Alobar
46-42 Vernon Blvd,
Long Island City, NY
Ph: (718) 752-6000 or Reserve Online
After finishing up our shopping in Manhattan we caught the 7 train across to Long Island City. For dinner we decided to try one of the nearby restaurants that had been on my son's "to visit list."
We decided to share a salad, and then also share a large charcuterie and large cheese platter.
After some debate we decided to try the evening's special salad of grilled octopus with shaved lardon on a bed of arugula with pine nuts and a malt vinegar and olive oil dressing. We enjoyed the salad though the dressing was not especially exciting.
La Buca
4025 MacDonald Street
Vancouver
Ph: (604) 730.6988
La Buca is a little gem of a Italian restaurant in the neighborhood of Arbutus Ridge. Although I have been a fan of Andrey Durbach's food since way back when he had Etoile on Hornby Street, I somehow had not yet got to La Buca for dinner. Tasting some of the delicious hors d'oeuvres that he prepared for a Blackbird Theatre fundraiser earlier in the summer reminded me of this and so prior to seeing a show out at the Frederick Wood theatre at UBC, I made a reservation for an early dinner.
This made-in BC version of an Oyster Po'Boy is a winner. Earlier this year I joined Vancouver Foodie Tour operator, Michelle Ng on a tour of some of the gourmet street carts that have sprung up with the encouragement of the city's program to enhance curbside food offerings. One of the vendors we visited on the Vancouver Foodie Tours Tastes Curbside Kitchen Food tour was Kaboom Box.
Served out of their bright red truck located at Robson and Granville Street, their menu also includes a smoked salmon sandwich, veggie and venison burgers, fish and chips and a BC version of poutine. Poutine is a staple way of serving French fries that originated in Quebec. The fries are topped with cheese curds and usually some form of gravy. Kaboom Box make it with a gravy from local mushrooms.
For our second dinner of the "Chicago for the Regular Guys" weekend, we had the choice of several restaurants. Most of the group chose Ditka's restaurant.
Our group piled into taxis in groups of 4 and converged on the restaurant in time for our reservations at 8 PM. One table had an earlier reservation and they were already seated but when we arrived the place was absolutely packed and we had to wait for two tables to be set.
Although I have been luxuriating in deep, sound sleeps, my internal clock keeps waking me up at 6:30. The first thing on my mind is a steaming hot cup of coffee and cream, and luckily the kitchenette comes with a coffee maker and a daily supply of filter coffee. We brought the cream.
On this fifth day of my stay at the Westin, the sun streamed in through the shutters. The predicted weather was sunshine with a high around 20ºC and this was definitely the right day to visit the outdoor pools of Spa Scandinave.
We decided to go there a bit later in the morning and left at 11:30 to drive there.
After several rather grey and overcast mornings, Thursday dawned with a clear sky and my IPhone told me that there was going to be a temperature high of around 20º in Whistler. It was definitely the day for us to do the Peak to Peak Gondola ride.
The Peak to Peak Gondola connects Whistler and Blackcomb mountains on a 4.4 kilometre long ride. Opened in December 2008, it breaks three world records. Supported by only four towers, two on each mountain, it boasts the longest unsupported span of 3.024 kilometres, is the highest lift of its kind rising 436 metres above the valley floor and completes the longest continuous alpine lift system on the globe.
It really was an amazing and spectacular ride.
After buying our tickets in Whistler Village, we first rode the Whistler Village Gondola up to the Roundhouse lodge. There we walked around and marveled at the spectacular view before getting aboard one of the red cabins.
I was up by 7 as usual and brewing coffee. Breakfast for the second day was a bowl of Liberté Mediterranean yogurt, thick and creamy, with blue berries and strawberries. Then while my friend headed off for a golf lesson at Whistler Golf Club Driving Range, I settled down to catch up on my writing.
