Beginning on Thursday, January 6 and continuing through every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening in January, the featured McGregor a la carte menu will be simple and classic steakhouse, perfectly prepared and presented, with only the finest ingredients.
Utilizing Chef Nicolas’ experience, the steaks will be king – properly aged, and simply seasoned to bring out flavour. These nights will be very popular with limited seating.
MENU
To Start Caesar Salad – Baby Romaine Leaves, Garlic & Anchovy Dressing, Brioche Croutons French Onion Soup – Gruyere Cheese, French Baguette Oysters Rockefeller – Five Pacific Oysters Baked with Wilted Spinach, Hollandaise Sauce and Romano Cheese Steakhouse Wedge Salad – Iceberg Lettuce, Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing, Tomato, Onion and Boiled Egg Crab Cakes – Rock Crab & Smoked Sablefish Cakes, Tomato Red Pepper Coulis, Frisee & Radish Salad Prawn Cocktail Poached Jumbo Prawns, Cocktail Sauce
From the Grill 63 Acres Ranch NY Striploin AAA 12oz Benchmark Ribeye Steak Prime 16oz McLeod’s Leap Angus Tenderloin AAA 6oz PEI Blue Dot Potato Finished Prime Tomahawk 55oz Sterling Silver AAA Angus Tenderloin 8oz Creek Stone Ranch USDA PRIME 22oz Porterhouse
Other Offerings Peri Peri Roasted Cornish Hen – Half Hen, Marinated for 48 Hours, Slow-Cooked & Roasted Wild Mushroom Carbonara – Wild & Cultivated Mushrooms, Slow-Cooked Onions, Parmigiano, Chives, Egg Yolk Emulsion Pan-Roasted Steelhead Trout – Chive Mashed Potatoes, Winter Vegetables, Caponata
Sides 4oz Butter-Poached Lobster Tail
Roasted Wild & Cultivated Mushrooms
Asparagus with Lemon & Almonds
Creamed Corn
Cauliflower Gratin
Reservations from 5:00pm | A La Carte Steakhouse Menu | Dress Code: Smart Casual
In the survey, 600,000 voters provided their thoughts on nearly 10,000 hotels, resorts, and global experiences. The resorts that ultimately made the final cut all share an air of luxury, but they span different price points and destinations.
Here are the top 17 resorts in the world. Safari-inspired travel seemed to be popular this year, with seven out of 17 resorts being African bush resorts. A couple of private islands in the Maldives made the cut, as did a handful of Irish castles. Only one US resort topped the list.
17. Ol Jogi Home
Location: Nanyuki Town, Kenya
Starting rate per night: Only available upon request
A 45-minute flight from Nairobi and nestled within 58,000 acres of private Kenyan bush, Ol Jogi Home provides a luxurious, exclusive safari experience with all the usual resort trappings: a gym, tennis courts, yoga studio, and spa. The resort accommodates 14 guests at a time.
Located on the Baja Peninsula, Esperanza has 57 beachfront suites and villas. It prides itself on offering a variety of experiences, including a ceviche-making class, tequila tastings, whale watching or clam diving excursions, and ATV rides in the desert.
This safari-oriented resort is in a remote part of a protected park in Tanzania. It is small and intimate; the resort only has 10 tents, including one honeymoon suite. It runs on solar power and has previously been celebrated for its sustainability initiatives. Its most popular activities include night drives into the bush and a walking safari.
A private island with the largest wine and Champagne collection in the Maldives, Velaa aims to be a resort “beyond luxury.” Each of the 45 private villas and residences were built with local materials and the entire resort was constructed in the shape of a turtle.
Angsana Lang Co is a 223-room resort in central Vietnam with proximity to several UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It also has an award-winning spa and a swimming pool that spans the property.
11. Elewana Elsa’s Kopje
Location: Meru National Park, Kenya
Starting rate per night: Only available upon request
Situated in a protected park in Kenya, Elewana Elsa’s Kopje is close to a rhino sanctuary and boasts regular sightings of elephant herds, hippos, and lions. The tiny resort opened in 1999 and has 11 private cottages, each of which has a deck.
Nxabega Okavango Tented Camp is a Botswana safari resort on 61,000 acres of exclusive land. There are nine tents, each with a veranda and an al fresco shower.
Twenty houses, each with a private pool, make up the private island of Naladhu. With “blissful seclusion” at the center of its mission statement, the island has a 24-hour butler service, private dining, and in-residence spa experiences.
Deplar Farm is a lodge on a converted sheep farm that features just 13 guest suites and a state-of-the-art spa. Typical activities in the area include heli-skiing and salmon fishing.
Dromoland Castle, the ancestral home of the prominent O’Brien family dating back to the 16th century, became a resort in the 1960s. Popular activities include falconry, horseback riding, and archery. There is also a full-service spa and an award-winning golf course.
6. Richard’s River Camp
Location: Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
Starting rate per night: Only available upon request
Established in 2006 as a getaway for a young conservationist couple, Richard’s River Camp is a seven-tent resort that accommodates 16 people at a time. The intimate resort was entirely furnished and decorated by the couple with fabrics and pieces collected through their own travels. The camp offers driven safaris, bush walks, and even hot air balloon flights.
A two-hour drive from Dublin, the Adare Manor is located on 840 acres of private green. There is an award-winning golf course and a Michelin star restaurant on site, as well.
The InterContinental’s Danang Sun Peninsula Resort is a beachfront property nestled in a nature reserve and close to UNESCO World Heritage sites. The resort has amenities like half a mile of private beach and a wide array of spa treatments, from holistic therapies to pedicures.
3. Chindeni Bushcamp
Location: South Luangwa National Park, Zambia
Starting rate per night: Only available upon request
Overlooking a hippo lagoon, Chindeni is a bushcamp retreat. It consists of four canvas lodges that can accommodate eight guests. The resort runs on solar power and is only open from May to December.
L’Horizon is made up of 25 bungalows that were all designed to feel like private residences, with different finishes and furnishings. The property was built in 1952 as a getaway for Hollywood producer Jack Wrather. There, he hosted guests like Marilyn Monroe and Ronald Reagan. It was redesigned as a luxury resort, complete with al fresco dining and an expansive spa, in 2015. It is the only US resort to make the top of Conde’s list.
1. Sirikoi Lodge
Location: Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya
Starting rate: Only available upon request
Situated on 68,000 acres of wilderness in Northern Kenya, Sirikoi Lodge was built by a conservationist couple. It can accommodate 18 guests and its intimate setup includes one main lodge, a cottage, and four elevated tents, all with private outdoor decks. A staff of 68 people facilitates all lodge activities, including bush walks, game drives, helicopter excursions, and private dining.
Members and guests are raising a glass to how clubs are showcasing upgraded wine rooms and wine cellars as spirited new gathering spaces.
