10. You can trade an old 44 for a new 22.
9. You can keep one gun at home and have another for when you’re on the road.
8. If you admire a friend’s gun and tell him so, he will probably let you try it out a few times.
7. Your primary gun doesn’t mind if you keep another gun for a backup.
6. Your gun will stay with you even if you run out of ammo.
5. A gun doesn’t take up a lot of closet space.
4. Guns function normally every day of the month.
3. A gun doesn’t ask, “Do these new grips make me look fat?”
2. A gun doesn’t mind if you go to sleep after you use it.
And the number one reason a gun is favored over a woman….
1. YOU CAN BUY A SILENCER FOR A GUN.

I finally got a chance to check out the notorius Connor Butler’s restauraunt. It all happened as a result of going to Nu to find that they were participating in Dineout Vancouver. Now, without going on a rant, and framing it around my joie de vivre coupled in with a requierement for fine dining, I’m personally not a big fan of the whole Dineout situation where great restaurants discount their food to bring a cookie cutter prix fixe menu to bargain shopping clientele. To an extent, it’s a great way to introduce a restaurant to a bunch of people who normally wouldn’t have the inclination to go to that restaurant.

The hope is that the restaurant will gain new clientele. The other obvious side-effect is that restaurants are bustling and full during what is usually the nuclear winter after the festive holiday season.

Bravo on the part of Tourism Vancouver

Other side effects include burnt out and bitchy staff. Less than ideal food quality. Cramped quarters and other stuff that a foodie might find unpleasant.

Enter Connor Butler

While sipping on a Negroni at Nu (they were handling dineout splendidly), I decide to ring Restaurant Connor Butler to see if they, too, have flipped to the dark side and have joined the Dineout Vancouver craze.

To my surprise and relief, the man on the other side of the phone comforted me and said no and that the restaurant was quiet.

The perfect setting.

The Skinny on Connor Butler:

2145 Granville Street, Vancouver (MAP)

TEL: 604-734-2145
FAX: 604-734-2199

WEB: www.connorbutler.com

First Impression 

The Connor Butler logo reminds me of Stussy Clothing’s style of logo. More urban or street than fine dining. Upon entering the restaurant, I’m greeted by someone with a warm smile. The lights are low, the tables have linens on them. The lines at the bar are clean.

Enough about that. People in the food circles mention that Connor’s website is over the top.

Truth be told, everything about Restaurant Connor Butler is over the top.

First thing, the plates, they’re all Versace!?

Secondly, the silverware, it’s all antique silver.

Thirdly, the menu’s great. Everything is purchased the same day by the restaurant (usually from Granville Island). In some cases some of the produce is picked out of Mr. Butler’s own garden which makes for some very fresh food.

Click HERE to view all photos I have taken at Restaurant Connor Butler.

Preparation and presentation, I can’t say enough about, excellent.

Here’s a video of Connor’s own grilled vegetables without the grill.

If you like good food, check out Connor Butler. 10/10 (at some point in time, I’ll have to rant about that – I’ve never givn anyone a 10 but the Connor Butler experience definitely expressed merit.)

Palace Nightclub on Stephen Avenue Mall has had it coming for a long time. Finally, they’re about to open and the details are being made public. Watch 8th Ave. for a Concorde Entertainment Group style opening with all the stops pulled out – something you could only do in Calgary.

THE CALGARY FLAMES & CONCORDE ENTERTAINMENT GROUP RELEASE NAME AND LOGO FOR NEW HYBRID SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT FACILITY & RESTAURANT OPENING MARCH 2007

For Immediate Release

January 24, 2007

Calgary, AB – The Calgary Flames Hockey Club and The Concorde Entertainment Group announced today that the names of the new hybrid sports entertainment facility & restaurant taking shape in the landmark Stephen Avenue Palace Theatre location will be FLAMES CENTRAL & WILDFIRE GRILL respectively.

Flames Central is a unique North American venue and a modern day hybrid version of the interactive “sports bar” that will provide sports fans with an opportunity to enjoy the history of The Calgary Flames through original memorabilia, state of the art contemporary décor and cutting edge entertainment options. Flames Central will not only play host as a modern day sports viewing coliseum, but will also play host as a special event facility, conference center and concert hall.

Wildfire Grill will provide Flames Central guests a casual upscale dining experience. Open daily for lunch and throughout each evening, Wildfire Grill is sure to be an exciting addition to the already booming Stephen Avenue restaurant scene.

Construction for this project continues, and the opening is slated for March 2007.

It’s been a while since we’ve been updated on the Waterfront Stadium, something hit my mailbox from Bob Lenarduzzi this week:

Dear Raj,

It has been quite some time since we last communicated with you, our stadium supporters, about the new stadium. Since July 11, we have been actively working to address the five key requirements that were raised by City Council. Through our discussions with the City and the Port Authority, there is now a new proposed stadium site situated slightly west of the previously proposed site, just north of the CP Rail tracks, on the waterfront and near the SeaBus hub. We are optimistic that the new site will be significant in allowing us to successfully address the five key issues.

