My Blog = My Life: restaurant

With the official start of summer, comes the official start of soaking up the sun on restaurant patios.

Here are a few of my recommendations in Regina:

Cafe Orange: At the moment, Orange is doing coffee and sweets, but they tell me that a full menu is coming soon. Hopefully by Canada Day. In just two years, this place has gone from a coffee house/kitchenware store; to an all-out coffee house; and now a restaurant. The latest transformation looks to be the best. And the deck out front on Robinson Street (by the 13th Ave. Safeway) is so new you can still smell the sweet scent of new wood. (306) 779-0779 (no website)

Sweet Bakery and Coffee House: An ever-expanding list of baked goods, combined with comfortable surrounds in a heritage building (and a very nice, if small, patio outside) are turning this new Broad Street place near College Avenue into a favourite of many. Recommend an Americano with a Lemon Tart, if you're at a loss. (306) 352-9338 (no website)

La Bodega: the treetop patio at this Cathedral Village favourite is... tops, no pun intended. Sip a few drinks or have lunch high above the Albert Street traffic. You won't even notice the cars going by. www.labodegaregina.com / (306) 546-3660

Fireside Bistro: while opinions on Fireside often vary, their patio on the corner of Smith Street and 15th Avenue is second to none. Definitely worth a drink or two and an appetizer on a hot day. (306) 761-2305 (no website)

Beer Bros.: Watch the people go by on downtown's pedestrianized portion of Scarth Street. Beer Bros newly refinished patio is small but full of sunshine. Stop by and sample an exotic beer whose name you can't even pronounce (and that's before you start drinking). www.beerbros.ca / (306) 586-2337

Atlantis: This downtown coffee spot isn't licensed for liquor, but that doesn't keep the crowds away. Open from the early morning until late, and offers free wireless. Oh, and the artwork on the walls is all by local artists. www.atlantiscoffee.com / (306) 565-2213

More to come! Please follow the blog for updates to this list, and new reviews.
Follow me on Twitter: @The_FoodDude

The Round-up:

• Food - 3.5 out of 5
• Service - 3.5 out of 5
• Atmosphere - 3 out of 5
• Overall - 10 out of 15

It's slightly gutsy to open a restaurant on a semi-abandoned block in downtown Regina that has seen its share of restaurants come and go over the years.

But entrepreneur Astrid Baecker did exactly that two years ago when renovations at 1822 Broad Street got underway. After sitting empty for a few years, the building was looking in pretty rough shape when things got started. Within a few months Baecker and her team added plenty of shine.

What's now known as Bitten used to be home to Gingerz. Before that it was a satellite location of India House for a matter of months. And wayyy before that it was New Orleans. And that's all the history I know of the place.

The room itself, long and narrow with a balcony looking over the main floor, is an awkward shape for a restaurant. That being said, Bitten has made things work by modernizing the colour scheme and placing high-top tables with bar stools on the main floor that can be easily moved around to accommodate groups of all sizes.

The second floor balcony is cozy and closer to the bar. If drinking is your main reason for visiting Bitten, sit upstairs.

The menu has grown over the last two years. It's now several pages long and covers a surprisingly wide range of cuisines. If you want Asian, Bitten does that. If you want Italian, Bitten does that. If you want Cajun, they do that too. While the variety is nice, the menu lacks focus overall. Some of the appetizers, like the stuffed mushroom caps, seem like a throwback to the '80s.

On the other hand, appetizers come in very generous portions. Some might even find them large enough to be a meal. They definitely make for good sharing in a group.

As for the rest of the food, it's generally good. Some entrees, like a Surf and Turf I had around Valentine's Day in 2009, lacked flavour. However, the pizzas and salads are filling, tasty, and priced just right.

I've been to Bitten five or six times in the last two years and the service has always been good, no matter the server. Service isn't always lighting fast, but it's attentive. And Bitten isn't really the type of place you go for a speedy meal.

I can't finish this review without talking about dessert. Bitten's motto, after all, is "Life is Short... Have Dessert First."

