Vancouver - Tourism Whistler`s Media Room

Entertainment, Travel
& Adventure in
Vancouver
Chillin’ in a Wa
Story & Photographs by Joseph A. Lieberman
M
y fingers are trembling, but I’ve got
to keep my arm steady and my mind
focused on the sword and fragile glass
bottle gripped tightly in my two hands.
I’m also struggling to ignore any negative
thoughts of what an unholy mess this will
be if my aim goes horribly astray.
To add to my stress, the tutor standing before me is none other than worldsabering record holder André Saint-Jacques,
owner-manager of the Bearfoot Bistro at
Whistler, 125 kilometers north of Vancouver, British Columbia. Standing in the cool
darkness of a large underground wine cellar,
10
Saint-Jacques has already explained how
the technique of sabrage—breaking off the
neck of a Champagne bottle with a curved
saber—first began among an elite coterie
of Napoleon’s cavalry officers in the early
1800s. Apparently, ordinary corkscrews were
in short supply during the Napoleonic Wars.
Sabers are far more dashing than corkscrews anyway, and of course Saint-Jacques
performs this skillful art flawlessly. Following his lead, I swiftly slide the polished steel
down the neck of the bottle, and clunk!—
I scrape away only a small chip. SaintJacques, for all his accolades, is patient
JANUARY 2016
#W01('16)_origin.indd 10
2015/11/19 21:11
a rm Winterland
and encouraging, having taught hundreds
of equally incompetent students over the
years. He calmly sets me up for another try.
This time, voila! Success! As the bubbly
comes cascading out, Saint-Jacques has
glasses at the ready to celebrate this sweet
victory. Silently, I picture myself the equal
of French Hussars gallantly galloping across
Europe on white steeds with champagnepopping sabers in hand. That illusion fades
as hunger reminds me that the real champion here is upstairs, cooking up a storm.
Bearfoot Bistro’s Executive Chef Melissa
Craig was crowned Canada’s Best Chef at
Sun and Snow
Summits of glacial snow
and a bay aglow in
sunset are two appealing
aspects of this city by
the sea. Photo courtesy
of Tourism Vancouver.
the prestigious Canadian Culinary Championships back in 2008, no small feat in a
world dominated by men. Obviously, food
is the main enticement here, with caribou,
buffalo, pheasant, and elk on the menu, in
addition to the usual restaurant fare.
TIME TO CHILL
A further temptation here is the Ketel One
vodka-tasting Ice Room, billed as the world’s
coldest, at –32˚C. Patrons are fitted into arcticready Canadian goose-down parkas to try any
four of the 50 imported vodka varieties within.
Those parkas also come in handy if you
JANUARY 2016
#W01('16)_origin.indd 11
11
2015/11/19 21:11
step outside into the frigid mountain air. Although the restaurant is as warmly welcoming as French toast, outdoors you can’t forget that Whistler is, after all, a ski resort—
the largest in North America, and the site
of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Chill
winds may blow, January snow levels might
reach spectacular heights, and even summertime summits can retain their glacial
white caps, but those qualities are exactly
what Vancouverites love about this location.
People outside Canada tend to think of
this entire country as being frozen over in
winter. Not so! Heavy snowfalls do occur
in some parts of the nation, and certainly
on occasion up in Whistler, but seldom in
downtown Vancouver itself, where steady
rain, foggy mist, and surprisingly mild temperatures are the norm. Even the city’s public outdoor skating rinks have to be coated
with man-made ice.
For this reason, both residents and winter
visitors alike recognize that here snow is an
option, not a burden. For those who love to
ski, Whistler lies less than 90 minutes from
12
Vancouver’s busy urban landscape. Besides
the downhill and cross-country slopes of
Mount Whistler and Blackcomb Mountain,
there are year-round attractions, such as the
indigenous peoples’ Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, vista-viewing inter-peak gondolas,
and a wealth of outdoor sporting activities.
Even winter’s soggiest days don’t dampen
the spirits of those who prefer to remain
in downtown Vancouver, however, as they
revel in the rain or snuggle in cozy interiors surrounded by great natural beauty.
Fascinating museums of art, science, and
history are their own weatherproof forms
Icy Treat
Melissa Craig, Bearfoot
Bistro’s executive chef,
makes snowy Whistler
Mountain dining a treat;
downtown public ice
rink under a glass dome
offers skating fun in all
kinds of weather.
JANUARY 2016
#W01('16)_origin.indd 12
2015/11/19 21:11
Vancouver
Elegant Perspectives
André Saint-Jacques is a
dashing figure of sabrage
(opening Champagne
bottles with a saber) at
Bearfoot Bistro; salmon
burger on asparagus at
Whistler’s Cinnamon
Bear Grille; Burrard
Bridge, styled in art deco.
beside False Creek has evolved into a hot
entertainment, shopping, and dining center.
