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

Girl's Night Out - Earl's Restaurant Test Kitchen and Sephora

Girl's Night Out is our date night for Vancity Girlfriends.  We have a chance to catch up and go out on the town.  We decided to go to dinner and a movie and in between had time to make a quick stop at Sephora.  

Earls Restaurant was our first stop at the Earls Test Kitchen downtown Vancouver conveniently located beside the Scotiabank movie theatre.  We met early so we could go to Earls Restaurant Happy Hour.  Happy Hour is the perfect way to eat fabulous food at a fraction of the cost.  On Saturdays Frozen Lemonade is $2 off so we started with that and then we shared appetizers from the Happy Hour menu including Margarita pizza, Coconut prawns and Swordfish tacos.  

Frozen Pink Lemonade

Margarita Pizza

Coconut Prawns

Swordfish Tacos

Check out the Girls Night Out vlog to see which face cleanser Carolyn decided to try.  Was it Drunken Elephant Jelly Cleanser, Thomas Roth Foam Cleanser or ???  What did she buy at Sephora before we went to the theatre for popcorn, Timeplay and to watch the movie "IT".  The horror movie with a morale.  

Vancouver Restaurant - Rogue Ktichen and Wetbar Convention Center

Vancity Girlfriend's girl's night out can be impromptu and unplanned.  It was a surprisingly sunny afternoon so I ventured out to see Vancity Girlfriend Carolyn.  We went for a walk to enjoy the afternoon sunshine and got a bus to go to the heart of downtown Vancouver.  We couldn't wait to get off the bus and walk about.  Of course there are stores all around so we went to Payless Shoes on Granville Street to see how to use Carolyn's 20% off coupon.  She found a couple pairs of shoes for her family and got a good deal.  Then we walked down Robson Street to the large Sephora store.  I keep forgetting about that one.  It is huge.  I browsed and was in awe at how much selection the store had.  Carolyn, the beauty expert, found what she was looking for.  Then we continued on our adventure for a place to eat.  

Our plan was to go to AllStar Wings and Ribs and from the outside the stars and stripes were there, but we could also see that it was dark and empty.  There was no need to go any further.  That restaurant was closed.  

We were thinking of Red Robin, but I didn't have any coupons so then we decided to continue walking to the Convention Center.  There we landed at Rogue Kitchen and Wetbar Convention Center.  It was great because after all that walking we were ready for a drink and dinner.  Unfortunately we missed Happy Hour, but we didn't miss the drink special which was Bellinis for $5.49.

Rogue Ktichen and Wetbar Bellinis

  
For dinner we decided to share the fries x 3 (who can resist poutine, bacon and gorgonzola, and truffle oil with parmesan) and the Tempesta pizza with chili prawns.  What a winning combination!  I was impressed that Rogue Kitchen and Wetbar was able to split our bill to share the food and my portion with 1 bellini and dinner came out to $25 (including 15% tip) so I'm going to be taking note of this and going out with Vancity Girlfriend Carolyn more often!  It was a great night catching up!  

Rogue Kitchen and Wetbar Temptesta Pizza

This wasn't our first time at Rogue Kitchen and Wetbar, check out our Vancity Girlfriend Art Gallery and Rogue Date Night from 2015:  http://vancitygirlfriends.blogspot.ca/2015/07/girls-night-out-vancouver-art-gallery.html

Vancouver Restaurant: Gotham Steakhouse and Bar

Gotham Steakhouse is one of Vancouver's well known restaurants for steak.  They have won several awards and none of this would have enticed me to go.  Instead I could just wonder....until this Christmas.

The office decided to host the Christmas party at Gotham Steakhouse and Bar.  What a treat!  There are private rooms downstairs for company parties and a bar and servers.  It's the full service deal.  It was cozy to have this private Christmas party and even better that there was an open bar!  It's the company Christmas party when I can choose a signature cocktail to enjoy all night long.  I've learned my lesson not to mix drinks or play and drinking games.  I've grown into enjoying a cocktail and Gotham is the place for cocktails.

I researched Gotham cocktail list so I would be prepared for the party.  I waited for others to order so I could admire the different types of drinks and then I ordered the "French 49" martini.  Such a beautiful drink!  

