#foodey

[thisdiscontentedwinter]

I ship Joey Tribbiani from Friends with Food. When Joey boldly declared that 'Joey don't share food!' Food fell in love. It found Joey's possessive nature a total turn on. Sure, Food doesn't last long around Joey, but for those few minutes that Joey is eating, Food knows true bliss. Joey/Food Forever!!

I think Joey ships this as well! 

He is truly at his happiest with food! 

And food has never been more appreciated! 

[princegastronome]

WINE DIARY:  OLD VINES RESTAURANT AT QUAILS GATE

In my culinary journey enjoying pub grub and food truck fare, I will occasionally empty the wallet on a stylish meal in an upmarket restaurant.  Though not often, maybe once every four months or so.  On our vacation through the Okanagan, I was an idiot and blindly passed the credit card on more than one occasion.  Burrowing Owl, Tinhorn Creek, Hillside, Poplar Grove—we loved eating at winery restaurants, and none of them were cheap.  However, among all of them, the preeminent location, the one with the best food matched with the best view and service by a measurable margin was the Old Vines Restaurant at Quails Gate.  

 We had visited the winery on our previous wine trip a year prior and loaded up on a box of wine (not a box-o-wine, a box of bottles of wine).  But on this trip, we only picked up a few varietals and opted for the dinner instead.  It was only due to car space; we were on the last legs of our journey—over seven days, we had picked up 120 bottles from 60 locations. There wasn’t much room left save for our stomachs.  The debit had been nearly tapped clean.  But this was a vacation.

 Old Vines shares a few qualities with Mission Hill up the road.  Both take as much pride in their view than in their food, and despite Quails Gate being a slightly restrained experience in comparison, I found Old Vines to be equally as rewarding. We strode past the indoor dining area, past the bar, outside where everyone else was sitting.  There were no Greek pillars or stone gazebos, just numerous traditional umbrellas shadowing glass tables.  All of it was fringed by flowers, stone paths, and matching the mustard tones carried by the winery. Beyond the roses lay the vineyard open for walking (which we did so after our meal).  Truly one of the most spectacular views a restaurant could ever hope to have, in many ways even better than their competition up the road.  I would say only Bench 1775 in Naramata has the better view, but only marginally.  

 All that splendor comes with a price, and you can see it plain as day on the menu.  The cheapest appetizer was $15.  The cheapest main was $24.  I wouldn’t call that extremely expensive (I had Castle Terrace in Edinburgh that was $300 for two people), but couple that with wine, and the bill will get up there. This is the kind of place that shapes their butter pats into roses; it’s not a tavern.  Don’t come here on a budget—order what you want and let them indulge you with their cuisine.  I made that abundantly clear from the onset when I opened with the Foie Gras Torchon (with marigold, peach, and cocoa nib). My girlfriend had the Rangeland Bison Tartare (with purified white rice, cured yolk, and pickled carrot).  And then truffle and parmesan fries arrived…because they always do.  Don’t get me wrong, they’re amazing, but it’s started to get a little cliched that these top end bistros are all serving truffle and parmesan fries. It’s like going to a Lexus dealership and someone proudly throwing you keys to a Toyota Camry.

 The meal was fantastic, and we left satisfied, taking our time to wander the fields and view that sunset.  

There’s not much else to add really.  I can’t go into specific details on the dishes as the menu has almost completely changed since last there.  What we did have was an incredible experience in an incredible restaurant worth a revisit.  We don’t have the kind of funds to make Old Vines a tradition, especially given we live nowhere near them, but will keep the memories forever…or at least until we get dementia and/or die.

 Wow, that got dark fast.  

 At least we have photos.

[princegastronome]

TICKLEBERRY’S

It’s not so much a store as it is a destination spot, something to break the monotony of winery after winery.  

Wait, did I just say that?  Winery after winery?  How can that be monotonous?  At least it’s a respite from the norm.  I’ve known Tickleberry’s for years through their visits to various craft/food fairs where they peddle overpriced chocolate covered fruits.  In defense, said fruits are good, but are they $10 for a handful of cherries good?   In adverse, the Tickleberry’s store is worth every penny, especially since entering is free.  It’s a store after all, selling all manners of knicks and various knacks.  However, the real star attraction, one dominating much of the complex, is the creamery.  As in ice cream.  As in towering citadels and fat and flavor.  I did not snap a photo of said pillar of decadence as I was too involved in its absorption.  

The lineup this day was not too crazy, ten minutes for us, though it got longer soon after.  The entire establishment resembles a hippy’s garage sale.  Stuff is just scattered about.  I wasn’t even sure what was on sale.  Could I buy that unused antique stove in the corner?  It’s like a Restoration Hardware and a Pottery Barn spawned unwanted offspring, and then that child grew up carrying a disheartening sensation of abandonment to such an extent that it throws nothing away until finally, their house looks like a set from a Wes Anderson movie.  

But yes, the ice cream is good.

There’s nothing else to add.  Tickleberry’s is becoming that established location every tourist is told to visit.  With the wineries all around Okanagan Falls, this is one of the few reasons to visit the actual city.  You wouldn’t notice it from the outside—it’s not like it’s the Vegas Strip with neon signs guiding you in like an incoming plane.  Just drop by, get your two scoops, and try not to jab your shoulder into anything, lest you require a tetanus shot.

[princegastronome]

The Studio Fair arrives in less than a month.  You know what that means?  Yes, burning through all my stores.  I’ve managed to push through most of my Untamed Feast, but still have jars of Ace Curries to Go.  So here goes Chicken Vindaloo with spiced flatbread.  The wine is Desert Hills Gamay.

[princegastronome]

This was an amazing experience, somewhat overkill. Unlike the previous home-made charcuteries, I did not organize this event—that fell to Jen and Bo Dannefaer, who supplied everything but the cheese.  The latter I received from the Cheese Place monthly subscription box. It was a neat experience but I admit it is quite the expensive box.  The meats were shockingly good for being mostly from Costco.

 Date: July 28th, 2016

Meats: Costco Charcuterie: Blue Mountain Wild boar salami, Peppercorn Bison salami; SLR Meats:  Bison pepperoni; Superstore: Cappola prosciutto, Sila chorizo.

 Cheeses: Cheesy Place monthly box:  French Raclette, Blyth Smoked, Fourme D’Ambert; Springback Cheese Company:  Red Leicester

 Wine:  Quails Gate Old Vine Foch, Apothic Crush

 Condiments:  Fig and orange spread (Save On), creamy crunch mustard, Hellish Rellish

[princegastronome]

Sharing this again as this began my life loving charcuterie.

[princegastronome]

[princegastronome]

For the record, I despise coffee.