Kelowna's Community Website

Smoke On The Water

Alex Miller — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:41:47 +0000

Despite forecasts of thunderstorms thousands of spectators soaked in the sun, the sights, and the smells at the 4th annual Smoke On The Water BBQ Festival on Sunday, June 20. From all accounts the event, which is organized by The Kelowna Jaycees, was an incredible success with attendees traveling from as far away as Uculet, Calgary, and Whistler specifically to be at the event.

The event centers around a pro BBQ competition with twenty teams from around the Pacific Northwest vying for $4000 in prize money and bragging rights. This year Langley�s �Completely Q-Less� took home top spot as the event�s Grand Champion. Head cooks Dennis and Angie Quaale were extremely excited with the result and were all smiles when accepting their trophy from title sponsor Vern Miller of Caretenders Inc.. With the event falling on Father�s Day it was heart-warming to see Angie make a special point of thanking her father for his support.

Completely Q-Less was awarded the championship based on their combined scores from the four competitive categories: Pork Shoulder, Beef Brisket, Chicken, and Ribs. They placed 1st overall in both the Brisket and Chicken Categories, while claiming 2nd in Pork Shoulder, and 7th in Ribs.� Local Chef Neil Schroeter of Okanagan Street Food won the Pork Shoulder category and the Best Rib�s of the day were awarded to Chop BBQ. The fifth category of competition, �The Iron Chef Challenge�, didn�t count towards the team�s championship score but still attracted 16 participants. Each team is given a mystery ingredient at the start of the competition Saturday night and this year it was a Steelhead Trout Fillet. Local Kelowna Team �Dawghouse BBQ� won the award on the strength of Corrie Omand�s �Phyllo Wrapped Trout with Dill Sauce�.

Spectators were also able to take in the second annual restaurant competition put on by Smoke On The Water and The BC Foodservice and Restaurant Association (BCRFA). This year�s event saw eight teams enter the Tabasco Restaurant Cookoff to determine who had �The Hottest Dish in the Okanagan�. All eight teams impressed the judges with their offerings, but only one could come out on top. Raudz finished first overall by just two of a possible six hundred points with their Dungeness Crab cake. The dish combined beautiful presentation, incredible taste and texture, and seamless integration of several different flavors of Tabasco Brand Pepper Sauce. To say the judges were impressed was an understatement with all six of them raving about the dish as they scored it live on the WTA Financial Entertainment Stage in front of the event�s crowd.

Aside from the two cooking competitions there was lots to see and do for the whole family. The kids enjoyed the inflatable amusements from Big White, while the grown-ups enjoyed ice cold drinks in the beverage garden to try and beat the heat. Families also perused the offerings at thirty-eight food and retail vendor spaces, shopping for everything from Pulled Pork Sandwiches to Handmade Artisan Soap. The event also feature stage shows all day with dance, magic, and musical acts keeping the crowds entertained.

For Media Inquiries please contact Alex Miller 250-878-4810

2009 Golden Belly Awards

Alex Miller — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:38:31 +0000

With 2009 in the books, it’s time for me to share with my readers my thoughts on the best places to eat over the last year. Without further ado here are my first annual Golden Belly Awards. If you know some restaurants you think should have won, please email me your picks or post them below in the comments section.

Best Breakfast/Brunch - 764 Restaurant - Executive Chef Mark Filatow has created an incredible breakfast/brunch menu to dazzle your tastebuds and all without breaking the bank. I highly recommend the Rosti with Tyroller Bacon. The service is also top notch. Honourable Mentions - The Bohemian Cafe, Wild Apple Restaurant and Lounge (Manteo)

Best Asian - Wasabi Izakaya - Wasabi Izakaya is far from your average Sushi place. This “Japanese Tapas” restaurant has its own unique take on Japanese cuisine and for the most part, they hit it out of the park. My personal favourite is the Okonomiyaki, which is a fried cabbage pancake, but be sure to try other Wasabi classics like Ebi-Chilli-Mayo, Miso Black Cod, and the Sexy Dragon Sushi. If you’re ever lucky enough to be there when they have “Duck Sushi” on the specials list, order it immediately. It was absolutely incredible. I’d also recommend trying their cuisine with a glass (or bottle) of Tapestry from West Kelowna’s Little Straw Winery. It is easily my favourite wine to pair with Sushi and is very conveniently available at Wasabi. Honourable Mentions - Genji, Yamato (great food, but good luck with the service)

Best Indian - Da Tandoor - A month ago I would have probably given this award to “Chutney Cuisine of India”, but with Da Tandoor’s new digs, it was an easy choice. If you’re looking for value, try the lunch buffet where you get salads, an appetizer, rice, naan (who doesn’t love naan?), two vegetarian curries, and two meat curries for $10! If you are looking for dinner, there are no shortage of delicious Indian Fusion options on the menu. As weird as it may sound, once their sportsbar opens it will be a great place to catch a game while sipping a Kingfisher and snacking on some Pakoras. Honourable Mentions - Chutney Cuisine of India, Pakora Palace (not much to look at, but try the Samosas before you pass judgement)

Best Pizza Place - Bordello’s - This cozy pizza place above the venerable Sturgeon Hall is far and away the best pizza place in town and an easy choice for the 2009 Golden Belly. They serve true Italian style pizza in an incredibly intimate and authentic feeling environment (especially when you consider its above a bar). The combination of great food and great atmosphere make for a phenomenal dinning experience. Enjoy! Honourable Mentions - None

Best Steakhouse - Sal’s Prime - It’s no secret that Sal’s missed the mark when they first opened. They dramatically overestimated the Kelowna market and quickly fell out of favour with the public. By the time I reviewed Sal’s it was obvious that they had turned a corner and were doing things right. I’ve been back since and was not disappointed. Wine and Dine is a perfect chance for you to check out the Best Steakhouse in Kelowna. Honourable Mentions - The Keg, Ric’s Grill

Best Winery Restaurant - The Grapevine Restaurant (Gray Monk) - This was a tough call and it really came down to personal preference. The Grapevine and The Terrace (Mission Hill) both do almost everything perfectly. The food at both is impeccable, and the service outstanding. In the end I had to give the nod to The Grapevine because of their more relaxed atmosphere and their prices. In an ideal world, you’ll get the chance to try both and decide for yourself. Honourable Mention - The Terrace (Mission Hill)

Best Chain - Earl’s - It’s easy for foodies to turn up their noses at chain restaurants, but I think you need to approach everything with an open mind. To me Earl’s (and several other popular chains) manage to serve tasty food, with very good service (usually), and reasonable prices. If you’re going to Earl’s I recommend trying one of their pizza’s or their Jeera Chicken Curry. They also have an extensive and fairly well chosen wine list. Honourable Mentions - Moxie’s, The Keg

Best Pub - Sturgeon Hall - This one was also a pretty easy choice for me. Kelowna has lots of great pubs, but when you combine The Sturg’s legacy with its tasty grub it’s pretty hard to beat. Try there fries (easily among the best in town) and their “all dressed” wings and I promise you won’t be disappointed. Honourable Mention - Doc Willoughby’s

