Girls' Night Out - The Keg, Sephora and Yaletown

Vancity Girlfriends had a little hiatus with the busyness of life!  Thought it would be nice to share with our readers what we've been up to including our Girl's Night Out dates.  

I had a gift card for the Keg so we decided to meet at The Keg on Alberni Street downtown Vancouver which Carolyn also describes as the Shangrila Keg.  This was the first time I went to this location and I loved the atmosphere.  First we met at the bottom of staircase that led up to the front doors of the restaurant.  The staircase was lined with bamboo on both sides creating a natural and beautiful entrance.  I had made Open Table reservations for 5pm and that's also when the dining room and outdoor patio opened.  It was a beautiful sunny evening so we asked to sit in the elegant patio and dine outdoors.  

Happy Hour was from 3-6pm so we had time to indulge in $6 glasses of wine.  I had the white on tap and Carolyn had the red on tap.  Both were lovely blends that I would return to have again.  It was worth going for an early dinner just to be able to have $6 glass of wine.  

For our meals, we didn't order from the Happy Hour menu but instead had the Keg classic dinners which start with a caesar salad and the steak of your choice comes with grilled vegetables and a side of your choice.  I chose the Top Sirloin (8oz) steak with bernaise sauce and a twice baked potato.  The Keg Classic dinners did not disappoint.  We were both completely satisfied with our meals and the ambiance at The Keg on Alberni in Vancouver.  

After our meal, we walked down Robson Street and stopped at our favorite beauty store, Sephora.  I was looking for a new cleanser and moisturizer and found the Ole Henriksen A Brighter Truth skincare kit with the cleaner, serum, and moisturizer.  The brighter truth has vitamin c to help with the sun spots and age spots which I need so I bought the reasonably priced kit at $42.  It has a light fruity scent that is refreshing so we'll see how I feel after I test it for a month.

Then we continued our journey down Robson Street past the Vancouver Art Gallery where there was a busker playing music on the street.  We were both completely full from dinner so the evening stroll downtown was a way to walk off our dinner.  Since Carolyn needed to travel by the Canada Skytrain Line, we decided to walk to the Roundhouse Yaletown skytrain station.  Just outside the skytrain station we were pleasantly surprised with the Underbrella art exhibit.  Umbrellas in the sky.  It was the perfect way to end our girl's night out.  

Throwback Thursday - River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond, BC

Throwback Thursday to the Girls Weekend at the River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond, BC.  

What is girl's weekend?  Every year a few girlfriends and I go on a girls weekend away instead of celebrating our birthdays with dinners and presents.  We save our money and treat ourselves to a weekend away from our regular daily life and instead take a much needed girls weekend away.

How do we choose our destinations?  It's never easy for the three of us to decide on a place.  It has to be during the weekend from Friday night to Sunday and close enough to return to Vancouver on Sunday.  It needs to have shopping, eating, drinking, spa-ing (luxuriating at the spa), or more drinking.

In 2016 we decided to go to the River Rock Casino in Richmond.  They had Trattoria (highly rated restaurant), the Buffet (which actually was our favorite), casino, Spa Utopia with hot tub and pool access, and shopping at Richmond Center.  It met all of our requirements for a girls weekend away.  

What was our least favorite part of this trip?  Well, I have to admit that I upgraded our room from two queen beds to a suite.  I thought the idea of a suite would be great!  Of course even though no one was smart enough to tell me that this was a bad idea and we should change our room, instead the other girls banned me from ever being in charge of the hotel room for the girls weekend because I would get enough bed.  At least this is one trip we will remember.

What was our favorite part of this trip?  Spa Utopia and the male Registered Massage Therapists who were excellent and after the treatment I had wished that I chose the longer one.  45 minutes was too short.  And The Buffet at the River Rock Casino.  Our timing was perfect so we didn't have to wait long for dinner and were so impressed we returned the next day for the breakfast buffet.  

Take a look at our suite in the Vancity Girlfriends video and you can decide if this is enough space for three?

Our 2017 Girls Weekend away will be in Kelowna, BC coming up in October!  Subscribe to Vancity Girlfriends on YouTube to see what we do in Kelowna.  

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 - The Keg on Dunsmuir

Time flies.  After a few weeks of being on hiatus, Vancity girlfriends spontaneously decided to go for a girl's night out!  We missed Dine Out Vancouver so this was a way to go out to wine and dine and catch up on old times.  

Originally we wanted to go to The Keg on Alberni at the Shangri-La Hotel but apparently Family Day long weekend is a popular time to celebrate.  It was fully booked except for 5pm or 8:30pm which are not the ideal dinner time.  So instead we made reservations at The Keg on Dunsmuir.  It's easy to make reservation on Open Table which will give you 100 points for each reservation.  When you have 2,000 points, that is equal to a dining cheque for $26 Cdn ($20 US) or you can keep collecting to the next level.  Guess it rewards all of those organizers and planners out there who plan ahead and make reservations.

