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Canada’s Best New Attractions for Summer 2011

Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta

For travellers planning their summer trips in Canada this year, the regional editors of Where magazine have released their top picks for summer travel. The winners of Where Canada’s Best New Attractions for Summer 2011 represent the most exciting attractions – new, significantly improved, or celebrating major milestones this year. A diverse group of attractions from coast to coast, this year’s winners offer a wide range of activities and events suitable for any family, art lover, sports fanatic, nature lover or adventurer. Together, these attractions serve as the top must-see and must-dos for anyone travelling in Canada this summer. (more…)

Hot Dining: Bench Pressed

Laughing Stock wine

BC’s wine culture continues to boom, particularly on the sun-kissed, lakeside, southwest-facing plateau of the Naramata Bench. This is home to some of the Okanagan’s older plantings, as well as a few more inventive labels. Leading the pack in this year’s releases are Nichol Vineyard Syrah 08, Poplar Grove Cabernet Franc 07, La Frenz Shiraz 08 and Laughing Stock Blind Trust Red 08 (pictured)—a well-balanced blend that reveals its actual varieties only when you sneak a peek under the capsule. Look for them on better wine lists.—Tim Pawsey

Hot Dining: Cafe Classique

Cozy French restaurant Le Bistro de Paris. Photo by KK Law

West End stalwart Le Bistro de Paris (pictured) delivers French fare in a Parisian-cafe-inspired setting. A lively crowd packs in for tastes such as plump and juicy Salt Spring moules Provençale and steak frites with zesty peppercorn sauce. (A side of the celebrated frites comes free for tables ordering entrées.) The wine list roams from France to BC and beyond, while service is brisk but friendly. Other franco-faves? Robson’s Hermitage retreat and Alsatian-inclined Le Crocodile.—Tim Pawsey

Hot Dining: 5 Dream Decors

Market by Jean-Georges at the Shangri-La Hotel. Photo by KK Law

In a nod to Vancouver Fashion Week (Nov. 3 to 7), check out these stylin’ rooms.
1 Market (pictured) Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Vancouver destination yields a soothing, gently traditional feel that combines contemporary and classic themes.
2 La Terrazza Soaring ceilings, striking frescoes, swags and swaths define an exuberant Italian personality at this Yaletown flagship with its lounge bar and elegant private cellar room.
3 Lift Bar-Grill-View This Coal Harbour destination blends elegant interior lines, expansive glass and sweeping harbour views with plush leather seating and an edgy, contemporary, onyx backlit bar.
4 The Shore Club Elegant curves of warm wood, dramatic chandeliers and an expansive staircase that links downstairs lounge to upstairs dining room and open kitchen all combine for a luxurious experience.
5 Yew Natural light, wood, granite and a giant sandstone fireplace reflect BC’s natural beauty and artfully complement the West Coast–focused fare.—Tim Pawsey

Hot Dining: Tasty Souvenir

A delightful read for budding sommeliers

Oenophiles sip and spit their way through more than 1,000 wineries in BC, Washington, Oregon and Idaho. This burgeoning wine region is also blessed with an abundance of seafood, wild game, fruits and vegetables. Carol Frieberg and Andy Perdue’s Swirl, Sip and Savor: Northwest Wine and Small Plate Pairings (Sasquatch Books, $26.95) brings the best of local food and wine together in recipes such as a minted crab salad with chilled cucumber water paired with a Mission Hill Reserve Riesling. At local bookstores.—Sheri Radford

Hot Dining: Tasty

Photo by Rebecca Kirstein

If enticingly named events such as “Swine and the Vine” (a pig roast with wine pairings) and “Chocoholics Anonymous” (which examines the history of everyone’s favourite sweet treat) have you salivating, then hop on the next ferry or seaplane heading to Vancouver Island for Taste: Victoria’s Festival of Food and Wine (Jul. 15 to 18). Foodies and oenophiles can’t resist this appetizing celebration of regional cuisine, held annually in British Columbia’s capital city.—Sheri Radford

You Are Here: Granville Island Public Market

A trip to the market is a chance to sniff, taste, photograph and purchase some of the freshest items in the city

By Jennifer Patterson

The public market on the waterfront. Photo by Danielle Hayes courtesy Tourism BC

FRESH FOOD
Locals and visitors converge at this bustling waterfront market where battling the weekend crowds is half the fun. Inside, tables of artfully stacked seasonal fruit and veggies sit next to rows of fresh-cut flowers—the sight alone is worth the trip. Sample a piece of candied salmon while perusing the cases of Dungeness crab and in-season sweet BC spot prawns. Wander the aisles as vendors wow with their selection of loose-leaf tea, lime leaves, rainbow-striped ravioli, maple syrup, homemade chicken potpie and doughnuts. Bottles of house-made salad dressing and crème fraîche literally fly off the shelves. Enjoy the view of sailboats from a table in the food lounge; here you’ll find everything from hot samosas to colourful fruit kebabs.

LOCAL SOUVENIRS
Foodies go wild for anything and everything local: jam, honey, chocolate, balsamic vinegar and even pre-made curries from famed Vancouver chef Vikram Vij. An impromptu picnic on the waterfront is a great way to enjoy your recent purchases. If you’re on the hunt for cool collectables to tote home, the abundance of paintings, jewellery and West Coast-inspired photographs should tickle your fancy.

Fresh veggies and fruit at the public market. Photo by Albert Normandin courtesy Tourism BC

FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT
Buskers both young and old impress the crowds with their guitar riffs and vocal range. A more conventional performance venue: the New Revue Stage—former home to TheatreSports—reopened last month with Anosh Irani’s My Granny the Goldfish (to May 15).

SHOPPING LIST
Caramelized apple jam Edible BC
Fresh baguette Terra Breads
Wild boar prosciutto Oyama Sausage Co.
Chocolate éclair Stuart’s Bakery
Tall Americano JJ Bean