Macaron Day 2013

So, apparently there’s a whole day dedicated to macarons and that day was today.  I’m not sure why I like macarons… perhaps it’s a subliminal thing since I like macaroni and cheese so much?  Hmmm… macaron and cheese?  Could that be the next big food trend?

Cupcakes (Thurlow) – Christmas Cupcakes

Last Christmas, my sweetie surprised me with some special Christmas cupcakes from the Cupcakes location on Thurlow.

Diva at the Met – Dine Out Vancouver 2013

For our last Dine Out adventure this year, we picked Diva at the Met because we had a very enjoyable time during our last visit (see our Dine Out 2012 post here).

We were fortunately seated next to the open-concept kitchen which allowed us to see them plating all of the dishes.  Service, as usual, was top notch with frequent water refills and attentive servers.  Actually, our primary waiter kind of reminded me of a secret service agent dressed up in his dark suit.

C Restaurant – Dine Out Vancouver 2013

The great thing about Dine Out (for both restaurants and customers) is that you get a chance to try out a number of places that you might not normally try out.

Bel Café – Macarons at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia

David Hawkworth’s Bel Café is located in the historic Rosewood Hotel Georgia (previously just the Hotel Georgia) located directly across from the Vancouver Art Gallery (which in itself is known more for being the site of countless rallies/demonstrations instead of for the art that is actually inside the gallery).

Griffins – Dessert Buffet

As I mentioned on our post on Hapa Izakaya, we weren’t completely satiated so we decided to walk up to Griffins in the Hotel Vancouver for their famous dessert buffet.

Hapa Izakaya (Cordova)

Hapa Izakaya first opened in 2003 and has since expanded to a number of outlets that serve Japanese-inspired tapas.  Hapa, which apparently means “leaf” in Japanese according to the owner, also means “half” or “mixed” in Hawaiian.  This latter translation properly holds more meaning as this restaurant is a bit of a twist on the original izakaya drinking establishments in Japan.

Cartel Taco at the Waldorf

As I mentioned on my last post on Mom’s Grilled Cheese Truck, The Waldorf has been holding an East Van Food Fest every Sunday.  It was super hot the week that we visited with very little shade (save for the large parking lot billboard that was casting a narrow but pleasant shadow).

Mom’s Grilled Cheese Truck at The Waldorf

What do you do if you have a huge parking lot that’s being under utilized?  If you’re The Waldorf, you gather together a bunch of food trucks and arrange to have a good old fashion food fest. 

Cupcakes (Thurlow) – Nutella Cupcake

I’ve never actually watched The Cupcake Girls on tv so I can’t say if the show is any good but, despite the rather poor ratings on Urbanspoon, I actually liked the cupcakes that we got from here.

Soirette Macarons and Tea – Bacon Macaron and Mango Black Pepper Macaron

I don’t find myself in downtown Vancouver very often anymore.  However, many moons ago, I did some work for a to-be-unnamed government agency located a few blocks away from the current location of Soirette Macarons and Tea.  If I had known back then that there would be a great little macaron shop opening within walking distance, I might have stayed with that outfit longer…

Thierry Chocolaterie Patisserie Café

With so many great bakeries and cafés around Vancouver, how do you know which is the best?  And best for whom?  Everyone has different tastes but I think it’s only natural that we try and draw comparisons from similar experiences to help us categorize our hectic lives.