Stretching north-south between 16th and 1st Avenues and east-west between Granville and Ontario streets, the MLS-defined Cambie neighbourhood represents a huge chunk of central Vancouver real estate. From bustling Cambie Street to the sprawling Queen Elizabeth Park, this neighbourhood combines the benefits of well-connected city life with the joys of nature and some of the city's best recreational facilities.
This article also appeared in The Vancouver Courier
Vancouver wine lovers and industry insiders gathered this weekend for the annual Vancouver International Wine Festival, this year showcasing the wines of Italy.
On Saturday night (Feb. 27), festival sponsor Delta Air Lines hosted travel industry VIPs at the intimate Delta Air Lines Tasting Lounge for a guided tasting with Delta's Master Sommelier, Andrea Robinson…
"Canadians have always been great friends of France,†said Armelle Tardy-Joubert, director for Canada, Atout France, at the annual Destination France trade show in Vancouver last week. "This year, we would like to tell you how much we have appreciated your solidarity.â€
Tardy-Joubert was referring to the messages of support France has received from the Canadian public and travel professionals in the months since the terrorist attacks that shook Paris on November 13…
Looking for a great tapas bar in Madrid? Don’t follow the signs. “Tapas bars almost never have signs saying they’re tapas bars,” Context Travel guide Helena Vaello told me as we explored tapas culture in Spain’s capital city. Those that do are likely tourist traps. If you want the real thing, just look for a bustling spot with people standing at the bar – and keep an eye out for plenty of crumpled napkins on the floor, a sure sign of many tapas enjoyed before you arrived.
While there are plenty of worthy choices in any neighbourhood, here are five I’d happily return to again and again.
Once a favourite haunt of Spanish bullfighters, this classic bar has been serving up tapas since 1827. The no-nonsense waiters keep things moving, but finding a table can be a challenge – a problem easily solved by squeezing in at the bar.
What to order: Tortilla invertida. Tortilla in Spain means the classic Spanish omelette with potatoes and onions. Madrileños like it ultra-gooey and barely cooked, which is much more delicious than it sounds. Casa Alberto gets the tortilla just right and serves it stuffed inside a sweet, crunchy, grilled green pepper.
Wash it down with: Vermouth on tap.
Location: Calle de las Huertas, 18
Tandem and its sister restaurant, Triciclo, serve up fresh, modern takes on the tapas tradition in a room that’s as hip as the food. The newer of the two, Tandem offers a more casual setting and lower prices.
What to order: Salmorejo. This cold tomato-and-bread pureed soup is a tapas staple, found at nearly every tapas bar in town. But Tandem offers a standout version topped with semimojama (lightly cured) bonito.
Wash it down with: A selection from the great local wine list.
Location: Calle Santa Maria, 39
Lateral mixes the modern and the traditional in a bright, airy room on Plaza Santa Ana. It was packed during my lunchtime visit, but flagging a waiter down was never a problem thanks to the call buttons on the table – one for service, one to request the bill.
What to order: Rabo de toro. Literally “tail of the bull,” this classic dish is actually braised oxtail. Here served with impossibly creamy mashed potatoes, it’s difficult to resist.
Wash it down with: The highly drinkable house wine, or splurge on a glass of champagne.
Location: Plaza de Santa Ana, 12
Another of Madrid’s restaurantes centenarios (centennial restaurants), this charming classic opened in 1892. Not for those with bad backs or knees, Bodega de la Ardosa requires guests to duck under the bar to reach the washrooms – an adventure in itself.
What to order: Grilled artichokes. Simple and delicious.
Wash it down with: Beer or vermouth on tap.
Location: Calle Colón, 13
This lively, modern bar serves Basque-style pinxtos (small tapas served on bread), laid out in the Basque way – in glass cases on top of the bar. While you’ll find traditional options like tortilla (done here with caramelized onions – yum), Juana La Loca offers highly creative dishes, too.
What to order: Pinxto with quail’s egg and truffle. The menu calls this “the incredible confit egg,” and it’s hard to disagree.
Wash it down with: Txakoli, a Basque white wine. Watch for the high pour, an impressive way of increasing the wine’s light sparkle.
Location: Plaza Puerta de Moros, 4
To dive deeper into Madrid’s tapas culture, check out the Tavernas and Tapas tour from Context Travel.
Originally published at FlightNetwork.com
At just over five square kilometres in size, White Rock is one of BC’s smallest cities – but it’s big on personality. With a dazzling beach and bustling seaside community lifestyle, this town once known as the home of the Lower Mainland’s “newly wed and nearly dead” has become an attractive home for people of all ages seeking a slice of the waterfront lifestyle just an hour’s drive from Vancouver. Here are five key reasons that White Rock is a great place to live for residents both young and old…
"We don't think of ourselves as hoteliers,†said Juan Vela, vice-president of Velas Resorts, over breakfast at the Grand Velas Riviera Maya. "We think of ourselves as providers of experiences.â€
Vela and his brother, Eduardo Vela Ruiz, were property developers who never planned to be in the hotel business. The first Velas resort – the Velas Vallarta, opened in 1989 – was meant to be condos…
“If you practice diving, this is the place to do it,†said Ana Mari Irabien, public relations representative for the Grand Velas Riviera Maya resort, referring to the high number of tourists who enjoy diving deep into the Riviera Maya's many cenotes and underground rivers.
The Riviera Maya, stretching 120 kilometres along the coast of the Yucatán Peninsula, from just south of Puerto Morelos to the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, is Mexico's newest tourism area…
"Europe is open for business.†That was a key message from Liesa Bissett, Trafalgar's product manager, at a dinner for a small group of agents and media in Vancouver this week. "It's been a tough couple of months,†she said, "but we really believe that people should be looking at Europe at the moment…”
I had the pleasure of interviewing reigning Olympic ski-cross gold medalist Marielle Thompson for the Winter 2016 issue of S-Competition, in addition to copy editing the issue as part of my work with Fresh Air Publishing.
Read the interview in the digital version of the magazine at snowsportsculture.com or pick the issue up at a newsstand.
I contributed five articles to the Winter 2016 issue of S-Magazine, in addition to copy editing the issue as part of my work with Fresh Air Publishing:
Read the stories in the digital version of the magazine at snowsportsculture.com or pick the issue up at a newsstand.