The servers are friendly that it wasn't until my 2nd order of this fancy martini cocktail that they corrected me and said it was a "French" martini.  I loved every sip of this drink.

When the food arrived it was just as impressive, the steak was flavorful and tender.  There was a set menu for us and we had options for our appetizer, entree, and dessert.  I choose a prawn cocktail as an appetizer.  It was served on ice and the prawns were large and delicious.  

The main course was a filet mignon tenderloin steak.  It was the perfect size and packed with flavour.  The side dishes of mashed potatoes, button mushrooms, and asparagus were in the middle of the table for all to share.  The mashed potatoes were light and fluffy and whipped with butter.  I couldn't get enough and had to finish all of the little plates of mushrooms and asparagus.  This was such an elegant tast of a steak.  I now know why Gotham Steakhouse is so well known for its steak.  

I have to admit that this was one of the most memorable Christmas parties!  I'd recommend others to look into Gotham Steakhouse next year for their holiday party but keep in mind that you have to book early.  

Wine Wednesday - Cupcake Prosecco Sparkling Wine

It was on the girl's weekend getaway staycation where I discovered that Cupcake Winery has the 187 ml small individual trios of prosecco sparkling wine.  Cupcake Prosecco is a sparkling wine that is refreshing with gentle favors of white peach, grapefruit, and honeydew melon.  It is a light fruity sparkling wine in a cute bottle that is attractive for gift giving.  Cupcake Prosecco is from an Italian vineyard.  

There is so much you can do with Cupcake Prosecco and here are the 5 cocktails to try.

1.  Mimosa - Try prosecco with orange juice, or better yet grapefruit juice for brunch.


2.  Sparkling strawberry cocktail - Try a bottle prosecco with 1/4 cup orange juice, 2 cups hulled and blended strawberries and garnish with orange slices and mint.  

3.  Pomegranate Grapefruit Cocktail - Try prosecco with a combination of pomegranate and grapefruit juice.  

4.  Peach Bellini - Try prosecco with peach juice from fresh peaches with simple syrup and prosecco.

5.  Spritz - Try prosecco with soda water for a light spritz with slices of orange as a garnish.  

Just writing about the possibilities makes me want to go out and buy some Cupcake Prosecco to try different prosecco cockatils during the holidays.  

Find out more at the Cupcake Vineyard Website:  http://www.cupcakevineyards.com/

Vancouver Restaurant - Trattoria Burnaby

One evening after dinner and a bike ride, I went to Trattoria Burnaby for drinks and a snack.  Living in Burnaby, Trattoria is a convenient restaurant with a cozy atmosphere and a wood burning oven.  On Thursdays their signature cocktails had a discount so I decided to try their Limoncello Peach Mojito.  This was a nice refreshing drink for a summer's night and made my cheeks rosy.  Of course it doesn't take much for that to happen.  Some drinks just go down a little too easy.  

For our snack, we shared a Squash pizza and it was a burst of unique flavours that I never imagined would go so well together and look so picturesque.  It almost makes me want to be a vegetarian if meals were this delicious.  The squash pizza had pesto, roasted squash and hazelnuts and tallegio.  Even if you are not a vegetarian, it is worth tasting and so much more adventurous than boring pepperoni pizza which does not exist on Trattoria Burnaby's menu.

If you're in the neighbourhood, check out Trattoria Burnaby's Menu.  They also have a Cocktail hour from 2:30-5:30pm and 9:30-close everyday.  Trattoria Burnaby is so close to home that I know I'll be back to try more.  

Trattoria Burnaby Blog Posts:  Brunch or Breakfast and Weekend Brunch

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.  

Vancouver Restaurant - Tap and Barrel Olympic Village

Hello Vancity Girlfriends,

It was two years ago in 2014 when we first visited Tap and Barrel Coal Harbour and we loved their cocktails and shared plates.  

Now let's fast forward to 2016 when we discover that Tap and Barrel Olympic Village has sparkling wine on tap.  Tap and Barrel Olympic Village is a short walk away from Main Street/Science World skytrain station.  It's a beautiful short walk along the seaside and then you are at Tap and Barrel.  

