With 230+ participating restaurants across Vancouver, this event is sure to satisfy the palates of foodies and the needs of these two amazing charities.

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On Sunday March 7, 2010, grab some friends and head downtown to O Lounge (1054 Alberni Street) at COAST Restaurant and watch the Oscars’ festivities in Hollywood Style. Starting at 5pm, their new HD Projector and 2 large plasma screens will broadcast all of the glitz from the Kodak Theatre, live from Hollywood.

Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin host, while Chef Josh Wolfe prepares the finest and freshest oysters in town to go with your bubbly!! For the first time ever there are 10 movies in the running for best picture instead of the standard 5. Think you are a movie buff? Glowbal Group prizes and Gift Certificates given to the table with the closest predictions! Break out the Tuxes and Cocktail attire…we will be giving awards and prizes to the evening’s Best Dressed.

For your table reservations call 604.685.5010

Starting at 5pm on Sunday March 7, The Lamplighter Public House (92 Water Street) in Gastown will be featuring their special Oscar Awards Menu, which is a set 3-course meal for $40. Named after award hopefuls, the names of the dishes include “Avatar”, “Up in the Air” and “District 9″.
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My Friday morning started off with lunch with two of my girlfriends at Jethro’s Fine Grub, a diner in the Dunbar area which opened about two weeks ago. They serve breakfast and lunch seven days a week, with a fairly extensive menu (for such a small diner) that includes specialty omlettes, pancakes, and other typical breakfast dishes. For $9, on their breakfast menu, I had the Denver Omelet which consisted of sauteed onions, peppers, maple smoked ham and cheddar. The dish was served with chunky hashbrowns and toast (your choice of white, brown and rye).
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Their lunch menu was a little bit random – with curry on the menu which seemed to come out of nowhere, but hey, if it works for them, it works for me. In my opinion, Jethro’s is definitely a neighbourhood gem. Ever since Soda’s (a 50’s style diner, complete with a jukebox and milkshakes) closed down and was replaced with the pub-style Dunbar, I was hoping another restaurant with home-style, breakfast food would open.

In the fashion industry, trendsetting can be compared to a pyramid. High fashion and couture, starting at the top, and their runway looks for the upcoming season are way beyond the budgets of the average shopper (and MMV reader). But as time passes, these trends trickle down the pyramid as assessable ready-to-wear fashion available at our favourite clothing chains.

Described somewhat as a “fashion visionary”, being a fashion globe-trotter is part of Barb Atkin’s job description as the Vice President of Fashion Direction for Holt Renfrew (737 Dunsmuir Street). At Holt Renfrew’s Spring 2010 Media Preview, Barb gave a presentation about forecasted fashion trends for Spring/Summer 2010 and brought back to local media, her insights and observations about upcoming trends, neatly packaged into 4 easily-understandable “looks”

The intersection of Robson and Granville in downtown Vancouver was party central when the crowds started spilling out of local bars and restaurants after Canada wins Gold against Team USA for Men’s Hockey. No use fighting against the crowd, you literally could not move, and could only let the sea of red push you….somewhere. People were hanging off bus stops, street signs and fire hydrants to get a better view.
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If you are fortunate enough to make it through the LiveCity Yaletown’s lineups, check out Samsung’s OR@S Pavilion, where Olympic fans can become a snowboard designer for a day. Visitors are invited to create their own unique snowboard design using the graphic assets of Samsung’s CORBY phone. Visitors can have fun and design their own exclusive look of the 2010 Winter Games and then email their snowboard creation which becomes a souvenir of their experience at the Games. Visitors are also entered daily into a contest to win a free snowboard, Samsung is giving away a snowboard for each day of the Games.
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The OR@S is free to the general public and will be open daily 11am to 11pm from February 12 to 28, 2010.

The Olympic Superstore at The Bay has been an Olympic retail hotspot! According to CTV News, lineups to get into the store on the corner of Seymour and West Georgia have averaged 20 minutes. Once inside the store, I found the shopping experience was surprisingly civil. The 2010 Olympic Mascots section was surprisingly uncrowded. Could be because I went on a Thursday night and those who stay up past 10pm on a weekday are less likely to be rummaging the children’s section for cutesy mascot souveniers!! Nonetheless, here I am! As my friend pointed out, the Quachi hat I am wearing comes with built-in earmuffs!

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Currently open until midnight, the Olympic Superstore is scheduled to stay open for 24 hours next Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The 2010 Olympic Flame traveled by land, air and water during its 106-day journey across Canada and rests now in its final destination at the Vancouver Convention Center at Canada Place. It’s super crowded in the daytime, so I would recommend going in the middle of the night on a weekday – like I did! The quiet of downtown at this time allows you to hear the crackling of the Olympic Flame….like a gigantic patriotic campfire.
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Missed the torch relay? You still have another chance – the 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay will begin in Ottawa on March 3, 2010 and conclude at the Opening Ceremony in Vancouver signalling the start of the Paralympic Winter Games on March 12, 2010.

George Ultra Lounge is the Godfather of Vancouver’s cocktail culture. Modeled in the London style, George pioneered the cocktail kitchen concept in Canada when it opened in 2005. Today, with award-winning Shaun Layton behind the bar, George continues to pour proper classic and market-fresh cocktails, complimented by a dinner and late night menu through 2 a.m

George Ultra Lounge (1137 Hamilton Street) is taking a page from the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and holding their own “Mixlympics”, a competition featuring ten bartenders (6 international, 4 local) competing head-to-head in a black box style event. Sponsored by Martin Miller’s Gin & Arc’teryx, these masters of mixology will be vying for the top prize – $500 cash provided by Martin Miller’s Gin, but there will be medals too. Gold, silver and bronze, just like the athletes competing in Vancouver and Whistler. The event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 12:00 pm but it might be best to get in line a little bit earlier.
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The international contestants are:

• Joe Stokoe – Bar Manager for all three All Star Lanes, London, UK
• Abdul Kpekawa – Bartender, All Star Lanes, London, UK
• David Grieg – Bartender, All Star Lanes, London, UK
• Ola Carlson – Bartender, Box 101, Stockholm, Sweden
• Nicolos de Soto, Bartender, Experimental Cocktail Club & Curio Parlour, Paris, France
• Charles Tan – Bartender, China Club, Paris, France.

Representing Canada will be:

• Mark Brand – Owner, Boneta and The Diamond, Vancouver
• David Wolwidnyk – Bar Manager, West, Vancouver
• Jay Jones – Owner, The Pourhouse, Vancouver
• Darryl Macdonald – Bartender, Port, Toronto