If you've been in culinary hibernation this winter, now is the time to awaken, get out of the house and eat well. Dine Around and Stay in Town Victoria is on and runs until March 16.
Tourism Victoria and the B.C. Restaurant and Foodservices Association, Victoria branch, organize this annual event. When started in 2004, the idea was to create a win-win scenario for business and the public.
"Dine Around and Stay in Town was a way for our two membership-driven organizations to celebrate the emerging culinary scene in Victoria and to help the restaurant industry promote business in a traditionally slow time of year," said Judith Barnaby, co-chair of the event.
It has certainly done that. This event has become quite popular and the win for the public has been the willingness of a diverse group of restaurants, offering a wide range of cuisines, to take part and offer budget-friendly pricing. Three-course menus, depending on the style of eatery, cost just $20, $30 or $40 per person.
"It's a wonderful way for our local clientele who have not been to our restaurant to give us try, see what we're all about," said Geoff Parker, owner of Paprika Bistro in Oak Bay.
At the launch for the event Thursday at the Harbour Towers Hotel, others agreed with Parker's analysis.
"It was such a big success for us last year. The best part was interacting with new customers and seeing them back in the restaurant months later," said Terry Jones, a manager at Flying Otter Grill. "Our three-course $20 menu was such a hit, we decided to feature one the rest of year."
Menus from more than 50 restaurants are posted on the Dine Around website, tourismvictoria.com/dine.
When reading them, I was impressed and inspired by - not to mention salivating over - what local chefs were cooking up. For entrees, for example, and very briefly, Smoken Bones Cookshack is offering Kentucky-style burgoo with smoked chicken, the Reef Restaurant is plating up Cuban-style dark rum marinated pork tenderloin, and one dish the Fairmont Empress will serve is sesame crusted sablefish with shiitake mushroom risotto.
"We want to showcase our talent, live up to our reputation as being a fine hotel," said Kamal Silva, executive chef of the Fairmont Empress. "The Empress sometimes gets stereotyped as being 'the grand old lady' with 1950s cuisine, but we are actually the grand old lady with cutting-edge cuisine."
Another participant, the Pacific Restaurant in the Hotel Grand Pacific, has a simple goal: Please the customer.
"We try and offer a mix of items on the menu, not do anything too crazy, but still be creative and seasonal," said Ian Goard, executive sous chef.
One dish they're serving would be good on a rainy night - chicken thigh coq au vin with soft goat cheese polenta and roasted root vegetables.
If you're coming to Victoria to enjoy the event, or live here and simply want to stay in a hotel for the night after a grand dinner out, a number of Victoria establishments are offering onenight room rates of $69, $79, $99 and $129. For information, go to the Dine Around website noted above.
Note: If you partake in this year's event and enjoy a particularly memorable dish and have top-notch service, I would love to hear from you. If I get enough responses I'll publish some of them in a column after the event. Please send them to eakis@timescolonist.com, keep them as short as possible and include your name and phone number so I can verify you don't have a work or personal connection with the restaurant.
Those who send in responses will be entered in a draw for one of my cookbooks and a few other culinary treats.
Eric Akis is the author of the bestselling Everyone Can Cook series of cookbooks. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
eakis@timescolonist.com