When we arrived, we were so glad we had reservations.  There was a line out the door.  We were able to get seated at a table in the bar and lounge.  We ordered our glasses of wine.  I tried a 6oz glass of the Knotted Vine on tap white wine specifically made for The Keg by local Okanagan winery Inniskillin. 

For dinner I ordered the Keg Classic Filet Mignon which is wrapped in bacon.  The classic means that it comes with a caesar salad and vegetables and one additional side dish which I choose mashed potatoes.  The steak is the main attraction at The Keg.  

I haven't had a meal like this is ages.  So since we were already out, Vancity Girlfriends is going to celebrate the girl's night out by sharing a Billy Miner Pie.  The whole evening was definitely a treat!  I loved it so much that I'll be coming back in March for Vancity Girlfriend Carolyn's birthday bash and I'll plan ahead so can go to The Keg Alberni!  Thanks The Keg Dunsmuir for a memorable night!  

Wine Wednesday - Lolea White Sparkling Sangaria

All year long I look forward to the girl's weekend and this year it was a staycation at the River Rock Casino.  

We bring our wines and enjoy a weekend of relaxing, drinking, and eating.  Carolyn brought LOLEA white sparkling sangaria from Spain and it is such a fun bottle of wine!  It doesn't need any gift wrapping with this bottle with polka dots that sounds out from the rest of the bottles.  I love sparkling wine because of bubbles and light fruity flavours so I couldn't wait to try this bottle.

I loved it!  Carolyn said it reminded her of a Breezer cooler.  It was perfect for me!  Then when I checked out the LOLEA website I saw that you could even turn this into a fun punch for a party with crushed strawberries and a splash of vodka.  We drank it straight on ice this time and enjoyed every sip.  

Vancouver Event: 4Cats Mug of the Season Workshop

Last year I bought in the Entertainment Book and knowing that it would expire at the end of December, I explored it to see what else I could use before the land of Entertainment book coupons ended. 

That's when I discovered the 4Cats Workshops at Capitol Hill in Burnaby.  It is close to SFU and when I saw the Polar Bear Mug was the mug of the season, I invited a girlfriend who invited more girlfriends and then there were four of us going to the Polar Bear Mug workshop at 4Cats.  I was even able to find another coupon to use.  

This was a fun Friday night that flew by quickly because adults are perfectionists and it takes us longer to follow instructions and make our mugs.  That's what I think.  When we first arrived we all sat around a large table and the 4Cats teacher gave us name tags and the clay supplies.  Then she went through each step and the class followed.  I have to admit that everything was going well until it was time to add the mug handle.  It was hard, and then my clay started cracking and I had a lopsided handle that fell apart.  In the end I asked the teacher to do it for me.  Yes, I'm not afraid to ask for help.  Thankfully she did so I had enough time to paint my mug before the class was done.  

Now my Polar bear mug is curing so I'm not sure what the final results will look like.  If you are looking for an event for your girlfriends, then check out Capitol Hill and the adult workshops.  I know that kids love 4Cats but I never knew it could be fun for adults too.  

New Westminister Restaurant - El Santo

Dear Vancity Girlfriends,

We have another culinary gem of a restaurant to share with you today.  It's out in New Westminister, BC which is still only a skytrain station away.  A short walk from New Westminister skytrain station.

It's a Mexican restaurant called El Santo that has a homemade tortilla machine and makes fresh tortillas.  Now when my girlfriend first told me that I didn't think too much of it.  It did bring back memories of being in Mexico and of course I was skeptical that a fresh tortilla would be that good.  

I was wrong.  The fresh tortilla here is the real thing.  I'm so glad three of us went because El Santo is a place where you want to share the appetizers so you can try more.  Even a bite of different appetizer plates are worth it.  This is a sharesy kinda place.  

And if you like to drink, the drinks are strong.  There is no such thing as a single margarita, I felt kind of foolish after I asked.  Of course, all margaritas are doubles.   Let's start with drinks, I had the 20th Century cocktail and my girlfriend had a Paloma.  For appetizers we had Quesos Fundidos (cheese dip dish - delicious), Pan De Elote (skillet cornbread).  For dinner I shared the lamb Carnitos de Pato and then had room for Churros for dessert.  You want to share and splurge when you go to El Santo.   

I would return for the flavorful food and for Happy Hour from 3-6pm daily.  When we went it was after work and my girlfriend was coming from Vancouver so we missed Happy Hour.  Since then I've heard other colleagues who live in New Westminister rave about their dining experience at El Santo.  It won't be hard to find someone to go back with.  Best of all when it was time to split the bill, all you have to do is ask.  They can split the bills in as many ways as you want including splitting appetizers in quarters.  It's a great place for a special treat!

Check out more at their website:  http://elsanto.ca/

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!