Love Dining Out? Want to Meet Likeminded Foodies? This Club’s for You!

Not a member of the Victoria Dinner Club yet? What the heck are you waiting for??  

In many places in the world, people gather to talk, share, and linger over their meals which may stretch out for hours. All too often, here in North America, it seems we are too busy to sit, sip, savour and socialize. Grabbing something on the fly, eating in our cars, fast food eaten alone (or in the company of our phones) may technically nourish the body but does little to nourish the soul or build stronger bonds with family and friends. 

We are missing out by not sharing long, slow, leisurely meals together while enjoying the company of others and practicing the fine art of conversation. 

The Victoria Dinner Club is our answer to this unfortunate direction the culture of food and dining has taken. 

HOW DOES THE VICTORIA DINNER CLUB WORK?

Every couple of months a group of us - (some will already be friends, some will become new friends…) will get together in a different restaurant in Victoria. Expect chef’s tasting menus, sneak peeks at new menu items, interesting wine pairings, and a chance to experience food and drink you might not necessarily try otherwise. 

Depending on the restaurant, there may be live music, or dancing, or jugs of margaritas. There may be board games or special desserts prepared just for us. Though we’ll usually be going out in the evening, I love brunch, so every now and then we’ll mix it up and go on a dining adventure during daylight hours. 

WHAT DOES IT COST?

There’s no cost to join - just join the Victoria Dinner Club Group on Facebook. It’s just that simple. Join the conversation and we’ll keep you in the loop. 

Of course, eating out is more fun with friends, so if you know someone you think would enjoy eating out with the rest of us, invite them to join the Facebook group as well. 

It’s going to be fun! Let’s go out for dinner, shall we?   

Five Ways to Support Our Restaurants Even When You Can’t Eat Out

Spring is on its way and along with it, a new season of flavours to celebrate together. [Image by Jason Goh]

Lots of us love dining out, not just because we don’t have to do the dishes after we eat but because dining out is a wonderful way to socialize, stay tuned into our communities, and, yes, to be able to sample all those marvelous seasonal flavors chefs spend their lives putting together for our dining pleasure. 

So, what can we do to help support the restaurants and coffee shops we all love so much when so many are closing their doors, cutting back hours, or reducing capacity in the wake of COVID-19? Here are a few suggestions. Please leave a comment and share your ideas - we’d love to add to this list! 

1. Purchase Gift Certificates

   Always eat out on a Friday night? Consider purchasing gift certificates for about the same amount you’d usually spend each week. You’ll help smooth out the cash flow dip the current situation is creating throughout the industry. When things get back to normal, invite along an extra friend the next time you go out for dinner. Or, get a head start on gift shopping. Who wouldn’t love to receive a gift certificate as a birthday present? Or, for that matter, as a ‘just because’ surprise? 

2. Share on Social

   Repost messages from the establishments you follow. The situation out there is changing rapidly and it can be hard to keep up with all the latest adjustments to who is serving what, who is only doing takeout, or offering contactless delivery. See a post? Share it. That helps our restaurateurs stay in touch with their customers because the more a post is shared, the more it gets shown in everyone’s social media feeds. 

3. Look for Locally-made Frozen Meals
   Delis are my go-to destination when I’m lusting after landjaeger. Visit local delis and stock up on frozen or to-go meals but also on some lovely cheese to go with that bottle of red you’ve been saving.

4. Order takeout!
   Order takeout or take advantage of the many restaurants offering delivery services and when that tasty package of yumminess shows up at your place, take a minute to snap a photo or shoot a quick video. Post online and tag the restaurant to remind others they are open for business. And, tag us (@tastemag) so we can repost to our Stories. We’re doing our best to support local eateries by sharing whenever we can. 

5. Be Kind to Yourself
   Don’t forget to support yourself, too. Celebrate seasonal flavours twice - once in your kitchen and again, virtually. Even though this can feel like an overwhelming time, spring is coming. I’d love to see your posts of the first greens you pluck from your garden, the earliest garlic scapes, or the first tender asparagus spears (sauteed ever so gently in butter) as they grace your plates. We may need to get creative, but we will - we must - find ways to stay positive and celebrate those marvellous flavours together.

Hang in there… spring is coming and so are the fresh strawberries!! [Image by croisy]

Charlotte and the Quail: A Hidden Gem in The Other Gardens

Sometimes, you need to know where to look to find the special little places…

Ask people anywhere in the world what they know about Victoria and it’s quite likely they’ll mention the Butchart Gardens. Yes, Butchart is certainly worth a visit, but there’s another garden on the peninsula that I love just as much. maybe more, if I’m being perfectly honest. 

Nestled in the midst of farms on the Saanich Peninsula, Glendale Gardens is an oasis of calm just minutes from downtown Victoria.

Glendale Gardens on Quayle Road is home to the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific and provides many pathways perfect for strolling through a series of themed gardens including a winter garden (with a huge selection of heathers that bloom early in the season), a Japanese garden, a children’s garden, and growing spaces set aside for vegetables, fruit trees, and berries. 

Some of that food winds up in dishes served at Charlotte & the Quail, the onsite cozy eatery which serves breakfast, lunch, coffee, and sweets from 9 am to 3 pm from Tuesday through Sunday. 

Soup’s on! No matter what the chef has cooked up on any particular day, it’s always good!

The emphasis on the menu is fresh, local, and wholesome. Delicious is a natural outcome of that farm-to-table philosophy. During the cooler, wetter months, the inside seating is comfy and cozy. During the warmer months, sitting outside under the pergola is positively heavenly. Surrounded by the gardens, the peace and quiet you’ll find here is so nurturing you’ll be happy to linger over your dessert (cashew cheesecake, for example) and cup of Silk Road Tea. 

Sourcing as many ingredients as possible from local farms, you never know exactly what will be on the menu - that’s what local, seasonal eating is all about. No matter when you come to visit, expect rich, tasty soups, sandwiches, savoury pies as well as standards like their famous oatmeal pancakes.   

When the server offers the seedy bread toast, you aren’t just getting bread with a few seeds sprinkled on top - what arrives at the table is a nutty, gluten-free, low carb offering that’s as unique as this tucked away eatery on the Saanich Peninsula.

Combined with fresh, house-made soup, and chased with a piece of apple and carrot cake topped with whipped cream for dessert, you’ll find yourself delighted and surprised by just how good the food is at Charlotte & Quail.   

Wondering about the restaurant’s name? Charlotte the cat has been a fixture in the gardens for years and loves to socialize with visitors - she was happy to lend her name to this dining endeavour. Busy quail strut around the gardens as if they own the place and, of course, Glendale Gardens are located on Quayle Road. 

Access to Charlotte & Quail is via the same parking lot as used by Glendale Gardens and you’ll get a discount to the gardens (which are a screaming good deal to begin with) if you show your same day dining receipt when you buy your entrance ticket.

Glendale Gardens (and Charlotte & Quail) are surrounded by hiking trails, farmland, and lakes about 11 kilometres from Victoria. Consider riding your bike from downtown along good bike paths all the way to the gardens (there’s a bike rack and repair stand in the parking lot). Stop for lunch, stroll through the botanical gardens to see what’s growing before heading home again. You’ll feel as though you’ve taken a trip to a magical land far, far away and return from your adventure refreshed, recharged, and well-nourished - body, mind, and spirit.