Atlas Steak + Fish Restaurant

It is always a wonderful experience to discouver a new ( to us) restaurant. One that brings together the perfect ambiance, delicious cuisine and superior hospitality. The Atlas Steak + Fish restaurant in Langley does just that!

Barbara and I had walked by the restaurant on several occasion but had never ventured in. However, we received a free appetizer coupon for their happy hour. Opportunity has knocked at our door. Barbara had an Ophthalmologist   appoint near by. So we decided to find out what Atlas was all about.

To say the less we were impressed. From the smiling host to the charming waitress and even the manager stopped by to see how we were doing and chatted with us.

We of course started with a glass of wine from Sumac Ride. I had the Sumac Ridge Sauvignon Blanc Private Reserve Inniskillin Cabernet Sauvignon. The restaurant features an excellent wine list. Featuring many BC wines, including Ice Wine.

Barbara had the New England Lobster and Shrimp Roll - Atlantic lobster and argentinian red shrimp salad, buttered toasted brioche,tobik.

Barbara was quite delight with her selection.

I ordered the Warm Prime Rib Bun red wine jus, toasted brioche bun, truffle mayonnaise. So Good! 

We completely enjoyed our time at Atlas. The staff was quite friendly and had to our enjoyment. One of the ladies we knew from having previously worked at a restaurant in Tsawwassen.

In conversation with the manager. Barbara mentioned her Soroptimist club talking about the Fund raising Gala they were putting on in Langley . The Manager provided a gift certificate for the event.. Wow..

We recommend Atlas Steak + Fish It gets our five star approveal

 

The Village Pub & Ocean Park Pizza

Barbara and I returned from a recent housesitting assignment to our home in White Rock, British Columbia. After unloading our car and unpacking the suitcases we were too tired to cook, we decided to eat out. Pizza had been on the back of my mind all day but Barbara was wanting something different; so we compromised and went to Ocean Park Pizza.

We had eaten at the original place often in the past, but never in the newer one since relocating to the area in 2019.  We had driven by the restaurant on excursions to Crescent Beach and noted there were some major changes and often remarked we should try it again. It was BC Day, a holiday with fantastic weather; knowing the beaches would be crowded we headed to Ocean Park Pizza which turned out to be a smart choice. There is limited parking in front but they have a very large parking lot on the backside of the building so parking was not an issue.

Things had certainly changed, a new building with an even newer patio than what we remembered. We entered and were immediately greeted by two polite young men with welcoming smiles. They asked a few questions to determine where we would like to sit. We chose the patio on the side of the building  away from the main street in the shade. The patio was created when the pandemic struck in 2020.

Once seated we were quickly greeted by our charming waitress. Within minutes Barbara was sipping a classic margarita and I was enjoying a glass of Pinot Noir from Laughing Stock Winery on BC's Naramata Bench. I knew I was having an Hawaiian Pizza; yes they have a beef dip I will save that for next time. The menu is large, after reading it Barbara opted for the warm seafood salad.

The meal was served quickly, the pizza was perfect; the salmon, prawn and scallop salad was mouth watering according to Barbara. Our waitress as I mentioned, was quite charming, and most efficient; allowing for brief conversations which added to the enjoyment of the meal.

The menu prices were reasonable, except the glass of wine was on the higher side.

All in all we would give The Village Pub & Ocean Park Pizza five stars and I will return for a beef dip!

*In February 20, 2019, the South Surrey and White Rock Chamber of Commerce held its 20th Business Excellence Awards Gala. At the event, Ocean Park Pizza & Village Pub was recognized for our "success in business" and "exemplary contribution to the community.*

12822 16 Avenue Surrey, BC V4A 1N4

Follow along at winesofcanada.com 

 

Nami Japanese Restaurant 

A lazy summer afternoon found Barbara and I standing in the parking lot of a White Rock corner store looking across the street at what was to us, was a new restaurant. Barbara made the suggestion that we make a dinner reservation for the night of the outdoor Fleetwood MAC & ABBA Concert at Five Corners which happened to be within walking distance of the restaurant.

