Formerly Elixir, the restaurant space at the Opus Hotel has undergone month of changes with the 100 Days, followed by the 100 Nights pop-up bistros. The most recent incarnation is Cento Notti, another pop-up but with new decor and a menu focused on hand-made Italian specialties.
Mirrors, pearls, painted busts, and candlelight give the space a warm, golden glow. The single-page menu is presented on a clipboard as you select from appetizers, mains, and sides. Our server highlighted a few features, including the burrata (made in-house) with roasted onion jam & rosemary oil, and recommended that we get some sides to share since the pasta portions aren’t overly generous.
We began with the wild boar & asiago meatballs in tomato fondue ($9). There were 3 of us and 4 meatballs arrived. Our forks fought over who got to devour the remainder. The tomato fondue was a fresh tomato sauce with cheese melted throughout – perfect for dipping. Executive Chef Paul Marshall also prepared an amuse bouche and a crisp salad with kale, grapefruit slices, and blue cheese.
Our three main courses were spaghetti bolognese with shaved blue cheese ($16) for John, the hand-rolled gnocchi with tomato pomodoro and fresh basil ($17) for me, and our dear friend Laura was presented with the prawn-of-all-jumbo-prawns atop her fettucini with lemon herb vegetables ($26).
The generous tomato topping on my gnocchi was light and fresh, giving a nice contrasts to the soft, tender, and cheesy pasta. John said that he enjoyed his spaghetti (he got it because it’s the signature dish) and that the hint of blue cheese was not overpowering, which can sometimes happen.
We ordered two sides to share (steamed asparagus and brocollini with chili) although I think we would have been good with just the brocollini as the pasta portions were just right.
Full from our mains, and just able to get the last few vegetables from fork to mouth, our eyes widened as dessert was delivered on a majestic platter. There’s always room for dessert.
There was a lemon tart with (what I’m going to call) drunken cherries, a chocolate panna cotta with roasted strawberries, and a frozen tiramisu that was slice of mocha heaven.
If you haven’t been by Cento Notti in its current form, it’s worth making a reservation — although it wasn’t very busy around 7:00pm on a Monday night (probably a different story on a Canucks game night in the bar area though). For an appetizer, two dinners, and a dessert, you can look to spend about $60 on a date night, which isn’t outrageous at all. The warm tones, attentive staff, and remixed house music make it a welcoming space for couples and friends out on the town.
Cento Notti is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Check them out on Facebook and Twitter to hear about their daily offerings.
From Trout Lake to the West End, Main Street to Kerrisdale, weekend markets are hopping in the summer months around Vancouver. They have the best local produce and hand-crafted goodies from May to October. The offerings now continue as Your Local Farmers Market Society presents the Winter Farmers Market along with a Holiday Market next month.
Photo credit:
rutt on Flickr
Winter Farmers Market
When: Saturdays through to April 28, 2012. Open 10:00am to 2:00pm.
Where: East Parking Lot of Nat Bailey Stadium (30th and Ontario)
Holiday Market
When: Saturday, December 17, 2011 from 10:00am to 5:00pm
Where: Croatian Cultural Centre (3250 Commercial Drive)
Operations Manager Roberta LaQuaglia told me that at a winter market you can find root crops and hardy greens, apples and pears, greenhouse veggies, cheese, meat, seafood, baking, and preserves. Christmas trees will also be available from Bees Knees in Chilliwack.
The Vancouver Christmas Market is returning this year to the QE Plaza downtown with traditional German holiday market staples. From November 24th until December 24th, enjoy some mulled wine, live music, shop for ornaments, grab some baked goods, and check out the kids’ activity area (where my niece made decorated her own candle last year).
There are twenty new vendors this year, photos with Santa, and a new Christmas carousel. Tickets are just $5 for adults ($2 Monday to Friday from 11:00am to 4:00pm), $2 for youth, and children under 6 are free.
You can also pick up a Vancouver Christmas Passport at the market for $22.28 (plus tax) that will get you into the Vancouver Christmas Market, VanDusen Garden, the Museum of Vancouver, and many more attractions this season (valid until April, 2012).
If you would like to check out the market, I have a four-pack of tickets to give away as well as four tickets for a ride on the Christmas carousel. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at 12:00pm on Sunday, November 20, 2011. The market is open to all but government ID is required to purchase alcoholic beverages. Enjoy responsibly and consider taking transit to this event.
Update The winner is Amy!
Last week I attended Sam Sullivan’s Public Salon, a speaker series like Pecha Kucha that brings together a handful of artists, visionaries, educators, and entertainers for one night of talks, without a particular theme. One of the speakers was Shannen O’Brian of Vancouver who founded Create Change.