Cheers to the wine room. Clubs across the country are breathing new life into these spaces, which are now being utilized not only as expanded storage facilities that reflect consumers’ ever-growing thirst for fine vintages (see chart, pg. 26), but also as unique and exciting new gathering places for drinks, dinner, socializing and special events.
As more facilities begin to recognize the untapped potential of this aspect of their food-and-beverage programs, they are incorporating more functionality and purpose into wine room and wine cellar designs.
Adding ‘Elbow’ Room
With an increasingly expanding wine program and more members indulging in tastings, Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club in Bedminster, N.J., was in need of dedicated socializing space. “As our wine club has grown, we added wine lockers, and the demand for a casual space to hang out and sample wines became evident,” says General Manager Tom Hurley.
This past spring, the club added a wine cellar and lounge that has helped to boost wine and pre-dinner cocktail sales. Located between the club’s Elbow Bar and Elbow Restaurant/dining room, the lounge is easily accessible to the kitchen, which is used exclusively for a la carte service. (A larger and newly renovated kitchen is reserved for weddings and large-scale member events.)
Designed in a rectangular style with brick walls and stone flooring, the cellar is described as “rustic and industrial at the same time,” says Assistant General Manager Michael Nyerges. Small, round tables and bucket seats can hold up to 28 people for an intimate dinner or a speakeasy. For the latter event, couches are added, to foster a more casual vibe.
Track lighting in the cellar spotlights select tables or bottles on display, while wine lockers provide their own illumination “that gives off blue light and sets the mood,” adds Nyerges. Sixty-four wine lockers, housing up to fifteen bottles each, are temperature-controlled and accessible only by the club’s three food-and-beverage managers. Currently sold out with a waiting list, the lockers are a testament to the popularity of Fiddler’s Elbow’s wine club.
Creating a flexible design that can accommodate changing logistics for dinners, receptions and speakeasies in the cellar posed some challenges for the Fiddler’s Elbow team, but Nyerges is pleased with management’s decision to maintain complete control over the operation. “We decided to design in-house without engaging designers, so it took longer, but we are most familiar with our needs,” he says.
Member comments have confirmed that these decisions were on target. Feedback regarding the wine cellar “has been nothing short of tremendous,” Executive Chef Michael Weisshaupt reports. “Members are now filling an empty space,” Weisshaupt says. “They meet here before dinner and many choose to [stay for] dinner. It is often active with wine club members stopping in to sample their wines.”
To further cement its commitment to wine programming, Fiddler’s Elbow is now hosting monthly wine club socials, in addition to monthly wine dinners. “Our traditional wine dinners always sell out, and these socials now offer a less expensive, more informal option,” says Weisshaupt. Fiddler’s Elbow members not only have the opportunity to sample boutique wines, but they can purchase them, too, which has helped to boost overall wine sales significantly.
From Boardroom to Wine Room
At the Bay Colony Golf Club in Naples, Fla., transforming a meeting room into a space that serves a growing wine program became a necessity. “We have an extensive wine program at the club which includes intimate wine dinners, tastings and pairings like our ‘Wine Not’ dinners,” says Tammy Mercer, Director of Marketing and Membership Sales. A renovation of the 432-sq. ft. space was completed in December 2017, to better appeal to this expanding program.
Located just off the main dining room with easy access to the kitchen, the wine room makes a grand statement, with its mahogany wood doors offset by transitional décor. Upholstered chairs flank a long, conference room-style table that can seat up to fourteen guests. The overall design is complemented by patterned cream-colored carpeting, along with dimmable lighting can be adjusted for both business and social meetings.
Running the length of the back wall are built-in wine coolers offset in smoked glass. Showcasing up to 400 bottles, the fully stocked, temperature-controlled facility has different settings for wines from all over the world, notes Mercer.
While the wine room can be reserved for private dinners, wine events and meetings, its functionality will be enhanced by the addition of forthcoming wine lockers. “We also do at least one wine trip to Europe each year,” Mercer notes, pointing to the Bay Colony membership’s increased interest in wine-related programming.
Thanks to the repurposed space, Bay Colony is reaping the rewards of its meeting room turned wine room. “We had an approximate 20 percent increase in reservations for private events in the wine room over the previous year, when it was a conference room,” says Mercer.
Under Wraps
Giving new life to a former underground bomb shelter by converting it into a thriving wine facility has proved to be a major asset for The Clubs at Houston Oaks in Hockley, Texas. Largely driven by the club owners, the space previously in usage during the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis was repurposed into a Napa Valley-inspired wine-tasting lounge, private dining room and refrigerated storage cave last spring.
“[Our owners] wanted to enhance the notion of a wine club with a world-class facility for our wine enthusiasts to use and enjoy,” says CEO/General Manager Bob Gusella.
Spanning approximately 13,000 sq. ft., half of Bunker 55 is dedicated to social elements (a tasting bar, lounge area, private dining room, restrooms and kitchen facilities), while the remaining real estate is reserved for long-term storage of private wine collections. Adjacent to the club’s boutique hotel, the underground facility is less than a mile from the main clubhouse and is easily accessible by car or golf cart.
The main entry is just off the hotel parking lot, with a street-level door that leads to the bunker below. Special access is available for authorized personnel and members who have rented a storage bunk in the wine cave. This temperature-controlled portion of the bunker is set at 55 degrees (hence the name).
Converting the outdated space required a full-fledged remodel and build-out of the former bunker, including custom stone and brick work, antique barnwood beams and other customized wood elements, and the construction of a tasting bar and lounge areas. Such a comprehensive operation was challenged by the fact that this space lacked an elevator.
“Everything that went into the bunker during construction—lumber, power tools, equipment, stone, brick, personnel—had to be taken down and removed later via manpower,” explains Gusella, who describes the 16-month-long endeavor as a “timeless, old-world project.”
To update the space for its new purposes, concrete flooring has been acid-washed and polished and is now outfitted with antique area rugs. Furnishings were hand-picked by Marci Alvis, one of the club owners who manages the interior design for much of the facility. Lighting incorporates a range of decorative options, including recessed cans, directional spots, wall sconces, table lamps and custom chandeliers.
With all the comforts of home, plus the addition of modern-day amenities, Bunker 55 has become a prime attraction, one that Gusella describes as “awe-inspiring.”
“I can honestly say, as a club manager with nearly 30 years of experience, that I have never seen another facility like it—not even in Napa or France,” Gusellas says.
Member usage covers a variety of uses, from bridal parties and rehearsal dinners to VIP receptions and milestone birthdays. One member used the facility to host a 50th birthday party for his wife and transformed into a fashion show. “It was quite an event, just like Fashion Week in New York City,” Gusella says.
Further proof of members’ enthusiasm is in the club’s books; Houston Oaks wine sales have increased by 175 percent this year versus the first six months of 2018.
