Alebrije Kitchen + Bar

The newest restaurant on White Rock's beach goes by the name of Alebrijie Kitchen + Bar. A delightful Mexican restaurant owned and operated by Mexican Canadians family. Alebrijie had only been open for five days when Barbara and I visited on January 29th.

We received a warm welcome from two staff members; we later learned our server was also the manager and co-owner by the name of Diego Castillo. What a wonderful friendly attitude this young man processes; we could have chatted with him all evening. 

We were seated in a comfortable COVID compliant booth beside a window with a great view of our famous White Rock Pier, perfect! No sooner did we sit down when Diego placed a tray of homemade tortilla chips and salsa in front of us. Barbara was so impressed with them she ordered some to take home. It turns out Diego's mother makes the salsa and chips on site.

As happens with many new restaurants the liquor license was still pending. We settled for Mexican coffee which was excellent and brought back memories of the coffee we used to drink on our visits to Mexico. Our cups were kept full all during our meal.

Choosing what to eat took a few minutes; the menu is quite extensive. After much debate and some welcome advice from Diego, Barbara settled on the prawn tacos and I went for the steak fajitas, we were not disappointed with our choices.

The meals were well presented, most delicious, we were more than happy. We enjoyed the hospitality, food, and seaside view. The restaurant's interior is decorated with beautiful Alebrijie. Alebrijies are brightly coloured Mexican folk art sculptures of fantastical (fantasy/mythical) creatures.

By not having margaritas we were able to use the calories saved and splurge on dessert; we shared a chocolate impossible cake.  We are sure that when we return, the license will be in effect, and we can skip dessert for a classic margarita!  But don't wait for the liquor license, get on down to the restaurant and enjoy the food, service and ambience!

 

The Dudes Crescent Beach 

Ocean parks fabulous unique coffee shop has opened a second located in Cresent Bench. The Crescent Beach location specializes in the best tasting coffee and brunch. At this time there is no beer and wine license but the owners promise it is coming.

Meanwhile, the menu offers some really delicious items, such Larry's own version of Egg Benedicts or Avacado on Toast.&nbspWithout a doubt Larry the co-owner along with his wife Kelly makes the best Lobster Benny in all of South Surrey. The pancakes are to die for. If you prefer a simple breakfast go for the egg omelette.

The prime rib beef dip is my favourite. Only served on Saturday. 

This is a true family coffee shop where you will find Larry's and Kelly's children serving you with a smile. To sum it all up the coffee is five stars, the food is five stars and the hospitality is 5 star.

They located at 12823 Crescent Road. Please stay out of my parking spot 😇. Thank you

 Happily, we discover some mince tarts still left from Christmas. So, of course, we had to indulge. The bigger concern was what wine to enjoy with the mince tarts. The obvious answer Icewine,

One of nature's most exquisite gifts. One of the world's most luscious and celebrated wines. It is one of the most difficult and challenging processes for the winemaker. Canada is the world leader in producing amazing Ice Wines. 

Icewine is a rare gift from a magical Canadian winter. Picked at the coldest moment of a winter's night, each frozen grape creates just one drop of Icewine. One smooth rich, luxurious drop.

The first Icewine to appear on the Canadian front was a Riesling, made in British Columbia by Walter Hainle and his son Tilman in 1973. Tilman Hainle and his wife Sandra continued experimenting with Icewines at their Hainle Vineyards in the Okanagan, ultimately producing their first commercial release in 1978. In 1991, other Okanagan winemakers joined in, capitalizing on the early onset of cold temperatures that year and plenty of frozen grapes on the vine. 

The story that leads to Canada been known around the world for its icewine is far more in depth and took the efforts of many to achieve. Perhaps the most important factors is Canada's unique climate. 

History of Canada's Icewine

Icewine must be produced exclusively from grapes that have been harvested, naturally frozen on the vine, and pressed in a continuous process while the air temperature is -8° Celsius (17.6°F) or lower. Icewine grapes are often harvested during the night to guarantee a temperature below -8° Celsius.

The icewine we chose

Rief Estate Vidal Icewine 2017

Wow! A fantastic aroma of tropical fruits with honey and peach. It melts in your mouth with additional fruit flavours. More please! 94

 Hey! It's 2021

Staring with a few appies and some wine my wife and I settled in on New Year's Eve to watch movies on Netflix. That was only a few days ago and already I have forgotten the movies.  The wine I remember. Church and State 2017 Marsanne.

Not the most common grape by far. There are perhaps more than 250 different varietals grown in British Columbia. 

Top ten varieties in order of acres:  Merlot  Pinot Gris  Pinot Noir  Chardonnay  Cabernet Sauvignon  Gewurztraminer  Cabernet Franc  Syrah  Riesling  Sauvignon Blanc

Marsanne is a white wine grape, most commonly found in the Northern Rhone region. Outside of France, it is also grown in Switzerland, Spain Australia, New Zealand, United Staes and Canada.

 Marsanne produces a deep gold coloured wine with high alcohol content. The flavours range from nutty to fruity. Road 13  2018 provides a cream honey finish which is quite nice.

Moon Curser 2019 won Gold at The All Canadians.

Church and State Winery -Marsanne 2017

A perfect golden colour. Aromas of fresh apricot, dried orange peel, and honeycomb, finishing off with nuts and fruit flavours 90

Happy New Year!