Crime Lab’s Holiday Specials Offer Perfect Getaway from Seasonal Stress

Vancouver’s Crime Lab has hatched a failsafe scheme to help Vancouverites celebrate the holidays without adding to their seasonal stress load.  Throughout December, the restaurant will offer dinner specials that will delight your tastebuds and your pocketbook.  And when the madness finally ends, salute your survival with a deluxe dinner on New Year’s Eve.

Mondays – enjoy our dangerously seductive 2 oz. martinis $7 including taxes, paired with appetizers at 25% off.

Tuesdays – take a break from the madness with our superlative cheese plate at $16.50, paired with a glass of house wine for $5.25:  choose from Jailbird Chardonnay or Murderous Merlot.

Wednesdays – sink your teeth into our Prime Rib Burger served with a Whistler Black Tusk Ale for just $16.

Crime Lab will offer two seatings for New Year’s Eve dinner On December 31. The First Seating (5:30-7:30pm) includes a 5-course dinner and a glass of bubble for $80; the Second Seating (8:30-11:00pm) offers 6 courses and a glass of bubble for $95 (taxes and gratuity included).  The sumptuous menu includes Prawn Timbale, Pineapple & Champagne Sorbet, and your choice of Roasted Beef Tenderloin, Dungeness Crab Stuffed Free Range Chicken, Wild Salmon Wellington, or Roasted Mushroom Strudel.  A perfect way to say goodbye to the year that was!

Crime Lab Restaurant

100-550 Denman Street, Vancouver

Open Daily 5:00pm – 1:00am

For reservations and party bookings please call 604-568-4606

Cru now open for lunch

Menus

Instant Online Reservations

~ Reserve your Christmas Dinner, Reception or Luncheon at Cru ~

Lunch: MONDAY TO FRIDAY  11:30am – 2:00pm.

Dinner: EVERY NIGHT  5:30pm – 10:00pm.

See the current menus Here

Vancouver 2010 Eating & Drinking Guide“Extraordinary

“Cru’s quiet elegance serves as a subtle backdrop for chef Alana Peckham’s award-winning menu.  Small plates let you sample a little bit of a lot; favourites include smoked albacore tuna with beets, truffle vinaigrette and crispy shallots, and the Syrah-braised beef short rib with a comforting bowl of macaroni and cheese.  At $42, the three-course prix fixe is a steal, especially when your choice of main dishes includes perfectly seared halibut with morels or beef tenderloin drizzled with a mushroom-merlot jus.  Owner Mark Taylor’s flavour-coded list of wines, with it’s sizable by-the-glass selection, is wonderfully approachable.

Pre-Theatre Dining 15% OFF

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas The Musical
Now at The Stanley Theatre until December 27th.

Make your evening merry and bright!
Reserve an early table and we’ll make sure
you get to the show on time.

Show your tickets and enjoy a 15% discount on your meal!

Dinner every night from 5:30 pm.

Instant Online Reservations or by phone at 604-677-4111

Stay warm this holiday season at nu restaurant + lounge.

Winter is warmer at nu restaurant + lounge. Here are just two ideas intended to keep us toasty warm through the holiday season.

Add a little “holiday” into your happy hour by heading to nu restaurant + lounge. From 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. get in out of the cold and enjoy complimentary canapés in the lounge. Starting today through Wednesday, December 23rd seasonal snacks are on us.

Wishing for something even warmer? Bundle up and prepare for the carol ship parade from nu’s heated patio. Let the free hot chocolate and eggnog keep you warm as you watch the wasailers sail by starting tomorrow through Wednesday, December 23rd.

For more information on the carol ship schedule please visit www.carolships.org

To book your next reservation, call 604-646-4664 or visit www.whatisnu.com

Give the gift of farm to table cuisine this season – nu restaurant + lounge is pleased to announce a special offer beginning November 15, 2009. For every $100 gift certificate purchased, nu will add a complimentary $25 on the house. Gift certificates are valid at nu restaurant + lounge, C Restaurant and Raincity Grill.

Quince Holiday Update

tis the season to be … longing for a warm sandy beach

But for those stuck in this Northern Hemisphere rain forest, Quince is here to help you eat and be merry.

Quince Express Christmas & New Year’s Dinner Menus

Whether it’s a romantic winter dinner for two, or a celebration with friends and family, treat yourself to a fine dining holiday dinner in the comfort of your own home. Our menu comes fully prepared, vacuum packed and ready to pick up by 2:30om on 24^th December.

