Beth "never bethany" C.'s Profile

Walking around Cook St. Village with a coffee on a sunny afternoon is among my favourite things to do. Our most recent jaunt led us in here, to see if there was anything calling our names.

Points for size - it's giant, and volume of stuff. There's a lot to look at/look through.

But I gotta tell ya, I didn't love this place.

1) The heat. It was blasting, stiflingly hot in here. I commented, and the woman who worked there just laughed "I know! It's warm." and then my friend mentioned it (we were dying of discomfort) to another employee who shrugged and said "I'm cold all the time. And you two are wearing jackets."

2) only two change rooms, and they're tiny and makeshift curtain rings, not actual rooms or anything. I think they're in the process of upgrading this, though, so will wait and see.

3) there's a sign that says "we carry plus sizes!" awesome - it's really hard to find cool, unique plus-sized clothes, so I was pleased. When I asked, they directed me to a rack and a half at the very, very back of the store (in fact, the half rack was practically in the storage area), all with unimaginative, synthetic stuff, for the most part. It was hardly anything, and shoved to the very back.

4) Price. I tried on a basic black, knee length dress, that my friend and I both agreed looked great on me. But it was very simple, and it was a poly-spandex blend, and it was $90.00. Ninety. That's insane. My friend, before seeing what it cost, said "if it's $50 or less, I'd take it." We had a good laugh, and I sadly put it back. Ditto with everything she tried on.

This place could be good. Whomever's stocking it seems to have a good eye for style and unusual items (plus sized section aside, ugh), but there's too much in here. And to be blunt, the quality of the items in no way reflects the price tag.

We had a pretty great experience here. We were in the mood for pasta - hot, delicious, flavourful, comforting pasta, and one of us had been here before, and suggested it.

Perfect. When we arrived (about 8:30 on a Saturday night), we had to wait for a table, but the wait was only 10 minutes if that, and while we waited they led us to a comfy couch area and took our drink orders and let us peruse the menus. Very comfortable.

The decor is busy and very cool - lots to look at, without being too dimly lit (I hate that).

The wait staff were friendly, and they have a great list of original, cool cocktails (they're modeled after a prohibition-era speakeasy to some extent, so that was sort of a given). My two dates had beer, and I had two cocktails...a 'Colony cocktail' (Gin, grapefruit, Luxordo maraschino liqueur and a cherry) and a...I forget what the second one was. It wasn't on the menu, and it had lots of lime. Both were pretty good.

The food was great. We shared a dish of the five-spice pumpkin seeds that were SO yummy. And then, we'd ordered pasta, but they brought us each a nice, light side salad first, which was a nice touch. And then the entrees were great - I had the lasagna, which was rich, gooey, cheesy, garlicky, sausagey perfection. If you like light food, and don't like things rich, this isn't for you. Fortunately, it was perfect for me. My boyfriend had the pasta puttanesca (olives etc), and our friend had the pasta carbonara (bacon etc) and both were also great. I commented that you know the food is good when you could trade dishes with anyone at the table and still be happy.

The fifth star is left off because for the portion size and the food, the price seems a bit on the steep side - and because five stars is a rarity for me, and I want to go back once more and be sure. But we had a great time, and there WILL be a next time.

John's Place is a Victoria institution, and with good reason.

First: No, this wouldn't be my choice for a romantic or fancy fine dining night out.

But it would ABSOLUTELY be my choice for good food, music, friendly staff, happy patrons and a great time. It has a jukebox for goodness' sake, nobody's claiming it's Pierre de la Snoot's Maison de la Foof.

It's really good, though. The souvlaki and burgers are good. The pasta's really good. They have plenty of low-carb friendly meal options on the menus. They have good cocktails. The walls are covered in souvenirs, memorabilia, posters, photographs, flyers, and a really great One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest painting.

And the three things that I love John's Place best for: the basket of warm, peppery-herb crusted bread with whipped butter that comes with lunch/dinner;  the eggs benedict; and oh, the cheesecake.

Top that off with a place that makes its staff so happy that many of them have been there for decades (Rodney's been there forever, Cheryl, Deb and more for absolutely ages) and I'll come back every time.

Make a reservation - other people like it here, too.

Oh...oh, man. Oh, this is so embarrassing.

So, we wanted dessert, and heard this was the place for it. My boyfriend had been here once before, and when he talked about it, he just got this, dreamy, faraway look in his eyes, like I couldn't possibly understand.

So we got here, and I selected something called the "Muddy Buddy". I chose quickly because they were busy, and I just saw the words "peanut butter" and "chocolate" and knew it would be a good choice.

But...oh. Oh. It ended up being a brownie. And...and I love brownies. It was a warm, flaky-topped, dense, fudgy, homemade brownie.

And...oh, dear. I'm getting...um... it had peanut butter on it. Hang on...

