Source: Follow Me Foodie

We have prepared some awesome game specials for you including 20oz glass of beer at $3.5

In addition on Wednesdays we have Jack Daniel’s day:

$3.5 Jack Daniel’s and Ginger Ale
$3.5 Jack Daniel’s honey shots

The first round of fresh tortilla chips with two deadly salsas is on us. Also, we will refill your glass with any of these soft drinks as many times as you want for FREE:

- regular cola
- diet cola
- lemon pop
- ginger ale
- lemonade
- club soda
- raspberry iced tea
- cranberry beverage
- clamato beverage

Proudly serving our customers since 1995!

La Casita Gastown
Mexican Food Restaurant
101 West Cordova str, V6B 1E1
Vancouver, BC, CANADA
Phone: 604 646 2444
Email: info@lacasita.ca
http://www.lacasita.ca/jack-daniels-and-ginger-ale-wednesdays/

At the first lecture, I found out that the first shoot involved us asking strangers on the street for permission to take their photos.  This is something completely outside of my comfort zone.  Every time I thought about the first shoot, my palms get sweaty and I feel queasy.  This is why I’m not in sales and marketing.  I much prefer sticking my head in the sand and work with tax legislations and numbers.

So Saturday came, and I dreaded going to the class.  We met up at the art gallery downtown and got our assignment sheets.  The teacher gave us some pointers, and off we go on our own to get pictures.  I was nervous as heck.

I spent the next two hours walking around downtown Vancouver, asking strangers if I could take their pictures.  I would stutter about it’s for a photography course project, and I could e-mail them their pictures if they wanted.  Every person I asked, I braced myself for rejection and ridicule.  I mean, if someone ask ME if they could take a picture of me, I’d mostly likely say no.

But guess what?  I asked a total of 17 people.  Every single one of the 17 people said Yes.

I couldn’t believe it.  What are the odds of 100% of the people saying yes!  I was so relieved and ecstatic.  Not only did everybody say yes, they were mostly very friendly as well.  Two of the guys who looked the most scary (only because of their punk rock looks) even gave me hugs after I took their pictures!  Needless to say, I was floored.

Now I am looking forward to next week’s class!

Thierry~~

thierry

What better way to kick off the weekend than with some great eats!

thierry

thierry

A few of us in marketing in the Vancouver area were introduced and got to know each other over dinner at Gyu-Kaku and then headed over to Thierry for dessert.

Bonding over delicious macarons and lattes is definitely the way to go

Winter in Vancouver is rainy…..7 days a week.Recently, the weather is a liitle bit better. But still a bit wet….or a bit foggy today.
I went out to Downtown Vancouver in the evening to see some beautiful sky.

When the sun get low, it came out through the heavy clouds.

Then, I started walking because there was no more sun lighting up the buildings.

Then, I noticed the beautiful snowy mountain is now out of the clouds.

This is the amazing time of Downtown Vancouver.

The clock is showing about 4:40PM…..still the winter day is short….but 40 min. longer than the shortest day.

It is funny to say….bit I like cloudy evening in Vancouver…….

Leica Digilux 3

And this is looking at Downtown Vancouver.

A great day to be out and enjoy the January sunshine.

With the mindset of “music changes lives” and the idea of passing on that notion, the artists put on a mind-blowing show in front of a sold out crowd at The Vogue Theatre.

The event was a fundraiser for The Saint James Music Academy (SJMA) – a music education program for children in the Downtown Eastside. The program offers high quality music instruction in piano, guitar, cello, violin and choir at no cost to the students’ families.

Andrew Huculiak and Cayne McKenzie of We Are The City started the evening off strong with their powerful duet on drums and keys.

Aidan Knight followed with his sweet voice and his “I’ve never done this before” attitude as he split the crowd in half to sing, or rather hum, different parts of his song. After asking the crowd whether they wanted a fun or “contemplative” song, he decided to combine the two, and did not disappoint.

He was accompanied by members of the Friendly Friends, Olivier Clements and Julia Wakal.

Hannah Georgas and Ryan Guldemond, of Mother Mother, joined forces with  the Saint James Music Academy for “Bit by Bit”. As the kids left the stage, smiles from ear to ear, Ryan gave each of the kids a high five — a simple move that probably took their evening from fantastic, to ridiculously amazing.

