Cuckoo’s Patio

Is there a more delightful place for lunch and a glass of wine in the summer than the patio at CUCKOO’s IN COOMBS. Maybe there are, but Cuckoo’s is surely one of the best. According to their post on Facebook today, the patio is now open and with the weather this long weekend it might be your destination. We love the salads and especially the pizza. Paired with the House Pinot Grigio you have a package.

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Most readers of this blog are completely familiar with Cuckoo’s but it seemed appropriate to send a reminder. We have enjoyed many late lunches on this beautiful patio.

 

Just saying…

HOT DOGS IN OCEANSIDE

Everyone loves a good HOT DOG from time to time. Well, not quite everyone? My favourite girl is not a big fan of tube steak deliciousness, but most of the guys I know like them. Most baseball parks sell good hot dogs and Schneider’s produce the official Toronto Blue Jay wieners that you can pick up in most food stores. Our youngest son is a baseball fan and on a multi stadium baseball tour, he and a pal tried Dogs in Chicago , Baltimore, New York, and Cleveland. As I recall, the best was at Baltimore’s Camden Yards. Hot dog wieners are, in my opinion, best grilled on the BBQ. Frying inside in a pan is a second choice. On a stick over a campfire is another tasty version. My brother and sister in law occasionally do exactly that in a lakeside park near their home across Okanagan Lake from Vernon. For me, Boiling a wiener is only a last ditch proposal. The only other hot dog possibility worthy of your consideration  is a hot dog in France where they insert the wiener in a pre drilled Baugette with Dijon Mustard, of course. They really are good but I haven’t seen such a thing around here.

I know you can get a big hot dog at Costco for a Buck Fifty, or you could try the guy at Home Depot in Nanaimo, but for this tubular meat aficionado I’ll stop at Central Builder’s Home Hardware on 19A and park beside THE DUDE’S DOGS in the corner of the parking lot.

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Sharna, a charming and friendly lady with a delightful Australian accent is the boss here and she grills up a really fine Hot Dog. I have enjoyed the STANDARD with fried onions and it was, indeed, a really good dog. But you might prefer the Spicy Italian, the Honey Garlic or the Polish. They are all served up in an excellent large bun for $5 or $6. All the toppings  are offered including chopped onions. Help yourself.  Sharna also supplies water and soft drinks. Who else sells a soft drink for a buck?IMG_7238

Eat in your car or sit at one of the nearby picnic tables. Either way, I know you will not be disappointed. On the next sunny day, when you a bit peckish, cruise by DUDE’S DOGS and try one.

Just saying…

 

Another Cafe in Parksville

If you have ever dined at TASTE BISTRO on Resort Drive in Parksville, you know they serve up excellent sandwiches, soups, and salads.

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Well, soon you will have another option for their great tasting panninis. The owners are opening the TASTE CAFE in the BEACH CLUB complex right next to Royal LePage Real Estate. Not open yet so watch for announcement.

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It will be another spot to go to after a walk on the PARKSVILLE Beach and Boardwalk.

Just saying…

Nanaimo Happy Hour Deal

Feeling like a snack and libation in the afternoon when shopping or visiting in Nanaimo? Consider our discovery yesterday. CARLOS O’BRYAN’S pub on on the waterfront has Happy Hour every day from 2-5. Appetizers are half price and drinks are cheap. My Toronto based son chose Jerk Wings while I decided on fish Tacos. Then we shared an order of Dry Garlic Ribs. All three were generous and delicious. $7 each. Highballs for $3.50, 16oz Draft for $4.50, wine at $6. Good value.

As previously reported, this is a very nice pub looking over a marina. A short 600 metre stroll from the Departure Bay ferry. Lots of free parking too.

Just saying…

BENTO BOX BARGAIN

Even though we are regulars at SAM’S SUSHI in French Creek I had never tried their Bento Box for lunch. Well, today I was feeling a bit peckish so I rolled into Sam’s and proclaimed, “BENTO BOX it is”.

It was wonderful. To start was a cup of Miso Soup, then the box which included the following : Sunomono Salad with shrimp, Edamame Beans, Prawn & Vegetable Tempura, Gyoza, and a Spicy Tuna Roll.  And there are choices.  Several kinds of rolls, beef, chicken, tofu or gyoza teriaki, and a choice of salad. This is a lot of food.

