Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Bon's Off Broadway

Bon's Off Broadway
2451 Nanaimo St.
Vancouver, BC

I am lucky enough to live right around the corner from one of Vancouvers great greasy spoon diners. Bon's off Broadway is definately a place to go if you're in the mood for some great cheap breakfast. The atmosphere is super relaxed and if you get there early enough (before 9) you wont have to wait in line.
Bon's is a little kitchy with movie posters and silly things on the walls. It's interesting to look and and some good conversation starters if you're into past-their-prime singers. Now to the food!
The $2.95 breakfast is insanely cheap and means that you can get eggs, potatoes, toast, bacon and coffee for 5 bucks with tax! You will not find that many places in Vancouver, or anywhere for that matter. The breakfast is basic but the eggs have always been cooked perfectly and the food comes out fast. Great servers and good diner coffee make this a great place for a breakfast after a night out. It can get a little crowded mid morning but it's worth the wait if you want to save a couple bucks. If you want a refill on your coffee be assertive and go grab the pot yourself, it's self serve coffee here!
Give Bon's a try one Sunday morning, hopefully it will be added to your 'breaky when broke' list.

Update: I recently revisted Bon's on July 9th, 2011 (with my family) and July 30th, 2011 (solo), and it's as good as ever. The eggs were perfect and there was some hillarious new writings on the walls. I have also noticed that Bon's has been showing up a lot in the 'I saw you' section in the Georgia Straight. So it may be a place for finding love too, who knows???

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Thursday, September 23, 2010

Magazines for you Foodie's out there




If you are a foodie but can't afford to eat out all the time you may be like me! I have been on a quest to find some great foodie magazines that have great (and easy) recipes. Below are a few of my favorites. I tend to buy the magazines but if you're more of a computer person, their websites are great too!

OLIVE Magazine:
I found this magazine randomly in the magazine section. It's sometimes hard to track down but it is my number one pick for great tasting, easy recipes and great articles about food travels.
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/magazine/olive/


Food Network Magazine: There are always some really fun recipes in this magazine and it is reasonably priced.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food-network-magazine/package/index.html


Savuer Magazine: There are usually some really interesting recipes in here and allows you to experiment with unfamiliar ingredients.
http://www.saveur.com/


Bon Appetit:
This Magazine is definately food porn! Love it!
http://www.bonappetit.com/


If you have any suggestions for other great Foodies Mag's post them in the comments below, I'd love to hear what you all are reading.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Stella's Tap and Tapas Bar


Stella's Tap and Tapas Bar
1191 Commercial Drive
Date of Visit:September 11, 2010

After helping move friends to a new home I was generously repaid with a dinner at Stella's on Commercial Drive. I had never been before but had walked passed about 100 times. Upon entering, there is a nice warm light and inviting atmosphere. There are two defined sections with the bar to the left and the dining room to the right. The decor us up to date and comfortable. We did have a bit of a wait (which was worth it by the way) in a very tiny entrance area. This is really my only criticism of the entire experience. It was extremely squished and people are pushing past to get their name on the waiting list and pushing past to get out after eating... very akward. But after 20 mins(maybe longer) waiting we were seating at a great table in the dinning room and had some of the best service of my life! Our waitress was so knowledgable and friendly, I asked for her recommendation of a less 'hoppy' beer and her choice was excellent. They have a menu just for their beer (http://stellasbeer.com/taps/) selection which can be daunting but also extremely fun to look at and choose which one you will get next.
Everything on the menu from their 'filet'-delphia cheese steak appy to their pork tenderloin main dish sounds amazing and tastes even better. Me, my boyfriend and our two lovely friends ordered 4 starters.... yes, 4! The edamame was cooked well and the hint of ginger added some great flavour to what I usually find as being very bland veggie. We also shared the sundried tomato hummus, piquin chilli & pomegranate molasses glazed chicken wings and the 'filet' delphia cheese steak. The cheese steak is actually little buggets of filet mignon with beautifully melted goats cheese and a sweet and tangy cranberry salsa on top. It was cooked perfectly and came out of the kitchen fast and hot.
For my main I ordered the Pork tenderloin, which was absolutely amazing, but what really stole the show was the INSANELY creamy sweet fresh creamed corn that came with the tenderloin. It mixed well with everything on the plate and had a little extra pepper, which added some bite to the creaminess and sweetness of the corn. I could eat a whole gallon of that stuff, NO PROBLEM!
Our waitstaff was very on the ball, we never waited to order and our main waitress was very friendly but not overbearing. I wish every dining experience was a good as this one. All four of us had a great time and a great meal and agreed that we would return back to Stella's on the drive again for beer and to stuff our faces with great food. You should too!

Update: Stella's has now changed their name to BierCraft Tap and Tapas Bar.

Stella's Tap and Tapas Bar
1191 Commercial Drive
http://stellasbeer.com/commercial

Map:

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Check out Stella's ratings on Urbanspoon:
Stella's Tap & Tapas Bar on Urbanspoon