When The Patriot Golf Club in Owasso, Okla., mapped out plans for a new clubhouse, management decided to replicate its wine club, along with an added bonus. “In our new building, we decided to have a dedicated space that could be home to an expanded Cellar Club and offer members an enhanced private dining and event space,” says General Manager Ali Sezgin.
Building upon the original Cellar Room that had housed 48 lockers in a conference room, the renamed Barrel Room opened its doors in May 2018.
Situated just off the entry to the club’s family dining room, the 13’ x 28’ Barrel Room offers direct access to the kitchen for staff and members alike. The ceiling is outfitted with an oak tongue-and-groove style, with perpendicular iron straps across the oak planks evoking a wine barrel. This look is also carried across the flooring and wine lockers that are enhanced by dry-stacked stone columns separating individual locker bays.
Running the length of the rectangular-shaped room is a 14-foot harvest table, bolstered by velvet upholstered chairs that serve as the focal point of the space. Overhead lighting is provided by a linear chandelier finished in burnished brass, rounded out by four matching sconces in the corner of the room.
For wine storage, the west and east walls contain 120 temperature-controlled lockers for members’ private stock and ten oversized lockers for the club’s library collection of wines. Total capacity is up to 2,000 bottles, and ported ventilation for each locker bay is directed into the attic above. An art-frame television on the southern wall provides an additional amenity for member viewing, and an underneath wine credenza is used for house wine storage.
Because the club’s original wine cellar served as a model for the new design, the team did not have to face any layout concerns. “The needs for this space were apparent from our previous wine room, and it helped to influence every decision we made,” notes Sezgin.
With an established group of Cellar Club members in place, The Patriot GC is now able to offer six to eight free tastings each year, providing more purchase opportunities for lockers. To further boost business, the club recently began hosting wine-education classes and dinners that have been well-attended. “Our focus is now to educate staff and members, so we can increase our wine sales,” Sezgin adds.
An academic report shows 007 is frequently over the limit in life-threatening situations. But, from Homer Simpson to Tyrion Lannister, he is far from alone…
Shaken, not stirred … Daniel Craig as 007 in Skyfall. Photograph: Everett/Rex Shutterstock
oday’s “Well Duh” award goes to New Zealand’s University of Otago, which just published a real-life academic study in the Medical Journal of Australia pointing out that James Bond is an alcoholic. During one flight in Quantum of Solace, the study states, Bond consumed 24 units of alcohol; enough to kill a man. But this isn’t news. Anyone can see that 007 is a drunk. Why not focus on these other, lesser celebrated, screen alcoholics instead.
Homer Simpson
Has been arrested for drink-driving, has attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, struggled to go a month without drinking and is prone to bouts of impulsive violence that include, but are not limited to, angrily strangling his son. The man, quite simply, is a monster.
Mr Miyagi
Remember that scene in The Karate Kid where Mr Miyagi drinks a bottle of whisky, dresses up in his old army uniform, invites a 17-year-old boy to his house and then forces him to get drunk? It hasn’t exactly aged terrifically well.
Tony Stark
He was always an alcoholic in the comics, but Tony Stark’s film output has mostly skirted the issue of substance addiction. But it is there, if you look hard enough. He is drinking in a Humvee in the first scene of Iron Man, he is making a cocktail when Loki confronts him in The Avengers and, oh, actually, didn’t he wet himself in the middle of Iron Man 2? That’s a pretty good sign.
Bender
Futurama’s resident misanthropic robot has a good excuse to drink booze – he is powered by alcohol-based fuels, after all – but he arguably drinks more than is needed. After all, the ability to involuntarily burp flames is not usually associated with healthy, non-dependent alcohol consumption.
Charlie Kelly
James Bond might drink enough to die, but he has nothing on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Charlie. In the episode The Gang Beats Boggs, Charlie attempts to drink 70 beers over the course of a single flight. He manages 71, plus a rum and coke, and miraculously remains alive. Maybe he should be the one fighting Blofeld.
Tyrion Lannister
Tyrion Lannister drinks an awful lot in Game of Thrones. Then again, if you had just murdered your father shortly after learning that your brother and sister are conducting a sexual affair, and your entire world is set to be decimated by an army of deathless ice zombies, you would probably want a tipple too.
The following article was featured Forbes Magazine’s Travel Guide on August 6, 2018.
Delicious Victoria TOURISM VICTORIA
When considering Canada’s best food, Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal undisputedly clinch the title. And if you press further, destinations like Prince Edward Island and Quebec City shoot up as contenders. But there’s one Canadian city that’s quietly vying for epicurean attention: Vancouver Island’s Victoria.
Victoria’s food scene gets eclipsed by nearby Vancouver, but British Columbia’s capital has long earned its culinary cred: it was home to Canada’s first brewpub; it has a neighboring wine region; it serves one of the best high teas in the country; it boasts the nation’s oldest Chinatown; and Canada’s first chocolatier started here.
Dig in to find out why you should taste your way through the Pacific Northwest’s oldest city.
The Magnolia Hotel & Spa THE MAGNOLIA HOTEL & SPA
WHERE TO STAY
For our Victoria culinary tour, we checked into The Magnolia Hotel & Spa, and not just because the Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star hotel has an excellent location mere blocks from the Inner Harbour or because of its plush, sophisticated accommodations.
The 64-room boutique hotel offers fun self-guided itineraries for guests called Curated Trails, a number of which revolve around food and drink. Here are highlights from Magnolia’s Culinary Trailblazers, Craft Brewery and Tea-riffic Trails tours, plus some other delicious spots we found along the way.
Duck at The Courtney Room LEILA KWOK
WHERE TO DINE
The Courtney Room
The first stop is at the hotel’s chic brand-new restaurant that debuted in April. Come for fine dining or to soak up the sun on the new patio, which gives a glimpse of the domed capitol building, one of Victoria’s most-recognized sights. Then linger into the wee hours at the white marble bar for Midnight in Oaxaca cocktails (Los Siete Misterios Doba-Yej mezcal, lime, habanero bitters, mint, cucumber) and the irresistible potatoes Courtney (duck fat tater tots accompanied by onion dip).
At dinner, order the seasonal tasting menu to see how chef Sam Harris spotlights local ingredients in French dishes. A tender Yarrow Meadows duck breast is covered with crispy skin and comes with carrots, turnips and pickled rhubarb. Local halibut goes decadent with a pool of airy, ethereal whipped béarnaise and tarragon.
Add on the caviar service. The sustainable, organic Northern Divine pearls, chives and creamy “dip” (garlic, garlic and onion powder, crème fraîche, egg yolk, grapeseed and olive oils, lemon juice) on top of a housemade chip was one of the best bites on the menu. And opt for the vino pairings — you’ll get a nice sampling of the local Cowichan wine region.
