Samsung and Futurelooks @ Le Crocodile Restaurant

This afternoon, I had a chance to finally meet my Samsung rep face to face as he made a stop in Vancouver during a media tour. Samsung and Futurelooks have been working together since 2001, but it’s not often that we get a chance to see eachother face to face. Arun here is one of the newer members of the Samsung Canada team and has been our contact there for the past year. Although we’ve been very well connected via email and over the phone, there is no substitute for a face to face meeting.

Today, we talked about Samsung and Futurelooks and had a great meal over at one of Vancouver’s best French restaurants, Le Crocodile. Here are a few highlights…

After settling in with some fresh bread and a complimentary goat cheese tart (not pictured), I had my favourite comfort food of all: Foie Gras. It was a special they had at lunch that combined a healthy sized pan seared piece of foie gras, topped with a crispy potato wafer and a pan seared scallop. It was drenched in a rich savoury sauce and they even added some extra butter for the full heart attack.

For my main course, I had the Grilled Wild B.C. Salmon, served with a light Saffron Velouté Sauce and a sauté of Calamaris. I don’t think there was anything light about this dish, but it was fresh and downright awesome. The even left us with a mess of french fries just in case we weren’t having a coronary.

Next, more free stuff came our way. The chef was all about freebies this lunch. First the goat cheese tart, and now we get a scoop of freshly made pear and mint sorbet served on a mint leaf. This was offered to us so we could cleanse our pallets for the real dessert.

Finally, for dessert, I had the frenchest of all French desserts: Creme Brulee. The blowtorch action was good, and the dessert was rich, but it didn’t have the gentle sweetness that I’ve experienced with versions from Feenies or WEST. It was also more uber thick than I’m normally used to. It almost had the consistency of cheesecake. Not bad, but not my favourite. I would have preferred a little bit more sweetness and a little less of a butter like consistency.

Finally, our meal was finished off with little chocolate Le Crocodiles and of course, the bill. Our total came to about $112 plus tip for the two of us which made it the second most expensive lunch that I’ve had, next to the Feenie Foie Gras Burger. Actually, that’s not true since I didn’t pay and Samsung Canada picked up the bill. Free is good. Thanks again Arun and Samsung Canada. You’re welcome back anytime to take me to lunch

Dry Hump That Vote Americans!

If our politicians were a little bit better at voter foreplay, we might have been able to seal the deal and elect a majority goverment. Instead, Canada blew a wad on a pointless election with one of the lowest voter turn outs ever. But then again, there’s nothing attractive about a dude that wears a sweater or a squirrelly French guy.

On the other hand Obama and McCain have been doing everything possible to get into bed with Americans including a head to head dance off with a little Palin in between. Here’s some extra encouragement to get you turned on and out there on November 4th…

If I smoked, and if I was American, I think I’d need a cigarette after this election.

Heavy Lifting For A Cause…

A little while ago, I did an Olympic Weight Lifting Clinic coached by Kelly and had a good time chucking weights around in the gym and nearly whacking myself with them. Although this isn’t a sport for everyone, it is something that is recognized by the IOC as an Olympic Sport. Sure it isn’t as flashy as the spectacle of swimming made famous by Michael Phelps, but it is an Olympic Sport nonetheless.

Kelly has been training for this sport for almost a year now and she has her sights set on heading to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Unlike big sport in the US, she basically puts in hours outside of work to train for her chosen sport and puts away money to get her there by coaching for CrossFit Vancouver and running the Olympic Weight Lifting Clinics. However, things didn’t come together for her till she met up with her current coach, Dan.

Dan has been instrumental in her progress as an Olympic Weightlifter. He has taken her from a 35kg snatch and 60kg clean and has prepared her to post a 65kg snatch and 82kg Clean and Jerk at next month’s National Championships. Dan’s many years of experience on the Nigerian Weightlifting Team, both as an athelete and as a coach has truly paid off for Kelly. Between volunteering his time to coach Kelly, he also coaches Parm Phangura, one of Canada’s Super Heavyweight Olympic Weightlifters and member of the Canadian National Team. When not coaching, he makes ends meet as a part time as a Safety Coordinator on Construction Sites. Kelly has often said that “beyond his coaching abilities, he is an amazing person”.

Five years ago, he decided that he wanted a better life for his family so he moved to Canada from Nigeria and claimed refugee status. He left behind his wife and his three month old daughter at the time, which he hasn’t seen since, to take the necessary steps to become a Canadian resident so that he could bring his family with him. Five years later, his hard work has paid off and he is now able to reunite with his family in Canada. Unfortunately, flights aren’t cheap and neither is the process of becoming a citizen. However, Dan has proven himself a true Canadian, selflessly helping the sporting community and placing Canada’s finest on the podium.

Kelly has decided to help Dan out by holding an Olympic Weightlifting Clinic in Dan’s honor. All proceeds from this clinic will go directly to Dan to help pay for his family to come to Canada. She’s hoping that if you’re able to make it, that you come out and support Dan by learning how to chuck weights around. Believe me, it’s sort of scary, but fun all at the same time.

The clinic will be held at Crossfit Vancouver on November 1st from 12:00 – 3:00 PM. I know this is during Dot Com Pho time, but I’m cutting out to do the clinic and I hope that you’ll join me. If you aren’t able to attend, Kelly is accepting donations, but she does hope that you’ll be able to make it. For more information on how to sign up, please check out this link. See you all there next week!