The menu features a whole page of desserts to choose from, all of them made in-house. Bitten does a good job of classics like the Creme Brulee and Creme Caramel. The Mascarpone Toffee Parcels were delish when I tried them a few months back. I haven't had Bitten's version of Sticky Toffee Pudding just yet, but that's next on my list.

My advice: check Bitten out if you haven't been, or if it's been awhile. It's worth supporting a local eatery that's breathing life into our downtown core.

The Round-up:

• Food - 3 out of 5
• Decor - 3.5 out of 5
• Service - 3 out of 5
• Overall - 9.5 out of 15

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Several months ago a food-loving group was created on Facebook. Its name was the "Cathedral Village Needs a Cheap Breakfast Place", or something like that. It seems that the Village just hadn't been the same since the Quality Tea Room shut down several years back.

I quickly joined the group, as did several hundred other Regina folks (What did we ever do before Facebook groups became the new face of activism, by the way?).
The Facebook fan page continued to grow, many of its members calling for a cheap plate of hash browns and bacon... like now.

Well, some wishes do come true.

The Mercury Cafe and Grill opened its doors in April. The place seemed to spring up overnight on the corner of 13th and Robinson streets in a spot that has housed numerous other restaurants.

The Mercury is a diner, no doubt about that. From the bright red vinyl booths to the formica and chrome tables, stepping into The Mercury is like stepping back 50 or 60 years in time. The Mercury is also under the same ownership as Regina's well-loved Novia Cafe, another all-out diner. This is a good thing -- who better to start a new diner than the folks who run one of the city's oldest and best?

I've been to The Mercury twice now, once for breakfast and once for supper. It's hard to find the right word to describe both experiences. It wasn't fantastic, but it wasn't horrible either. Perhaps satisfactory is the right word.

Weekend breakfast bustles and hustles in The Mercury. If you're not there by 11 on a Sunday, you're going to wait in line for awhile. Granted, The Mercury could easily jam a few more tables into the dining room in order to shave some time off the waiting game.

Your choices for breakfast are classic standbys: bacon and eggs; hash browns; pancakes; an omelette. You get the picture. Now, is it cheap? That depends on your definition of cheap. Most items run around the $8-9 mark, plus the cost of coffee and/or juice. I've had cheaper, but I've also had more expensive.

Service can be a little disorganized, but hopefully the servers work that out amongst themselves as the restaurant irons out the operating wrinkles. We had to wait 30 minutes for any food to hit the table at breakfast, almost enough to push us to the breaking point, but not quite. Fortunately, our waitress took good care of us in the meantime.

Now let's talk about supper for a moment. Once again, there are few surprises on the evening menu. Nachos; chicken wings; chicken fingers; burgers; clubhouse sandwiches; and grilled cheese are a few of the choices.

We ordered up a plate of nachos to get things started. With a $10 price tag, we pictured a nice platter of cheesy chips and veggies. We couldn't have been more wrong. A dinner plate with a puny pile of nachos on it was what we got. Even worse: the scarce bits of cheese on the chips were overcooked and rubbery. Epic fail, my friends. Epic fail.

Next up: the burgers. Now this is where the action is at. Tender homemade beef patties are smooshed between fresh buns with all the fixins. I went for the Mushroom Swiss. Big Willie had The Mercury Burger (two patties with fried onions, mushrooms, shaved ham, Swiss and cheddar cheese). All burgers come with a side. We went for the french fries and they were done to perfection.

Big Poppa (my dad) went for the open-faced Hot Turkey Sandwich... which came with hot chicken, oddly enough. But he got past that.

All in all, The Mercury offers up decent food in a comfortable room. The motto seems to be: come as you are, eat what you will. Now if they'd only fine-tune the nachos and up the portion size for most of the breakfast menu, we might have a sure-fire winner on our hands.

(no website)

I was really happy to hear that a new restaurant is coming to the downtown 'hood.
Tangerine by chef Aimee Schulhauser of Evolution Catering will be a welcome addition to the strip of shops on 14th Avenue next to Lorne Street (2234 14th Avenue, to be exact).
The restaurant will be open mainly during the daytime and into the early evening hours, with later hours a possibility once the restaurant has its feet under it (the same goes for a liquor licence). Schulhauser tells me that fresh garden vegetables from her grandma's garden will be front and centre this summer. She calls Tangerine's menu a "chef's playground" featuring a handful of semi-permanent sandwiches and salads, along with whatever else she creates on any given day.
Tangerine's website will be up and running in June. In the meantime, check out Schulhauser's other website: http://www.ecff.ca/

I'm excited to bring news about a new restaurant about to open its doors in Regina.

