Last spring the City of Vancouver expanding its street food offerings which sparked a boom in curbside dining. Food trucks have taken over the downtown core at lunchtime offering anything from dim sum and souvlaki to fried cheese and organic hot dogs. Tacofino is one of the latest editions and many are glad that the truck made its way here from Tofino on the West side of Vancouver Island.
Tacofino, recently featured on the Food Network series “Eat St”, can be found parked around the Vancouver Art Gallery (usually on Howe). The menu is brief but packs a punch as fresh-air diner can choose from fish tacos, the tuna ta-taco, the pork or black bean gringa, and the black bean burrito. For dessert, the legendary chocolate diablo cookie or a lime mint freshie.
I opted for two fish tacos ($4.50 a piece) although they were so chock full of flavour that I could have settled for one.
Wrapped in a quick-fired tortilla, the tacos had lightly battered pieces of ling cod topped with crunchy cabbage and chunky salsa (pico de gallo). The crunch from the cabbage gave the taco shape as the juicy salsa soaked through to the tender fish.
The overflowing tacos were a little messy but with some care (and some napkins) those on their lunch breaks can make it back to the office without dripping on their work clothes. It’s also important to note that the truck accepts debit and credit cards as well as cash.
I admit that I have under-patronized Vancouver’s food trucks and tasting the offerings from Tacofino just make me want to see what else is out there. You can find a big list on the Eat St app or the Vancouver Street Food Vendor app for your mobile phone.
The Vancouver International Writers Festival takes place October 18th to the 23rd as professionals and amateurs in the realm of fiction and non-fiction gather at Granville Island.
Anthony Doerr, Yiyun Li, Wells Tower, Marisa Silver, Paul Harding and moderator Jerry Wasserman on stage at American Splendor, on Saturday, October 23, 2010. Photo credit: Photo:
Chris Cameron on Flickr
The “special events” lineup is full of talent including some of our favourites like David Sedaris (whose appearances on the “This American Life” podcast got me hooked on his written works) and Chuck Palahniuk (who John saw do a live reading in Iowa City). Other special event speakers include Michael Ondaatje, Wade Davis, Anthony Bourdain, and documentarian Michael Moore.
The Literati Gala will kick things off in style at the Fairmont Waterfront on October 17th. Tickets for workshops, speaker series, and special events are currently available online.
Follow @VIWF on Twitter, Facebook, or the festival blog for more information. A full list of authors from around the world who will be in attendance can be found online.
The National Ballet of Canada is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year with a Western tour this fall, stopping for several days at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
Artists of the Ballet Emergence. Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann
From September 23rd to September 25th the National Ballet of Canada will present the following in Vancouver:
The Second Detail
Vancouver premiere: Iconoclast, provocateur, poet of the anti-ballet, William Forsythe has proven himself time and again a master of the deconstructivist mode, all the while forging a choreographic world utterly and distinctively his own.
Other Dances
Originally created for Natalia Makarova and Mikhail Baryshnikov in 1976 at a Gala Evening for the Library of Performing Arts at Lincoln Center.
The Man in Black
Company premiere: “Constructed from what appear to be simple movements and set to six covers sung by Johnny Cash, The Man in Black keeps the dancers in constant motion. It’s devoid of frills yet as stark and moving as Cash’s voice itself.” – Columbus Alive, 2010
Emergence
Vancouver premiere: A riveting, dark-hued work that casts a swarming, scurrying group of dancers, insect-like, in an eerily subterranean universe, Crystal Pite’s Emergence explores the instinct for creating social forms through the movement and architecture of the choreography itself.
In partnership with Ballet BC tickets are currently on sale for $55-$95 plus service fees.
If you would like to attend the anniversary tour in Vancouver and catch all of these performances, here’s how you can enter to win tickets:
- Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 8:00am on Tuesday, September 20, 2011. The winner will receive two tickets to the performance September 24, 2011.
Update The winner is Cara!
Culture Days in Canada are coming up September 30th, October 1st, and October 2nd as every province and territory celebrates the arts. Events around the Metro Vancouver area include everything from theatre performances to fibre arts studio tours. Major hubs of activity are on Granville Island, at the Burnaby Library, and at the Surrey Arts Centre.
Here is just a small sample of the events taking place around our region:
Many of the tours and workshops are free for the public so take a look at the map of BC to find events near you.
The official kick-off event will take place with a Vancouver AM Tourism Association breakfast on September 30th at the Vancouver Convention Centre as well as a celebration at the CBC from 11:00am to 6:00pm.
CBC Culture Days Kick-Off
Starting at 10:45am September 30th with Johnny Reid, CBC Vancouver will host hours of entertainment and interactive events. Jian Ghomeshi to host a Q media panel, meet Suhana Meharchand at the CBC News Vancouver tent, enjoy Kids’ CBC Live with with Patty, Mamma Yamma, the Breakfast Froog and special musical guest Amy Millan.
CBC Radio One hosts Margaret Gallagher, Stephen Quinn, and CBC Radio 3 hosts Grant Lawrence, Lana Gay and Lisa Christiansen will also be on-site along with Steven and Chris and Dragons’ Den dragons Jim Treliving, Robert Herjavec and Bruce Croxon.
The evening news will be live from Hamilton Street with Tony Parsons, Gloria Macarenko, Claire Martin and Shane Foxman.
