Vancouver International Auto Show 2009

http://www.vancouverinternationalautoshow.com/

The 2009 Auto Show is happening from:
Tuesday March 31 2009 to  Saturday April 5 2009
@ BC Place Stadium

Admission: 10$ weekday, 15$ weekend; other prices may be seen on the website.

and will feature some neat things including the new eco-friendly Prius (yay…)
among other goodies. May put up pictures later if we attend.

March Chili Day

Another has passed, and in March, the day has come. This day, and the event’s soon described, were feared for many days and nights, dreamt of pain and suffering, and the like.

(having the balls to become fire balls!)

The raw consumption of YELLOW, RED, JALAPENO, SERRANO AND THAI peppers stand before us.

So here’s my “reviews”, with ratings from 1-10, 10 being stupidly hot, like eating charcoal from a recently burning barbeque pit:

The PreCrunch Colours

Tequila shot. Nice starter to warm things up.

First in line were the yellows. (6) Almost gave up, but the first one is usually the hottest, being the “fresh” new flavour on the tongue. (I’m a crysanthemum (not a pansie!) when it comes to spiciness).  Woozy and light-headed, I was I was.

Nope. I was wrong, the big Red ones are much worse. (7). Friendly observants noticed slurred and lisped vocabulary. There were moment of  ‘illitherithy’ for that moment. GKW wanted to give up. JChu brushed his tongue (bad idea right?)

Thirdly were the Jalapenos. To me: (2), I was lucky. It tasted like a green pepper (no, it wasn’t a green pepper). GKW had a choice in the matter of picking 1 or 2, and somehow died during that. Too bad. LOST ONE IN THE BOONDOCKS! JChu went and brushed his teeth again. POINT TO NOTE: That just prepares you for another clean hit, dudes and dudettes.

Lastly? Yes, the serrano and the thai were consumed together. The idea was to do it all ASAP and wither away this last time, rather than twice more.  The serrano is a smaller breed of green, but still packs a punch (6)… the thai chili however, <BAM!>, (9)! One bite and I was swatting and hand flapping like a kid having his first sour ring… but disgusting.

Choked it down with some aloe vera and postachios. (See below).

And topped off (me only) with three more shots of tequila (‘Sauza’ brand).
Probably got myself some ulcers. It was bound to happen with alcohol some time in my life.

Tummy warm! (That’s a bad thing.) With the tequila! (Darn peer pressure.)

Fields of seeds in a muddy pool produced at the end of the day; wishing I’d have taken some pictures… how raw.

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FOOD VAMPYRE
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Thanks to participants GKW and JChu; “you kiss your mother with that?” and all the observants with magnifying glasses andthe burning sun.

(Personal logo in the works!)

Event: Emerald City ComiCon

Emerald City ComiCon
April 4th 5th 2009

www.emeraldcitycomicon.com

hey! Seattle has a comicon waiting this weekend! I’m not entirely up to date with who’s involved, but check out the site! Sounds like an interesting time waster!

Spike and Mike – Event

Hi,

So I’m thinking of adding event pages too.

Spike and Mike’s Sick and Twisted Animation Show is an annual event in Vancouver showcasing selected animation shorts to rile, excite and overwhelm your tastes for 2-5 minutes a piece, all strung together to make a “90-minute movie” out of it.

It will take place at the RIO THEATRE, VANCOUVER (on Commercial and Broadway) and occur from last friday (Feb 20th) to March 5th 2009.

See you there! (I’ll probably attend either Saturday or Sunday.. =))

M-R 7 & 9 pm
F-Su 430, 7 & 9 pm

www.riotheatre.ca
www.spikeandmike.com

About Posting..

So hm…

Recession and all, eating out every once in awhile is a little impractical, so the frequency of posting restaurant views will decrease a bit.

HOWEVER myself and colleagues about will start some for posting up pictures of different meals of different qualities and ethnicities and colours, all to be shared amongst yourselves and us.

So in the “VamPics“  page, we’ll see many images which can link to stuff you like seeing: GRUB!

Enjoy!

Amsterdam Cafe Pub

The Amsterdam Cafe
Whistler Village, Whistler, BC

Being early before a bungee jumping expedition, our group of 8 jumped
ship and explored the traverses of the Whistler Village. Stumbling by, we noticed we needed to stumble more and headed to a pub likely named The Amsterdam Cafe.
A rather small place, but warming we were greeted with a really peppy waittress – hello! – and ordered some pizzas and eggs benedict – oh hello again, yes our orders are – … below. (she was quite fast.)

The left pizza: Bad bbq. something chicken. DON”T RECOMMEND.
The right pizza: had sausages and cheese, very nice tastes.
Eggs Benedict: The usual. Rather nice snack.

