#WhatsTheLink is a series about all that TransLink, Metro Vancouver’s transportation authority, is responsible for in the region. Join the conversation on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. These guest posts are written by Robert Willis.

Macarons and Kingsway are part of your Major Road Network

Kingsway and Main, 1908. Philip Timms. VPL# 6780.

Kingsway is a road unlike any other in Metro Vancouver. At first a walking trail for local First Nations, it then became a wagon road in the mid-19th century.

Stretching diagonally from north to south starting from Vancouver’s Main Street just south of East 7th Avenue and becoming 12th Street at the Burnaby-New Westminster border, Kingsway is a living part of our region’s history and cultural fabric.

Kingsway is also part of TransLink’s Major Road Network (MRN). The MRN is a network of major arterial roads that stretches across the region and connects people and transports goods across municipal boundaries. In fact, if you stretched all 2,300 lane kilometres of major roads under TransLink’s responsibility from end to end, you’d end up in beautiful sunny Southern California!

Walking the north end of Kingsway you find yourself surround by all types of business and people. Coffee drinkers imbibe at coffee shops next to hair salons, eateries and various shops.

One place I stopped in was the unassuming bakery at 81 Kingsway. It was the pastel colours of macarons that caught my eye and the smell of butter that lured me through the doors of French Made Baking. Once inside, I was met by almond croissants hot from the oven and Parisian-accented English.

Catherine Introligator. Photo by: Robert Willis

French Made Baking is a family-run business: Catherine Introligator is the manager of the bakery and her husband is the chef/baker. I sat down and talked to her to see why she chose this location for her bakery:

“We like the east side of Vancouver. It’s laid back, and we thought the people here needed a good French bakery,” says Catherine who chose Kingsway over Paris, which was for her too crowded. “We looked at other locations in East Vancouver, but we like this location. There are three big roads, and Kingsway has a lot of traffic, which brings in business. The street is about independent and family businesses.”

This historical road has brought a lot of different people and businesses to the region over the years and will undoubtedly continue to do so for some years to come.

Like other MRN roads such as Knight Street, Broadway, Lougheed Highway and the Fraser Highway (to name just a few), Kingsway is part of our larger transportation system that also includes bridges, buses, SkyTrain, SeaBus and West Coast Express.

Kingsway 2014. Photo by Robert Willis

People don’t often think about TransLink when talking about roads, but funding the maintenance of MRN roads as well as linking roads, bridges and transit together is how TransLink plays a crucial part in helping people and goods move within our region.

As I leave the bakery, I find myself teleported back from a slice of Paris to the bustling urban triangle that is Kingsway, Broadway and Main Street. Boarding a bus on Broadway, another MRN road, to the nearest SkyTrain station, I’m pleased to know that whether traveling it by foot, bike, bus, or car, Kingsway is part of our linked transportation system. And I can access a Paris via East Vancouver and the treats that world-class city is famous for easily from nearly anywhere in our region.

Celebrating the best of British Columbia film and television, the Leo Awards will take place over three nights in downtown Vancouver, on Friday May 30th, Saturday, May 31st, and Sunday June 1st.

Leo Awards 2014

“This year’s LEO AWARDS have seen a number of firsts,” said Walter Daroshin, president. “In addition to the record entries and three event nights, we have an unprecedented 9 nominees in the Motion Picture category! This is a true testament to the quality of our 2014 entrants and the industry as a whole.” [Source: Press Release]

The nominees for this year’s Leo Awards were announced last week, with 102 awards to be handed out. Here are a few of the multiple-nominees:

Nerds and Monsters picked up 5 nominations, Spooksville has 8 nominations, and popular shows like Once Upon a Time, Witches of East End, Almost Human also have nods.

Tickets are available now for each of the three award evenings. The full list of nominees by program is online along with schedules by evening. Follow the Leo Awards on Twitter and Facebook for more information.

