Union Street keeps delighting us.

First, chic shops, Charlie and Lee, LAND and Board of Trade pop up. Now resto-bar The Union brings communal tables and creative cocktails to the block. The newest member of the Habit and Cascade family, the Union serves the type of food that fits its location on the southeast edge of Chinatown: Southeast Asian. We love the Thai-style green papaya salad ($7), the Vietnamese-style caramelized prawn bahn mi ($7) and the Indonesian-style nasi goreng ($13). We fell hard for the savoury cocktail (yes, savoury) tom yum collins made with coconut milk, lemongrass and Thai basil ($10).

Here's one union we are happy to join. —Kelsey Dundon

The Union Bar, 219 Union St., Vancouver, BC 604.568.3230, www.theunionbar.ca

They had us at hand-painted wallpaper.

We first fell in love with House Guest when we got a sneak peek at its gold ceilings, vintage suitcase tables, and catacomb-style skull wall.  Then we tried the newly opened supper club’s t’schin t’schin duck rolls, mac ‘n’ cheese croquettes and seafood platter, and we were hooked. We can’t decide what we’re more excited about: a Saturday night spent listening to our favourite DJs spin at the antique-desk-turned-DJ-booth, or a Sunday brunch with chicken and waffles and a Guinness-infused Caesar.

Maybe both? —Kelsey Dundon

Open Wednesday to Saturday, brunch on Sundays. House Guest, 200 - 332 Water St., Vancouver, www.housexguest.com

When it’s too chilly to shop, we say, let’s eat!

dinner
Victoria, B.C. Chef Derek Dammann’s DNA in Old Montreal only sounds like molecular gastronomy. Instead, honest and innovative Italian fare (perhaps influenced by cooking with Jamie Oliver at London's Fifteen) is served in an open room with retro-eighties blown glass. Go for the BBQ octopus with chickpeas and watercress ($13) and the porchetta with radish and mustard leaves ($10) and order lots of little things to share. 355 Rue Marguerite D'Youvile, Montreal, 514-287-3362, www.dnarestaurant.com

cocktails
Montreal's Opus Hotel has a prime St Laurent location and the gorgeous restaurant Koko (pictured) that opens into a big tented courtyard—once again destined to be a hot summer cocktailing spot. Opus Hotel, 10 Sherbrooke Ouest, Montreal, 514-843-6000, www.opushotel.com

lunch
At L’Express, the steak melts in your mouth, the chicken and mustard sauce is sublime and the grilled salmon comes simply prepared with a sprinkling of grey sea salt. Some things are best because they never change. L’Express, 3927 Rue St. Denis, Montreal, 514-845-5333.

plane picnic
With 13 locations, Le Pain D'Oré is no secret, but it's simply the best place to pick up a "Parisian" ham and cheese baguette to ease the pain of your Tango flight home. Le Pain D'Oré, 3611 Boul. Saint-Laurent, Montreal, 514-982-2520.

For us, the perfect weekend reads gallery browsing and eggs benny. And while we can't brunch at the Tate Modern or SAM every weekend, finally there's an art-inspired weekend restaurant in our fair city.

The Autumn Brook Gallery at the foot of Gallery Row houses a selection of B.C. artists’ work and, on Saturday and Sunday, a French-inspired morning menu (croque-monsieur and salade de fruits, $12.50) made with organic local produce.

Tables covered with manila paper and pencil crayons may just spark your inner Pollack, or spend your brunch procuring the perfect contemporary painting for above the mantle.

A meal and a masterpiece? So art smart.

Autumn Brook Gallery, 1545 W. Fourth Ave., Vancouver, 604-737-2363, view the menu at www.autumnbrook.ca/brunch.htm

With just 30 seats arranged around a large black chandelier, open all afternoon for late lunches, and with every wine offered by the glass, the new Pied-a-Terre is the next best thing to Parisian boyfriend.

Start (as they do in France) with an aperitif like Lillet ($6) or a demi of Kronenbourg ($3.50) and survey the cool crowd of Douglas Park date-nighters.

Do start with the Paysanne salad ($9.50) topped with crispy lardons and a poached egg and we loved the Entrecote ($25) with a choice of four sauces (like the classic poivrée), and the charming $5 sides like “petits pois” and “haricots verts.” Our coq au vin ($16.95) was almost too large to finish —but our second bottle of French wine? No problem finishing that.

Reservations strongly recommended. 3369 Cambie St., 604-873-3131. www.pied-a-terre-bistro.com

Put down the remote! If the dreary weather has you crawling under your comforter, it’s time to put on your best boots and head to gastro-crazed Gastown.