A Sampling from Olo JENNIFER KESTER
Olo Restaurant
The cozy space basks in a warm glow from its orange-yellow walls and birds-nest-like lighting fixtures. The food goes for an artful presentation, but it’s just as homey as the environs.
The addictive deep-fried semolina cubes with garlic mayo will have you requesting a second round. The vegetable platter gets an upgrade with a deeply smoky white bean hummus. For a seafood-heavy dish that won’t weigh you down, choose the sablefish collar with clams, potato, kale, daikon and shellfish butter.
Chef Kunal Ghose firmly established himself in Victoria’s food scene with popular restaurants like Red Fish Blue Fish and Fishhook. For his April-opened venture, he embraced Dobosala’s location fronting Pandora Avenue’s new bike lane and went with a fast-casual concept that has the only ride-through window in the city.
But it’s worth parking your two-wheeler and taking a seat inside the industrial eatery to savor Ghose’s bright, flavorful Indo-Pacific fusion. Try the crispy pakora with kimchi crema and tamari-tamarind ponzu; “squimp” onigiri — rice balls with Humboldt squid, Tofino shrimp, sockeye belly sashimi and horseradish mayo; and the adobo-gochujang chicken stuffed in a tortilla cone. Wash it down with a housemade mango-hibiscus iced tea.
Fresh, Handmade Pasta at La Pasta LA PASTA
Victoria Public Market at the Hudson
At the small public market, save your appetite for La Pasta, which debuted in May. The spot churns out handmade pasta daily. Order the comforting carbonara with toothsome spaghetti and porchetta bits or the fusilli pesto topped with generous dollops of fresh ricotta. But first begin with antipasti like fried artichokes with lemon aioli for some brightness as well as the rich arancini.
Or venture over to Very Good Butchers. The first vegan butchery on Canada’s west coast, it specializes in plant-based “meat.” Try a dish featuring the smoky seitan bacon or the “pepperoni,” which gives more of a kick than its beef-and-pork counterpart.
Kid Sister Ice Cream
Hidden along Chinatown’s photogenic Fan Tan Alley — Canada’s narrowest street — sits this scoop shop. You can’t go wrong with from-scratch ice cream like the luscious salted caramel in a house-baked waffle cone, but the parlor is known for its paletas (Latin American popsicles upgraded with fresh fruit and fun ingredients) in creative flavors like quince Creamsicle; mango, black currant and lime; and mocha cheesecake.
Half a million cups of tea are poured annually at the Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star hotel, whose afternoon ritual has been a Victoria tradition since 1908. Don’t let the date fool you: the modern room overlooking the harbor makes for one of Canada’s best tea experiences.
Thoughtful details abound: the china bears the same timeless purple-and-pink pattern that King George VI and Queen Elizabeth chose for a 1939 dinner party they hosted at the hotel; the menu arrives in an elegant wooden box that also holds samples of each high-quality blend; the housemade strawberry jam uses local berries, honey from the hotel’s beehives and lavender from its rooftop garden; and servers are warm, welcoming and ready with just the right recommendations.
Even if you’re not one for tea, come for the Empress 1908 gin. The hotel’s small-batch, butterfly-pea-blossom-infused pour possesses an indigo hue that turns lavender when you add citrus or tonic. The color-changing G&T is a must for your Instagram feed, but also for its great taste, with juniper and grapefruit notes.
Phillips Brewing & Malting Co. JENNIFER KESTER
Phillips Brewing & Malting Co.
The brewery launched in 2001, but it added the city’s first tasting room in April. Head there to sample the easy-to-drink Blue Buck or Robert Service Stone Fired Ale.
But everyone will find something to sip here. Check out the all-natural house sodas — i.e., made without syrups or other artificial sweeteners — like the effervescent, Creamsicle-like Dare Devil orange.
Little Jumbo
Seek out a small neon elephant above the Pacific Transfer Building sign, enter and go to the end of the hallway for this restaurant/bar. The brick-walled, pressed-copper ceiling space is an inviting local favorite for well-crafted cocktails.
Follow the Victorians and ask for A Convicted Melon (Altos tequila, Campari, hibiscus, honeydew melon, local Olive the Senses coconut balsamic, Bittermens molé bitters) or the Gin and Tea (Boodles Gin, Silk Road’s Alchemist’s Brew and Berry Victoria teas, lime and flowers).
Silk Road Tea SILK ROAD TEA
WHERE TO SHOP
Silk Road Tea
In this tea-loving city, there’s no better souvenir than local leaves. Tea master Daniela Cubelic makes exquisite blends at her Chinatown shop. You’ll notice that Silk Road teas appear all over the city (including Little Jumbo, The Courtney Room and rooms at the Magnolia).
Pick up health-targeting teas, like the antioxidant-boosting Beau-Tea-Ful Skincare (white and green leaves, rooibos, calendula, lemon balm, peppermint, lemongrass, lavender) or sinus-relieving Allergy & Hay Fever Defense (take the green tea, peppermint, nettle, holy basil, rooibos and eucalyptus blend three weeks before allergy season to prep your immune system). Or try the 8 Immortals, a special reserve oolong with floral notes that’s supposed to help longevity.
Rogers’ JENNIFER KESTER
Rogers’ Chocolates
While you can purchase Rogers’ chocolates all over Canada, Charles “Candy” Rogers started his business in Victoria in 1885. His first confection, the Victoria Cream, launched his career as the country’s first chocolatier.
Pop into the original Government Street shop, which seems frozen in time. Staff dressed in starched white button-down shirts and black ties stand ready to sate your craving from the wood shelves and glass cases filled with chocolates. The must-buy sweet is Rogers’ Victoria Cream, wrapped in a waxy pink-gingham paper. Enrobed in dark chocolate, the discs are made with fresh cream and fruits and don’t contain any additives. Our favorite was the not-overly-sweet, nut-studded hazelnut.
Jennifer Kester is Forbes Travel Guide’s Executive Editor. Her finger is on the pulse of the latest in luxury travel, spanning hotels, food, culture, top destinations and more.
The following article recently appeared in The New York Times:
On lush Vancouver Island, this urban jewel offers innovative restaurants, gorgeous parks and gardens, and museums that celebrate the area’s many cultures.
The Inner Harbour, with the majestic Parliament buildings in the background. Credit Ema Peter for The New York Times
By Suzanne Carmick, New York Times
This compact, eminently walkable city, set amid the breathtaking beauty and bounty of Vancouver Island, is lauded as one of the world’s top smallurban destinations. Beyond the picture-perfect downtown waterfront, British Columbia’s capital is an exhilarating blend of cultures, from Canadian and First Nations to Chinese and European (especially British). There are three universities, thriving arts and cultural institutions, significant historic preservation, a celebrated local food scene and Canada’s mildest climate: That means year-round forest visits, biking and golf; gardens galore (daffodils in February); even beehives downtown (at the Fairmont Empress hotel; atop the Harbour Air floating terminal). There is wildness too: “bear jams” disrupting traffic, cougar sightings and soaring eagles, towering ancient trees, log-strewn beaches and distant snowy peaks.
