The Wolf and Hound

3617 W. Broadway – www.wolfandhound.ca

(Hey fellow gin-sponges, you can check out this review plus tons of other interesting Vancouver-related stuff at www.granvilleonline.ca)

You know, as far as imitation English/Irish pubs go, the Wolf and Hound isn’t GUINNESS bad. It’s a big place, but pretty GUINNESS cozy for its size with lots of dark wood on the floors and walls, a mix of tables, booths, even a “living room” area with sofas and, surprisingly, you can GUINNESS actually hear yourself talk even when it’s busy. The décor is English/Irish obviously, but GUINNESS must’ve had a merchandise fire sale ‘cause there’s GUINNESS paraphernalia plastered on every free square inch of wall space—if you hadn’t guessed we were leading up to that. But that’s a pretty minor GUINNESS criticism. It certainly beats a lot of other so-called Irish pubs.

Like with any decent Irish pub, you come here for pints. The Wolf and Hound has a pretty good beer list with a mix of imports and local from $6 to $7. What we love is the fact they’ve got the decency (and the cojones) to serve proper 20oz imperial pints. Sleeves and glasses are available, but they’re never as good value (read our thoughts on this conundrum here). As far as the import draughts go, take your pick of:

• Harp Lager
• Smithwicks
• Kilkenny (always a Boozecan favourite)
• Guinness (obviously)
• Strongbow Cider

For local/domestic draughts, there’s a couple of good ones all the way from Manitoba: Fort Garry Dark and (Fort Garry) Limerick Lager. Or from closer to home:

• Red Truck Lager
• Philips Blue Buck Pale Ale
• G.I. Pale Ale
• Russell IP’eh
• Stanley Park 1897 Amber
• Storm’s Scottish Ale and Black Plague Stout

You’ve also got your choice of the scary beer mixes like Black & Tan (Guiness & Smithwicks), Crown Float (Guinness & Strongbow), and Half & Half (Guiness & Harp) to name just a few. And if you really want to get off your head and wake up in a park somewhere minus your shoes and dignity, they also serve the dreaded Snake Bite (you know they banned that shit in certain UK pubs, right?). If lightning-quick inebriation is on your agenda, they’ve also got an impressive list of shots and bombs, which are a better deal if you buy four at once. Ah, vomiting—it’s never been so easy. Like we’re ones to talk…

There’s also a pretty good selection of whiskeys anywhere from around $5 up to $14 for singles, and of course the usual martinis and other cocktails, but c’mon, it’s an Irish pub, can you honestly hear any self-respecting Irishman saying “Another round of Lemon Drops ferra lads, Seamus. And don’t be skimpin’ on the maraschinos, now.”?

So yeah, go for the beer and the relaxed pub atmosphere. The clientele’s a total mix—everything from UBC students eager to drink their student loans away to retirees getting angry at UBC students drinking their student loans away. Either way, a good place to sit back and decompress with a pint.

Baru Latino

2535 Alma St. (at Broadway)  www.barulatino.com

(NOTE TO OUR FELLOW BOOZEHOUNDS: We’re more excited than a couple of drunken teenagers who just stole the key to Dad’s liquor cabinet - this is the first post in what we hope will be a long and fruitful series partnered with the good peoples at Granville Mag Online. We talk Vancouver bars, they talk tons of other interesting things from food to art to entertainment and more - and all with a very local focus. Be sure to check out our regular reviews there, and make sure you follow them on Twitter, Facebook or check out the actual site www.granvilleonline.ca. But fear not, we’ll still be posting lots here too. So without further ado…)

This is one of those places we discovered by happy accident. The doors of the loser cruiser (sorry - “bus” in the Queen’s English) swung open and there it was, pretty much smack in front of us, like a shining beacon of alcoholic awesomeness.
 
Baru’s been open for just over a year, and although it’s technically a restaurant (tons of Vancouver pubs and bars are, but more on that at a later date), this Latin/South American-inspired establishment’s got a great little bar area at the front, where you can plonk your ass down and get stuck into some of the best cocktails we’ve had in a long time. Baru partners David and Rene (formerly the Food and Beverage Manager at Subeez) are big into doing things right—drinks made from scratch with fresh ingredients and top quality hooch—two guys after our own livers. They’ve got a few local beers on tap if you want to ease into things: Whistler Black Tusk Ale & Weiss Beer, and Red Truck Lager all just over a fiver—but you’re doing yourself a giant-ass disservice if you pass up on a mixed drink.
 
All the cocktails are $9, but, besides being given the care and attention a Michelin-rated chef would give to his grub, they’re also all doubles—and that’s a lot of bang for your booze bucks. Baru’s one of the few places in town we’ve had an authentic Caipirinha (Brazil’s national drink): lemon and lime juice, cane sugar, and the prerequisite Cachaca rum, not some white swill from a gun. If you’ve never had one, think Whiskey Sour crossed with a Margarita. Just dynamite—taste and booze-wise. The featured special the night we were there was a blackberry/raspberry Mojito. Normally we’re not fond of variations on classic drinks, but Dios mio this was amazing. Besides the rum, it probably had more fresh fruit in it than we eat in a week. Who says you can’t get your quota of anti-oxidants via a highball glass?
 