We met on a sunny Wednesday evening and even though it was Happy Hour when we arrived at 5:30pm with house wines for $4 and Wine Wednesdays with wine flights on special at $1 discount, my heart was set on trying their new sparkling wine on tap for $9 a glass.

Carolyn ordered the Orchard Hill cider and when I ordered the sparkling wine the server said he needed to check if it was available.  Oh no!  My heart sank and I was browsing the menu to see what my second choice would be if he was to truly disappoint me.  Luckily he returned with a champagne flute topped with Tap and Barrel sparkling wine.  The sparkling wine was delicious, light and bubbly.  We enjoyed our drinks with an appetizer of deep fried pickles while we waited for our girlfriend to arrive.  

Tap and Barrel is a great place for sharing tapas style which is exactly what we did.  We ordered the Maui Wowie pizza, pulled bacon poutine and handmade guac and salsa.  I loved being able to try different dishes with my glass of sparkling wine.  Perfect evening combination with girlfriends.

Tap and Barrel Olympic Village - Pulled Bacon Poutine

Tap and Barrel Olympic Village - Handmade Guac and Salsa

Tap and Barrel Olympic Village - Maui Wowie Pizza

Throwback Thursday - Iberostar Playa Mita Mexico

Hello Vancity Girlfriends,

It's #ThrowbackThursday and we are going to roll back the time to two years ago when Vancity Girlfriend Carolyn went on an all inclusive newly opened Iberostar Playa Mita Resort in Mexico.   It is 25 minutes from the Puerto Vallarta International Airport.  This is a five star hotel and I had the opportunity to interview her about her travels.  

What did you like the best about Iberostar Playa Mita Resort?

I like the friendly drink service and the pools the best.

Do you have any tips for future travellers?

It's not within walking distance of anything - you will need to take a taxi if you want to leave.  The beach is nothing special but the pools are AMAZING.

Did you do any day trips?

No, not on this trip.  Keep in mind we were sleep deprived parents and were happy to sleep all day.  

So mostly you were relaxing at the pools, getting drunk, eating good food, and enjoying the pool shows.

Yes, that sums it up.  





Take a tour of Iberostar, Playa Mita on Vancity Girlfriends YouTube channel.  I don't know about you, but I think that beach looks pretty AMAZING.  

Air Canada Vacations has all inclusive packages to Iberostar Playa Mita Mexico with direct flights from Vancouver BC to Puerta Vallarta.  If you want a week of relaxing in the sun, unlimited drinks and food, check it out.  The dates in May next week are cheaper and then June is still around $1000 per person and up to $1200 in July.   

May 25 - June 1 = $971 per person including flight and hotel and taxes.
June 4 - 11 = $1051 per person including flight and hotel and taxes.

http://vacations.aircanada.com/en/vacation_packages/resort/Puerto-VallartaRiviera-Nayarit/IBEROSTAR-Playa-Mita/

Happy travels!  

Easy Sparkling Wine Pear Cocktail Recipe

Dear Vancity Girlfriends,

Sparkling Wine Pear Cocktail

We love to get together to unwind and have a drink or two.  From my previous post, the Chocolate Martini Cocktail, was a heavy hitter, so Carolyn took over the drink menu.  Now here is an easy, light and fluffy cocktail recipe that you can enjoy before dinner.  It's a recipe that can fit in a messenger bag and not be noticed.  When I first saw Carolyn I thought she forgot about bringing any alcohol.  Of course she wouldn't be so foolish.  

So out of the bag comes out a can of halved pears and a bottle of sparkling wine.  That's all that you need for this simple sparking wine pear cocktail.  

1 can of pear halves
1 bottle of sparkling wine

Strain the juice from the pears and puree the pears with 2 tablespoons of juice or as needed.  (We used a hand blender to puree).  Spoon a few tables of the pear puree into the glass.  Pour the sparkling wine on top to watch the combination fizz and enjoy.  It is a light sparkly pear tasting cocktail.  

Even though it's not a martini, the martini glass still suits this drink well.  I'll put champagne flutes on my wish list as I do love bubbly drinks.  

