Ross Bay Pub, Fairfield, Victoria

I haven't done music bingo in a while.  It's a fun enough reason to sit in the pub, have a bevy and laugh with your friends.  It's even better when you win two prizes for your efforts of recognizing the words in a chorus and marking it on a grid.

Which is what I did on Saturday night with a friend and some of her friends.  At the Ross Bay Pub.  The Ross Bay used to be a White Spot and is now a corner pub in a strip mall.  From the outside, it looks like a cafe with darkened windows and a secluded patio.  Inside, it's narrow, with a some tables up on a higher level, and some high tables scattered around the front as well, making it feel cramped, even if it isn't really.

We gathered around a six person table and were served waters pretty quickly.  Drink service took a bit longer, as there'd just been a rush of new diners, probably all here for the music bingo.  Still I got the Saturday special pint of Lucky (just for a change, right?) and ordered the BLT sandwich.

The Lucky Lager was cold and wet.  It disappeared quickly as I'd just cycled down and was thirsty.  It was replaced by a pint of the Russell Blood Alley Bitter.  This lasted much longer (most of the evening). It's rich, flavourful pint, with a nice complex set of malty and hoppy flavours.  Mmmm.

My food was pretty good as well.  A mid-size door stop of a sandwich, a good pile of lettuce and tomato, and a couple of rashers of bacon.  Not stuffed full of meat, but it worked out well.  The fries were big, beef-eater cut planks of potatoes, covered with some sort of crispy batter.  This gave them a big crunch, but also made them stick together.

Two of my friends shared a huge platter with wings, waffle fries, calamari, potato skins and onion rings.  This was a big pile of stuff and was more than enough for two folks.  I tried a bit of the Calamari, and it was decent... a bit peppery, but the flesh was tender and not rubberized.

The stuffed Yorkshire went down well too and was served in a big pile. This was to make it look like a massive portion while it was just a big one instead.  The veggie pizza at the table looked just average, and like the base had been pre-toasted.  The rack-o-ribs was a full foot long or more of juicy ribs, that I am told were good too.

All in, the food has a more than passing grade.  It's pub food, done well, but with no frills or extras.  And no reason why it should be frilly or fussy.  It's not that place, it's a community corner pub.  With it's big TVs and music bingo.

The bingo is hosted by an amiable, and occasionally funny compere.  He'd toured and played in a band called 'Shag' for a while.  So he dropped in a few celebrities names of people he'd met, and bands he loved as he played them.  I agree, Blondie is not disco, but there they were in the 70's Disco round.  It was fun for two rounds, but after that, I could have done with a bit of low-level music, coupled with a kicked back chat with the people at my table, rather than another round, featureing classic rock snippets.

Still, we won 3 prizes out 9 at our table... I took home a Molson Canadian branded cooler bag.  I won another one earlier in the evening (with golf balls) but passed this on to my fellow brit at the table who realized the uses it might have for taking beer around the disc golf courses.

Cycled home, a full belly and a happy memory.  Not a bad spot, and will visit again.

Perro Negro, Downtown Victoria

Perro Negro means black dog.  I think Hemingway dubbed his depression as a 'Black Dog'.  He was in love with Spain, with his books on the Spanish Civil War and Bull fighting and other manliness.  I suspect this tapas bar is not named after clinical depression or Hemingway's struggles with it.  Much more likely, the owner of Ferris' is involved and he loves his pugs...  the logo is a pug wearing a pair of bull horns.

The space is reached through the upstairs bar at Ferris', but it looks like a more direct entrance will be available sometime, given the door and name plate at 538 Yates.  They've taken over space above one of the unused shop fronts, turning the brick and wood beamed interior into a smallish tapas bar, with a cosy, warm feel.  It is good to see Victoria using space in the downtown core, and not letting the upstairs of shops go unused.  There's a depressing amount of empty space downtown now, I hope a trend that gets reversed, else more people will head to the malls, leaving the vibrancy of Victoria's centre to fade.  Which is not good for locals or tourists.

So good on Ferris' to take on a new project, and add to the series of relaxed dining spaces it runs.  Everything on the menu is on shareable plates. The drink menu is long on wine and cocktails, a little short on the beer but has a great non-alcoholic section.  There's seating for about 30-40 people, with some bar seating and lots of decent sized tables for two or four, big enough to get the food spread around, small enough so you can lean in and talk.  There's a surround sound system playing flamenco, loud enough to cover up the ambient noise from the other diners, but quiet enough to hear your friends.

I started with a virgin caesar, sevred with a fresh shucked oyster, a single muscle, and a tasty green bean (the word 'shuck' is a wonderful one, after ;juggernaut', it might be my favourite).  The fresh oyster was juicy and briny joy, spiced with some hot sauce and a bit of horse radish. The caesar itself was hot, which I liked though was a bit of a shock on the first slurp.  Nice starter, and I prefer it served this way than adulterated with vodka.

We then got some serious business of tapas ordering.  I don't have notes on every single item, but among the memorable items there was a fantastic beef short rib 'estofado de carne'.  The rib was slow cooked to fall apart tenderness, offering up a huge, rich flavour. The sauce has olives and orange rind in it, which richens the flavour, and sharpens it up.  And you might get lucky to eat an olive in the gravy, with the very different mouth-feel.  Well worth sharing, even though the half portion is $10, and it's a small half.

The croquette of the day was oozey cheese wrapped with a spiced prosciutto, breaded and fried. Very rich, and I wanted more.  The dish comes with just three thumb sized torpedoes though.  A little snack with the wine and beer, I guess.

We also tried the quince and quail special. My good friend tells me she hates food which starts with a Q. This didn't change her mind.  The quail was served cold, which let the fat congeal and gave it a feeling of sucking a half defrosted raw chicken leg.  The quince didn't really complement the poultry, and the salad served with it go soaked in the meat juices, which really was not pleasant.  I was not a fan.

That was a miss, but the 'papas bravas' were excellent.  Cubes of potatoes, served on a tomato sauce base with a thick garlic sauce on top.  Plain, and simple, they went well with the other food and the more complex cocktails my friends were drinking.  I had moved onto a Moroccan Mint Iced Tea by now, and that was pretty good, though served with a little too much ice, so it lost some of the sweet, sharp flavour by the bottom of the glass.

There was also some baked oyster shared.  This didn't convince me to like baked oysters any more than I did already.  Which is not very much at all.  Nothing wrong with the dish, it was all cooked well, but it's a dish I've had exactly once (made by worked friends) that I've enjoyed.  Not enough crunch in there, I think.  We also shared some chocolate pate served on tiny toasts.  A rich, smooth ganache.  It went down a treat even in the middle of more savoury fare.

All-in-all, it's a good experience, with a good mix of food, great service and nice atmosphere.  Portions are a little small for the prices, I felt. However, it was filling up as when got there at 5.30, and by the time we left, it was humming along.  As was Upstairs at Ferris'.  A new spot to hit up for a small group of good friends, or a casual date night for foodies.  Which means I will be taking the lovely Brunette of my Acquaintance soon....

The Pickle Pub Crawl, After Action Report

Today, we went pub crawling. The Victoria Harbour ferries run a crawl in association with eight of the local pubs.  You pay $15 for a day pass for the ferry and for every four people buying drinks at these partners, you get a plate of appys.  It's a self organized, casual type of thing.  You tour around all day, heading where ever you fancy, calling into the Harbour ferry from each pier when you want a pick up.  Get 10 or so friends together and see what happens.

We started in the Canoe club.  I continue to dislike the beer there, but love the patio and the food is reasonable.  I had the eggs diablo, a baked egg and chorizo sausage dish.  Not exactly filling, but very tasty and a good start for the day. The IPA was terrible, and I should have passed on drinking here.  But with fine weather and even finer company, the mood was set in for the day for me. The shared appy here was some just about passable calamari and a mushy, sour tasting white bean dip.  

