NaBloPoMo Day 5 - Weekend Getaway Kelowna BC

Weekend Getaway Kelowna BC and Quails Gate Winery Restaurant

NaBloPoMo 2017 Day 5

Every year I have an annual girls weekend where we choose a place for Vancity Girlfriends to enjoy a weekend away from Vancity and to relax without any duties of home.  This year we planned a year in advance and saved up enough Air Miles so we could fly to Kelowna for a weekend in October.  

We stayed at the Sandman Hotel which has a beautiful indoor swimming pool and hot tub (we were too busy drinking, eating and shopping to use it) but it was still calming to walk by the pools everyday and see the serenity of the pool.  We stayed on the business floor and the room had all the amenities such as a shower and bathtub, mini-fridge, coffee maker, TV, and two queen sized beds.  It is conveniently located across the street from Orchard Park Shopping Centre, a BC Liquor Store and close to several restaurants such as The Keg, Milestones and Moxies.  

The first night we made reservations at the Quails Gate Winery Restaurant called The Old Vines Restaurant to get the weekend started right.  I would highly recommend The Old Vines restaurant for any special occasion.  We started with a wine flight and then ordered our main meals.  I had the bison and Vancity Girlfriend Carolyn had the salmon which was served with popcorn.  That may seem like an unusual pairing but it was absolutely amazing.  Dessert is a must.  The names on the menu does not describe the unity of flavors on the dessert plate.  It's a subtle dance on the tastebuds for each bite.  The desserts that are featured below are the Iced Peanut Butter Parfait and the Milk Delice.  I'll never forget the experience of dining at the Old Vines Restaurant at the Quails Gate Winery.  They were unforgettable culinary journey in Kelowna BC.   

Old Vines Restaurant at Quails Gate Winery

Red Wine Flight at Quails Gate Winery

Free Range Bison at Quails Gate Winery

Dessert Plates at the Quails Gate Winery

Salmon at the Quails Gate Winery

Travel Tuesday - Watermark Beach Resort, Osoyoos, BC

I love being a tourist in my own city or province and so does Vancity Girlfriend Carolyn.  Perhaps the fact that her family lives in British Columbia gives her an excuse to stop and explore some new towns in BC.  This summer Carolyn and her family stopped by Watermark Beach Resort in Osoyoos, BC on her summer holiday.  

Now I know that Watermark Beach Resort is not Iberostar in Mexico, but let's take a look at the Vancity Girlfriends Watermark Beach Resort vlog to see the spacious one bedroom suite, lakeview and resort pool.  The resort room had a balcony and it looks like Toby gives it a two thumbs up.  

They only stayed one night but the in-suite laundry and full kitchen makes it comfortable for a longer stay for sure.  

Find out more about the resort here:  https://www.watermarkbeachresort.com/

We had another friend who ended up at the Watermark Beach Resort for her Yoga and Wine Holidays and that's now on my wish list.  It's a two in one where you can stay the at the resort and have it all packaged up with yoga.   

#AtoZChallenge - C is for Como Lake

C is for Como Lake Park located in Coquitlam, BC.  It was a spontaneous day and I ended up at Coquitlam Center and I never knew how close everything was when you drive in Coquitlam instead of take the bus.  My friend still had a bit of free time so I asked to get some exercise and go for a walk.  We found that Como Lake Park was only a 10 minute drive away.  Of course that is only when you don't go down the wrong residential streets and get U-turns at the end of the lane instead of the park parking lots.  With being so close to Como Lake and being able to see the lake, it was frustrating to be within reach but still had to drive around to find the real parking lot.  

When we did I was happy to have finally arrived at Como Lake Park.  It was a small lake to walk around and since it was a sunny day there were others walking that day.  A few with their dogs and what was more popular was the lake itself for some people.  It's because people can go fishing in Como Lake.  I saw someone in full fly fisherman gear in the lake fly fishing.  Others were on the pier.  Como Lake Park had beautiful views and reflections on a sunny day.
  

Fitness Friday: Carrot Rewards

National Blog Posting Month

Blogging everyday in November

#NaBloPoMo Day 11 - Carrot Wellness Rewards

I was first introduced to Carrot with someone running up to me and said "Do you like Scene points?  Download Carrot."  For me that wasn't enough, I needed to find out more.  Especially since when I asked "How long does it take to gain enough points for a movie?"  The answer was unknown.

Of course it is not a surprise that I caved and signed up for a free Carrot Reward membership which is supported by BC Healthy Families to help educate the public on nutrition, fitness, and more.  I have to admit that they are improving the program as time passes.  