We had a lot of fun trying out this sparkling wine cocktail recipe.  Give it a try at your next girl's night and tell us what you think!  See you next month for another Vancity Girlfriends Cocktail. 

Martini Monday - Easy Hazelnut Chocolate Martini Cocktail

Dear Vancity Girlfriends,

Nothing chases the Monday blues away faster than Martini Mondays!  We are going to make an Easy Hazelnut Chocolate Martini Cocktail.  We have fun making the chocolate rimmed martini glasses too.

1.  Finely grate milk or semi-sweet chocolate bar onto a plate.
2.  Add water and vodka on another small plate.
3.  Dip the rim of the martini glasses in the plate of vodka water.
4.  Dip the rim of the martini glasses in the finely grated chocolate.  

Now your chocolate rimmed martini glasses are ready for the cocktail.  

1 part vodka
1 part Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur)

Add in a martini shaker that is filled with ice.  Then it shake it all up baby! 

Then pour into your martini glasses and enjoy!  Cheers!  

One martini is all you'll need for the night. 

Girl's Night Out: Personas Patio + Restaurant + Lounge Grand Villa

A few times a year I have a girl's night out at the Grand Villa Casino.  The ladies and I play our luck at the penny slots.  We have won, we have lost, we always have fun while we're at it.  

This time I made reservations for us using Open Table (yes, I wanted the 100 points for a reservation) at Personas Patio + Restaurant + Lounge located inside the Grand Villa Casino.  It was empty when we arrived at around 5:30pm but was pretty full as we left to play the slots.  Before 6pm they had their happy hour drinks.  I tried a French 42 Cocktail which is sparkling wine with lemon and such.  Pretty fancy!  Singe shot was enough for me and for $5 a drink, it was a steal!  We decided to share appetizers so we tried the chicken wings, meatballs, poutine, and calimari.  It has a lounge atmosphere with comfortable seating and great for chatting with girlfriends.  Perfect start to an exciting evening!  

Stagette Party: Aphrodisiac Cooking Class at Kitchen Riddles

Dear Vancity Girlfriends,

When you think of getting married and the stagette, you may not think of cooking classes, but that is exactly what we did for my girlfriend's stagette!  It was called the Aphrodisiac Cooking Class which was a private class just for the nine of us.  

Chef Morgan and Chef Tony took care of us for the evening and we started the night tasting their fresh foccacia bread which was orgasmic.  It was freshly baked that evening and the bread melted in our mouths.  We had that with our choice of white or red wine.  

Then we gathered for our Aphrodisiac Cooking Class which is perfect for bridal showers, bridal parties, girl's night out, birthday parties, or stagettes.  There was a large table with enough space for everyone and the ingredients in the middle.  The chef who was teaching that dish was at the front and first he taught us knife techniques and how to chop the ingredients before we cooked.  It was better than watching the Food Network because it's in person.  Yay!  

We prepared and then learned how to cook each step of the three course meal.  The appetizer was crab cakes with arugula which were so delicious probably because of they were "real" crab cakes (no imitation crab meat here).  Instead there was a bowl full of cooked soft shell crab.  We learned how to plate our dishes too before we brought them to the dining area to enjoy!  Throughout the evening there were cocktails and unlimited wine for us to refill our wine glasses.  The chefs were patient and funny and let us be a little wild and crazy!  After all we were there for a stagette, not a cooking class, and it was a beautiful blend of both.  

Our main entree was Prosciutto Awakening which was a prosciutto wrapped chicken breast that is seared and served with a mixture of white and cremini mushrooms sauteed with asparagus and risotto.  An elegant plate indeed.  

For dessert we had a Chocolate Lava cake served with chantilly cream and pomegranates.  This was an amazing 3 course meal and I was so excited that I could recreate these dishes from memory.  That is the beauty of the culinary arts.  Not only was it was tipsy fun stagette, we learned a lot about cooking fundamentals....that says a lot that I can remember that after drinking at least 4 glasses of wine throughout the night.   What a memorable night!  