The Rio Theatre is serving up a strong lineup for May featuring some of the most frequently quoted films of our generation. These 19+ screenings can be complimented with a beverage from the theatre’s full service bar as you enjoy a night out with friends. Tickets are available online in advance or at the door for $8 or $6 if you come in costume.

Rio Theatre Friday Late Night Movies

Friday, May 2, 2014
Fight Club (David Fincher, 1999) First rule of Fight Club: You do not talk about Fight Club. | Based on Chuck Palahniuk’s novel of the same name, Fight Club tells the story of insomniac office worker (Ed Norton) looking for a way to change his life who crosses paths with a devil-may-care soap maker (Brad Pitt), and together form an underground “fight club.” Also starring Helena Bonham Carter, Jared Leto, and Meat Loaf. Hosted by Daniel Chai.

Friday, May 9, 2014
Natural Born Killers (Oliver Stone, 1994) I’ve loved you since the day we met. | Director Oliver Stone took a story by Quentin Tarantino about the misadventures of social outcasts in love Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and Mallory (Juliette Lewis), and crafted a deft, wild commentary on contemporary culture’s obsession with sensationalist media, the glorification of violence, and the “fame factory.” Featuring memorable performances by Tommy Lee Jones, Rodney Dangerfield, and Robert Downey Jr.

Friday, May 16, 2014
Clueless (Amy Heckerling, 1995) Sex. Clothes. Popularity. Is there a problem here? | Is there a movie as synonymous with the 90s as Amy Heckerling’s Clueless? Hard to say. What we can say is that this is one of the Rio’s most requested titles – even the staff have been asking for it! Adapted from Jane Austen’s novel Emma, Clueless is a classic high school comedy about a rich, do-good student in Beverly Hills named Cher (Alicia Silverstone) who tries to boost a new pupil’s (Brittany Murphy) popularity, while reckoning with the inevitable affairs of the teenaged heart that get in the way. Also starring Paul Rudd, Donald Faison, and Stacey Dash.

Friday, May 23, 2014
Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001) An actress longing to be a star. A woman searching for herself. Both worlds will collide…on Muholland Drive. | After a car wreck on the winding Mulholland Drive renders a woman amnesiac, she and a perky Hollywood-hopeful search for clues and answers across Los Angeles in a twisting venture beyond dreams and reality. Starring Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, Justin Theroux, Robert Forster.

Friday, May 30, 2014
Top Gun (Tony Scott, 1986) Talk to me, Goose. | Top Gun is 110 minutes of pure, Reagan-era awesome. Tony Scott’s incredibly visual, kinetic story about a “maverick” fighter pilot in training (Tom Cruise) who gets his breath taken away while never losing that loving feeling for his civilian instructor (Kelly McGillis), is a quotable feast that features a killer 80s soundtrack (Kenny Loggins!) and some seriously awesome mid-air dogfights. Also starring Tom Skerritt, Anthony Edwards, Val Kilmer, Meg Ryan, and Tim Robbins.

EAT! Vancouver is coming up May 30th to June 1st with all things food, cooking, entertaining, and culinary travel found inside BC Place at Canada’s largest festival of its kind.

EAT! Vancouver Highlights

Chopped Canada judges Lynn Crawford, Chuck Hughes, and Vikram Vij will take the Food Network Celebrity Stage, joined by Ned Bell of Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver and EAT! Vancouver veteran, Rob Feenie of Cactus Club Restaurants. The celebrity chefs will instruct, interact, and entertain foodies with their contemporary cooking techniques and experiences in the culinary world.

While indulging in over 250 mouth-watering exhibitors, EAT! Vancouver attendees can also travel the world with chefs on the Flavours World Stage and explore culinary travel destinations at the World Culinary Travel Expo. Beer and wine connoisseurs can listen to and explore pairings and tastings with culinary and mixology experts on the Sips Stage, and The Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts (PICA) returns with their popular Culinary Classes, where the public can channel their inner master chef with help from the school’s instructors.

The ever-popular Bites area will feature mouthwatering dishes from a selection of local restaurants, and the adults can sip new offerings from wine, beer and spirits vendors in the Sips area. Dairy Farmers of Canada will again present Cheese Seminars, educating the public on how to best prepare and experiment with different Canadian cheeses.