Firstly download the app on your cell phone.  I found it difficult to enter the code to give my friend the referral code.  That seems a bit unclear but I have passed along my code to others and have received the 100 bonus points so I guess the system figures it out.  My bonus code is:  mariak6718 

It is a good thing that you are signed up now when it has paired up with Fitbit which makes life a lot easier.  Before I had it paired up with Google Fit on my phone but I would often not carry my phone everywhere with me.  So I am happy that it is now paired with my Fitbit.  

Be careful the first few weeks because they track how many steps you take to figure out how many steps will be your personal goal.  After they determine that you will need to reach your goal daily before they give you 4 points daily.  

To earn more points they also have quizzes that you can take to learn about fitness, nutrition and how to be healthy.  I find the quizzes quite fun and educational.  I'm hoping with the Fitbit to be motivatd to meet my daily fitness goal and gain more Scene points.  Find out more on the website:  https://www.healthyfamiliesbc.ca/carrot-rewards

Travel Tuesday - Deer Lake Park

I love being a tourist in my own town and exploring nature in the city.  In Burnaby there are beautiful parks and Deer Lake Park is one of them.  

Deer Lake Park in the summer has boat rentals where people can rent kayaks, canoes, or peddle boats to scoot around the small lake.  Deer Lake has a beautiful walking trail around the lake with a wooden boardwalk that cuts across one end of the lake.  There are ducks around surprising few mosquitoes as it is not as large as Burnaby Lake.  It is easy to walk around Deer Lake Park in less than an hour.  

Even in the summer, we were able to enjoy an evening stroll before dinner.  I was happy we were walking instead of running.  Save the running for the cool fall weather.  Enjoy the views of the lake on a summer day!

Travel Tuesday - Whistler Weekend and Spa Scandinave

This year we Vancity Girlfriends decided to have the Girl's Weekend Getaway in Whistler, BC.  Our hotel of choice was Pinnacle Hotel in Whistler because it had a kitchenette with a stove, fridge, microwave, and dishwater for our bottles of wine and tapas dinner.  Having a kitchen is a fabulous way to save money and cook at home.  

Pinnacle Hotel also has a jacuzzi tub which we did not use (except for storage) but if you wanted to return for a romantic weekend away, it is all ready for you.  It was the perfect affordable Whistler home for a girl's getaway.  We arrived on Friday night and tried to open a bottle of wine which was corked and were not successful even after efforts of attempting a YouTube experiment with a shoe and wall.  Perhaps we were not British enough to pull off that YouTube trick of opening a bottle of wine without a working corkscrew.  Alas, luckily we brought several bottles of wine and gave up.  We started with an easy individual sparkling wine bottles instead.  

The next day we slept in, had breakfast, and walked around the village before we got ready to take a taxi to the Spa Scandinave.  This is a real time saver and super cheap because from our hotel to the spa it is only ten minutes.  We could relax and treated ourselves.  Spa Scandinave is amazing.  There are hot pools, cold pools, saunas, relaxation areas and then you do it all again.  We went in the afternoon and it was really hot so definitely remember to hydrate and drink lots of water.  Once you enter the spa there is no re-entry so be ready to take it easy and relax.  Spa Scandinave is a silent spa so there is no talking allowed.  Since I'm an introvert this was my dream place.  I would definitely return but go back on a  summer evening when it is not so hot.  




Upon returning to the hotel after hours of afternoon relaxation, we put together our own tapas plate of crackers, cheese, grapes, prosciutto, and pepperoni.  This paired well with a bottle of white Greek wine.  

I love these Girlfriend Getaways that we do every year.  Whistler is a beautiful resort and I love it more and more every time I go.  

Montreal Smoked Meat Restaurant - Dunn's Famous BC

Hello Vancity Girlfriends,

Upon looking back, I truly can't believe that it has been 2 years since my first visit to Dunn's Famous BC famous for Montreal Smoked Meat.  In my first review I loved it and we vowed that we would return.  Who knew that would be 2 years ago?  Where does the time go?

This time I took my own advice and followed what Carolyn ordered the first time.  Knowing that the "Best Reuben Sandwich" was a monster of a sandwich to eat alone because of the Vancity Girlfriend blog post, I suggested a sharing approach to this lunch date.  This is the best way to taste and eat a three course meal and enjoying every bite.  Don't be shy and share with your bestie!

