ATLAS STEAK + FISH

Every now and then, you go to a restaurant and have the pleasure of having an experience, not just a meal. Atlas is self-described as a “flirtatious and modern twist on the iconic North American steakhouse” and it does not disappoint. After a $5 million dollar renovation, the culinary jewel in the Grand Villa Casino has opened its doors, so we made our merry way to Burnaby to check out what all the fuss was about.

Our group was seated in a cozy booth with a great view of the entire room. While we all enjoyed our cocktails, I was captivated by the non-stop action in the open kitchen as the chefs busily worked away.  For my appy, I decided to order the Baby Kale and Spinach Salad with warm bacon, mustard vinaigrette and shiitake mushrooms. Like the classic steakhouse Caesar Salad they also offer, this was prepared tableside which is always fun to watch and makes for great conversation. Oh, and did I mention it was delicious?

As we moved on to our mains, I didn’t hesitate to take Chef Brian Everett’s suggestion to go with the classic and nostalgic Steak Oscar which was a delectable 9oz Alberta Angus Reserve tenderloin served with dungeness crab, grilled asparagus and béarnaise sauce – medium rare of course. Now, I don’t say this lightly, but this may have been one of the best steaks I’ve tasted in recent memory. When I asked Chef what made it so flavourful, he credited their Josper oven with grill fired with mesquite charcoal and of course, the skilled kitchen staff.  My friend Michelle who ordered the Miso Glazed Sablefish with shitake and edamame succotash said her dish was outstanding – and I can verify this as I stole I couple of bites. Whatever their secret is? We’ll be back for more!

Executive Food and Beverage Manager Sylvain Cuerrier made his way over to our table and convinced us that dessert was a must – and who are we to argue? We all decided to share the Baked Alaska. After all, if you’re going to enjoy the full steakhouse experience, why not? This divine little treat with raspberry coconut ice cream, lemon sorbet, orange vanilla cake and italian meringue was flambéed tableside and  was the perfect way to end the meal.

ATALS Steak + Fish served the perfect amount of steakhouse nostalgia with a modern twist. I will definitely be paying them a visit again soon!

CONTEST ALERT: Want to win a fabulous food and wine sampling for 4 served tableside at ATLAS Steak + Fish? Just write in the comments why you want to win!

Draw date: December 31, 2017 Expires: February 28, 2018. Max value $400

 

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Santa’s Little Helper With Best Buy Canada

I had the wonderful opportunity to do a very special day of filming with Best Buy Canada and play the role of Santa’s Little Helper. My mission was to surprise unsuspecting shoppers with a gift from their wish list after asking them to share their weirdest gift experiences. Best Buy had an interview booth set up for me where my little elves would bring shoppers to me and I would ask them a few questions about weird gifts they’d received over the years and chat about their holiday experiences. During my interviews, I would try and get our shoppers to tell me what their dream gift would be from Best Buy for themselves or a loved one and by the time we would exit the booth, voila, the Best Buy elves would be waiting with the best gift ever with a big bow on top!

Be sure to check out the video get a behind the scenes peek at how we set up this operation and made people’s holiday dreams come true! Big thanks to the folks at Best Buy and the talented team at Georgia Street Media for such a fun and fulfilling day of filming!

CONTEST ALERT: You could win a $1000 Best Buy gift card. Just find Best Buy on Twitter or Instagram (@BestBuyCanada) to see how you can participate in the #BestGiftsBestBuy contest. Contest ends December 23rd.

Click on the link for full details! http://ow.ly/nGdv30hbKJd

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Jump For Joy Photo Project

When my friend and photographer Eyoälha Baker asked me to participate in her Jump For Joy Photo Project, I had no idea what to expect. Her concept is simple: capturing the beauty of the human spirit — in mid-air — around the world. She instructed me to bring something with me that gives me joy – which is my trusty little pup Chewbacca, of course – and pick my favourite spot which is Kits Beach. We met on a beautiful, blue sky afternoon and had way too much fun trying to catch both me and Chewy jumping for joy in unison and the results are indeed joyful!
 
Eyoälha has travelled all over the world with her camera in hand, bringing people joy with this wonderful project. If you want to find out more info or check out some of the fantastic photos, be sure to visit her website at https://jumpforjoyphotoproject.wordpress.com/
Joyfully yours,
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Genesis on the Sea-To-Sky

Whistler has always had a special place in my heart and I had a fantastic girlie getaway weekend with Genesis Motors. Negotiating the winding curves of the Sea-To-Sky highway was a breeze in Genesis’ G80. This luxury whip not only has fantastic handling and all the bells and whistles, it’s full of power with the 5.0 V8 engine! The G80 has impeccable performance, tons of room and is luxury by design. I’d highly recommend taking one for a for a whirl to see if it’s the ride for you!
To find out more, visit my friends at Genesis Vancouver: http://www.genesisvancouver.com
Happy driving!
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