This organization works in Northern Ghana and aims to provide water and education to those without. Following Shannen’s talk, a few girls (Fayuda, Gladys, Beatrice and Faiza) from Ghana spoke about education and the role of women in their region.
“It has been said that the educating a woman means educating the whole family.”
Since 2007, Create Change’s efforts have sent over 1,000 girls through high school and have provided 20,000 people with clean drinking water. They have also renovated seven elementary schools in Northern Ghana.
These students will share their stories on November 23rd at the Vogue Theatre during the “For Our Daughters” fundraising tour. The event will also feature a concert from Peak Performance Project finalists The Boom Booms, along with The Reckoners.
I spent a week in Southern Ghana earlier this year and I met with women who were union members, teachers, and caring mothers. They all said that their top concern was education for their children as it meant giving them the means to lead a better life.
Tickets for the event are available online at $30 for adults and $20 for students. 100% of proceeds from ticket sales go to support school fees for girls.
I love attending the theatre in Vancouver during the holidays. Wrapped in a scarf, boots crunching down on the salted sidewalk, ducking for cover under the Stanley’s marquee. Entering the lobby, cheeks rosy-red, taking my seat for the holiday production of the year. Not only are the shows colourful and classic, but giving the gift of a theatre ticket is a long-lasting experience. Here are just a few of the plays and musicals appearing on stage around Metro Vancouver this season:
Brian Linds in the Arts Club Theatre Company’s 2010 production of The Patron Saint of Stanley Park.
Photo by David Cooper.
The Arts Club
Patron Saint of Stanley Park
When: December 1 to December 24, 2011
Where: Revue Stage on Granville Island
Twitter: @TheArtsClub
About: A “magical holiday fable” set in Vancouver’s crown jewel, Stanley Park, on Christmas Eve. “A scruffy vagabond, who may be more than he appears to be, helps a struggling family to see that Christmas really can illuminate the strength of the human spirit.”
White Christmas: The Musical
When: December 2 to December 28, 2011
Where: Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage
About: John and I saw this a few years ago and even he (who doesn’t like musicals) had a great time at the performance — I’m not sure how you can’t enjoy this classic. “Based on the classic holiday film, this tap-dancing delight brims with tunes—including “Blue Skies,” “Sisters,” and the ever-popular “White Christmas”—that will fill you with the joy of the season.” Music and lyrics by Irving Berlin.
Ballet BC
The Nutcracker
When: December 28 to December 31, 2011
Where: Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Twitter: @BalletBC
About: One of the most famous ballets of all time (within pop culture at least) with familiar sugar-plum tunes. “This production takes place in the opulent grandeur of turn of the 20th century Imperial Russia. Danced to the glorious Tchaikovsky score, played live by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.”
Pacific Theatre
Christmas Carol
When: December 2 to December 31, 2011
Where: 1440 West 12th Ave, Vancouver
Twitter: @PacificTheatre
About: Adapted by Ron Reed from the Charles Dickens novel, this will be a one-man performance with the storytelling of Dickens in this hauntingly familiar tale. There’s a “Pay What You Can” preview on December 1st as well.
Carousel Theatre
Wizard of Oz
@CarouselTheatre
When: December 2 to December 31, 2011
Where: Waterfront Theatre (1412 Cartwright, Granville Island)
About: While not a classic “holiday” tale, you can still enjoy this family-friendly production with Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tinman, the Cowardly Lion and Toto as the travel through Oz.
Gateway Theatre
Sound of Music
When: December 8 to December 31, 2011
Where: Gateway Theatre, 6500 Gilbert Road, Richmond
Twitter: @Gateway_Theatre
About: See this Rodgers and Hammerstein masterpiece live and experience numbers like “Do-Re-Mi”, “Edelweiss”, “Sixteen Going on Seventeen”, and “The Sound of Music”.
The Cultch
The Christmas Carol Project
When: December 18 to December 20, 2011
Where: 1895 Venables, The Eastside Cultural Centre (The Cultch)
Twitter: @TheCultch
About: A musical version of Dickens’ Christmas Carol with a blend of contemporary music and literature for the whole family.
Goh Ballet
Nutcracker Ballet
When: December 15 to December 18, 2011
Where: The Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts
About: The classic ballet accompanied by the Vancouver Opera’s orchestra.
Additional shows of note are The Hotel Bethlehem at the Shadbolt Centre in Burnaby, and the Vancouver Welsh Men’s Choir “Sounds of Christmas” at the Surrey Arts Centre.
If any other theatre companies would like to have their productions listed, please feel free to send me an email. I encourage everyone to support their local arts scene and give loved ones the intangible gifts of music, dance, and theatre this season.
