Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Eating Out In November

It's restaurant review time, folks! In the last month or so we have eaten out several times. You may have already read my review on the Tibetan Kitchen from earlier this month. Today, I will re-cap some of the eats I've had in the last month, starting with the most recent.

Last night my husband and our next-door neighbours had dinner at the Stickleback Westcoast Eatery in Sooke.  We entered the west-coast vibe cafe only to find that we were the only patrons in the joint, perhaps not a-typical for a Monday night in Sooke. The server greeted us and announced that it was International Monday and that they were featuring Greek food. Well, knowing that personally I have not found any good Greek food on Vancouver Island, and that I can make a pretty good Spanikopita when the spirit so moves me, I opted for a burger. The burger was a bacon, mushroom, cheeseburger, or what they have dubbed "The Trail Boss". It was served on a bun that though was totally fresh and nice as a bun, was way too thick/firm for the burger, making this not-so-dainty choice a little hard to, well, fit in my mouth.   I opted for the chowder as a side, which was stunning, and even featured a whole mussel in the shell. My husband got the grilled halibut, which was served with a pesto cream sauce, rice, sweet potatoes and veg. We choose a lemon tart for dessert, which was very nice, though the garnish of lemon slices were a little odd considering it was served with a fruit coulis and whipped cream.  All in all, it was a good meal and though we were the only customers in the restaurant (until right before we left when another couple arrived), we had a good experience.                           http://sticklebackeatery.com/ 
Stickleback West Coast Eatery on Urbanspoon

On Saturday, after the Victoria Royals game (sadly defeated by the Kootenay Ice), we stopped in at Vista 18 on Burdett Avenue in Victoria. As we exited the elevator on, you guessed it, the 18th floor, we were met with live light jazz, and sparkling city lights shimmering through the restaurant's many windows. Vista 18 has that "rotating restaurant" feel without the actual rotation or potential vertigo. We arrived just in time for 2 for 1 Small Bites. Our friends ordered right away, while we took our time, which meant that our order sort of got delayed and somewhat neglected by our server. Here is what we tried after ordering from the Small Bites and Dessert menus: edamame beans with sea salt, lime and mint; Sturgeon Burger with smoked tomato aioli; Marinated Mixed Olives; Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Flat Bread; Dessert Sampler. The highlights for me were the edamame beans - the combination of lime, mint and sea salt were just right - a nice balance of salt, citrus, and herb. Everything else was good, not great, but good. Personally, I did not care for the beer flavoured truffle on the dessert sampler, though others at my table tasted it and liked it. I can identify the path that this chocolate creation was going, however, I'd rather stay off of that trail so to speak. My husband had an amazing Gin and Tonic, far superior to the one he ordered last night at the Stickleback. Certainly with the 2-for-1 appy special on at that time, there was good value for the money. I could see returning here for a late night or early afternoon (2 for 1 is between 3-5 or 10-midnight) cocktail and share-plates type gathering. With live music and a "blinged out" view included, I could see how some folks would really like this place.                                    http://www.vista18.com/


Vista 18 on Urbanspoon

Monday, November 14, 2011

Tibetan Kitchen

On Saturday, my husband and I were out in Victoria and were ready for dinner. With no particular destination in mind, we happened to park on Broughton Street. Right by spot we parked was the Tibetan Kitchen Restaurant. So we went in.

The food was scrumptious and the service was delightful. We started with cocktails and momos. Having had not prior experience with Tibetan food, we did not know what to expect. Momos are a whole wheat dumpling filled with either pork, beef, or vegetables. We tried all three available fillings. They were served with a spicy green cilantro dip. Momos remind me of pot stickers. Delicious and delightful.

The cocktails were great - and strong. Mine was infused with lychee liquor and was called something like "Buddha's Delight" - I didn't know that Buddhists were drinkers, but hey it was a tasty drink. We shared two curries: the butter chicken and the vegetarian curry. They offer a choice of white rice or brown rice served with the curry. Both curries were flavourful and fresh.