Tangerine, by Chef Aimee Schulhauser of Evolution catering, will be up and running in approximately one month. No word yet on location, but I've noticed some construction happening at Evolution on Lorne Street. Perhaps Tangerine will open in the same spot?

There's a very good chance that Tangerine, like Evolution, will emphasize fresh, local food as much as possible. The restaurant will be a welcome addition to our downtown food scene, especially since Zest closed its doors last month.

Stay tuned....

The idea that a mother's place is in the home is no longer a popular one - not even within the Church. That said, most God-fearing mothers who choose a career over staying at home are not necessarily motivated by selfish desires, but by a culture which seems to leave them with no choice. It just doesn't make sense when an extra income would surely be more beneficial for their children in the long run... wouldn't it?

Scene #1: Perhaps a couple recognizes their young children are extraordinarily gifted and bright. University is certainly within their future. The parents want to give each of them the gift of a good, post-secondary education but know that's not possible on the husband's income alone. So Mom searches through the Yellow Pages and begins working from 8am-4pm - for the good of her children.Scene #2: Or maybe, as was the case with one of my grandmothers, a mother grew up in a very poor family and was never able to enjoy the kind of material wealth that seemed common place for everyone else. She doesn't want her children to know the pain of doing without and so works hard to bring in a paycheck that will cover trendy clothes, restaurant meals, and the latest technological gadgets that all the other kids on the block seem to have.Scene #3: Perhaps it's the cost of Christian schooling that forces a mother to work outside the home. It breaks her heart to drop her 10-month-old off at her sister-in-law's each morning, but she quickly reminds herself that the value of a Christian education is worth the temporary sacrifice.
The mother in each one of these examples has made her decision, perhaps with the support of her husband, based on "common sense." To the human mind, (especially the one that has been affected by years of feminism, liberal rhetoric, and publicly funded Marxism) it's perfectly logical to submit ourselves to "expert" opinion and abandon our kids while they're young in order to give them what they really need when they are older.

However, one very important detail is missing from each of these scenarios. Did you catch it?

A mother and father may arrive at the decision for her to work outside the home together after much consideration. Perhaps they even commit Mom's new job to the Lord in prayer. Maybe the children are made aware of the new changes and everyone agrees that this is what is best for their family. But through all the deliberations, the Bible remains on the shelf, and no one stops to ask, "What would God want Mom to do?"
"'The Lord told me,' is no substitute for 'the Bible says.'" - Voddie BauchamI am not suggesting that no woman can ever have a career, that parents shouldn't send their child to university or pay for their tuition (that's a topic for another day), give them good gifts, make every effort to provide them with a Christian education, or that a mother can't supplement the family income (if I believed that, I wouldn't have this blog or have written my two eBooks, How To Design Your Own Blog and How To Grow Your Blog And Manage Your Home).

I'm asking you, dear mother, to examine where God considers your presence most important. There are several parental responsibilities required of us that are difficult or impossible to perform if we are physically away from our children:

• Availability - morning, noon, and night (Deuteronomy 6:7)
• Training (Proverbs 22:6)
• Discipline (Proverbs 29:15-17)
• Teaching the Scriptures (Deuteronomy 4:10)
• Nurturing (Titus 2:4)

• Does my absence mean someone else will care for my children?

• How long will they be under another's care each day?

• Is this the person I want to raise and influence my child in my place?

• How many surrogate mothers will be involved over the years?

• What impact will that have?

• Does my job sap my energies so that I am tired and pressured and unable to give them quality time?

• Are my creativity, my wit, and my best efforts spent outside my family?

• Do they get only the leftovers?