So Thursday evening July 14 six of us settled in at Nami Japanese Restaurant for what was to be a very delightful dining experience. Their website states the following:

Here at Nami, you are catered by our kind staff in a warm and welcoming vibe with our very own delicious traditional Japanese food. 

They lived up to their website posting, it is one of the nicest Japanese restaurants we have visited in the Fraser Valley. The decor was pleasant, the restaurant was spotless, and nicely air conditioned.  Nami Japanese Restaurant employs very friendly and efficient staff to see to our comfort. 

The chef/owner came to the table to see how we were enjoying the food. When a chef comes to your table it adds so much more to the dining experience! Barbara mentioned she and I were wary of eating sushi and had ordered cooked meals. He prepared one of his favourite dishes to sample; with a piece for the six of us. We were all very impressed with how flavourful the salmon dish was. 

Their menu is quite extensive featuring all the traditional Japanese dishes, there is something there for everyone's taste. The restaurant was doing a very brisk take-out and home delivery business as well as taking care of in-house diners.

The beverage menu is small but sufficient, offering  BC VQA wines, Japanese beer and Saki.

Our meals began with the traditional tea, among the best I have tasted, refills were frequent. The miso soup was incredible; I could go back for the tea and soup alone!

My main dish was the Katuso Don consisting of a deep fried crumbed pork cutlet with rice and salad. Three of us chose the chicken or beef teriyaki meals, and two chose sushi dishes, none of us was disappointed. It took us a year to discover this gem, we look forward to visiting often.

B&B

 

Wine Women and Chocolate

 

The White Rock Soroptimist held their annual Wine Women and Chocolate event last Thursday (22-06-16) at the Elgin Hall near Crescent Beach. It was a fund raiser for the work they do to support women and girls in need.

Several local wineries contributed to the fund raiser. Those sending along wine for tasting, Township Seven, City Side, Backyard and Festina Lente. Due to staff shortages only Township Seven were able to send staff for their tables.

Barbara, our dear friend Kim and I would man the tables for the other three wineries. Kim been the one of us with experience.

The event was scheduled to begin at 6:30 pm by 6:15 we were pouring wines. Sadly, the tables were placed too close to the stage where a very good band was playing. However, we could not hear the people coming to the tables. They of course had trouble hearing us.

Barbara handled the majority of the tastings for Festina Lente. Festina Lente is perhaps the best Mead producer in British Columbia. Now most people are not interest in Mead. Barbara was extremely good at convincing everyone to try the mead. I think they liked it! In fact, we ran out of mead.

Kim handled the City Side wines who offered a selection of four wines. Pinto Gris, Riesling, Chardonnay and a white blend. The huge winner here was the Pinot Gris, a very good wine full of traditional flavours, the wine was quickly gone.

I did the majority pouring of the wines for Backyard, a Fraser Valley Winery that most people knew. They offered their Noisy Neighbour White and Red, along with the Gossip White and Red. The four wines were blends of four or more varietal. All were all well received.

It was the first time Barbara and I found ourselves on the other side of the table. It was quite the experience. We were so happy that Kim was there for us. It would have been quite the challenge to handle three wineries.

We went home quite tired from a very long day!

 

 Indulging In Port-Style wines

Barbara and I are happy to say our first outdoor tasting experience of 2022 was a success. We decided to do a port tasting. Now fortified wines in Canada may not be called Port.

Canada reached an agreement with Europe and Portugal. Only wine produced in the Douro region of Portugal may be called Port or Porto. (Canadian producers, under CEWSA Article 12(1), will cease using geographic indications (GIs) Chablis, Champagne, Port, Porto and Sherry effective December 31, 2013.)

Port is a fortified wine. Fortified wines are made by adding a proportion of grape spirit, or brandy, to the wine at some point during the production process. Port is arguably the greatest of all fortified wines and its paramount expression, Vintage Port, ranks alongside the finest produce of Bordeaux or Burgundy as one of the great iconic wines of the world.

We invited six guests to join us for the experience. It was a beautiful day and we gathered in the backyard to relax and enjoy some good wines.

