In September 2009, J accompanied me to Vancouver when I had a work trip there. (That trip was why I didn’t get to attend Michael Pollan’s presentation as part of the UW’s inaugural Go Big Read program.) Tomorrow I head back to Vancouver again, this time on my own. I hope to have some new food adventures to report from this latest trip, but as a preview I thought I’d briefly mention a few of our food experiences from ’09.

• The Flying Tiger: As their website describes, “The Flying Tiger provides an array of Asian cuisine, all inspired from the wonderful street food traditions of Asia. Dishes are prepared using the highest quality ingredients, organically grown, sustainably harvested, oceanwise and locally sourced whenever possible. Flavours emerging from the vibrant open kitchen are gorgeous and pair perfectly with a well-chosen list of wine, sake, beer and cocktails.” Indeed! We had such a great meal here that when I was on my own for a subsequent work trip, I hopped on a bus from the UBC campus where I was staying and enjoyed another fine meal at the Flying Tiger all by myself at the bar.
• Raincity Grill: J and I were celebrating the 3rd anniversary of our commitment ceremony while we were in Vancouver. The upscale, locavore Raincity Grill was on our radar, and after walking around town a bit, we decided to stop in for an early dinner, hoping we could score a table without a reservation. Lo and behold, on our way in we spotted my boss and her husband sitting at a two-top in the window. (The work portion of our trip had ended a day earlier, and we had gone our separate ways for a few days of R&R.) They were as surprised to see us as we were to see them, but it was a very happy coincidence. They hadn’t even ordered dinner yet, and the staff were able to find us a table for four so we could enjoy a spontaneous dinner together. We all had multi-course prix fixe with wine pairings; the truly delicious meals emphasized locally sourced ingredients, including sustainable seafood and even BC wine.
• Café Medina (AKA Medina Café): There’s much less locavorism and conscientious omnivorism going on here, and the wait for Saturday brunch was (as expected) very, very long. Nonetheless, we enjoyed ourselves, and I spotted Dulé Hill waiting for a table on the sidewalk like he was just another guy. (My star sighting even prompted me to start watching Psych, which films in Vancouver; I still turn to it whenever I want fluff TV for background entertainment while working in the kitchen.)
• Japadog: Like good tourists, we also stopped by Japadog (the original cart, at Burrard and Smithe). I had the classic, which the website describes as “JAPADOG’s Signature Hot Dog: Teriyaki sauce, mayo and seaweed make for a winning combination.” Although I now see on the website that veggie dogs are available at all locations, I don’t know if this was the case then; regardless, J and I agree that I had a regular animal-bits-in-casing hot dog in 2009. (My conscientious omnivorism was still burgeoning.) I am happy to attest that teriyaki, mayo and seaweed really are a fine combo!

Although I’m not setting out to repeat any of these experiences this week, the walk down memory lane does have me feeling tempted to take advantage of Raincity Grill’s early bird special ($30 prix fixe from 5-6 pm) and to try a veggie Japadog or two.