We then took a hop over to the Lido.  A small cafe and patio bar right next to the Hyack air terminal.  I've had a great coffee there before one trip to Seattle.  The beer menu is short, but good. Two jugs of Driftwood's White Beer were shared, and the conversation was set for the day.  The very attractive Brunette of my Acquaintance enjoyed her Pimms cup, served properly with cucumber and a basket full of raspberries.  The G&T drinker declared the mixed drink to be fantastic.  I love the space here, and for summer drinking, it's well worth it.  The appy was perfect drunk food, a cheesy garlic thin crust pizza.  No sauce, just cheese, bacon and garlic.  Served with a 'special' white sauce (sweet, thin and terrible) and a thick oregano paste (really good).

A real ferry ride took us to Spinnakers.  Not part of the official Pickle Pub Crawl, but one of my favourite places in Victoria.  Sadly we sat inside, so the day seemed to slip away and the energy lowered with the lack of sun light.  Still, I drank a fantastic saison from Gigantic Brewing. 8.5%, in a 13oz snifter.  Dry, slight fizzy, slightly spicy and crisp.  Too many would have made me slip into a happy coma.

Fresh air, and we left the Brunette behind for errands, while nine of us continued on to the Steamship Bar and Grill.  Their beer menu is super short.  Four beers, two pretty dull premium lagers and a really nice dark wee scotch ale.  Everyone else got stuck into the big fruity drinks.  The sangria was voted as worth a second drink.  And second were had.

The free appy here was more calamari.  Tender pieces, lightly breaded and served with also breaded and fried pieces of lemon and jalepeno pepper.  Really good, one of the better calamaris I have had in town.  The view here is great, the patio over looking the harbour gives you plenty to watch the world go by, and the service was super friendly outside.  Inside, the big high ceiling space looks a bit sterile, and I'm not sure I'd go for dinner... it feels more like a tourist bar than a local place.

Finally, we took the ferry over to Lure at the Delta Pointe.  We were reduced to six by this point, but this fine and hardy bunch took in the patio there.  Or we would have, but it was being maintained and the builders were in.  Odd, as I think it's just been opened, so maybe it was made from sketchy concrete.  We sat inside on a big long table. Really comfortable chairs, but that's about the best I can say about the venue.  The service was rushed, and they seemed to have much debate about a missing cucumber for the Hendricks and gin.  We saw the cucumber, but were told it was still missing.  I have no idea why...  Maybe I was just beginning to really feel the glow of the beers by that point, and cucumbers gained to much importance.

No matter, we finished off and headed back to the Canoe to wander home.  Or to friend's houses to write blog posts about pub crawls before going to fringe shows. 

Drake Eatery, Downtown Victoria

Apparently the name Drake has a lot of good connotations out east.  I'd only ever heard of the sub-prime rapper and Toronto Raptors super fan, but there's also an iconic hotel in TO as well.  So my friends told me, and it's a brave name to put on a new place, being loaded with expectations.

Or they may just have liked the name 'Drake'.  Or the owners like ducks.  Or... who knows.  There's not much information out there about any mission, vision or back story.

That's fine, there's no need to create a America's Got Talent back story about every new place.  But for the first week of their soft opening, even finding opening times was tough.  There's now info up on Twitter and Facebook.  But it's pretty low key.

All you really need to know though is to go down and you'll probably find space for a drink and some food.  The drink is pretty much a choice of twenty-five plus Northwest beers, on tap.  A few ciders and wines, no hard liquor.  No fancy tea or coffee.  This is a place for beer lovers, with craft beer front and centre.

Drinks come in 16oz and 13oz glasses.  The smaller glasses are for the stronger, bigger beers from places like Gigantic down in Oregon.  I did ask them about the glass sizes, as the 13oz looked kinda small to me.  It is the glass size, not the pour, and I can confirm via experiment it's just over 13 fluid ounces. And with the right beer, that's a fine amount to have.  They are charging between $5 and $6 a beer, but this is not a place to be slamming as many Molson's as you can. Not if there exists such a place in Victoria now that Soprano's has closed.

I am a big fan of the Lagunitas NightTime Ale.  A really dark beer, lots of pleasant hops and a nice dry, but malty taste.  It sits well over a course of a conversation and a bite to eat.  They also have beers in from the local breweries, Tofino, Vancouver, Deschutes and other big names from the brewing scene.  There's plenty to sample and get stuck into a few different styles and varieties, and in calmer surroundings than the Garrick's. The Brunnette and I on our first visit really enjoyed trying some new breweries out, and different flavours from old favourites.

Service is British style.  Sort of.  You come in, and one of the servers on the door will let you know it's order at the bar, but they will bring out your food.  You then find yourself a spot. Maybe at the bar, or the high tables in the back or in the more relaxed lounge section with deep over stuffed chairs.  There's a old-time feel to the place with bare brick walls, varnished wood fittings and lettering styles.  It's relaxed, but smart casual relaxed, not Big Bad John's sawdust relaxed.

You peruse a menu, then go up and give your order.  You can run a tab under your name, or pay as you go.  The bar staff will serve you there and then and you get to carry your glass of goodness back to your table yourself.  Ah, it's just like being back home.  Any spillage is your fault.  Food is brought direct to the table.  There can be a bit of a line for drinks at times, but I've seen nothing excessive.  My Miss Manners question is, does one tip 15-20% still for bar service?

Food options are short, but cover the bases of appy/snack food. But not the normal culprits.  There are awesome lentil sliders.  The lovely Brunette of my Acquaintance ordered them, and made fantastic choice.  Full of flavour and topped with a bit of mustard and cheese.  The roasted cauliflower 'Buffalo Flowers' are a vegetarian take on chicken wings.  Coated in hot sauce with a mild blue cheese dip, these are were my personal favourite.  The sauce picks up the more vegetal flavour of the cauliflower and then adds some pep.

The chicken bunwich sub I had was less impressive.  Chicken, with peppers and spicy mayo, cheese and a run under the grill.  It's bits of chicken rather than deli meat, so there was nice chunks of meat in there, but it felt rather uninspired and a bit dull really.   At $11, it's not good value to me.  It's not big enough to be filling, but also not flavoured enough to complement the other things on the menu.  The sliders go in the right direction.  This, just didn't.

The one last oddity is the toilets.  They are tiny.  Like aeroplane tiny.  So small, that the wash basin is outside the toilets in a little alcove that's in full view of the bar.  The handicapped toilet on one side is much bigger, and if you want a bit of privacy to reapply your make up, go in there.

Over all, I cautiously like it.  I'm not sold on the value for money yet, but I like the atmosphere.  I like the range of beers, and the menu is worth exploring further.  I don't mind the lack of table service, it allows you to drink and talk at your own pace.  It feels like a good place to grab a drink a bite, rather than a full on long night out.

The Churchill, Downtown Victoria

The Garrick's Head empire has expanded.  Or at least mutated.  The Ledge, an upstairs bar and eatery above the Bedford Regency has closed, and it's liquor licence been moved into the space once occupied by a coffee shop next to the hotel reception.

The bar looks good, using the long narrow space effectively, filling one side with a gorgeous long wooden bar.  The other side is a series of small booths, with a couple of larger tables at the back.  Above the back wall is the chalk board of beers, though this due to be replaced with an electronic list above the bar soon.  The bar features about fifty taps and a lot of decent brand label liquors.  And Fireball, which is a bit odd, given it seems to be going for a more traditional cocktail/beer bar than a trendy bro-bar serving Coors and Shooters.

But, none the less, the fifty taps are impressive, and have a rich variety of interest kegs and local standards.  The down side to the chalk board is it only has the breweries on it right now, and not the beers themselves.  Our server was quizzed and questioned on what was on offer, and passed that test.  As there's going to be some high turn over, and it's only been open 2 weeks, quite impressive.  Also impressed she knew enough of the beers to make recommendations when asked.