*fans self* and on that, was the smoothest, coldest, silkiest, most delicious frozen custard I could imagine, like a happy vanilla cloud.

And...and on that... *looks down, face reddens*...was hot fudge sauce. And some whipped cream. And...and I tried a bite that had a bit of everything...

and...I'll just say it. You know the bits of your body that sometimes, if you poke at them enough, something kind of magic happens? Well, that happened TO MY MOUTH, right there at Old School Frozen Custard. I had to hang on to something. I think I wept, a little. My knees still shake when I remember it. Afterwards, I felt a little different. A little changed. I cradled my custard cup for a while, murmuring to it affectionately.

Ah, I was just a schoolgirl then, full of wonder and innocence....and I'm glad Old School was my first frozen custard. It was just the way everyone's first should be.

(P.S. It's big, though - go slowly and be gentle).

I took my boyfriend to the Heron Rock Bistro for a special occasion (anniversary) dinner. We had a bottle of wine, appetizers, entrees, dessert, coffee. The food tasted great, and the service was fairly good, and we enjoyed ourselves.

Six hours later I became violently, horribly, terribly ill, first from one end, then the other. To the point that I had to do laundry. I was sick all that night, and all the next day, and still queasy the next. The bottle of wine, which we hadn't finished, ended up going into spaghetti sauce because I'd been too sick to finish it.

I called the Heron Rock to tell them what had happened, and the conversation went like this:

Him: *answers phone, restaurant name*
Me: *"Hi, we were in the other night... *relays story*"
Him: "Huh. What did you have?"
Me: "*lists dishes, pointing out that the only thing we didn't share was the chicken I had - my boyfriend didn't touch it. He was fine, I got horribly ill."
Him "Ok, I'll ask around to see if anyone else got sick, and we'll call you back for more info."

Nobody ever called me back.

We don't go out for higher-end dinners that often, and it was a big treat, and the bill was $120.00 for the two of us.

So, so disappointed and unimpressed. The sickness was unfortunate but can happen - but to not have the courtesy, interest or customer appreciation to even return my call, follow up, or express dismay? Unacceptable.

I really wanted to love it here. We were looking for somewhere new for brunch, and found the reviews/menu for Cafe Mulatta, and decided to give it a go.

It's a nice little place, with about 16 tables, I'd say. We were seated right next to the kitchen, and had a view of several jars of yummy looking tea, wine etcetera. The music was way too loud, but someone must have turned it down because I stopped noticing it after a bit.

The decor is simple but nice, with a lot of cool African looking (what do I know) prints on the walls, real plants on the tables (I hate fake plants) and a lot of wood. A nice, cozy little place, with warm atmosphere in the middle of James Bay, a block down from the Thrifty's plaza.

We started with a drip coffee (average) and a vanilla americano (a bit above average), and they brought a carafe of water, which was appreciated.

My boyfriend likes a sweet breakfast, so ordered the banana bread french toast (what a cool concept). It came with pecans and whipped cream. It was yummy, but didn't seem like French toast at all to either of us, in that it didn't seem like it had been dipped in anything and fried/grilled - it just seemed like slices of banana bread with whipped cream, syrup and pecans. It was yummy, though.

I ordered the standard eggs benedict, and it was just that - standard. I ordered my eggs medium, and they came way undercooked, with a completely runny yolk and even some runny white (euuugh). But when I sent them back, apologetically, the waitress was very nice. They remade the whole dish - I wish they had left the potatoes, as I have guilt about them being thrown out! Anyway, the eggs benny was really average. It was fine, but kinda flavourless. The hollandaise could have used more lemon, and was a bit curdle-y in places. The potatoes were just standard, square home-fry type things - no spices of any kind. All in all, it was kind of bland and average. I ate it, and it tasted decent, and I was full, but it was definitely nothing to write home about.

The bill (including 15% tip) came to $34.00, which for me is definitely steep for brunch, and the food just didn't match the price at all. If I lived in the immediate neighbourhood I would probably come back and try something else on the menu another day, but I don't foresee myself driving across town to come back.

Solid three stars. Points for location and hours - smack dab in the middle of Belltown and open late, it made for easy mid-show snacking when we were at the Croc, and the bands we wanted to see were the opener and the closer. We skipped out on the middle band (bad form? Maybe, but we were hungry) to get fed, and the wallets weren't letting us near Via Tribunali.

Mama's is big and awesome and funky, with bright colors, fun decor, and Elvis as far as the eye can see (in one room, at least). Their cool t-shirts show them to be a Seattle staple, and the staff are really awesome and friendly. Last time we were there, they were filming something and service was slower than usual (it's usually really quick). We didn't complain or say a word, but the waitress was apologetic nonetheless and took care of my boyfriend's beer. Very cool of her.

