I took the south ferry from Salt Spring Island to Victoria. The evening was cool on the water but the sky filled with brilliant shades of red and yellow as the sun passed into the west.
The drive into Victoria brought back memories. Memories of the kindness and hospitality of Victoria's residents despite the continual surge of tourists. Memories of how clean and almost sparkling the city was and continues to be. What a great place to visit.
I drove through the center of the city and into the first residental neighborhood past the hustle and bustle. Down a side street just a couple of blocks from the marina is the Anderson House Bed and Breakfast where I had made plans to stay for a couple of days. As I neared the house I noticed that the old Victorian homes had been largely replaced with newer, more modern places. The Victorian-style Anderson House stood out as a vestige of what was quite probably a glorious past. As I pulled into the driveway I couldn't help but wonder if I'd made a mistake. The older homes on each side of this home were not in a good state of repair and the exterior of the Anderson House was what one might call rustic. However, much to my pleasant surprise, the accomodations were very nice and quite spacious. The home was elegantly decorated and the breakfasts were very good. Janet's pancakes were excellent, there was abundant fresh fruit and homemade breads. It is definately a place to which I would return. Also, a major benefit was that the home is within easy walking distance from the city center.
I easily walked to the Empress Hotel which hosts what is quite probably the signature event in Victoria, if not Canada. There is nothing quite like high tea at the Empress. Sitting in overstuffed chairs in an old English sitting room gazing across the long green lawn toward the marina, I wondered at the vagaries of life. This high tea is perfect tranquility punctuated occassionally by sipping your tea and munching fresh baked pastries. It is true decadence and I loved it. After tea I wandered around the downtown a bit to work off some calories and to make room for what I knew was going to be an outstanding dinner.
Couched amidst a group of small shops away from the noise of the city center is this little gem of a place called Zambri's. I entered the restaurant to the sound of light jazz and to the hum of friendly banter between friends. The owner and hostess seemed to know every person who entered and greeted them as old friends. She asked where I would like to sit and I selected the bar. From that vantage point I could monitor the comings and goings and I had a excellent view of the kitchen. So, I began with a glass of Poggio al Tuffo and a tray of seasoned olives-something to help me through the menu.
Then, the eating began. I began with a salad of fresh blueberries, octopus, and raw fennel covered by a light dressing (the blueberries and octopus went together so well...who'd a guessed), followed by my primi of Gnoochi with mushrooms covered by a gorgonzola and creme sauce (so tender) with a side of fresh greens dressed with garlic and chili, with that I had an '04 Valpolicella, for my secondi I had a pan grilled lamb scaloppine lightly dressed with a puttanesca sauce on a bed of polenta (the lamb was perfectly cooked, the puttanesca was perfectly spiced), with this course I had a '03 Brunello. After two hours of eating and drinking I barely had room for the expresso and a peach tarte in a light crust with pastry creme...I needed the sweet to compliment the spicy puttanesca. So, after sitting for a moment to gather myself, I was about to waddle out the door but I was stopped by the chef, Peter Zambri. I was happy to have the opportunity to thank him for such an outstanding meal. I waddled to the car and drove back to my large, comfortable bed. I wondered if I could do this again tomorrow night.
I arose the next morning, had a nice light breakfast and began walking around the city. I had to make room for tonight's meal. In preparation for dinner I had a very light lunch-a pint of homemade strawberry ice cream. Now I felt ready for Cafe Brio. Situated on a busy street but bien cached behind a nice little courtyard was this lovely little culinary jewel. It had much different ambiance than Zambri's. Rather than being like a friendly neighborhood place it was a very efficient, attentive place. It was warm and friendly but not in the "I'm happy to see you again" style of Zambri's. Once again I elected to sit at the bar and there I met J J, the bartender and my guide through the menu. One concept this restaurant followed and I really liked was that they offered small portion sizes so that the guest could try many different things, and that's what I did. I started with a Lagavulin to settle me down so that I could focus on the menu.
To begin this dining experience I had a roast summer squash & goat cheese agnolotti (the raviolis were perfectly done, thin and al dente, the creme was very sublte and the dish was well spiced), for this evening I'll be drinking a bottle of '04 Barolo; my second course was a dungeness crab spaghettini (the crab was slightly buttery and excellent, the pasta was al dente and the dish was dressed with the perfect amount of olive oil and peccorino); the next course was a crispy poached cornish hen served with crushed potatoes, braised greens and was dressed with a mushroom and tomato sause (three distinctive tastes that blended together so well it made me want to cry); finally, and I know that I'm not having dessert tonight, I had duck sausage occhi di lupo pasta ( tender, not greasy, with perfectly done pasta and accompanied by diced red onion to compliment the duck...and I lied to you, with this I had an excellent Cote du Rhone). I'm telling you, I was about to explode but I was so happy. I can only hope that my future trips have this much taste. Once again, I waddled.
The next morning provided a light breakfast and a desire to stay for more fine dining but, now that I was to fat I began my drive north to spend a few days on the sailboat and hopefully settle down. I'll tell you, though, the best meal of this trip is yet to come. Next episode, the chinese dinner from nirvana.
lovin' it!
ReplyDelete