This is another reason I love this whole travel-writing thing.  I was in Vancouver last night for the Travel Media Association of Canada  BC Chapter’s AGM. Now there’s a mouthful of acronyms. TMAC BC’s AGM. 

Yes, well, it was short and swift, the way a good meeting should be. It was held in the iconic Sylvia Hotel lounge. It was lovely to see some of the people I hadn’t seen since our conference in Wales. After it was more or less wrapped up, a few of us went next door to the California Tourism hosted dinner at the Rain City Grill.

I  hadn’t been paying attention and didn’t realize that the Dine Out Vancouver event had just started the night before. If you don’t know about Dine Out Vancouver…you should. It’s a great way to sample some amazing food, at some of Vancouver’s best restaurants, without breaking the budget.  Click on this link for more info on Dine Out Vancouver.

I started with the Fraser Valley Endive Salad. It was snappy and good but it was the second course that knocked my socks off…Braised lamb cheeks, pomme puree, caramelized fennel, Fraser Valley mushrooms, pearl onions, thumbelina carrots with a drizzle of balsamic lamb jus. I promise I tried to eat slow. I put my fork down as often as I thought of it and just savoured all those braised bits of organic wonderment.  It was like a great book. I just didn’t want it to end. Amanda Moreland from California Tourism picked the wine, so of course it was Californian…as it should be.  Her choice of the Ravenswood red was divine with the lamb.

My final snack before I headed off to my hotel was the semi-freddo cheesecake covered in preserved Okanagan cherries. I love the Rain City Grill and I can’t wait to go back to California. All in all, a stellar way to spend a Tuesday night.