The biblical solution involves a radical reform in our thinking. Christians must operate on the premise that pure and undefiled religion requires individual benevolence towards widows (James 1:27), families must take responsibility and look after their own (1 Timothy 5:8, 16), and the local church (whose diaconal ministry would be well funded if we tithed more than 2%) is called to care for those who are truly widows (1 Timothy 5: 3-16).

Mom, your job is so eternally important, that God ensured there would be a way for you to minister through full-time motherhood. The right thing to do is not often the easiest thing to do. Staying at home to raise your children will cost you. It may require painful sacrifices, tighter budgets, and perhaps even swallowing our pride enough to accept the aid available to us. But I believe it can be done and that the reward you receive will be eternally worth it.

If financial concerns are keeping you back from staying home with your children, here are some articles and books to help and encourage you.
Articles

• Saving Money In Your Baby's First Year
• Income-Earning Ideas
• We Couldn't Afford Children - Glad We Didn't Have To
• You CAN Stay Home - Earning Money From Home

• Money Saving Mom by Crystal Paine
• Family Feasts for $75 a Week by Mary Ostyn
• America's Cheapest Family by Annette Economides
• Large Family Logistics by Kim Brenneman

The Round-up:

• Food - 3.5 out of 5
• Decor - 2.5 out of 5
• Service - 3 out of 5
• Total - 9 out of 15

(NOTE: this is a new feature of the blog, featuring restaurants within driving distance of Regina -- we all need to get out of town once in awhile, right?)

The Round-up:

• Food: 3 out of 5
• Service: 3.5 out of 5
• Decor: 4 out of 5
• Total: 10.5 out of 15

Need a little drama on your lunch hour?

Head to Old City Hall Mall on Thursday, March 11, for the official Soup Duel between Beer Bros. and The Willow on Wascana.

Beer Bros. is fronting its Traditional Ale and Cheddar Soup against The Willow's Land Chowder. Who will win? Well, that depends how many bowls of each soup are slurped. Bowls go for $5 each with all proceeds to the Z99 Radiothon.

Last year the restaurants raised $1,700 on a -40 degree day. Perhaps this year's far-warmer temps will help them go the extra mile.

Soup will be dished up starting at 11:30 a.m.

The Round-up:

• Food - 4 out of 5
• Service - 4 out of 5
• Decor - 3.5 out of 5
• Total - 11.5 out of 15

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Until about a month ago I'd never ventured into the warm and cozy world of Skara restaurant.

I don't exactly know why this is.

Maybe it was Skara's former life as a middle-of-the-road family restaurant that kept me away -- it's hard for a restaurant to reinvent, after all.

Or maybe it was the fact that until quite recently I lived and worked downtown. A jaunt to South Albert Street wasn't as routine a thing as it is these days.

Maybe I just didn't like Skara's red-and-black colour scheme. Or its aura. OK, kidding about that last part.

Whatever my reasons, I've come to realize they were wrong. All wrong. I've now been to Skara twice with plans to go back for more.

The first thing that struck me about Skara was the size of the place -- a lot bigger than I'd imagined. The restaurant houses a moderately sized dining room with plenty of comfortable booths; a lounge with more booths, several tables and TVs for watching sports; and a private dining room large enough to seat 30 or 40 guests. Even the bathrooms are roomy at Skara (truth be told, I can only speak for the men on that point). The best part of Skara's decor? There's plenty of deep, dark wood and dim lighting. It's like an old-school steakhouse without all the velvet. And it's very relaxing.

Now, as for the food? On both of my visits it has been delicious. The appetizers and a number of the entrees have a Greek/Mediterranean flair to them -- the restaurant is under Greek ownership, so it figures. And of the ones I've sampled, everything has been pretty much perfect. The Calamari is crispy without being too chewy; the Shrimp Ouzeri (tiger prawns and cherry tomatoes sauteed in ouzo) was absolutely delicious, striking just the right blend of sweet and savoury.

The other night I opted to try something from the entree menu. It was a tough choice between the Skara Stuffed Chicken (recommended by our waiter), the Greek Chicken, or the Tomato Feta Garlic Prawns. In the end, the prawns won out. Mr. K, my pal and tablemate, went for the Stuffed Rainbow Trout.

