One More Canada Post: Rogue

While in Vancouver, I ventured out with my coworkers to a wonderful eatery call The Rogue Kitchen + Wet Bar. I can be such a hermit when I'm on the road for such a long time, but I am really glad I took them up on their invitation that night.

Not to be confused with Rogue Brewery in San Fran. Very different.!

It's a charming space located in what was once a terminal of some kind. I'm not sure if it was a railway or seaport terminal. I suppose it could have been both. 

I want one of those chandeliers in my house!

Much like I have with the church, they took a very classic space and updated it with a bunch of very modern touches. I am in awe. Makes me wonder what I could have done to my house with a few hundred grand more (investors???) 

Now, the reason we wound up here is because I was searching for the best Poutine in Canada. For those of you who don't know what Poutine is...they take very crisp french fries, crumble cheese curd over them and then smother them in hot brown gravy. I know...HEAVEN ON EARTH!!!

Rouge was the closest place to our hotel and I think they came up #2. So off we went. They serve an appetizer called French Fries x3, which we ordered for the table You get fries done in the Poutine style, as well as, a set with gorgonzola cream and bacon, and then ones coated in truffle oil with garlic. Amazing!

As if I hadn't had enough Poutine at that point, I had another order brought with my dinner. Here they are with my Grilled Bacon and Three Cheese sandwich. 

Yes, I only got half a sandwich!

Of course, that wasn't enough for me. I also ordered the Tomato Basil Bisque which I dipped the sandwich in YUMMY!

Cheesy, tomato goodness!

So, after eating all of that rich food I was miserable for the rest of the evening, but it was SOOOOOO worth it!

NOTE: You may remember from a previous post that Poutine bears a striking resemblance to the Boo Fries that you find in New Orleans. The only real difference is that in New Orleans they use shredded cheddar cheese instead of cheese curd. Both are delicious in their own way.

Spring...it's KILLING ME!

I don't know if it's because it started warming up so much earlier this year, or if pollen is just out to get me, but my allergies this year have by far been the worst ever. I even tried eating local honey back in January in hopes of avoiding allergies this year. I am convinced that whole idea that eating local honey is an Old Wives Tale.

That being said, I want to take a moment to tell you how wonderful this local honey I've been eating tastes. 

How bout some honey, Honey!

A coworker of mine does this on the side. The H. Thomas Krantz Apiaries are located in Frederick, Maryland. You can find their products at The North Market Pop Shop and the Moxey Bakery, both located in Frederick, MD.

It is quite definitely the best honey I have ever tasted. I've never been a big fan of honey. I often found it a bit too sweet for my tastes. But this honey is very mellow and I actually enjoyed eating 2 tablespoons of it day...even tho it did my allergies no good what so ever!

Nothing to Do With Canada: Rum Cake

I'm now a manager at work. I have 11 people under me. I call them "My Minions". Not to their face of course...ok, YES I have called them that to their faces, but only in a joking manner. Anyway, one of my Minions went on vacation and brought me back the perfect present. Rum Cake from Mexico!

How Festive!

Cupcake sized...larger would have been nice.

Do my Minions know me or what? I'm not accusing this particular one of trying to get on my good side...but Rum certainly never hurts. It was yummy, and it gave me a bit of a buzz. Yes, I ate it at work. Hmm, I'm beginning to not sound like the best manager in the world. I now want to try to make my own Rum Cake. Anyone have any recipes they'd like to share?

What I LOVE About Canada: Giant Spinning Globe

Another cool thing I found in the convention center. It spins! Now I don't know if it spins exactly at the rate our real planet does? But it was Hella Cool!

What Irks Me About Canada: Toilet Drinking

Apparently drinking out of the toilet is a big problem in Canada. So much so, that they had to warn me every time I stepped up to a urinal or toilet bowl.

I think it's really great that they use non-potable water to flush their toilets. Even someone who is against the environment as much as I am sees the point in it. I think it's a great idea to use slightly unclean water to flush really unclean stuff.  But do they really think I'm going to be drinking from a toilet any time in the near future? I think not!

What I LOVE About Canada: The Olympic Cauldron

Ok, Ok, I don't want to sound all down on Canada. There were some pretty cool parts to the trip as well. The Convention Center is located right next to the plaza where the 2010 Olympic Cauldron is on display.

Here is it early one morning. I just love it, one of the best Olympic Cauldron designs ever! I wish they made a miniature version as an oil lamp (Anyone know where I can find one?). Now the only thing that could have been better than just seeing it is seeing it lit. Ta Da!

Yes, they lit it just for me. Seriously tho, I found out that it costs 10K to light this thing for 3 hours. I wasn't ponying up that kind of cash...even if it was in Canadian currency. Thankfully, I didn't have to. They held some sort of fundraiser on the plaza that day and someone else paid to light it. AND the only better than seeing the cauldron lit...seeing it lit which Stormtroopers posing in front of it!!!

I don't know why they were there, but their costumes were aamazing. They even had electronics that changed their voices to sound like Stormtroopers. Star Wars and the Olympic Cauldron...great day!

What Irks Me About Canada: Mayo

I recently spent some time in Vancouver for work. I believe I have mentioned prior how much I really don't enjoy international travel. That being said, Canada is just international enough to irk me.

First lets talk about condiments. I asked for Mayo and this is what I got.

Not Mayo! Close, but no cigar.

I'm beginning to think that Mayonnaise doesn't exist in Canada. Every time I asked for it I got some slightly off version of it. Most of the time what I was offered was some sort of flavored Aioli. Now I like a flavored Aioli as much as the next guy...but sometimes I just want plain uncomplicated mayo.

Now That is One TALL Drink of....Coffee???

So, here I was in San Francisco for work. Thankfully, there are more Starbuck's per capita in this city than there are stray dogs. Don't get me wrong...I'm not a HUGE fan of the franchise(I don't brew it at home), but when I'm traveling, it's a common denominator that I can always depend on.

Anyway, at one of the 6 Starbucks within a block of the convention center, I stumbled upon this.

Coffee GIANT!

This guys is like 8 feet tall! And he's working with Coffee Midgets, so it makes him look outrageously tall. Keep in mind, in that photo he's actually bending over a bit! I felt a little sorry for him, I mean, he had to bend down to hand me my change! I also can't imagine him comfortably living in a house or apartment with conventional ceiling heights. I looked for signs of him having often bumped his head.

Happy Jesus Is A Zombie Day!

I know, I've been really bad at posting lately. (Still not Kim, tho) Don't worry, I have a lot of things to post from my recent travels. But first, I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Bunny Day, Happy Easter, Happy Passover, or what ever it might be that you're celebrating this weekend.

Have a great weekend everyone. Look for new posts next week!

Finally!

A cartoon that puts my feelings about Facebook into reality.