SPOTLIGHT | Maddy Kelly Live x Just For Laughs x Fox Cabaret

"Consent is not a big part of tickling, historically."

His Parents Never Taught Him

Mount Pleasant—(February 18, 2026) Vancouver's very own Maddy Kelly, the now New York City-transplanted stand-up comedian, came back to town for another reliably sharp stage performance. Her latest set of jokes mostly delighted the familiar hometown crowd inside the Fox Cabaret music venue located at the nexus of Main Street and Kingsway as part of the city's annual eleven-day Just for Laughs Vancouver comedy festival.

WEEKENDER | The Downside Live x Just For Laughs x Biltmore Cabaret

"It's about all the weird ways hamsters die."

Photo credit | Andrew Kelly/NYT

Mount Pleasant—(February 17, 2025) On a crisp winter Family Day long weekend ("When's Joy Day?") night out, I gathered, amidst a jovial audience, to witness the energetic New York-based, Italian-Jewish-American stand-up comedian co-host a live edition of his semi-popular The Downside with Gianmarco Soresi podcast alongside fellow Uncle Function sketch group sidekick, Broadway performer Russell Daniels, on stage at the Biltmore Cabaret in the middle of the annual ten-day Just for Laughs Vancouver comedy festival.

IMBIBE | Good Thief x Rebellious Vietnamese x Riley Park

"It's a venture into the unexplored territories of flavour and design."

Riley Park–Little Mountain—(July 25, 2024) From co-founders/siblings Vincent and Amélie Thuy Nguyễn, the same "older brother and sister" duo behind the award-winning, authentic Vietnamese restaurant slyly named after themselves, Anh and Chi (since 2016), comes their hotly anticipated, recently opened next door culinary side project, the cheekily named Good Thief—a name purposely evoking a modern day Robin Hood.

IMBIBE | Zarak x ¿CóMO? x Tocador x Vancouver Cocktail Week 2024

Mount Pleasant—(March 5, 2024) In its third year, the annual Vancouver Cocktail Week continued its libatious celebration of the art of the cocktail through a variety of bartender-forward events, tastings, and dinner pairings across the city. Among many of the thirsty day trips offered, I was invited to one of VCW's neighbourhood jaunts, the Main Street Cocktail Crawl, visiting three of the hottest restaurants for a drink and snack at each stop.

WEEKENDER | Street Party x Vancouver Mural Festival x Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant—(August 10 to 14, 2023) I spent the weekend wandering around the Mount Pleasant Street Party as part of the annual ten-day Vancouver Mural Festival (since 2016) on and around the grounds of the City Centre Artist Lodge—the remnants of the old City Centre Motel, since converted into seventy-nine units of low-cost studio spaces for local artists.

IMBIBE | Please! Beverage Co. x Tasting House x Mount Pleasant

"Our goal is to elevate the ready-to-drink category by adding some narrative."

Mount Pleasant—(June 26, 2023) Local premium ready-to-drink bottled cocktail distillery Please! Beverage Co. has moved beyond its retail offerings with the recent opening of its bright and expansive Tasting House—taking over a space previously occupied by an auto repair shop at 5th and Alberta.

GRUB | TV Beer Dinner x Brassneck Brewery x Mount Pleasant

"Grab a tray. Settle in, you're all set."

Mount Pleasant—As a byproduct of the now weeks-long coronavirus (COVID-19) shutdown, Brassneck Brewery had the fun idea to sell their own various prepackaged takeout TV Beer Dinners in the meantime, while their tasting room is closed.

WEEKENDER | Vancouver Craft Beer Week 2019

Hastings–Sunrise—(May 30 and June 8, 2019) The tenth annual Vancouver Craft Beer Week took place last week with its many ale related activities including their always fun kickoff opening party, located this year at Beaumont Studios, as well as the now massive, flagship two-day closing weekend festival on the PNE Fairgrounds—where it's been a fixture the last few years.

GRUB | ¿CóMO? Taperia x Spanish Tapas Bar x Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant—Vancouver's newest Spanish tapas restaurant ¿CóMO? Taperia, located just off 7th and Main in the still yet to be completed Ellsworth Building, certainly opened with high expectations, lofty ambitions, and a sterling pedigree to live up to.

BEERFEST | Funky x Electric Bicycle Brewing x Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant—One of Vancouver's newer and definitely funkier craft breweries, Electric Bicycle Brewing's tasting room has quietly made itself a standout in the crowded beer scene with its uniquely original attitude inside and out of its industrial and well-populated Brewery Creek neighbourhood.

BEERFEST | 33 Brewing Exp(eriment) x Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant—33 Acres Brewing Co. quietly opened a secondary experimental craft brewery next door to its original tasting room location. 33 Brewing Exp only further heightens the brand's taste for simple design and refreshing beer.

GRUB | Funky Brunch x Rumpus Room x Mount Pleasant

chicken and waffles (with gravy, maple syrup, and green onions)

Mount Pleasant—(September 22, 2018) The reopened Rumpus Room, which took over the old Foundation location earlier this year with much of the same decor and welcoming appeal from owners Rachel Zottenberg and David Duprey. Their funky weekend brunch service is just in line with the rest of the homey eatery.

KAFFE | Buns + Boba Café x Bubble Tea x Mount Pleasant

"But first boba."

Mount Pleasant—It was bound to happen. One of Vancouver's newer (and definitely hipper) cafes has a decidedly Taiwanese sweet drink twist. Buns + Boba Café, located centrally on East Broadway, takes the simple pleasures of bubble tea drinks and brings a more artisanal style approach.

KAFFE | Cafe and Cozy x Modus Coffee x Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant—After a couple of years of hustling in Vancouver's vibrant coffee scene, the folks behind Modus Coffee Roasting Co., owners Sharif and Jessica, finally opened a proper brick-and-mortar coffee shop on West Broadway late last year.

WEEKENDER | Vancouver Mural Festival 2017

Mount Pleasant—(August 12, 2017) The second annual Vancouver Mural Festival (previously known as the Autumn Shift Festival before that) and its accompanying street party took over the closed-off Main Street this past weekend, showcasing many talented artists across East Vancouver.

KAFFE | Coffee + Groceries x The Federal Store x Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant—The tucked away The Federal Store advertises itself as a cozy, neighbourhood luncheonette and grocer nestled on Quebec Street and 10th Avenue.

KAFFE | The Paper Crane Coffee x Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant—The Paper Crane Coffee shop is East Vancouver's latest, slightly out of the way neighbourhood cafe located on East Broadway.

BEERFEST | R&B Ale & Pizza House x Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant—After a few short months open and many delays before that, R&B Ale & Pizza House has quickly become a charming, neighbourhood fixture in its once predominantly industrial surroundings. After their acquisition by Howe Sound Brewing last year, R&B Brewing Co. (est. 1997) looks primed for a resurgence after being the "East Van Original" of the local craft beer scene it help start.

WEEKENDER | Vancouver Mural Festival 2016

Mount Pleasant—(August 20, 2016) The first-ever Vancouver Mural Festival hit the streets—taking over for the previously annual Autumn Shift Festival—over the weekend closing off parts of Main Street and the Eastside while showcasing some of our most talented local artists.

BEERFEST | Faculty Brewing Co. x Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant—Faculty Brewing Co. is Vancouver's newest and latest craft brewery opened just in time for the end of summer and located across the street from Olympic Village neighbourhood.