ICBC warns teens for prom
44-year-old woman missing
Stanley Cup Playoff etiquette
Liberals turn t influencers
Senators reject field trip
'City within a city'
Dies after self-immolation
Israeli strike played down
Full Trump jury seated
Lululemon cuts 100 jobs
Bitcoin's 'halving' arrives
Lawsuit over missing nuts
Rockets season ends in PG
Warriors bounced in opener
Warriors ready for Round 2
Pulp Fiction turns 30
Chris Pratt injured in movie
My name is not Elaine
If you’re feeling the winter blues or need an economical night out thanks to the arrival of holiday bills, you’re in luck.
Dine Around Thompson Okanagan covers select restaurants across the region from Osoyoos to Vernon, reaching to Kamloops, and offers set menus from $15 to $45. An excellent value in many cases, and an opportunity to support local businesses in a slow season.
Why wait for a swamped Valentine’s Day? Show your beloved – your friends, your family, or maybe just yourself – a good time now while it’s quiet and relaxed.
There are dozens of choices to peruse at dinearound.ca. I recently visited three.
The Bear, The Fish, The Root & The Berry, Osoyoos
Located in Spirit Ridge Resort, eight of my friends joined me for their $25 lunch menu, which is a total bargain. Billed as modern cuisine inspired by the Indigenous roots of the region, start with a soup or salad, then a choice of three mains (Arctic char, steak, or chicken), and one of two desserts.
I opted for the fresh Greens N’ Things to start, but the star for me was the fried chicken with warm potato salad. It was some chicken, and if fried chicken is your thing, skip the fast food versions and go for this. I cleansed my palate with the CH-CH-CH-CH-CH-CH-Cherry bomb tri of sorbets.
It was my first visit, but won’t be my last.
Chaos Bistro at Ex Nihilo Vineyards, Lake Country
Five years ago I enjoyed a wood-fired pizza on their sunny patio. Since then a barrel room has been converted to a casually upscale dining and lounge space. Well worthy of the corkscrew drive to get there.
For $45, you’ll experience an exquisite menu. Three choices for your first course, I went with the decadent chicken liver and foie gras parfait. The duck fat fried toast with it? Divine.
Mains include a winter vegetable plate or an elk osso-bucco, but I chose the Arctic char filet on bed of beetroot risotto. Remember the Seinfeld episode with George’s date and her risotto? That was me. Good thing I was solo. Dessert is a rich dark chocolate fondant with caramel air.
Make this a date night during Dine Around with a reservation and find a designated driver so you can enjoy the wines of Ex Nihilo.
19 Okanagan Grill + Bar at the Two Eagles Golf Course, West Kelowna
For years I’ve been told to get to 19. I don’t golf, and the atmosphere is definitely a golf course lounge (patio season will be stunning), but I am kicking myself that it took me so long to get there.
The Dine Around menu is extensive with $25, $35, and $45 choices. A deliberate choice as my foodie parents came with me and I wanted many options.
Three starters, so we each chose a different one. My mom loved her short rib steamed buns, which she followed with the prawn and scallop embrace, also a winner. My dad indulged in lobster mac ‘n’ cheese, which had huge chunks of lobster.
And as for me? This is my new steak place. Hands down one of the best I’ve had anywhere – beef tenderloin on a bed of wild mushrooms, potatoes, caramelized onions, walnuts, and Danish blue cheese.
We barely had room for dessert, but I still wolfed down a peanut butter chocolate torte.
Next up? Back the gym. Dine Around runs until Feb 2.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Stay tuned for a preview of the best events coming in 2020 in a future column.
This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