With a neuvo Latin style, the cozy and kitsch-free Cobre makes the most of its heritage space with exposed brick walls, copper tones and wood floors. Slip into a bottle of Argentina’s Firesteed Pinot Noir ($50) and choose tapas-style plates to share, like the tasty roast garlic eggplant chevre empanada ($11) and the must-have skirt steak with cinnamon-flavoured chorizo hash ($15).

For dessert, the decadent chocolate Ibarra soufflé ($7) is worth the 25-minute wait. Just be sure to use your time wisely by enjoying another bottle of wine.

Cobre, 52 Powell St., Vancouver, 604-669-2396, www.cobrerestaurant.com

Amsterdam isn’t just red lights and smoking, it’s a gorgeous little city full of style, sass and comely canals.

Eat & Drink

Order a koffie verkeerd (café au lait) among the locals at the Café de Jaren. This big, bright space has a full menu, free newspapers and overlooks the Amstel River.

Café de Jaren, Nieuwe Doelenstraat 20-22, Amsterdam, +31 (0)20-62 55 771, www.diningcity.nl//cafedejaren/en/index.html

See

The city is a European design capital. Hop on a speedy tram to visit the shops, restos, clubs and hotels featured in the Amsterdam Design 2007 guide. www.amsterdamdesign.info

Shop

Head to fashion-forward De Negen Straatjes (aka the 9 Streets). LockStock & Barrel carries original finds by Scandinavian designers like FilippaK and Baum und Pferdgarten. Or pick up some vintage silk blouses at Zipper.

LockStock & Barrel, Hartenstraat 26, Amsterdam, +31 (0)20-4123348

Zipper, Huidenstraat 7, Amsterdam, +31(0)20-6237302

www.theninestreets.com

Sleep

Give peace a chance in the John & Yoko Suite at the Hilton Amsterdam. The couple held a bed-in here in 1969 and the lady herself designed the room (in peaceful white, of course). Order the perfect head rest from the hotel’s pillow menu (we like the Warm & Soft filled with kapok) or borrow a bike to explore the chic shops in the Zud neighborhood.

Believe us: we didn’t expect to be recommending a chain restaurant either, but when we saw the design of the refurbished Yaletown Milestones, we were somehow drawn in.

Floating fireplaces, a glassed-in private room that appears to be surrounded by abstract silver trees, and Steven Sprouse-inspired graffiti upholstery are just some of the touches we loved.

Even the once-taboo Navaho print looks fresh as wallpaper and snakeskin banquettes and driftwood décor add to the quirky-cool factor.

We suggest drinks at the communal table in the bar area to celebrate your latest milestone. Does making it to Friday count?

1109 Hamilton St., 604-684-9111, www.milestonesrestaurants.com

Herewith our guide to a naughty fall getaway with your beau du jour in Seattle:

SAM TASTE

Nothing says holiday more than a leisurely mid-afternoon wine-laden lunch. So we were thrilled to find that the Seattle Art Museum has a brand spanking new restaurant `å la MOMA. We loved the Alsatian flatbread pizza with carmelized onions, local fromage blanc and bacon ($19) paired with a glass (or half litre!) of Chinook Semillon from the Yakima Valley. It's the perfect precursor to your "afternoon delight." TASTE Restaurant, 1300 First Ave., Seattle, 206-903-5291, www.tastesam.com

shop

Clutch

If you can let go of your guy, grab on to an evening bag or carry-all tote at handbag hot spot Clutch located at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel. We coveted the Kim White 70s-inspired envelope clutches in metallic hues ($270) and barely left the shop without an Foley + Corinna tote in this season's must-have grey. Clutch, 1212 Fourth Ave., Seattle, 206-624-2362, www.clutchseattle.com

drink

Tempt your tastebuds and save a few bucks by snapping up some delish Washington pinot noir at The Pike and Western Wine Shop located at Pike Place Market. The staff are incredibly helpful and knowledgeable so stock up!

sleep

Fairmont Olympic Hotel

Celebrate good times with the Fairmont Olympic Hotel's Celebration package (from US$359) complete with chocolate-covered strawberries and champagne upon your arrival, free valet parking, one night's accommodation in a deluxe room and breakfast in bed! We loved the in-room movie selection of romantic foreign films like Once.

You’ve traded your pink manicure for red, you’ve shelved the ballet flats for brown boots, and now all that’s left is to abandon the salad bar for the rich tastes of fall.

Romantic West End jewel Parkside has just the entré into autumn with its Game and Wild Mushroom Festival launching October 19.

Think quail ravioli with sage butter, elk bresaola with truffled pecorino and grilled bison striploin….hearty, healthy, and he’ll like it too.

Just tell your gal pals you’re out catching the game.

Game and Wild Mushroom Festival runs October 19th to November 9th. Three courses, $49. For menu and reservations visit www.parksiderestaurant.ca