Raw Canvas

I'm not generally a huge fan of Yaletown.  I find it very artificial; a confine of condo complexes, and chic eateries that seems to have sprung up overnight.  It's a bit like a yuppie bomb exploded.  That being said, I recently stumbled upon a fun, little place that might make my Yaletown visits a bit more frequent.

Raw Canvas is definitely a weird place (almost always a plus in my view).  Their unique approach to downtown night life is to combined food, drink, and art.  The art is their big draw.  (No pun intended).  The bar is divided into half dining room, have painters studio.  For a price, you can head into the arty side of the room, and a staff artist will provide you with a canvas, smock, and paint supplies, (and give help where requested), and you can paint the evening away.  It's not cheap, though.  $55 for their smallest canvas.  However, it seems very popular.  A cool idea for people like me who like the idea of painting, but have no discernible artistic talent.  Some people do take it a little too seriously.  "Do you mind? I'm making art!"  Here's a hint, real artists don't work in bars.  An evening of mucking about with a paintbrush and some good friends, on the other hand, can be quite a lot of fun.

It's not a place to get a meal.  Their food is limited to charcuterie plates, and pies.  Both of which are a bit on the expensive side.  The drinks list, on the other hand, is very versatile.  Whoever buys beer for Raw Canvas knows what he's doing.  Rotating taps of microbrews, and truly wonderful Belgian brews made for a very nice evening.  They also have an extensive selection of bottled beers, wines, whiskies, tequilas, and even sake.  None of which can be had at bargain prices, but all of which can be categorized as the good stuff.

Raw Canvas isn't going to make its way into my list of regular watering holes.  I'm just too poor.  However, it's definitely a fun, interesting, ecclectic, and delicious place.  I'll back for a special occasion.