Best Mexican - Hector’s Casa - I’ve long been a fan of Hector’s Casa. They combine very good Mexican food with a festive atmosphere and extremely friendly staff (including Hector himself). Their patio, which many people don’t even know exists, is one of my favourite places to grab a drink in the summer. Next time you’re their wash down the Enchiladas Rojas with a Lime Margarita on the rocks. Honourable Mention - DJ’s

Best Upscale - Waterfront Restaurant and Winebar - Chef Mark Filatow takes the first and last Golden Belly awards of the year. Put simply, Waterfront Wines is the best place to get a meal in Kelowna. While not outrageously expensive, it does have a higher price point than most restaurants in town. I, however, have never been and not thought that I got every single penny’s worth. The food is as close to perfect as you can get, the service is attentive without being overbearing, and their wine selections are phenomenal. My favourites are the Tapas Plate and Flat Iron Steak. If you haven’t been before, what are you waiting for? Honourable Mention - The Vintage Room That’s it for this year’s awards. Let me know if there are any categories you’d like to see me add in the future. Congratulations to all of this year’s winners!

Gray Monk and More

Alex Miller — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

I was driving back to Kelowna from Vernon one hot, sunny Okanagan afternoon and as I was passing through Lake Country I realized that I had some time to spare before I needed to be anywhere. I quickly decided that the best use of that time would be to pop in to Gray Monk for a quick tasting. Luckily for me, that �quick tasting� soon became a winery tour, a tasting, and some refreshments at the Grapevine Restaurant.

Winery Background - Gray Monk is one of the largest and most successful wineries in the province. Founders George and Trudy Heiss first planted vineyards in 1972, but the winery didn�t open until 10 years later. Upon opening in 1982 they released their first vintage made with the grapes from the 1980 harvest. The winery is still very much a family affair, with all three Heiss sons involved in the day to day operations of the winery. In fact, George Jr. is currently the head wine maker. Gray Monk takes its name from the Pinot Gris grape, which in parts of Germany, Austria and Hungary is called Grauer M�nch (literally translated to Gray Monk). After more than 30 years in the business Gray Monk has grown from a first vintage of only 350 gallons, to one of Canada�s larger wineries distributing throughout the country, into the U.S., and even in Europe.Winery Location - Gray Monk is situated on a beautiful hillside in Okanagan Centre with a spectacular view of Okanagan Lake. The winery has just opened its new �Castle� to the public. The �Castle� is now home to Gray Monk�s tasting counter and wine shop. It is a big, bright, beautiful space; a much more suitable home for their delicious wine. This new building features a glass elevator that rises from the winery�s underground cellars and processing facility up four storey�s to the top floor of the �Castle� where visitors can enjoy spectacular, unobstructed views of the area. The old wineshop area is being incorporated into the restaurant and administrative space that was already housed in the old building. Acres of vineyards surrounding the winery are responsible for producing the vast majority of the winery�s white grapes, while most of the reds are grown in the Oliver/Osoyoos area.Winemaking - Gray Monk�s grapes are picked over a period of about one-and-a-half months. All of their grapes are picked by hand and they typically do their pressing and crushing during the second week of October. All of the white wines they produce are aged in stainless steel, rather than oak. With the exception of their latitude fifty, which is aged in stainless steel, all of Gray Monk�s red wines are aged in oak for a period of between 8 and 24 months (depending on the wine). The winery exclusively uses French oak, which is expensive considering barrels cost from $800 to $1200 and the winery only uses each barrel five times at most. After barrel aging, the wines are bottled. Gray Monk does all of their bottling in a period of 40 days / year, split between March for their whites, and summertime for their reds. Several years ago, Gray Monk encountered severe quality issues with their corks, so they are now in the process of switching all of their wines to screw caps.

Tour - The tour at Gray Monk is one of the best I have been on. I would recommend it to anyone, especially those more interested in the wine making process than winery aesthetics. It is very informative and in depth and best of all, its free!

Wines - While I was there I had the opportunity to sample a few of their wines. Here are my notes:

2007 Chardonnay - A very crisp wine with flavours of lemongrass and green apples.

2007 Riesling - A somewhat tart wine, with very intense granny smith flavours.

2007 Rotberger - Gray Monk is the only known producer of this varietal in North America. This mild Ros� has a nice peppery flavour, with a hint of cranberry. I would really like to try it with food.

2006 Merlot - The nose is predominantly Raspberry with a hint of chocolate. This wine is very smooth with great pepper flavours. Although its not as full bodied as I would like, it is nonetheless quite good.

Grapevine Restaurant
I will start this review by admitting that I am not coming into it without any preconceived notions of this restaurant. I have been to the Grapevine many times before and going in was already of the mind that it is one of the best restaurants around. That being said, there is a reason that I enjoy it so much. Quite simply, they make incredibly good food, provide outstanding yet friendly service, and have one of the most breathtaking views around.

The kitchen is run by chefs Willi Franz and Rene Haudenschild. These gentlemen do great work and are very well respected by their peers. In my experience, their kitchen has produced some of the finest dishes that I have had the pleasure to enjoy. The service in the dining room and on the patio is run by Willi�s wife, Marie Franz. She is an extremely charming and friendly woman, with a keen eye for detail. Between the three of them, all the guests at The Grapevine are in great hands.

As it was mid-afternoon I had already eaten lunch and it was too early for dinner. I had just stopped in for a snack, but for the benefit of my readers I wanted to share some information about having a full meal at The Grapevine. Lunches start from a very reasonable $13.50 for a gourmet soup and sandwich (you could easily pay this at a place like Earl�s or Joey�s) and run all the way up to $20.00 for a pan seared wild salmon fillet (still reasonable considering what you�re paying for). The item on the lunch menu that most stood out to me as something I would like to try was the �Vintner�s Veal Sausage w/ au jus, pan fried potatoes, and apple-fennel compote�.

For dinner, mains start at $20.00 for Grilled Mushroom Polenta and range up to $32.00 for the Mediterranean Seafood Pot. The dinner dish that interested me the most was teh Pan Roasted Free-Range Chicken Breast w/ Red Curry Sauce, Apple-Mango Stuffing, and Seasonal Vegetables. Both the lunch and dinner menus also feature suggested wine pairings for all the dishes, which is a great touch for those who are new to wine and food pairing.

For my snack, I opted for one of my favourite desserts, Berries Romanoff. My berries and ice cream were beautifully presented in a dacquiri glass and topped with whipped cream, berry syrup, a wafer cut into the shape of a �G�, a sugar sculpture (syrup that has been used to create an artistic design and allowed to harden), and a delicate flower. It looked almost too good to eat, but I�m glad I didn�t let my sense of aesthetics deter me, because once I dug in, it was superb. This dessert has a great contrast of flavours (tartness of the berries vs. sweetness of ice cream) and textures (crisp wafer vs. creamy ice cream vs. firm yet supple berries). If I really had to nitpick and find something wrong with the desert it would be that the berries they used weren�t local, but considering I was there before any of the local berries had ripened I don�t think they had any other choice.