Dan Mangan made a special appearance, causing many of the females in the audience to swoon. Notorious for being the unlisted guest at events it wasn’t a big surprise for many, but a welcomed surprise nonetheless. Alongside the Saint James Music Academy he put on a great performance.

C.R. Avery wowed the crowd with his multi-talented ways. He went from beat boxing “Maggie’s Farm” and playing the harmonica, to rhythmically vocalizing about more serious topics, and even giving a shout-out to The Waldorf regarding its closure.

Videos ran in between some of the acts, showing videos of the students of the Saint James Music Academy being interviewed by the musicians. They were light-hearted, entertaining and proved to be very interesting with the innocent but sometimes sassy remarks. My favorite video was the one where Shad was “taught” how to play instruments by the kids. Apparently they did a good job as he stepped on to the stage and sang wholeheartedly like a pro.

Yukon Blonde changed the pace with their Indie Rock tunes, wild hair and equally as wild attitudes.

Fans anxiously awaited for Hey Ocean! to perform, and the wait proved to be worth it for them, obvious by the constant chatter and applause.

MCs, Cory Ashworth and Tamara Stanners from Peak FM, did a fantastic job introducing the bands and maintaining an upbeat and fun vibe in between acts. Their displayed appreciation for the musicians in conjunction with their positive energy, went a long way in making the event an even greater success.

Sing It Fwd founders Ambrosia Humphrey, Director of HR at HootSuite Media and Dave Vertesi of Hey Ocean! share similar passions as the Executive Director of the SJMA, Kathryn Walker. All of them feel strongly about community and equality, and share the notion that music changes lives. Together they strive to raise funds and awareness for the importance of youth music education, while also providing the children exposure to role models in the industry.

L to R: Tamara Stanners, Ambrosia Humphrey, Dave Vertesi, Cory Ashworth

Their partnership has achieved great things, including raising much needed money for the organization. With the help of the Vancouverites who paid to attend the concert and/or have donated to the SJMA they are surpassing all expectiations that they originally had, with each year achieving more than the past. Last year they raised a total of $25,000, while this year, in concert ticket sales alone, they raised $32,000, all of which went to the Saint James Music Academy. Their goal of $50,000 is attainable and will hopefully be reached through donations from the loving hearts and open pockets of those who support the cause.

For more information go to www.singitfwd.com or to donate go to www.sjma.ca

For more photos from the event check out my Sing It Fwd set on Flickr.

The performance we saw was Amaluna, based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest.  To see some video clips, visit the website http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/amaluna/tickets/vancouver.aspx This will give you a glimpse of what we experienced.

The entire evening was a lot of fun. We took the sky train downtown and then walked to the site. After the show we walked back to the station. Lady Gaga was in town for a performance and the streets were full of Gaga fans all dressed up. It was wonderful to be amongst them and to feel the energy. I stopped to compliment a couple of young girls dressed for the show. We picked up fish and chips on the way home to complete the evening.  The tickets were a Christmas gift from me to my husband.  It turned out to be a perfect gift as he thoroughly enjoyed the performance as well as the company of me and Flat Ruthie!

We don’t do things like this very often so it made it very special.

Is there anything you do once in a while that is extra special?

Square Buttons for the Stewart Stephenson Modern Art Gallery – “Reinventing the way people experience art”.

Although I will always travel, Vancouver is now and always will be my hometown. With the limited time I have left here before I spread my wings and leave the proverbial nest to Europe, the eastern side of Canada and beyond, I’ve been making sure to take time for capturing this city.

Finally sorting out the technical side of my software woes, I am able to sort through some shots I took with my newest camera. The Nikon D600 is the first full frame I have been able to afford and the remarkable outcome has converted me.

Anyways, I’ll throw another couple of photos your way soon enough! Thanks for checking out this photo-blog!!

Daiya Foods will be one of the vendors at the Gluten Free Expo. (Stephen Hui)

Where there’s vegan food, you’ll often find gluten-free options. The reverse isn’t necessarily true though. For instance, when I popped into Mygoodness! Gluten & Wheat Free Kitchen on East Broadway and inquired about vegan options, the proprietor responded, “I’m not vegan.”

However, there will be plenty of vegan food products on site when the Gluten Free Expo returns to Vancouver on January 13, 2013.  The event, which takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Vancouver Convention Centre, will feature several speakers and more than 100 vendors offering samples and selling their goods. Tickets are $12 at the door, and kids 10 and under get in free.