As always, we encourage you to lend your support by writing letters to your councilors. A City Council meeting will take place at 9:30 a.m. on February 1, at which time City Staff will present their updated report with recommendations for the process of resolving the five issues, in conjunction with the Central Waterfront Hub Study.

As a key part of the process, there will be extensive public consultation including one-on-one meetings, public open houses and workshops. We anticipate the open houses will take place in early March and thus we will provide more details about attending when they become available.

Thank you again for all of your support for our vision of a Whitecaps Waterfront Stadium. We will be in touch with you when the next important announcement is made. In the meantime, visit whitecapsnewstadium.com for more information.

Sincerely,

Bob Lenarduzzi

Director, Soccer Operations
Vancouver Whitecaps FC

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OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
Today Vancouver city staff submitted a report to Council which recommends a process that could potentially resolve the proposed Whitecaps Waterfront Stadium’s five key requirements set out by City Council last July. In addition, the report outlines a procedure to integrate the stadium with the Waterfront Hub Study. The report will be presented at a City Council meeting at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, February 1.
MORE…

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STADIUM QUICK FACTS

The proposed Whitecaps Waterfront Stadium would be located adjacent to Vancouver’s transit hub making it easily accessible from the new Canada Line, SkyTrain, SeaBus, West Coast Express, Helijet and numerous bus routes. The multi-purpose venue would accommodate year-round events including more than 30 Whitecaps Men’s and Women’s games, Canadian national team soccer matches, international sporting events such as rugby and tennis, concerts, and community festivals. The stadium is expected to have an initial seating capacity of 15,000, including a number of suites and loge box facilities.

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STADIUM NEWS AROUND THE WORLD

Here’s a look at some recent and proposed stadiums around the world.

BMO Field

“Toronto FC will have their home at the new BMO Field soccer-specific stadium currently under construction. The stadium, which will seat 20,000 fans, also will be a new major home of the Canadian National Teams.”

MORE…

Red Bull Park

“Upon its 2008 completion, Red Bull Park will arguably be the finest soccer stadium in the United States and will be the metropolitan New York area’s home for soccer, concerts, collegiate and scholastic special events. Complete with wide pedestrian-friendly boulevards landscaped with lush green trees and a combination of restaurants, pubs, retail, offices and residential options, Red Bull Park will become a destination place for many years to come.”

MORE…

Emirates Stadium

“Emirates Stadium is the most spectacular and technologically advanced football stadium in Europe, incorporating state-of-the-art facilities with stunning features from Arsenal’s Highbury past.”

MORE…

EMIRATES STADIUM VIRTUAL TOUR…

Techvibes, the local online social community which is dedicated to technology recently went up for sale on eBay (see screenshots below, hosted on flickr). Unlike other blogs that point at the relative antiquity of the site as well as the fact that the site got pulled off of eBay, nobody’s talked about the reason the site got yanked, which is the topic of my rant.

The understanding is that the site got pulled off of eBay because one self righteous bastard who knows nothing about privacy law (but knows how to mess with the due course of business) piped up and complained to eBay about the listing. eBay, of course, needing to protect their own interests, shut it down as they normally do in these situations (without little or any investigation).

Geesh, well whoever complained to eBay – it worked. They removed the listing saying that it was illegal to sell a database of personal information.

I was actually planning on removing the eBay listing this morning anyways because we’ve had so much interest and most of the inquiries require a fair amount of due diligence… so I don’t think an eBay auction would work unless we were able to provide a lot more information (financials, access to analtyics etc.) to the general public.

So while the eBay listing has been removed, Techvibes.com is still open for sale to the best offer… please contact me directly mike at club zone dot com.

cheers!
mike

What does this mean? Well, the squeaky wheel certainly got the grease. The whiner is no longer part of the Techvibes community (good riddance) but I’m sure the damage is already done.

Setting the record straight

There’s nothing wrong with selling a whole business intact – the customers, their information, etc. (conversely, there is something wrong about selling databases containing personal information by itself unless there’s some form of explicit permission given such as affiliate relationships)

At the end of the day, it’s a good idea to always consult your lawyer (an IP lawyer at that) and make sure that the people in the database are apprised of the change in business after all, the privacy laws in Canada puts the power of control of that information in the hands of the person to which the personal information is attributed (that was a mouthful).

Overall, I think Techvibes is a good buy for someone who’s interested in putting the time and legwork into bringing the community back to life.

1972 was a pivotal year in Canada. The Canada – Soviet Summit Hockey Series took the country by storm. Hockey was reinforced as being THE Canadian sport and the world got a lesson in sportsmanship.

It’s been a few years since this historic event but now, another historic event is about to take place. On Robson Street, starting today, seventy two sports bar and restaurant is open for business.