Kitchen Riddles in Burnaby:  https://kitchenriddles.com/cooking-classes/

Girls Night Out - Vancouver Art Gallery and Rogue Kitchen and Wetbar

Hi Vancity Girlfriends,

During these hot summer days, it's hard to get motivated to do anything but sit around and try to cool down.  Well, I decided that enough was enough.  It was time for a girl's night out.  So Carolyn and I decided to get together for a girl's night out at the Vancouver Art Gallery.  The Vancouver Art Gallery is by donation on Tuesday nights from 5-9pm so it's a great way to get cultured no matter what your budget is.  Along our adventure, we also found out that it is a wonderful cool space that is air conditioned in every room.  

The current exhibitions are "Of Heaven and Earth 100 Years of Italian Painting", this exhibit is on the main floor which usually hosts the traditional paintings.  On the upper floors are the more modern exhibits which included Material Future, How Do I Fit a Ghost in My Mouth, and Wallpapers and Emily Carr.  There were a lot of material art such as a book that was pulled apart and the pictures were cup up and displayed.  It was amazing to see the intricate detail and appearances.  The digital wallpaper was a sight with the digital wallpaper enlarged in scale and changing with the display.  We are not artists so we did not sit and ponder the artwork, instead we gazed, took photos, and admired the work of others.  I'm happy we went and we even made a Vancouver Art Gallery YouTube Video on the occasion. 

After our cultured adventure, we roamed the streets of downtown Vancouver wondering where we should eat.  We decided on Gastown and stopped when we saw Rogue Kitchen and Wetbar and we could not resist the cocktail that got us started with Vancity Girlfriends.  That's the fishbowl Sangaria.  Sangaria is like the summer time cool down drink.  I had the 1/2 turkey sandwich with clam chowder and caesar salad while Carolyn had the 2 fish tacos with fries and casesar salad.  We ate, drank and were merry on our Girls Night Out.  

Rogue Kitchen and Wetbar - Fishbowl Sangaria

Rogue Kitchen and Wetbar - Fish Tacos, Fries, Caesar Salad

Stay tuned for our next Vancity Girlfriends Girl's Night Out! 

Vancouver Restaurant: Las Margaritas

Margaritas Mondays!  At Las Margaritas, they have margaritas everyday and all the time.  Best of all, they even have a 2 for 1 coupon in the Vancouver Entertainment Book that you can use when you dine from Sunday to Thursday.  Las Margaritas is a Mexican restaurant in the heart of Kitsilano and other good news is that you can even book your table using Open Table reservation service which give you points that add up to free dining cheques.  

Once seated, they immediately bring out the complimentary chips and homemade salsa to the table.  Then of course if you are not sure of which margarita to choose from the extensive menu, you can also ask the knowledgeable server who recommended the special "Blood Orange Margarita on the Rocks."  That sounded so good that we all had the special.  You want to order the drinks right away especially if you are driving because one drink is all that you need, better yet, take transit, then you can have more.  The drinks are strong and even though I wasn't driving, the one gave me enough of a buzz, that water was my main drink with dessert.  

Since we went to Las Margaritas for a birthday celebration, we splurged with appetizers, main dishes, and a dessert trio.  

Vancouver Restaurants: Tap and Barrel Pub

Hello Vancity Girlfriends,

Our night began with getting free tickets to the Christmas Market at Queen Elizabeth Park since I'm an Arts Club member.  The free tickets are only good for admission on Monday or Tuesday nights.  As I vaguely recall, last year when we was busy and we didn't know that we were VIP members.  This year I knew that we were VIP members and could go straight to the front of the line.  I forgot what it was like inside.  So I happily invited Carolyn to the Christmas Market this year because it was free and she agreed because she's a Vancity Girlfriend.  This year it seemed like everyone was waiting for this same exact day to go to the Christmas Market.   Imagine being on a cramped skytrain with nowhere to go but instead it's an outdoor cage.  There are lineups not just outside but inside as well.  It was at least twice as busy as last year.  I'm not sure if that's because it was the last Monday before Christmas.  We were like sardines in a can at the market the whole time we were there.  It was too packed to buy any tickets, food, or even walk.  That was enough for me to try to get through from the entrance to the exit door.  Phew!  How did I escape the zoo.  What a relief when we exited and were back on the street.  

