Cars and Boneta

Cutest race car ever

Look who RaeRae and I saw in Gastown on our way to dinner tonight!

It's the race car from Pixar's Cars (and I can't mention the word "race car" without thinking about its palindromic properties!). I've never seen the movie and I heard it's not one of their best, but this is adorable regardless. We think they were showing them off at Vancouver's Pixar Studios.

Nearby was also the buck-toothed rusty truck. I wanted to take a picture of it/him but he was quickly hauled into the caverns of a semi-trailer truck, hidden from view.

And the reason I have photographic proof? My new semi-smartphone arrived in the mail yesterday courtesy of Fido: a Samsung Galaxy Q. I chose it for its sliding QWERTY keyboard and Android capabilities. Since I came home quite late last night and didn't notice my UPS package until right before going to bed, I ended up staying awake for a couple more hours to download apps and set up my phone. I was so excited to put it into use!

Tonight, RaeRae, Asi, and I went to Boneta for dinner. It was our first time there and I was told they had just moved to a new location. The space was ultra-modern with its laid-back charm and strange (surrealist? This is where I wish I studied some modern art...) paintings. We didn't have reservations but at 6:00pm it was still mostly empty, and as the night went on it filled up fast and got noisier with all the chatter.

RaeRae and I shared the following:

Boneta's beef carpaccio

• Housemade potato thyme gnocchi, chanterelle mushrooms & goat cheese - good but not great
• Beef carpaccio, garlic chips, arugula, marinated mushrooms & quail's egg - not bad but I'd rather go for Guu Garlic's salmon carpaccio (yes, I am aware that beef is different from salmon)
• Seared fois gras, brioche French toast & fig raisin compote - not as good as Chambar's
• Deep-fried octopus chips, Thai chilli & lemon dressing - the highlight of our meal for its texture and taste. So good that RaeRae ordered a second one for herself!

Our friend Pietro, whom I first met at a Travis concert a few years ago, joined us for dessert. Soon after, we realized that Jensen Ackles, who is in Vancouver to film Supernatural, was dining there as well. That may have been my first restaurant star sighting!

For dessert I ordered the butter tart with white balsamic ice cream & caramelized apple. I was not a fan at all since there was a strange crunchy texture in the tart (bacon?) and the other flavours didn't blend well with it. RaeRae and Pietro were more successful with their honeycomb parfait, honey beignet & bee pollen and bitter chocolate mousse, candied bacon & bourbon pastry cream, respectively.

For Gastown eats, I still prefer Pourhouse based on ambiance, price, and service. Smeek and I went to L'Abattoir a couple of weeks ago and though we ate well on the whole and the place was gorgeous, I felt it was a bit overpriced. It's times like these that I miss my faithful (and defunct) Corner Suite Bistro de Luxe.

Nostalgia aside, after Asi and RaeRae left, Pietro and I wandered around looking for coffee and then stumbled upon an intimate café performance at Trees Organic on Granville St. I felt like a tourist in my own town and was happy to have had the opportunity to reconnect with friends whom I haven't (or have barely) seen in a long time. The two of us agreed that Gastown was magical at night and each reminded ourselves how lucky we were to live in Vancouver.