Spicy chicken salad from Bel Café
Looking for a quick bite that’s several giant steps up from the usual? Bel Café, the more casual sibling to award-winning Hawksworth Restaurant, dishes up flavourful breakfasts such as an egg and kale sandwich, and mouth-watering lunches such as a spicy chicken salad (pictured). Finish it off with a sweet treat: pain au chocolat, double lemon tart, ginger vanilla bean shortbread or macarons as colourful as confetti.—Sheri Radford
Dancers performing in Napoli Act III
Trip the light fantastic all the way down to the Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts for Goh Ballet’s 35th Anniversary Gala, Dance My Dreams. The gala is sure to captivate audiences with performances of Walpurgisnacht Ballet (pictured) that premieres in Canada for the first time; Wonderland, which presents Sasha Evtimova’s Canadian choreographic debut; and Napoli Act III that features world-class staging by the former artistic director of the Royal Danish Ballet. What better way for the award-winning dance company to celebrate 35 years than to take to the stage and keep audiences on their toes until curtain call?—Jill Von Sprecken
Performance Jun. 1 at 7:30 pm. Tickets 1-877-840-0457 or www.ticketstonight.ca
“Shoal” by June Yun
For a dose of springtime serenity, visit Art Beatus to see cool, watery landscapes by Chinese-Canadian artist June Yun (to May 31). In Spring • Water, the Vancouver-based artist uses oils on canvas to explore water in its various forms and colours (“Shoal,” pictured). Look closely: continuing from her Lemon Traveling series, Yun’s paintings are sometimes accompanied by a tiny lemon. We love the playful pop of unexpected colour.—Jill Von Sprecken
Fleetwood Mac circa 1970s, with the “classic” line-up of Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, John McVie, Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham. Photo courtesy Warner Music Group Canada
May 19, 2013
Those aren’t just rumours: Fleetwood Mac really is going on tour. To celebrate the 35th anniversary of Rumours, the rockers are issuing a deluxe new version of their hit album, including previously unreleased tracks, and hitting the arena circuit, making a one-night stop at Rogers Arena. Get ready to sing along to timeless hits such as “Go Your Own Way” and “You Make Loving Fun,” and party like it’s the ’70s again.—Sheri Radford
This Austin-Healey 3000 is sure to turn heads
Gentlemen, start your engines. The All British Classic Car Show rolls into VanDusen Botanical Garden on May 18, bringing more than 600 classic cars and motorcycles and attracting thousands of automobile enthusiasts. A swap meet, artists’ gallery, brass band and pipe band rev up the excitement level even more.—Sheri Radford
Salud barware and Chevron Tray at Crate & Barrel
Once your spring cleaning is done, spruce up your digs with some new furnishings and accessories. Head to Crate & Barrel, which recently opened its first Vancouver location. But before you set foot in the store, be warned: you may wind up wondering where your day went. You can go big (patio pieces and dining room decor) or go small (barware and bedding), but you definitely won’t go home empty-handed.—Rachel Dunlop
Bomb Girls bombshell, Jodi Balfour. Photo by Kyla Hemmelgarn
Jodi Balfour’s career is blowing up in the best possible way. The South African actress plays Gladys Witham—a socialite turned munitions factory worker—on the Canadian television drama Bomb Girls.
She loves stepping into the role of Gladys. The wardrobe helps her adopt a 1940s mindset, but her transformation isn’t complete until she slips on Gladys’s shoes: “I consider that the crossing-over point,” she says. (more…)
Find all kinds of these petite pastries at Tarts Bakery
Do you heart tarts? Lisa and Shawna Coan of Tarts Bakery do. Inspired by a coconut jam tart their mother used to make, the two sisters opened up shop to bring their pastry passion to Vancouverites. If you have trouble deciding on just one (and who wouldn’t, with tempting choices like butter pecan, chocolate mousse and raspberry macaroon?), scoop up several of the smaller tartlets to sink your fork into. Savoury options grace the menu as well, and all the goodies are made from scratch. Treats for sweet- and savoury-lovers alike—sounds like a recipe for success to us.—Rachel Dunlop
Treat mom with tea at The Urban Tea Merchant
May 12, 2013
Mom may have appreciated gifts crafted out of macaroni and glitter at some point, but now? Trust us: she’d prefer a fragrance from the new L’Occitane Collection de Grasse, launching this month at L’Occitane en Provence, or a bangle from Frey Wille. And she shouldn’t have to cook: treat her to a Mother’s Day tea service, complete with sandwiches, savouries and sweets, May 10 to 12 at The Urban Tea Merchant. If she’s not the hot-tea type, she can order a tea-infused cocktail. And please, leave the macaroni art at home.—Sheri Radford
The Daisy Locket is a throwback to the Jazz Age. Photo ©Tiffany & Co.
Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby hits the silver screen this month, and it’s not the only thing hearkening back to the roaring ’20s. Timed to coincide with the film, the new Ziegfeld collection from Tiffany & Co. celebrates the elegance and exuberance of the Jazz Age. Favourite pieces: the medium-sized Daisy locket (pictured) and the tassel necklace of freshwater cultured pearls. For the gents, top picks include cufflinks of black enamel and a Daisy signet ring of black onyx. All of the pieces are based on archival Tiffany designs, but they feel fresh and contemporary. It’s true: everything old is new again.—Sheri Radford
Chen-Ye Yuan as Seikyo and Roger Honeywell as The Prince. Photo by Tim Matheson, courtesy Vancouver Opera
By Louise Phillips
If a stage production can come close to perfection, this is it. Vancouver Opera closes its season with a 2002 work by China’s Tan Dun, best known in the West as the Oscar-winning composer of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. A small masterpiece, Tea: A Mirror of Soul is as entertaining as any martial-arts flick and as deep-seeing as a Zen meditation. It’s raised to audience consciousness by music director Jonathan Darlington conducting orchestral sounds that range from familiar brass and strings to the highly unusual: running water, rustling paper, rattling stones and even throat singing. (more…)
“Famille Frescobaldi, Florence” by Patrick Faigenbaum.
Find artfully composed photographs in Patrick Faigenbaum’s self-titled exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery (to Jun. 2). The Paris-born artist’s early training as a painter is evident in sculptural snaps that use light, shadow and meticulous framing to achieve his desired effect. Photos of Italian aristocratic families were among the first to bring him acclaim (pictured). Our opinion? Picture perfection.—Jill Von Sprecken