Place your orders by December 21^st.
Each item is packaged and priced for 2 portions.
Order the complete menu and we’ll include a baguette.

Christmas Dinner Menu pick up by 2:30pm, 24^th December

Appetizer
Truffled Celeriac Soup $7.50

Escarole, Shaved Apple, Hazelnut Salad with
Warm Bacon Balsamic Dressing and a
Goat Cheese Crouton $16.00

Main Course
Buttermilk Brined Turkey Breast  $28.00

Pecan Brioche Stuffing     $12.00

Pomegranate Gravy    $9.50

Wild Rice with Cipollini Onion, Wild Mushrooms  $10.00

OR Garlic Mashed Potatoes  $6.75

Roasted Vegetables    $6.75

Cranberry Chutney $5.50

Dessert
Pecan, Chocolate & Kirsch Cherry Tarts $9.00

New Year’s Eve Dinner Menu pick up by 5:30pm, 24^th December

Appetizer
Chacuterie & Antipasto Platter

OR

Cheese Platter

$30.00

Main Course
Rack of Lamb, Red Wine Sauce  $54.75

OR

Ahi Tuna Steak, Green Peppercorn Sauce $39.50

Potato Gratin    $7.50

Raspberry Galzed Beets  $6.75

Endive, Orange & Walnut Salad  $13.00

Dessert
Mini Hazelnut Dacquoise Cake,Prune & Mascarpone Butter Cream,

Poached Kumquats

$12.00

Holiday Hor d’oeuvre & Desserts

Whether you’re entertaining at home or need something special for a holiday pot luck party, order some of our wonderful hors d’oeuvre and  hors d’oeuvre platters, prepared on our elegant white ceramic platters. Or pick up some of our vacuum packed Express hors d’oeuvre, easy for you to prepare and serve as  your own (always a good idea to check or order ahead to make sure we have it). For dessert, order our hors d’oeuvre platters or cakes, or pick up a Christmas Stollen, Christmas cookies and hand made chocolates.

Holiday Gifts

Looking for the perfect gift for the foodie on your gift list? Order a Gift Bowl or pick up a Quince Gift Certificate, good for our Studio classes or to spend in the shop. For more information go to our website.

1780 w. 3^rd avenue, vancouver, b.c. v6j 1k4
t: 604.731.4645    f: 604.731.4632
www.quince.ca
Make a fine dining reservation …at home

VanDusen Botanical Garden’s Festival of Lights

LIGHT THERAPY TO BANISH THE BLAHS

At this time of year it’s dark, cold and damp. Some of us get up in the dark and come home in the dark. Our energy sags, we feel like cocooning and dreams of sunlit beaches dance in our heads. The medical profession calls it S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and prescribes special ‘light treatments’ to counter-act the seasonal blues.VanDusen Botanical Garden’s Festival of Lights is the best treatment we can think of to combat the winter blahs. With 1.4 million dazzling lights it has proven effective in upping the fun quotient for extended families with multiple generations, dating couples as well as friends looking for something to do together. Running December 11th through January 3rd from 4:30 to 9 pm every night (except December 25th when the Garden is closed).

The centre piece of Festival of Lights is the enthralling Dancing Lights on Livingstone Lake. Every half hour on the half hour, the show features thousands of lights on Lake Walk and Lake Peninsula programmed to dance, change colour, flicker, twirl and twinkle in harmony with recorded music. This year the Dancing Lights offers two different seven-minute interpretations of seasonal music – one will be in a more traditional classic style, while the other will bring to mind the jazzy interpretations of the big band era and the Rat Pack. The shows alternate so that there is a different Dancing Lights every half hour. In addition to watching the show from Lake Walk, you might want to watch it from the higher vantage point of Candy Cane Lane on the ridge overlooking Lake Walk and Livingstone Lake. To see the Dancing Lights in action: http://vancouver.ca/parks/parks/vandusen/website/events/fol.htm

Over in the Centre Court don’t be surprised if you run into, or more likely, are accosted by, Svend and Jens, our two mischievous Scandinavian Nisse or Christmas Gnomes. Famed as tricksters, it was the Nisse who delivered gifts to children in the Scandinavian countries prior to the advent of Santa Claus. Svend and Jens have been stealing hearts and inspiring gleeful laughter since their arrival at Festival of Lights three years ago. You’ll find them hanging out in the Centre Court area at the Gnome Home Under the Dome adjacent to Santa’s Living Room.