But the cocktail cavalcade continues with Margaritas and Daiquiris (and you know they’re not going to be drawn out of a “slushy” machine), Pisco Sours, original Mojitos, Bombay Fizz, a “Baru Caesar”, and other inspired mixes like:

• Champanito – champagne, lemon/lime juice, simple syrup
• Buena Vista – limon rum, mint, lemon/lime juice, simple syrup
• Guava Mojo – vodka, guava juice, cassis

Drinks aside, Barus’ got a chilled out, sophisticated vibe but without any pretentious attitude, and the super-friendly David and Rene are usually there working the room (and mixing drinks) to make sure everyone’s good. We highly recommend you get down there and belly up to the bar. But be smart. Take the bus like we did, ‘cuz them drinks are some powerful good stuff.

The Billy Bishop - 1407 Laburnum St. - www.billybishoplegion.org

The Billy Bishop is one of the reasons we started The Boozecan – an out of the way little gem that most Vancouverites have never heard of. And despite it being right in the heart of Kitsilano, dollars to doughnuts there’s probably people living only a few blocks away who don’t know it’s there.

For the unfamiliar, the Billy Bishop (named after one of Canada’s most famous war heroes) is a Royal Canadian Legion. But forget the stereotypical image of legions – echo-y halls with metal chairs around beat up, stained card tables and the walls and furniture yellowed with 50 years of stale cigarette smoke. The Billy’s a different kind of legion. It’s nice. For starters, blink and you’ll miss it. If it wasn’t for the sign outside you might pass it off as a just an old house stuck amongst the apartment buildings of Kits. Yeah, it’s got the usual function hall on the upper floor, but below lies the heart of the Billy -  the pub.

More than a pub, it’s a living museum. The walls are literally covered with history – hundreds of regimental plaques from all around the globe, historical photos, paintings and other military memorabilia. But it’s got an authentic English pub feel to it – fireplace, beamed ceiling, dart room, dark wood furniture & padded booths and tiny self-serve bar.

The misconception out there, of course, is that you have to be a veteran and/or a member to come in for a drink. You don’t, you just have to sign in as a guest. But this is a legion remember. So good behaviour and respect are the order of the day (and guys, take your ball cap off if you’re wearing one – this is some old-school respect we’re talking about here). It’s not the kind of place you come to for a balls-to-the-wall night out - obviously. You come here to chill out over some pints in one of the few places in town where you can actually hear yourself think. No TV’s, no shitty music blaring, and better yet – no douchebags! That’s not to say it’s inhabited by monks 24/7. Friday nights there’s a lively English pub style sing-song ‘round the piano, there’s semi-regular music acts, roast beef and Yorkshire pudding dinner specials and there’s the prerequisite (and by that we mean “awesome”) Sunday afternoon meat draw. There’s even a small beer garden outside for the spring and summer months.

As far as booze goes, you don’t really come here for cocktails (although they’re happy to oblige if that’s your tipple), you come for beer. And they’ve got a modest but respectable selection on tap at probably the best prices in the ‘hood starting at around a fiver a pint:

• Molson
• Piper’s Pale Ale
• Vancouver Island Lager
• Hermann’s Dark
• Smithwicks
• Guinness

So take your hat off, sign in, and soak up some Vancouver history along with your brews. And if you get the chance, buy a vet a pint and say thanks (this Sunday will be the 66th anniversary of D-Day). It’s the least we can do.

For info on Billy Bishop (the person) Click Here

The Metropole - 320 Abbot Street - www.themetpub.ca

Last week we were graciously invited to another Donnelly acquisition/relaunch - The Metropole Community Pub at 320 Abbot Street in the Downtown Eastside.

The Metropole was established in the historic neighbourhood of Gastown in 1906 and is one of Vancouver’s oldest surviving pubs. Previous to this launch, it was one of those “blink and you miss it” kind of places, and probably not a destination drinking spot for the average Vancouverite. Although Donnelly Hospitality Management has done some definite “Donnelly style” renovations complete with what is becoming their trademark “everything black” décor and 14 flat screen TVs in a fairly small footprint.

Wait a minute, what? 14 TVs? Again? Holy jumpin’ Jesus H. Underpants! We have a suggestion, why not just drink at home and watch “The Donnelly Experience” on TV? A full Donnelly TV channel - all Donnelly, all the time. Much like that fireplace they play continuously on TV during the Christmas holidays, this would consist of people sitting around on bar stools, the occasional ‘virtual pint’ poured, and a lot of background “bar noise” dubbed in to really immerse yourself in the drinking experience. Crack a beer and you’re there. Hmm, we may be on to something.

But we digress, back to The Metropole and the booze!

