BC ports, particularly Vancouver, are so busy now that there are 9 ships anchored in the Gulf Islands awaiting berths. 3 are in Navy Channel near Saturna Island, 4 near Cowichan Bay, and three on the west side of Valdez Island. Two more are at anchor ourside if Nanaimo harbour.

One of the ships, the HANJIN SCARLET has been here since last fall as it is a victim of the HanJin bankruptcy.  Local folks have been taking supplies and gifts to the crew who are shipbound.

The anchored ships on the map below are noted as bright green squares.

Just saying…

The other night I sashayed down to the FRENCH CREEK MARINE PUB for dinner. Didn’t feel like cooking at home plus I had a craving for Fish & Chips. I ordered the two piece Cod and it was not bad. Not as crispy as I like it. Chips were ok but too plentiful. Alas, Cole slaw is not included. One must order separately.  However the Tartar Sauce was excellent.

For me, the Fish & Chips at the Lantzville Pub are better,  as they are at the Black Goose, the Blakfin Pub in Comox, and, Good Grief, even the White Spot.

For some reason I just can’t warm up to the FRENCH CREEK Pub. It has no atmosphere. Or at least it has atmosphere that doesn’t do anything for me. It needs a Robert Irvine ‘Restaurant Impossible’ makeover. Too bad, because it’s so handy to where we live. On the plus side, the staff are very pleasant and efficient. I might try it again.  A second chance.

Meanwhile, the Lantzville Pub had a special Super Bowl Menu. I watched the first quarter there and enjoyed a really good bowl of chilli. Then I tried the STADIUM DOG! Not a foot long but pretty big, with caramiized onion, bacon, cheddar cheese and sauerkraut!  Too much for me but delicious.  Too bad the weather and roads were so bad on Sunday  the pub was only about 1/3 full for the big game. Here is the Stadium Dog.

Just saying…

Right on the highway through Duncan, BC, is a family restaurant known as the DOGHOUSE. It originally was a drive thru kiosk with a limited menu which included Hot Dogs and more importantly FOOT LONG HOT DOGS.

Over the years as Duncan grew and the volume of traffic on the Island Highway increased, the kiosk morphed into a full blown family restaurant. It’s a pretty sizeable one too. The menu is vast with Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner items.

However, my visit today returning from Victoria was to check out the FOOT LONG. More than 20 years has passed since my last encounter with a foot long and although I have driven by many times I have not stopped until today. Usually I’m with my favourite girl who is not a fan of hot dogs. It seems she is interested something more sophisticated when we reach Victoria. The Oak Bay Marina perhaps, or the Bengal Lounge at the Empress. So we bypass the Doghouse.

Today I was alone as she is hospitalized right now, so I pulled in and parked in front. No need to peruse  the extensive menu. I told the server I had come with a Foot Long  craving. She laughed and said that was pretty common phobia there.

The Footlong arrived with a side of pretty good fries and the dog was pre dressed with mustard, relish, and onions. I was hoping for fried onions but these were chopped sweet ones which were quite acceptable. Unfortunately, my appetite was compromised since a Dutch Bakery meat pie had already been consumed while cruising over the Malahat. In any event, I did a pretty good job on the dog, leaving on about a quarter of it on the plate. Was it good? Well, it’s possible that my palette as become more refined over the past 25 years so I did not enjoy it as much as I anticipated. My BBQ back yard dogs are better for sure.

Apart from that I saw a lot of food being distributed around me. Great looking sandwiches, wraps, Fish & Chips and soups. Good service too.

If you are going through Duncan and find yourself a bit peckish, try the DOGHOUSE. Good fare and reasonable prices. Footlong and Fries were $9.00.

As a side note, the Duncan White Spot, that burned down a year or so ago,  has been rebuilt, and is open once again.

Just saying…

I admit to being a fan of Meat Pies. Have been since I was a kid. So here are a few of my recommendations for meat pie sources.

EAT FRESH  in Parksville does a great job on meat pies including individual French Canadian TORTIERE’s, Steak & Mushroom & Chicken pies. They are delicious and enough for two diners. Country Pies in Coombs makes good ones too. They supply pies to many of the pubs in BC. You can buy them at their home location or pick them up at Quality Foods.

Another spot for outstanding Steak & Kidney and Steak & Mushroom Pies is the CROW & GATE PUB in Cedar. They make their own, deep dish with a puff pastry top. Superb!

But, my all time favourite meat pies come from my personal Meat Pie Mecca, the Dutch Bakery in Victoria. Since 1956, this family owned bakery has been turning out Beef Pies, Chicken Pies and Turkey Pies. And I’ve been eating them since 1956 since my mother often bought them way back then.

The Dutch Bakery Meat Pies are consistently delicious. They seem to have excellent quality control. I’m thinking that if you make the same item using the same recipe for over 60 years you certainly got through the learning curve long ago.

I like these Pies cold or warmed up. In my other life I visited Victoria every two weeks for about 20 years and frequently bought some Pies to take home to Vancouver. Six in a box and two in a bag. The latter were to devour in the Swartz Bay Ferry lineup. Yes, you can enjoy them, manually, right in your hand out of the bag. How many of these crusty bits of deliciousness have I enjoyed? Hundreds over 60 years!

