February 15 edition: Restaurants to make you go “oooh”

Hey there. It’s a busy week, between Valentine’s Day and Lunar New Year and Pancake Day, and Family Day creeping up around the corner. 

Enjoy the long weekend. Get some rest. Eat something tasty. Tell someone you love them.

— V.
Associate Editor

FEATURE

Sex//Work: How erotic films can help you own your sexual story

Let’s get steamy. Our new column, Sex//Work, is written by Vancouverites all across the sex trade, from exotic dancers, strippers, and dom(mes) to companions, full-service providers, and sensual activists. Sex is a part of human nature—and paying for pleasure is as old as the concept of money. In this column, Karma Devereaux delves into how watching performers can help us embody our own sexual selves.

LIVING

Invictus Games 2025 celebrates one year to go with free local events

Founded by Prince Harry, the Invictus Games are a global competition for wounded, injured, and sick service personnel and veterans. To mark one year to go until the games showcase the healing power of sport right here in Vancouver and Whistler, there are free events happening in both cities. Check them out here.

• Need Family Day plans? Here are our picks

• 500 Days in the Wild documents an epic cross-Canada hike

• Get back on the road. The experienced lawyers at Acumen Law Corporation will give you the best legal support for your driving prohibition case.*

• HSBC SVNS Vancouver is back next weekend from February 23-25 at BC Place, where 24 international men and women’s rugby teams will meet for the biggest party weekend of the year.*

*sponsored listing

SPONSORED BY VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL

The Spirit of the Send hosted by the Hive - VIMFF 2024

Four films showcase the love of climbing and the power of its community.

- Deepfreeze Directisme Walker depicts three French mountaineers as they try to free climb and make the first winter ascent of a route on the Grandes Jorasses north face.

-Hope documents Anna Hazlett's journey to send Prinzip Hoffnung (E9/10, 8b/+) in Bürs, Austria.

- On Sight tells the story of Memphis Rox, an unlikely climbing gym in South Memphis, creating community and changing lives.

-Soundscape examines how Erik Weihenmayer, a blind athlete, ascends a massive alpine rock face in the Sierra Nevada.

Erik will be joined in conversation with adventurer and professional joy merchant Timmy O’Neill to discuss climbing blind and their decades long partnership in adventures around the world.

ARTS

For Marlon Wayans, comedy is serious business

While Marlon Wayans is probably best-known for early noughties comedies like Scary Movie and White Chicks, he’s anything but pigeonholed. Besides some more serious acting work—including a role in Jordan Peele’s next psychological horror GOAT—he’s also swinging big in stand-out standup specials. “For me, the best jokes come from the worst experiences,” he tells us, ahead of his Just For Laughs show in Vancouver this weekend.

• Côté Danse puts the Odyssey into motion with X (Dix)

• RuPaul is coming to town for an intimate memoir event

• Momentum of Isolation makes loneliness a shared experience

MUSIC

Meet the finalists of Elevate Music Project

The biggest battle of the bands has returned to Vancouver. MRG’s Elevate Music Project has returned from hiatus to prove our music scene is still booming. Meet the three artists hoping to scoop the top prize in March: rapper Temia, rockers BAD MNY, and poppy Nette.

• Pearl Jam will kick off a world tour in Vancouver this spring

• Super-duo Robert Plant and Alison Krauss are coming to the Queen E

• Drag Queen & RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 12 runner-up, Crystal Methyd brings her one woman show 'Inside The Enchanted Forest' to Rickshaw Theatre this Friday, February 16th!*

*sponsored listing

SPONSORED BY FAMILY SERVICES GREATER VANCOUVER

There's More to My Story

At Family Services of Greater Vancouver, we know there’s more to everyone’s story. That’s why we take the time to get to know each of our clients as individuals, taking a trauma-informed approach that recognizes the unique personal histories and intersections that bring people through our doors. Learn more and share with #MoreToMyStory.

FOOD & DRINK

11 of Vancouver’s prettiest restaurants

We eat with our eyes. It’s why chefs spend so much time plating up their dishes just right, and every aspect of presentation matters: the size, colour, and shape of the plate; the heft of the utensils; the negative space between components. Some restaurants take it even further and make sure every aspect of the ambience is visually delightful, too. Here are our picks for 11 of the most beautiful Vancouver eateries.

• Pacific Culinary Institute channels hit TV show The Bear for a one-night-only event

• Fairmont Hotel Vancouver is playing host to an all-pink Saintly wine pop-up

• Find out which BC distilleries snatched gold in the Canadian Artisan Spirit Competition

• Experience the excitement at Rugby SVNS Kick-Off, hosted by Bentall Centre! Enjoy live music, food trucks, games, and more on February 23 from 12-4 pm!*

*sponsored listing

SPONSORED BY ARTS CLUB

A new spin on a timeless comedy

Catch the world premiere of Father Tartuffe: An Indigenous Misadventure at the Granville Island Stage Feb 22–Mar 24! Herbie Barnes describes his play, a co-production of the Arts Club and Touchstone Theatre, as an "adaptation of Molière’s play Tartuffe with a strong First Nations identity filled with humour and love."

THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND

COMEDY 🤣
Local comics—including Best of Vancouver 2023 winner Julie Kim—join forces for Comedy in the Forecast. (Feb. 16 @ Forecast Coffee)

MUSIC 🎤
Chor Leoni sings the songs of the sea in The Return Voyage. (Feb. 16 to 17 @ St. Andrew’s-Wesley United)

BOOKS 📖
North Van District Library is selling some pre-loved books and media, with all profits supporting the local library. (Feb. 16 to 18 @ Lynn Valley Village)

FILM 📽️
Enjoy comedies and dramas from across Asia with VIFF’s Lunar New Year programming. (Feb. 16 to 18 @ VIFF Centre)

CULTURE 🌎
Head to Granville Island for a family-focused day of Brazilian Carnaval fun. (Feb. 17 @ Performance Works)

CONVENTION 🤖
Bust out your best super-suit for the annual Fan Expo. (Feb. 17 to 19 @ Vancouver Convention Centre)

ANIMALS 🐈
Take a belated V-Day trip to the Regional Animal Protection Society for some kitty time and crafts. (Feb. 18 @ RAPS Cat Sanctuary)

Want to know what else is happening in Vancouver? Check out our events listings.

That’s it!

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