The bohemian art and dance venues that
first launched Granville’s resurrection still
exist, but so do new showplaces like Lisa
Simpson’s grain-to-glass Liberty Distillery,
a dozen picturesque houseboat offices, and
the Granville Island Hotel’s gracious Dockside Restaurant, where seared Haida Gwaii
halibut (cooked in the style of the Haida
people), and citrus-dill crumbed sablefish
represent small slices of British Columbia’s
abundant wild seafood harvest. From the
organic farms of nearby Fraser Valley and
other B.C. vendors, gem tomatoes, crispy
taro, broccoli, red rice and quinoa also
grace the Dockside’s dishes.
The adorably cartoon-like mini-ferries
that shuttle small groups of passengers to
and from the docks of Granville Island also
have a landing near the geodesic dome of
Science World at the top of False Creek.
From there, it’s an easy walk over to the jade
green koi pond, 150-year-old bonsai trees,
imported taihu or scholar’s rock formations,
of entertainment, but other draws include
exuberant architecture, alluring boutiques,
irresistible dining, and blocks-long indoor
shopping malls connected by glassed-in
passageways. Victory Square and Gastown,
with its famous steam clock, represent the
oldest section of Vancouver, while Canada
Place, Vanier Park and Coal Harbour are all
pleasantly adjacent to charming inlets.
During the past decade, Granville Island
has become one of Vancouver’s most popular waterside destinations. Far more than a
Public Market, this former industrial enclave
and pagodas of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical
Chinese Garden in the heart of Vancouver’s
old Chinatown. It was completed in 1986
as the first Ming dynasty-style garden in
Canada, but an even more extensive Chinese garden lies a few kilometers south, in
the port of Steveston, on the grounds of the
largest Buddhist temple in British Columbia.
As this fact attests, the Chinese presence in
Vancouver is legendary, with a massive new
Chinatown having formed in the suburb
JANUARY 2016
#W01('16)_origin.indd 13
13
2015/11/19 21:11
of Richmond starting in 1997, spurred by
a huge influx of Asian citizens arriving as
Hong Kong was reabsorbed back into China.
SOMETHING FISHY
The irony is that Steveston, a short distance
from Richmond, was the scene of Canada’s
first great influx of Asian immigrants, who
arrived in the 1800s to labor in a staggering
number of 15 fish canneries located there.
Today, only one remains as a museum. Inside
the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site, docents dressed in period costume
honor the workers who packed salmon and
sardines in the past.
Also worth a visit here is Britannia Heritage Shipyard on the nearby Fraser River,
with refurbished boatyards, historic residences, and attractions such as London Heritage Farm, a smart place to enjoy tea and
homemade scones in an 1880s farmhouse
14
A Fine Catch
Taka Omi, sushi chef,
Fairmont Pacific Rim
hotel, and Granville
Island Aquabus both
explore the beauties
of the sea in their own
way: catching a tasty
harvest from below
and catching a fine view
from above.
setting. Further along Britannia’s waterfront
park, I see a Japanese bride and groom pose
in front of the restored Murakami House,
a favorite photo spot for just-wed couples.
Immigrants still continue to arrive in Ste-
JANUARY 2016
#W01('16)_origin.indd 14
2015/11/19 21:11
Vancouver
veston, but these days they’re more along the
lines of eastern European Nicolae Constantin, who opened up his Romania Country
Bread shop (also called Storybrooke Bakery)
downtown a decade ago.
Steveston’s cannery days may be over, but
it’s still the home port for Canada’s largest
commercial fishing fleet, consisting of over
600 vessels. That obviously leads to a tremendous amount of wild salmon, sablefish,
and sardines arriving directly off the boats,
and when they do, Fairmont Pacific Rim’s
Executive Chef Nathan Brown is often there
to meet them. Part of that catch will end up
in Brown’s fine dining restaurant Oru on
Pacific Rim’s mezzanine, but other choice
cuts will be artfully arranged and plated by
the hotel’s sushi chef, Taka Omi, in the spacious lobby’s tucked-away Raw Bar, which
features live music every evening.
Nothing warms winter nights like an
amazing meal. Oru specializes in flavors of
the Pacific Northwest, which means sourcing local ingredients from close-by locations. Their succulent Filet Mignon Oscar,
for example, served with mushrooms,
salsify, broccoli, béarnaise sauce, and sweet
pea purée, is created from purely Canadian
products. Chef Omi, on the other hand,
contributes flavorful recipe suggestions
from around the Pacific Rim, such as sakecured sablefish, Hawaiian pineapple “poke”
albacore tuna wrap, and Kalua pork belly
with pineapple, maple-mustard glaze, fried
sage, pork cracklings, and lotus root purée.
Savory Lifestyle
Fine dining on
Fairmount Pacific Rim’s
sushi and filet mignon
is part of Vancouver’s
savory lifestyle, as are
houseboats on Granville
Island.
Cauldron, comes alight each evening in a
salute to the 2010 Games. Inside the lobby of
the adjacent Vancouver Convention Center, a
giant planet earth hangs luminously from the
high ceiling. Just beyond that are the landmark
sails of Canada Place cruise ship terminal.