Neither of us were disappointed. The food was brought to the table in good time by our excellent waiter. My prawns were artfully presented in a mound, next to pan-friend veggies and a stuffed potato. Yes, there are many stuffed things at Skara. This isn't a bad thing, in my books.

I guess my only complaint about my dish was that there wasn't quite enough of it to eat. It wasn't exactly small, but then it wasn't huge either. And I have a bit of a reputation for being a "big eater". Or so I'm told.

On the other hand, I definitely didn't go home hungry.

As I hinted above, the service at Skara has been good-to-excellent on both of my visits, particularly the last one on a Friday night. Staff seem to genuinely want to make sure that diners are happy and enjoying their meals -- not always the case in other eateries.

All in all, Skara, you have a new friend. A hungry one. See you again soon.

I was flipping through the pages of the latest Prairie Dog magazine this morning when I stumbled across a new contest.

The 2010 Best of Food poll is now open for voting online (and only online). The poll is much like the annual Best of Regina poll but this one focuses strictly on matters of the tummy. Why not? Regina's food scene has seen tremendous growth over the last three or four years. For a city of our size, our food scene is pretty rockin', I'd say.

Here's just a sample of some of the categories for which you can vote: Best Budget Lunch; Best After Work Drinking; Best Pub Grub; Best Restaurant for a Luxury Date; Best Bathrooms, and the list goes on.

PLUS, the big news, there is a grand prize (by random draw, I assume) of $1000 worth of gift certificates to Regina's eateries for one lucky winner.

Vote online by March 25 at noon.

www.prairiedogmag.com

THE ROUND-UP:

Food - 3.5 out of 5
Service - 4.0 out of 5
Decor - 3.0 out of 5
Total - 10.5 out of 15

1970 Hamilton Street
Regina, SK
306-205-8345
fliprestaurant.ca
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Flip Eatery opened its doors in November 2011 on a slushy mid-fall day just before Remembrance Day. The timing isn't likely the most common for a restaurant opening, but from Day 1 folks flocked to Flip in droves.

Tucked into a new addition to the Avord Tower just behind Atlantis coffee shop on Hamilton Street, Flip is all windows, wood, clean lines, and simple modernism. It's one part Ikea, one part EQ3, and a pinch of boho chic as far as style goes.
While it might not have the glam factor some people look for in a downtown restaurant, Flip has plenty of good going for it. The huge, unobstructed windows onto Hamilton Street are a big contrast from almost any other restaurant downtown, most notably Golf's, the Diplomat, Crave, and Memories (all within a couple of blocks of Flip). It's as though we're finally celebrating downtown Regina and not covering it up with drapes and heavy velvet in order to pretend we're somewhere else.
Flip's menu is classic comfort food for the very large part - several sandwiches, a couple of burgers, a risotto, a bit of seafood, wings, salads, and, of course, soups make up the majority. And there's a deadly poutine that comes with the option to add in shortribs or pulled chicken as a bonus. (Try either or both, you won't regret it, and the portion sizes are heart-friendly, for poutine that is).
Prices fall in the mid-range. You're looking at roughly $15 for lunch (with a drink) and $25 for supper (with an appetizer and a drink). It's not cheap, exactly, but Flip definitely won't break the bank.
An informal survey of my friends regarding the restaurant resulted in everything from, "Love it!" to "It's good but not quite great." Some were less excited about the decor, and others feel the menu could use some pizzazz. From my perspective, Flip could add some variety to the lunch versus supper menus (right now they're the same). While I understand the benefits of having one menu for a chef and owner as far as minimizing food wastage and cutting down on prep time and ordering, the supper menu still feels a bit too "lunchey". I'm more likely to stay home if a sandwich is what I'm craving for supper.
That being said, Flip deserves huge credit for turning a non-descript piece of land into a happening downtown hangout. As Regina grows, more people are seeing downtown as a place to live, not just to work. Places like Flip make our downtown core even more attractive, and that's always a good thing.

Zest Restaurant in the Saskatchewan Powerhouse in Wascana Park is offering a special three-course menu on Thursday nights.

Menu items will probably be different from week to week so calling ahead is a good plan.