We started with the deep friend pickles and then shared the reuben sandwich (AMAZING!), Quebecois poutine, and ended our meal with their Cheesecake.  I would totally return to do the same.  We chose the perfect combination and everything was SOO GOOD!  Take a look - mouth watering, ain't it?

Dunns Famous BC Deep Fried Pickles Appetizer

Dunn's Famous BC Quebecois Poutine

Dunn's Famous BC Reuben Sandwich

Dunn's Famous BC Cheesecake for Dessert

Travel Tuesday: BC Ferries Savings Sale

Hello Vancity Girlfriends,

During the winter, it's promotion time at BC Ferries!  From November 16th - December 19th you can get 50% off standard vehicles for sailings from Monday-Thursday and Saturday which makes it $27.70 per vehicle per sailing instead of $55.  I know it's atrocious to think that inflation has brought travelling to the Vancouver Island to be such a luxery.  Or more likely it's bad budgeting of BC Ferries which may be increasing the fares.  I still remember the good old days when I first moved to Vancouver 15 years ago when I would travel back and forth at least once a month.  


Even though it's cold, rainy, and windy, BC Ferries are strong and can sail through the stormy seas and at half the cost, it's worth it to travel especially if you have family or work on the island.  If you travel on the first sailing, you can watch the blue horizons as the sun rises.  Sailing the seas on BC Ferries is quite scenic no matter what the weather is.  

Subscription Box Sunday - SFU Harvest Box

Hello Vancity Girlfriends,

It's Sunday Funday and I had a full day of relaxing at home with the chores.  Dishes, garbage, laundry, recycling, and even organizing the cutlery drawer.  I've watched "Confessions of a Shopaholic" on Netflix and now it's time to get back to blogging.  

As you may have noticed I blog when I feel inspired.  In this case, it was the boredom inspiration.  When my body doesn't want to do anything and my introvert self just wants to stay at happy at home.  Writer's block somehow gets unlocked and I find myself here for Sunday Funday to share my thoughts about the SFU Harvest Box.

In the past I've looked at Vancouver CSA programs but didn't have the money for the shares to pay at once or else could not commit to the local pick up place.  Yes, I have commitment issues.  So I always return to the SFU Harvest Box:  http://hb.sustainablesfu.org/

What do I like about the SFU Harvest Box?
It's affordable.  The pricing is for students so they have the value box at $8.50 and the local box at $15.75.  In each box they have at least 7 different types of vegetables and fruit.  I can also order one box at a time.  They have two deliveries per month and unlike the CSA programs, you just order the box when you want it.

I prefer to order the local box so I can support the local farmers and the variety is unique.  I love picking up the SFU Harvest box and opening to see what fruits and vegetables I will find.  Then the chef in me becomes alive as I think of ways to creatively use all of the ingredients in the box within the week.  With local harvest since there are fewer preservatives, I do find that they do not keep a very long time.  Fresh is best.  

Let's take a look to see what I uncovered in the May SFU Harvest Box.  

SFU Harvest Box - Kale, Red Tomatoes, Red Pepper, Eggplants, Cucumber, Beet, Apples.

Eggplants times two

Red Tomatoes

Red Pepper

My next SFU Harvest Box is coming on Thursday so I'm going to do an unboxing video for our YouTube channel.  Stay Tuned!

Travel Tuesday to Small Town Smithers

Hello Vancity Girlfriends,

I grew up in a small town in beautiful British Columbia.  Even though that was almost forty years ago, it has a special place in my heart.  When I have an opportunity to return to visit old childhood friends, I will cash in my Airmiles points for a plane ride back to my hometown, Smithers, BC.  

Smithers, BC is a small town of 5,000 people.  It is in a valley between mountains and has one main street where most of the shops are.  Nowadays the highway name brand restaurants and stores are popping up and there is a Boston Pizza, Subway, Starbucks, Sportscheck, and A&W as you would find in the city.  

Every few years my second family calls me back to visit and I return happily.  I love the country and the small town feel.  I miss it after living in the city for so long.  I am a country girl at heart.  I love the peacefulness and the quiet country road.  I spent a self made 4 day long weekend in Smithers, BC and I loved every minute. 

The first day we went up to Hudson Bay Mountain to look for a snowy patch in June and found one.  Then I was chasing a mother grouse and her chicks off the country road so the truck could pass by without anyone getting hurt.  I was flapping my arms around like a grouse because after the chicks got off the road, a few started coming back.  During my stay I went to Driftwood Canyon Fossil Beds and saw hummingbirds, woodpeckers, chickadees, and bluejays.  Aside from the birds I saw three deer on the road during my morning walks.  There is a peacefulness about being in the country, the fresh air, the stillness.  