The Tibetan Kitchen is a family-run business. The mother is the main cook, the daughter was serving at our table and the father was our host. The service is excellent - they take pride in their food and serve with an unpretentious but conscientious approach. I highly recommend this place.

Tibetan Kitchen
680 Broughton Street, Victoria BC
http://www.tibetankitchen.com/

Friday, October 28, 2011

Halloween Feast

Tomorrow night my husband & I are hosting a Halloween Fete & Feast. We will make it a potluck. I am finding the meal planning to be a bit challenging as I have certain dietary needs to consider. One guest is celiac and has an egg allergy, while my husband is lactose intolerant.

So here I was looking up recipes for inspiration - I found squash canapes. Gorgeous sounding - pumpernickel bread topped with caramelized butter nut squash resting on goat's cheese. Delicious! The recipe even suggested that I cut the squash into leave shapes with a cookie cutter (thanks, Martha). I'm not even going to serve this appetizer of course, because the celiac would have to loose the bread, my hubby would have to drop the cheese (though goat is supposed to be relatively digestible) and then what's the point?

So here's what I've come up with:

Swamp Sangria - with grapes, apples, wine & sparkling cider
Decomposed salad - features butternut squash cubes and pumpkin seeds
Ribs - guess I'll even make the BBQ sauce

Not sure about something sweet yet - maybe just candy???
Maybe an egg-less/dairy-less/gluten-free sweet will be easy to find.
I'll keep you posted on that one.


-Apron Andie



Sunday, March 27, 2011

Sooke to Port Renfrew


Botanical Beach & Bites


Sunday, January 16, 2011

WHERE NOT TO EAT

In Sooke there is a quaint little spot called the Lazy Gecko Mexican Eatery. Located in same location as the former, fabulous Farmer's Daughter, Lazy Gecko is a bad mexican stereotype. The brightly coloured walls and comfortable bamboo chairs are the only charming accessories in this abysmal cafe.

We ordered the beef tacquitos, soft corn tacos (chicken) and the veggie quesidilla. The snack-size meal came and was truly a disappointment. The tacquitos tasted like the frozen ones you can buy in bulk at a big-box store. They were served with cold "refried" beans topped with pre-grated cheese and green onion. The green onion was the highlight of the meal. The beans did not taste like anything. Re-fried beans out of a can lightly sauteed with onion would have had more flavor. I'm not sure what recipe they are using, but they seriously need to consider trying something better - how about Old El Paso?

Unfortunately, there was more to this non-descript meal. The quesidilla was made in a flour tortilla. I'm not sure how it was cooked, but the cheese was runny and resembled cheese whiz. The quesidilla had no particular flavour to it, just cheese and tortilla. It was accompanied by a strange side of shredded iceberg lettuce and some tomato sauce/salsa type condiment. Finally, we had the soft taco. Now, we are used to the unbelievably fresh and savory tacos at Hernandez*. So, our standards are pretty high. The Lazy Gecko soft taco is soggy and flavorless. This dish is also presented with the iceberg lettuce / sauce combination.

This new restaurant is set up to serve both take-out and eat-in. Though, it is more cafeteria style eating, where you order and pay for your food and then wait for someone to bring it to you. That is not a-typical nor unexpected. At Hernandez, they do something similar, and it works great. Unfortunately for Lazy Gecko, their LAZINESS did not help them serve us. When we were finished our meal and about to leave, the owner came and asked how our meal was. We had to tell her the truth. I said that I was expecting a fresh home cooked meal and I was very disappointed. The one thing the owner did right was to refund our money immediately. When she passed me the refund, I said, "maybe adding some cilantro and lime?"

Adding cilantro and lime to pre-processed food might not help though. Try grating the cheese yourself. Make your own beans. Put out a nice looking plate. Add a fresh salad to each meal. It could be a "mexican" salad - mixed greens, corn, black beans, lime, cilantro & chipotle dressing.
What about seasoning your cooking with appropriate spices? Have you ever heard of cumin?

So, if you're ever in Sooke needing a bite to eat, do not eat at the Lazy Gecko. Unless you want over-processed, bland, soggy stereotypical mexican food.