Any bar playing the Pixies is going to get an extra mark, and I'll double it because though I could recognize the tracks being played, I could also talk to my friends sitting next to me without screaming like Black Francis.  I hope they keep the volume just as it is.

There are 4 huge high definition TVs above the bar, each showing the same feed from 'armchair tourist', a channel dedicated to showing serene pictures from around the world. By around the world, I mean Salts Spring Island, Victoria and parts of Scotland. The bar has them playing in black and white, which gives a nice relaxed vibe, and they aren't too distracting.  Unless you are me, who insists on looking up every clip on the website to find out where the highland cows being shown are actually from.  The Scottish Highlands, of course.

So, beer. And whisky.  I've been twice, and had a great variety of beer.  They've had the Driftwood Gose-uh, a speciality wheat beer, slightly soured and very refreshing. I also enjoyed the Green Flash palate wrecker, a hugely hoppy, strong beer. Bittered to just before the point of stupidity.  The server recommended the Tofino 'Reign in Blonde', and this went down a treat.  Tofino Brewing is building a fine selection of session-able, tasty brews.

On the whisky front, there's not a huge selection, but they've covered the selection well, with a mix of peaty drams and lighter, spicier ones.  The Aberlour 12 is good value for a Speyside single malt, and much enjoyed by my friend, who came back again for my second trip of the week, just to get a double to relax over.  I had to get the Laphroaig Quarter cask.  Big woody, peaty flavour that gets in your face, and then massages itself into your skull as you drink it over and relax into the chat with your friends. They serve it how you want, with ice on the side, neat or any other way.

The cocktails, I'm told, weren't bad.  Nothing exceptional, but served right, and fast.  I don't think it'll beat out Clive's any time soon, but it's not trying to.  It is a little more relaxed, but counter points the Garrick's by going for a more refined approach to the décor and beer lists.  A bar you go to to meet your friends, and not new people.  For two's and four's to sit in a booth and chat, or at the bar for a sharpener. Not for ten's and twelve's at a long table.  We did get seven in one of the booth tables, but that was a squeeze.

My friends also ordered some sharing platters.  The calamari was excellent.  Al dente, retaining it's bite and flavour, but with a crispy coating that was not oily or over powering.  The five layer dip looked expensive, but was served with a whole packet of toasted pita breads.  I was surprised (though I shouldn't have been thinking about the logistics) that it all came from the Garrick's kitchen, given that I've not thought the food that side was worth the time.  Maybe it was the plating, a good day for the chef or just what was ordered.

So, all-in-all, I've had two relaxed bar nights in there, and been very happy with it.  It's moved to the top of my list of places to meet and drink.  I even whispered in hushed tones that it might even be as good as the best days of Solomon's for range and atmosphere. But with faster service.  I think I need a few more trips to decide...

The Garrick's Head, Downtown Victoria

When I first came to Canada, the Garrick's Head seem to be run by three people... two guys behind the bar and a female server who doubled as security, greeter and bus boy.  I have seen her escort the largest guys out, and deal with the drunkest of customers while the barmen wiped the counters down and slung out beer as fast as possible.

In those days, Garrick's was a small back street bar, with an assortment of students, professional drinkers, tourists and working stiffs.  I liked it's lack of pretension to be anything but a place for beer, liquor and pub food.  Though the food was normally not very good unless they'd got in a consignment of Jalapeño poppers from Walmart.  Those were tasty... but deep frying frozen food should be competently done by all.

I had several happy evenings drinking local brews and watching sports centre after a Salmon Kings game, or wrapped up in the corner by the wood fire, drinking local brews with friends, or sitting on the small patio, drinking local brews and watching the world go by.

Now, the Head has tripled in size, taking over the old clothes store on the corner of Government and Bastion Square, opening up a huge long bar with an impressive line up of beer.  Now you can get around 50 different beers on tap, ranging from American Standard Lagers, to high octane, high hopped Northwest IPAs and all you'd want in between.  It's a fantastic line up.  It's not a cheap line up (a pint will cost you around $6.75 before taxes and tips) but I can't think of where else you'd get a dizzy array of choices.  Sometimes it's a little much, with I think nine different rotating taps.  If you can decide between three different specials, an old favourite seasonal and  rarely seen imports from Oregon, it can be hard to pick.  On, the calamity, having a choice! Pro-tip : choose them all.

The choice was made harder at first when the list of specials could only be seen on a scribbled note or above the main bar on a slowly rotating flat screen list.  Nowadays the servers seem to have a neatly printed list they carry with them, so finding the special beer you'd always wanted is much less of a hit or miss affair.  Beer is well kept here and well served.  No complaints on that score, and through the efforts of some craft beer enthusiasts who have worked there, many of the staff know their beer types now, and I'm not going to be offered 'light or dark' when I ask what's on special.

The front area has an array of TVs showing the sports, much like the old bar did in the back.  I watched the greatest NFL play off game ever back in January, cheering along the Seahawks with several dozen others, while drinking local brews at the bar.

The downside of the new area is the noise.  Given the large expanse of glass, wood floor and flat ceilings, the noise levels in the new bar can escalate and echo upwards and upwards, so speaking across a table is a shouting match.  I wish more places would consider the acoustics when putting together a bar.  I never like to shout when drinking.  Unless, I guess, it's a NFL game on.  But that's different.  A little bit of time and effort could dampen the general background noise and make it a better place to chat, without losing the atmospheric buzz of a busy joint.  The back area is still quieter and more relaxed and still has the old veneer of a pro-drinkers pub.  It's just a veneer, but I hope they don't scrape it off any time soon.

Food wise, things have improved.  The back area bar is now all kitchen.  This allows for more range than deep fried Jalapeño poppers and burger patties.  I've had a great fresh cod fillet sandwich there, and the fries are hot, chunky and just right to snack on with a beer.  It's a little over priced, if you ask me, $9.50 for a green salad or $13.25 for a club sandwich.  It's not the sort of food that I think is worth paying over the odds for.

You are not going here for the food. Or the variety of people. It's for the beer and the people you come in with.

Day 22 - Bard and Banker, Victoria

Last night was my traditional 'Beers Before Christmas' where I go drink lots of beer with good friends in a bar.  Finding a place for a dozen or so people is always hard around Christmas time, so this year I used OpenTable one month in advance to book a space at the Bard and Banker.

The Bard is Robert Service, the poet of the Yukon, who worked in the Canadian Bank of Commerce that once ran out of the same building the pub is in.  It's a huge sprawling place, filled with little nooks, side rooms and alcoves.  Which is good for smaller groups, but larger parties tend to get crammed into spaces that they all can't quite fit and mingle around in.

Still it worked for the dozen or so of us, and one very over worked server.  I ordered a pint of Innis and Gunn, which is one of my favourite beers. It oaky with a sweet malty taste that's not sickly like a Scottish Extra Special bitter.  It's dry sweetness that makes it perfect with food. This was the oak aged beer.  There is one rum casked version, that you can put against wine for depth and complexity of flavour, and for enhancing a meal.

I ordered the spicy tropical pizza.  This is a spiced up version of a Hawaiian pizza.  Well cooked, well spiced, very enjoyable. Thin crust, cooked so the cheese was melting into the crisp pork meat.  Went down a treat before the real business of drinking and socializing began.

Which is did in earnest, and I got to 'visit' with a lot of good friends, new and old.  And this made the whole evening very enjoyable, and the multiple pints of Innis and Gunn well received, to keep the throat lubricated for talking, you know.

The server didn't visit us quite often enough, and everyone seemed to be left looking lost when they went to pay the bill. Receipts were left, but no sign of the server for 15 minutes or so when they wanted to get going.  Bit of a miss, I reckon, but they were busy on the last weekend before Christmas.