Friday
1) 3 p.m. EARLY DAYS
The blocks north of the Empress and west of Douglas Street, including Chinatown, comprise the Old Town. Start at Bastion Square and Wharf Street, overlooking the harbor, where James Douglas founded Fort Victoria in 1843 as an outpost of the Hudson’s Bay Company. This area became the heart of commerce, industry and government, swelling in size after the 1858 Fraser Gold Rush drew thousands of immigrants. Next to the Old Victoria Customs House is a grassy overlook with a display telling the history of British settlement and the indigenous Lekwungen people. Check out the lively Bastion Square pedestrian area of shops, restaurants and cafes, music and markets; then, on Government Street, browse through Munro’s Books, situated in a century-old bank, and founded in 1963 by the Nobel Prize-winning Canadian writer Alice Munro and her then-husband. Detour through Trounce Alley (note the 125-year-old gaslights), then walk east on Fort Street to La Taqueria to snack on Mexican tacos amid festive music and colorful tiles. A juicy carnitas taco with pickled red onions and salsa is 3 Canadian dollars, or about $2.35, and a Baja fish taco with cabbage, salsa and chipotle mayonnaise is 6 dollars; wash it down with Mexican fruit soda or local beer.
Munro’s Books, situated in a century-old bank, is a book lover’s paradise. Credit Ema Peter for The New York Times.
2) 6 p.m. ON THE WATERFRONT
The Inner Harbour is where seaplanes, water taxis, kayak outfitters, whale-watching tours, restaurants and festivals can all be found. Sit under the trees and watch the boats and passers-by; then head to the chateau-style Fairmont Empress, one of several luxury hotels built across Canada by the Canadian Pacific Railway Company at the turn of the century. Don’t miss the Q restaurant and bar, with its coffered ceiling, gold and purple accents and portraits of Queen Victoria. An elaborate British tea is served daily in the spacious lobby. The nearby majestic Parliament buildings were erected in 1898 to boost the capital’s profile after Vancouver became the railway’s western terminus. Open daily for touring, they are spectacularly illuminated at night. Thunderbird Park on Belleville Street is a quiet spot among the trees, where a regional First Nations house and totem poles were recreated by the Kwakwaka’wakw master carver Mungo Martin in the 1950s.
3) 8 p.m. THE ART OF DINING
Stepping inside Little Jumbo feels like a warm embrace: The exposed brick, aged wood and glowing copper ceiling take you back in time. The restaurant, which has received accolades for everything from design to food and drinks, is a homage to two New York City saloon owners in the 1860s who championed the art of dining and mixology. Dinner for two — try the warm Halloumi cheese salad, spicy Fernet-roasted nuts and grilled lingcod — including choice British Columbian wines, costs about 131 dollars.
The 19th-century Old Victoria Customs House exemplifies the Second Empire architectural style. Credit Ema Peter for The New York Times
Saturday
4) 9 a.m. URBAN OASIS
Fol Epi bakery is known for its wild-yeast breads, made from milled-on-site organic flours and baked in brick ovens. Choose from an array of loaves, pastries and quiches, then think ahead to a packable lunch of sandwiches. Walk down Douglas Street to Beacon Hill Park: This 200-acre oasis is to Victoria what Central Park is to New York City. The landscape varies from manicured and natural gardens to forest, swampland, lakes, Garry oaks and camas fields (originally planted by the Lekwungen, who harvested the edible bulbs), and includes a children’s farm and a 127-foot totem pole. Great blue herons nest in the towering firs and peacocks strut; relax and listen to birds fussing and fountains gurgling. Make time to tour the nearby Emily Carr House (6.75 dollars); the Victoria-born painter of forests and First Nations scenes spent her childhood gamboling in the park.
5) Noon. ALONG DALLAS ROAD
This scenic stretch on the southern shore of the city, from Fisherman’s Wharf to beyond Ross Bay Cemetery, draws walkers, joggers, bikers and dogs. Have a picnic, clamber down to the beach or simply marvel at the water views and roadside homes. Start at Ogden Point, where interpretive kiosks tell about the Breakwater and the Unity Wall murals painted on both sides, depicting Coast Salish First Nations culture. Walk out to the lighthouse, watching for sea otters and seals. Farther east, past Clover Point, cross the road to Ross Bay Cemetery. This rambling, peaceful resting place of many of Victoria’s notable citizens is also where you’ll find some of the city’s oldest heritage trees, cuttings from which were planted all over the young city (see treesofvictoria.com). Look for deer lying on the spongy grass among the weathered obelisks, statuary and stones in this wondrous place.
Seven modern gallery spaces adjoin an 1889 mansion to form the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. Credit Ema Peter for The New York Times
6) 2 p.m. TO THE GARDEN
From the cemetery, head to the exquisite Abkhazi Garden, tucked away on a quiet block behind rhododendrons and Garry oaks. The tranquil gardens, with their several distinct outdoor “rooms,” were designed to harmonize with the rocky glacial outcroppings and native trees on the hilly property, which includes rock ponds (with mallards and turtles) and the 1950s Modernist summerhouse and former home (now teahouse) of the couple whose love story started it all. Suggested fee: 10 dollars (includes guide).
7) 4 p.m. AFTERNOON ART
At the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, seven modern gallery spaces adjoin an 1889 mansion that once served as the museum. On permanent display are works by Emily Carr and an impressive Asian collection and garden — second only to that of the Royal Ontario Museum. There are amber and ivory carvings, a Japanese Shinto shrine, and a Chinese Ming dynasty bell presented to Victoria in 1903. Admission is 13 dollars.
The Bastion Square pedestrian area is filled with shops, restaurants and cafes. Credit Ema Peter for The New York Times
8) 6 p.m. CHINATOWN
The 19th-century gold rushes and Canadian Pacific Railway construction drew thousands of Chinese immigrants to Victoria, where they settled above Johnson Street. Today, Canada’s oldest Chinatown is a National Historic Site, a small, colorful (especially red, for luck), vibrant community of narrow streets and alleyways, shops and restaurants, beyond the resplendent Gates of Harmonious Interest. The Victoria Chinese Public School, built in 1909, is still used to teach Chinese language classes. Climb the stairs to the top floor of the Yen Wo Society building to see the oldest active Chinese temple in Canada, honoring the sea deity Tam Kung.
