Thoughts From My Belly

For those that don’t know, Wine and Dine Okanagan is a great event where local restaurants put together 3 course set menus for $15, $25, or $35. I love this event, because it let’s you try three different dishes (usually, but not always, an appetizer, main, and dessert) for an affordable price. If you go with a friend and the restaurant has options on their Wine and Dine menu, then you can share and try six different dishes!

This year the event starts today (Jan 13th) and runs through the end of the month. Wine and Dine is a great reason to visit your old favourites or some new flavours during what is typically a slow season for the foodservice industry. With over 50 BCRFA member restaurants participating there is something out there for everyone.

I was lucky enough to be able to attend the media launch and sneak preview yesterday afternoon and I have to say that there is lots to be excited about. Here are a few of the highlights:

With 2009 in the books, it’s time for me to share with my readers my thoughts on the best places to eat over the last year. Without further ado here are my first annual Golden Belly Awards. If you know some restaurants you think should have won, please email me your picks or post them [...]

First off, I want to apologize for being away for so long. It has been an unbelievably busy Fall, but my life seems to have settled down somewhat and I will be making posts weekly at the very least. I want to thank all the people who have been asking me when my next article [...]

I was driving back to Kelowna from Vernon one hot, sunny Okanagan afternoon and as I was passing through Lake Country I realized that I had some time to spare before I needed to be anywhere. I quickly decided that the best use of that time would be to pop in to Gray Monk for [...]

I had the opportunity to do a little wine touring with friends way back in late May and am finally able to get the article posted! We decided to head down to some wineries in the Okanagan Falls area, as well as in Naramata. I’m happy to report that we did find a lot of [...]

Summer is officially upon us and I wanted to share a few hidden gems you should check out around the valley: Kelowna: Raven Ridge Cidery – Raven Ridge makes apple and pear wines that are to die for. They have everything from a sipping white, to a sparkling apple wine, to an entire line of [...]

My mother-in-law was out here visiting from Toronto and my wife and I wanted to take her somewhere special for her birthday. We wanted to choose a restaurant that would not only provide good food, but also provide an experience unique to Kelowna. Based on our experience at Taste of Kelowna we knew that the [...]

I went to Rusty’s (corner of Dilworth and Leckie ) for lunch with a friend today. Rusty’s was formerly Breaker’s Lounge, a fairly dingy pool hall. The owners (not sure if they’re new owners or the same owners as before) shut it down for a few months and gave it a total overhaul, complete with [...]

This past Monday, I met three friends for lunch at Ozeki (Spall and Enterprise) for some Japanese food. Normally none of us would have chosen Ozeki and we had originally intended to try Yamato (97 and 33, beside the Asian Market), but discovered that it is closed Mondays. By the time we found out, we [...]

This is my first column, so I wanted to start with a restaurant that I was intimately familiar with. No eatery in Kelowna fits that description better than Da Tandoor, as I can usually be found there for lunch at least once a week.