Author Archives: Ed Sum

12.07.16
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[Vancouver, BC] Am I on the “Fritz” Loving American Cheesesteak Co.?

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The American Cheesesteak Co.
781 Davie St.
Vancouver, BC
(604) 681-0130

Most Philly cheesesteak lovers will say a fantastic sub has to be slobbering over with greasy goodness. The beef juices have to drip upon every bite and I must add an additional requirement: a gentle crisp is needed and the cheese must ooze all over. As most folks know, (from American CheeseSteak’s website) Pat and Harry Olivieri created the sandwich at their hot dog stand near South Philadelphia’s Italian Market in the 1930s. The cheese steak became so popular that the pair stopped selling hot dogs altogether, later opening the renowned Pat’s King of Steaks in the place where their stand once stood. Today, Philadelphia has more than 2000 restaurants dedicated to serving this indulgence.

Now just how this iconic morsel that can feed a state migrated to Vancouver, BC (let alone Lake Tahoe when I first sampled an ‘authentic’ style) almost needs to be questioned, current US politics notwithstanding. More Yanks should come north as long as they bring more of their trade cuisine secrets to indulge Canadians with! The South really must migrate so more Cajun style restaurants can open up! But I digress. For the sandwich, I feel that the New Yorker is over the top. My gut is simply busting after taking a few bites and the only reason I got it is to tide me over for 30 hours as I make the most of my last days in the big city.  Of course, I’m writing this review a few weeks later, but I needed time to fully digest that meal.

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11.23.16
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There’s No Need for James at John’s Place

johns_place1John’s Place
723 Pandora Ave
Victoria, BC
(250) 389-0711

There are times where I think my writing partner James Shaw is wrong, totally wrong. He thinks we should not look at the popular establishments and we should really focus more on the mom and pop operations. That’s fine, but when I’m out and about more than he is, I’ll do what I like. I feel we should at least give some few recognized establishments our take anyways. My buddy’s opinion is always dated; he draws on experiences from more than ten years ago and I tell him you can’t base everything on the past. Sure, they shape who we are (in other aspects), but when it comes to food and some operations, management can sometimes change.

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10.28.16
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Eerie Ed’s Guide to Haunted Victoria, BC Eateries

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Supernatural tales permeate throughout most of Victoria, British Columbia and there’s a handful of ghosts who love visiting eateries. With Halloween near, interest in this world is at its peak, and some may want to dine at an allegedly haunted establishment.

As a paranormal enthusiast who is trying to keep up to date with new tales, I present a catalogue of nearly every haunted eatery in this city. Some I’ve been to dine at and others are still on my bucket list.

In a few stories I’ve personally been told, Monty’s Showroom Pub (closed) was also haunted and I was invited to investigate this place with me and my PARAVI friends. We did not find anything conclusive, but to be in this venue after hours and quiet certainly had a different ambience.

The area around Bastion Square has a fair number of haunts within a square block. With a few friends who once operated a restaurant or late-night pub in this area, they have related to me a few experiences: a past owner/operator of Baja Surf Grill (no longer in operation) mentioned finding wall hangings strewn on the floor and while I think he’s pulling my leg, the area is old enough to have some secrets. But in all the tales he tells me, I figure the ghosts of downtown Victoria love him. He used to run a downstairs pub, close to The Churchill, many years ago and recalls seeing something on the stairs!

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10.25.16
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Victoria, BC’s Evil Acres is now Fear on the Pier. So What’s the Story?

banner-fear_on_the_pier-640x360Oct 13 to 31, 2016
Evenings from 6:30pm till 11

Ogden Point
Pier A – 203 Dallas Road
James Bay
Victoria, BC

Admission: $13
(or $12 w/ non-perishable food item donation)

Monsters Haunted House, the fine purveyors of spooky attractions for Saanich, BC, changed their operation from haunted barns to … one big warehouse for this year’s All Hallows Eve spooktacular. I miss the Evil Acres name. It had meaning for those who have lived in this municipality for most of their life; to witness the transition from farmland to modern housing is scary in itself. Some folks gave up the simpler life for modern conveniences. I watched my neighbourhood change from hothouses and farmland to nothing but homes for as far as the eye can see. To fondly recall those days brings nostalgia. Perhaps nestled in those large fields of grass is a corpse of a lost pet (or part of a human body) and the imagination can have some asking if a wild animal is on the loose.

The gorgeous back story crafted in this company’s previous show made going through an abandoned-looking home all the more chilling. All those murders and bloodbaths could have happened. Nobody could have guessed until local sheriffs and hospice arrived at the abode to investigate and offer relief.

This company’s latest attraction, Fear on the Pier, feels like a work in progress. There is no story to know of before going to this spectacle. Folks are entering a modern warehouse storing a decrepit warehouse which is sealed in black. Did a bunch of octopi expel ink here? Or could mighty Cthulhu have put his tendrils all over it, thus causing it to crumble into claustrophobic nothingness?

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10.17.16
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Mr. P – The Story of the Real Mr. Potato Head is Fringe-worthy Fun!

1184948_500545486699996_1927149996_nQuebec-based Belzébrute Theatre has a wonderful show that really must be taken on the road for more people to see. If there’s a lesson to be learned afterwards, many a person from the entertainment industry will get it. The creative minds behind this production know how rigorous life is when constantly travelling, hitting places like Radio City Music Hall, just to perform night after night. Between balancing the struggles for finding recognition to just finding that me time to relax, the team who wrote this show created an entertainingly comic product which brings nearly a century of the best performers from live entertainment into a fun-filled 90-minute production.

Mr P – The Story of the Real Mr Potato Head looks at the life and times of the world’s most famous nightshade. An usherette welcomes audiences as they come in and provides much of the live music. The silent film montage introducing the spud gives this show a surreal-like quality ala Toy Story (especially when Pogo the sausage dog is introduced), and when he can channel the best — ranging from Frank Sinatra to Elvis to Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury — this potato can win many a crowd!

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10.15.16
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Eerie Ed’s Top Picks for the 2016 Halloween Season

From getting my spooky fervour on as a Paranormal Investigator to enthusiast this Autumn, this downgrade is not because of the group, Paranormal Victoria (PARAVI), I was with decided to take an extended break since we all have busy normal lives. We sometimes make it a tradition to investigate a venue at this time (and sometimes it’s with media, like the Oak Bay and Victoria News back in 2012). One day, I hope the great folks who make up this PARAVI team will be back.

In the meantime, I will continue my interest on the cinematic, theatrical and storytelling front. My love for the supernatural started from discovering this genre in those mediums and here are my picks to get my muse singing the praises:

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Movie Under the Maltworks
Shaun of the Dead Movie Screening

Date:
Oct 28th, 7:00pm
(doors open 6pm)

Admission: $20

Location:
Phillips Brewing & Malting Co.
(2010 Government St)

I have often wondered what a perfect cinematic night during this season would be like? To boil down the perfect pair depends on the mood and which sub-genre best represents Halloween. Some may say zombies and others will say ghosts. For the former, comedy is needed. While not everyone will appreciate the golden age classics, my choice would be Shaun of the Dead and Fido. With kids in the audience, it would be hard to keep them down for two films, but for one, the former will do and the Victoria Film Festival committee has this choice easily nailed down. That’s tough to do for keeping a zombie still.

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