9) 8 p.m. DOWN TO EARTH DINNER
Olo (meaning hungry in Chinook) serves up serious farm-to-table fare with a nod to the region’s cultural diversity. The space is comfortable and rustic, with warm light emanating from hanging spheres of loosely wound wooden strips. A recent meal included crisp Hakurei turnip salad, garganelli pasta with a meaty sauce, and a dreamy dessert (rhubarb, salmonberries, elderberry ice cream, fennel macaron), with local wine (about 140 dollars for two).
Agrius, which opened in 2016, is known for its organic, local menu. Credit Ema Peter for The New York Times
Sunday
10) 9 a.m. BRUNCH FOR BREAKFAST
When it opened in 2016, Agrius garnered rave reviews for its organic, local menu. Now the restaurant serves brunch, with hearty buckwheat and rye pancakes, egg dishes (cured salmon scramble with fennel, capers and cream cheese), house-made lamb sausage and pork belly, kale and mushroom Benedict, vegetable pâté, even fried oysters (9 to 21 dollars). In fine weather there is pleasant outdoor seating along a pedestrian way.
11) 11 a.m. ROYAL BC MUSEUM
You could spend hours in this stellar repository of natural and human history, with its singular collection of British Columbia First Nations archaeological materials, as well as provincial archives. The First Peoples gallery includes a totem hall and ceremonial house, an interactive language display and a collection of Argillite (black shale) carvings from Haida Gwaii, while the Old Town recreates period streetscapes and trades — a cannery, hotel, sawmill — even the 1790s ship quarters of George Vancouver. Admission: 17 dollars.
12) 1 p.m. DRIVE UP THE COAST
Beyond the cemetery, Dallas Road takes other names but continues along the dramatic rocky coast through neighborhoods such as upscale Oak Bay, where you’ll find art galleries and British-style pubs and teahouses. Stop at Willows Beach for a walk or a swim, then continue north past the University of Victoria to Mount Douglas Park. You can hike or drive up; either way, the panoramic view is remarkable: across Haro Strait to the San Juan Islands, toward downtown, or across rural Saanich. Hungry again? Head back to town for Foo Asian Street Food, where a hearty, steaming bowl of curried noodle stir fry with pork and shrimp, prepared while you watch, costs 14 dollars. Alternatively, the charming Venus Sophia Tea Room serves organic teas and sweets — Cream Earl Grey with scones, cream and jam costs 14 dollars — and vegetarian lunch items.
The following article recently appeared in The Wall Street Journal:
Hipness has infiltrated picturesque Victoria, where wine bars and pot now mingle with Edwardian manors.
HOMECOMING QUEEN – Q Bar at Victoria’s revamped Fairmont Empress Hotel.
By Taras Grescoe
THE VIEW of Victoria’s Inner Harbour hasn’t changed much since Rudyard Kipling described it as a mix of Sorrento, Hong Kong and the Isle of Wight “with some Himalayas for the background,” during his lengthy sojourn at the grand Empress Hotel in 1908. Ships still dock beneath the massive columns of the Canadian Pacific Railway terminal, though the steamships have been replaced by high-speed ferries on the three-hour run to Seattle.
For years, mainlanders dismissed the city on Vancouver Island’s south coast as a picturesque haven for honeymooners and retirees, “the newlywed and the nearly dead.” But lately, Victoria has developed a hipper side. Tech companies now occupy brick warehouses, craft distilleries share streetfronts with traditional tea rooms, and marijuana dispensaries are popping up among the old Edwardian mansions. At times it feels like a Portland North, set amid the architectural glories of a one-time imperial outpost: a mashup of traditional and alternative, with a sneak-up-sideways charm.
The historic heart of Victoria’s walkable downtown is Bastion Square, where the city was born as a Hudson’s Bay Company trading post in 1843. Now lined with pubs and home to a popular Sunday farmers market, the square’s oldest buildings date to the 1860s, after the discovery of gold on the Fraser River transformed little Fort Victoria into a boomtown thronged by American miners and outfitters.
Prepping at Agrius. PHOTO: RUSH JAGOE
The Cantonese migrants who followed them from San Francisco founded Canada’s first Chinatown, and on Fisgard Street, the neon signs of the Don Mee Restaurant and the Fantan Café continue to lure patrons to old-school feasts of Szechuan seafood and sweet-and-sour pork. Fan Tan Alley, whose three-foot-wide entrance forced the local constabulary to enter single file when raiding its louche gambling and opium dens, now houses vendors of used records, handmade chocolates and Dr. Martens boots.
The streets around Lower Johnson, a strip where prospectors once spent their gold in saloons, brothels, and outfitters’ shops, have undergone a similar transformation. In the district, redubbed LoJo, brick facades are now home to chic boutiques and specialty shops like Silk Road Tea, a mix of day spa and high-end tea room. Off Yates Street, Little Jumbo restaurant channels the district’s past with a down-the-hall entrance and speakeasy vibe, where an aperol-and-absinthe cocktail makes a bracing prelude to delicate local oysters and lightly grilled lingcod.
Change has come even to the venerable Fairmont Empress hotel. After a two-year, $40-million-plus renovation, the trademark ivy has been stripped from the facade—the family of raccoons who called it home had to be relocated—transforming its former flag deck into a terrace with a privileged harbor view. A rooftop garden now yields the herbs and edible flowers on the menu at Q at the Empress, and four beehives on the grounds hone the honey served with scones and clotted cream at high tea.
There is still plenty of old Victoria to savor. The hotel’s unapologetically colonialist Bengal Lounge has been left untouched: punkah fans still sway from the mahogany-inlaid ceiling over murals of dhows and elephant-borne rajahs on the Ganges. And the corridors of the sixth floor—where guests continue to report sightings of the ghost of a chambermaid who plunged to her death in the 1930s—are still as crooked and atmospheric as ever.
The Milkman’s Daughter, a décor shop in Victoria’s Chinatown. PHOTO: JANIS NICOLAY
By contrast, Victoria’s alternative side thrives in the funky Fernwood neighborhood east of downtown. In the last decade, neighborhood associations have spearheaded the transformation of the buildings around Fernwood Square. An old Methodist church became the multi-staged Belfry Theatre; the Fernwood Inn, a former dive bar, was reborn as a pub serving local ales and ciders. The once-rundown building across from the Inn now houses the Crossroads, an espresso bar that has become an unofficial community meeting place, and the relaxed Stage Wine Bar, where one can dine on small plates of cauliflower pakora, Salt Spring Island mussels, and gnocchi.
A stroll in the surrounding streets takes visitors past book exchange boxes outside century-old Arts-and-Crafts bungalows, a community garden on the former grounds of a schoolhouse, and an ice cream parlor called Cold Comfort offering “Hoyne’s Dark Matter,” an improbable but successful combination of vanilla ice cream and brown ale.
