As the post-holiday blues subside we get back to our regular routine, Mrs. Sip and I have made sure to continue having fun, out and about, in this beautiful city we call home. Here’s what we got up to over the last week:

With tickets to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s ‘As Heard on TV’ concert last Friday, Mrs. Sip and I needed a spot for a date night dinner beforehand. Dunn’s Famous BC is located right next to The Orpheum concert hall and is perfect for pre-concert food and drink. The restaurant recently went through a prolonged renovation, morphing into more of a deli type eatery, similar to its original location in Montreal, Quebec.

We’ve enjoyed Dunn’s before, but haven’t visited since it reopened. While we had heard it was more of a takeout place now, that was incorrect and there was ample seating for guests who wanted to eat in. My concern was that alcoholic beverages could no longer be had, but that fear was quickly relieved by their advertisement of a bucket of beers deal on Fridays (among other offers, throughout the week).

Our drink order was a no-brainer. Their usual bucket of beer listing is $20 for four Steam Whistle bottles. On Fridays however, you can get five East Coast bottles of craft beer for the same price. Our bucket included three Unibroue selections (Blanche de Chambly, La Fin du Monde and Maudite) and two from Muskoka (Mad Tom IPA and Detour IPA). This all paired nicely with our order of Fried Chicken Poutine and a California Grilled Cheese, to share.

The next day, we made the long journey from Downtown Vancouver to Langley for Backyard Vineyards open house event. The gathering commemorated the winery’s release of their 2013 Syrah Reserve, which they were offering complimentary tastings of.

Outside of enjoying the Syrah, Ma and Pa Sip ordered a couple bottles of Backyard’s Rose, which is a crisp, light and flavourful wine that goes down very easy… especially when you’re enjoying the music of Andrew Christopher and taking in the beautiful surroundings.

I almost hate saying this because the open houses are busy enough already, but the winery is great, the staff amazing and if at all possible, it should be experienced. Mrs. Sip has been a member of Backyard for a couple years now and we’ve managed to convert other family and even strangers to join the club.

The upcoming weeks are filling up quickly. This weekend, we’ll be at Big Rock Urban Brewery for the Winter Beer Hall (part of the annual Dine Out Vancouver Festival) and with Mrs. Sip’s birthday rapidly approaching, there will be much to discuss. Sip well, my friends!