It has been a few months since my last post. Life has been busy with work, my duties as a School Board Trustee, fatherhood and adjusting to life with a newborn in the house again. These last few months have also been full of activities, adventures, and opportunities to explore our city.
We’re in the middle of award season. We’re seeing nominations for the Oscars, Tonys, Grammys and more. You will notice right now that Move up Prince George is sharing bios of the 40 individuals who are recognized as the Prince George Chamber of Commerce Top 40 under 40 for 2018/19.
To keep on trend, I’m going to give you a few nominations for my Best of Prince George List. These lists are in no particular order, and I know that there are going to be things I missed but I think it is a good place to start and perhaps a good list to tackle over the next year.
Best of Prince George – 8 annual fundraising events:
Big Brothers Big Sisters Prince George staff at the Big Gala.
- The Big Gala: Hosted by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Prince George, this event is held every April and is a night of good food, good company and an opportunity to help support local mentoring programs.
- AleFest: Hosted by Kiwanis Club of Prince George, this event is held in January and sells out in minutes. This craft beer festival helps raise money for Kiwanis whose members turn around and support numerous projects and programs in Prince George.
- International Wine Festival / Scotch and Social: Hosted by Theatre Northwest, the Wine Festival is held every November and Scotch and Social’s are held quarterly. These events give you an opportunity to mix and mingle while expanding your taste in both wine and scotch. Proceeds help support professional theatre in our community.
- Taste of India: Hosted by Yellowhead Rotary, this event is at the end of February or early March. This event showcases the great good and culture of India while raising funds to support charitable projects both in Prince George and overseas.
- Menagerie: Hosted by Two Rivers Art Gallery, this is the go-to event for celebrating Halloween in Prince George.
- Plot Twist: Hosted by the Prince George Public Library, this event is held in September. Imagine taking great books and turning the plotlines into a night of food and entertainment.
- Way Late Play Date: Hosted by The Exploration Place, this event is held semi-annually and turns the Exploration Place into a play space for adults. There are games, food, specialty drinks and a DJ to help you dance into the night.
- Relay for Life: Hosted by the Canadian Cancer Society. How can I not include this on my list? Not only is it one of the only 24 hour relays left in Canada, but it is the top Relay for Life in Canada. The community steps up each year and because of the incredible community support, we will find a cure.
Best of Prince George – 8 food and drink pairings:
Truffles and other delicious chocolate treats on display at Rocky Mountain Chocolate.
- Northern Lights Estate Winery: Borreal Frizzante Wine and mixed berry crumble. This is their first ever sparkling wine and is a mix of their Lumiere Blanche apple wine and their Bumbleberry wine. It is a dry wine with a sweet finish. I find it goes great with the Mixed Berry Crumble made from berries picked locally.
- Play Grounds Cafe: As you know from one of my previous blogs, their cinnamon buns are the best in town. The other must have item is their coffee lemonade. The Big Brothers Big Sisters Big Squeeze was the debut for this drink. You don’t think it works, but it totally does.
- Frozen Paddle: If you haven’t tried Frozen Paddle ice cream yet, what are you waiting for? They make small batch specialty ice cream. Mix that with locally roasted coffee and you have a summertime winner. Mixing coffee and ice cream is the perfect match.
- Rocky Mountain Chocolate: Mix and match a few different treats to satisfy your sweet tooth. I usually grab an orange cream and a salted caramel.
- CrossRoads Brewing: I am a big fan of their Off the Grid Pizza. This pizza is filled with their own cured meats and has the right amount of cheese, sauce and crust. While it pairs well with any of their beers I found it very satisfying with their Cloud 9 Witbier.
- Nancy O’s: Brunch is so underrated. There are a lot of really good brunch options in town but the Chicken and Waffles from Nancy O’s tops the list. It has the right mix of sweet and spicy and I always leave wanting more, despite a very large portion. I always pair this with something from Barkerville Brewing but really any of their craft beers would hit the spot.
- Westwood Public House: I love wings. All kinds of wings and for me the saucier the better. The Westwood has some of the best wings in town and I always seem to default to their death wings. To help cool the heat I pair it with frings (a mix of fries and onion rings).
- Copper Pig BBQ House: Their brisket burnt ends are some of the best BBQ in town. They are so tender and honestly something I crave on a regular basis. Pair them with their shasta chips and you have yourself a meal.
I am going to work on a few other lists for future blog posts. Until then please feel free to connect with me on Twitter and Instagram (@tiben12) and share your thoughts about the top food pairings, top fundraising events or other great things Prince George has to offer.
Until then,
Tim
@tiben12
What would you add to this “best of” list? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter @MoveUpPG.
