FRENCH CREEK PIZZA

 

What happened to PAPA GINO’S Pizza at French Creek Landing we don’t know. One day it was open, next day it was closed. The pizza was pretty good but it never seemed very busy so maybe it went under.

In any event, it has been reincarnated by new owners, has had a facelift, and has re opened as SALT PIZZERIA.  Featured are Artisan style thin crust pizzas which sound really good. One size only and all around $20. Eat in or take out. We have not tried one yet but maybe this weekend. Here is the menu.

IMG_7380.JPGIMG_7382

IMG_7381

If Salt Pizza is too trendy for you, Pizza Hut, now located at Wembly Mall is certainly an option.

Just saying…

FRANKIE JO’S Bakery Cafe in Courtenay

Some of our readers are former mainlanders and may recall the restaurant in Snug Cove on Bowen Island that we really enjoyed. Blue Eyed Mary’s. Steven & Carol, the owners, closed that successful little jewel and reopened in West Vancouver. They closed that location some time ago vowing to avoid the restaurant business in the future.

Well, times change and so have Steven  & Carol. In late June they are opening FRANKIE JO’S SMALL BATCH CAFE in Courtenay. It will be a daytime Bakery Cafe featuring Carol’s great baking and cooking. As I recall, Carol previously was a pastry chef at Bishop’s in Vancouver. If her food is anything like she served up at Blue Eyed Mary’s, it will be well worth the drive to Courtenay for lunch.

They have a Facebook Page, FRANKIEJO’S BAKERY CAFE.  Food on Vancouver Island just keeps getting better!

We are looking forward to seeing Steven & Carol again. They are a charming couple.

Just saying…

.

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.

IMG_7253
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.

IMG_7237.JPG

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.

IMG_7182

 

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.

IMG_7181

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.

IMG_6105

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…

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…

 

Benefit Burger!

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…