The band started, playing unnecessary covers.  I don't need to hear versions of badly done Neil Diamond songs.  It's not a selling point to have loud music every night, to me.  There's plenty of atmosphere in a place like this without it being forced, and conversation drowned out.  It just makes people stop communicating in person and more likely to do the unsociable thing of playing with their cell phones.  Or distracted by the TVs showing late night poker or hockey highlights.

That's were the Bard fails for me as a place to go regularly.  It's not about interactive drinking, or social chatting. It's a loud, maze of a pub with too much forced about the experience and not enough allow to build naturally.

Day 5 - Liquor Licensing, BC style

The BC government is currently doing a review of the Liquor Licensing in BC.  The laws in BC are old, and designed to restrict and control drink sales, rather than promote sensible drinking and responsible service.  Drinking is seen as a 'bad thing' and shouldn't be encouraged, or if possible, allowed.  Read the BC Liquor Act some time, and you'll see how narrow and restrictive the right to buy and enjoy alcohol is in the province.

While I don't think it should be a free for all, I don't think the current system serves us well.  Premises can either by liquor primary (serving booze with food) or food primary (selling food, with no more than 50% of income can come from liquor sales).  These leaves a whole set of problems.  Liquor Primary Licences are hard to come by and are not freely available.  This restricts trade and restricts businesses from opening up and serving the public.  It protects bad pubs from competition.

Food primary licenses are easier to obtain, but still restrictive to businesses.  If you wanted to run a cocktail and food bar, serving high wine and hard liquor... you run a foul of the 50% rule quickly.  If you buy  $160 bottle of wine to enjoy, you have to spend $160 on food to meet the rules.  The venue can balance some of that with patrons spending more on food than their wine bills, but it does restrict the service they can provide.  More over a food primary licence still means you have to be in the business of mainly selling food and drink.  You can't branch out and offer space for meetings.  Or private karaoke booths.  Or sell board games.  Or have special music events.

There's no flexibility, and this leads to again to restriction in competition, on innovative business ideas and makes alcohol the bogey man.  All ills are from the demon drink.  Instead of encouraging responsible drinking, it's made to be a special privilege.  In my view, that licence should be removed where it's not used appropriately.  The board should indeed be able to close down badly run establishments, ensure liquor is not sold to minors, and patrons are not 'over served', that the police have the power to control places which are causing disturbances. 

The board also control special event licensing.  As written, the rules restrict those licences to non-profit organizations to sell at community events (with a loose definition of what that really means) or private parties where the drinks have to be given away. You, as a private citizen, are supposed to apply for one (at a cost of $25 plus $25 for the police check in Victoria) if you want to have a party outside your home where alcohol will be served.  If you want to run a small bar for a one-off event... no chance at all.  But if you own a food venue, you can run an event with beer and wine for sales on a regular basis.. effectively making a it a temporary bar, with none of the controls a licensed venue has to have. Something the Victoria Police are concerned about.

Licences can not be given to event managers, who might be the best people to run one off events, and easier to train and over view.  You can't get one easily if your a licensed bar managed wanting to run a bar for a wedding.  The board will restrict you from drinking in front of minors.  The board will make it hard for you to move drinks from the service area to the dance floor at your wedding.  Just in case a child might see you enjoy a glass of wine.  Something they've seen you do many times at home.  

This just makes drinking seen as 'special' and 'taboo', when it should be seen as anything but.  I don't want a province full of people drinking every day, causing trouble.  But I do think we should be allowed to enjoy a drink responsibly, in many circumstances where it's a way of celebrating, relaxing and just every day life.

Short Reviews - Beer.

I took a month off writing, mostly to keep up with real world work, but partly as a rest and respite to review what I had done, to try and improve.  We'll see how well that goes. But back in the saddle again, with several places in the list to publish reviews, and a coffee shop comparison to get on and do.

Local beers, not just for local people.  Though some really should be kept on the island to avoid shaming the name of Victoria's brewing scene.  And other's are up there with the best of the world brewing.  The recent Great Canadian Beer Festival showed the strengths and weaknesses.

First, the weakness.  I noted from the Victoria Intoxicant site that Vancouver Island Brewery was releasing a new seasonal, Iron Plow Marzen.  If pushed, I'd say Marzen is my favourite long drinking beer. Amber hued, toasted, malty flavour, vague hints of hops and it drinks smooth.  Not in your face, but ideally it's a lager stored (matured) for a couple of months at least to develop that refined taste. VIB's seasonal is... disappointing.  It's not truly awful, but it's not a classic of the style.  They've hit the colour, but the smell lacks some of the toasty malts I'd expect, and it doesn't finish well, leaving a distinctive yeast-like flavour that is reminiscent of their Piper's Pale Ale.  I wonder if it was brewed using a lager yeast and let to mature (lager) a while.  It certainly just doesn't have the complexity of malts I'd expect, and love from a good Marzen.

The good stuff though is coming from Lighthouse Brewery right now.  I'm pretty sure both their Tasman and Switch Back ales are brewed somehow differently from Beacon and Race Rocks.  Neither has a the slight (or heavy) tea-like astringency that's turned me of their regular brews.  The Tasman Pale Ale is something I'd love to see on the taps in my local.  Brewed using down under hops, it's got great balance that you'd expect from a good pale ale.

Switchback IPA is brewed strong (6.5%) with a lovely Northwest nose, assertive bittering, but still some of the malt left in their, so it doesn't knock you out with the hops.  Just lets you know it's there and isn't going away.  There's a touch of alcohol warmth backing it all, which just adds to the brew well, making it a interesting beer to drink if you want to study it. Or just a good strong IPA if you want something cold and tasty at the end of the day.

And while I'm writing up Lighthouse in glowing terms (they ain't paying me), I can also recommend the Dark Chocolate Porter. The pure cocoa gets in there and sits well with the dark chocolate malts. This adds a new bitterness from a new direction.  I'm not a huge fan of chocolate beers, but this is a good one for the style.   I'm also liking Lighthouse for the Szerac Saison they served at the beerfest.  Fine and tasty goodness.

I seemed to have missed out this year on the Satori IPA from Driftwood, but have reports it was as good as ever.  Damn.

And looking outside Vancouver Island for beer, I've been impressed by the range of imports in Hillside Liquor Store (who advertise 'Liquor Store prices'... well yes, you are a Liquor Store...).  Recently I got the set of Adnams (from Suffolk, England) beers to enjoy.  Gunhill is a great British Mild (serve it cold, not chilled). Only 4%, but a tasty rich mix of malts and british hops.  Adnam's Explorer is a blonde beer, brewed North American style with Northwest, citrus hops, best served cold.  Excellent, refreshing beer.  I've got a Adnam's Broadside ready to go here as well.  Much loved and drunk in my days in London.

Spinnakers, Victoria West, Victoria

I originally reviewed Spinnakers over two years ago. Things have changed, and things have stayed the same. They still go for the locally sourced food, they still brew their own beer, and the cooking is still well executed. Things seem to be a little less adventurous in the kitchen, and the beer has become less on the edge. Maybe I've become more accustomed to West Coast way of things. But I think it's more that the standard fare is just a little more standard, and they've stopped calling the beer with interesting names.

I always take visitors to Spinnakers, as it's got a great view and great vibe. And my parents are visiting, and they've had enjoyable times there, so back we went after a day being tourists.

An order of the Pulled Pork Nachos was served for Mum. The personal serving is enough for two as a starter. Served with a mound of fresh, pig goodness and a good salsa, these were a good start to the proceedings. I went with a cup of the chowder, which is creamy, starchy and sea-food salty in equal measure. Nice chunks of (I think) clam in there too. Big bowl of this and lump of bread and I be set on a cold winter's day. Dad also went with the chowder, and seemed very happy with it all.

