Are you looking for Saturday night plans outside of downtown Vancouver? Then let me tell you about the amazing time we had last Saturday at Good Co. Bar & Hollywood Theatre.
Tonight we had a late appointment with the dance floor. Hollywood Theatre at West Broadway was hosting an Abba themed dance party, and being fans of the 70’s band we made arrangements to go. But first thought to pregame at dinner.
Seeing as Good Co. was nearby and they are known for having the vibe we were looking for (on any night for that matter), we started our evening there.
With the warmer weather, the bar spills out onto the street. A more relaxed setting with arcade and pool in the back, a collection of table board games to borrow, and multiple televised sporting matches on multi screens.
We set the tone with a couple of Jell-O shots to start. Today they had a lime margarita Jell-O shot in green and an orange Creamsicle Jell-O shot with a dollop of whipped cream on top. As expected, they went down fun and easy, like their respective flavours, but with a kick of vodka.
We followed this with a couple rounds of cocktails. The Cold Brew Express was your classic and popular coffee-based pick me up. A mix of absolut vanilla, kahlua, egg white, and house of funk cold brew. There was nothing out of the ordinary about this, it was just well-crafted and even better received.
The Bourbon Peach Tea was very light, if we didn’t know better, we would think it was alcohol-free. Evan williams, peach schnapps, brewed tea, peach puree, and lemon juice.
The Lemon Cheesecake Martini delivered on the lemon, and gave fate whispers of a creamy cake thanks to licor 48, I was just missing the gram cracker base of what I imagined to be a liquid a New York style cheesecake. Limoncello, licor 48, and lemon. Refreshing like lemonade, but with a fuller mouth feel. This is the upgraded birthday cake version, that includes whipped cream and sprinkles. If you are really celebrating, you could also ask for a candle to complete the occasion.
From here I switch to a Spanish Cabernet Sauvignon. This was before settling into 2oz highballs, which are on special every Saturday for $10.25. My guest had gin and sprite, whereas I went for a whisky and gingerale.
As we drank, we grazed on a couple of their appetizers. A plate of Crispy Cauliflower tossed in curry ranch and cilantro. It was perfectly prepared with a firm texture and the creamy zip of a mayo curry.
We also had an order of their Chicken Wings in the dry lemon pepper flavour. We were both surprised by how much we like them. Once again, the perfect texture: an even breading for an extra crispy skin surrounding juicy dark meat. You can tell these were cooked to order and well seasoned.
Between food and drinks Good Company Bar is leagues better than any regular bar cuisine, and the perfect start to this evening.
Good Co. Kits
3255 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6K 2H5
(604) 559-6070
goodcobars.com
When closer to showtime, we settled up and took a quick walk to Hollywood Theatre up the block. There was already a line forming for “Dancing Queen”. A night of music from ABBA and Queen, plus everything in between; spun by DJ Flipout.
This was both of our first time in the venue. They were foyer bars and theatre bars with pull down theatre seats and a wide open dance floor.
We started off with a couple glasses of their house red. This didn’t sit well so we changed to shots. Plus, it was easier to dance hands-free, after taking a shot of tequila and chase of lime at the bar.
The great thing about coming to a dance party is everyone intends to dance, and there is none of that awkward “who will go out on the dance floor first” game of chicken. The crowd was a mix: a variety of ages, but everyone was familiar with the music. Honestly you need to know the music to fully enjoy the experience. And that we did. It felt just as much a karaoke session, as it was a dancing event.
Favourites like “Rasputin”, Grease’s “Summer Nights”, Whitney Houston’s “I’m Every Woman”, and “Mickey” had everyone singing along. And when we needed a break, we were able to grab a quick seat on the side. Queen’s “We Will Rock You”, seemed like a good time for this.
In short, we left with a horse throat, and blisters on our feet, a successful night of fun and burning of calories.
Hollywood Theatre
3123 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6K 2H2
(778) 819-3065
hollywoodtheatre.ca