A 10-minute walk south of downtown is the tranquil James Bay neighborhood, site of the childhood home of Emily Carr. It has been turned into a museum commemorating the life of the author and painter, who returned from a trip to France to create striking, Post-Impressionist takes on northern Pacific landscapes. View Carr’s deeply Canadian canvases of listing Haida and Gitxsan totem poles in the nearby Royal B.C. Museum.
In the Rockland neighborhood, perched on the highest point within the city limits is Craigdarroch, a late-19th-century castle built for Scottish railway-and-coal baron Robert Dunsmuir. The Downton Abbey-style splendor of its parlors, paneled with Spanish mahogany and Hawaiian koa, give way on upper floors to unadorned walls and bare floor boards. Dubbed “King Grab” by a local newspaper, which cast him as more robber baron than genuine royalty, Mr. Dunsmuir died a few months before the castle was completed, and never lived there.
The fifth-floor turret, with a view of ocean breakers and snow-capped Mount Baker, looks out onto what is probably Victoria’s greatest urban asset: the tip of Vancouver Island on which it perches. Its location in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains means sunny and dry summers (windmill palm trees grow in local front yards), and access to spectacular north Pacific ecosystems start right from downtown.
Victoria Distillers’s gin-based Empress & Tonic.
An excellent way to explore those outdoor wonders is by rented bicycle. Heading west out of downtown on the Galloping Goose and the Lochside Trail, well-marked and level bike routes follow old railway right-of-ways. Along the way the outdoor terrace of Sea Cider provides a stop for a light lunch, with high-octane ciders produced from the 50 kinds of heirloom apples that grow in the surrounding orchards. Farther down the end of the trail is Victoria Distillers, a craft distillery in Sidney, 15 miles north of downtown. A tasting of Empress 1908 gin, infused with dried flowers from Thailand that make it turn from deep indigo to pink when tonic is added, is a welcome reward for a long afternoon of pedaling.
There is ongoing enthusiasm among experienced members interested in hosting small-group trips for fellow members to bond and enjoy as a benefit of membership. The UC Travel Club encourages you, dear reader, to come forward to us with your own proposals, if you have a trip or an outing that you are familiar with that would provide pleasure to our membership. You could propose to host a group or just tell us all about the opportunities out there.
We are pleased to announce the following future hosted trips for your consideration. As new trips are proposed and vetted we will update the list.
2018: Day trip to Othello Tunnels on Kettle Valley Rail Trail at Hope
2018 or 2019: Art Tour of London
2018 or 2019: Experience Yukon!
2019: Wine and Culture Tour of Italy
2019: Great Migration and Highlights of South Africa
2019: Via Rail Winter Wonderland Cross-Canada Trip
2019 or 2020: Self-drive Canal trip in France
2020: The Road From the Past: Traveling Through History in France
EXPERIENCE YUKON
Possibly for later this year or 2019. Presented previously at the monthly UCTC meeting on March 26, 2018
Hosted by member David Leverton, Executive Director of the Maritime Museum of B.C. David has a long history of close museum and cultural workings with First Nations of the area. He will host a set of unique experiences in Yukon that his special relationships and knowledge will facilitate. While ready with a proposed format, he is open to suggestion by early responders with interest. Be sure to see his presentation for more details of the moment. For expressions of interest or questions contact:
Possibly for later this year or 2019. To be presented at the monthly UCTC meeting on April 29, 2018.
Hosted by UC member and art tour expert Lara Tomaszewska, PhD ISA ,this adventure is forming up to comprise a comprehensive guided art appreciation tour in select renowned venues and opportunities in London. The trip will feature the tour over several initial days of arrival and then allow participants complete flexibility for unhosted enjoyment of London or other destinations for as long as desired. Opportunities will exist to stay in reciprocal clubs. Further details to be released, but early responders with interest can have a hand in shaping the details. For expressions of interest and questions contact:
Possibly for 2019 . To be presented at the monthly UCTC meeting on May 28, 2018.
Hosted by members Kerry Brown and Richard Larkin, this tour would be based on the premier wines of Italy and some little-known fabulous ones, likely Tuscany and Piedmont, visiting such wineries in Chianti, Montelcino (Brunello region), many of which have accommodation and/or restaurants with meals paired with their wines. The northern part of Italy is unique – lakes and mountains and not often traveled; UNESCO World Heritage sites, good wine and food. We would also see if we could tie in any affiliate clubs for a stay or at the very least a meal. We could tie in Rome which is a perennial favourite with lots of things to do/see/experience. For expressions of interest or questions contact:
Hosted by member David Bate, Victoria resident turned long-time South African entrepreneur and traveler, his tour is described as follows: Experience the greatest annual wildlife event on Earth. Join a discerning group of Union Club members on a trip to Southern Africa in September 2019 to witness the arrival of millions of zebras, wildebeests and other antelopes at the end of their journey across the plains of East Africa from the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. This annual pilgrimage is known as the Great Migration and is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that should top the bucket list of every travel enthusiast. The 15-day trip includes highlights of South Africa, Victoria Falls and Kenya. Touch down in South Africa and begin your journey with an introduction to Cape Town and visit to iconic Robben Island, the Alcatraz of Africa, where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 prison years. Move into the heart of South Africa’s nearby winelands of Stellenbosch, Franschoek and Paarl and spend two days exploring some of the best wines and cuisine the New World has to offer, including at least two restaurants listed in the World’s Top 100 restaurants. Fly into Victoria Falls and experience the largest waterfall and one of the wonders of the natural world. Return to Johannesburg and spend a day touring the Apartheid Museum and Soweto. Enjoy an overnight train journey on Rovos Rail, rated as the most luxurious train in the world, from Pretoria to Durban with stops to tour the Kwa-Zulu battlefields where figures such as Winston Churchill, Mahatma Ghandi and Jan Smuts all participated in the same battle. You will also get a brief taste of a safari before disembarking in Durban for a flight to the Maasai Mara and the heart of the migration. During your four night sojourn in the Maasai Mara, witness river crossings where hundreds of thousands of antelopes and zebras test their luck against lurking crocodiles. Watch packs of lions, leopards, hyenas and wild dogs track the herds and, if your timing is right, see a kill in action from the safety of your safari vehicle. During your down time, enjoy luxurious ‘Out of Africa’ styled tented camps where butlers cater to your every whim and rose petals await you in the bath drawn in your old fashioned iron bath tub. Dine on gourmet meals and fine wines that introduce the culinary delights of Africa. Options available for extended tours to South Africa (golfing tours, garden routes) Namibia (sand dunes and Skeleton Coast), Botswana (Okavango Delta), and Mauritius, Zanzibar, The Maldives and Madagascar (all great beaches), among other locations. This trip will be guided by Dr. David Bate, a Union Club member who has lived in South Africa for over 20 years and owns wine cellars in the heart of South Africa’s wine country. Space is limited. If this trip piques your interest, please reach out to:
WALKING DAY-TRIP TO THE OTHELLO TUNNELS ON THE KETTLE VALLEY RAILROAD TRAIL AND COQUIHALLA RIVER AT HOPE, BC
Proposed for later this spring or summer.