But as it was a warm summers day, I followed up with the Highland Beef Burger, with cheese. It looked a little small on arrival, the patty shirking away from the edges of the bun, and just capturing the cheese and onions. But this was a packed, juicy, meaty burger. No filler, no messing around with a loose, gristly badly cooked pile of ground meat. This was a BURGER. Beef, beef, and more beef. I needed the bun and salad to compensate for the protein overload. Fantastic. Probably doesn't need the cheese or onions, or the pickled cabbage. This patty. Crisp lettuce. Tomato. The mild BBQ Sauce. Kaiser Bun. Damn fine.

Mum went with the Cod and Chips, and was most happy. Dad had the Bangers and Smash. Very happy he was too with it. Good pile of potatoes, great sausages. Nothing extreme ordered at our table, but good quality, pub food. Looking through the menu (and there was no specials), things are pub food, or local twists. I have had the shrimp pizza here, and can recommend it as well.

Beer wise, I went for the Indian Session Ale. They had opened a Fresh Cask of their IPA with Williamette Hops, but even 90 minutes after opening it, it was all gone. The session ale is a bit like the old Doc's was, but served chilled. Clean, mildly hoppy and low enough in alcohol to have two without the parents wondering if their son was a sloppy drunk.

Service was just fair. Our server got a couple of things wrong and had to recheck what we had ordered. I prefer it when the wait staff write it down... a good memory doesn't impress me as much as getting what I ordered. Fake it if you have to. Make it look like I'm not leaving my food to chance. The pacing of the food was just a bit too slow, waiting for the initial service, or plates to be cleared and the bill to arrive. Might have been a busy session, but didn't feel that way.

Dessert, and I ordered the Raspberry Sorbet, as did Mum, while Dad went with Strawberry ice cream. The sorbet was excellent, intense raspberry flavour that refreshed the palate nicely. Three scoops was a bit much, but good end to a good meal.

Final Bill
Pulled Pork Nachos (Individual Size) : $8.00
2 Cups of Clam Chowder : $6.00 each
Highland Burger with Cheese : $15.00
Fish and Chips : $14.00
Bangers and Mash : $12.00
Raspberry Sorbet x2 : $6.00
House made Ice Cream : $6.00
2 pints of Indian Session Ale : $5.75 each
Tea and coffee : $5.00
Total Bill for three, including tips and taxes : $120.00

Address : 308 Catherine Street, Victoria
Telephone : (250) - 386 - 2739
Website : http://www.spinnakers.com/

Maude Hunter's Pub, Mount Tolmie, Victoria

The experience of Applebee's has scarred me for a long time, but after much therapy and medical help, I am back on the road to recovery.  I guess I blog-faded, but several people suggested I start documenting the meals we go for again.  A group of us go out for Brunch every weekend, and that involves trying out various different eateries across the city.

Or almost across the road in the case of Maude Hunter's Pub.  Maude's.  I've never actually called it "Maude Hunter's Pub" before.  It's my local, or Maude's.  But we noticed it did Sunday breakfast, and I wanted somewhere limping distance from my house after running the Times Colonist 10k, so we settled on Maude's.

I probably should limped further for a decent breakfast.  I like Maude's as a drinking establishment, as long as the Canucks aren't playing.  It's got good seating for large and small groups, but isn't so huge you feel like you are in a warehouse.  The decor is wood and plaster, and probably looked ultra modern in the 80's, but now has it's own charm now.  The beer list is okay, ranging from your typical Canadian mega brews, to a decent range of local beers, but all on the main stream.  No ten year old soured lambic's or barleywines here.  And not should their be.  It's a local's hang out, catering to the student, the tired office worker, the sports team and the semi-pro drinkers who just need to get out of the house for a few hours.

Service can be variable.  Sometimes, with the right server you'll get fast service and friendly word.  Other times it's slow, they'll avoid anyone who might look like they have a question, or simply have too few staff for the number of patrons.

And thus it was Sunday morning.  Despite getting in as the doors opened, the waitress seemed more content on serving the group of guys who (some how) were already in the pub and on their first beers.  Beers and water took a bit longer to arrive, and while we asked to wait for the food menu, it took a long time for her to come back to us and check if we were okay for coffee, beer and water.  Once our orders were finally taken, food took another 45 minutes to arrive.

That was okay, I need a while to drink the three beers I'd ended up with.  Drinking more than one after a run is probably not the best idea, and I did have to sleep it off in the afternoon. But a pint of Canadian, a pint of Beacon IPA and a sleeve of Driftwood slipped down nicely.

I ordered the steak and egg special.  Slab of meat, scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes.  I'd asked for medium rare, it came close enough (more medium than rare, but with a 8oz flat iron steak that's close enough for me). The eggs where okay, a little on the rubbery side.  The potatoes seemed boiled, left to rest too long then sauteed, making them floury and lacking in much other than carbs.  Nothing to go back for, breakfast wise.

I do go for the wings every so often, and rate the Buffalo Wings as having potential. I have had a decent pub burger there too.  But it's a local worth going to for proximity, not for much more.  There are local in town worth the journey, though. This just isn't that one.

Final Bill :

Steak and Eggs - $12.99
1 Pint Canadian - $5.00
1 Pint Beacon IPA - $5.50

Total - $28 with tip and taxes.

Phone: (250) 721-2337

Location : 3810 Shelbourne St, Victoria, BC, V8P 4H5

Website : http://www.maudehunterspub.ca/

The Beagle, Cook Street Village

Last Friday was the men's ice hockey semi-final, and a plan had been hatched to go watch it. By my very calling it 'ice' hockey, you know can tell I am not from round here. But still, I like watching hockey, and have a passing familiarity with the sport, watching the Salmon Kings for most home series, and following the Red Wings... once the NFL season is over. So with a plan to watch the game, I joined three or four other real Canadians to get in to the Olympic spirit and feel the national pride (as seen down the pub). And see if it's different to the raving madness that is a England Football game.

So, this review of the Beagle might be a little tainted as I was headed on a very busy night. But, I've been there before on quieter nights (watching the Phoenix Suns, and homeboy hero Steve Nash, or after a long walk in Beacon Hill Park), and there's not much difference.

Except the place was packed. We were asked to wait in the lobby while other's finished up drinking through the curling finals. Being 3rd in line, this wasn't a big deal, and after a bit of a wait at the bar, we got a seat. Though we couldn't get served at the bar as it was blocked off by patrons sitting down. Not a big deal over here, as table service is standard, and standing around isn't. But one of my biggest peeves in a British pub is it being filled up with people drinking and not people buying booze, so I can have my turn.

Still we found half a table, then got a full table and squeezed ourselves in. The Beagle has several screens, but none that big, so viewing across the bar was a bit of pain. Could see the game, but not as well as it would have been at home, or on a large projection screen or decent sized flat screen.

But there was a buzz. Red and white, face paint everywhere, maple leaves on shirts, faces and tied into people's hair. O Canada was sung at least three times (I can't imagine a full pub in London breaking into to Good Save the Queen). Beer was served quickly enough, and I missed pints of Lighthouse being $5.25 on Friday and opted for Molson Canadian. What? They didn't have any Slovak beer. And, I find Canadian drinkable, unlike most light lagers. Cold, fresh, good sports-watching beer. I did switch the the Beacon IPA, which was okay, but seemed slightly less hoppy than normal. Whether it was the batch or the service, hard to tell.

They serve a full slate of local beer on draft, including Driftwood, Phillips and Lighthouse, and more than just a token effort from each, which is supporting the side nicely. There's also your standard Okangan Spring, Sleeman's and the Molson range. So thats the beer. Unadventurous, but that's not the point. There's one for your taste there.

The food is standard pub grub. I ordered chicken and yam fries. These were nasty, with the yam fried under cooked, the dipping sauces cloying and manufactured (and plum sauce is not good), and the chicken strips over crisped in batter. The Halibut burger looked a lot better, being not, as I imagined, a deep fried organge battered traingle, but a seasoned, extra-lightly battered wedge of nice white flaky fish. But with underdone fries.

