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

You don’t have to have survived the disco era to appreciate the new range of Alive yogurts packed with anti-oxidant fruits like pomegranate and blueberry and healthy extracts of green tea, carrot and tomato.

Pomegranate Vanilla is delish, but it’s the Very Berry Açia flavour that woke up our taste buds.

Ranked #1 on the list of super foods, the Brazilian Açia berry is harvested from Amazonian palms and is loaded with age-defying health benefits.

Now if only eating yogurt could make us look like Brazilian bombshell Gisèle Bundchen.

Couldn’t hurt to try.

For B.C. retailers and nutritional information, visit www.aliveyogurt.com

And when that flow is The Cascade Room, get ready for a ride.

The modern gastropub is the newest venture from the starchitects who own next door's Habit—and while the hipster crowd looks like a casting session for a 1980s mockumentary, it's clearly about to go off with its smart décor and fun, London vibe.

We suggest the wild prawn linguine with preserved lemon ($16) but mind your table manners: the lampshades feature a portrait of Queen Victoria, who appears to preside over the table.

The big room is warmed up with art deco wallpaper and The Jam and The Lemonheads rock the playlist.

But the pièce de resistance is the entrance with its modern etching of a British government slogan from World War II: "Keep Calm and Carry On."

That, we can do just fine.

The Cascade Room, 2616 Main St. (at 10th Ave.), Vancouver, 604-709-8650 www.thecascade.ca

Cheap and cheerful Mexican joints are popping up faster than you can say Gael Garcia Bernal.

At Yaletown's new Salsa & Agave Mexican Grill, mama cooks in the back while her hottie son waits on tables.

Grab a seat on the sidewalk and order the refreshing, house–made fruit water ($2) extracted from an indigenous Mexican tree.

Next, tuck into authentic sopes ($3), puffy hand–made corn tortillas with crimped edges that hold beans, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, avocado and a choice of meats–like Carnitas soft pork.

The waiter is so cute you may want to take him home–in which case you can try out the one Spanish phrase you know: "Y Tu Mama Tambien" (and your mother, too).

Salsa & Agave Mexican Grill, 1223 Pacific Blvd., Vancouver, 604-408-4228.

Are you so swift with a spatula that your friends call you Janey Oliver?

OK, so the Food Network isn't knocking down your kitchen door (yet), but you can still share your culinary prowess with the masses via a new Vancouver–based website called www.makemysupper.com.

Like a gustatory YouTube, post videos of you whipping up your famous pisaladière or flambéing prawns in tequila—and maybe even hook up with that cute guy who makes the mean lemon tart for dessert.

www.makemysupper.com

If Tofino's too far but you need some seaside solace, we've got the secret new spot for you.

The new "Chocolate Suite" opened by Cocoa West Chocolatier on Bowen Island is a sleek little modern oasis right in the village square.

Clean and modern, and located amongst an organic grocer, a new movie theatre and restaurant and the Cocoa West café in Artisan Square, you hardly need to venture far.

The suite comes with rainhead shower, a flat-screen TV and DVD library, beach towels, a picnic set and blanket — and organic truffles and morning coffees from the chocolate shop.

Now that's a sweet suite.

From $150/night with two night minimum. View photos and inquire here.

Pop quiz

LoJo is:

a. JLo’s long-lost depressive twin.
b. the hottest new shopping district in Victoria.

If you answered b., congratulations! You win a free virtual tour of Lower Johnson, home of heritage architecture and hot shopping.

If you answered a., sorry, darling. Better check back with Us Weekly.

As promised, a tour:

still life
An adorable walk-in closet of a shop featuring flirty tops paired with Habitual denim and Joe’s Jeans. 551 Johnson St., Victoria, B.C., 250-386-5655, www.stilllifeboutique.com

addiction
Find yours in its house line of pretty, printed-silk kimono dresses and tops. 587 Johnson St., Victoria, B.C., 250-370-0336.

suasion
A gorgeous, high-ceilinged purveyor of summery dresses and stacked heel pumps from Italy. 562 Johnson St., Victoria, B.C., 250-995-0133.

habit coffee & culture
Refuel with locally roasted beans, sweet treats and arty magazines; or if you’re pining for something more plentiful, head next door to Mo:Lé for heaping plates of tasty organic fare. 552 Pandora Ave., Victoria, B.C., 250-294-1127.

And just around the corner in Chinatown:

silk road aromatherapy & tea company
Recently expanded, its home to a natural spa, a new tea tasting bar and beautiful, hand-tied “tea blossoms,” and shaped teas www.silkroadtea.com/shaped_teas.htm also available online. 1624 Government St., Victoria, B.C., 250-704-2688, www.silkroadtea.com

eat
Pick up fresh jambon-beurre baguettes at Le Panier bakery across from Pike Place Market. 1902 Pike Place, 206-441-3669, www.lepanier.com

do
Walk to the new, free, waterfront Olympic Sculpture Park and picnic on the red mesh chairs placed among the white birch, dogwoods, pea gravel paths and manicured lawns. Take a virtual tour and read more here.

shop
You can't beat Nordstrom Rack for sharp discounts on men's Seven Jeans ($30), Kerastase shampoo ($24), Hanky Panky and Cosabella lingerie ($5), Michael Kors shearling purses (70 per cent off), and Lacoste shoes ($20)—and that was just last week. 1601 2nd Ave., 206-448-8522.

stay
The Fairmont Olympic is located right in the heart of the shopping district, and offers a grand lobby, large health club and an oyster bar. The Only One Way summer rate (from May 1, 2007) is $299/night. www.fairmont.com/seattle