Hosted by Rob d’Estrube this will be a simple ferry/bus ride to Hope with lunch and an opportunity to walk the trail along the Coquihalla River and through the tunnels. Travel site ratings are 4.5+ out of 5. Easy walking and available in a 1K or 4.5K version along the rail trail. Easy possibility of both distances being accommodated in the same trip. Timing will be determined by member input. To express an interest in the trip and answer questions contact:
VIA RAIL WINTER WONDERLAND FIRST CLASS ALL-INCLUSIVE PRIVATE-CABIN RAIL JOURNEY ACROSS CANADA
Proposed for winter of early 2019.
Hosted by Rob d’Estrube this trip is from Vancouver to Toronto during the season where all the sights are snow-clad wonderlands, taking advantage of the lowest rates for travel plus discounts for seniors. Great for single travelers, no single supplements, as there are cabins for one as well as for two or more. All meals (very good) included and 4 + days of wonderful relaxation and bonding with members. Plenty of room to move around so we aren’t glued together. Stay on or travel further when arrived in Toronto. The destination is not important here, nor is the schedule: the immersive journal is all. To express an interest in the trip and answer questions contact:
A SELF-DRIVE CANAL TRIP WITH MEMBERS AND FRIENDS IN FRANCE
Proposed for 2019 or 2020
Hosted by Rob d’Estrubé, this will be a two-week bit of life in the slow-lane through some backwoods of France. Depending on the canal and the size of the locks we will limit the group to 12, likely divided between 2 or maybe 3 boats. Single travelers welcome as there are a variety of accommodations. The journey is everything here, the French Immersion experience transcends place and time: You will neither be in the here nor the now: you will be “in the present”. We will drive our own boats, cook our own food aboard or dine out along the way as desired. Happy hours are long and usually all on one boat. Stories, lies and exaggerations, through the blur of wine and cheese, replace the real world. This will be perhaps your most relaxing and engaging holiday ever. Quaint villages and towns, chateaux and market places abound at our side. Have semi-independent days away from the boat if you are fit enough to cycle or walk down the towpath: you’ll never get lost. Read a book while the world goes by but be ready to help in the locks. It’s easy work and you can get off and explore the lock keepers’ gardens. Tie up anywhere between locks for the evening and let the birds serenade you in a countryside without road noise. Acquainted members will become fast friends. To express an interest in the trip and answer questions contact:
THE ROAD FROM THE PAST: TRAVELING THROUGH HISTORY IN FRANCE
Proposed for 2020. A truly unique and once-in-a-lifetime exploration.
Hosted by Rob d’Estrubé, this adventure will follow closely the famous book by the same name written by Ina Caro, historian and gourmet food and wine writer. We would be a small group traveling for about 3 weeks, professionally driven and guided. The history of France will be discovered in the locations where events and paradigms took place. Reading the book will reveal the excitement ahead and the book will be a constant companion on the trip. Quoting from the NY Times here a partial review of the book and what the trip will essentially offer:
“She begins in the ruins at Orange and Nîmes, and then ushers us through blood and fire, religious wars, feudal rivalries and monarchical madness, into the light of the Renaissance, up to Louis XIV’s punishment of his superintendent of finance, Nicolas Fouquet, for the in-the-king’s-face magnificence of Vaux-le-Vicomte. And thus we visit Provence, the Languedoc, the Dordogne, the Loire Valley and the Ile-de-France.
Caro brings the reader along gently, with precise information on how long it takes to drive from one place to another, what roads to choose, how much time to budget for this or that sight; she is also helpful on where to linger, on what towns are pleasant places to have a long coffee or a picnic, and which are dull or overcrowded or seem to have metamorphosed into parking lots.
Although the book is written for visitors who don’t know France well, it is packed with information even for people who do. Caro does not seek to be exhaustive about hotels or restaurants, but she tells us about the ones that have become favorites and about others that have failed her test.
She approaches every new step visually – what’s the view from the hotel or restaurant, what can be seen and measured and studied before it is visited.
Caro is an opinionated traveler…taking no guff from unpleasant restaurateurs and snotty tour guides, and refreshingly direct about what to avoid…etc.” The route is essentially C shaped as we start in Roman times in Provence and progress in time West and North and then East to Paris for the Revolution.
There is at least one copy of the book in the UC library for your perusal but is easily available online.
Interested early responders can have a hand in formulating many aspects of the trip, like timing, as well as determining price points for levels of accommodation and cuisine where practical.
Rob d’Estrubé has traveled extensively in France and is directly related to many of the nastier characters in this history. To express an interest in the trip and answer questions contact:
On March 9th, the Club hosted “The Auction” in support of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. It was a fun evening with over 115 Members and art-lovers attending. Club Member Alison Ross, owner of Kilshaw’s Auctioneers (pictured above), presided over the sale of 46 lots, entertaining the guests during the introductions and bidding on every lot. More than $15,500 was raised for the Art Gallery. Brilliantly done Alison! The funds will help support making AGGV’s collection more available online to our community.
The Auction was held under the Union Club’s Art+Fare banner. Art+Fare4 will be held on September 22nd and will have an exciting, revised format for the evening. To date, Art+Fare has raised over $65,000 for the Children and Family Programs at the AGGV.
Save the date for Art+Fare4 – it will be fun as the Union Club continues its historic commitment to the arts in Victoria!!!
If you would like to help plan the event, please contact Art+Fare4 Chair, Heather Kohler, at HeatherK@artandfare.com. There is a range of sponsorships available for A+F4. For more information, please contact Heather or Bob Coulter at robertacoulter@mac.com.
I would like to take this opportunity to offer a very special “Thank you” to everyone who attended our recent Oceanwise Dinner on Friday, February 23, 2018. The enthusiasm and feedback that has followed since this dinner has been fantastic. Without your support, events like this would not be possible.
As you may or may not know, the Oceanwise program has been a very important part of my career for some time now. The Oceanwise program continues to highlight responsible seafood choices for not only you as consumers, but for myself and other Chefs alike. I take great pride in sourcing only the best, sustainable and ethical products for all members to enjoy at the Club. I make these choices not only for the superior quality and enjoyment that members will receive, but also in order to help ensure that these delicacies will be enjoyed for generations to follow.
I trust everyone enjoyed the evening as much as Chef Ned Bell and I did. I look forward to hosting many more exciting events, as we continue to advance the Food & Beverage program at the Club.
Sincerely,
Nicolas Hipperson
Executive Chef,
The Union Club of British Columbia