But, dammit, there was a hockey game on. The canned music was turned off (nothing worse than music being forced instead of sports when the sports is the point... I'm looking at the Podium downtown there as an offender), the commentary just discernible and the noise in the room amped up. Each hit was cheered, each chance clapped and each save by Bobby Luongo causing the audience to break out in a chorus of 'Loooouuu'. Not Boo. The place, of course, erupted when Patrick Marleau's goal was given after a second look. Tip to the Slovak goalie... probably best to concentrate on stopping the goal first, and protesting a high stick after making the save, not as it whizzes past you.

Not dissimiliar to watching England take a 1-0 lead in a football match. But less swearing. In fact, even after Canada gave up a 3-0 lead to have it 302 in the dying minutes of the third period, there was no abuse, just a subdued hush and a vague sense of panic. People half hid their eyes, shoulders dropped and exhortations to 'skate hard' punctured the air more than 'Go Canada Go'.

Still, after 2 minutes of something less like hockey, and more like scrambling on ice by both teams, the right team one, the fever pitch came back on and another chorus of Canada was sung. My friends checked I knew the words (I do, from it being played before every game of ECHL hockey), and beers were finished, and the bill settled.

So, as a venue to watch a major sporting event where everyone's on the same side... good plan. As a venue for casual sporting events... not so sure. And for food... erm, no. Overpriced, and badly cooked. Still the service IS good, so full marks to our server.

Final Bill :
2 pints Beacon IPA - $5.25 each
1 pint Molson Canadian - $5.75
Chicken Strips and Yam Fries -$11.95

Location : 301, Cook Street
Telephone : (250) - 382 - 3301
Website : http://www.beaglepub.com

(I watched the final from the safety of my own home...  excellent match, and downtown was crazy till at least 9pm...)

Spinnakers

Spinnakers is a bit of a Victoria legend. A gastro-pub before there was such a word in the trendy parts of London and a local craft brewer before local, micro-breweries were the rage in the CAMRA world. Every foodie tourist tells me about it. I went there in my first weeks in the city. As this combination has been going since about 1984, they must be doing something right.

Or something safe.

I last headed up there after a hockey game before Christmas to try out the Winter Ale and have a bite or two to eat. First the beer. I've had a wonderful pint in Spinnakers of there occasional brew, Doc Hadfield's Pale Ale. A light, refreshing, sessionable beer, with a wonderful clearness to it, served at cellar temperature (or "warm" as I'm constantly told English beer is). Non-chilled beer is great if it's designed to be drunk that way. BUT it's not always on the menu, and the last time I tried it, they had over hopped it, and screwed with it.

Which is unusual, as most Spinnakers beers are rather subtle, and don't have big flavours. They are eminently drinkable, but don't impose themselves on you. And that's the story with the Winter Ale. Promising "big ginger" and "cinnamon", it's certainly there. But it's not big. It's not a hugely warming pint. It's just... "not got any balls" as my erstwhile drinking companion says. It's safe.

The food... now the food is not safe. Not unsafe as in unhygienic or undercooked. The chef's at Spinnakers tend to push the edges a bit. This does mean occasionally the food is odd (the inside-out Cornish Pasty I had two years ago was the biggest failure, but I could see what the chef was trying), but mostly it's good-to-exceptional.

On this last trip I ordered the Pork Schnitzel, which came served on a bed of noodles with a side of greens. Perfectly cooked with a nice crisp covering. The noodles were perfectly al dente, and the creamy sauce was neither heavy or an after thought. Greens are greens. Until you get them wrong. Spinnakers didn't. There was also a plate of Albacore Tuna Salad ordered. Tuna was nicely seared on the outside, but still pink and most on the inside, with a good heaping of local greens and shoots.

A jumbo plate of nachos was also ordered for the table, with a good generous portion of Pulled Pork. Now, I don't like nachos. They are often too oily and cheesey for me. Or the tortilla chips are tasteless. Or justbadly prepared with only half of them having any toppings. This was good nachos. Plenty of toppings, lovely pulled pork, and easily enough for two or three or four to share. There was four, but two of us had had full dinners, so easily stretched.

The upstairs is always pretty laid back, and always great for a good long conversation and catch up, with, if your lucky, a view over the harbour during the summer. Downstairs is more restaurant driven, and the service is faster. Upstairs, they take there time... not that they don't know your there, but allow you to enjoy the beer, the company and the food and not trying to rush you out.

Location : 308 Catherine Street
Telephone : (250) - 386 - 2739
Website : http://www.spinnakers.com/

The Canoe Club

I've always been slightly underwhelmed by the Canoe Club. In my past trips, the brewpub beer has been poor to average, the food passable and the service bordering on the lousy. But one trip with a good group of friends redeemed a bit when we had a great night out. So, when I was looking for a bar to meet a dozen or so friends, we went for the Canoe Club to see if it was a lucky shot.

The Canoe Brew Pub is a big barn of building, an original Victoria heritage build on the gorge, overlooking a marina, and the Inner Harbour boat works. The patio is always busy during the summer, not least because it's one of the few sunny patios in the downtown core (I can only think of the Swiftsure as a rival as having any decent amount of evening sun, and that's limited). But it was winter, and we headed inside. Only managing to grab a couple of small tables at the start, as our group expanded, we over took a few more spots and took up one side of the bar area.

This probably gave our server fits, as everyone was there to drink, chat and catch up just before Christmas, and the normal trick of numbering the table wasn't going to help. Still the first pints came along rapidly enough, and I sampled the joy of the Winter Gale Strong Ale. A rich, strong spicy beer, with a nice malty sweetness. Very drinkable, and while not matching some of the craft breweries winter special, better than I had expected. At 8%, I couldn't drink it all night, though.

A variety of other beers and wines were ordered, and after the first round, the service slowed down. Getting the server to our table wasn't a case of him checking if we were okay, but having to signal, wave or lean over as he ran past. The service hadn't improved much, maybe excusable that our area was three times busier than they'd expect, but the head server should then realise this and make life easier somehow. I ended up getting served at the bar. And to the server's credit, no final bill was screwed up.

I also drank the Beaver Brown Ale. A thick, dark, beer, with plenty of body, but not a smooth pint, it has a slightly chewy mouth feel. Drinkable, enjoyable, but there's better local brew in Victoria. I tried the Siren's Song Pale Ale and this was definitely a pass. Overly bittered, with an astringent taste rather than a more pleasant hoppy character.

We did order some food. The poutine got the thumbs up, the gyoza were average as was the rest of the fare I tried. Except the Calamari. Crisply battered and almost, but not quite under cooked. Perfectly quivering hoops of squidy goodness tasting of squid, slightly akin to crabsticks but much more subtle and sweeter.

The DJ was playing deep house beats, but this was low enough to carry on talking all night across and around the tables, but loud enough to fill in the edges of the conversation. Being advertised as Deep House Beats did scare me, but it was chilled rather than trance. And nobody was dancing. The group swelled to 20 plus at one point, but there was space, and plenty of ability to move the tables and chairs around to mingle and catch up. As far as I know, there's few places in Victoria where we could have done this unannounced and unbooked. And have a good, social time.

So the service is still poor, the beer is better and the food either good or indifferent; but if the company is good and large, place to have beer that's not my front room. Which means less empties and clean up.

Final Bill :
Winter Gale Strong Ale (140z) - $6.10
Beaver Brown Ale (20oz) - $6.10
Calamari - $12.00
Gyoza - $10.00

Location : 450 Swift Street
Telephone : (250) - 361 - 1940
Website : http://www.canoebrewpub.com/

Solomon's

I've been putting of writing this review for a while. Mostly because it's my favourite drinking establishment in Victoria and I want to do it justice. But also because it's one I can always write something about. And also because I might be accused of being a shill. I await my check if I am....

Still, Solomon's is a relatively new bar (just over a year old) a little out of the way on Herald Street. It's not passing trade that gets you in there, but word of mouth and recommendations. And the atomosphere and beer list keep me coming back. It's a small place, one frontage wide, a big long bar and seating for maybe 30-40 people. Bigger than some UK pubs I know of, mind.