Much of it was okay, but I’d rather try something else.

the price was a tad much, but then again, it’s a tourist’s town and it’ll only go higher as the Olympics come closer.

Cheers! It’s a fast-service pub situated in the heart of Whistler right by the stage. I’d like to try their 18$ nacho platter. Looked massively enjoyable.

Hoorah!
Thanks to KingW for referencing cups, and Joh for going twice around!

the free faller.

Riddim and Spice

Riddim and Spice
3rd and Commercial, Vancouver

Yummm but not flaky

DUDE. AWESOME FOOD.
Dishes ordered: Jerk chicken, Curry chicken, oxtail, curry beef

GOOD Stuff all around. See pictures!

(to be continued )

A great place for any occasion, a casual usually. Enjoy as much as you can!

Food Captain.

Price range: good. 8-11 for these dishes. =)

Dona Cata Mexican Restaurant

NEW! Pictures will arrive.

Dona Cata Mexican Restaurant

5076 Victoria Drive     map
Vancouver, BC
Tel: 604-436-2232

REVIEWED BY darTHE

Tortilla “de Nopales Con Queso Y Carne” (Cactus paddles, cheese, longaniza on tortillas, 2 for 8$)
Taco: Longaniza, Biftek (2$ea, +50c for cheese)
Burritos with rice (7$)
Drinks: Jarritos soft drink – Guava, Pineapples (2.50$ea)

It’s a great thing to visit an authentic homestyled feeling for lunch. We were given a set of tortilla chips among a range of salsas (ranked not spicy to red chilis) which was nice to try, and later to put on whatever we got listed. The Cactus Tortilla was okay, it tasted like steamed green peppers on mashed up breakfast sausages. Yummy, but not a fan of steamed peppers. The Jarrito was a light flavoured pop. The burrito was taken up by KING.W and it was super cheesy! But the rice was fat with water and bland. JACHU had some “tacos”, small little things, bite sized.

The service was good and cherry, but I didn’t feel full, nor did I feel like “cactus” was good… It’s probably a one time food test. But I’d gladly go back, but it’s an occasional place, not a must-return feeling. It’s good if you really want to try a bunch of salsas and very homestyled (IE not Taco Bell or Taco Del Mare). It’s not a filling meal, but it’s good for casual visits.

Comeback factor: Neutral, an occasional return, but would rather try elsewhere.

darTHE
KING.W and JACHU are also participants.

Banquet: At the Best Western Richmond Hotel & Convention Centre

Best Western Richmond Hotel & Convention Centre
7551 Westminster Highway, RMD    map

Received: Okanagan Vineyard White Wine, Mashed Pea Soup; Salmon, Steak, mashed ‘tatoes, steamed carrots/green beans, New York Cheesecake with Raspberry sauce.

The white, a very nice pick by Dennis (picked out from service given) as it had a smooth but “huewy” texture that smelled wonderful and sweet. The pea soup was subtle and simple. The main course was as expected at functions as these, tough salmon, tougher steak the size of an ointment tube, and… steamed veggies. The NY Cheesecake was simple, but available at any hotel banquet locations (such as Coast Hotels and Plazas).

Function: Charter Night of the Vancouver Granville Lions Club (an ‘inauguration’ of sorts)

Yes, it’s a function, and the price was 68$ (!!!!, but mine was free!), so it’s unjustifiable to pay almost 70$ to have subpar food. I’ve never found a banquet dinner service, other than buffets, to be of any quality. Off with your head!

Service was as it should. Caterers were caterers. The location was rather roomy and spatious. Very effective with the colour palette (beige).

Comeback factor: Hate for banquets continually growing, BUT okay since it’s free. More free is more me!
Thanks to Ricki, Laura and David for getting me through the 18-hr day without passing out into my dessert.

~Food Vampyre~

Restaurant Review: Congee Noodle King

Congee Noodle King
3313 Kingsway Street, Vancouver map
604-435-6670

Dishes Ordered: Honeymoon Fried Rice, Liver and Kidney Congee, Black Bean clams, Deep-fried cod with chilis

Liver and Kidney Congee was nice, the meats were the texture that I wanted (just after a fever) and it was great congee. I’m willing to try other congees.

The Honeymoon Fried Rice was half red-sauced (tomato), half white-sauced (cream) with shrimp and fried rice under it, making a nice dish. The clams were small and indifferent from many places, and the chili cod kind of scratched my throat. =(

Although I was freshly recovering from a fevery weekend, G.W still craved two helpings of the congee. It’s a great, small place for some cheap chinese food and congee is their specialty.

Comeback factor: Would come again! Very cheap and a large menu option. Opens late.
The Food Vampire
Swallowed whole with Gary, double D, Jonny C, and A.Téo