Tacofino - Yaletown

Cuisine: Mexican

The Down Low: The evening tater tots will give you a mini heart attack

Favorite Dish: The beef burrito (they describe it on their menu with a lot more detail and finesse)

Music Set: The album High Noon from the Arkells

Tacofino Taco Bar has a couple of locations in Metro Vancouver. I know of one other in Gastown. As the name suggests, the restaurant originated in Tofino and has since gained popularity beyond the surfing, hipster crowds at the beach. Food preparation is quick and the setting is informal. Maybe one of the only places on my restaurant circuit where I don't look out of place in my regular sweatpants and flatbrim caps attire.

You will walk away from this restaurant heavy! I normally have a little penguin shuffle after a big meal there. Gym or squash is essential before a visit, with a trip to the little boy's room to freshen up afterwards. Careful in there.

Even looking at the food makes me feel full

Taco Bell NEVER again

Fresh pineapples are hung from the ceiling with care

The staff all have part time jobs as baristas and latte artists. If you show up to an interview without an accent or any of the following hipster starter pack items, better start updating your resume for elsewhere.

Long board storage next to the restrooms

Staff get paid double the month of November

A very unpractical mini beanie for Vancouver's rain

Hand made by a broke Aussie and sold at a fair trade market

I one day expect to walk in and see Michael Cera working the counter

Tasty dreams,

Comments

Rodney's Oyster House - Yaletown

Cuisine: Seafood The Down Low: All the boat decorations almost make you feel sea sick after sitting through a big meal. Although it’s more likely the lobster poutine and beers will be to blame, as opposed to the décor. Favorite Dish: New England Clam Chowder on the West Coast Music Pairing: Alpha 9 in Miami for a State of Trance Walking into Rodney’s is like walking into a rustic, seaside bed and breakfast. The old lady running the B&B was a decorator in the city before retiring to the coastal village. A lot of thought has gone into making the place 'authentic.' She loves the sea and especially the sea-men. "Wait, what?" That's right, let's address the whale in the room. There are sexual undertones dotting the place. You'd really have to like oysters to confidently wear this shirt in public ...and now I am sexualizing a perfectly normal oyster shucking picture. The old lady at the B&B has me in her trap. Watch ou...

Homer St. Cafe - Yaletown

Cuisine: Western Rotisserie The Down Low: With a large portrait of Winston Churchill, a cock room, and a menu that requires a dictionary to interpret, you are sure to impress any guest(s) that you take to Homer St. Favorite Dish: The meatloaf wrapped in bacon, and the pork belly appetizer will have vegetarians from across Vancouver (>50% of the population) converging on the joint to protest and toss organic tofu at the windows. The rest of us can feel protected by the sharpened silverware. Music Pairing: If I was really trying to make an appropriate pairing, it would be some sort of jazz, blues or swing, but I have a Jimi Hendrix vinyl on in the background, so bringing back some R&R classics. Lover Man and Purple Haze Every time I go to Homer St. Cafe and Bar I feel like I should be dressed in some sort of James Bond tuxedo, speaking with a British accent. That's not because the place is overly fancy; it just has this aura of sop...

Phnom Penh - Chinatown

Cuisine: Cambodian / Vietnamese The Down Low: Just for the food, I give Phnom Penh top marks in Vancouver. Can it be dethroned? Favorite Dish: No one I have talked to about Phnom Penh knows anything about the menu aside from the butter beef and the chicken wings. But when you have found perfection, why take a risk with anything else. Music Pairing: Another one of my Anjunabeats' favorites, Oliver Smith at ABGT250 . He just released a new track called Lovingly which is featured in the set. Vietnamese? Cambodian? Chinese? A bit of an identity crisis Cambodia and Vietnam are in my opinion two of the world's great countries, with food contributing highly to that ranking. While working in Southeast Asia for six months last year, I had the opportunity to visit Siem Reap and Phnom Penh with my family. Unfortunately the only time I ever got sick was while visiting Angkor Wat, and it definitely was caused by something I ate the morning of. Although puking before running int...

Irasshaimase

Search This Blog