The town itself looks like a Swiss Alpine village along Main Street and the Hudson Bay Mountain is picturesque.  It's like a postcard every time I go back.  

Vancouver Event: Vancouver International Wine Festival - 25 for under $25 Mingler

Dear Vancity Girlfriends,

This year we went to the Vancouver International Wine Festival for the 25 for under $25 Mingler that is open to the public.  It was the first time for us to experience such a wine tasting and to have the opportunity to try 25 different types of wine that are all available in the liquor stores for an affordable price of under $25.  This mingler was hosted by The Province's Wine Guy who writes about budget minded bottles of wine on a regular basis and I imagine he gets to taste a few too.  It's great to be able to taste the different wines side by side to compare and to really find out which ones are your favorite.  I'm sure that each wine tastes well for its purpose and paired with specific foods but I'm not a wine connisieur.  Instead we are just Vancity Girlfriends, two ladies who enjoy our glasses of wine together.  

Thankfully the Vancouver International Wine Festival outlines some tips for your wine tasting experience and I am glad I took note of those beforehand.  Even though you may imagine that you want to guzzle all of the wines at once, this is not that type of event, so don't do it.  It is for 'tasting' or 'sipping' the wines and trust me, the ones you enjoy will stand out.  The others you'll just put the rest of the pour in the buckets and move onto the next wine.  With 25 wines in under 2 hours, you really have to pace yourself.  We got our first taste and then went straight to the appetizers to balance the wine with the cheese, bread, meat, and crackers.  Then we went back for more.  Even though it was busy as this is a sold out event every year, there's enough space to get your taster pour and then walk away so the next person can get their chance to talk with the wineries.  There were wines from all different countries including Australia, Germany, France, Spain, and of course the local Canadian wines. 

My favourite of the night was the Quail's Gate Pinoit Noir - light and refreshing pinoit noir that gives a memorable sip.  http://quailsgate.com/wines/quails-gate-pinot-noir/  Quail's Gate Winery is located in Kewlona, BC, Canada.  

We loved the 25 for under $25 mingler at the Vancouver International Wine Festival so much that we are already planning next year's night on the town with #VIWF.  

 

Surrey Morgan Crossing Restaurant: Famoso Neopolitan Pizzeria

Hello Vancity Girlfriends!

On our summer shopping day, we decided to venture out to South Surrey at Morgan Crossing.  Before an afternoon of shopping you have to get ready with a good meal.  Since Vancity Girlfriend Carolyn LOVES pizza, it's not a surprise that we went to Famoso Neopolitan Pizzeria.

Wood burning oven, fast casual pizzas, fun atmosphere, what more can you ask for.  Now they have over the top service, you will have to ask them to stop serving you ;)  First you have a seat and then you order your pizza and drinks and write them down on a notepad, and then bring up your order to the counter when you're ready.  You don't have to pay at this point.  After you bring up your initial order, then you have servers who bring drinks, food, and can add anything else that you might have missed.

Famoso Trimosa Heaven

Now they have amazing drinks specials!  On Saturday it was $1 off mimosas so we decided to try one of each mimosas - they call this the trimosa.  You get 3 small servings of each of their different mimosas.  You have original with orange juice, raspberry, and blackberry.  WOW!  I discovered that I'm still an original gal so I gave my cassis mimosa to Vancity Girlfriend Carolyn.  

We shared a salad and two pizzas!  They were GREAT!  I loved the service, fun light atmosphere, and fast service.  Couldn't really ask for anything more!  I got my fix of being a server by being able to write on the notepad and even though I almost ran into one of the Famoso servers, she always had a smile on her face and friendly service.  Enough said!  We loved Famoso Neopolitan Pizzeria!  

Famoso White Pizza

Famoso Red Pizza

Famoso Salad

Vancouver Event: Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival at Deer Lake Park

Hello Vancity Girlfriends,

It's a sunny summer afternoon and festivals are all around!  I've never been to a music festival before so I jumped at the chance to experience the festival when Delta Hotel Burnaby tweeted me to let me know that I won 2 tickets to the Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival at Deer Lake Park.   

Luckily on the Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival website they had a section on "How to Prepare" for your festival experience.  I brought a lightweight pack with my sunscreen, hand sanitizer, blanket, and water bottle.  Of course I wore my sunhat to tackle help fend off the sunshine.  