Speaking of the ‘jolly old elf,’ every night December 11th through 24th, Santa Claus himself can be found in his Living Room every evening  starting at 5:30 pm for 30 minutes on the half hour (e.g. 5:30 – 6 p.m. 6:30 – 7 p.m., 7:30 – 8 p.m., 8:30 – 9 p.m.). From December 26th through January 3rd Fanny Starchild Puppet Theatre takes over from Santa bringing to life the story of The Magic Garden. Puppet shows have long been a part of European Christmases entertaining young and old alike. There are four 30-minute shows every evening from at the bottom of the hour:  5:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

New this year is the Festival’s Sparkling Spruce, a 45 foot Serbian Spruce (picea omorika) located on the edge of the Centre Court. Sit in the sleigh and work the controls to design your own light show with the tree as your canvas – sort of a make-your-own mini version of the Dancing Lights.

On the north side of Livingstone Lake and adjacent to the Dancing Lights, a meandering path leads you through the Gingerbread Wood to a classic gingerbread house bedecked in sweets and surrounded by a lollipop garden. Along the way, look for ‘de-lightful’ surprises in and under the trees. You might even catch a glimpse of gingerbread children playing in the Wood.

Live music is very much a part of the holiday season and VanDusen is once again pleased to present its Community Choir Concerts on the Deck. Join us nightly at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. December 11th through 24th to hear glorious music performed by choirs from all over the Lower Mainland.

Tucked away in the Heather Garden is the Make-A-Wish Candle Shrine. For a small donation, visitors are encouraged to light a candle and make a wish. Proceeds go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of BC and Yukon.  Make-A-Wish strives to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Dozens of candles glowing in the dark is a truly beautiful sight. For more information on the Foundation, we invite you to visit their web site at:  www.makeawish.bc.ca

Food is always an important part of Festival of Lights. We are pleased to welcome back Dr. Waffle. Dr. Waffle has the right prescriptions to cure your hunger pangs. He will be dispensing his special brand of medicine from his signature kiosk located near the Dancing Lights. You might find a cure for what ails you with a yummy gingerbread waffle or stave off an impending cold with a steaming cup of Thomas Haas Hot Chocolate or mulled apple cider made form organic apples. In the same area you’ll also find the Hot Potato Peddler offering hot, roasted potatoes with a variety if tasty toppings.

For those interested in something more substantial, Shaughnessy Restaurant is open for lunch, afternoon tea and regular dinner service. Reservations are a must and can be made by calling 604.261.0011. Shaughnessy will also operate Mrs. Claus’ Kitchen next to Santa’s Living Room as well as serving seasonal goodies from their kiosk located on Shaughnessy’s back deck.

Festival of Lights runs from Friday, December 11th through January 3rd, 4:30 to 9 p.m. except for Christmas Day (December 25th) when the Garden is closed.  The Garden is located at 5251 Oak Street at West 37th Avenue.

Avoid the line-up and purchase your tickets in advance through Tickets Tonight at 604-684-2787 / www.ticketstonight.ca (service charge applies) or you can pick them up in person at the Garden Shop (no service charge) or Garden Administration Office. Tickets will also be available at the Gate every evening. All funds raised go to help VanDusen grow. VanDusen Botanical Garden is a registered non-profit charity. For more information on VanDusen Botanical Garden and its events, visit www.vandusengarden.org Prices: Adults – $11.45, Seniors (65+) & Youth (13-18) – $8.30, Children (6-12) – $6.25, Family (2 adults + 2 children under 19) – $26. Children under age 6 are free.

Be sure not to miss this year’s Festival of Lights at vanDusen Botanical Garden – you’ll be sure to have a ‘de-light-full’ time. Festival of Lights is the major event/fundraiser for VanDusen Botanical Garden. Funds raised from the event help the Garden to grow. For more information on VanDusen Botanical Garden, its collections, events and programs, please visit www.vandusengarden.org

VanDusen wishes to thank Event Sponsors Blenz Coffee, Western One Rentals and Sales, Vivid Lighting Solutions and media sponsor, The Vancouver Courier for their generous support.

VanDusen Botanical Garden, 5251 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC V6M 4H1  Info: 604.878.9274

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