The best part? The price. I believe it's in the $25 range but again, a quick call to the restaurant is recommended before showing up.

306-522-5250
www.zestrestaurant.ca

I had the brilliant idea of reporting the happenings on Regina's restaurant scene for Valentine's Day this year. After all, Valentine's Day is one of the busiest nights of the year for most restaurants. It's a time when people are actually looking to splurge a little.

As Valentine's falls on a Sunday this year, I thought that many restaurants would have planned something special. So far, the results have been a little disappointing.

Nonetheless, if you are planning a special night out it would be wise to make reservations soon.

Here's what I know so far. Please leave a comment if you know something that's not on this list:

The Abbey
2124 Albert Street
545-8811
Two-course dinner for two, $59; Two-course dinner for two with wine, $79. (This might be the best special I've found yet).

Beer Bros Bakery & Cuisine 1801 Scarth Street 586-2337 Feb. 8-14: celebrate Valentine's Day all week long with a special menu. The four-course "ex-beer-ience" is $40.00 plus tax and tip. Not too bad, methinks.
Bitten
1822 Broad Street
586-BITE
Open for Valentine's (normally closed on Sundays).
Otherwise, I was told it will be a "normal night" with a new fresh sheet coming out on V-day for the rest of the month of February.

Crave
1925 Victoria Avenue
525-8777
Closed on Sundays -- no Valentine's specials here.

Hotel Saskatchewan - Cortlandt Hall Dining Room 2125 Victoria Avenue 337-4311 A three-course menu with your choice of starter, entree, and dessert for $69.00 As Valentine's falls on a Sunday, morning brunch will be served for $32.00 with a few special items in honour of the day.
La Bodega
2228 Albert Street
546-3660
Two seatings are planned, one at 5:30 p.m., the other at 8 p.m.
Dinner special plus the usual menu are on offer here.

Memories
1717 Victoria Avenue
522-1999
Two seating times: The first for reservations between 5-6 p.m.; the second for reservations between 7-8:30
p.m.
Regular menu with a four-course special for two people (price not known at time of calling)

Willow on Wascana
3000 Wascana Drive 585-3663 Two seatings: one at 4:30 p.m.; the other at 7:30 p.m. The 4:30 seating offers a six-course meal; the 7:30 seating is an eight-course meal. Both meals are served with wine flights. $100/$125 respectively. Both seatings were full as of Feb. 4, but a cancellation list is available. (As a former waiter, I know that a number of people always cancel on Valentine's Day, especially on a Sunday. Give the list a try).
Zest
2903 Powerhouse Drive
522-5250
A couple's menu will be featured for $75.00 per couple (a four-course meal).

The Round-up:

• Food - 3 out of 5
• Service - 4 out of 5
• Decor - 3 out of 5
• Total - 10 out of 15

120-1914 Hamilton Street, Regina, SK
306-949-4005

Today, we're heading back to bustling Hamilton Street, site of many changes and new businesses in downtown Regina these days.

One such business, The Great Panini, opened a few months back. Although I work at my "real" (i.e. non-blogging) job in an office tower just a couple of blocks away, I hadn't visited the shop until last week when frigid temperatures made me skip my usual walk home during the lunch hour.

The Great Panini, located a couple of doors south of the TD Bank, is a clean and cozy cafeteria style eatery that opens in the early hours of the morning and stays open through lunch until the end of the work day.

It just so happens that I timed my visit for the unveiling of a new sandwich: The Fozz. And let me tell you, The Fozz was moving fast -- I got the last one. Shaved chicken breast and a mild cheddar combined with roasted sweet red peppers and hot banana peppers were layered on a nine-grain Ciabatta bun then toasted to perfection. I have to say it was pretty tasty.

The Great Panini offers sandwiches on their own, or as a meal. I opted for the meal and had my choice of soup, salad, or a pickle. A sucker for all things canned and vinegary, I went for the Van Holten's Kosher Pickle, which comes individually wrapped in a pouch. It was a giant pickle, but I always find Koshers lack the crunch and garlic of homemade dills. Blame it on my Ukrainian roots.