The Skinny:

seventy two sports bar • restaurant
112 – 1025 Robson Street (where Malone’s Sports Grill used to be) (MAP)

TEL: 604-646-4031
FAX: 604-646-4032

WEB: www.seventytwo.ca

Highlights:

• 23 3/4 Oz. Pints of Beer
• 14 20″ LCD TVs at every booth
• 3 55″ Plasma Screen TVs at the main bar
• 2 44″ Plasma Screen TVs throughout the bar
• 4 satellite feeds

The food is excellent, the decor new and stylish and the prices are truly reasonable. Definitely check it out and tell ‘em Raj sent you.

Click HERE to check out the latest photos from seventy two on flickr.

Located near that black office tower in Park Royal South (West Vancouver) is the Ocean Club restaurant.

Here’s the Skinny:

The Ocean Club Restaurant
Suite 105 – 100 Park Royal South
West Vancouver, BC

TEL: 604-926-2326
FAX: 604-926-2386

WEB: www.theoceanclub.ca

The Ocean Club is an elegant place with really stylish modern decor. On Tuesday nights, they have live performers and a pretty good lounge menu to accompany.

Highlights from the evening:

• Mona’s mac and cheese came with an awesome shortrib accompaniment
• The inventive cocktails:

• Caipirinha – powerful brazillian cocktail of cachaca sugar cane, fresh muddled lime, and sugar served short with crushed ice
• Toffee Crisp – wydborowa, frangelico, giffard caramel toffee, caramel crème, and cookie crumb rim

I also ordered the Lost Mexican but the waitress got confused and sent me something else from a similar genre.

• Lost Mexican – (they gave me something else) chili infused tequila, grand marnier, fresh apple and lime juices, salt rim

I wouldn’t reccomend the Albacore Tuna Chopsticks – the tuna didn’t appear to be fresh, but the rest of the meal, especially the steak and drinks, splendid!

Best times to check Ocean Club out:

• Sundays – $3 Coronas & 1/2 price Mojitos
• Mondays – all bottles of Wine 25% off
• Tuesdays – Live Jazz Night
• Fridays & Saturdays – 2 for 1 bar snacks 11pm – 1am with DJ Dimitri

You can always check out the latest photos I have taken from Ocean Club on my flickr site, HERE.

Adam Roberts at seriouseats.com correlates the integration of the Internet in the everyday lives of people and how blogging can affect business (specicially food blogging) in his recent post entitled “The Power of Food Blogging.”

Food bloggers are making a dent on the restaurant scene because of the way the Web has been integrated into our everyday life. New York Times food critic Frank Bruni, who began blogging on the paper’s site himself, says, “I think restaurant reviews on food blogs have an impact, because a curious, hesitant consumer who’s Internet-savvy—and these days, who isn’t?—can plug in a restaurant’s name and toggle between a dozen reviews on a dozen different sites without necessarily knowing much about the sites or seeking them out per se. The aggregate impression of a restaurant that this person gets, built from these reviews, has to have an impact. How could it not?”

I certainly prefer the idea of blogging as opposed to sites that allow users to register and leave semi-anonymous commentary on other business (sites like dinehere.ca, for example). Firstly, in most cases, the people who leave anonymous commentary are usually involved with said restaurant or worse, disgruntled and formerly of the restaurant. Secondly, there’s no recourse for a restaurant to address the situation if it’s negative. In most cases, given the opportunity, decent restaurants will make-right anything that has gone wrong.

That said, here’s a link to Adam’s article: http://www.seriouseats.com/2007/01/t…

Here’s an email that entered my inbox some time ago… and I didn’t know what to do with it, so… I’ll post it.
Is your group eligible for a Freedonia grant?

Freedonia is a new Canadian organization that provides small grants to support grass-roots organizing that promotes radical and democratic social change.

[read more…]

January 3rd, Fuel on 4th opened up. I was one of the fortunate souls who had a chance to check the place out last year before the official opening and blogged about the experience (with lots of great photos) HERE.

Well, I couldn’t resist it – on opening day, Nina and I checked FUEL out again for lunch and are now officially FUEL’s first official customer.
For those not up to speed, first, the skinny:

FUEL Restaurant
1944 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver (MAP)
TEL: 604-288-7905
FAX: 604-288-2700
WEB: fuelrestaurant.ca

Fuel is owned by Robert Belcham and Tom Doughty both famous for their contribution to C restaurant in Vancouver.

Here are some great photos from the opening day lunch experience at Fuel Restaurant along with a description (below):

So what did lunch entail?

The wine of choice by Tom was the Mezza Corona Pinot Grigio. I enjoyed the sablefish, with button mushrooms for my first course. Pork belly, braised all night, with a cauliflower and olive gratin.

Nina enjoyed the warm Maitake & Yellowfoot Chantrelle mushroom salad to start, followed by pork belly of her own, accompanied by fraser valley beets and arrowleaf spinach.

For dessert we enjoyed vanilla ice cream, lime sorbet, pineapple sorbet and chocolate truffles accompanied by Tom’s legendary West Coast Soda.

After that, I went home and took a very long, well deserved nap.