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Street Eats at CR Live Streets Evening Market

  Wednesday evening I strolled downtown to check out Campbell River's "CR Live Streets Evening Market" (catchy name, I know), while Whiskey was having a girls night with old friends. Although, primarily a craft/farmer's market, I was there for the street food, and there was quite a bit. Locals turned out in throngs, it was much more bustling than I had imagined it would be, but then again what else is there to do on a August Wednesday evening in sleepy Campbell River?

  In attendance were local restaurants with small offerings from their menus, notably Honey Lemon Grill (Vietnamese cuisine) and Baan Thai restaurant, where I simply could not resist getting a cold Thai iced coffee.  Stonehouse Teas also had a presence selling a variety of hot and cold beverages. Signature Oil and Vinegar had a small tasting bar set up with a few samples paired with french bread. In addition there were food trucks. Cocoa-Nuts coffee was slinging java and Comfort Zone Foods was busy scooping out a variety of ice cream cones in generous measure, a popular stop for both young and old. At one point i noticed the line up was relatively short and slipped in to order up a salted caramel ice cream cone.  My camera was getting heavy around my neck at this point, and it was a pretty warm evening, so to take a break and have a cold cone was just the treat I desired!

  What I personally found more exciting, however were the small local homemade food vendors. Notably, The Pretzel Guyz who had piles of freshly made giant soft pretzels. Impressive in size, I didn't personally taste one (I don't really like pretzels *gasp*) but they told me they were made with the original Oktoberfest recipe. It certainly looked like the people who stepped up to sample one enjoyed it. I was also drawn towards a table filled with granola. Granola of of all types from the aptly named CR Great Granola. I sampled a peanut butter granola, that was quite good, and one called Chunky Monkey that included small bits of chocolate and banana. I really liked this, not too sweet but not too healthy tasting either.  The woman who makes the granola was a great salesperson, very enthusiastic and obviously passionate about her products.  One of her newest recipes was a paleo granola, which seemed to garner quite a bit of interest amongst the onlookers.

  Aside from the street eats, I should mention, there were artisans, photographers, leather crafters, jewelry makers and others, including a remarkable driftwood artist (Drifted Creations) who was crafting a wolf live on the spot while an intrigued crowd gathered. Adding to the overall ambiance, at the end of the closed off street block, local musicians played harmoniously. It all added up to a nice bit of local culture on a weekday evening for Campbell River.

Cheers, and bon appitit
-D













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