There were three stages set up at Deer Lake Park, the Main Stage, and two smaller stages called Westwood Stage and Garden Stage.  After the main stage act, the two other stages would simultaneously have two other bands play and then another main stage big attraction would play.  It was nonstop music at the festival.  The festival was from 1-10pm with the gates opening at noon.  I arrived around 1:30pm and stayed for 6 hours.  



 It was a fabulous day with bright sunshine and I was searching for shade.  At the Burnaby Blues and Roots festival I found that you don't need to be close to the stage to hear the music.  The sounds bounced from the speakers through the open air.  They also had two large big screens on either side of the main stage where you could see the acts.  

It was a good first experience at a music festival but after 6 hours I had hit my limit of sunshine even with sunscreen, sunhat, and refills of my water bottle.  Even though there was a misting tent and shaded tent, as you can see there were a LOT of people and you can't hide from the afternoon sun!  Music festivals are great for people watching too!  I'm glad I explored the Burnaby Blues and Roots festival and my favourite performances of the afternoon were Imelda May and Bettye LaVette.  Memorable performances!  

Next year you can check it out!  

http://www.burnabybluesfestival.com/

Vancouver Events: Living Social Coupon for House Seats Entertainment

Dear Vancity Girlfriends,

As you know, I'm addicted to coupons and getting a good deal.  So when I saw this Living Social Coupon for House Seats entertainment for a year for $44, I grabbed it.  


What is House Seats?  I am starting to learn myself.  Basically as a member you have access to different shows and events but they do not tell what type of tickets are available until you become a member.  Of course the internet is a wonderful thing as you can snoop around and they do have tidbits of information about the type of tickets that have been available in the past on House Seats Facebook page.  

I love musicals and live theatre but often the tickets are too expensive or I'm too darn lazy to make arrangements.  I'm hoping that my year membership with House Seats BC will change that.  

I will update you as I attend shows to give you a review of not only the shows but of the House Seats membership to see if I get my value of the $39.  How did the price change?  Well, on the Living Social website, they have flash deals and reduce the coupons by a few dollars so the impulse shoppers who loving saving money, like myself, will grab the coupon!  

It worked for me!  All I need to do now is activate my account and keep my eye open for shows.  But all of this will have to wait until the middle of July after my vacation.  So come back to check out how I'm doing with this Living Social Coupon.  

Thanks for reading!  Come visit again!

Vancouver Afternoon Tea: Salon Tea Groupon Review

Hello Vancity Girlfriends!

Salon Tea

I'm a Groupon fan and love getting good deals.  I also love afternoon tea so I always jump at the opportunity to try new or old tea houses in Vancouver.  

Salon Tea is a tea house in the trendy South Granville shopping area.  I had never been so I jumped at the chance to go somewhere new for afternoon tea.  The Groupon deal was a real steal at $35 for afternoon tea for two.  A perfect way to celebrate a friend's birthday.

I was a bit surprised when I first entered Salon Tea because it is not a traditional tea house.  It is contemporary and we almost walked past it.  The decor is modern and when you first walk in it looks more like a take out tea shop with a display case of sandwiches and treats.  Then after the counter there are tables for afternoon tea.  The display for teas is small like a Starbucks display case.  

It was busy when we arrived so we had to wait before sitting down at the table for our afternoon tea.  In my opinion they need to have more staff on hand so they can have better customer service.

Afternoon tea at Salon Tea is very filling but in my opinion the afternoon tea service is mediocre.  The taste of the finger sandwiches, curry waldorf salad is good and will make you full but nothing special and that continues with the scone layer and treat layer.  

Salon Tea Afternoon Tea - Desserts

Salon Tea Afternoon Tea - Blueberry Scone

Salon Tea Afternoon Tea - Sandwich, Quiche, Salad

The tea menu was creative with names such as "The Muscian", "The Writer" to accompany the selection.  The tea was good but again since the service was lacking they forgot to offer the free take home tea that was on the Groupon.  

Overall, it was a good deal with the Groupon, but in my opinion I would not return for afternoon tea at regular price of $35 at Salon Tea.  I prefer other afternoon tea houses in Vancouver that have a more traditional atmosphere, more flavorful afternoon tea, and better customer service.  I would return to the following tea salons:  

Patissiere Fur Elise Afternoon Tea

Fairmont Vancouver Airport Afternoon Tea

Adonia Afternoon Tea

Neverland Afternoon Tea

Vancouver Afternoon Tea Reviews

Travel Tuesday: Field BC in Yoho National Park

Road Trip!!  It's road trip time and we drove right into this little mountain resort town on the Alberta and BC border called Field, BC.    