Though the skies may be overcast, heartier souls can still enjoy a westward stroll
past the Coal Harbour marina down to
Stanley Park’s walking promenade to view
the city skyline or visit the First Nations
PERFECT OUTINGS
Some of Vancouver’s best outdoor art is located just across the street from the Fairmont
at Jack Poole Plaza. One of them, Olympic
JANUARY 2016
#W01('16)_origin.indd 15
15
2015/11/19 21:11
16
JANUARY 2016
#W01('16)_origin.indd 16
2015/11/19 21:11
Vancouver
Though skies may be slightly overcast yet sunny, hearty souls can still enjoy
a westward stroll past the Coal Harbour marina down to Stanley Park’s
walking promenade to view the city skyline or visit the beautifully carved
First Nations totem poles at Brockton Point.
JANUARY 2016
#W01('16)_origin.indd 17
17
2015/11/19 21:11
steps away from the tranquility of UBC’s
Nitobe Memorial Japanese Garden.
Closer in, the Museum of Vancouver, the
Maritime Museum, and the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre are all located in Vanier
Park, making this the perfect rainy day
outing. When the sun peeps out, there’s
also an outdoor sculpture park, but for
viewing statues that radiate a cynical sense
of humor, be sure to wander over to Beijing
artist Yue Minjun’s cast bronze A-mazeing Laughter in Morton Park (at Davie and
Denman streets).
Bordering Morton Park is a plethora of
cafes, antique dealers, cheese and wine outlets, and rows of shops. Coupled with the
Art in Good Taste
Cafe Brio serves up an
artfully done dish of
wild salmon, sugar snap
peas, and fennel salad,
while the Museum of
Vancouver serves up a
tasty stainless steel crab
sculpture by George
Norris in a fountain
setting.
totem poles. For those with greater interest
in the people who first settled these lands,
it’s worth heading out to the Museum of
Anthropology at the University of British
Columbia. Long houses, canoes, ancient
household items and ritual masks liven up
this cliff-top location, which is just foot-
VICTORIA’S SECRETS
S
he lies off British Columbia’s western coast like a
sailor’s dream, a safe haven filled with promises of
sweet days and cinnamon nights, sheltered by rugged
cliffs and surrounded by sea. Since Fort Victoria was
founded at the tip of Vancouver Island in 1843, these
few square kilometers have been the scene of high
drama, great adventures, and deep passions.
Those qualities can still be found today, melded into
the streets and wharves, stately homes, showplace
museums, and the boutiques, bistros, and cafes of
Victoria. Charming and seductive, Victoria shares her
secrets only with those who have the patience to
discover them.
While Vancouver is certainly the largest city in British
18
Columbia, petite Victoria retained the title of “Province’s Capital.” A pleasant 90-minute voyage from the
mainland on the inter-island B.C. Ferry, Victoria’s harbor
front is crowned by the majestic cupolas of Parliament
House, the Royal B.C. Museum and the classic lines of
the Fairmont Empress Hotel, renowned for its elegant
British-style teas.
Hidden a little deeper are chocolate makers, Canada’s
oldest Chinatown, and Craigdarroch Castle, completed
in 1890 by Robert Dunsmuir, a Scottish immigrant who
discovered the richest coal seam on the island.
Most essential to the traveling gourmet is the wealth
of international cuisines that cluster deliciously here.
At Antique Row’s Cafe Brio, for example, the neo-Re-
JANUARY 2016
#W01('16)_origin.indd 18
2015/11/19 21:11
Vancouver
snow-capped peaks of Whistler rising in
the background, Yue Minjun’s installation
is a reminder that Vancouver’s strength lies
in its unique combination of intense scenic
beauty, urban sophistication, and a thoroughly international makeup. As the city
that’s consistently been ranked number one
Iconic Beauty
First Nations totems
are Vancouver icons,
Brockton Point; Malahat
Mountain’s icy, iconic
beauty.
naissance interior is filled with art nouveau furnishings,
gilt-framed mirrors, and paintings, while the menu is
contemporary organic Northwest with an Italian twist.
Victoria is refreshing in other ways. East of downtown, the Tudor-style Oak Bay Beach Hotel offers yearround spa-style heated mineral pools in their seaside
gardens. That warmth came in handy after a visit to
nearby Malahat Mountain, where an unusual storm
coated the magnificent alpine landscape with a diamond-like powder of sparkling snow.
What interweaves all these locations is 5,000 years of
native, frontier, and Canadian history, the raw material
for a formidable parade of tales spun by local storytellers who conduct nightly Ghostly Walk tours, giving
in North America for offering a superior
quality of life, it should come as no surprise
that even winter is warmly welcoming to
visitors arriving in Vancouver.
Getting There
ANA serves Vancouver daily from Tokyo (from Haneda).
credence to the claim that Victoria is the most haunted
city in the Pacific Northwest. Even in the afterlife, few
seem willing to leave this place.
JANUARY 2016
#W01('16)_origin.indd 19
19
2015/11/19 21:11