In the evening, Jian Ghomeshi will host a free concert series from 8:00pm to 10:00pm outside the CBC at Hamilton and Georgia with Stars, The Midway State, The New Pornographers and surprise celebrity appearances. The first hour of this event will be broadcast nationally.
Follow @CultureDays on Twitter and Facebook for updates.
Today the BC Sports Hall of Fame inducts a new roster of talented individuals and teams who have made our province proud through excellence in the realm of athletics. The Banquet of Champions will take place at the Vancouver Convention Centre and will honor the following:
Athlete Category
Gary Gait, Lacrosse
Widely considered the greatest lacrosse player of all time, Victoria’s Gary Gait revolutionized the way the modern game is played. A winner of every possible major lacrosse team championship, Gait won the NLL MVP award a record six times and remains the NLL’s all-time leader in goals and points.
Paul Gait, Lacrosse
Like his twin brother, Victoria’s Paul Gait also enters the discussion of greatest lacrosse player of all-time. Over his career Gait won twelve major championships, led the NLL in goal scoring four times, earned eight First-Team All Pro selections, and won the league’s MVP award in 2002.
Trevor Linden, Hockey
Perhaps the most universally respected athlete in Vancouver sports history, Trevor Linden recorded six 30-goal seasons and led the Canucks to within a goalpost of winning the 1994 Stanley Cup. After his 2008 retirement, Linden became only the second player to have his number retired by the club.
Maëlle Ricker, Snowboarding
West Vancouver’s Maëlle Ricker took on the world’s best in her own backyard in 2010 and emerged Olympic champion in women’s snowboard cross, the first Canadian woman to win gold on home snow. A month later Ricker locked up the World Cup Overall title. In 106 career starts she collected 14 victories and 32 podium finishes
Lauren Woolstencroft, Para Alpine Skiing
The ‘Golden Girl’ of the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, North Vancouver’s Lauren Woolstencroft became the first Winter Paralympian in history to win five gold medals at a single Paralympic Games. Earlier she represented Canada at the 2002 and 2006 Paralympics winning another three gold medals, one silver, and one bronze.
Media Category
Tom Larscheid
The excitable, straight-shooting Canucks radio colour commentator for most of the past 33 years, Tom Larscheid’s energized enthusiasm resonated through the airwaves working beside the legendary Jim Robson and later Jim Hughson and John Shorthouse. Larscheid also worked as the BC Lions’ colour commentator on CKNW from 1975 until 2000.
Builder Category
Mike Jones, Wrestling
For over thirty years, Mike Jones’ Burnaby Mountain Wrestling Club has been a dynasty churning out eighteen Olympians, twenty-eight national championship teams, thirteen world and Olympic medals, eight NAIA team titles, and produced more individual champions than any other comparable program in North America.
Audrey Williams, Figure Skating
Involved for over fifty years, Vancouver’s Audrey Williams is one of the all-time great figure skating officials from BC. Appointed an International Judge by the ISU in 1967, she judged the 1994 Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer, six World Championships, and four World Junior Championships. Williams remains the only female native British Columbian to serve as an Olympic judge.
W.A.C. Bennett Award
Marty Zlotnik
His remarkable drive, vision, and organizational ability have significantly shaped BC sport for decades. Through the Thunderbird Golf Society, the UBC Thunderbird Council, and the Millenium Scholarship Breakfast Zlotnik has raised millions of dollars for BC athletes. Zlotnik has served as president of the Kids Up Front Foundation, chair of the BC Sports Hall of Fame, and Vancouver Parks Board Commissioner.
Team Category
Members of the 2010 Canadian Olympic Men’s Hockey Team
Roberto Luongo, Scott Neidermayer, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Shea Weber
Pioneer Category
1933 Chinese Students Soccer Team
Gordon Chang, George Lam (Secretary), Jackson Louie, Lem On, Jack Soon, Shupon Wong (Goalkeeper & Team President), Dock Yip, Horne Yip, Gam Jung, Charles Louie (Playing Manager), William Lore (Vice-President & Treasurer), Buck Sing, Frank Wong, Art Yip, Gibb Yip, Quene Yip
“In an era when the Chinese population in BC was made to feel like second-class citizens, the Chinese Students Soccer Team stood as a pillar of strength and a beacon of hope, the only Chinese-Canadian soccer team in Canada and thought to be the only such team outside of China.” Read more in this Vancouver Sun article.
The BC Sports Hall of Fame, which was located in BC Place, will soon be moving back into its space at the newly renovated stadium. Many of the inductees have also donated items to the Hall of Fame’s new Olympic Celebration Gallery. Follow @BCSportsHall on Twitter or Facebook for updates and information about the grand re-opening.
Proceeds from the Banquet of Champions support the BC Sports Hall of Fame’s HERO IN YOU Educational Program, working to inspire every child in British Columbia to find their own hero within.
Photo credit: John Bollwitt on Flickr
Miss604.com is a proud sponsor of tonight’s Banquet of Champions event and I will be providing the liveblog throughout the evening (accompanied by photos from John). Follow the tag #2011BOC on Twitter starting around 5:00pm for live updates.
Check out full inductee biographies in this document (although many need no introduction).
Live Blog
Update 6:30pm: John and I arrived at the Vancouver Convention Centre in time for the VIP Reception. Several inductees were present and there was a special ceremony for young honourees.
Photo credit: John Bollwitt on Flickr
There were two recipients of the Jack Farley Youth Sports Achievement Award: Kathleen Leahy of Victoria and Brian Malfesi of Maple Ridge. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