If you are fond of meat pies, try the DUTCH BAKERY in the 900 block of Fort Street in Victoria, just around the corner from CACTUS CLUB. You will be tempted by some their other specialties like Marzipan coated Dollar Rolls, Ribbon Cake and a wonderful assortment of cookies. There is also a restaurant serving lunch. It must be good because it is always really busy.

One thing to remember, when you enter the bakery, take a number from the machine on the counter. This way you will avoid the elbow jabs by the little old Victoria ladies in line.

Just saying…

My neighbour Murray, knowing I have batching recently, invited me to join him for breakfast the other day. “I’ll pick you up at 8 AM” he said, so I was ready to go at 8. He selected THE FINAL APPROACH at the Qualicum Beach Airport. We had been there for lunch a few years ago but never for breakfast,

Well, I was impressed. This cozy joint has tablecloths, a view of the runway where you can watch the not so jumbo planes landing and taking off. The breakfast menu is excellent with Traditional Eggs Benedict priced at only $8.99. We both chose the Benny and proclaimed them DELICIOUS!

The service was very good with frequent coffee refills. I will certainly be back with my favourite girl. The lunch and dinner menu also looked very inviting. Our friend Joan says the appetizers are excellent and on Tuesday night they have happy hour with half priced drinks and appetizers.

Check out the menu at http://finalapproachrestaurant.ca/menu/

Thanks to Murray for introducing me to the FINAL APPROACH for Breakfast and thank you also for paying. Door to door service and complimentary breakfast to boot. Very nice indeed. We are so fortunate to have so many fine neighbours.

Just saying…

French sailor Sebastien Destremau rounded Cape Horn today, 37 days after the winning boat passed the Horn and 84 days since he left France.  Destremau is in 18th and last place in the Vendée Globe race but he did take time out near Tasmania to repair damage to his boat. He said today that he really never expected to do this kind of extreme sailing, never expected to see Cape Horn and as a result is ‘overcome with joy’. Destremau only has 7000 nautical miles to go!  He should be home in about 3 weeks.

Just saying…

Here is a weekday breakfast special too good not to mention. Two Eggs, two strips  of bacon, hash browns, toast, grapefruit wedge,  and refillable coffee.  Delicious!  $9.00 Monday to Friday at LEFTY’S.

Just saying…

It took Armel Le’ Cleac’H 73 days and 3 hours to finish the 24,000 mile Vendée Globe round the world race and take first place. In second is Alex Thomson crossing the finish in 73 Days 19 hours. Jeremie Beyou showed up back in France after 78 days on the water.

Three more boats have now finished the race while the last boat has yet to round Cape Horn. Sebastien Destremou is 18th and more than 8000 miles from the finish. But he is still persevering and will likely finish.

29 boats started, 18 will finish. An epic race with valiant, or possibly slightly mad sailors covering 24,ooo nautical miles all alone on 60 foot racing boats. Just finishing is an accomplishment.

Thanks to fantastic modern communication we have been able to watch the race is some detail from start to finish. For me it was a real treat!  If you want to read about the 1995/96 race in which Canadian skipper Gerry Rouf disappeared, try THE GODFORSAKEN SEA. I just reread it and recommend it to you.

Just saying…

Last Saturday night my media tycoon son from the centre of Canada (TORONTO ) and I tried the BLACK GOOSE for dinner. He had never been and I had only been for lunch a few times in the summer. It’s an interesting place as the building is the old McLure House built in 1921. There are several different rooms in which to sit, a couple of which have cosy fireplaces. Lots of old polished oak throughout. The main room features a very high ceiling. We settled on a table for two alongside a beautiful vintage piano.

The BLACK  GOOSE looks like a pub, behaves like a pub, but is a restaurant, not a pub. Go Figure. Food and beverage orders are placed Pub style, at the bar and the items are delivered to your table. The menu  is mostly hearty pub fare. An assortment of meat pies, fish and chips, burgers, and even a Madras Chicken Curry.

I chose the Cod and Chips and thought they were amongst the best in our part of paradise. Jackson settled on the Shepherd’s Pie, very substantial and, according to him, very delicious. Both were served with a fresh salad.

We both had a pint of lager, one of 19 beers on tap including some hard to find brews from the UK.

In the summer one can enjoy an outdoor grassy patio with a water view above Rathtrevor Beach.

We liked the Black Goose! It is certainly worth a try if you have not dined on Resort Drive. Here is the website wherein you can peruse the complete menu.

http://www.blackgooseinn.com

Their website says the the same family also own the TAPHOUSE RESTAURANT in Nanaimo. They seem to know what they are doing.

Just saying…

On the 73rd  day of the VENDÉE GLOBE race, the leader has less than 300 mikes to go and the #2 boat is only 33 miles behind. Because of winds and currents both boats have passed the French coast and are north of the finish line. They are at the western entrance of the English Channel.

The next 24 hours or less will be difficult due to weather, ship traffic, and Islands. Alex Thomson on HUGO BOSS could catch Armel L’Cleac’h on BANQUE POPULARE III.  Consider that after almost 24,000 nautical miles, the leading boats are 33 miles apart. Truly amazing. 

We will give you the winner on Thursday!

Just saying…