V-Day at the Opus

For Valentine’s Day, the Opus Hotel in Vancouver borrowed a page (or two) from the menu of Koko, the restaurant in the sister hotel in Montreal. The theme was Pan-Asian, which seemed approrpriate, since I was with a Pan-Asian, the Texas Twister.

The amuse bouche.

Raise the red lanterns.

Chinese lanterns, a jazz trio, and a menu featuring exotically spiced pheasant, lamb and lobster (w/a masala, my selection) were included in the package, along with wine tastings. An amuse bouche, an oyster, slipped down easily with a glass of Champagne, followed by a second course—I had the tom ka soup with tempura prawns. A fruit sushi roll was the capper on the meal, although a chocolate dessert with banana added a decadent denouement. Mais oui.

Our server, Haley, originally from Nelson B.C.

3rd course; fruit sushi, with locally made saki.

And the winner is…

Everywhere you look, people are handing out awards like they’re bailout packages. The Grammys, the Oscars, the Golden Globes, the Junos (if you’re Canadian), the Crappies (I don’t know what those are, I just made ‘em up, but I have a feeling Joaquin Phoenix and Christian Bale would win big-time). Now, I’m pleased to announce the inauguration of a new annual award, the Luxurios—aka, who can treat your Lavalife.com columnist/blogger and his girlfriend the lovely Ms Texas Twister to the best Valentine’s Day package. And the winner is: the Opus Hotel, on Davie Street in Yaletown, Vancouver.

After an initial qualifying round that involved emails to a number of the city’s finer hotels, the Opus got back to us with the sweetest deal*: the “Koko l’amour” dinner in the Opus Bar. On Valentine’s night, the hotel is transforming its high-falutin’, futuristic** nightspot “into a sophisticated Pan-Asian dining room… drawing on dishes created for Opus Montreal’s extremely popular Koko Restaurant + Bar” (fr. the press release). Decor includes orchids, lanterns, provocative paper fans, and Miley Cyrus and her entourage (okay, bad joke. But I can get away with it, the Texas Twister is half-Asian). Speaking of the Junos, a nominated singer, Melody Diachun and her trio plays nu-jazz to get us in the mood for luv, followed by a DJ’d party. Whoot whoot! as the kids say.

And so, unless something earth-shattering happens in the next day or two, I’ll be back on Sunday to report on our evening. I just hope I don’t go home with a Crappie.

*Okay, they were the only ones who responded, but that just says more about how lame this city is than how poorly worded my generous offers of hosting us might have been.

**You can spy on your date via live video feeds in the bathrooms.

Name a Stray for Valentine’s Day*

Our provincial animal shelter agency, the BC SPCA, is offering a rather unique Valentine’s Day fundraising idea: name a homeless pet after your loved one. The romantically inclined are invited down to the Vancouver shelter to select a pet, anything from dogs to cats, puppies and kittens and ferrets (Vancouver is well-known for its ferret population) and name a critter after a loved. In exchange for a minimum donation of $25, the romantic animal-lover is rewarded with a certificate with the pet’s photo and new name, which they can then give to the individual they’re salutng on Valentine’s Day.

However, this doesn’t mean the pet’s name is forever unalterable—indeed, it only lasts until the critter is adopted. On the bright side, all proceeds from the fundraiser benefit the local branch of the SPCA, which cares for thousands of homeless, abused and injured animals every year, including hundreds of strays, who are usually given names by shelter staff and volunteers. “We end up with a lot of ‘Buddies’ and ‘Shadows,’ so if we can mix it up a bit with a few Brendas and Trevors, all the better,” Vancouver branch manager Mark Vosper is quoted as saying in the press release. The promotion ends Feb. 14.

End the proliferation of “Buddies” and “Shadows” now.

*No, not my friend Mike, he already has a name.