(I might be overstating the obvious here, but right now, the Olympic Winter Games 2010 is up and kicking right now in Vancouver. In addition to my regular posts, I will try to include a post regarding different pavillions, attractions and free exhibits across town. So come back, at around 12:00 p.m. PST!).
When you are living by yourself, you have to do almost all your chores by yourself. With all the Olympic activities kicking in high gear, I wanted to enjoy these so I did most of my chores on Saturday to have then Sunday off. And that included, not taking part on any Chinese New Year activities (and don’t even mention Hallmark holidays!).
One of the things I wanted to do is to visit the pavilions set up for the different Canadian provinces and LiveCity where is the Canada Pavilion. (No hurry in visiting the Irish House but, for some reason, I might have to…). I am going to say this right away: some of the queues are long! (More on that on Wednesday post). The first house/pavilion I visited was that of Alberta, aka, Alberta House, located in the corner of Robson and Beatty, a block away from BC Place.
For other posts of this serie…
- Robson Street
- Maison du Québec
- Saskatchewan Pavilion
- LiveCity Downtown/Canada Pavilion
- Saxony House
- Northern House
I chose to start with this one as it was in a different location than that of Quebec (Maison du Quebec), Saskatchewan (Saskatchewan Pavilion)and Ontario (Ontario House) – all of these located in Concord Plaza, near Telus World of Science – and Atlantic Canada House, located in Granville Island. I arrived relatively early, so there were no shows yet. However, that did not mean I couldn’t stop for an early “lunch”.
The “bad” thing about this place is that, despite it looks large, actually, most of the space is for a convention/meeting centre. What you see in one of the pictures above is about all the space of the house accessible to the normal public. Anyway, I was there for one thing and that only one thing… Food! And here is the menu.
Click on the image for a larger version in a new window.
There are only two things I know about Alberta: oil and beef. That meant I should order something with beef in it, which narrowed down the options to two dishes: the Cowboy Trail Chilli or the BBQ Beef Bun. I wanted to check with the waitress for her thoughts and… She arrived at the same conclusion. Darn! In the end, I went for the BBQ beef, as I thought that might showcase the beef better than a stew.
And here it is, the Alberta House’s BBQ Beef Bun. Where is the dressing, topping, condiments or sauce? There is none. OK, let me put it this way: if the beef is juicy and good, is it really necessary any of those? Throw it in between some good pieces of bread and it should be enough, isn’t it? In this case, yes, that was all you needed.
Once again, click on the image for a larger version in a new window.
Remember I mentioned juicy? When I took the first bite, this is the result. Yes, that is really well prepared beef. Sure, it is expensive for this sandwich (not to mention, mandatory 15% gratuity); however, it is a case of it was really worth it.
Finally, I also ordered one of their cookies. Not the best I have had; however, while moist it did not have a fatty/oily touch. Regardless, it worked to finish my meal.
Again, while the price is steep, I think it did justice to its source. As for coming back, I am interested in the chilli, so there is that remote chance I will be back! 
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I love how you’re going to do a “special” for the olympics. This is great! I look fwd to future posts too.
The prices actually seem reasonable to me, especially if they use top quality ingredients. I think I’ll try the beef sandwich when I get a chance.
I actually lined up on Sunday, thinking there was something to see besides just eating and I had just eaten up the street at the japanese place (can’t remember the name, but the food was served in cute little take away boxes just like Tenkubakudanyaki). Oh well, at least the line wasn’t that long. And I did manage to snag some free ear buds at the Bell cube, so I was happy.
Tia, you are welcome!
Holly, I intend to visit most of these places between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. which means the lines shouldn’t be that bad; however, the downside is that it is not the ideal time for some activities. One I will definitely have to do at night is visit David Lam Park (or the nearby area) or look at the lights. Will see!
Nothing says well cooked and/or prepared meat like that sandwich Kim. Glad you were able to enjoy it. But really, just Oil and Beef…what about The Mall! hehe
Raidar, mall? Wrong crowd…
I finally made it to Alberta House on my third attempt. The second time was during a men’s hockey game and no one seemed likely to move for awhile so I left a little disappointed.
I ordered their hot black currant cider (delish), their chowder and the chicken pot pie. I enjoyed both food items and also want to return to try the beef sandwich and chili.
The best part of the meal was that I scored FREE hockey tickets to watch the Chinese women beat Slovakia 3-1. It was my first olympic event and I had a hoot. Thanks so much Alberta House. I love you!!!
Holly, glad it worked for you!
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