The BiBo – Authentic Italian in Kitsilano

Guest Writer: Di. Ma

Co-owners and long-time friends, Lorenzo Bottazzi and Andrea Bini (can you guess how they came up with the name?) have fused together their eclectic experience with their passion for great food to bring authentic Italian cuisine to the Vancouver dining scene.  On March 16^th, we had the wonderful opportunity to attend their restaurant premier and sample an assortment of items from their menu.  More than just food, the cozy restaurant situated on the trendy West 4^th Avenue is an entire dining experience.  The highlight of the restaurant is the gorgeous wood oven that is not hidden but showcased to all who want to see their favourite pizza being prepared.  Whether you are here for drinks (they boast a large selection of wines and will be selling their private wine produced by the Bottazzi vineyard in Monterosso), a relaxed night  in the lounge area or a delightful dining experience, The Bibo will leave you satisfied and wanting more. 

 

Why we like it:  Authentic won’t break the bank.  The food is not only delicious, but affordable.  The owners’ did their research and did not compromise on the ingredients used in their dishes either.  They spent months scouring Italy for the highest quality ingredients to ensure not only taste but authenticity.  Probably their most prized imports would be their mushrooms used in a variety of their dishes and their pizza maker from Naples, the home of pizza.

 

 

The Bibo stays close to its roots and has simple menu of antipasto, pastas and pizzas.  The pizza is exactly how you would expect to have it in Italy, thin crust and lots of sauce!  For the cheese lover, the “Quattro Fromaggio” is a must try.  The pasta is also made in house and one our favourites was the “Bibo Matteo”. A creamy, delectable pasta dish made with those imported porcini mushrooms from Italy.  And what’s a meal without dessert?  They have a selection of traditional Italian desserts that is sure to satisfy any sugar junkie.  The “Panna Cotta” (literally “cooked cream”) was exceptionally silky and had just enough sweetness.  The winner, however, would have to be the “Chocolate Pizza”.  It’s exactly what it sounds like, pizza dough smothered with chocolate sauce and baked, drizzled with fresh raspberries and raspberry sauce.  This ingenious dessert is definitely meant for sharing though (or not). Although we don’t normally rate restaurants, we can definitely say we will be regulars.

 

MORE PICTURES

 Location: 1835 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver, BC (map)

Price: $10 – $20

More Info? www.thebibo.com

Affordable Spa and Salon Services in Vancouver

The best place to go when you need a cheap hair cut or to pamper yourself, while you are on a budget, are esthetic schools. The students practice their skills with a professional watching close by, who also inspects the final result.

There are a few in Vancouver, but a well known one is the Blanche Macdonald Centre (BMC). Hair cuts for women start at $12 and they have a full menu of services available. The BMC has two locations and offers spa and hair services. The spa services are usually time limited and are only offered during specific dates, while the hair services are offered year-round. If you sign-up to be on their client list, you will be notified by email about their spa service dates and their monthly hair service specials.

Spa Services
Blanche Macdonald Centre, Uptown Campus
100 – 555 W.12th Avenue
Vancouver, BC, Canada
604-685-0347

 

Hair Services
Blanche Macdonald Centre, Downtown Campus
460 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC, Canada
604-685-0337
hairservices@blanchemacdonald.com

Other Esthetic Schools in Vancouver:

• Dominelli Esthetics College
• London School of Hairdressing and Aesthetics
• BM Chan International Cosmetology College
• New Image College of Fine Arts
• Vogue Esthetics College

Re-Up BBQ (@ReUpBBQ): Pulled Pork Sandwiches for $1

On Thursday October 28^th, GoodNews.com is partnering with Re-Up BBQ Foodcart, who will be selling their addictive pulled-pork sandwiches for $1 (regularly $6.75). Re-Up BBQ is one of the new food carts that hit the city during the summer months. Apparently, it’s a small cart, they sell out fast and the line-up is long, which only means, these sandwiches are a must try!

The best part of this deal is the full amount of each purchase will be donated to Grind for Kids which supports the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation!

Location: 700 Hornby Street, Vancouver (map)

SkyTrain Stop: Burrard Station, Granville Station, and Vancouver City Centre Station

Buck a Shuck Oysters in Vancouver

Calling all oyster lovers! Here’s a list of buck a shuck oyster joints in Vancouver.
Let me know if you have any to add to the list.

Boathouse (Various Locations) – Daily from 3-6pm, appetizers from $2.79 and drinks specials from $4.99 

Cardero’s (1483 Coal Harbour Quay, Vancouver) – During BC Lions, Whitecaps FC, and Vancouver Canucks games. Minimum 1/2 dozen order. 