More than 40,000 visitors are expected to attend over the three-day weekend. Tickets are $17 for adults ($14 online), $15 for seniors ($14 online), and $9 for youth aged 13-16. Children 12 and under are free.

EAT! Vancouver 2014

I have an EAT! Vancouver prize pack to give away (valued at $150) that includes: Two tickets to EAT! Vancouver, VIP seating to watch Chef Rob Feenie in action on the Food Network Celebrity Stage, one of Rob Feenie’s cookbooks, and dinner for two at Cactus Club Cafe ($100 gift certificate).

Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)

Follow EAT! Vancouver on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for more mouth-watering details. I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Tuesday, May 6, 2014.

Update The winner is Linda! (comment April 29).

With the morning sun appearing over the hills and illuminating Osoyoos Lake I am still dreaming about the meal Michelle and I enjoyed at Miradoro last night. Recently handed top honours as “Best Winery Restaurant” in the Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards, Miradoro Restaurant takes the best of BC, and the best of the Okanagan valley, and pairs it majestically with Tinhorn Creek Vineyards‘ lush varietals.

Taking into consideration the calibre of the food, the quality of the wines, the modern design of the restaurant and the spectacular wrap-around views of the entire vine-and-orchard-filled valley, it felt odd to walk into a practically empty Miradoro — but such is the norm around this time of year in this seasonal oasis.

The population of nearby Osoyoos in the off-season is about 5,000 — doubling in the summer months — with the May Long Weekend being the official start to summer. Once the floodgates are open, winery tasting rooms are packed and reservations will be strongly recommended. In the meantime, lucky for us, we were part of a select group of diners who chose Miradoro last night along with a family, and a young couple on a date.

Warming the palette

Michelle had been eyeing the menu online before we even left the Lower Mainland but she selected our starters based on their wine pairings (although we skipped the Chardonnay for the clams and got the 2 Bench Oldfield Series white 2012 with both).

we wai kai scallop & cauliflower
with shallot, caper raisin sauce, sunflower seed

steamed gulf island clams
with chorizo in saffron tomato sauce

I had to go for the Halibut (you can probably check back my ‘Food‘ archives and see that it’s always my favourite dish to try), and I was absolutely charmed by this presentation. Buttery but clean and crisp, with rich couscous and perky valley vegetables.

forno roasted halibut
with charmoula, carrot cous cous, cabbage puree, pickled local walnut, radish
Pairing: Chardonnay 2012

Michelle selected the duck, and while it was less rare than she was used to, there was so flavour lacking whatsoever and the root vegetable fudge offered a sweet contrast.

duck breast
with root vegetable fudge, sunchoke puree, ras al hanout granola, harker’s organic cider
Pairing: Oldfield Pinot Noir 2009

We had to go out in style and peruse the dessert menu, deciding on the lemon crema and tiramisu.

lemon crema
with citrus mint salad & lavender sablé cookie

tiramisu
classic italian pudding with mascarpone, marsala, cocoa & espresso (the best we’ve ever had).

What I love about this winery restaurant is that it’s not always about Tinhorn Creek’s wines, they have a full compliment of other Osoyoos and Oliver wines available on their dessert wine list. However, we went with the Tinhorn Creek Kerner with our sweets, tipping our hats to the host and rounding out a meal that burst with fresh local flavours.

Canadian Concert Series Contest

You can still enter to win your own experience at Tinhorn Creek Winery in my Canadian Concert Series contest. Until May 1st, enter to win a 1-night stay at the Watermark Beach Resort and two tickets to The Boom Booms concert at the Tinhorn Creek vineyard amphitheatre. Head over to my contest post for details on how to enter to win.

Michelle and I are in the area to experience life at Osoyoos Cottages. Located on the east side of Osoyoos Lake, with a driveway flanked by pastures and an ecological reserve, it’s a budding lakeside community we’re calling home for the next few days.