As for drinks, The Great one offers much more than fountain pop, including a number of unique teas and juices, and a good range of Boylan's sodas.

So far things were going smoothly, until my grand total was rung up on the till. I admit I wasn't paying attention to prices until this point, figuring that a sandwich combo would run at about $7 or $8. Boy, was I wrong. By the time taxes were included I was almost at 11 bucks.

A bit pricey for a takeout lunch, if you ask me. Especially when you consider the all-you-can-eat Thai buffet at Siam restaurant three doors down is less than $9. But as I said, the sandwich was appetizing, the service was fast and friendly, and the selection is top-notch. Whether it's worth it again in the future will depend on how close I am to payday, I guess.

Perhaps I ought to stop in during breakfast some day when specials are priced much lower, including the 16-ounce coffee for just 99 cents. Now that's a deal.

www.thegreatpanini.ca

Word has it that Cafe Orange, home of very good coffee, has shut down for renos for an undetermined amount of time.

In place of the cafe, it seems that a combination sushi/coffee bar will open in Cafe Orange's spot.

Combining anything with sushi is always a bit of a gamble, especially considering that Regina's sushi scene is (quite possibly) nearing saturation. A few years ago we had only three or four places doing sushi around town. Now there are as many as ten, including the new Sake Japanese and Korean restaurant just a few blocks away from Cafe Orange's Robinson Street location off 13th Avenue.

Let's hope this business venture pays off for Cafe Orange's owners. Details on the reopening date will be posted as soon as they're known.

The Round-up:

• Food - 4 out of 5
• Service - 3 out of 5
• Decor - 4 out of 5
• Total - 11 out of 15

3000 Wascana Drive, Regina, SK.
306-585-3663

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January has been full of calm nights and above-average temperatures. 2010, I like you already.

It makes a person want to get out a bit more often. So, The Mom and I decided to take our appetites to The Willow on Wascana the other day.
OK, it wasn't just the warm weather that lured us to the shores of Wascana Lake. It was the $20 off lunch or dinner promo that The Willow ran for just two days this month.
The Willow opened in August 2004 and has carved out a niche for itself ever since. It's almost definitely the only menu in town that sources all of its meat, fish and poultry from Saskatchewan sources.
It wasn't too busy for a Wednesday night so we chose a corner table in the warm and cozy dining room. As far as atmosphere goes, The Willow has it made. In winter, the wood ceiling and earthy tones make you forget the sub-zero chill outside. On the other hand, summer is all about the great outdoors as you dine on The Willow's gigantic patio overlooking Wascana Lake.
Now what about the food? It's safe to say that The Willow doesn't shy away from taking risks. The new winter menu features Free-Range Elk Tartare, Coffee-Infused Short Ribs, and a Wild Boar Ragout.
The Mom was feeling adventurous so she went with the wild boar.
Boar sounded a little too Lord of the Flies for me, on the other hand, and I can rarely say no to a good homemade sausage. So, I chose the Chorizo Chicken Roulade.
Our plates arrived in no time and I was in love with the chicken dish at first sight. The juicy morsels of chicken wrapped around a chicken chorizo sausage disappeared from my plate quickly, as did the southwest-style corn salsa served on the side.
Now you're probably wondering what on earth wild boar tastes like? So were we. Our waiter told us it was like pork with a bit more fat. He didn't lie about that last part, for sure.
The tender slab of boar was served on top of homemade pappardelle noodles with a tiny Saskatchewan-grown tomato on top. The noodles were great. The boar was... well, it was kind of like eating sushi for the first time. You're a little bit curious and a little bit scared, especially when a few bites of the meat were more fat than flesh.
As for the service, it was good but not great. Our friendly waiter took the time to joke with us a little, but had trouble recommending dishes and explaining some of the ingredients. For a fine-dining restaurant that charges top dollar that just doesn't cut it. Servers should know each menu item inside and out.
That being said, The Willow scores big points for showing Regina that the food we grow and harvest right in our own backyards is as good or better than anything we truck in from a thousand miles away.
www.willowonwascana.ca

