Summer food fun and drink - great food at Santiago`s Victoria · Sunday September 7, 2008 by colin newell
Everyone needs or should have an alternative kitchen. That special place for celebrating special things… like Tuesdays… or the third Sunday of the week… or a crescent moon… or that you and yours have survived another day in the paradise that is Victoria B.C. Canada.
Days where you do not want to cook. Days where paradise doesn’t seem so great. Days that you just want to be frivolous and let someone bring you food in exchange for a few bucks.
Santiago’s in scenic and historic James Bay, Victoria is not only that place (for us) but I think it is the place for a few other locals (and tourists) as well. Santiago’s restaurant is a stones throw from the inner harbor and the economic tourist heart of greater Victoria. Another good thing. For us, it is a 7 minute drive from our miserable neighborhood of million dollar homes in Rockland. How depressing is that?
Anyway – we have been going to Santiago’s several times a month for a couple of years now – and I guess it’s time we let a few people in on the secret.
Their menu is somewhat Chilean. Somewhat Thai. Somewhat Spanish.
And while some might find this a bit of a mish-mash… We find it delightful.
Where else are you going to go when you are not sure if you are in the mood for the cities best Nacho’s, or one of the cities best burgers, or one of Victoria’s best bowl of Chipotle Mussels, or an awesome quesadilla?
The menu at Santiago’s is extensive, yes – but they do it all well, really well.
And consistent? I have had some of the dishes over a dozen times and I have never been let down. There is never an evening where the kitchen is off. It has yet to happen for us.
I do have a few favorites: The chipotle prawns is a balance of heat and delicate flavors – its heat is not for the faint of heart. I get it with a side of rice (arguably the best rice in town – blazing hot with the consistency of snow flakes…) and I always have their food with a sleeve of draft beer. Their small order of Nachos is large enough for 3 people and comes with an in-house Salsa, Guacamole and corn chips. Yes, they make their own corn chips! Finally, my wife loves the Chipotle Mussels. It is hot and creamy with a seductive smokiness – and served with a brick of fresh bread for dipping. You will be dipping. Trust me.
We have been there dozens of times now and I love these folks. After a hearty meal, they always offer up the dessert menu – and we have succumbed once – for an ice cream treat that is suitable for 2 or 3 people and big spoons.
At under $40 for two, including drinks, Santiago’s in James Bay-Inner Harbor Victoria represents fabulous value and incredible eats!
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Summer food fun and drink - Who wouldn't enjoy a coffee scrub · Friday August 29, 2008 by colin newell
I enjoy a good cup of coffee from time to time. Ok. Every day. Sometimes several times a day.
I also enjoy a good shower once a day. Ok. Sometimes more than once a day… depends on what is going on.
And when it hit me… the water from the shower head that is. It occurred to me, that if I could combine these two simple pleasures somehow, I could save a step or two in the average persons day.
So I tried combining a coffee maker with a shower head… and then I tried pouring hot coffee on my body… that didn’t work very well. And I tried actually drinking my black coffee while showering… and the coffee was diluted.
Looking around the shower room for ideas… I spotted the soap… in the tub… in front of me. As I stepped forward, onto it… and slipping… it hit me… the back of the tub. After I died, I figured, that had I added the coffee to the soap or a sudsing scrub… an exfoliating product would have resulted that would fit my requirements perfectly; it is an exfoliant scrub, it sudses and it has coffee in it. Perfect.
Before I gasped my last breath, I passed along my idea to a friend who produces wonderful soaps and lotions – and here it is. Check it out. Buy some. I would have wanted it that way.
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Summer food fun and drink - Sorry we are on Island time · Friday August 22, 2008 by colin newell
I talk to a lot of employers around Victoria and the Island – food, drink and service employers that is… owners of some of the best cafes, delis and restaurants.
And I ask them: What is the number one challenge when it comes down to staying in business?
Coming through for the customer? Getting out quality product? Getting enough customers?
Nope. None of the above.