The place specialises in two things... cocktails and beer. Solomon, the owner, has created a menu of his favourite cocktails, both self invented and old pre-prohibition classics, and they are all made with premium spirits and plenty of care. Service can take a little longer with the cocktails, but those who drink them seem to love them ... I've heard good things about the Hartland Landfill, and the Tequila Salsa concoction was an interesting use of tequila (as opposed to being poured by semi-naked, leather clad tequila girls, which is more an interesting use of marketing and leather rather than tequila).

The beer menu is (currently) 40-odd bottles long with 2-3 beers on tap. There's also an massive selection of neat spirits for selecting. The draft is normally 2 fresh, regular beers from Driftwood and a special. Recently it was an fantastic 12 (yes twelve) year old cheery lambic from Storm Brewing. Tart and sour and one of the most interesting beers I have ever drunk. But that went, and now it's Howe Sound's Winter Warmer ale. Next keg? Who knows.

I love the beer menu though. 40 bottles, in a variety of styles and a variety of prices. If your looking a great $7 bottle, they've got 'em (The Hop Rod Ale from Bear Republic Brewing is my top choice). If your a real beer ticker, try the Rogue Imperial Stout though. Yes it's well over $25, but you can sup it all night, and you'd pay that for a good wine. Between the two there's European imports, beers from south of the border and Canadian goodies. I think I've tried half the menu now with a good friend who knows his beer, and only one was so bad we swore never again (La Merle Saison from North Coast Brewing, in case you are wondering).

But if you do like a good beer, but not sure which one to try, the staff can help you decide and know what beers will suit which palates. Solomon knows his beers, flavours and styles, and flavours seem to be his passion. And a recommendation from Katie I've not seen miss yet. The other thing to try, maybe on a slower night, is a tasting selection of the spirits. $10 gets you 3 0.5oz samplers of the various whiskies, vodkas and distillations on the back bar. The staff will guide you through.

There is also food available. I used to love the Bottomless Chilli bowl, but that came off the menu, and was replaced by a selection of more novel (or nouvelle) cuisine. I tried the shrimp dumplings, which were good, but a little too doughy for my tastes. The lamb stew on a bed of couscous, olives and figs is, my friend tells me, one to 'die for'. Other choices include Beignets (doughy and sweet) and cheese cake (wonderfully tart and moist). The chef has big ideas to come, so that should be interesting.

Solomon doesn't have a TV, and he doesn't play loud chart music.  Wednesday night is Jazz night if you like a bit of live music. The place is designed for good tastings and good conversation. The place can get a little packed and a bit sweaty on a busy night, and service can be a little slower than other places. Cocktails can take time to serve, and if the company is good, and you have the time, it's not a problem. Prices aren't as cheap as Sopranos. But this isn't Sopranos...

Location : 542 Herald Street
Telephone : (250) - 590 - 7656
Website : http://www.solomons.ca/Solomons_Victoria_BC/Home.html

Travel : The Alibi Room, Alexander Street, Vancouver

Last weekend I was over in Vancouver for a Cask Beer event (see more details elsewhere in this blog), and we headed down to the Alibi Room for a post-fest meal and drink.

The Alibi room is towards the seedy end of Vancouver, down near Main and Hastings, but just about clings to the more trendy Gastown fringes. An old warehouse has been converted into a big drinking space with a slightly more intimate downstairs cellar. The Vancouverites I know swear by it's selection of beers, both bottled and on pump, and reverent tones have been uttered about it by many of the CAMRA-fans I know.

So, we got seated at the end of a long row of tables (no cosy little booths upstairs, you'll probably share your table unless you have a lot of friends) handed a beer menu and a food menu. The beer menu was two sides of relatively closely scrawled A4 graph paper. Not the easiest to read, and didn't seem in any logical order. But a great selection, and we were also referred to the chalk board. Which had recently been scrubbed and had just two specials on... and not the Driftwood Satori IPA that had been tapped just two days ago. Damn.

Still, I ordered a pint of Central City's Red Racer IPA, my go to IPA when I want a bunch of hops jammed up my nose and not much fuss. And the Bison Cheese steak. My friends ordered up a pair Yaletown Oud Bruin Sour Ale and a big fat hamburger and falafel. They also serve a frat-pack of four sampler sized beers, but after a beer fest I was done with experimenting the menu.

Food came soon enough, and a big plated was covered with a large pile of fries, a wonderfully crunchy coleslaw and a fresh bun crammed full of meat'n'cheese. Cheese-steak can be greasy and lardy and rather unpleasant. This wasn't. Nice bite to the cheese, lovely meaty bison, soft bun. Life was reaching a lovely glow of good food and a pleasant amount of beer. The Red Racer IPA was served and just what the doctor ordered. My friends were rather happy with the food as well, and conversation carried on happily and merrily about the relative merits of the island, how to sleep in the cold and Christmas. And probably other topics. It was one of those rambling evenings.

I can see why people make the longish walk from downtown to the Alibi Room. Good beer, good food, plenty of space, knowledgeable and mostly pleasant staff. One of the servers seemed to not be happy with us being joined by a couple of friends at a spare slot at the long, uncrowded table, but that was the only sour note that wasn't intentionally placed in beer or food.

Final Bill :
Bison Cheese Steak - $14
Central City Red Racer IPA (pint) - $6

Location : 157 Alexander Street, Vancouver
Telephone : (604)-624-3383
Website : http://www.alibi.ca/

Travel : Dix Winter Extreme Caskival, Vancouver

This weekend just gone I headed over on the early ferry to head to the Winter Cask Ale event at Dix's BBQ and Brewery, in downtown Vancouver. The queue had already formed by the time we got outside the bar at 11.30am. I hadn't woken up properly yet. And I was about to drink what I expected to be several very strong beers.

I don't always make the most sensible, clean living choices.

Dix has its own in house brewery and BBQ pit (you can smell the smoke from the passage way near the restrooms), and serves a variety of good beers. It's also ground central on gameday for the BC Lions and hosts many CAMRA events as well. Dix is part of the Mark James Group, which owns other establishments, including Yaletown Brewing (Vancouver), Taylor's Crossing (North Vancouver) and the Whistler Brewhouse (Whistler, duh). A lot of these breweries were in evidence here, which was a little bit disappointing, as the Summer event always seems to spread the love a lot further.

Still, there was plenty of good beers, and a good crowd as well. Except for the Morris Dancers. Who I am sure are all very pleasant people, but dancing and singing in a crowded pub for four hours in black face and silly hats is a bit much. I'm not sure why that entitled them to get in first and not to pay the entrance fee. The accompanying music however was a nice pleasant background, so I'll let that part of the contingent off.

But apart from the recreation of silly English folk traditions, what about the beer? Here's my comments, based on my notes. They got progressively less detailed. I am sure there was a reason for that...

1 - Taylor's Crossing - Festbier - 12-midday. Marzen style lager, lots of subtle bitterness. Spiced with juniper berries. Not your lucky lager. I got this first as a simple beer to kick off, and to compare to my own homebrewed Marzen. This one was much better (of course) but nice to see mine was at least in the right style.

2 - Howe Sound - Father John Winter Ale - I am convinced this was the wrong beer served. From the bottle last year this was a big flavoured, vanilla, spiced malty beer of greatness. The beer from the cask I was given was a bit weak and not exciting at all.

3 - Storm - Mole Poblano Ale - Chipotle and ancho peppers with chocolate. A muddy, murky brew. Lacking in the hot peppery spark I was expecting, but a great dark chocolate bitterness to it.

4 - Dead Frog - Winter Warmer - Dry hopped with whisky soaked oak chips. You could taste the oaky barrel flavour over the mellow but nicely bittered beer.

