Haute Food-ture

It's not enough these days to wear fancy clothes, slip on fancy shoes and carry fancy bags.

Even grocery shopping has become haute.

Case in point #1: Urban Fare, located in the heart of Yaletown. This upscale food emporium is not only rumored to carry $400 baguettes flown in from France, it also made the top three "Best Places to Pick Up In Vancouver" in the Georgia Strait for 2007. Hooking up aside, it's fun to frolick (not that kind, though) between the aisles picking up the freshest of fresh halibut, primo olive oil, truffles and $12 organic granola. Sure, the place probably marks items up 800% but if you can snag yourself a hot date on Saturday night with a cute Yaletown professional from bonding over cherry tomatoes in the produce section...well...why not??




Case in point #2: Meinhardt Fine Foods on swanky South Granville. I absolutely adore the way Meinhardt branded itself with this:

"Food is romance. Food is adventure. Food is travel without going anywhere. Food is history. Food not only transcends language, it offers a language of its own. Food is sensuous. Food is colour, texture and possibility. Food is life."

Now should you be a bonafide foodie like myself, even if you've never been to Meinhardt you would head straight there after reading such romantic prose related to eats. My best guy friend Big Brother K won't get his meat anywhere else but this place -- and trust me, the marinated lamb skewers are drop-dead delicious. Meinhardt is quaint, cozy and certainly has a personality all its own.




Case in point #3: Whole Foods. I was first introduced to this American organic grocery super-chain while living in La-La Land, with a location on Wilshire Boulevard not too far away from my apartment in Santa Monica. It was the place to get great hot or cold lunches priced by weight during lunchbreaks, snap up those lemon-zesty pita chips, sneak mini creme brulees into your basket or purchase fresh organic greens. Just imagine my joy when I spotted a location in West Vancouver near my magazine publisher's headquarters. Rumored to be true: a Cambie and Broadway store is opening, launch date yet TBD.





I'm Lovin' it: Hello, I'm Haute Hippie and I'm a mascara junkie. Trainer Jill Hughes founded Marvalash, a mascara that does wonders for those with short and long lashes. Hughes' product program implements the use of dry and wet brushes to achieve lashes worth batting: prep with the dry brush, apply mascara with the wet brush, then alternate back and forth till you reach desired effect. No more dropping $25 dollar at Lancome anymore!

I'm Over it: A comment left on my last post. I was vaguely disturbed by it -- probably because it listed more than 15 passages from the Bible, as well as over 15 links to religious blogs. Was it because the word "vodka" appeared on my blog, thus damning me to the eternal fires of Hell?? Or is this a friend playing an elaborate joke on me?

Power Couple of the Day: Tory Burch and Lance Armstrong. Not sure whether to put a question mark after this cateogry today, just because it's so intriguing and odd at the same time. WASP-y, well-liked, socialite-turned-designer Burch and Sheryl Crow-ditching, Tour de France-winning Armstong heating up the NYC society scene? Sure, they're mighty pretty together, but I just can't picture Lance feeling comfortable sipping champagne and snacking on beluga caviar with the Hearsts, Trumps, Mortimers, Lansings, Gubelmanns and Rockefellers.





* Photos property of urbanfare.com, meinhardtfinefoods.com, wholefoodsmarket.com, socialiterank.com