Coast (1054 Alberni Street, Vancouver) – Daily from 3-5pm, also a dozen peel and eat shrimp for $12

Goldfish Seafood & Chophouse (1118 Mainland Street, Vancouver – In the lounge from 4-7pm daily

Ebisu (827 Bute Street) – Daily from 4:30-6:30pm, with lots of happy hour specials

La Brasserie (1091 Davie Street, Vancouver) – After 9pm and during Sunday brunch

Oyster Seafood & Raw Bar (502-475 Howe Street, Vancouver) – Daily from 3-7pm

Relish Gastro Pub (888 Nelson Street, Vancouver) – Daily from 3-6pm

Rodney’s Oyster House (1228 Hamilton Street, Vancouver) – Monday to Saturday from 3-6pm

 

Updated: October 9, 2011

Gotham Steakhouse, Downtown Vancouver

I had the pleasure to have my New Years Eve dinner at Gothams and it was absolutely spectacular. I was blown away by the restaurant, the food, and the service. The great thing about downtown Vancouver restaurants, is that many of them offer cheap valet parking (under $10). You don’t have search for parking when it’s raining outside! I arrived back to Vancouver in the morning, after the airport lost my luggage, so I wasn’t a happy camper. BUT Gotham’s made my day and the dinner was a great way to end 2009.

We had the crab cakes and rockefeller oysters to start. The crab cakes were small, but they were 75% crab meat. I’ve never had rockefeller oysters before and they were amazing, but very filling. You get half a dozen small oysters cooked with a creamed spinach topping. One appetizer would have been enough. We decided to go-all-out and celebrate the end of 2009 – we got the New York steak and lobster (in the picture above with the sides) and the porterhouse steak. The steak literally melted in my mouth. I never had steak like this before. The lobster came in the tail, but was removed at the table. The porterhouse was good, because you can taste the quality of how the meat was aged. We also had mashed potatoes and onion rings as sides. It was way too much food, but it was all good and I had no complaints. Even though we were super full, we had to finish off our meal with the belgian chocolate bourbon cake.

Location: 615 Seymour Street Vancouver, BC (map)

SkyTrain Stop: Granville Station

Price: $30-$50 for steak entree

More Info? http://www.gothamsteakhouse.com

How to Use the Vancouver SkyTrain

SkyTrain 411 – what you need to know.

What is the SkyTrain? The SkyTrain is Vancouver’s rapid transit system, which is part of a larger public transportation system run by Translink. It is cool, because the trains are completely automated and driverless. The newest line, the Canada Line connects downtown Vancouver with the Vancouver International Airport (YVR). The trains start around 5:00am and stop at about 12:00am, check the schedules and maps for the first and last trains.

Fare Zones: The fares are based on the where you start and end your trip, check out the fare zone map. The system has 3 zones – named zone 1, zone 2, and zone 3. The fare you pay depends on where you intend to travel. For example, if you are travelling within one zone, you pay a 1 zone fare. If you are travelling from zone 1 to zone 3, you pay a 3 zone fare.

Fares: Fares can be purchased in four main forms: single fares, faresaver booklets (10 single tickets), day passes, and monthly passes. There are also student and employer programs that offer savings. Faresaver booklets and monthly passes must be purchased from faredealers, as there are only machines in the stations. The machines accept coins, credit cards, and debit cards. You can also pay exact cash fare when boarding buses.

Single Fares

	Adult	Concession (Students with GoCard & Seniors)	Accessibility Passengers (HandyDART)
1 Zone	$2.50	$1.75	$2.50
2 Zone	$3.75	$2.50	$2.50
3 Zone	$5.00	$3.50	$3.75
All Zones (After 6:30pm, Weekends & Holidays)	$2.50	$1.75
4 Zones or more (specially equipped vehicles)			$5.00
DayPass	$9.00	$7.00

Proof of Payment System: The whole SkyTrain system is based on a Proof of Payment System. This means all passengers must pay or validate their fare and have proof of this while they are on a train or a bus. Officers do random checks at the entrances of stations or on the trains to ensure passengers are compliant with the system.

Parking at SkyTrain Stations

Parking beside SkyTrain stations is only available at the stations below.  Translink has Park and Ride lots, where customers can park but they are not ALL located beside SkyTrain stations. Some are free parking lots.

University Station – Production Way (Lougheed Highway at Production Way, Burnaby)
Hours: Monday to Friday (except holidays) from 6am to 11pm. Saturday & Sunday closed.
Fees: $1 per hour; $4 all day 6am-6pm; $2 6pm-11pm; $85 monthly random spots; $140/monthly reserved spots

Bridgeport Station (8888 River Road, Richmond)
Hours: Available 7 days a week
Fees: $2/day

Scott Road Station (110th Ave. at Scott Rd, Surrey)
Hours: Available 7 days a week
Fees: $2 all day; $40/28-consecutive-day pass; $55/28-consecutive-day premium parking

King George Station (King George Highway, between 98th and 100th Ave, Surrey)
Hours: Available 7 days a week
Fees: Impark Lot#1303

TIP: Translink has a trip planner on their website, which is very helpful if you do not know your way around.

More Information? http://www.translink.ca