Acutally, my biggest complaint would be the wine I chose to enjoy with my dessert. I opted for their Pinot Auxerrois, which is a fantastic wine and one of my personal favourites. However, it is not a good pairing for ice cream. Its just not acidic enough to cut through the cream or sweet enough to go with a dessert. As I am the one who chose the wine, I can hardly fault the restaurant.

The service, as usual, was impeccable. Despite me finishing my tour around 3:30pm, which is when the restaurant closes between lunch and dinner, they insisted that they were happy to serve me. The service was prompt, polite and friendly. This is also one of those great restaurants where some of the staff seem to know what you want before you even want it. For example, I was just starting to think that I should get a glass of water and as I turned around to flag down my server she was already approaching the table with a glass in hand.

It must be plainly obvious to anyone reading this that I highly recommend The Grapevine Restaurant. In my opinion, the perfect way to enjoy this gem is on their patio, where they have recently installed a new awning and sun shades to make the summer heat more bearable.Make your reservation for thirty to forty minutes before sunset, so you can enjoy the beautiful colours over Lake Okanagan. I promise you a dining experience you won�t soon forget.

Ambience: 5 / 5
Taste: 5 / 5
Service: 5 / 5
Value:4.5 / 5
Overall: 5 / 5

Table 24 (Salmon Arm)

Alex Miller — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 15:17:34 +0000

I ended up in Salmon Arm a few weeks ago and had the pleasure to dine at what I now consider to be on of the finest establishments in the interior, Table 24. I was only in town for one night, and the friend who I was staying with insisted we go to Table 24. I had never heard of it before, but he promised me that it would be an excellent meal.

Table 24 is located in a beautiful heritage building in the heart of downtown Salmon Arm. Formerly the town courthouse, the historic building has been beautifully converted into commercial space. The interior design, immediately struck me as perfect! Deep, rich paint colours, walls of gorgeous original heritage brick, and beautiful art all work together to create a breathtaking space.Our service was prompt and courteously provided by the proprietors, Len and Gena Wells. Shortly after taking our order we were presented with the amuse bouche of the evening, a puff pastry stuffed with roasted red pepper, roasted eggplant, and goat cheese. What a great way to start the meal! The soft, flakey, and moist pastry was still warm from the oven and made the perfect package for the creamy interior.

I asked Len if the pastry was made in house and he proudly informed me of the philosophy at Table 24. Not only do they make everything from scratch in their kitchen, but they also source as much of their product from local suppliers as is feasible. Len also informed me that the Table 24 kitchen does not have a microwave or a deep-fryer, two devices he believes have no place in gourmet cuisine. I truly wish more restaurants adopted the same way of thinking as Table 24.

For my main course I ordered the Smoked Chicken and Chorizo Fettucine ($22.00). The smoked chicken was absolutely incredible!!! It had a beautiful smokey flavour that was bold, without being overpowering or acrid. As mention, Len had informed me that they make everything from scratch in-house, but I was still very surprised to find out that they even smoked their own chicken, fresh from local farms. The chorizo was a great compliment to the chicken and added a nice little kick to the dish.

These meats were served on a bed of fresh homemade fettuccine, cooked to a perfect al dente. The dish was tied together by a nice light cream sauce. It�s very common for a cream sauce to be so heavy that it overpowers all of the other flavours, or slopped on so liberally that it drowns the dish. I�m happy to say that Table 24 they did a great job with the sauce, making the smoked chicken and chorizo sausage the focus of the dish just as they should be.

I wasn�t the only one enjoying my meal. My friend absolutely loved his salmon. He said that the most impressive thing about his meal was that everything was cooked to the perfect tenderbess. His salmon, basmati rice, and steamed vegetables all had the perfect texture.

We enjoyed a very nice Ortega from local winery Larch Hills with our meal. It was a little bit sweet with flavours of green apple, honeysuckle, and vanilla and a nice crisp finish. When I asked Len about his wine list he told me that in order to select the wines on the list he held a private tasting party for his regulars to determine what they wanted to see on the list. What a fantastic idea!

Another nice innovation at Table 24 is their take on dessert. They offer a sampling of mini-desserts for $3.50. It�s a perfect way to finish your meal when you want a little something sweet, but are already full. The mixed berry cheesecake had an incredible creamy texture, almost like a mousse. It was delicious on its own, but the mint leaf garnish brought the flavours out even more. My other mini-dessert was a macaroon. It was very simply done, with nothing out of the ordinary added. Simple is usually better than overly complicated and this macaroon was no exception. Absolute perfection!

In my previous columns I have written about how important it is for a restaurant to pay attention to all the little details, as that is what usually elevates an establishment from being good to being outstanding. Table 24 left no little detail overlooked. Everything was just right from their selection of elegant, yet modern cutlery and glassware, to the colour of the napkins, to the thank you chocolate (made in-house of course!) that comes with the cheque.

For two mains, a mini-desert and a half litre of wine, our meal was $82 before the tip. White it was far from an inexpensive meal, it was worth every penny. Next time you find yourself in Salmon Arm check out Table 24. I promise you won�t be disappointed.

Ambience: 4.5/5
Taste: 4.5/5
Service: 4.5/5
Value: 4/5
Overall: 4.5/5

South OK Wine Tour - Day 2

Alex Miller — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:32:14 +0000

It was late June and another day of wine touring was definitely in the cards. We decided to head down South of Oliver and visit some wineries that none of us had ever been to before. We started out with a list of about five wineries and where we planned to go for lunch, but our plans evolved as the day went on. The drive from Kelowna down to the Oliver / Osoyoos areas is absolutely gorgeous and well worth the trip even if you aren�t visiting any wineries. The drive from West Kelowna to Penticton traces the Western shore of Okanagan Lake and gives you a multitude of vantage points from being almost at eye level with the lake from Peachland through Antlers Beach, to overlooking the lake from up high as you drive by Greata Ranch and past Punta Norte. A quick drive through Penticton spits you out along the Northern Beach of Skaha lake and takes you along the shoreline of that lake until your reach Okanagan Falls. Although there aren�t any more big lakes to drive by the scenery doesn�t get any less spectacular as you cruise by Vaseux Lake and the imposing and impressive MacIntyre Bluff before hitting Oliver. Once you pass the Jackson-Triggs winery things start to look more and more like the Arizona desert and before you know it, you�re in the heart of wine country. If the road isn�t flanked by an vineyard, then there it is flanked by an orchard. It is a phenomenal drive and I highly recommend taking an out of town guest down that way.Through the day, we managed to visit five different wineries (Burrowing Owl, Stoneboat Vineyards, Le Vieux Pin, Gehringer Bros., and 8th Generation) as well as make stops at Murphy�s Pub in Oliver for lunch and at Tickleberry�s in Okanagan Falls for ice cream. This was also my first review where photographer Andrew Lipsett was able to join my to chronicle the event in pictures. It was great to have Andrew along and I have included just a few of his many spectacular photos from the day.Burrowing Owl - Our first stop was at Burrowing Owl. The winery sits perched on a gently rolling hill, surrounded by vineyards just north of Osoyoos. There are few wineries more picturesque than this one. Both the Winery and on-site accommodations are beautifully built, but more than that, they offer incredible views out over the vineyards and off into the distance.

