Tag Archives: Vancouver Island

01.28.15
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-[Roast]- Me A Swine & I Will Do the Hula

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Roast Meat & Sandwich Shop
#6 – 1701 Douglas St
Victoria Public Market
Victoria, BC
(778) 433 – 6639

In my many sojourns into the Victoria Public Market, I’ve always walked by Roast with all those lovely pork rinds prancing in the corner of my eyes. I can pick up a Chicharrón (a dish with nothing but these rinds) or get a sandwich with this garnish, but I always pass it by. Yes, I have a weakness for those crunchy delicious delights. When I should watch my weight, resistance was lost to me this day. I finally gave in and ordered their Porchetta sandwich ($9.95). Yes, it’s pricey for a 5″ sandwich but oh the flavour!

Unlike the BBQ Pork that I have from Chinatown, which is basically a rib cage dipped in a vat of hot oil, this one took its time to cook. The herbs added to it while it cooked braised all the way through from the skin, through the fat and into the meat.

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01.07.15
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One Bloke’s Quick Guide to the Victoria Film Festival 2015

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Today marks the launch of Victoria Film Festival’s release of their 2015 program guide, and in what’s offered will be more documentaries than anyone can watch in a day, much less a weekend. That’s the first thing people scanning the guide from beginning to end will note. And starting this year (and most likely continuing) are screenings in Sidney, BC. People living north of Victoria (heading to BC Ferries) have a venue to see a specially selected list of movies playing at Star Cinema without having to travel too far from home.

The show runs February 6-15th, and this hungry film buff is looking forward to this year’s gala event — the movie Boychoir starring Dustin Hoffman as choirmaster who finds talent in a boy suffering from family loss. The reception that’ll follow afterwards will sport a 40’s theme with plenty of big band sounds to kick off the night. With the talents of Rita Hayworth, Veronica Lake, Cary Grant and Claude Rains blazing on background monitors, a few fans of comedy may well ask, “Well, Who’s on First?” Abbott and Costello is suspiciously missing. This event will be held at the Promis Building.

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01.04.15
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Pagliacci’s: The Best Lasagna in Town

PagsPagliacci’s
1011 Broad Street
Victoria, BC
(250) 386-1662

J: New Year’s day offers very few places for people to dine. Many of the city’s restaurants, cafés and bistros are closed up tight because there is probably very little money to be made in the tourist off-season. And they are probably correct, at least where downtown Victoria is concerned. After Christmas and Boxing Day, who really has money to dine? And what about those New Year’s hangovers?

But neither that or empty wallets appeared to deter people from going to Pagliacci’s. They are a local landmark on the restaurant scene for the last 34 years. Artists like Jim Byrnes (Highlander the Series, Beast Wars) have eaten here and even the great Etta James performed at Pag’s for their tenth anniversary. Even the owner, Howie Siegel is still a local celebrity. Originally, he was a Jewish kid from the Big Apple. Here at Pag’s, Howie brought a little of what makes New York City desirable into a little corner of the Inner Harbour.

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12.17.14
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Fishhook Swept Me Off My Feet, A Review

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805 Fort Street
Victoria, BC
Phone:(250) 477-0470

I’m definitely hooked on a feeling that I’m really high in believing that there’s a lot of great fish to taste at an eatery aptly named Fishhook. They have been in operation since August, but I haven’t had the opportunity to visit until now — when I firmly decided I needed more fish in my diet.

Mind you, with such a delectable range of proteins to be found here (from black cod to salmon) I figured I might as well start from the top of the menu and work my way down. What I enjoyed with The Tuna Melt ($7 for 1 or $12 for 2) was first and foremost the wonderfully toasted bread.

This diner gets their supply from Irene’s Bakery and their commitment to high quality ingredients is to be commended. Even the fish are harvested with love. They are brought in from sustainable sources and are Oceanwise. The lusciousness of the raw albacore tuna was more than simply divine; the soft and light buttery texture melted in my mouth. It was served at the right temperature to make this meal very enjoyable!

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12.11.14
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There’s no Need to Run to Cafe Mexico

CAFE-MEXICO-2013-12-111425 Store St.
Market Square
Victoria, BC
(250) 386-1425

Cafe Mexico has been in operation for as long as I can remember. I think it’s been in operation since the early 90’s. These days, I rarely wander into Market Square as often because there is no comic book store (Island Fantasy) and candy store (Fat Phege’s) to entice me towards the water. Well, there’s Oh Sugar across the street.

When I do shop here, I visit Avalon, a new age metaphysical/book store and Camera Traders often. I met up with a buddy, Brendan Gibson, and we agreed to check out Cafe Mexico, since we both felt hungry.

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11.25.14
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The Vancouver Island Holiday Events Guide

Christmas Hammy 4Christmas is coming,
the Blokes are getting fat
please do put some money
in the food bank’s hat
if you haven’t got some money,
a food donation will do
if you haven’t got a food donation
than God bless you!

It’s not the exact lyrics to “Christmas Is Coming,” an American Christmas carol, but I thought I would give it a West Coast Canadian twist instead. The holidays are fast approaching (although some may dread it), but do keep in mind that the holidays shouldn’t be about commercialism. What truly matters is to spend this time of year with your family, your friends, and to have enough food on the table to share it with them.

If you believe in exchanging gifts, I would say keeping it simple is the best way to go about it. Avoid maxing out your credit card, pay cash for simple gifts. And if you can’t afford something, then price isn’t the be all and end all, it is the thought that counts. When buying a gift, I try to make my purchases at locally owned shops. This means buying from an independent store and not from a corporate owned or franchise. Doing so ensures your money stays on the West Coast rather than being sent to a company in a Eastern capital city or the United States.

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