By 11:30 we were ready to head out on an exploratory walk around the village to see what was open for lunch. We wandered by Alta Bistro but saw that it only served dinner. Elements was packed and noisy, and we did not want to wait. We wanted to fit in a meal at Umberto's Il Caminetto but by the time we had wandered up to the Fairmont Chateau Whistler, we were ready for an immediate lunch! That mountain air does it every time. We looked in at the Wildflower Restaurant but it was not open for lunch
We were directed to the Mallard Lounge and terrace where lunch was being served. My friend was craving a bowl of creamy mushroom soup and we shared a charcuterie plate featuring meats from Two Rivers and an artisan cheese platter with cheeses from Farm House Cheese in Agassiz and Poplar Grove on the Naramata Bench.
Tuesday dawned overcast and grey but I was optimistic that the sun would be busting through the clouds a little later. After coffee and a breakfast of yogurt and berries, I went off to the Avello Spa to be indulged!
At the Avello Spa they were offering a special treatment deal for a paraffin wax manicure and pedicure. I was greeted by the reception staff and then Aiko, a delightful young aesthetician originally from Osaka, came to show me into the spa area. As I was the only client there at the time it was quiet and relaxing.
This spa has an elegant yet efficient look to it with 6 workstations, each a nice distance from the next. The chair was very nicely designed, and able to swivel back and forth over the water bath area making it really easy to soak one foot at a time or to dip one foot into the paraffin wax bath. Aiko made sure I was comfortable and draped a cover over me to keep me warm during the treatment.
Rimrock Cafe is the first of the fine dining restaurants that I am visiting for my Destination Whistler: Five Days of Fine Dining story. We had a reservation for 6 PM and the Shuttle bus from the Westin Resort and Spa dropped us off at the restaurant, shortly before 6 PM.
In the interests of getting the most variety of taste experience we had decided in advance to focus on sharing appetizers and small plates, wherever possible.
Alobar
After finishing up our shopping in Manhattan we caught the 7 train across to Long Island City. For dinner we decided to try one of the nearby restaurants that had been on my son's "to visit list."
Inakaya
La Buca
La Buca is a little gem of a Italian restaurant in the neighborhood of Arbutus Ridge. Although I have been a fan of Andrey Durbach's food since way back when he had Etoile on Hornby Street, I somehow had not yet got to La Buca for dinner. Tasting some of the delicious hors d'oeuvres that he prepared for a 
This made-in BC version of an Oyster Po'Boy is a winner. Earlier this year I joined Vancouver Foodie Tour operator, Michelle Ng on a tour of some of the gourmet street carts that have sprung up with the encouragement of the city's program to enhance curbside food offerings. One of the vendors we visited on the 
Mike Ditka's Restaurant
Although I have been luxuriating in deep, sound sleeps, my internal clock keeps waking me up at 6:30. The first thing on my mind is a steaming hot cup of coffee and cream, and luckily the kitchenette comes with a coffee maker and a daily supply of filter coffee. We brought the cream.
We decided to go there a bit later in the morning and left at 11:30 to drive there.
After several rather grey and overcast mornings, Thursday dawned with a clear sky and my IPhone told me that there was going to be a temperature high of around 20º in Whistler. It was definitely the day for us to do the Peak to Peak Gondola ride.
Mediterranean yogurt, thick and creamy, with blue berries and strawberries. Then while my friend headed off for a golf lesson at Whistler Golf Club Driving Range, I settled down to catch up on my writing.
Tuesday dawned overcast and grey but I was optimistic that the sun would be busting through the clouds a little later. After coffee and a breakfast of yogurt and berries, I went off to the Avello Spa to be indulged!
This spa has an elegant yet efficient look to it with 6 workstations, each a nice distance from the next. The chair was very nicely designed, and able to swivel back and forth over the water bath area making it really easy to soak one foot at a time or to dip one foot into the paraffin wax bath. Aiko made sure I was comfortable and draped a cover over me to keep me warm during the treatment.
Rimrock Cafe
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