5 - Spinnakers - IPA - Charged with a sweet wort and Magnum Hops. Spinnakers used to do a great IPA called Doc's. It was a light, mellow IPA, brilliant when served cellar temperature ('warm' if you insist) that was easy drinking and one of my favourite beers ever. Then they seemed to change the recipe and it was harsh, overly bittered drink and not worth the trip to Esquimalt to drink. This IPA was back to form. A nice undertone of bitterness but the sweetness was also there and it'd be a great beer to while away an hour or five, if it wasn't also 7.3%.

6 - Dockside - Winterbock - Great Flavour with Malts and Hops and Goodness (word for word what I wrote. Hmm).

7 - Yaletown - Le Nez Rouge - Really strong ale with the only flavour being really strong alcohol flavour.

8 - Taylor's Crossing - Christmas Cake - Pretty much what it said on the tin (well barrel). Amber ale made with Molasses, candied fruits and Christmas spices. Smelt like my dad's best Christmas Cake recipe. Which is awesome.

9 - Steamworks - Espresso Stout - A shot of caffeine to wake me up. Guinness with coffee.

10 - Whistler Brewery - Wolfbeer - Good session beer, nice hints of malt flavours. I wrote 'malt liquors' but I am sure that would have been not good. Hmmm. These were only 1/4 pint glasses, but most were pretty strong. And I'd only eaten a bowl of gumbo....

11 - Dix - IPA - Traditional IPA - You can get this anytime at DIX. Or any other local brewpub. Or in a bottle marked 'Standard IPA that this brewery does because we should have an IPA on our list'. Not bad. Just nothing to get excited about. Or travel to Vancouver for.

12 - Yaletown - Oud Bruin - A flemish style sour beer, aged since January, made with 6 yeasts. Some sour beers are face puckering and aggressive. This was much more subtle. Yes it was sour, but there was still a nice dark ale nuttiness in there. Probably the best beer at the event for the ability it seemed to show in the brewers craft.

13 - Whistler Brewery - Double IPA - My notes say 'marvellous IPA'. I think I went back for a second. 

By this point the event was winding down after 5 hours, the golden bung for best beer had been handed out, and it was time to think about heading onwards.  It felt like much past 8. Early drinking ruins my body clock. So we headed down to the Alibi room...

The Office

Not named after the Ricky Gervias sit-com, The Office lounge is a bar/restaurant aiming for the classy side of after work drinkers and diners.  No sign of painful farce was apparent.  At least in this incarnation of 759 View.

The location has been home to at least two failed restaurants while I've lived here, including one that offered 'steak, sushi, italian, chinese'.  Which in my book is at least three things too many to try at once.  The Office doesn't claim any specialism at all, instead has a short menu of small plates, build your own salad, pizza and pasta, and a variety of burgers/sandwiches. Gordon Ramsay doesn't approve of build your menus as it makes the offerings to complicated.  The Office has made it a simple 1-2-3 selection.  I can't vouch for the ability of the chef as we didn't eat any of these options, but it there was a nice mix of variety with out being overwhelming.

They also have duck poutine.  Anywhere selling good poutine is an instant hit with my friend, so a bowl was on the way by the time I walked in from the rain.

We sat in the glass front, which was was chilly, but the heating fans were doing their best to remove the frost from the air.  Not sure this sort of arrangement is a good idea on a cold day, and sitting in one of the small two person booths would have been more comfortable.  Especially as the glass from is opaqued off, so you can't sit and watch people as they pass by.

Not that the booths looked enjoyable.  They were parked next to the bar, so lots of foot traffic, and in direct site of the big flat screen TV's showing the sports channels.  Not exactly a cosy booth for a date, and if there's a group your going to be moving on to the big sofa areas, or the booths which are a bit more away from the main traffic.  So wasn't quite sure what they were meant to achieve.

The poutine however, was good.  Squeaky curds, beautiful duck gravy and a nice crispy flakes of duck meat.  The frites could have been a tad more cooked, but for the price it filled a good hole, and set us for braving the night.  There was also a free appy on Friday night.  It was a tempura fried salmon and brown grain sushi roll thing.  Overly fussy, and not very interesting to taste.  Still a free bonus is nice.  And added to air of being a well run, customer focused place, the sort of vibe I'd more expect at a good restaurant.

The beer selection is good, though not extensive.  The four local breweries are all represented, as is Saltspring Island.  I'm not sure if they'd approved of their beer being served in a frozen pint glass though.  The Saltspring Golden Ale lost some of the flavour in being too cold.  I assume all the rest of the selection is also served the same way, and the beer list is missing an IPA to round out the selections.  There's also a good dozen 'import' beers and national brews like Sleeman's Honey and Okanagan Spring.

My friend enjoyed the wine list and that seems to be a mix of BC wines and imports from South America, Europe and Australia.  What I know about wine is about extensive as my knowledge of agricultural systems during the Incan period, so that's as far as I can judge.

The service was spot on. No fuss, professional but friendly.  And the wait staff are cute (my companion's vote, not mine... though she was right, they were all attractive).   The vibe they are going for is definitely being hit.  It'd be a good place to grab a drink or two after work (or later) with a mid-sized group. Space to stretch out, no loud music to drown out the chat, reasonable prices and relaxed air.  There was several after work groups in there, a mid-20's to early 40's crowd.  And a few confused couples in various booths who didn't looks so comfortable.

Location : 759 View Street
Telephone : (250) 590-5253
Website : http://theofficelounge.ca/

The Garrick's Head

Interactive drinking. Drinking with the purpose of talking with other people, having a conversation and you know, meeting the world. I don't like bars where someone else music is all I can hear. I don't like pubs where they pay a band to entertain me, whether I want them to or not. Especially not to listen to a shoddy version of a 80's hit that I didn't like the first time around, played with too much feedback and no bass line.

I also don't generally choose a pub on the food. Pubs should concentrate on good beer and wine, not frilly table food. Gastropubs are an exception, and a class of their own.

This makes the Garrick's a very good spot. They don't play live music. The jukebox is audible but not so that you can't talk over Motorhead's Ace of Spades. And they have good beer. Lighthouse's Race Rocks or Beacon IPA, Phillips Blue Buck and Vancouver Island all grace the pubs. They also often get a guest barrel or two in, such a Central City's Red Racer IPA (a wonderful hoppy brew). It's served well, fast and fresh. Score one.

The place is small, and packs out weekend nights. Don't expect plush seats and brass fittings. This is wooden seats, chipped bar and an original brick fireplace. Blue collar bar, with a mix of real blue collar workers, rockers and wannabe scensters. This makes for an interesting crowd of people, and striking up a conversation about the hockey or the guy who just got asked to leave can happen easily. Or you can find a corner of the patio on a summer day and catch up with you best friends. Score two.

The staff are great. They work flat out to keep the beer flowing, the patrons seated and not too rowdy, and will happily stand and chat to you if they're not slinging out the beers. They have some odd love for the Ottawa Senators, but you can't have everything. Plus the ability of the waitress to manage crowd control on a busy Friday evening quite the sight... despite giving up 50 pounds and 4 inches on the smallest of the trouble makers I've seen her deal with, no-one's ever actually stood their ground. Maybe that's Canadian politeness. Or force of personality. Score three.

The one thing that's not so good is the food. Which is okay, as I stated, I don't go to a pub to eat. But it's only just passable at the Garricks, so moping up the fourth pint of Race Rocks is approached with caution. Grease is liberally used to fry up 90% of the menu, and the freezer is well stocked for instant everything. The good news is you can see the kitchen, as it takes up one corner of the bar area. But it's never great, and I'll never be eating the nachos again. But Nachos and me don't agree, so might not be the Garrick's fault that one. One against.

That all said, on my list of place to drink socially in Victoria, the Garrick always features in the decision.

Location : 69 Bastion Square
Telephone : (250) 384-6835
Website : http://www.bedfordregency.com/pub.htm