Eat on Granville for less than $6.00.... REALLY!?!

GOOD (CHEAP) EATS INDEED!

There is an interesting trend happening on downtown Granville Street.

Between Helmcken and Smithe, there are (at least) 3 different restaurants that are flaunting menus where all food costs $4.95 (The Famous Warehouse) or $5.95 (The Moose, and The Factory).

I've visited The Famous Warehouse now a couple of times, and the $4.95 menu is rad. However, they now have things on the 'all $4.95 menu' that are $6.95 which is a little annoying, but I am not going to nit-pick when those items are things like 'All you can eat Tacos'.  Good luck getting a table that night!!! The decor was really light and fun. Good tunes were playing, but you could still hold a conversation over it.  A somewhat 'surfer/mexican' feel to the joint. (http://thefamouswarehouse.com/2012/01/15/new-menu-all-food-4-95/)

At first I was skeptical about what would be on the menu, and what would the portions be like... however I was VERY pleasantly surprised, and will certainly be returning. Since I've been, the menu has changed slightly and the delicious burger with avocado that I had had is no longer on the menu (note: the veggie burger still has the avocado), but the works burgers look preeeeetty darn good! Update a-coming? I think so.

The Moose boasted a $5.95 menu, and theirs also has a couple of items that were priced higher, and one that was lower (soup).  The crispy Chicken Cesar wrap didn't quite live up to the same portion standards I experience at The F. Warehouse, and their fries were MEGA salty... but also pretty tasty being pre-peppered. Still... a bar has been set now for 'frugal-foods'. The restaurant was all but empty at 5:30 on a week night.  They had Winter Ale on tap, so bonus points for them.  Anyone without Winter Ale on tap when available, deserves a bit of a shunning.  The overall feel of the place was similar to that of any run-of-the-mill pub in Vancouver. Rather dull actually.

Lastly I tried The Factory (because I had to make a fair comparison between these fantastically priced venues). Another $5.95 menu... booooo the extra dollar! The environment was obviously more geared toward young grungy rockers (posters of "Eye hate God" on the wall) and music intended for shouting over rather than talking over. It was a pretty fun environment to walk into with my man, sister and mom in tow. WE stood out like big blue thumbs in this place. Bry-man and I ordered beers, and the selection was alright. Mom wanted a glass of wine, and the selection was "White or Red". It came in a tumbler glass. No biggie, mom doesn't put on airs.

EAT ME, I DARE YOU!!
- Famous Anaconda

The food.... well this is what they offer: http://thefactorygranville.com/food-menu/ and though I was pining after the linguine or the perogies, I've been trying to shrug 10 pounds, so I went with the Pesto Chicken wrap. It was a far cry better than Moose's Cesar wrap, but it had too much Mayo! Bry-man had the famous Anaconda..... it doesn't come with sides, but the 4 sandwiches in one was more than enough food for a single person. Hell, you had to push it down with two hands to even TRY to fit it in your mouth. It treated him kinda roughly later, so beware if your stomach doesn't a)tolerate grease or b) isn't exposed to it much.

All in all, I think The Famous Warehouse is tops for value, food, and atmosphere.

This bitch is conquered!

Now get out there and get your Cheap Eats on!

Monday .... monday

Ugh. I DID NOT get enough sleep this weekend.

Friday Bry-man and I hosted a friend of ours to a night of board games and drinking. And BOY does he drink. Impressive really. Not that I would be interested in keeping up with him. But it's quite entertaining to watch it occur before your eyes. Until he picks up the sword.... luckily no one was hurt, including my sword.

But yea, stayed up too late playing games, and couldn't seem to sleep in Saturday morning. :( I REALLY love sleep, I do, but sometimes when I know someone else is in my house (such as a drunk friend staying over) I can't be entirely comfortable. I'm always listening to see if they are up. So, I lay awake listening to Bry-man sleep. We bought this insane air mattress for when we have guests over. It's like having a queen sized bed in our living room. I discovered just how comfy it was as I took a test drive on it after we let the sucker blow ITSELF up! :) It has a built in motor. It says we aren't supposed to use it outdoors, but this thing WILL be going into my tent when I go camping. Yay luxury.

Managed a wee bit more shut-eye, before I joined the ladies in my immediate family for a quick outing to Costco. Man-alive I could wander the aisles of Costco for hours. And often do. SOOOOO many bulk items. So many different THINGS I never knew I HAD to have! For instance, there were some beautiful place mats that would match our dining room table (and protect it) 8 for $11.00.  *yoink* and then we came across these Chef mats for the kitchen. I stood on one quickly and BAM, instant relief in my knees and legs. It was blissful, so *yoink* $24.99 and it has a pretty decorative pattern on the waterproof surface that goes nicely in the kitchen. As every trip to Costco does, the bill added up quickly.