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting one of my bestest blogging buddies! Her name is Christine from the blog Christine's Home and Travel Adventures And that girl travels more than anyone I know! Check out her blog if you want to virtually travel all over the world in the comfort of your Jammie's *winks*
She and her husband came to Seattle from Natchez Mississippi for her husbands medical conference (Yep he's a doc) and I was able to play with her all day!
We started out with a little breakfast followed by a trip to a favorite antique store called the Pacific Gallery. We only intended to be there for a couple of hours tops... but there were so many things to look at!... We were there for 4.5 hrs! Here are a few of the things I liked/loved. Please excuse my picture quality. My camera chose this time to go on the fritz *sighs* Beautiful bed canopy in blue. LOVE this!

A great 4' statue of Mary Magdalene. Wish she could've come home with me but she was quite pricey.

Here is my sweet friend Christine looking glamorous in gray!

An oeil de boeuf window in zinc. Me likey!

This set of Jesus and Mary statues were life size.

Cool pair of girandoles with paintings of ruins.

I fell in love with this old wallpapered screen. It almost came home with me. I'll probably regret that it didn't *winks* You know how that goes.

Close up on the details.

This plaster lady statue covered in seashells was neat. That Raggedy Ann isn't doing it any justice but it was high on top of a case and I didn't want to move anything and have it fall on my noggin (That sort of thing happens to me a lot)... Probably explains a lot too! Lol!

This was one of a pair of sweet Italian angels.

My friend Christine didn't go home empty handed (I couldn't have that!) Here she is with some pretty linen treasures. She's a tablescaper supreme!

And by now she was getting boared... But never boar-ing! Lol!

So we went off to the Space Needle restaurant for dinner...

Where we looked out at this...

Followed by this...

And we ate this. It was absolutely delish!

So what did I come home with if you care to see?... A large (Very heavy) cherub shelf! Actually a fairy?... I think?? He has pointed little ears. My hubbs said "Oh you bought a baby vulcan" He's a big Star Trek fan! Actually we both are *winks* When I spotted him he reminded me of something my friend Andie from The Divine Theatre would have. She has a really fabulous collection of statuary! Isn't it amazing how much our blogging friends can influence and inspire us? I feel so blessed to have found such creative talented people here in Blogaritaville!

At a distance. I'm still working on the vignette for the top.

See his cute little ears?

This little shabby chippy boy also came home with me.

And this little green jewel casket that matches my vanity set.

Lined in luscious orange!

Christine brought me a few prezzies too! Aren't I a lucky girl?! This little Italian cherub plaque and a dangling crown with crystal. She obviously knows what I like! *winks*

Topped off by these yummy little sundae candles.

Here we are at the end of the day.

Christine I had such a great time with you! I hope you'll come back for another visit soon! You are just as sweet, kind and beautiful as I thought you'd be! Vanna
I'm joining for the first time Debra at Common Ground for:

I'm also joining Diane for the first time at A Picture Is Worth A 1,000 Words for:

Finally, after many long years, Regina will have some competition on the organic market scene.

Dad's Organic Market will open its doors on Monday, Jan. 25 at 1 p.m. The Victoria Avenue store, a couple of blocks west of the Leader-Post building, looks huge. For a neighbourhood market, that is.

Dad's is expanding into Regina following the success of their Saskatoon store. With this second store, a Saskatchewan-grown franchise is born. Right on.

Let's hope that prices are not as sky-high as in Regina's other organic market, Nature's Best on 14th Avenue. I mean, Nature's Best is a cool store. But sometimes I literally have to read the price of an item three times just to make sure it really does say $5 for a bunch of dill, or whatever the case may be.

Here's to more choices on Regina's food scene. This can only mean good things for restaurants and regular Joes alike!

Ever wanted to eat at all the Cathedral Village's restaurants in one night but just didn't have a wallet (or a pair of pants) big enough?

Then Taste of Cathedral on Jan. 30 is the answer to your troubles.

$15 gets you entry to the event + $1 per ticket to buy food items from vendors. It sounds a lot like Taste of Regina, but cheaper.

Buy tickets at Bernard Callebaut Chocolates on Robinson near the Safeway or visit here:
http://tinyurl.com/y9yzo2n