And the Winners of the $25 Gift Certificates are.....

Congratulations to our two winners, Toby and Jack, for taking home the prize!
After a short break, let me refresh your memory about the two $25 gift certificates that are being given out to my readers. They are good in any of the Sequoia Company of restaurants which includes:

We had 33 entries and to ensure fairness, I prepared a spreadsheet just for the giveaway. The winners were then selected using the Random Number Generator (more on that here) -- I'm such a happy geek!

Not only will our winners be the cool kids on the block by trying one of these cool restaurants, hopefully, they will also invite a date for a fancy lunch or delicious dinner! Congrats again! I hope you enjoy your dates and I will be emailing you shortly for shipment details.

As for the rest of you, stay tuned for more giveaways coming up on Just a Date Blog!

P.S. Thanks to PL for being the "Chairman" of my Ethics Committee.

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Crème de la crop! UBC Botanical Garden Apple Festival

This weekend, I went out to the Apple Festival with DL that I recommended to my readers. Here are some of the pictures that I took. By the time I arrived, they were sold out of apples and my ORGANIC APPLE JUICE! Argh! (ssSP! Scroll to the botttom for a really funny picture.)

 

Volunteers selling apple pies. Huge lineup, really popular!

I got to try apples and rate them on their appearance and taste.

Different types of apples mixed with other fruits

 

Homemade apple cider. Slightly too bitter.

Do you see anything wrong with the picture below?

I had a really fun time exploring the Botanical Garden -- will come back for a future date!

An apple a day keeps the doctors away!  ♥♥♥

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Win a $25 Gift Certificate - two winners! Just a Date Blog's Two Month Anniversary Giveaway

My first post was dated August 14th and two months certainly went by pretty fast. To commemorate this mini milestone, I have prepared two gift certificates to give away to two lucky bumblebees!

 

These two $25 gift certificates are good in any of the Sequoia Company of restaurants which includes:

• Teahouse in Stanley Park
• Seasons in the Park at Queen Elizabeth Park
• Cardero's in Coal Harbor
• Sandbar on Granville Island

These are all great restaurants and I would love to share them with you!

How To Win?
To enter, you must
1. Be a follower via Google Friend Connect, Twitter, etc. (just click follow on the right hand side)
2. Leave a comment on this post along with an email address that I can contact you with. (One entry per person)

Optional Extra Entry
Mention this giveaway with this link (http://bit.ly/b7odII) attached on Facebook/Twitter  and submit URL through another comment (One extra entry per person)

Dates
The giveaway will end at 11:59 pm on October 24th. International readers are welcome to participate as well. Winners will be announced on the 27th.


Thank you
Just wanted to take a quick chance to thank everyone for their support. This blog would be nothing without you  =)


Good Luck! ♥♥♥

*Restaurant images taken for their website
Website: http://www.vancouverdine.com/sequoia0experience.aspx

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Upcoming Events: UBC Botanical Garden Apple Festival

Wondering what to do this weekend?

• Located at the UBC Botanical Garden (map)
• October 16 and 17, 11 am - 4 pm
• Entry $2; Food tasting:+$3

An apple a day keeps the doctors away! I stopped eatting apples everyday so maybe that's why I've gotten sick lately. Just wanted to let my readers know about this cool upcoming apple festival that will be fun to check out on a date. On October 16th and 17th, UBC Botanical Garden will be introducing their Annaul Apple Festival, from 11am to 4pm. Admission is only $2 and for an extra $3, you will get to taste the different varieties of apples as well.

There will be products on sale there as well. I, for one, know I'm bringing home some organic apple juice!

About activities happening on that day from their website:

The Vancouver Island-based BC Fruit Testers Association mounts a display of the nearly 200 apple varieties still grown in British Columbia. Members of the association are on-hand to give demonstrations of grafting and cider-pressing. Try to stump them with apple varieties from your garden, as they are also available to identify apples (hint: bring along six apples from your unidentified tree). Nearby, Master Gardeners discuss apple-related diseases and pest management. Or, at any time of the year, you can visit UBC Botanical Garden's online Fruit Trees discussion forum!

Have fun ♥♥♥

P.S. Happy TEN day! Post will be published at 10/10/10 at 10:10 am
UBC Botanical Garden Apple Fest website: http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/events/applefest.php

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Fresh Out of the Water: Screaming Mimi’s Seafood Deli and Steamer

• Located in Lonsdale Quay (map)
• Accessible by Seabus. Street parking available
• Casual ambiance and great fresh seafood

Having never been to North Vancouver before this year, the discovery of Lonsdale Quay (Quay is pronounced ‘key’, as in house key) really fun for me. Ever since, it has always been a market of unique and special things. The easiest method, I think, of visiting Lonsdale Quay Market is by taking the SeaBus. While I plan to assemble the marvels of Lonsdale Quay in a post, for now, I would like to share a quick lunch place located inside the Quay.  

The night before I met up with JS, I told a friend that I really wanted to try Screaming Mimi’s. So when JS asked if I wanted to this restaurant, I was extremely stoked to see him. (Great minds think alike!)

Screaming Mimi’s is located right next to the entrance that is closest to the Seabus terminal in Lonsdale Quay. This is definitely a good place to have a quick bite or a casual lunch.

If you are a seafood lover, specifically oysters, you must try Screaming Mimi’s Seafood Deli and Steamer. Oysters seem like their specialty; they offer creamy baked oysters, jalapeno oyster on a bun, fried oysters, and raw oysters. You can even pick your own live lobster or crab and have them steam it for you.



They have buckets of various fresh mussels, crabs, lobsters, clams, and oysters on the counter. Seating is limited in the store – there are a few tall bar-stools and tables. The décor is really interesting but beware that this place smells like fish. Not everyone may be able to stand this smell.

Jumbo Steamed Beach Oysters with Butter and Lemon

$19.95 for half a dozen

Always on a lookout for oysters with the perfect balance between fresh and sea water, JS and I ordered half a dozen of their Jumbo Steamed Beach Oysters served with butter and lemon. Like I mentioned at an early post (Cardero's), the oysters' growing environment affects how they taste. The ones I tried at Screaming Mimi’s were different from those at Cardero’s.  These plump oysters were bolder with a saltier taste of the ocean. I sprinkled lemon juice on them and savoured their taste.

Halibut Clam Chowder with Tomato Base

Small $3.99

Like kids, JS and I both jumped at the option of adding halibut to our Clam Chowder. Unfortunately, they were sold out of their crema rosa base and we had to try the tomato base instead. Not being a fan of tomatoes, this soup didn’t stimulate my taste buds at all. However, they did use a lot of fresh ingredients to prepare the soup; the halibut was delicious.

Mediterranean Seafood Cocktail$3.95 for 100g

Screaming Mimi’s also sold small appetizer dishes of freshly cooked seafood.  We decided to try two of these: Cocktail Prawns with Lemon Garlic Sauce (shown on the top of the post) and Mediterranean Seafood Cocktail. At first glance, the only difference between these two dishes is their sauce. The main ingredient in both dishes is prawns but the seafood cocktail also included bits of halibut and other seafood.

As a seafood lover, I love how casual this place is. Everything about this place evokes memories of the ocean and the fish smell guarantees fresh ingredients. Definitely give this place a try next time you visit North Vancouver!

Have fun ♥♥♥


Screaming Mimi's Website: http://www.kostathefishmonger.com/deli.shtml

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