Vancouver Cultural Centers

[Keith Talent]

So on Friday night we ventured to the Austria Vancouver Clubfor dinner. It's a couple blocks from our house and has a sign out front proclaiming that Fridays are family dinner night.

Rolled up about seven and the place was in full swing. Found a table for seven, (we were two couples and three kids,) and sat down. The dance floor had been converted to a kids play area with toys and an older Austrian gramma in charge of the chaos. Got drinks at the bar, and settled in to watch the procedure. You buy tickets from the old guy in the cubby, hand them to the ladies at the pass through of the kitchen and hang about while they plate dinner. Four adults and three kids meals was 51 bucks, so it was cheap.

Dinner consisted of a large portion of German potato salad, a huge plate covering schnitzel, rye bread and iceberg salad. It was okay, I guess. Meat was tough and greasy. Pretty much what you'd expect. We stuck around for more after diner drinks. It was fun. Strange and foreign, but fun. I'd always thought of Austria as the easternmost country of western Europe, the place had a more eastern vibe though. We decided that Austia was the Westernmost country of eastern europe. (Actually, that dubious honor belongs to Portugal, but that's another post. Backward crap country.)

We decided that we want to tour the globe via Community Cultural Centre dinners, but google so far this morning hasn't helped. Here's where we are;

Croat - Cafe only

Greek - No dinner

Italian - Darios

Jewish - Cafe only

Chinese - Nothing

Scanadavian - Nothing

German - Nothing

Ukrainian - Yes

Anza - Nothing

So, anyone know of meals served at cultural community centres? What centres have I missed?

[Ling]

Salade des Fruits...Granville and W. 7th, I believe. (Not sure if this is what you're looking for, but it's in a French cultural center.)

Edited October 31, 2005 by Ling (log)

[nwyles]

When I was a younger man, I played in a band on the "Wedding Singer" curcuit as well as the "Polka" Curcuit.

I have had meals at every possible Cultural Center and Commuity Hall from here to Kelowna.

The best food : The Slovenial Hall just off of Canada Way in Burnaby.

The Worst : The French School / Church Hall around 16th and Heather.

The Biggest Feed : An Italian Wedding at the German Hall on Victoria. As a growing boy of 16 years, the 10 course feast nearly did me in. We ate each course like it was the only one, to be surprised by more and more food coming out. It was my first Italian wedding so I did not know the ropes.

[sanrensho]

So, anyone know of meals served at cultural community centres? What centres have I missed?

Nikkei Heritage Center (Nikkei Place) on Kingsway. The adjacent Nikkei Home has a Japanese restaurant run by Fujiya. Good value in a cafeteria-like atmosphere.

[Keith Talent]

Thanks for the suggestions, but I'm looking not for attached cafes/formal food service establishments, but rather Saskatoon chic community suppers. Bonus points if we're the only unilinguals in the room.

[Daddy-A]

Don't most of the Sikh temples do a dinner of some sort?

Not much help I know, but there it is.

A.

[fud]

Don't most of the Sikh temples do a dinner of some sort?

Not much help I know, but there it is.

A.

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Yeah they do...every friday evening or something I forget and it is free.

I'll check with my friend on this.

[Ling]

^Also, Buddhist temples offer free vegetarian meals.

[vandan]

i heard of a monthly polish dinner put on somewhere just off of main and 15th (ish)

[canucklehead]

i heard of a monthly polish dinner put on somewhere just off of main and 15th (ish)

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I think that you are refering to the Ukranian church dinners served on 10th and main (church is located accross the UIC building on 10th). They have something similiar in Richmond. Here is a list of Ukranian church dinners accross the lower mainland - perogies!

You may want to call ahead just to make sure the dates still all make sense. The dinners are good and have that nice unitarian church basement vibe. Definitely not a mono-culture and the Main st version is downright hip. You expect to see the guys from Arcade Fire sitting at the table next to you. Still - the draw are the perogies and they are pretty tasty. They are sold frozen for you to take home too.

[capers]

i heard of a monthly polish dinner put on somewhere just off of main and 15th (ish)

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I think that you are refering to the Ukranian church dinners served on 10th and main (church is located accross the UIC building on 10th). They have something similiar in Richmond. Here is a list of Ukranian church dinners accross the lower mainland - perogies!

You may want to call ahead just to make sure the dates still all make sense. The dinners are good and have that nice unitarian church basement vibe. Definitely not a mono-culture and the Main st version is downright hip. You expect to see the guys from Arcade Fire sitting at the table next to you. Still - the draw are the perogies and they are pretty tasty. They are sold frozen for you to take home too.

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Thank you so much for the link. How are the cabbage rolls? Even though I could make my own it just so much easier to buy them, especially if they are good.

[quattroporte]

The Italian Cultural Centre has something a little different to offer - An Italian Buffet and a movie - The Godfather III (what else?). November 15th @ 7 pm - $19.00 for dinner and a movie. And you can dress up like your favorite Godfather character. Cash bar (no doubt serving up some sort of homemade red wine that some elderly Italian gentleman has made in his basement).

I wonder if they're planning a Soprano's-themed dinner anytime soon.....

[canucklehead]

Thank you so much for the link. How are the cabbage rolls? Even though I could make my own it just so much easier to buy them, especially if they are good.

The cabbage rolls are almost all rice (I don't think that there is any meat in them) and they are okay but I would hate to stack anything up against homemade. I've bought the frozen ones in Richmond and my recollection was that they were cigar sized and very lightly sauced.

