawcanvas.com
Dine Out Vancouver
Dine Out Vancouver is back for its 12th year! This city-wide celebration of dining runs from January 17 till February 2 and allows diners to sample menus from restaurants all over Vancouver at a discounted prix fixe price (price points are $18, $28 and $38 per person). It also offers a variety of unique dining experiences. Hop on board a bus for the ‘Secret Super Soiree’ and take a road trip full of culinary delights. Grab a snack at the city’s largest gathering of food trucks during the ‘Street Food City’ event. Make your own handcrafted pizza while drinking local handcrafted beer at the ‘Craft Pizza Meets Craft Beer’ event. For dates and more information, visit www.dineoutvancouver.com
Go on a Culinary Walking Tour
If you want to discover some of Vancouver’s most delicious gems, book a culinary walking tour with Off the Eaten Track. True to their name, this company offers guided walking tours in some of the lesser known neighbourhoods and introduces you to a host of delectable eating joints. The Best Eats of the East Village tour will take you to one of the oldest neighbourhoods of Vancouver, where you can sample a variety of ethnic foods from Italy, China and South East Asia. Vegetarian? No problem, there’s an option for that and this tour even caters to any shellfish or peanut allergies. Another interesting tour to consider is Railtown Urban Eats, which will introduce you to the gritty history and delicious restaurants just east of Gastown. This tour offers 10 samples of food and beverages from 5 different places. You’ll also get a tour of the city’s only urban winery and get to sample some wines as well. These tours run rain or shine and most vary from 2 – 3 hours, so be prepared to be walking for at least 25 minutes or so. Purchase tickets online at their website offtheeatentracktours.ca