Eats

If you’re looking for some good BBQ this summer, look no further. Buck Stop recently opened up in the West End on Denman St., and it promises to satisfy all your smoky meat cravings. The “classic barbecue and small plate saloon” prepares everything in house and sources their ingredients locally. The interior is lined with dark wooden bars and tables, and feels very much like you’ve just stepped into the south. Try their pulled pork, served on a portuguese bun with house-made pickles, or test out their hush puppies, a dish consisting of fried cornbread, cheddar fritter and honey butter. Yum.

Beats

One part style, one part movement: Vancouver Cycle Chic is hosting their second annual Cycle Chic Social on July 5, a night of fashion, lifestyle, art, food, and music. The evening is a celebration of the cycle culture in Vancouver, combining a love for bikes, fashion, and the lifestyle surrounding it. The evening will feature a fashion show, local DJs Chapel Sound, City of Glass, #findpeter and BIKES, as well as food trucks, dance floors, and an art installation by Colin Caulfield. There’s plenty to keep anyone satisfied and entertained, plus there will be prizes and giveaways all night. Check out vancouvercyclechic.ca for details.

Theats

The Indian Summer Festival returns this week, running July 4 to 13. The festival features music, literature, film, business, politics, and food, bridging the cultural gap between Vancouver and the Indian subcontinent. This year’s highlights include musical group Rajasthan Josh, with a blend of percussion and strings for traditional renditions as well as collaborative pieces with some well-known Vancouver artists. The Lit and Sound Cabaret features music from Mohamed Assani, Rup Sidhu and Curtis Andrews, and words by Jillian Christmas, Jeet Thayil, Zaccheus Jackson and Anoushka Ratnarajah.

Elites

The Chinatown Experiment, a storefront that hosts pop-up shops for Vancouver entrepreneurs and artists, will be hosting the Laser Cutter Cafe now until August 6. What is a laser cutter cafe, you ask? A laser cutter is a computer controlled laser that cuts and etches precise patterns into many different materials; the cafe part means they will also be offering you tea while they teach you how to use a laser cutter. These tools have been used to make postcards, games, jewelry, and nearly anything else you can imagine. Check out lasercuttercafe.com for more details and pricing.

Treats

A couple of the folks behind McLeod Books have come together to form The Paper Hound, a newly opened used bookstore on Pender. Owned by Kim Koch and Rod Clarke, the bookstore deals mainly in used and rare books, with a selection of new titles from local publishers like Arsenal Pulp Press. The charming shop has wood floors, brick walls, and racks of old bookmarks, postcards and letters, along with the impressive collection of literature. It’s certainly a nice and welcome addition to a city that is used to removing culture rather than fostering it.