Cheap Martinis that are too cheap?

My recent visits to Cafe Crepe have been horribly disappointing! I regret to say that I have had really awful service.
Additionally, they seem to have switched to plastic martini glasses (or would that be martini cups?) at some point. Plastic! It makes me feel like I'm at some frat-boys hot-tub party. Not cool.
The burger and fries are still an amazing deal, and delicious, but you might have to wait for hours to get it. That is, if the server doesn't forget that you ordered food.
So I now have a mission for the new year: what can replace Cafe Crepe? A question that just might take all 365 days to answer!

Caramel Crêpes!

Between cosmopolitans at the Café Crêpe last weekend, I tried a new crêpe: the caramel crêpe. What a great idea! This crêpe is so rich and sweet I felt like a millionaire just eating it. Rather, devouring it might be a better description.
I also tried a fantastic new beverage (new to me, anyhow) that night: the chocolate cake shot. I can't remember what the bartender told me was in it, but it was delightful. And this shot was about as sweet as the caramel crêpe.
My goal for next weekend is to go someplace new. I will be sad to not find myself at Café Crêpe again, but sometimes “something new” can be a really great thing.

Return to Café Crêpe

So last night was not bad. Of course, I headed out to Café Crepe. Again. And we had the surly waiter. Again. He alternated between mildly nice and surly through the evening. I can’t blame him, really, it was super busy and he was saying that there were a ton of groups of six or more coming in all night. If you’ve been there, you know that it is not very big and most of the booths can’t really fit six people. Although, we managed quite nicely. It was cozy.

The music at some points turned into what I like to think of as “euro techno background” music. How to describe it? It sounds like what I think would be playing in European night clubs. I have to use my imagination on that one, mind you, because I have never been to any European night clubs, but it’s exactly what I would imagine them playing there.

I actually got a crepe this time. It was a dessert crepe – because crepes were not meant to be savoury. I just don’t understand why you would put meat or vegetables in a crepe, it destroys it. But if you fill it with Nutella and coconut and dump some whipped cream on it, then you get a truly delicious crepe. Absolutely amazing.

Do I need to describe the martinis again? I branched out, and this time instead of just drinking cosmopolitans, I mixed it up with a sour apple martini. It took a couple sips before the Nutella taste washed away, but once that was gone it was a great martini.

The weather this weekend has been delightful, and I think it was almost 15 degrees here today. I saw a girl on the Skytrain yesterday wearing a strappy summer dress with no coat! It really is spring already! Fantastic!

I have some time off this week and am hoping to check out some new cafés downtown and try to find some good ones that aren’t chains. Although I find it hard to believe that Starbucks haven’t driven everyone else out of town, apparently there are still a few other places kicking around so I am going to check them out.

Cheapest Martinis in town!

Last weekend:

Do you ever just want to go out for a delicious, inexpensive drink, but you don’t feel like getting all dolled up? I may have found the two best places to go in Vancouver for a cheap martini when you’re wearing sneakers!

Try Yagger’s (Pender & Richards, downtown – www.yaggers.com) on Friday night. I was there this past Friday and was thrilled to order an MC Hammer, a fruity double martini for only $6. Our server was super nice and she came and sat with us to help us choose which martinis we wanted. The selection included the MC Hammer, which she told us had once been ordered as a McHammer. I can only assume that the poor kid who called it a McHammer was underage.

Yagger’s is a casual but trendy spot, and conveniently located near the Skytrain (which scores big points for those of us who live in the ‘burbs, across the street from a Skytrain station). I think they call it “Martooni Friday” but whatever the name, they have double martinis for $6. I learned about them during Dine Out Vancouver (http://www.tourismvancouver.com/visitors/dining/dine_out_vancouver), and have been back because their martinis are good AND have such great names (the Princess Leia, the Oprah, the MC Hammer, etc). The food was good, too, but this last time I didn’t bother. Last weekend was all about the martinis.

My other top pick for cheap martinis is Café Crêpe. I have to share this with you all: I don’t like crêpes. Every once in a while, I could enjoy a Nutella - or possibly even a Nutella and banana - crêpe. Other than that, I think the world would be a great place without crêpes. Needless to say, in the past, I had avoided Café Crêpe like the plague, because I sincerely believed they had nothing to offer me.

I have rarely been so wrong! A friend told me about their martinis so I gave them a second chance.

Café Crêpe’s martinis are around $4. I recommend the cosmopolitan. It even has orange peel garnish in it, which is practically healthy. And I have heard, although I have never seen this, that if you sit right at the bar you can watch the bartender mix drinks and set them on fire. What could be better?

Their food is also delicious and a great deal for the Granville strip. They have a great burger at a great price (although I can’t remember what the price is at this exact moment – blame the numerous martinis!). And I’m sure the crêpes are delightful, if you’re a crêpe fan.

Next weekend:

I have no plans at this time for next weekend, but here are some options…

If I want to go dancing, I will probably head to Au Bar (Seymour & Georgia downton - http://www.aubarnightclub.com/)on Saturday night. Au Bar is by far my favourite club. It’s trendy without being pretentious, and I always have a great time there. It is also directly across the street from the Seymour exit of the Granville Skytrain station. The bouncers have let me skip line before, even though I’m not drop-dead gorgeous, which scores big points in my book! The music is great – it’s hard to find a nice club with a good top-40 night. The people there are nice and good-looking, and they have some raised platforms for dancing, in case you want to show off. I haven’t yet tried the platforms out, because I’ve never gone to Au Bar and had so much to drink that I thought people would actually want to see my dancing. But, as they say, tomorrow is a new day…

If I wan cheap martinis on Friday night, I will probably go to Yagger’s. If it’s Saturday, I will probably head for Café Crêpe. And I would head there early because you usually have to wait for a table anytime after 7pm.

If I want to try something new, I will probably head for the Jupiter Lounge (Bute & Davie downtown - www.jupitercafe.com). I have not yet been there, but I hear it’s all plush red velvet, mirrors and fantastic drinks. What’s not to love? I’m sure you’ll hear about it once I get there.

If I want to do something artsy, I will go see The Amorous Adventures of Anatol at the Vancouver Playhouse (it’s running from Feb 16 to March 8). I hear it’s about a playa planning his conquests. That may be worth seeing…

If I want to go out for some food-ola, I will probably go to Kam’s Place on Davie. I haven’t been there in ages, but have wanted to go several times. In fact, I wish I lived across the street. Or upstairs. Kam serves up the best Singaporean food in town at VERY reasonable prices. The Georgia Straight also publishes a 2-for-1 coupon pretty much every week. Go for it!

Next weekend, there is The Green Living Show (www.greenlivingshow.com) at BC Place from February 29 to March 2. I wouldn’t mind making my condo better for the environment. This stuff is pretty trendy right now. I went to one of these shows last year (although it was not this exact one) and they had some very cool decorating ideas. At that time, I was not about to replace my toxic laminate flooring with biodegradable bamboo, but maybe this year they’ll have a sale. Or they will have a really awesome sink. One can only hope!