The 16th annual Dine Around Victoria from Jan. 25 to Feb. 10 features 50 restaurants offer tasting menus at $20, $30, $40 and $50 price points.
I visited the Queen last week and it was pretty awesome. Q restaurant, part of the $60 million makeover at the Empress Hotel in Victoria, gives a nod to the formidable Queen Victoria. And with PBS's third season of Victoria underway, the five larger-than-life photographs of her along a long wall came alive with history and meaning for me. I loved them.
And so too the food. I started at Q Lounge with a cocktail made with the hotel's indigo hued Empress 1908 gin then moved on to some excellent haute cuisine — luscious parsnip soup; beautiful king salmon with grilled squid, bacon, white bean broth and celery ribbons; and a peanut butter bar with freeze-dried raspberries and mandarin coulis. The service, smart and professional, was a joy to behold.
My visit was part of Destination Greater Victoria's media preview of the 16th annual Dine Around Victoria, which runs from January 25 to February 10. It's similar to Dine Out Vancouver (Jan. 18 and to Feb. 5) and likewise, restaurants offer tasting menus at various price points.
Chefs apparently view Dine Around as a chance to experiment and create new dishes. Not so easy in the fever pitch of high season. And bonus! I was surprised by the good value offered by the restaurants I visited. The haute meal at Q Restaurant, for instance, was in the $40 category with regular portions — amazing value.
At 10 Acres Bistro, I had a tasty three courses (mixed beets, grains, celery, feta, grape and raisin salad; Sooke trout with winter veg, bagna cauda, chimichurri; chocolate sponge and chocolate mousse cake). Even more impressive is the fact each of the three 10 Acres restaurants in the Victoria area are supplied the restaurant group's 10-acre farm in North Saanich. Hats off!
At Olo, chef/owner Brad Holmes, a Hawksworth alumni, has been enthralling locals with his elevated food (Hawksworth's influence is apparent) in an intimate and comfortable setting. Medallions of albacore tuna with miso tonnato and fermented squash chili broth sang out brightly; ditto my seared ling cod with shrimp, udon noodles with wild mushroom dashi. Chocolate cake with currant compote, candy cap ice cream and spruce sorbet was lovely but could have been simplified for consistent Olo elegance.
Forgive me, Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub. I assumed that 31 years of life would have exhausted your reserves. But the wild mushroom hash on your Dine Around brunch with slices of that yummy Port Alberni Hertel bacon and perfect scone proved me wrong. Your chocolate shop, your bed and breakfast, your affinity to local farmers, the local wheat flour in your bread, and the distillery in the works is further proof.
The recently renovated Fire and Water at the Marriott Hotel is now looking smartly modern. The kitchen sent out a seafood tasting platter and charcuterie plate from the regular menu (really good) and from the Dine Around menu I had seared Hokkaido scallop with braised pork belly, on a swoosh of corn purée; my main dish, honey and stout braised short ribs were gorgeously tender (with stilton horseradish cream and polenta). I was obviously seduced because it was lunch and I ate my way through a salted caramel dark chocolate tart.
A kickoff event, on Jan. 24, features bites from all Dine Around restaurants with wine and beer for a mere $65 (in Vancouver, a similar event is $99) — why not speed date through dozens of Victoria restaurants?