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Here is the kicker! All that Japanese deliciousness for $12.50!  Are you kidding me? This is, in my humble opinion, a true bargain.  So if you are at loose ends and craving some perfectly prepared Japanese food for lunch, go to Sam’s and treat yourself to a BENTO BOX.

Just saying…

 

 

COFFEE TIME!

Going out for coffee? There are number of coffee joints in Parksville/Qualicum Beach that are worthy of consideration. Our favourite is CREEKMORE’S COFFEE at the Hillier’s Junction. It’s a funky, hippy dippy kind of joint but they do their own roasting and feature several varieties of dark, medium and decaf. It’s family owned and they have been roasting and serving since 2000. We buy their BUZZRITE BLEND for home consumption but will break that pattern if there is a special for $10. Regular price for 400g is $13. Breakfast, lunch and snacks are served here and it all looks good. Muffins of interesting ingredients are made in house and are really good. They also feature a wide selection of tea. Feeling like a cappuccino, or a light lunch, try CREEKMORE’S. Be sure and take a bag of coffee home too. If you wake up early and are restless, they open at 6:30. http://www.creekmorescoffee.com

BAILEY’S IN THE VILLAGE in Qualicum Beach is another popular coffee joint, but it’s also a full fledged restaurant. Breakfasts look good and the blueberry scones are excellent. Lunch is also served here. Lots of regulars inhabit Baileys and there are often tables with 10 or 12 friends enjoying a visit. If the weather is good there are several tables outside on the square they share with the Town Hall.

Just across from the theatre on Second is HeBrews coffee. I meet here monthly with a group. We have found the coffee good and the muffins very tasty.

Down on the lower east side just past Resort Drive on 19A is SERIOUS COFFEE. I’ve been there a couple of times and enjoyed their coffee. Pastries and light lunches are available and the Calzones and Panninis are worthy of your consideration.  Serious Coffee are a chain serving only Vancouver Island and they roast their own coffee. The store is spacious and has lots of free parking.

One more spot I’ve tried is Pacific BrImm on Craig in Parksville. Cozy place with good service. They also serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They claim the Eggs Benedict are outstanding. Maybe it’s time to try them. If you are a tea drinker Pacific Brimm offers 12 flavours for summer.
http://pacificbrimm.ca

Of course, if you are in a hurry or just lazy you can do the drive through at Tim’s or Starbucks or, Good Grief, McDonalds. Or, if you need groceries anyway, coffee and a pastry at ‘A Step Above’ in Quality Foods in Qualicum Beach is pretty hard to beat.

Just saying…

Benefit Burger!

Yesterday I attended, as a guest of my long time friend, Beast, a benefit event at the Lantzville Pub. The benefit was for a 33 year old firefighter who is waiting for his second Kidney Transplant.  The proceeds were to help him with some if the costs of his family being in Vancouver with him for the surgery.  In any  event there was a great turnout and more than 90 items had been donated for a silent auction. My friend had donated a gift script for a stay at his Terrace Beach Resort in Ucluelet.

For $20, they served a pint of lager and a burger.  Some of the $20 went to the benefit. But let’s talk about the burger!  We both agreed it was one of the best we had ever enjoyed.  A perfectly cooked beef patty, probably 6 ounces, topped with sautéed mushrooms, cheddar cheese and two strips of  bacon, all wrapped inside an excellent bun with a delicious sauce.   A side of fries was included and Lantzville Pub fries are always good.

I had never ordered a burger at the Lantzville Pub before but I guarantee that I will in the future.  The Fish & Chips, Fish Tacos, the Reuben and the Saturday night Prime Rib have been my favourites.  But,  if you go, try the fully loaded BURGER. Happy, happy, happy.

Just saying…

 

EARTH DAY? Yawn.

Last Saturday was Earth Day, again — an annual event first launched on April 22, 1970. This year the mantra was apparently. ‘Follow Science’. That assumes that the Scientists, Professors and so called experts actually know about which they speak.