2008 Pinot Gris - This wine boasts a beautiful citrus nose, and flavours of lemongrass and grapefruit on the palate. It is good wine, but it could definitely be smoother and doesn�t offer a lot of value at $20.00 / bottle.

2007 Chardonnay - The nose on this Chardonnay is predominantly lemon. It has quite a toasty flavour with herbal notes.

2006 Meritage - This five grape blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petite Verdot has a nose of pepper and jam. It is very dry on the palate, with flavours of berry and leather. This wine was very good already, but should be cellared as it likely won�t reach its peak for a few years yet.

2006 Syrah - This Syrah has a nose of black cherry. Its flavour profile features vanilla, pepper and black cherries. It wasn�t as smooth or bold as I like in a Syrah, but it was fairly good. There are much better wines available at $38.00 / bottle.

Stoneboat Vineyards - We were inspired to try Stoneboat by my experience at the Westjet Wine Tastings during the Spring Wine Festival. I really enjoyed their white blend �Chorus� and their Pinot Noir and was eager to try some of their other offerings.

2007 Pinot Blanc - A fruity nose of green apples and citrus is followed by flavours of lemon zest and green apple, with a hint of honeydew melon. A nice Pinot Blanc.

2007 Nebbia - This blended white is comprised of five varietals grown on old vines. The 2007 is the last vintage that will be produced of this blend, so if you think you might enjoy it you better try and find some before its all gone. It opens with a citrusy nose and have flavours of muscat, citrus and minerals.

2007 Duet - This blend of Pinot Noir and Pinotage was far too light for me, but it did have a nice strawberry nose and a great colour. It featured flavours of thyme, strawberry and pepper.

2007 Verglas - This dessert wine is to die for!!! If anyone out there is ever looking to buy me a present, look no further. This wine is a true rarity, especially in the Okanagan. It is made from Oraniensteiner grapes that have been infected with Botrytis (noble rot), which causes them to shrivel, making the juices and flavours much more concentrated. It has a nose of honey and caramel and flavours of tangerine, peach, and caramel. This is without question the best dessert wine I have ever had the opportunity to enjoy.

Le Vieux Pin - The visit to Le Vieux Pin was a suggestion from my friend Jen Batey who had been there on a previous trip with her husband. They had very differing opinions on the wine and its value, and had said it was definitely one of the more intriguing stops they had made. The winery is modeled after an old French railway station and has an air of sophistication bordering on snobbish. It is an interesting contrast to the desolate desert around it.

While overall, I think their wines are quite overpriced, I will say that the people who run Le Vieux Pin really have a great eye for detail. Their labeling creates what is probably the most sophisticated looking bottle of wine in Canada (which is probably why they can charge high prices). They also provide all of their tastings in beautiful Riedel glassware. This combination allowed Andrew to capture the picture to the right, which I think is an absolutely incredible image (although I think you need to see it in full size to really appreciate it).

2008 Sauvignon Blanc - This wine exhibited an nose of lemongrass and citrus. On the palate I detected notes of apple, lemon, and honeysuckle. It wasn�t a great wine, but it was definitely decent.

2008 Gewurztraminer - It had a lovely floral nose and flavours of flowers and honeysuckle, but the finish was quite rough. I definitely don�t recommend it.

2008 Pinot Noir Ros� - This ros� had a very light, almost non-existent, nose. It was dry, with flavours of cherry and cranberry. I�m not a big fan of ros�s, but I did really enjoy this one.

2006 Emoi Pinot Noir - Despite being a little too light for my tastes, this pinot noir was very nice. It had an incredible nose of strawberries and great flavours of leather, black pepper and strawberry. I was particularly impressed with how dry this wine was.

2006 Epoque Merlot - This merlot displayed a nose of black cherries. The most dominant flavour was mixed berry jam and it exhibited soft hints of thyme in the background. Not my favourite Merlot, but not bad.

Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery - I have to say that Gehringer was definitely the favourite stop of the majority, if not everybody in our group. This isn�t a flashy winery with beautiful architecture like Mission Hill, or an incredible view of the area like Burrowing Owl. These guys are all about substance over style. Their labels probably haven�t changed in at least fifteen years, and they don�t even have a website! What they do have, however, is great wine at incredibly low prices. I�ve said it in a few of my other columns, but quite simply Gehringer Bros. represents the best value you can find in Canadian Wines. Everybody in our group left this winery with at least one bottle of wine, and most of us left with a lot more than that. I�m not saying that they have �The Best� wine in the valley, because they don�t, but they do have very good wine at unbelievable prices.

2007 Dry Riesling - This riesling has a nose predominantly of lemongrass, with hints of tropical fruit, melon, and minerals on the tongue. It is a very crisp wine, and I quite enjoyed it.

2008 Desert Sun - This blended white has a beautiful floral nose, with just a touch of lychee fruit. It is really smooth and buttery on the palate (especially for $12.99 / bottle), with a taste of honeydew.

2008 Schonburger / Gewurztraminer - This is my favourite offering from Gehringer. It has an absolutely incredible nose with scents of vanilla and flowers. It displays a wide variety of flavours from fruits like honeydew and green apple, to other flavours like honeysuckle and spice. A phenomenally refreshing wine!

2008 Pinot Noir - This pinot has a nice nose of blackberry and spice, with flavours of plum jam and pepper. While it can�t be considered a truely full-bodied pinot noir, it does have a fair amount of weight, and definitely more so than most of its competition from around the valley.

2007 Cabernet / Merlot - This is a Bordeaux style blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. It has a nose of cherries with bright berry flavours and a hint of white pepper.

One of the many great things about being in the Okanagan is the bountiful availability of fresh produce, particularly fruit. After a great stop at Gehringer Brothers we were heading down the road, back to the highway when we spotted some kids selling cherries at the side of the road. The entire convoy (three cars) decided to pull over and buy some for the drive. When I say you can�t get fresher cherries than we had that day I�m not exaggerating. The kids, were literally picking them as we ordered. They made for a great treat on the way to our next stop�. TICKLEBERRYS!!!

Tickleberrys - It is my honest opinion that Ice Cream is the greatest food ever invented. Give me the choice between Ice Cream and any other food and I will choose Ice Cream 999 times out of 1000. For me, there is no better place in the Okanagan to get Ice Cream than Tickleberrys. If you haven�t been there, do yourself a favour and go. Its just over an hour south of Kelowna, in Okanagan Falls (less than 10 minutes south of Skaha Beach) and is well worth the drive. They have dozens of flavours to choose from and dole out very generous portions. In fact, a Child�s sized cone is more than enough for most adults (two large scoops). If you make the trip and see a gigantic line, don�t worry�. I�ve seen the line wrapped around the store more times than I can count and its never taken more than ten minutes to get an ice cream because they have a huge army of remarkably efficient staff.

