Back in the day, drinking beer involved frat houses, funnels and ping pong tables.

Not any more. Bitter Tasting Room is the beer-lover’s answer to a wine bar, from the same people who brought us Salt and the Irish Heather. The room is modern, the list of ales and lagers is as big as a phone book and if you ask nicely, the bartender will even whip you up a beer cocktail, which, for the record, does not involve dropping a shot of Jagermeister into your pint glass.

Take that, Alpha Beta Gamma Delta. —Kelsey Dundon

Bitter Tasting Room, 16 W. Hastings St., Vancouver,  604-558-4658, www.bittertastingroom.com

If breakfast is a bowl of Cheerios eaten over the sink (admit it, you've been there) consider these three S's: savoury, satisfying, and sitting.

Raincity Grill's new brunch menu scores three for three with locally sourced, hearty dishes like the winning Helmers Potatoes and Ham Hock Hash with poached free range eggs and hollandaise ($13) or the Dungeness Crab and Chive Omelette ($18). Lighter lunchers can sample the Ricotta Crepes with Hannah Brook Farm Greens (an appie on the $20 prix fixe menu) or a warming bowl of Vancouver Island Manilla Clams in white wine broth ($17).

Time to say "Cheerio" to your breakfast routine.—Sarah Bancroft

Saturday and Sunday brunch, 10am - 2:30pm, Raincity Grill, 1193 Denman St., Vancouver, 604-685-7337, www.raincitygrill.com

With destinations like these, we could road trip to the Emerald City every weekend.

eat: Sitka & Spruce
Tucked into the back of quaint Melrose Market, this beautiful Northwest restaurant has us dreaming of the raw sockeye with crispy morel mushrooms. 1534 Melrose Ave. E., Seattle, 206-324-0662, www.sitkaandspruce.com


shop: AllSaints

Now that Vancouver has its own Anthropologie we need a new excuse to head south on the I-5. This stylish British export is exactly that. 1511 Fifth Ave., Seattle, 203-508-0018, http://www.allsaints.com/

read: Elliott Bay Book Company
With an average of 10 author readings a week, we feel like literati the moment we step inside. 1521 Tenth Ave., Seattle, 206-624-6600, www.elliottbaybook.com

drink: Tavern Law
That phone on the back wall? It’s the key to a private upstairs room where there are no menus, just a few dozen seats and a bartender who shakes up custom cocktails. 1406 12th Ave., Seattle, 206-322-9734, www.tavernlaw.com

treat: Molly Moon's

The homemade honey lavender ice cream is well worth waiting in the constant out-the-door lineup. Three locations, www.mollymoonicecream.com

—KD

You know what live music venues in this city have been lacking? Dumplings.

Until now. The Electric Owl has just opened in the space that once housed Main Street’s American Hotel. And it is virtually unrecognizable. The 8,000-square-foot venue is home to an izakaya-style restaurant, sake bar, and cold beer and wine shop. But that’s not all. The space centres around a stage that showcases international acts and some of Vancouver’s finest new music.

Finally! We can catch a show, scarf down a midnight snack, and pick up a bottle of sake all in one place. —KD

The Electric Owl, 928 Main St., Vancouver, http://electricowl.ca

Now that chef David Hawksworth is back in the kitchen, it’s a whole different culinary ballgame.

The highly anticipated and newly opened Hawksworth creates playful, elegant and delicate dishes, presented in the most beautiful manner. The Foie Gras Parfait ($20) with sculptural cotton candy and the Dungeness Crab Salad ($18) with intricate lemon foam, other than being-beyond belief delicious, could hang in an art gallery. The bacon consommé that accompanies the Grilled Sturgeon ($24) redefines the way we look at bacon (it's not just for breakfast anymore). And a sampler of macarons ($12) makes for a truly happy ending to a spectacular meal.

Hawksworth's dining area may just be the chicest room in town. Watch as the staff breeze around the restaurant with such poise, as if they’ve been open for years. —AG

Hawksworth Restaurant, 801 W. Georgia St., Vancouver, 604-673-7000, www.hawksworthrestaurant.com

He was at the helm of Lumière and is currently a judges’ darling on Top Chef Canada. So when we heard Chef Dale McKay was opening his own place, we just couldn’t wait to get in!

Ensemble's lively bistro-style room is ideal for casual gatherings and its shared plates concept makes it easy to sample as many dishes as possible. It would have been a crime not to order the Dungeness Crab Spiced Melon Soup ($9), a dish that dazzled the Top Chef Canada judges. Other triumphant dishes included the Herb Risotto ($9), a rich and flavourful little serving, the buttery Beef Shin with fries ($12), and the Pulled Pork sandwich ($8.50) that was a divine companion to a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon.