Monday Sangaria Special - Red or White for $6 each

Luckily that was just the start of the night and we had also planned to go to Tap and Barrel Pub at the Vancouver Convention Center.  This truly was our main attraction of the night.  I had looked at Tap and Barrel's website before when I was researching wine flights but this time we went because of Carolyn's holiday gift card.  I love a good deal!  Even better when we are surprised with specials of the night.  Monday nights at Tap and Barrel have Sangarias on special for $6.  I got a white Sangaria and Carolyn got a red Sangaria.  Forget about wine flights when you can have Sangaria night.  The second special of the night was $10 pizzas because a football game was on TV (of course I'm not a sports fan so I didn't even know football was playing).  These specials made our ordering much easier.  Great!  We could share appetizers and pizza with our sangaria specials.  We ordered deep fried pickles and salmon tacos.  Perfect for the two of us!  

Tap and Barrel Lois Lake Steelhead Salmon Tacos

Tap and Barrel Appetizers - Deep Fried Pickles

Tap and Barrel Pizza - Pork Belly and Soft Egg

I loved our combination of drinks, appetizers, and pizza.  We were able to try a little bit of everything.  The shared tapas life of Tap and Barrel.  Tap and Barrel Daily drink specials are something to watch out for!  Wednesday Wine Flights are on special and Thursday Dark and Stormy Cocktails are on special.  The food specials occur when there are sports games such as football and hockey games.  In addition every night they have Happy Hour from 3-6pm.  With all of these great deals, Vancity Girlfriends will be sure to return to Tap and Barrel.   

Vancity Girlfriends Night Out! - Hedwig and the Angry Inch and More!

Hello Vancity Girlfriends!

So instead of just vlogging about subscription boxes, you might have noticed that we're branching out to do reviews and more!  We thought we'd take you with us for our Vancity Girlfriends Night Out!

We booked the date and I surprised Carolyn by taking her to The Cobalt in Vancouver, BC where Ghost Light Projects is playing Hedwig and the Angry Inch.  We LOVED the musical!  It was in an intimate setting and I have to give a standing ovation to the actors who did a fabulously amazing job!

This was my first time buying half-price tickets at Tickets Tonight and loved it!  I'd definitely return to Tickets Tonight to check out what's happening and have more surprise date nights when you're not really sure until day of!  FUN!

After the show and vlogging at Waterfront Station, we discovered the new ROGUE Kitchen and Wetbar location!  It's an open concept layout with a fresh modern feel and a lot of space.  They had lots of room for us on a Saturday night and we had a couple of appetizers which were the Fries X 3 and chicken strips.  Of course don't forget the Peach Bellini special!  YUM!  Great way to cap the evening!  Join us again for out next Vancity Girlfriends Night Out! 

Vancouver Vlog Night: Cocktails, Dinner and More!

Hello Vancity Girlfriends,
I wanted to share our Vancouver Vlog Night adventures downtown.  First, it started with vlogging and cocktails.  After a long day at work, it is great to sit down to have a drink with friends!  Even better when it's the "Carolyns" special!
Now with the "Carolyns" you have to be careful because it tastes so good you don't even know that there's alcohol in it!  My tastbuds must be a bit off the rockers cause ever guess I made was a wrong one.  So the "Carolyns" does NOT have tequila, vodka, or pineapple juice.  Keep checking our vlog to see when the "Carolyns" cocktail is revealed.  

Then there was a dinner surprise, a night out to Red Robins!  Red Robins is known for their burgers and unlimited fries.  But trust me, they bring enough fries for one.  (No refills needed).  I saw there was a Mediterranean Lamb Burger so I ordered that and Carolyn had her Clucks and Caesar Salad with buffalo sauce.  The burger was healthy with a greek salad inside and a ciabiatta bun but I think I'll stick with their regular hearty beef burgers next time or the clucks and salad.

After dinner, it was off to Pacific Center to go shopping at Sephora (or browsing).  Pacific Center can surprise you!  We walked in and met up with John Frieda who gave us great shampoo and conditioners to try!  WOW!  I heart freebies.  Look at my shocked and happy face! 

Catch our Vancity Girlfriends Vlogs on YouTube.