8th Generation - 8th Generation is located in Trout Creek (between Summerland and Penticton) and was formerly Adora Winery. Bernd and Stephanie Schales purchased the winery, along with its vineyards in the Oliver/Osoyoos area and rebranded it as 8th generation. Bernd is an 8th generation winemaker and his wife Stephanie is an 8th generation grape grower. Thankfully for us, they fell in love, got married, combined the knowledge of both families, and started making wine for us to enjoy. There is no question that Riesling is their specialty, but they do have some other great wines to try as well.

2007 Pinot Gris - This wine has a nose of grapefruit and banana and tastes of the same, along with a hint of mineral. This wine is crisp and clean, definitely worth a try.

2007 Riesling Dry - This wonderful Riesling is made from grapes grown on vines twenty years old or more. It has a beautiful nose of green apple and honeysuckle. When tasted it brings to mind citrus and minerals. This is my favourite Riesling at 8th generation. I have owned several bottles of this and they are always quite good.

2008 Riesling - This sweeter Riesling has a nose of grass and citrus. It has very nice citrus flavours, but overall is a little on the sweet side for me to really enjoy.

2008 Pinot Meunier Ros� - I love this wine! This is one of my favourites in the valley, despite not liking most ros�s. It has a beautiful nose of strawberry and tastes of strawberry and grapefruit. This wine may actually remind some drinkers a bit of the taste of Champagne (from Champagne, not sparkling wine) and that is no surprise as the Pinot Meunier grape is commonly used help give Chardonnay (the most commonly used Champagne grape) a fuller flavour and more body when producing Champagne.

2007 Merlot - This wine had a smokey nose, with aromas of cassis. It�s flavour was predominantly pepper and black cherry. It was quite good, but not outstanding.

My second wine tour of the summer turned out to be a great day and I�m really hoping that I can find the time for a 3rd sometime soon. I would recommend visits to any of these wineries, although for different reasons. Burrowing Owl has impressive facilities and a spectacular view, Stoneboat has some great whites well worth checking out and a dessert wine that will knock your socks off, Le Vieux Pin has an incredible ambiance that has not been reproduced anywhere else in the valley, Gehringer has the best value you�re going to find in wine, and 8th generation makes the best Riesling and Ros� around.

If you find yourself bored one day, hop in the car and head out for a little wine touring.

South Okanagan Wine Tour

Alex Miller — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:47:40 +0000

I had the opportunity to do a little wine touring with friends way back in late May and am finally able to get the article posted!We decided to head down to some wineries in the Okanagan Falls area, as well as in Naramata. I�m happy to report that we did find a lot of great wine on our excursion.

Jackson Triggs - Our first stop was at Jackson-Triggs, one of Canada�s biggest wineries, owned by Canada�s largest wine producer (Vincor), which is in turn owned the world�s largest wine company, Constellation Brands. I know it�s really easy to hate the big guys, and root for the little guys, but anyone who can�t admit that Jackson-Triggs makes some excellent wines is only deluding themselves. Red wine grapes are generally more difficult to grow than those for white wine. You can certainly see that not only in the prices of Okanagan wines, but also the quality. Most Okanagan Reds (at least those under $25/bottle) are very light bodied and don�t stand up to similarly priced offerings from places like Australia and France. Jackson-Triggs is one of the very few wineries in the area that can legitimately say they offer full-bodied red wines at a moderate price.

2007 Proprietor�s Reserve Viognier - For $13.99 / bottle, this wine is a very good value. It has soft tropical notes on the nose and the palate. It doesn�t have the smoothest finish, but it is still very good value at that price.

2007 Proprietor�s Grand Reserve Semillon - Mmmmm�. this wine was very nice. It had a hint of honey on the palate with a refreshing and crisp finish. A great summer wine, but at $21.99 / bottle it isn�t cheap.

2006 Proprietor�s Reserve Meritage - Jackson-Triggs has three levels of wines, Proprietor�s Reserve at the low end, the Proprietor�s Grand Reserve, followed by Sun Rock Vineyards at the top end. This �low end� blended red was far better than many of the �high end� reds from other area wineries. It had bright berry notes on the nose, followed by flavours of black cherry and tobacco on the palate. It also had a beautiful full body. It didn�t have a particularly smooth finish, but a year or two of bottle aging should do wonders for this wine. At $19.99 / bottle, this is one of the best values you will find in an Okanagan Red.

2006 Sunrock Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon - This wine was the runner up for best Cabernet Sauvignon at the Spring Wine Festival, losing out to its little brother, the more moderately priced 2006 Proprietor�s Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Jackson-Triggs. This wine was absolutely delicious and so silky smooth. It had great flavours of black cherry and cocoa. I would recommend this to anyone who can afford to drink $35.00 / bottle wines.

After leaving Jackson-Triggs we decided to stop for some lunch before we got too much wine into our systems. We opted for Ye Olde Welcome Inn, a classic country pub near Vaseux Lake between Oliver and OK Falls. It has an old European style with lots of stone and wood. It reminded me very much of a mini-Gasthaus. The menu was extensive and very reasonably priced. I had a buffalo burger that was good, and could have been great if it had had some BBQ sauce on it. Aside from regular sides like fries, soup, and salad, Ye Olde Welcome Inn also offered perogies, which everyone in the group thought was great. The food and the service were both quite good. If you�re looking for casual pub fare I would recommend Ye Olde Welcome Inn.

Stag�s Hollow - The winery is located on a dusty little road that runs along the top of a ridge near Okanagan Falls. I didn�t know much about the winery when we arrived and was eager to see what they had to offer.

2008 Sauvignon Blanc - According to their website, this is the wine that Stag�s Hollow is known for. It had some very nice tropical flavours like Lychee Fruit and Grapefruit. It actually really reminded me of a Gewurztraminer. A nice white, but not outstanding.

2007 Simply Noir - This blend of 65% Pinot Noir and 35% Gamay Noir didn�t have much of a nose. It did have a good peppery flavour, but was extremely light bodied (especially considering how much Gamay was in the blend).

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon - This Cabernet Sauvignon was actually a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc. It was way too light for what is supposed to be a full bodied red, but it did have very nice flavours of berry, pepper, and tobacco.

2005 Harmony Vineyard Merlot - This wine was very smooth and had good body. It was much fuller than any of the other offerings we tried from Stag�s Hollow. Definitely the best wine we tried here.

2005 Renaissance Meritage - A blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 20% Cabernet Franc this wine had a bright berry nose. I was disappointed though, because it could have been a lot smoother for an �05 and had a lot more flavour.

Wild Goose Vineyards - Just a stone�s throw down the same gravel road from Stag�s Hollow, Wild Goose Vineyards was one of the major draws that brought us to the Okanagan Falls area. None of us had been to Wild Goose, but were intrigued by the fact that they had won golds for three of their whites at the Spring Wine Festival. Wild Goose Vineyards also won the 2009 Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year, just the second time the award has been given to a B.C. winery.

2008 Mystic River Pinot Blanc - This wine was FANTASTIC! It was bright and crisp and was bursting with fresh fruit flavours like lychee and apricot. At $18.99 / bottle a pretty darn good deal.

2007 Stoney Slope Riesling - The wine was good, but definitely not my favourite. It was very smooth, with notes of honey and minerals. $19.99 / bottle isn�t a bad price for this wine, but there are others I would choose first.