So - I think that you are stuck making cabbage rolls at home.

Edited October 31, 2005 by canucklehead (log)

[vandan]

ya i was thinking just that, right after posting

[canucklehead]

For Germans - there is the Vancouver Alpen Club on Victoria and 32nd. The have a restaurant attached but unfortunately - my brother went and said the food is not so great - a little on the heavy side. But if you want to be where everybody is speaking a foriegn language - then its your place.

Here's what someone had to say in the GermansInBC website:

let's face it: das Restaurant im Alpenclub fuehrt deutsche Kueche im Angebot, bleibt aber beim ueblichen Schnitzelstelldichein stecken, vielleicht noch ein Hering in Sahnesosse. Meiner Erfahrung nach das in lala Qualitaet mit lala Service. Ich gehe dort nicht mehr hin. Die Einrichtung finde ich soweit i.O. da schon recht typisch fuer deutsche Landgaststaetten. Die Bar finde ich auch ok, sind aber eher abgehalfterte ehemalige Skatbrueder oder so.

Ich schlage vor, dass die Speisekarte typische und einfache Rezepte wie Koenigsberger Klobse, Fleisch in Sauer, Suelze, Scholle u.a. aufnimmt.

Kinda speaks for itself doesn't it? (God I love it - it starts with 'let's face it' and then launches into full Klingon)

Edited November 1, 2005 by canucklehead (log)

[*Deborah*]

"la la quality with lala service"

Echt.

[Vancouver Lee]

"lala quality mit lala service"

Clearly a German eGulleter.

[Vancouver Lee]

The Italian Cultural Centre has something a little different to offer - An Italian Buffet and a movie - The Godfather III (what else?).  November 15th @ 7 pm - $19.00 for dinner and a movie.  And you can dress up like your favorite Godfather character.  Cash bar (no doubt serving up some sort of homemade red wine that some elderly Italian gentleman has made in his basement).

I wonder if they're planning a Soprano's-themed dinner anytime soon.....

←

The kitchen at the Italian Cultural Centre cooks the hot lunches 2 days a week for my son's school. The teachers and the parents who have eaten with the kids all rave about how good it is. I've only eaten one meal there, a wedding chicken dinner last year. For wedding chicken, it was pretty darn good. Not very good in the greater scheme of things mind you, but pretty good for wedding chicken.

Dressing up as your favourite Godfather character at the ICC? Sortof like seeing the Rocky Horror Picture Show at Halloween, only without the transsexuals....

[makanmakan]

not sure if this counts, but there's the portuguese club of vancouver on commercial drive. we've always avoided it as it always looked uber smokey and not very clean. they've spent all summer renovating it and cleaning it up and now it looks more inviting. definitely one of the places for us to check out so when we do, i will report back!

[canucklehead]

Went to monthly Ukranian dinner at that Unkranian Church (10th and Main) and it was really good. The people are very nice and a good cross section of local community attend. The seating lady asked me and brother if we wanted to be seated with some nice young ladies. You get the idea that alot of people have hooked at these events. We sat with a older lady and a middle aged guy and a Carol James look-a-like. Everybody was pleasantly chatty and they all seemed like they had been looking forward to sitting down to a homey meal and dinner conversation all day.

Like I've posted before - the room has nice church basement vibe.

This meal came with 6 perogies, 2 cabbage rolls, saurkraut, and fried onion and bacon bits. The bortch was extra. The total comes to about $13 bucks. The perogies were homemade and delicous. The cabbage rolls were bland and contained only rice - but it worked in the comfort food sort of way. The saurkraut was (I think) cooked out with bits of bacon or ham. Mmmmmmmm.

Take out is an INSANE deal. I bought 4 dozen perogies, a garlic sausage ring, and a dozen cabbage rolls to feed my friends family - all for $27!! A dozen perogies are only $4! - Obviously having free labour helps. Everything is cooked and you just need to reheat at home. You supply the sour cream though.

Edited November 5, 2005 by canucklehead (log)

[kontemporary]

INteresting, I went there yesterday as well! I had the "super dinner" which was 13$ and dessert, which was a black forest cake, for an additional 1$. It was too bad they were out of sauerkraut when I came - but oh boy that was a hellishly long (30 min+) lineup!!

[Ling]

The seating lady asked me and brother if we wanted to be seated with some nice young ladies.  You get the idea that alot of people have hooked at these events. 

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"Hooking" at CHURCH? What would Jesus say?

Is that sausage next to your cabbage rolls? There's a church close by my house (it's on Francis in between No. 2 and Railway) that also does pierogy nights.

Edit: found out the location of the church....

Edited November 6, 2005 by Ling (log)

[kontemporary]

The seating lady asked me and brother if we wanted to be seated with some nice young ladies.  You get the idea that alot of people have hooked at these events. 

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"Hooking" at CHURCH? What would Jesus say?

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Good on you for hooking with a Christian girl !

[Vancouver Lee]

Salade des Fruits...Granville and W. 7th, I believe. (Not sure if this is what you're looking for, but it's in a French cultural center.)

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Friends of ours have invited us to dinner at Salade des Fruits this Saturday PM. Can anyone offer some tips on what's good/bad on the menu?

[Ling]

^They are famous for their mussels and fries! It's been awhile since I've been there, but I remember the fries were great--thin, crisp, and well-salted.