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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.
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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 last few weeks of glorious summer have brought a couple of new eateries to our fair city's centre, in addition to sunburns and melting ice-cream cones.
First, the old house on 2100-block Hamilton Street that was home to Neo Japonica for more than a decade has reopened. Welcome to Taste of Tuscany. The new owners took out the shrubs in front of the building and added a paved seating area for outdoor eats.
Second up, Beer Bros. pub in the Old City Hall Mall on Scarth Street has opened its long-promised deli next door to the pub. The deli is open Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. I'm looking forward to a visit very soon.
Third of all, it has been an embarrassingly long time since I posted anything to this blog. Apologies for that. Fortunately, the blog is quite forgiving.

It just dawned on me today that the farmers' market makes its return to the great outdoors in only two weeks.

I decided to check their website, just to make sure I had the date right.

I do.

But that's not even the most exciting part. Regina's farmers' market will be in a completely different location this year. They are moving three blocks west to City Hall! The new market will line Smith and McIntyre streets between Victoria Avenue and 12th Avenue. They will also make use of the plaza in front of City Hall. This rocks!

Of course, it's a temporary location only. Construction will begin on Scarth Street this summer to create the new City Square Project.

Bonus: there will be free parking on the 1st level of the City Hall parkade during Saturday markets (behind City Hall itself).

With all this nice weather, I predict many good things to eat at the market this year.

Need I really point out to you that today is St. Patrick's Day?

And what do you do on St. Patrick's Day? Well, you drink beer. Green beer, if you can stomach it.

CBC News just aired a story at 6:45 a.m. on the celebrations taking place in Halifax. By the looks of it, some of their pubs are already packed with people. I realize that Halifax is a few hours ahead of Regina, but wow. I don't think we get that into things here.

Locally, I'd suggest Beer Bros. downtown for the widest variety of beer and some good eats. Otherwise, McNally's on Dewdney Avenue or O'Hanlon's on Scarth Street downtown are both safe bets. But get there early! It will be a first-come, first-serve kind of night.

I saw a billboard today advertising the return of Regina's Farmers' Market. This now has me convinced that spring is really on its way.

The spring markets start March 6 in the Cathedral Neighbourhood Centre on 13th Avenue (across from Safeway).

True, the indoor markets are nowhere as exciting as the outdoor markets on Scarth Street. That being said, the farmers' market is still you best one-stop shop for local products. Plus it's an excuse to have breakfast in the Cathedral area on a Saturday.

http://www.reginafarmersmarket.ca/