Skip to main content

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













Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Tidal Taco Shack, Qualicum Bay, BC.

 This taco joint has been on the Vagrant Foodies “Must Try” list for some time now. We have been hearing good things for a couple years now.   We waited 45 minutes for tacos at a beach-side parking lot, on a hot day with no shade to be found.   To be fair, the wait is always long, and they have a sign posted right near the window stating the wait is usually 30 minutes to an hour. It’s a popular place.     It’s truly a shack. A tiny shed like structure with a dozen or so picnic tables out front of it. We stepped to the window and browsed the menu which consists or six or so tacos, all of which can be made into burritos or salads as well.   We decided on four tacos between the two of us: one prawn, one fish, and two beef.   When we got there all the tables were occupied, so we sipped Mexican soft drinks and sat on the rocks and watched the ocean surf. It’s quite a beautiful location.   Although it it a busy place, I was struck by how slowly they get food out. In that

Back at the table

Hello foodie fans,  It’s been a little while since you have heard anything from us, life gets busy and we have been no exception.  With the imminent return  of the sun , myself and Chef D are planning our return to society from our long winter sleep as well and we are looking forward to a few new places around home to eat and check out.  Spoiler alert Victoria BC is on our list in the next few weeks for our annual VF foodie getaway. Hope you have been enjoying Chef D and his beer of the week reviews. Planning on adding Wine Wednesday to that mix along with a few other food related pages that we have in the works.  So with much love and growling stomachs we will be seeing you very soon. Stay tuned  Whiskey G.

Hank's *A Restaurant, Victoria BC

  We had to use Google maps to find this place, and we were almost on top of the location when we noticed it. Hanks is a small (allegedly eighteen seats, but even that’s pretty tight) restaurant with a small sign and darkened windows. Hanks is hidden in plain sight right downtown Victoria on Douglas street.   When we walked in I was instantly delighted, I felt like I had discovered a private back room of an obscure watering hole. The thick aroma of deeply browned meat hit my nostrils immediately. The place looked completely full; that is to say there were a dozen or so patrons, mostly sitting on stools around the bar.  We inquired if it possible get seated, but I was thinking we would be turned away. Whiskey and I may have fit slotted in somewhere, but we were expecting a guest to join us as well.  The bubbly hostess/server told us they had one table near the back of the dining room, so she led us eleven steps towards the back where we were delighted see the largest table (of the th