Gourmet Montreal

by Neil Woodburn on

It’s not so often a magazine dedicates an entire issue to a specific location.  It’s even rarer
when that magazine is Gourmet.  Yet this is what the publishers did for their March issue.  From the cover photo of an attractive couple
sipping coffee in a bakery (lose the yappy little dog and the photo is perfect) to the Canadian bacon croques-monsieur
recipe on the final page, I just simply loved this issue.  The editors nicely cover the wonderful restaurant
options in the city, “haute” hotels, Jewish food, the French influence, local scenery, apple cider, syrup,
and the amazing cobblestone streets of Old Montreal.

Sadly, most of the issue is not online.  There are a couple of exceptions, but otherwise you will have to find
it on newsstands.  So do yourself a favor and go out and pick up a copy.  This is one of those magazines that
is going to go straight into my travel file so I have it handy when planning a future trip to Montreal.  It is
indeed a miniature travel guide far more up-to-date and far more appealing than any travel book that’s out
there. 

 

Ethnic Food In Vancouver

by Neil Woodburn on

I always thought that Canada was so vanilla in flavor that restaurant spice racks had room for only salt and
pepper.  While this may be the case in certain parts of the country, it is as far from the truth as possible in
Vancouver. 

This beautiful city on the west coast of Canada is surprisingly diverse.  Half of its citizens are foreign born,
with the majority of them coming from Asia.  While cultural diversity brings many wonderful benefits, the one
I’m most fond of is food.  And Vancouver does not disappoint. 

An interesting article on CNN.com this week focuses on the variety of ethnic
flavors which greatly enhance the city of Vancouver and directly challenges the culinary misconception that
Canadians can make only maple syrup and not much else.  The article discusses the vast array of restaurant choices, ranging from Malaysian to
French, as well as making a small handful of recommendations, such as the tasty Le Crocodile.

The remainder of the article is dedicated to other swell things to do in the city.  And there is not a single
mention of maple syrup. 

 

Montreal Ice Bar on the Rocks

by Neil Woodburn on

When most
drinkers go in search of “a nice cold one,” they are usually referring to the drink itself, not the
bar.  But in Montreal, high atop the Place d’Armes Hotel, lovers of
the frigid can indeed find a nice cold one—a bar, that is. 

Last month, the hotel opened Sub Zero, an
appropriately named rooftop bar made
of 75,000 pounds of ice.  Seats, stools, two bars, and 50 different sculptures have all been carved completely
out of ice for the, um, comfort of the bar’s patrons.  Vodka is served in glasses made of ice, and
undoubtedly consumed in quantities massive enough to stave off the city’s infamous, sub-zero winter
temperatures. 

Hmmm… vodka, freezing temperatures, rooftop bar, slippery ice…  Is it just me, or does this sound
like the perfect recipe for disaster?  Or at least a lawsuit. 

Nonetheless, hats off to the Canadians for finding a way to make their inhospitable winters a bit more
hospital.  Er… I mean hospitable. 

 

Banff Mountain Book Festival

by Neil Woodburn on

While researching today’s post on the Banff Mountain Film Fest, I learned about another competition held in Banff at the same time: The Banff Mountain Book Festival.

As is the case with the film festival, the book festival recognizes the best literature and photography dealing with outdoor and mountain themes.  The categories are alluring on their own: Mountain Literature, Mountain Image, Adventure Travel, Mountain Exposition, and Mountaineering History.

This year’s Grand Prize winner, Being Caribou by Karsten Heuer, tells the story of a husband and wife team who accompany a group of migrating Porcupine Caribou across 2,000 miles of Alaskan backcountry. 

The best book in the Adventure category was awarded to Learning to Breathe by Andy Cave.  Cave, who has a Ph.D. in the sociology of mining, begins his journey underground before eventually scaling the very dangerous Changabang peak in the Indian Himalayas. 

Based on the quality of films I see every year at the Banff Film Festival, I can only imagine that their taste in literature is equally outstanding.  Check out the list of all winners because I’m sure each is a gem unto itself. 

 

Banff Mountain Film Festival

by Neil Woodburn on

Something I really, really look forward to every year around this time is the Banff Mountain Film Festival.  Of
course, the festival itself (which usually takes place in early November), is already over, but its spirit lives on
with a traveling road show that highlights the best films of the festival.

The festival is an annual event held in the beautiful town of snowy Banff.  Throughout the year, some 300
films are submitted to the festival by amateurs and professionals alike.  A jury boils the selection down to the
best fifty, which are then screened in
Banff.  At the conclusion of the festival, the best 15 or so are then spliced into a reel, put in a van, and
toured around the world.  In 2006, the tour will run through Canada in February, America in March, and then move
on internationally.  Check out the schedule here
before you miss it in your home town.

Each film has to have an outdoor theme, but that is pretty much the only rule.  As a result, the final reel is
as varied as the outdoors.  Films, which vary in length from one minute to more than an hour, capture the very best
of what the natural world has to offer; rock climbing, hang gliding, kayaking, mountain biking, exploration, ice
climbing, BASE jumping, and more.  This year’s Grand Prize winner, Sur le fil des
4000, follows two climbers as they attempt to summit all 82 Alpine peaks over 4000 feet.  Another winner,
this one for Best Film on Mountain Sports, captures the exploits of a 79-year-old paraglider in
Poland. 

Every year, the films in this festival are simply mesmerizing.  They are beautiful, inspirational, and in some
cases, even quite hilarious.  I simply can’t say enough about this festival.  Sure, it always makes me
feel like a lazy city-dweller, but sometimes that’s just the kick in the pants I need to get motivated. 
Anyone up for some paragliding?