Vancouver: Day 2

It was raining. But it was raining less than the day before!

We started the day off with a great brunch at Caffe Barney. I had a delicious Cajun Benedict that had a spicy salsa and chorizo on it, topped with a delicious hollandaise. Mmmm. After watching two hours of Mario Batali's adventures in Spain on the airplane, I had been seriously craving some chorizo and this helped to satisfy it. Barney's is in the South Granville area where I am staying.My girlfriend (and work colleague) Shannon is hosting me at her place during my stay and will be my partner in crime for this trip. South Granville is a great neighborhood just across the bridge from downtown and is quite upscale with lots of shopping and restaurants. Very similar to my own neighborhood, Yonge and Eglinton, back home in Toronto.

After brunch with Shannon and Christy (an old friend and former colleague), we made our way on foot to Granville Island. First stop - the Granville Island Brewing - to warm up and enjoy a flight of their feature beers including a Chocolate Stout, Hefeweizen (my fave), Lion's Winter Ale, and Jolly Abbot Ale. Yum.

After a stroll through the market - and a visit to a hat store that was worthy of a bad-movie-montage, we grabbed a water-taxi to take us to Yaletown. There, we visited Casa Italia and sampled some parmagiano-reggiano (and took home a complimentary cheese knife) and then the Irish House for some live music, over-priced Guiness, beef pies and smokies...plus some free champagne.

With a good power nap behind us, we headed back downtown to one of my favourite restos in Vancouver - La Bodega - to once again satisfy my chorizo craving. La Bodega has been in business for thirty some odd years and serves up amazing tapas in an authentic and charming environment. We shared a pitcher of sangria and several of their amazing dishes including fried Chorizo (to-die-for!), Patatas Bravas (potatoes in a zesty sauce), Albondigos (melt-in-your-mouth Spanish meatballs), white beans salad, and Pimiento Relleno (pork stuffed peppers)...and a booze soaked dessert of peaches and homemade ice cream for dessert. Yum. Enjoy my pics - I promise you'll be craving Spanish food too!