Vancouver Vacation Eats

I just got back from vacation in Vancouver and am itching to write about some of the fantastic food we tasted there. Even though Vancouver's far north of Silicon Valley, I can't not share these culinary discoveries:

- Japa Dogs: I first learned about these fusion-flavored hot dogs on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations show.  Sold from a cart on a busy downtown street corner, Japa Dogs make a tasty lunch treat. Atop the familiar hot dog sits surprising Japanese condiments. Mine had a combination of Japanese mayonnaise, teriyaki sauce, onion, and dried seaweed. Unexpectedly yummy!

- BeaverTail Pastries: On the top of majestic Grouse Mountain we found these fried confections shaped like you-know-what.  We tried BeaverTails with cinnamon sugar, apples and cinnamon, and Nutella. Crispy yet soft, warm, sweet, and sticky. Definitely delicious.

- Mongolian BBQ: We had to make a return trip to this restaurant for dinner. Part of the fun was participating in creating our meals. We filled our bowls with noodles, meat, vegetables, and whatever sauce creations we chose. I used the recipe for the House Special sauce with six ingredients: 1 small scoop each of sesame oil and honey lemon, and 1/2 scoop each of crushed garlic, mongo pau, mongo sauce, and mongo wine. Then the cook poured our bowls out one at a time on a large 4' diameter circular griddle and cooked up the concoctions with long wooden sticks.  Each bowl cooks up fast in about a minute. Our restaurant was all you can eat so both Brad and Jacob had seconds.

- Maple Leaf Sandwich Cookies. When in Canada, try the maple goodies. We loved Christie's Maple Leaf Cookies from the grocery store. Crunchy maple leaf shaped cookies plus a sweet maple cream filling equals pure maple goodness. We also enjoyed Tim Horton's maple dipped donuts at the airport. Sweet.

We stopped in Seattle on our way to Vancouver to visit with Brad's sister's family and enjoyed even more scrumptious food: salmon chowder at the salmon locks; French palmiers at Pike's Market (I loved that place! It was like the Ferry Building on steroids... I could spend several days eating my way through the market); Stu's grilled wild salmon and flank steak; Dawn's crab spread; and a memorable Vietnamese pho and sweet coffee lunch at a restaurant called (no kidding) What the Pho!

I love trying new foods on vacation. It's part of discovering and experiencing different places. Reminiscing over flavorful meals helps create great vacation memories. I adore Vancouver and definitely want to go back someday. Happy travels!