After a long week of work, we’re thinking you’re likely ready to sit back and relax; the last thing on your mind is rummaging through the fridge. Enter: Cafeteria, a SoMo dining find we love. Located at 2702 Main Street, Cafeteria offers a rotating menu of childhood comfort food fixings and, as they call it, ‘adult indulgences’ courtesy of well-known YVR Chef Andre Durbach. A well-crafted beverage list and wines by the glass guarantees a great start to the weekend. Save room for dessert. And by dessert, we’re referring to the decadent Peanut Butter Pie. Watch for Durbach’s next project, a Spanish tapas bar aptly named The Sardine Can, set to take shape later this year in Gastown. We’ll keep you notably posted.
With this weekend’s forecast calling for plenty of fresh snowfall on the slopes, might we suggest that your Saturday entails some winter adventuring? Head out and up to Whistler Blackcomb where it’s guaranteed to be a powder-packed day. We recommend that you aim to beat the traffic and rise early with a pit-stop at one of our fave fuel-up spots, Savary Island Pie Company. Fill your belly and choose from more than a half-dozen different omelettes offered, more than a baker’s dozen worth of muffins to select from, and plenty more.
After a day’s worth of mountain action, make your way back to the city for a chilled-out night at home. Might we suggest that you skip the dinner prep and opt for good old-fashioned quality takeout and a lazy night watching the Canucks take on the Canadiens.
Not into a couch-bound evening and looking for a little extra culture to add to your proverbial plate? Swing by The Gam Gallery on Saturday night to catch an evening of performances and animations courtesy of notably talented artist Hoji Tsuchiya. Using a selection of techniques involving the employ of various materials (such as puppetry, shadows, photo copies and more), Tsuchiya brings his animated stories to life with powerful music and imagery inspired by dreams.
Stroll in to Sunday and stay close to home with a drive over to Kitsilano to check out the ever-evolving West 4th Ave. strip of posh boutiques, cafes and shops. Grab your java fix at 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters and get your shop on. Looking for something a bit different? Extend your trek to check out the stylishly quaint Village of Kerrisdale and try your hand at an afternoon of free public skating while you’re at it.
With a few hours to spare, we think you ought to head downtown and pay a visit to the Vancouver Art Gallery’s latest exhibit, Beat Nation. It features a new generation of Aboriginal artists who’ve combined alternative means of expressing what it means to be young and living within today’s urban culture. This innovative exhibit explores the unique juxtaposition between traditional Aboriginal expectations and the modern-day urban lifestyle. Artists have explored new cultural hybrids in design, sculpture, performance, paintings and installations that we think are definitely worth noting.
Wind down your weekend with a pit-stop at Guu on Robson where you’re guaranteed highly entertaining and well-priced delicious dinner. Guu is one of the most well-known and successful Izakaya-style restaurants in the city, and their menu has plenty to offer even the pickiest of eaters. We recommend you try the panko crusted taro croquettes, tako wasabi and hotato butter for starters. Giant pitchers of Japanese beer will help wash it all down and not break the weekend budget…just be prepared for a possible line-up.
Photo courtesy Cafeteria