The Alibi Room As Favored By Vancouver's Vampire Crowd

Just off of Railway and a few minutes' walk from Gastown - though not in stilettos, I'd hasten to add - is the favored Alibi Room.  Its casual feel is reminiscent of a Meat Packing District bistro.  It overlooks the train tracks but is set far enough off from Gastown to be just that much hipper and offer easily incognito comings and goings.

A sampling of just a few of the beers they've got ON TAP:

• Cannery Brewing - Naramata Nut Brown
• Lagunitas - Lucky 13 ***
• Howe Sound Brewing - Limited Release Imperial IPA***
• Swans Buckerfields - Scotch Ale
• Crannog brewing - Hells Kitchen Potato Red ale
• Spinnakers Ale House - 25th Anniversary Pale
• Phillip's Brewing - Chocolate Porter

They also serve organically grown and local boutique wines and have a creative house cocktail list. The building itself is a heritage site, which was built over 100 years ago.
 
Food is a Gastronome's Pub Fare:

SMALL & SHARE PLATES
• Free-run chicken wings with honey, garlic, chili, and fresh herbs
• Edamame with toasted sesame salt
• Skinny fries with chili garlic vinegar & house made ketchup
• Canadian cheese plate - daily selection, house condiments & warm breads
• Mushroom & hazelnut Pate with truffle oil, whole roasted garlic bulb & crostini

SANDWICHES
• BC Bison cheese steak with spiced bison flank, peppers, onions & cheddar. Pumpkin seed 'slaw and fries.

Check out their full menu here:  The Alibi Room

And they're not open for lunch, only after dark, when the Vampires come out.

157 Alexander Street @ Main
Vancouver, BC

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Vampires Like It Fresh, Hot and Spicy At Vancouver's India Bistro

Advertising extended hours during the 2010 Olympics, this casual, comfort of a dining establishment is referred to by locals and visitors alike as Vancouver's "favorite Indian bistro."

Considering that this was a regular spot for Taylor Lautner, and Robert Pattinson while they were filming Eclipse and New Moon, sequels in the Twilight series, the prices are still normal, meaning $4.95 for a bowl of Mulligatawny soup. And the atmosphere is friendly;  the owner is likely to welcome you at the door himself. Their daily lunch buffet is the real deal, at $10.95, but so is their weekend brunch.

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Honestly, though, I always discern a good Indian food restaurant by their desserts.  India Bistro could count me a believer if they told me it was the Goddess Lakshmi herself who prepared these sweet delights. Now I'm certain that the Twilight/ New Moon crew has good taste, or, at least, that Pattinson knows a good curry when he tastes one, as any true English gentleman vampire would.

Here's the choices from the menu. For prices, you  need to be sure to ask when you order, they fluctuate a bit: Gulabjamun, Rasmalai, Kheer and the house specialty, their Mango Ice Cream. Did we mention, it's all Gluten-Free!

They also prepare six different lamb dishes, ranging from spicy mild to spicy hot.

Davie Village is known as the "gay 'hood" which makes it a great place to shop, stroll and people watch. Read More Here at Travel BC  and  Local Food And Wine

Located on1157 Davie Street
http://www.indiabistro.ca/

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Vampires Suck On Vancouver's Oysters

Rodney's Oyster House is a Yaletown resto specialized in seafood...and, no, not just oysters. Fun is that you can take the SkyTrain practically right to the front door. [See Also Local Food And Wine]

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They serve all of the chowders:  Manhattan, New England, Corn and Slapjack. For hot entrees they offer House Fish Stew and Coco Curry Shrimp.

From 3-6pm you can get their Low Tide specials, perfect for the winter time when 5pm can feel like night time already!  Check for the day's specials but you can be pretty sure to find some assortment of Haida Gwai Candy, Scallop Galette and Panfried Oysters available for chowing down.

Desserts for dinner time include Banana Creme Brulee and Belgian Chocolate Mousse. On Sundays they don't open until 4:30.

Rodney’s Oyster House
1228 Hamilton Street, Vancouver, BC

Call for Reservations.

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Vancouver's Main Event East Meets West

Beginning January 18th and stretching all the way to the 24th, restaurants that line Vancouver's Main Street are hosting the city's The Main Event: East Meets West.  Diners can feast on prix fixe tasting menus of $25, $35 and $45 at participating restaurants.  Food donations benefitting The Greater Vancouver Food Bank will be accepted at these fine dining establishments.

Hot and tasty!

KICK OFF PARTY: Monday, January 18th from 8 'til late at The Biltmore Cabaret. Entry is by donation and proceeds are for The Greater Vancouver Food Bank.
8 - 10pm: Free Appetizers | $4 drinks | Door Prizes | Silent Auction | DJs featuring Analog Bell Service and DJs Luke Kyd and Elan.
Restaurants have pledged to donate a percentage of their food receipts from theweek long event to The Greater Vancouver Food Bank.
For more information email: info@themaineventvancouver.com
With over 20 fine restaurants participating, you'll have plenty to choose from the whole week long.

Main Street, Vancouver, East Meets West

Screw Vs. Cork And How To Open A Bottle Of Wine

Screw vs. Cork

Local Food And Wine

Screw caps, also known as “Stelvin” caps, provide the best seal for bottled wines. Surprised? There have been hurdles in the perception of a wine’s value based solely on whether it has a cork or a screw cap, but the fact remains that traditionally sealed bottles of wine risk developing a case of being “corked.”

How To Open A Bottle Of Wine

The term “corked” refers to the taste a wine can develop, which is actually an oxidation problem, from corks due to the substance used to sanitize the cork prior to use for bottling. The substance is referred to as TCA (2,4,6-Trichloroanisole).  A “corked” bottle of wine has a musty or mouldy taste to it that has nothing to do with the wine, but rather its reaction to the cork. Stelvin caps allow for consistent aging and keep the wine’s freshness.

Wine lovers who enjoy more complexity in their wines may still reach for a traditional bottle with a cork, but those who enjoy a fresher more “fruity” taste to their wines will opt for the screw cap. Tinhorn Creek, an Okanagan winery who uses Stelvin caps, explains the aging process of a wine:

“Most wine aging reactions occur within the bottle and have very little to do with any oxygen getting through the cork. It is just a matter of molecules bumping into one another in a small container that allows wine to age. The tannin molecules collide and form larger molecules and eventually get so heavy that they fall down to the bottom of the bottle. Once these tannins fall out the wine becomes smoother tasting. This reaction occurs with or without a cork.”

Australia, Spain, South Africa, South America, Canada, the U.S. and France are all major winemaking regions who are adopting the Stelvin caps for their wines. Some of the best labels, such as Bonny Doon, have been early adopters of the screw cap. The synthetic “cork” is what most wine afficionados recommend avoiding when possible. Winemakers say these stifle the maturing process of a wine. Some wineries even say that bottles over five years old with a synthetic cap start to acquire a synthetic taste to the wine. More pluses for Stelvin caps (courtesy Tinhorn Creek):

1. The bottles are easier to store (they can be on their side, upside down or standing straight up in your cellar).
2. You will not encounter bottles that leak through the cork.
3. The fruitiness of the wine will stay preserved for longer, thus allowing you to age wines for longer.

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