Showing posts with label TTOT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TTOT. Show all posts

Sarah: Drop Your Anchors at Portside

Thursday, January 31, 2013
Follow Sarah on Twitter: @sarallin

This past Sunday I somehow lucked out and was tasked with going to the media preview of Portside, the latest venture by Mark Brand.

Located in Gastown, Portside hopes to bring East coast pub culture to Vancouver. Right off the bat they had my interest, as Vancouver isn't exactly known as the most friendly place.

With a name like Portside, it's quite obvious that they're going for a nautical vibe, and there are all sorts of cool artifacts to check out in the space. On top of being a bar, Portside also has a stage for live music acts, filling a void of medium-sized venues in the city.

Some highlights of the night, including me stuffing my face (as per usual)
The menu sticks to the basics, but is definitely a step up from your average drunk food. Highlights include the pulled pork, and hot dogs. Drinks are definitely the main attraction though, as Porside features an impressive 24 beers on tap, with 6 selections each from: local, Canadian, American, and international. Needless to say,  I didn't get a chance to try them all, but that will certainly be a goal of mine in the coming weeks.

Overall, Portside has an awesome vibe, and great food and drinks to back it up. I'm looking forward to checking out a live show and getting closer to my beer goal.

Things to Miss About Vancouver

Friday, January 25, 2013
Moving to a new city is, of course, bittersweet. On one hand there are so many new experiences to look forward to, but on the other, there are so many habits, favourites, routines, etc. that are already in place.

Here's a list of just some of the things I'll miss about Vancouver:

- Good gelato
- To Die For Banana Bread
- Specialty places like Bombay Brow Bar, Noir Lash Lounge, and Stripped Wax Bar (come to Ottawa!)
- Bar Method
- Leather jackets in January
- Kafkas coffee
- The ocean
- The cocktail scene
- The brunch scene
- Not really having to worry about massively changing my closet from summer to winter
- Summer default plans - "What do you want to do tonight? Grab gelato and hang out at English Bay? Yep ok."
- Whistler
- Cranberries Spa
- Proximity to the US (particularly for shipping to your US PO box - YOU ALL DO IT!)
- The lemon loaf from Revolver
- Cartems doughnuts
- Patio season
- Holt Renfrew (don't even try to convince me that the one in Ottawa is the same. It's NOT.)
- The Room at The Bay
- Gastown
- Hubbub Sandwiches
- Topshop
- Lululemon Lab
- Walks along the Seawall
- Local blogs like Vancity Buzz and Vancouver is Awesome
- The Board of Trade Co
- All the dive bars/awesome concert venues


What would you miss about Vancouver if you had to leave?