Life in the Lower Mainland (BC, Canada)

Il Terrazo is hidden in an alley that can look a bit dodgy at night. You might then expect it to be a smallish place, but it is actually rather expansive, though the area behind the bar is quite tight, including a wine "cellar" accessed by a ladder. Depending on which Italian restaurant you go to, you might be recommended to order according to the traditional Italian five-course dinner . You'd be in trouble with portions if you try that at Il Terrazo, and plates are not really structured for sharing. Even an appy + main might leave you too full for anything but a sharing portion of dessert. Despite not seeing any buzz outside the doors, you can still expect the restaurant to be buzzing and busy as late as 8pm. Seating is not tight, but sight-lines mean little privacy pretty much no matter where you sit. It is quite noisy with the buzz of many patrons, and dinner lighting is on the dark side of dim. Order-taking waitstaff might be a bit busy trying to keep up, but d...

SkinnyTato is a Polish restaurant that prominently features gluten free and vegetarian options. For Dine Around and Stay in Town 2014, it seemed they went out of their way to have both options, including a gluten free version of Polish poppy seed cake. It's a really tiny place, more like a hole-in-the-wall coffee shop. Seats maybe 16 comfortably. As a small operation, it doesn't have the usual flight of floor staff like a full-time waitress or busser. You might find the service a bit awkward, but their care and sincerity comes through. My dining companion went with the $20 Dine Around menu while I opted for the regular dinner menu. Dine Around 2014 ($20) Starter Cup of polish borsch soup Or White sausage European style sausage cooked & served with sauté onion and mushrooms Entree Spinach Crepe A large crepe stuffed with spinach and goat feta cheese smothered with rich creamy white mushroom sauce served with Nature or Skinnytato salad Or Plate of pierogie...

If ever a storefront didn't match the interior, Avalon definitely qualifies. The signage is more suggestive of a bookstore. The interior is a colourful place with interesting artwork on the wall. It is also a tiny diner. Price for portion is fair here, and the food is properly done but nothing special. My friend got the skillet (good choice) and I tried the veggie burger (stupid choice) and split pea soup (rather like lentil soup). The veggie burger is a simple affair with lettuce and a fat slice of tomato. The savoury patty is rather tasty on its own, and too perfectly shaped for any likelihood of being made in-house. Sadly, the rest of the burger somehow smothered the taste. If you order this, open up your burger and eat the lower half with the patty as an open-faced sandwich. With the top, you can fool around with it a bit. Maybe make another sandwich with whatever else you ordered (e.g., steal some of your buddy's skillet order) or zap some of their rather nice not-to...

Smoken Bones is a rather large restaurant that apparently specializes in BBQ meats. Nevertheless it has a fairly substantial menu of choices. Decor is simple and spacious and has televisions. The only thing to watch out for is the location of the washrooms. Large signs attempt to point you past the passage to the kitchen, but because these signs are both to the left and right of that corridor, sometimes people see only the one that points right at the corridor. Various condiments are available. The house blend of spices is pretty decent -- not too salty, and it actually has a slight sweetness to it. Strangely, they did not provide a change of utensils between appetizer and main. $20 Dine Around Menu 1st Course Smoked tomato soup with creme fraiche or Beet salad with Salt Spring Island Goat Cheese Main Flame-grilled pork buckeye with reduced demi and oven-roasted vegetables or Pork belly & beef meatloaf with a potato croquette Dessert Bread pudding with honey ...

Afternoon Tea at the Empress Hotel is talked about like a sort of institution, a place that you "must" go if you are in Victoria. Sadly, marketers inevitably get their tentacles on anything that is a "must", and put the squeeze on anyone who "must" experience it. Afternoon Tea here mainly distinguishes itself from other afternoon tea services by being in a heritage dining room in a heritage hotel, though its exotic tea blends might be (or just sound) more exotic than others available -- for example, the intriguing Quangzhou Milk Oolong Tea: "A most unique character best described as 'premium oolong with sweet milk and light orchid notes peeking out from camellia depths'. The milky flavour of this tea is a result in a sudden and rare shift in temperature during harvest. This silky and smooth tea is produced in relatively small quantities from December to March. An amazingly profound tea indeed." Other than that, it is not particularl...