So that’s what being a Top Chef means…. —AG

Ensemble, 850 Thurlow St., Vancouver, 604-569-1770, www.ensemblerestaurant.com

We traded all-inclusive beach resorts for a true urban experience in Mexico City. After an epic four-day whirlwind tour, we uncovered the best Ciudad de México has to offer.

see
One can't go to Mexico City without giving Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera a visit. At their best friend Dolores Olmedo's estate not only will you find the most comprehensive collection of Kahlo's work, but you will also be greeted by a slew of colourful peacocks and adorable Mexican hairless dogs. www.museodoloresolmedo.org.mx

explore
Bring out your inner Indiana Jones and take a pilgrimage to the ancient Mayan city of Teotihuacan. Explore the ruins and challenge yourself to the 365 steps of the Pyramid of the Sun – the view is spectacular and worth the hike!

shop

eat
Pujol recently made San Pellegrino’s list of the world's top 50 restaurants and we see why. If there was ever a time to test your palate with some unusual products like corn fungus, flies or flying ant powder, this would be it. Chef Enrique Olvera will thrill and inspire with every dish. Yes, there is chocolate at the end. http://pujol.com.mx

drink
For a night out on the town, head to Mexico City’s hippest neighborhood, Condesa. Admire the mix of art deco and modernist architecture from the spectacular Sky Bar of the CondesaDF boutique hotel. What to order? Something with tequila, of course. www.condesadf.com

stay
Presidente InterContinental, located in the swanky Polanco neighborhood, offers the most magnificent view of the city. Take a morning stroll in Chapultepec Park, one of the world’s largest urban parks that's three times the size of New York's Central Park. (Hidden at the top of Chapultepec Park is the Chapultepec Castle, overlooking the grandiose tree-lined Reforma Avenue, the city's answer to Paris’ Champs-Elysées.) From US$119/night, www.ichotelsgroup.com
—AG

Read more about our Ciudad de México adventures in our Editors’ Diary.

Wine tasting along Oliver’s Golden Mile in B.C.’s Okanagan just got even more lustrous.

Miradoro (golden view) the new restaurant perched above the vines at Tinhorn Creek Winery is definitely going for gold.

Extremely talented chef Jeff Van Geest (you may remember his late great Aurora Bistro in Vancouver) has created a Mediterranean menu that touches down in Portugal, Italy, and Spain with side trips to Morocco, all the while using locally sourced or house-made ingredients.

A chef who makes his own ricotta? That’s him. Inventive and healthy sides like whey polenta, cannelini beans, kale and parsnips keep things light, while a grilled squid salad with red fife wheat berries and grapefruit is the perfect match for Tinhorn’s delicious 2009 Gewurztraminer.

Inexpensive tapas (bowls of lemon-harissa roasted almonds, charred chorizo and octopus) are perfect to accompany a glass or two of Syrah, while the forno oven turns out hot and chewy pizza in seconds (try the shrimp/ricotta/pea shoot).

And if the food, wine and views aren’t enough for you, there’s a grassy amphitheatre below, where you can catch a live concert (like k-os) this summer.

Now that’s golden.

To see pictures of our day-trip to the winery, please visit our Editors’ Diary.

Now that summer’s approaching, we’re dreaming of a trip to the Mediterranean. Or at the very least, a trip to Davie Street.

The West End’s newest Mediterranean restaurant, Laziza, puts a modern twist on the traditional flavours of Lebanon, Morocco, Greece and Italy. We sampled the tender saffron prawns ($8), sipped a strong Turkish delight martini ($6), and stuffed our faces with the carbo-loaded vegetarian koshery ($10).

Turns out it’s easy to stick to the Mediterranean diet. —KD

Laziza, 1175 Davie St., Vancouver, 604-568-9777, http://www.laziza.ca

When out-of-towners visit, you're the first to tell them the best places to stay, shop and play. But when they ask you for a downtown upscale sushi spot, you're left more stumped than a fanny-pack wearing tourist.

Put down the Zagat and head to Hapa Umi, grown-up sibling to the fantastic Hapa Izakaya restaurants. Decidedly adult in both look and feel (think dark wood decor and large lounge area), the Japanese menu is both fresh and inventive. We stopped in for lunch and tried the featured bento box (grilled lamb, homemade potato salad, crab sunomono, beef tataki and vegetable roll) served with miso soup and rice with mixed mushrooms ($19). We meticulously made our way through each compartment and left nary a grain of rice behind.

'Cause that's how we roll.

Hapa Umi, 110-909 W. Cordova St., Vancouver, 604-420-4272, www.hapaumi.com