TOUR

Hometown Advantage

By Caitlin McQuinna

B.C. is throwing a party and everyone’s invited. But just like at any big bash, there are going to be a few rooms where the hosts can get away from the crush and cut loose with friends.

Officially sanctioned celebration zones are everywhere, drawing crowds of rowdy revellers. Those in the know retreat to the under-the-radar spots for good food and drink, familiar faces and a distinctly West Coast vibe. Wanna party like a local? Herewith, an insider’s guide to where Vancouverites will be celebrating the Olympic Games.

In the City…

Red Card Sports Bar
New from the team behind Cibo Trattoria (enRoute’s best new restaurant in Canada) is Red Card, a Euro sports bar boasting 18 high-def TVs, a raised open-concept kitchen and a wood-burning pizza oven imported from Italy. Enjoy West Coast twists on everything from pizza and pasta to mains like guazzetto di cozze (fresh B.C. mussels with white wine, garlic, chili and parsley). The drinks scene is also a cut above: 16 draft beers, 40-plus artisanal bottled beers and handcrafted cocktails.
900 Seymour St., 604-689-4460, redcardsportsbar.com.

St. Regis Bar and Grill
This recently reno’d brick and dark wood room, kitted out with big flat screens, is steps from the Granville SkyTrain station and downtown office towers. Here’s where you’ll find savvy workin’ folk taking long “coffee breaks” to get their midday Olympic fix. Somehow, despite its location, the St. Regis remains curiously under the radar – and that’s a good thing. Skip the pedestrian grub, but go for drink specials that are hard to beat in the area.
602 Dunsmuir St., 604-696-5558, stregishotel.com

Local Public Eatery
Westsiders breathed a sigh of relief when Local opened its doors in November. The killer location on Cornwall Avenue, right across from Kits beach, lay empty for years before the Joey restaurant group took it over. Yes, it’s a cleverly disguised corporate chain – the nimble young servers wearing XXS tees are your first clue – but the casual atmosphere, huge screens, abundance of microbrews on tap and immensely satisfying two-fister burgers make it a favourite nonetheless.
2210 Cornwall Ave., 604-734-3589, localpubliceatery.com

Habit
Habit Lounge is a fun retro-cool resto in the heart of Vancouver’s South Main hipster haven. The decor is 1970s rec-room chic (chocolate leather button-back booths, red orange Eiffel chairs, a wall of shag), and the menu is all about simple comfort food reimagined, like Ocean Wise-approved albacore tuna casserole. The drink list is where things get wonderfully loopy: 21 Canadian whiskies plus classic ’70s cocktails, like Blue Hawaiian and Tequila Sunrise, served in a bento box with a mini shaker, ice, glass and all the ingredients portioned out.
2610 Main St., 604-877-8582, habitlounge.ca

In the Mountains…

Roland’s Creekside Pub
Located in Whistler’s Creekside, adjacent to the boutique Nita Lake Lodge, Roland’s is where lifties and well-informed weekend warriors come for pulled pork, beef brisket, ribs and chicken made by head chef “BBQ Bob” Haselbach, a decorated barbecue champion. Locals also flock here for game night, complete with nine flat-screen TVs, free parking and a raucous atmosphere. (It’s kid-friendly until 8 p.m.)
2129 Lake Placid Rd., Creekside, 604-932-5940, rolandswhistler.com

Dusty’s
One of Whistler’s original watering holes and home to a fire-warmed patio you can literally ski onto, Dusty’s continues to be a legendary après venue. Sure, it’s an Intrawest place, but its Creekside location shelters it from the Village throngs. Buckets of ice-cold beer and nachos groaning under the weight of cheese, salsa, and guac – what more do you need after a long day on the slopes?
2040 London Lane, 604-905-2171, whistlerblackcomb.com

The Pony
Pemberton, a bedroom community to Whistler, is where many of Whistler’s ski and snowboard pros live and where visiting celebrities and tycoons who demand privacy often stay. And the Pony, a restaurant, coffee shop, bakery and makeshift community centre, is where locals come to gossip and dive into hearty dishes. The menu is heavily influenced by French bistro classics, made modern with such B.C. ingredients as Pemberton beef, Sloping Hills organic pork, Fraser Valley duck and local produce, like the famous Pemberton potatoes.
1392 Portage Rd., 604-894-5700, ponyespresso.ca

(Caitlin McQuinna is a Vancouver-based writer and editor who can be found cheering her head off at one of the above establishments throughout the month of February.)

TOP IMAGE: LEANNA ROTHKELLY
LOCAL: CHRIS KAISER
ROLANDS: ROLANDS CREEKSIDE PUB