The inaugural festivities of Earth Day in 1970 predicted death, destruction and disease unless we did exactly as progressives commanded. These are some of the EXPERT predictions on and around Earth Day 1970.  What fools❗️

1. “Civilization will end within 15 or 30 years unless immediate action is taken against problems facing mankind.” — Harvard biologist George Wald

2. “We are in an environmental crisis which threatens the survival of this nation, and of the world as a suitable place of human habitation.” — Washington University biologist Barry Commoner

3. “Man must stop pollution and conserve his resources, not merely to enhance existence but to save the race from intolerable deterioration and possible extinction.” — New York Times editorial

4. “Population will inevitably and completely outstrip whatever small increases in food supplies we make. The death rate will increase until at least 100-200 million people per year will be starving to death during the next ten years.” — Stanford University biologist Paul Ehrlich

5. “Most of the people who are going to die in the greatest cataclysm in the history of man have already been born… [By 1975] some experts feel that food shortages will have escalated the present level of world hunger and starvation into famines of unbelievable proportions. Other experts, more optimistic, think the ultimate food-population collision will not occur until the decade of the 1980s.” — Paul Ehrlich

6. “It is already too late to avoid mass starvation,” — Denis Hayes, Chief organizer for Earth Day

7. “Demographers agree almost unanimously on the following grim timetable: by 1975 widespread famines will begin in India; these will spread by 1990 to include all of India, Pakistan, China and the Near East, Africa. By the year 2000, or conceivably sooner, South and Central America will exist under famine conditions…. By the year 2000, thirty years
from now, the entire world, with the exception of Western Europe, North America, and Australia, will be in famine.” — North Texas State University professor Peter Gunter

8. “In a decade, urban dwellers will have to wear gas masks to survive air pollution… by 1985 air pollution will have reduced the amount of sunlight reaching earth by one half.” — Life magazine

9. “At the present rate of nitrogen buildup, it’s only a matter of time before light will be filtered out of the atmosphere and none of our land will be usable.” — Ecologist Kenneth Watt

10. “Air pollution…is certainly going to take hundreds of thousands of lives in the next few years alone.” — Paul Ehrlich

11. “By the year 2000, if present trends continue, we will be using up crude oil at such a rate… that there won’t be any more crude oil. You’ll drive up to the pump and say, ‘Fill ‘er up, buddy,’ and he’ll say, ‘I am very sorry, there isn’t any.’” — Ecologist Kenneth Watt

12. “[One] theory assumes that the earth’s cloud cover will continue to thicken as more dust, fumes, and water vapor are belched into the atmosphere by industrial smokestacks and jet planes. Screened from the sun’s heat, the planet will cool, the water vapor will fall and freeze, and a new Ice Age will be born.” — Newsweek magazine

13. “The world has been chilling sharply for about twenty years. If present trends continue, the world will be about four degrees colder for the global mean temperature in 1990, but eleven degrees colder in the year 2000. This is about twice what it would take to put us into an ice age.” — Kenneth Watt

My goodness. None of that happened. None of it.  Not even remotely close. Don’t trust the experts especially when they have a progressive AGENDA!

Just saying…

Chinese Dining in Parksville

For reasons unknown I have been bypassing TAN’S KITCHEN on 19A in Parksville since it opened Two or more years ago. Not sure why but since the parking lot is almost always  full I thought I’d give it a try. Glad I did.

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Tan’s Kitchen is Chinese, North American Chinese I would say, but surprisingly good. Not as good as my all time favourite, Red CHILI in North Vancouver or Pink Pearl in Vancouver but as good as Capilano Heights, where we went for many years when we lived in North Vancouver. It’s certainly at least as good the venerable Ming’s in Victoria where I have dined many times.
The owners formerly owned a Chinese Restaurant in Port Alberni for 16 years before moving to Parksville and opening TAN’S. So they should know what they are doing and they do.

This restaurant is quite large and quite nice featuring both tables and booths. The decor is classic Chinese with paper lanterns, fans and other oriental decor items.