2008 Autumn Gold - This gold medal winning blend of Gewurztramine, Riesling, and Pinot Blanc was fantastic. It had a beautiful nose and a great flavour of granny smith apples. It was crisp and effervescent. At $18.99 /bottle there aren�t too many whites that are a better buy.

La Frenz - Our next stop is one of the first wineries you�ll come across as you head into Naramata. If you read my columns regularly, you will know that La Frenz is one of my favourite wineries. I was very excited to share the La Frenz experience with some more of my friends.

2008 Semillon - This wine smells like heaven!!! It has incredible fruit flavours like grapefruit, pear, and lemon. It is bright, fruity, and very fresh tasting. The perfect wine for a hot summer day! This is my favourite white wine that I have ever tried. Unfortunately for everyone our there who hasn�t tried it, I picked up the last three bottles of the vintage from the winery last weekend. There are some wine shops and restaurants in the lower mainland that may still have some. Good Luck!

2008 Riesling - Very much like the Wild Goose Vineyards Riesling, I found this offering to be good, but not outstanding. It had a nose of fresh flowers and flavours of honey and minerals.

2008 Viognier - This wine had nice flavours of caramel, honey, and tree fruits. Not my favourite, but not bad.

2008 Alexandria - This wine is absolutely delicious. It is a very sweet Muscat blend, but even if you don�t generally like sweet wines you should give it a try, because I�m not a huge fan of sweet wines and I love this offering. It has flavours of peach, lychee and honey. Head down to the winery and buy some before they sell out!

Elephant Island - Elephant Island was our last stop of the day and I�ll say I�m very glad we decided to do one more winery. It would have been a shame to miss out on this gem. Elephant Island is a fruit winery, making all of their wine from fruits other than grapes. The winery itself is beautiful, albeit a little rustic and I don�t think any winery can beat their drive in. You enter on a narrow dirt road right through the middle of a cherry orchard. Their tasting room was jam packed with visitors when we arrived, but they were prepared and were also offering tastings on their patio. I wasn�t a big fan of a lot of their wines, but I was definitely in the majority as most of my group loved it. Tasting wine outdoors, surrounded by orchards, on a beautiful Okanagan day - I couldn�t imagine a better way to cap off a great day!

Pear Wine - This wine was very delicate and fairly dry, but was not my favourite.

Cherry Wine - This wine was pretty good. It was a little too light, but I liked that it wasn�t sickly sweet.

Blackberry Wine - Despite being made of blackberries it actually tasted of sour cherry and strawberry. It was quite good.

Crab Apple Wine - This wine was very sour, but also very good. Just a warning - it will really make your face pucker up!

Apricot Wine - This wine was sweet and sour, with rhubard notes.

Cassis Dessert Wine - This wine had a great nose and an unbelievable flavour. It was slightly sour, with a thick syrupy body. It would be great with chocolate or as a syrup for crepes or ice cream.

Framboise Dessert Wine - This raspberry dessert wine was absolutely amazing. The server actually made a small mistake and took a wine glass straight from the dishwasher without letting it cool. This made my wine quite warm, but it was unbelievably good that way. It really brought out the nose on what may have been the best smelling wine of all time. I would highly recommend warming this wine a little before drinking.

Minstrel Cafe Dinner and More

Alex Miller — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 05:11:45 +0000

The Minstrel Cafe is one of those places that I had been hearing good things about for years, but for whatever reason I had never actually made it down there to eat. When I found out that a friend�s girlfriend would be singing there I immediately made a reservation.

When my wife and I arrived, despite being quite busy, the restaurant had our table ready for us (an unfortunately increasingly uncommon occurrence). I was very pleased to be sitting about ten feet from the stage with an unobstructed view. Unfortunately, some friends of ours had made a last minute reservation and ended up in the back corner of the restaurant and barely able to see any of the stage. Thankfully the staff was good enough to move them to our table without any fuss.Upon sitting at our table I was immediately struck by the great decor at the Minstrel. The walls were richly coloured and accented with very tasteful art and stone feature areas. The vaulted ceiling made the restaurant feel more spacious and was nicely highlighted with flowing fabric draped from it.Unfortunately the servers had a littlle miscommunication about which one of them would be covering our table, so it took a little bit longer than it should have to get our drink orders in. The Minstrel�s wine list is good with a decent amount of choice, but it�s definitely not outstanding. I opted for a glass of Castilla del Almansa Tempranillo, which on its own was a little soft for me, but when paired with my meal really came to life. I was hoping the earlier staff miscommunication would be an aberration and not a sign of things to come. When my friend�s martini came without the chocolate shavings on top it wasn�t the end of the world, but it was another step in the wrong direction.

Almost immediately after placing our orders our server returned to our table to double check what we had asked for. It is certainly much better for a server to double check what was ordered rather than try and guess and end up putting the wrong order in, but its still not an ideal occurrence.

The bread service was definitely above average. Many restaurants just do the minimum and give you a basket of bread and some cold butter. I was happy to see that the Minstrel cared enough to provide a couple of different flavoured butters to go with their fresh bread. This isn�t something that will make or break a meal, but paying attention to these small details is what separates great restaurants from those that are merely good.

I ordered Rigatoni Arrabiata with Chorizo, Chipotle, and White Cheddar. When it arrived, it was immediately obvious that not much thought had gone into the presentation of the dish. It had clearly just been put in a bowl, rather than carefully plated. I will, however, say that it was delicious! The sausage itself was a little bland, but there was a generous helping of it (I hate when restaurants skimp on meat) and it did taste fantastic in the arrabiata sauce. The smokiness of the chipotle and the sharpness of the cheddar counterbalanced each other perfectly and were great compliments to the flavour of this dish. Simply put, it was excellent!

My wife (bless her for never having a big enough appetite to finish her meal) ordered Roasted Chicken Stuffed with Prosciutto and Provolone, which I thankfully got to try. The chicken breast was cooked bone-in to perfection. Not only was the flavour great, but the tenderness and texture were outstanding. It was served with some herbed roasted potatoes (which were very good) and caramelized onions. The onions had obviously been sweetened, which is not necessary in my opinion as onions contain enough sugar naturally to caramelize beautifully on their own. Adding a sweetening agent made these onions far too sweet to properly compliment the rest of this dish.

As great as the food was, the ambience was even better. I�m not a music critic, so I won�t go into much detail on the performance, but I will say that I thought it was great. Our performer, Yoko (a vocalist from Nelson), was the perfect accompaniment to our meal. My only complaint would be that the venue did get too warm for comfort as the night went by.

For dessert I really wanted another glass of wine to go along with a nice cheese plate, but unfortunately the Minstrel doesn�t have a cheese plate on their menu. It is a shame for such a sophisticated restaurant not to have a cheese plate of some sort. Instead I opted for their White Chocolate Berry Mousse. At first blush I thought that it was too rich for me. It turns out that I was dead wrong, as each subsequent bite was more delicious than the last. My only request would be to add more berries.