The new pub seems to be a lower-end version of their other Donnelly offerings. A bit more gritty. This could be due to their “Downtown Eastside” location. The beer offerings seemed to be a lot less costly and local compared to Cinema’s imported line-up. (Click here for our previous review of Cinema)

On tap are sleeves of Kokanee, Okanagan Spring 1516, Granville Island Lager, Pale Ale, Honey Lager and Winter Ale which can all be had for $4.50. The only imports here were Guinness and Strongbow which go for $7.25 for a pint. (We didn’t get to check if it was a proper pint.)

Bottles of beer are $5.25 with the list as follows: Budweiser, Canadian, Kokanee
Alexander Keiths IPA, Sleeman Honey Brown, Corona, Pacifico, Red Stripe, Kronenbourg, Heineken, Stella Artois and Dos Equis.

Cocktails are $8.50 and are fairly standard and they have a selection of Tequilas, Scotch and other whiskeys.

Daily Drink Specials:

Mondays:
$3.50 Sleeves, $5 Doubles, $8 Can of Beer n Shot

Tuesdays:
$12 Domestic Pitchers, $8 Can of Beer n Shot

Wednesdays:
$3.75 Domestic Sleeves, $8 Can of Beer n Shot

Thursdays:
$6.50 Doubles, $5.25 Import Pints, $4.25 Drop Shots, $8 Can of Beer n Shot

Fridays:
$7.25 Doubles, $8 Can of Beer n Shot

Saturdays:
$7.25 Doubles, $4 The “Cure” (aka Caesar), $8 Can of Beer n Shot

Sundays:
$4 DOMESTIC SLEEVES, $5 Import Pints, $6 Vodka Redbulls, $4 The “Cure” (aka Caesar), $8 Can of Beer n Shot

For entertainment purposes there are 2 pinball machines, Golden T Golf & Big Buck Shotgun arcade games and a pool table to boot.

But to be honest, we think the coolest part of this pub is the fact that Donnelly Hospitality Management and their charitable arm, the Donnelly Fund have worked it out so that the pub will donate 25% of its annual profits to organizations in the Downtown Eastside such as United We Can, the Downtown Eastside Women’s Center, the Vancouver Food Bank and Gallery Gachet. Who would have thought that drinking could have a philanthropic angle?

All in, it’s sort of a pared down, budget version of the usual Donnelly steeze. With stiff competition from neighbouring Gastown pubs, time will tell whether The Metropole makes the transition from ancient sketcheriffic drinking hole to successfully gentrified pub.

One final note: off sales are available at the bar!

The Cinema Public House premieres.

Last night we at The Boozecan were invited to the latest debut in the Donnelly Group’s ever-expanding roster of establishments - Cinema Public House. This won’t be an in depth review as the establishment needs to, well, establish itself.

The Good

At first glance, it seems like a nice place. In typical Donnelly fashion, they’ve spared no expense in doing it up right - lots of dark wood, exposed brick, tiled floor, mix of booths and tables along with a pinball machine and a multi-cade arcade game (complete with Donkey Kong, Galaga, Frogger and Ms. Pac-Man) thrown in for good measure. It’s the kind of place that’s built and designed for the aging 80s kids - like us.

To Donnelly’s credit, they picked another primo downtown location, right on the corner of Granville and Smithe, so the profits will probably be rolling in as fast as the patrons. As far as drinks go, we’ll reserve judgment until we can really give them a try, but $9 for 2oz cocktails isn’t bad and they’ve got some pretty good food & drink specials (Tuesdays $11 burger and beer, Wednesday $5 1lb wings).

Another plus is the live DJ aspect to the pub atmosphere. Again they seem to be catering to us aging 80’s kids as Thursday through Saturday they’re spinning some (of what we think) are great genres for tunes. No dance floor so no dance floor pressure. Just sit with a pint and soak up what the DJ is throwin’ down.

Thursdays - So It Goes with DJ Tyler Quarles
Brit, New Wave 80s and Indie Dance Pop
$5 cover / starts at 10:00pm

Fridays - Hot Chocolate with DJ Relly Rels
Party, Funk, Disco & Old School Hip Hop
$7.40 doubles / $7.65 Vodka Redbull / $4.15 Domestic Sleeves
$10 cover / 9:00pm-2:00am

Saturdays - Cinema Saturdays with DJs Dana D, Kieth Talent & Christian Flores
Brit & Indie Rock/Indie Dance & Pub Classics
$7.40 doubles / $7.65 Vodka Redbull / $3.90 Domestic Sleeves
$10 cover / 9:00pm-3:00am

The Bad

Well, this is a bit of both to be honest. They’ve got a very respectable selection of draft beers on tap; however, the imports (Strongbow, Guinness, London Pride, Stella - plus others by the can) are going to tap your wallet pretty hard at almost $8 a pint once you add tax.

The Ugly

Three words, guys - TOO MANY TVs. Seriously, we counted 20 to be exact (and this isn’t a large place by any means). You can’t look in any one direction without seeing at least one of these ugly-ass hunks of plastic. All that effort into a nice interior seems all for naught if you plaster it with TVs.

The Word

All-in-all, it’s a good one, but time will tell. And we’ll be back soon to give it a proper Boozecan test drive, so stay tuned.