The food is adequate, and that's that. It's usually big, and hot, and it tastes decent. None of it seems amazing, or inspired, or even fantastic quality, but it's decent, filling, fun Tex-Mex, which hits the spot in Belltown at night. Recommended for part of a fun night out.

HOW had I never come in here before?

I'm ashamed to say - being that I could stand at the door to the deli, throw a rock and hit my building - that I finally wandered in here for the first time recently.

My GOD, did it ever make me want to cook. It's a small, warm, well-stocked space, with lots of wood, and windows, and braids of garlic. So many different kinds of olives, and olive oils, and pastas, and sauces. A deli case full of sweets - oh MAN the tiramisu and cheesecakes looked divine - and savouries to tempt the tummy and pry open the wallet. Sun-dried tomatoes, anchovies in oil, vanilla powder, thick crusty bread, handmade pasta, oversized cookies, old-fashioned sodas, ouzo candies, incredible cheeses, paper-thin prosciutto and so much more.

I will be ba--

wait.

I will get PAID, and then I will be back here.

...don't tell my trainer. If she knew I lived this close to that much cheese, she'd make me move.

Ah, La Dolce Vita!

Went here again recently, and as usual, the pizza kicked ass. Really. Ooey, gooey, giant, flavourful, delicious pizza.

But - updating my review to take back a star -  it was SO LOUD that my boyfriend and I were basically miserable, sitting in silence after trying to yell into each other's ears. We stared hopelessly at each other until our pizza arrived, ate pur pizza, then got the hell out.

Seriously...you could turn the decibels WAY down and still have good, thumpy, loud music for people to enjoy. I would find this too loud for a club, let alone somewhere I might want a LITTLE conversation with my world's-biggest-slice.

Boo.

hot DAMN this was a good experience!

My man-friend and I had occasion to visit the Golden Olive on a recent double date. When we arrived (it was my first time meeting the other couple), I realized I'd picked the restaurant, and suddenly, sweat glistened on my brow - would it measure up?! Or would it be cold breadsticks and sauce from a jar? Would my dining companions cast sly sidelong glances at one another, mentally ticking boxes in the "CON" column of liking me? When I excused myself to the bathroom, would my boyfriend backpedal and say we "weren't that serious" after we were served bad retsina and cold calamari in grease? The pressure was ON.

Fortunately for me, the Golden Olive delivered, big time.

The restaurant is on the small side, with somewhere around 15 tables, I'd say. The decor is pleasant and clean, nothing fancy or dingy, just pleasant and clean. But the first sigh of relief came when I smelled how good it smelled. Mmmm, garlic.

The server/owner/founder? was named Evyenia (I know I've butchered that spelling), and she was so great. Very outspoken, casual and attentive, she genuinely wanted to know how every dish was and how we enjoyed it. She made recommendations, nagged us to eat more, commended us on cleaning our plates. She even told me she liked the long version of my name better than the short version (which is what I go by). Sound obnoxious? Nope. Funny, and endearing, and mom-like, which I enjoy.

My Italian cream soda (pomegranate) was good, and not too sweet. It had too much ice in it, but that's mostly personal preference.

The four of us all had something different. We all shared an order of the Saganaki to start, which is, in a neat turn of phrase, salty delicious goat cheese set ablaze. It was great to watch her torch it, and even better to eat the gooey, squeaky, delicious bits with pita corners. Yum.

My dinner was the Moussaka (available meat or vegetarian), which I  ordered because 1) I'd never tried moussaka; and 2) it came with garlic broccoli, which sounded fantastic.

It didn't disappoint at all. The Moussaka, which I now believe to be Greek for "awesome eggplant shepherd's pie" was filling and delicious. The meat was perfectly seasoned, and the eggplant and other veggies were excellent. The broccoli surrounding the generous portion was cooked to perfection, with a bit of crispness left, and plenty of the promised garlic.

My companions had the lamb pita with fries, the chicken pita with fries, and the pistachio spaghetti (this looked great, and would be my venture for next time, I think), and all plates were cleaned spotless, with people making yummy noises.

For dessert, we tried the baclava (I'm not a big fan, but the bite I had was nice, and the baclava connoiseurs at the table were very pleased) and the...I think it was called kormos? Anyway, it's what I ordered, and it was basically amazingly delicious chocolate cookie-type slabs, and it involved brandy and whipped cream, and oh man, just order it. Happy tongues.

Sometimes, people seem to think that five stars should be reserved for fancy, expensive, fine dining. But for me, I rate the value, experience, and overall satisfaction of a place, and the Golden Olive fit the bill. The service was prompt, attentive and friendly, the food was high quality, generously portioned and well-prepared, and the prices were reasonable. We all left smiling.

As we were leaving, three women were perusing the menu outside, and we sent them in. I hope their experience was as good as ours!

As for me, I'm just pleased the restaurant I picked for our double date didn't totally tank. Woohoo!