We headed to Ladner to play board games with my sister later that evening. And when we got home, I was so tired.....but couldn't sleep.*sigh* Bry-man said he wasn't tired at all, and then proceeded to fall asleep in about 2.5 seconds and I'm sitting there thinking DAMMIT. I wish I could sleep like that when I'm NOT tired. Poor guy was getting sick though, so some snoring kicked in in full stereo. It was about 12:50am before I resigned myself to not beating him up for a window of quiet to slip into my much needed coma. It's not nice to beat up the people you care about.  So I walked into the living room, and set up on the couch. At about 7am, I couldn't sleep all scrunched up any more, and I could still hear sickie through the door, so I watched the final 3 episodes of Battlestar Galactica. So good. So sad it's over. Kara Thrace, and William Adama, and Sol Ty.... I heart you.

By the time Bry-man was up on Sunday, I was starving so, we had some deeeee-lish Sausage and egg sandwiches from Starbucks, and got our lazy on. TRY Starbucks sausage breakie sandwich. I'm hooked. They kick McDs' sandwich in the snatch.

Not that I'd ever complain about having plans, but I truly love a good Sunday off.  We walked to the grocery store and I picked up some ingredients I needed for dinner. I was going to cook Indian again so that we could use up some lovely chutney's I'd made the previous weekend.  I use this wonderful cook book put out by a local Vancouverite : "Everyday Indian: 100 Fast, fresh and Healthy recipes" by Bal Arneson. I've yet to find a single thing in it that ISN'T delicious! It always makes me feel like a Gormet Goddess (which is what my apron says I am) to make homemade roti's first thing in the morning from scratch.

After cooking a huge feast for two, I proceeded to finish our bottle of wine and I completed the campaign (on easy) for Modern Warfare 3. Kicking ass at 'completion'!

And now it's Monday. For a weekend of 'nothing' I'm knackered. Good thing we're going to Vegas this weekend! ;)

TV got funnier after all of the wine!

I came a-stumbling home Tuesday night and plunked myself down in front of the ole tube to wind down from a fantastic dining experience at Earls. (I'll tell you about it in a sec...first what I watched).  It was awkwardly charming, and the writing was fun. I didn't think I would enjoy it when I had come across it previously, but this weeks episode of "Raising Hope" entitled "Tarot-Reading" was witty and goofy. Enjoyable dialogue, and perfectly random. Great Tuesday TV. Heh, I was so buzzed when I started writing this, I thought it was Friday.... mmmmm Friday.

It was a refreshing change from the rather predictable writing of Hollywood, ahem,.... Alcatraz....
No. Raising Hope delivers curiously nutty lines such as: "Making a living selling ground up pig parts".... and "Oh you're going to Love Africa.... I've only seen it in cartoons, but it looks hilarious...."

Include an uncensored Cloris Leachman in this ensemble of quirky folk, delivering passionate acting, and you have a shit load (what the hell would that BE anyways???) of fun. Perhaps it was because I came at it with NO expectations that I was not disappointed. Perhaps it was the wine. (I'll tell you about the wine in just one sec.... "BUT JENN WE WANT TO HEAR ABOUT THE WINE!!!") I really enjoyed watching this, and just might tune in next Tuesday on City TV if I happen to be home. SO, **Thumbs up**. Thanks for entertaining me.

Now, on to Earls Restaurant, where I was a ViPPPPPPPer treated to some unbelievable hospitality.  We had the Sous Chef (Nick Hrynkiw) at our bidding, and we were introduced to our 3 course meal in detail by himself and the Day Leader (David Vo) before dining. Each course was paired with a delectable, and perfectly chosen bottle of wine, starting with a glass of Yellowglen Pink sparkling wine.

We were even offered the opportunity to participate and roll out and cut our own Gnocchi (the dough of which was made from scratch earlier that day), plus a tour of the prep kitchen.  Each of our hosts demonstrated such pride in their work, and every single bite of food was simply to die for.

"knee-yoke-eeeeee"

So, the Wine:
Charles Smith Wines, "Vino" Pinot Grigio (no other restaurant carries this subtle crisp white wine, but it is available in BCL stores)
-served with a Maple Glazed Salmon Salad



Joel Gott Zinfadel (quite a warming red, with heavy spicy notes)
-served with our Gnocchi with Italian Rose Sauce

Small bites leave big impressions!

and lastly Errazuriz Carmenere "Estate" (From Chile, and my favorite out of the bunch with a slightly lighter spicy flavor, and the presence of a dark cherry notes)

-served with the Porcini Crusted Filet with Truffle Chive Butter...... DROOOOOOOL

They are looking to show off what they can do, and there is something for everyone.

They do a good specialized menu. See what we ate in detail

These were our hosts:
@ 604-682-6700
 David Vo - Day Leader
Nick Hrynkiw - Sous Chef
Stefan Oostveen - Lounge Leader
Margaux Tomac - Marketing Leader