Vendors known for their vegan products include local businesses Daiya Foods, GluteNull, Indigo Food Café, North of 49 Naturals, Silver Hills Bakery, and Vega, as well as U.S. brands Coconut Bliss, Earth Balance, and Earth Island (Follow Your Heart).

Billed as the largest gluten-free event in Canada, the expo is also slated to land in Calgary (March 24) and Toronto (September 14 to 15) in 2013.

1. 1. Skip the club line ups. Forget trying to coordinate all of your friends to get in line up at a certain time to get into a certain venue.  Have your party at Crown Palace and there is no line up or time restrictions.  Guests can arrive as they like!

2. Be your own VIP!  We can help coordinate an evening where you get more than just your own VIP table but we can also help coordinate limo service to a personal photographer to capture every moment of your special night. 

3. Beyond table service.  The main table can be on the stage, near the stage or middle of the dance floor – you decide!  We also provide your very own DJ, dance floor with lights and staff catering to your every need including bartender(s).  Want to have perfomers or a band – we can accomodate that too!

4. Pre- select your menu.  You don’t have to go with typical hall food – we have 15 diverse menus with various ethnic flavours, options and the food is guaranteed fresh, delicious and served with class.  We also have “fun food” options like mini burger and poutine for late night snackers who need to refuel before the night is through.

1. 5. Parking – there is plenty of it but we always help coordinate safe rides home too!  Location, location, location!  Easy access for friends from different parts of town.  Whether your friends are coming in from downtown Vancouver, New Westminster, Burnaby White Rock, Abbotsford or Surrey – Crown Palace is located on a major intersection with easy access to two bridges, transit and cab fare is affordable from every nearby city.

6. Add a  fundraising component.  Give back to your favourite charity while have an amazing birthday event.  We can help coordinate fundraising efforts at the door or through a silent/live auction.  Ask for details when booking.

7. We give you a BDay gift too!  From spa gift certificates to coffee baskets from Starbucks…your birthday gift table starts with something from us!

8. Select a hall size.  The one thing everyone “thinks” is that Crown Palace is too big of a hall.  We have two hall sizes with the smallest one able to accommodate a comfortable 200 people or less.  Perfect birthday party size.

9. Have a birthday you will never forget!  Be it your child’s birthday, a parents or a milestone for yourself such as 21, 25, 30, 40 or 50 etc.– make your next birthday a day or night you won’t forget and one where you can really celebrate life with all your loved ones in one place.  For the cost of going out on the town, you can celebrate with Crown Palace.

10. Best part is – no big meals to make, no big mess to clean up.  We are your stress free, all fun and play venue!

Dining experience:

Interior of Chipotle Vancouver

Being the first day in business, it was busy with a long lineup as expected. A lot of people were probably ordering to go because there were still many seats available. I was impressed with how smoothly the place is managed especially considering that it’s their first day. We were immediately greeted with a friendly staff that explained the menu to us. And after about 10 minutes, it was already our turn to place our orders, just the speed downtown needs!

Food:

Carnitas Burrito

Carnitas Burrito ($8.95) – 2.5/5
“Flour tortilla, cilantro-lime rice, black beans, tomatillo-red chili salsa, sour cream, cheese”

The carnitas is seasoned with a mix of thyme, bay, juniper berries and pepper and braised to tenderness. It’s the only choice of meat that is not spicy at all so I picked their spicy salsa to make up for it. The ingredients melded well together, with plenty of juices from the carnitas, salsa, sour cream and some ooey-gooeyness from the melting cheese. I would’ve preferred some stronger flavors overall and a stronger presence of lime flavors. I’d probably pick another type of salsa next time because it sounds like they have more ingredients like cilantro or corn at play rather than straight up spiciness from the chili.

Barbacoa Soft Tacos

Barbacoa Soft Tacos ($8.95) – N/A
“Soft flour tacos, tomatillo-green salsa, sour cream, romaine lettuce”

I only tried two bites of this, not enough to give it a rating but I did like it more than the Carnitas Burrito. I found it fresher-tasting, with more citrusy and lighter which makes a great choice for lunch. It is a bit messy to eat though with the saucy barbacoa, but hey, moist is much better than dry!

All in all, quality ingredients and good textures. Perfect with a little more oomph in the flavour department!

Ambiance: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Food: 3/5
Overall: 3/5

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