Vernon Winter Carnival 2012 - Pictures - Snow Sculptures (Part 2; the after shots)

Vernon Winter Carnival 2012 - Snow Sculptures! - Silver Star Mountain Resort

Photos by JettaGirl

Vernon Winter Carnival 2012 - Snow Sculpture Competition at Silver Star Mountain

Snow Sculpture Competion (the before pictures)

Vernon Winter Carnival 2012 - Silver Star Mountain Resort, B.C.

Photos by JettaGirl

Review - The Phoenix Steakhouse - Vernon, B.C.

Delicious, rich n' very tasty...

The Phoenix Steakhouse, in Vernon, B.C., is where I ate my heart out having a meal that left me feeling like...I wanted more! Not that same night mind you 'cause I was stuffed but, talk about a cravings, mmmm mmmm mmmmm, yaep I want more!!

My meal began with an appetizer of Prime Shires. This consisted of 4 large, golden and cooked to perfection Yorkshire Pudding stuffed with prime rib with a squirt of garlic aoili piped into the opening and served with au jus for dipping. Mmmmm, soo sooo good!! Well, the meat, I didn't care for so much but the yorkshire and au jus was just splendid.

I then chowed down a super awesome 8oz. centre cut Sirloin cooked medium rare to perfection served with a side of Bernaise which was also sinfully rich but oh soo good, mashed potatoes and a bowl of Creamy Lobster Bisque. The bisque is on the menu all of time :) and I don't recall having such an awesome tasting soup in the Okanagan. It was tomato based but also made with cream so it was very rich, super tasty, not fishy and had a hint of dill making it very, very mouth watering ...and delicious.

My companion didn't care for the soup at all, actually he thought it was disgusting lol and that the lobster he had was a touch overcooked, other than that he loved everything else. Myself, I'm just not that fond of skins in my mashed but I'll get over it :P

The atmosphere downstairs was kind of blah, they are attempting to create something but I think the furnishings are hindering this process as it's full of ugly, brown booths; like something you'd see in an old pizza parlour or something. Next time, yes there will definetly be a next time, I'll sit upstairs as I understand it's nicer up there. The prices are touch on the high side for my liking but as long as I leave full, satisfied and wanting to return then it must be worth it.

My overall rating for The Phoenix Steakhouse in Vernon, B.C. is an 8 out of 10!

Give them a call at 250-260-1189 to make your reservation...

...tell them you saw this review on JettaGirl's blog and they'll say 'who's that?' and 'so' lol...this review was written and posted without any sort of compensation from The Phoenix Steakhouse.  

    

JettaGirl signage :)

Silver Star Mountain - Long John's Pub - Review 2012

I was up at Silver Star with a good friend of mine, seeing the sights and sampling food and spirits...over a hundred dollars later we had hit up a couple of different places for drinks and food, all of which went down very nicely :)

Silver Star Mountain Ski Resort

Vernon, B.C.

Silver Star Mountain Ski Resort

Vernon, B.C.

Long John's Pub was our last place to visit for the evening and by the time we reached it, we were hungry!! While sucking up the atmosphere, which is very quaint and cozy, we perused the menu. Everything looked delicious but we felt the prices were a bit steep, it almost felt like the fine dining rates you'd see in Banff. We decided to order a plate of Calamari, to share. When the server brought us our food, it looked delicious but we were wondering who snacked on it between the kitchen and our table as there was but a small handful of Calamari on our plate! Pretty hard to share, but we managed...the portions size was terrible for the price, $14 dollars and although it was delicious and meant to be an appetizer, we wouldn't go back nor recommend it as a place to eat. Although I will say the server was fantastic, very friendly and efficient so...Drink yes, eat no!

We ended up going across the snow covered ground to The Bulldog to scarf down a super larger order of yam fries with garlic aoli which was yummo and resonably priced, plus we were able to sit by the fireplace and absorb the atmosphere inside and out as there are large windows with great views!! 

I'd definetly go up to the Star again, just for fun, not even to ski, snow board or tube but I will be sure to bring the 'it takes money mindset' to enjoy myself fully up at the Star, that and a couple of roadies to conjure up while walking around outside!

BC's Dreamiest Sunset - Winter 2012 Okanagan Lake

Okanagan Lake, B.C. Canada

This was one of the most beautiful sunsets I've seen on the lake this year ;) ...and it just kept getting prettier and prettier until I was left sitting in the dark.

Okanagan Lake, B.C. Canada

 

Photos by JettaGirl

52nd Annual Vernon Winter Carnival - Feb 3rd thru 12th, 2012

Celebrate winter 2012 in Vernon!

This February 3rd thru 12th, 2012 is the 52nd Annual Vernon Winter Carnival and it's taking place in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. Come out and enjoy a winter wonderland of festivities that will take you from Silver Star Mountain and Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre to the Okanagan Science Centre and the Greater Vernon Museum & Archives to Wesbuild Centre for a game with Vernon Vipers!!

Enjoy hot air balloon's glowing in the night sky, amazing snow sculptures, the coronation of Queen and Princess Silver Star, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, comedy and the arts, beer gardens, appetizers and there's evean a chilli cook off! There will be competitions in curling, hockey, wallyball, broomball and javelin rockets, skating, dinner theatre and dances, sqaush, running and much much more!! And yes, there's a parade in downtown Vernon on Saturday the 4th!

Let's hope for an awesome celebration, perfect weather and lots of smiles, laughter and cheer from the old, the young and all ages in between :)

Visit the Vernon Winter Carnival website that is loaded with information on dates, times, events, attractions, history and more! 

Okanagan Valley, BC - Apricots in Enderby and sunshine everywhere!

 Lake Country, B.C.

 Summer vacay 2010... hittin' the beaches from Vernon B.C. to Penticton B.C. with my bestie :0) ...got a bit 'pickled' in Penticton and forget to grab pics, not to worry though, it does exist and it was magnificent!

The best 2 weeks of my year spent hanging out in the Okanagan with friends and family doing road trips, wining, dining, shopping...

Sunset; Lake Country - Okanagan Lake B.C.

Apricots in Enderby B.C.

 ...perfection on a stick!

 Enderby is not known for it's apricots but this one lone tree winked at me from across the road. So, of course I picked one, bit right into it and the mmmm went to awwwe...they weren't ready yet, hard as a rock! lol oh well, better luck next time ;)

Photos by JettaGirl

Beachin' it...I'm served best hot and on the rocks! ;)

Okanagan Lake, BC Canada

While sunning myself on the beach, I will refer to it as the hazy n' lazy days of summer, I found just enough creative energy to build this stone statue to commemorate my daily visit :) ...it's still on my cell screensaver, just to remind myself that the Okanagan's infamous sunshine is just around the corner...hang in there girl, it's a comin'!

Note to self & others:

Bring air mattress and most importantly, bring the patches to fix the air mattress when you set it down on a stick...duh!  

Photos by JettaGirl

Welcome to your first glimpse of Canadian heaven!

Okanagan Lake, BC Canada

This gorgeous area of the Okanagan Valley is part of Lake Country (formerly known as Winfield). I visit here often as this is the hub of my stomping grounds. This eastern shoreline boasts amazing swimming, loads of sunshine and if you have the right spot, seclusion! ...and there's plenty to go around, I'll even share it with you if you promise not to litter, loiter or start a forest fire :)

Photos by JettaGirl