All in all, it was a great night, with delicious food and fantastic entertainment. The service could definitely have been better, but I would still recommend the Minstrel Cafe quite highly.

Ambience: 4.5 / 5 (It would have got a 5 if it hadn�t been so hot)
Taste: 4.5 / 5
Service: 2.5 / 5
Value:3.5 / 5
Overall: 4 / 5

Hidden Gems for Summer

Alex Miller — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:14:09 +0000

Summer is well underway and I wanted to share a few hidden gems you should check out around the valley:

Kelowna:

Raven Ridge Cidery - Raven Ridge makes apple and pear wines that are to die for. They have everything from a sipping white, to a sparkling apple wine, to an entire line of apple and pear dessert wines. They have a tasting room at Kelowna Land and Orchard in East Kelowna. Make sure you try the Granny Smith icewine!!!

SpoonStruck - This little place is hidden on Tutt street, basically right behind the Subway on Pandosy. Its easy to miss even when you know its there, so don�t blink! Their dishes are inspired from culinary traditions the world over. It�s not uncommon to go in one day and have Thai and Cajun dishes and show up the next for Mexican and Greek. Very modestly priced too.Hector�s Casa Patio - Most people know Hector�s Casa on Pandosy, but what few realize is that it may have the best patio in town. The back of the casa has been transformed into a beautiful patio that makes you feel like you�ve been whisked away to Mexico. Enjoy an ice cold margarita or cerveza while you soak up the sun.

North Okanagan:
The Brown Derby - Located in downtown Armstrong the Brown Derby is without a doubt one of the best places to eat in the world. That may seem like hyperbole for a casual little cafe / sandwich shop, but their combination of ecclectic atmosphere and deliciously simple food is unbeatable. Run by a husband and wife team that is as equally likely to greet you with a sarcastic comment as they are to feed you a delicious meal, �The Derb� doesn�t offer five star service black tie service. It�s more like eating a casual meal over at an old friend�s place. I just had lunch there today and have to say the chilled mango soup was a phenomenal compliment to my delicious roasted (in-house) turkey sandwich and all it cost was $6.30!!! If you go, DON�T PASS ON DESSERT, their homemade pies, crisps, and tarts are unbelievable.Enderby Gas Station - No� seriously�. the gas station at the north end of Enderby. I�ve stopped there many times, but never for gas. In the gas station building there is a fantastic Ice Cream shop that serves up heaping portion of Foothills Creamery ice cream for about $3.

The Grapevine Restaurant - Mission Hill and Quail�s Gate may win all the awards for their restaurants, but the Grapevine Restaurant at Gray Monk Winery in Winfield is every bit as good and may even be better. The food is mind-bogglingly good and the service is impeccable. I did a brief review there that I haven�t finished writing up, so stay tuned for the post. In the meantime, head out to the Grapevine for a meal on their beautiful patio overlooking the lake. Aim to be there for sunset.

South Okanagan:
Gehringer Brothers Winery - 100%, without question, the most underrated winery in Canada. I don�t know if its the cheap looking labels on their bottles or their low prices ($12-16 for most bottles), but nobody seems to take Gehringer Brothers seriously. They have the most consistently good lineup of wines I have ever found in the Okanagan. Quite simply, everything is at the very least quite good and some of their wines are outstanding. My favourites are their Schonburger/Gewurztraminer blend and their Sauvingon Blanc, but don�t take my word for it. Head down to the winery (just south of Oliver) for your own complimentary tasting. I challenge anyone to leave without buying at least two bottles. Tickleberry�s - It may not be a true hidden gem because there are certainly no shortage of people who know about it, but it blows my mind how many people I meet that haven�t been down to Okanagan Falls to get an ice cream. Tickleberry�s has literally dozens of delicious flavours to choose from, but thankfully you�ll get to choose three for a �single� cone. Even the kiddie cone has two huge scoops. If you get discouraged because you see that its lined up out the door, don�t worry as the staff is incredibly efficient and it never takes more than a few minutes to get through the line. You�ll find Tickleberry�s and their assortment of ice cream, fudge, candy, and ecclectic items for the home and garden about ten minutes south of Skaha beach in Okanagan Falls.

Everyday Indian

Alex Miller — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:55:50 +0000

The best cooking class I have ever attended was an Indian cooking class Mission Hill, taught by Celebrity Guest Chef Vikram Vij, so I was very excited to have the opportunity to attend another Indian cooking class at Mission Hill hosted by a Celebrity Guest. I am happy to say that the class I took on the 18th taught by �Everyday Indian� author Bal Arneson (www.BalsHealthyKitchen.com) did not disappoint.

It was a very cold day for the middle of April, so I was very pleased to be greeted by an �Everyday Chai� Tea as I took my seat. I love Chai anytime, but even more so when I am cold. This one really hit the spot.The class started promptly and Winery Chef Michael Allemeier introduced Bal to us. Immediately, she was not at all what I expected. I�m not sure exactly what it was that I was expecting, but Bal�s enthusiasm, energy, and ever-present smile were certainly a pleasant surprise. I should also pass on that in my experience (specifically with Vikram, Bal, Michael, and Ned Bell) celebrity chefs are far more down to earth and approachable than you could possibly imagine.Bal asked us all if we were hungry and the class responded unanimously in the affirmative. She told us not to worry, because she would have food out to us in eight minutes. As she started preparing the first dish, Bal began to share with us her philosophy for cooking. She grew up in a small village in India and learned to cook using fresh seasonal ingredients and advocates simple, healthy, and easy to follow recipes.

As she was explaining this to us, she would interrupt herself at very regular intervals to share whatever stories and anecdotes popped into her head. Eight minutes quickly passed and with each subsequent story, you could see Michael getting a little more stressed in the background as he continually looked at the clock and reminded Bal that �we should get these people some food.�

Nobody in the class seemed to mind though. All of Bal�s stories were entertaining at the very worst and some were enthralling. Not only were we getting a cooking lesson, and the opportunity to eat some great food and drink some delicious wine, but we were getting classes on everything from life in rural India, to marriage advice in contemporary Canada.

The first dish we were served (albeit after forty minutes, not eight) was a salad of organic greens with fresh mango and paneer pakora croutons topped with a light mango dressing. This salad was very good. It combined some very subtle flavours, but none of them were lost with the bright, vibrant flavour of the fresh mango. The pairing of the Mission Hill Pinot Grigio was an excellent choice. I found that the wine really enhanced some of the more subtle flavours in the salad.

The salad may have taken forty minutes to prepare, but that is because Bal was doing a lot more talking than cooking. All of her recipes were actually very simple and straightforward. I was blown away at how easy it was to make homemade paneer (kind of like an Indian Ricotta). Bal really did an incredible job of demystifying Indian cuisine.
The other impressive thing about Bal�s cooking is that she doesn�t without the aid of any electric mixers or food processors and it is still very simple and straightforward. When she told us this she laughed, because Cuisinart is one of her major sponsors. She suggested we go out and buy their products and put them in the cupboard and not use them.