Field, BC has a feeling of a resort town like Whistler, BC, however, without the pomp and circumstance.  It's a quaint small vacation town nestled between mountains and the houses are so cute.  It takes you back in time with the simple deserted streets.  Even though the streets were empty, skiers must have been there for most of the bed and breakfasts and inns had "No Vacancy" signs.  It was peaceful.  Ahh, an introvert's dream to have nature at your doorstep without the crowds or noise.  Just take a few steps and enjoy the picturesque landscape.  

Field BC was a short pit stop in our road trip from Vancouver, BC to Calgary Alberta.  The best discoveries are made this way.  The only inn that had a vacancy was the Truffle Pigs Bistro and Lodge.  The menu had amazing French inspired dishes that attracted our attention!  But we were there during the off hours so the "bar" menu was the only one available.  Even with that we fully enjoyed their Chili Fries.  It's not surprising that it's ranked #1 on Tripadvisor for the best restaurant in Field BC.  Okay, so I don't think there is another restaurant but to have such gourmet quality food in such a remote location and town of only 300 people is a true win win.  I'll be back!

Field BC Travel Guide:  http://www.field.ca/
Truffle Pigs Bistro & Lodge:  http://www.trufflepigs.com/

Montreal Smoked Meat Vancouver Challenge: Dunn's Famous BC

Hello Vancity Girlfriends,

I have to say that after one year of being Vancity Girlfriends, we have talked and floated around so many ideas.  Too many to actually do.  Now tonight we finally got around to going to a place that's been on our "list" for a LONG time.  We wanted to try montreal smoked meat in Vancouver.   

That place is Dunn's Famous BC.  I remember that in the summer when they put out the giant pickle in front of Dunn's Famous restaurant, Carolyn texted me the photo of the funny pickle.  HINT HINT. 

When it was Dine Out Vancouver, Carolyn listed Dunn's Famous BC as one of the places we could go for the $18 Dine Out menu.  HINT HINT. 

Now it's March 2014 and we've FINALLY went to Dunn's Famous BC to try it out.  It's the first restaurant in our "Montreal Smoked Meat Vancouver Challenge" where we will try the different restaurants in Vancouver who serve Montreal smoked meats. 

When we walked in, we were greeted and quickly seated in the diner/pub style casual restaurant.  The server was quick to take our drink order and get us started.  We ordered the deep fried pickles as an appetizer which was a must-have for Carolyn.  She ordered the Smoked Meat Reuben sandwich with a Caesar salad and I ordered the Smoked Meat sandwich served with Dunn's poutine.  Both sandwiches came with a pickle and cole slaw on the side.

Deep Fried Pickles

Dunn's Poutine with Smoked Meat

Smoked Meat Reuben Sandwich

Smoked Meat Sandwich

I should always listen to Carolyn because after a year of longing to go to Dunn's Famous BC, she definitely knew what menu to select.  The deep friend pickles with the tangy sauce were excellent.  At first the idea may surprise you but the taste of the deep friend pickles were perfect, not too greasy, and a nice pickle crunch.  The tangy sauce also added to the flavor. 

The Dunn's poutine which was not bad but I thought the smoked meat would be fresh instead of fried.  Even though the fried smoked meat on top of the poutine gave it a different texture, it didn't add much to the flavor.  Next time, I would order the poutine Quebecois style without the crunchy smoked meat.

My smoked meat sandwich had nice tender hearty smoked meat.  It was a good sandwich but since I was sitting across Carolyn and her smoked Reuben sandwich which looked like a triple decker smoked meat sandwich, I really wish I had ordered the Reuben sandwich. 

Of course, Carolyn did her homework the Smoked Reuben sandwich is what Dunn's Famous BC is famous for.  It was so hearty that she could only finish half a sandwich and brought the other half home. 

Overall, the food was good with a nice casual atmosphere and good service.  I would return again but I'd listen to Vancity Girlfriend Carolyn and order the deep fried pickles with the Smoked Reuben Sandwich. 

Dunn's Famous BC Website

Enjoy!  We'll be back with another Montreal Smoked Meat Vancouver Challenge hopefully sometime in 2014.  No promises though since it took us a year to get to Dunn's Famous BC and I want to return to taste the Smoked Meat Reuben!