Open for lunch and dinner Tan’s features a large Buffett. I don’t fancy buffets so when I visited a very sweet young Chinese server brought me a menu. Very extensive as you expect in a Chinese restaurant. They have a number of Combo plates which are perfect when dining alone. I chose the Prawns, Sweet & Sour Chicken Balls and Chow Mein. The latter was delicious! The Prawns were in batter and deep fried, typical fare in most Chinese places but very tasty. The Sweet & Sour Chicken Balls were really good and I loved the flavour of the sauce. The serving was very generous too. $12.95 for it all. Paired it with a Tsingtao Beer.
The service was friendly and very efficient and the food was nicely presented and piping hot.

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I took a good look at the Buffet on on the way out and my server suggested I try the buffet next time. “It’s very popular, you should try” she proclaimed proudly.  Sorry, I’m not doing the Buffet. However, there are quite a number of Szechuan items on the menu that might be worth trying for those of us who like 🌶 Spicy. They claim no MSG added too!

Tan’s also do Take Out, of course, plus free delivery within 4 kilometres. I’m thinking our gang of refugees from the mainland may choose Tan’s for our next at home event.  Perhaps the Dinner for ten at $128.  Not bad.

Free WiFi is available. Perfect if you can use your iPad and handle chop sticks concurrently.

Tan’s is at 332 Island Highway West in Parksville. Reservations and Delivery 250-586-8828. Open Tuesday through Sunday.

If you have not tried Tan’s and if you like Chinese Food, and who doesn’t, drop in and try it out.  I certainly plan to return. I think my favourite girl will like it too!

Just saying…

Off the Beaten Path. Port Alberni

Seriously, Port Alberni is pretty much devoid of charm. In my view this Mill town just not inviting. However, if you must go, or if you have taken visitors to Cathedral Grove, you might want to drive a few more miles since there are some eateries worth considering!  Or, perhaps you are a bit peckish returning from Long Beach. Here are a few suggestions.

We have enjoyed BARE BONES Fish & Chips. It’s on the main road if you are heading to Tofino and you will find it in an old church. They cook your fish to order, deep fried in regular batter, Panko batter, or grilled. Cod, Halibut and Salmon are all offered. We tried the traditional Halibut and it was delicious. We were there in the summer so chose the patio which is a bit noisy since it’s on the main drag but still pleasant. Inside, an open kitchen overlooks eating area some of which includes old church pews for seating. We loved it! If you fancy Fish, try Bare Bones

One spot we have not tried yet is the J & L DRIVE IN, an old style joint with car hops. A throw back to the 60’s, it’s actually been in business for more than 40 years. Burgers, Milkshakes, Fries & Onion Rings are the old faithfuls. My Hot Rod friend Paul has taken his 64 Chevy to a Friday Night Hot Rod soirée here and his report is that the Burgers are excellent. And he knows burgers. Planning on a touch of nostalgia here this summer.

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A few miles past Port Alberni on the Tofino road is DRINKWATERS. This is a beautiful restaurant/bar, very tastefully decorated and featuring two large decks overlooking Sproat Lake. We found the food and service really good on our two stops here. The menu is not huge but there is something good for everyone. Featured are a range of Appetizers to share, including Moules Frittes, Nachos, Fish Tacos or the Charcuterie & Cheese board for two. Choose one of these, paired with a glass of vino and enjoy the deck,  the lake view, and the Beaver Dam in front. They also have seven upscale hotel rooms if you want to stay over. Open Friday to Sunday right now but more when summer arrives. Check on hours before you go.

http://www.sproatlakelanding.com
One more stop you may want to consider, especially if you like Schnitzel, is LITTLE BAVARIA, not far from the Quay. Serving up Bavarian food since 1966, they offer 9 different schnitzels. The Chef, Ava, has been producing schnitzels here since 1983. We have not yet been but I’ve heard very positive reports. Trip Adviser reviews are almost all Excellent ratings and include comments from ‘Wonderful German’ to ‘Authentically Awesome’. Looks like a winner. Open Monday to Friday for lunch and every night for dinner.
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http://www.littlebavariarestaurant.com

A drive down to the Port Alberni Quay is always worthwhile and there are some eateries there too. The nearby CLAM BUCKET looks worth a try. Haven’t tried it but you might want to.

http://www.clambucket.ca

Port Alberni, not really picturesque but some really good places to eat.
Just saying…