The next dish Bal prepared was a Yam Soup with Roti (unleavened bread). This dish came together incredibly quickly and if you do pickup her cookbook is likely something you�ll find yourself making for a quick lunch on a cold rainy day. The truly amazing thing about this dish is how good it tastes, despite containing absolutely no unhealthy ingredients. I couldn�t believe how good this soup was, despite it containing nothing but yams, water and spices. The roti was also very healthy, containing whole-wheat flour, lentils, and broccoli; however, it wasn�t as good as the soup. The flavour was good, but it was a little to dry for my liking.

This dish was paired with the Mission Hill Five Vineyards Riesling. This pairing wasn�t as good as the first one, but it worked pretty well. The sweetness of the Riesling was a good match for the yams, but I�m not sure how well the lemon notes worked with the flavour of the soup.

The dish I was most looking forward to trying was the No-Butter Chicken, a healthy take on the most common Indian dish in North America. The chicken itself was a little disappointing, as the dish was a little bland overall. I don�t think it was a function of not using butter or ghee in the recipe, but it was instead a product of the wrong blend or amount of spices. That being said, the sides served with the No-Butter Chicken were delicious.

The Brown Basmati with Green Peas was easily some of the best rice I�ve ever had. It was cooked perfectly and had an incredible nutty flavour. The other side was a Chana Masala (chick pea curry) and it was also very good. The chick peas were a tiny bit undercooked for my taste, but flavour was outstanding.

The wine pairing with the no-butter chicken really surprised me. Pinot Noir was probably the last wine I would have though to pair with this dish, but Bal and/or Michael decided that the Mission Hill Five Vineyards Pinot Noir would be a good match. I tried the wine before I started the dish and I was very disappointed. It really lacked any discernible flavour and was one of lightest Pinot Noirs I have ever had. However, as soon as I took a bite of the food the flavour in the wine exploded! When paired with food, this wine does a complete one-eighty. It had great pepper notes and ended up being a perfect pairing with the No-Butter Chicken and the Chana Masala.

Rice pudding seems to be a very polarizing dessert, people either love it or hate it. I am a proud, card-carrying member of the �love it� camp and was very interested to try Bal�s Brown Rice Pudding with Lapin Cherries and White Peach. Bal really believes in healthy cooking, and following with her philosophy did not sweeten the pudding. On its own, it wasn�t very good, because it lacked sweetness, but when eaten with the Lapin Cherries and White Peach it was awesome. The sweetness of the fruit was more than enough to carry the whole dish, and the texture of the brown rice was extremely satisfying. This was a really creative and delicious way to serve a healthy dessert.

Dessert was paired with Mission Hill�s Reserve Riesling Icewine. This was a very good pairing as the wine added some sweetness to the unsweetened pudding and all of its bright fruity flavours matched really well with the peach and cherry in the dessert.

While this wasn�t my favourite cooking class (that honour goes to another Mission Hill class guest hosted by Vikram Vij), it was a very close second. Bal was incredibly entertaining and just interacting with her would have been worth the price of admission. She not only kept us in stitches for most of the class, but she also shared a lot of very personal stories with us. It was truly a treat to be able to experience this class.

Review of Rusty�s

Alex Miller — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 19:52:03 +0000

I went to Rusty�s (corner of Dilworth and Leckie ) for lunch with a friend today. Rusty�s was formerly Breaker�s Lounge, a fairly dingy pool hall. The owners (not sure if they�re new owners or the same owners as before) shut it down for a few months and gave it a total overhaul, complete with the name change to Rusty�s.

I had been in for drinks once or twice before and was very impressed with what they had done inside. Old banged up tables and chairs had been replaced by leather booths and brand new furniture. The pool area was completely redone as well and big screen TV�s were installed throughout. Looking to take a bite out of the lucrative pie shared by Joey�s, Cactus Club, Moxies, and Earls, Rusty�s also hired a team of attractive waitresses and dressed them like referees (albeit with a little more skin showing than you would see on your average ref). Overall, the facelift was a job very well done and it gave the Rusty�s a very clean, modern, and inviting look.Today was my first chance to eat lunch there and I was really looking forward to it. I had eaten at Breakers before and hadn�t been too impressed, but I had heard some good things about the food from a friend of mine who tends bar there.

Our server promptly came over to the table to get us menus and take drink orders. She also told us about the daily specials. For the sake of management I really hope she was new, because if I was her employer I would have been very unimpressed with how they were presented to us. She didn�t have them memorized, but instead read them to us, which isn�t a big deal to me, especially at a bar/pub type restaurant, but the fact that she read them of the back of a crumpled receipt didn�t strike me as very professional. She also did a very poor job of selling the specials, speaking as if she was very uninterested in what they had to offer. She certainly didn�t make them sound too appetizing.

On perusal of the menu I was shocked by the prices. $12 for a basic hamburger is pretty excessive almost anywhere, but at a pool hall (even an upscale one) that�s robbery. If the burger had some bacon, or at least some cheese I would understand, but those were additional. I understand that steak isn�t cheap and it�s fairly easy to find a $34 steak at other restaurants in town, but again, Rusty�s is a pool hall, not The Keg or Ric�s Grille. I guess it wouldn�t matter if they tasted like they were worth those prices, but that remained to be seen. I didn�t feel like I had walked into the type of establishment where I should expect to pay those prices.

After chatting with my friend for ages, our server showed up to take our order. It had been so long that since we had seen her that both of us had forgotten that we hadn�t even ordered yet. My friend was particularly unimpressed as he had an appointment with a client right after lunch. I ended up ordering the Soup and Sandwich Special ($10) despite the poor sell job from our server and my friend ordered the Quesadilla (another small bone of contention � the description of the Quesadilla in the menu was �everything you could want on a quesadilla�, which doesn�t really give me a great idea of what I�m ordering. Is it a chicken quesadilla? Beef? Does it have toppings I don�t like?).

Fortunately the food came out pretty quickly, so my friend felt confident he would have no problem making his meeting. My chicken noodle soup was good. It had lots of chicken in it, which I liked, (I hate when places skimp on an ingredient that is in the title of the dish) and it had very nice flavour. My sandwich was less impressive. It wasn�t bad, but it was basically just a couple of pieces of sliced chicken cold cuts and a bit of lettuce and mayo on a grilled pita. Other than the grilling of the pita, this sandwich wasn�t any better than those found in 90% of lunchboxes in Kelowna.

My friend�s Quesadilla was probably slightly above average for a quesadilla, but it definitely didn�t make me want to go running back to Rusty�s for another quesadilla. It had the usual blend of chicken, cheese and grilled onions. Like I said, it was good, but nothing special.

Our server cleared our dishes away pretty quickly, but when she did so she completely disappeared. We waited around for ages to ask her for the bill, but she was nowhere to be found. Eventually my friend had to leave for his appointment and I went up to the bar to pay.

Overall, I think Rusty�s is a huge improvement on Breakers and would recommend it to anyone looking to play a little pool and have a few drinks to unwind after work. It�s probably even a great place to watch some hockey, football or UFC, but I don�t recommend it for lunch. The menu seemed overpriced and the service really made for a poor overall experience.

Ambience: 4/5

Taste: 3/5

Value: 2/5

Overall: 2/5