Coffee shops closed due to no staff? Brew it at home! Ascaso grinder (shown at left) reviewed over here .
The challenge is the employee. I hear story after story after horror story about the difficulty in acquiring, recruiting and retaining employees… any employees.
Hell, even the bad ones are better than no employees at all.
Examples like: “A friend of mine manages a store in Vancouver in Kitsalano and has shared a number of stories. Most recently there was the girl he had just hired, she went through all the interviews, training etc. then the day before she was to start work calls and tells him that she wants about three weeks off in two weeks, hasn’t even worked a day yet. He said that he couldn’t accomodate this request at this time so she quit before starting work. Then there was the guy he hired who worked two hours, left for a coffee and never returned. Then there are those potential employees who apply, he lines up interviews and they never show, no email no phone call just don’t show up. He called one once and asked if they were coming in for an interview and they said , “no, I am down enjoying the sun at the beach”.
Where is the sense of responsibility?
In the environment that I work in, if you do not allow for “Facebook” or “Internet” time for employees – or allow employees to pack their cell phones and text each other, you are almost setting yourself up for a revolution.
I hate to use the phrase… “Hey, when I was a kid… or a young adult…” But…
Times were not tougher 20 years ago when I started getting into the job market – I think there was an ingrained sense of obligations and responsibilities – not about what’s in it for me!
And now geezers like me in my forties (and the equivalent in women…) are the parents of these slackers. I blame us. I blame us for coddling and spoon feeding, hand-holding and indulging these little over-indulged princesses and princes.
By golly are these kids in for a wake up call one day.
That said…
Who is going to do the dialing!
For the CoffeeCrew Blog, I am Colin Newell… sitting on my duff after a hard days vacation… thinking about stuff…
Summer Food Fun and Drink - Cafe Brio reviewed in Victoria · Sunday August 17, 2008 by colin newell
There are 3 reasons to go to a restaurant like Cafe Brio.
1.) You are entertaining good friends from out of town and need them to feel comfortable short of strapping on your own apron and making them a home cooked meal…
2.) You are entertaining bad friends from out of town and need to placate them as fast as possible before they summon the Mothra and destroy everything you know and love…
3.) You are out with that special someone and you want to be able to turn that special event (It`s the 2nd Tuesday of the month, or Hey, look, it`s raining! or Wow, look how well I loaded the dishwasher!) into a really special event where you both feel relaxed, comfortable and, in all ways, loved.
Cafe Brio is that place – and in a city of 350,000, there are few places that can handle all these critical situations with aplomb and grace.
So Today. Sunday. Was selection number 3. Andrea and I decided that no reason was reason plenty to treat ourselves to one of Victoria`s best restaurants. You know, sometimes the most joy extracted from an event is when the event was planned, like milliseconds earlier… and today was no exception to that rule.
And the moment you walk through the doors at Cafe Brio, and are greeted and seated by owner/partner Greg Hays, you know everything is going to be perfect.
So we ordered a 16 ounce Rib-Eye from the legendary Quist Family Island Farm (Cowichan Valley) and a suitably fat Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon with the frite and garlic aoli. Yes, that is a 16 ounce to share. Medium-rare. And spot on.
And within the first few bites and sips, the stresses melt away. I comment to Andrea that Cafe Brio is like Rick`s Cafe from the movie Casablanca – “What do you mean, there is a War going on out there?” Cafe Brio is the food equivalent of a back rub. As familiar as an old friend and as dependable as gravity. If Cafe Brio does not satiate every food group requirement and emotional need, then there is nothing we can do for you.
Cafe Brio Restaurant is located at 944 Fort St.,Victoria, B.C. – a few short blocks up from Douglas Street and the inner harbor. They advise reservations which you can make at 250-383-0009 or Toll-Free at 1-866-270-5461 – but if it was a day like today; raining gum drops… you can probably walk in at 6 PM and find a wide variety of great tables to pick from.
Epilog – We were sated after Steak and Wine… but to top things off, we had coffee, Crème brûlée and an ounce or so of Calvados
Life is good.