We offered everyone a choice of wine while waiting for everyone to arrive. We had Malbec from Argentina, Syrah from Spain, Pinot Noir from Blue Grouse in British Columbia and a white Pinot Gris also from Blue Grouse.

Once everyone arrived we brought out the appetizers ranging from various worldwide cheeses to Olives, figs, pate and Chocolate Treats.

Our first selection was from Glass House winery called Festa. It featured nice notes of Blackberry, raspberry, chocolate and Caramel.

Our second selection was a wine from Backyard Vineyard, on the label it says " Sit Back,Relax and Enjoy" they hit the nail on the head for we were doing exactly that..with some nice pop tunes playing in the background. The wine featured notes of cherry and hints of spice on the mouth Blueberry and Cranberries

Up next was the offering from Chaberton called Tribute 2017 Nice! Slightly sweeter than the previous wines..featuring Strawberry and raspberry flavours.

So far everyone was quite pleased with our selections. Not everyone had the same favourite. Everyone did say they would happily purchase any of these port-style wines.

Last we went for the highest alc % at 20.1 the 2015 Rouge from Skaha Vineyards. A powerful offering a 100% Merlot fortified with dessert wine aged 24 months in French Oak. Flavours of Butterscotch, Raisin and Almonds leapt on the palette. The chocolate treats quickly disappeared as we sipped on this wine.

As the day began to cool off we ventured inside to a lasagna dinner.

“Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities."

 Back in 1969 Barokes Wines is considered to be first to put wine in a can. Barokes Wines was founded by Steve Barics and Greg Stokes, reputedly after narrowly avoiding an experience involving a shattered wine glass and a spa. They saw wine in a can as a solution to all those situations where glasses and bottles were either forbidden or ill-advised. Buying bulk wines from other vintners in south-eastern Australia, they began packaging wine in aluminum cans. In 2002 they patented the Vinsafe process, using cans with a plastic lining that could preserve the wine for up to a year. 

The relationship between Barokes and Daiwa deteriorated when Daiwa began supplying the technology to other wine-makers. After lengthy and expensive litigation, the case Barokes brought against Daiwa failed in August 2018 in a judgment that would see the company being wound up.

Some sources say the first wine in a can in theUSA occurred in 2004 by The Francis Ford Coppola Winery in California I tried tried wine in a can various times between 2004 and 2020 and never enjoying one.

Entrepreneurs Henry Connell and Alex Thraves shook up the English wine industry when in 2018 they launched The Uncommon, the first ever English sparkling wine in a can. Their Bacchus, with grapes sourced from Denbies in Surrey, sold out at Selfridges within six months

In 2004 brothers Greg and Yannick Wertsch, owners of Ontario’s Between the Lines Winery, along with their partners Philip Chae and Lucian Cao, have introduced their own wine in cans, the first in the region- an Origin sparkling wine.

What history shows us is that wine in Can came and had initial success then faded away. However here we are in 2022 and guess what is back on the shelves again wine in the can. Been a skeptic of the idea I re-framed from trying the concept. Until

Yes until Stella Schmidt, Co-owner and assistant winemaker, Castoro de Oro Winery sent me some of their wines.

“We love to be innovative! Our philosophy is to make handcrafted 100% BC wines at the best value possible, and our wine-in-a-can takes that dream one step further. We are so excited to offer elegant, convenient cans of our award-winning wines and look forward to seeing all the places they will travel to!”

So far we have tried their award winning Heart of Gold , a white blend, the Chardonnay and the Merlot. They all beat the test. In fact they are beyond good! 

Castoro de Oro is located on the Golden Mile of the famed Okanagan in British Columbia. Stella you are absolutely right wines in a can CAN be good!

Heart of Gold white blend brings together Pinot Blanc, Vidal, Siegfried and Viognier. It exhibits a wide variety of fruit flavours, with a slight cotton candy note on the end. 

The Heart of Gold available in can or bottle won two awards in 2021. 

2021 All Canadian Wine Championships (ACWC) Double Gold, Best of Category

HISTORY MAKING WIN. The first time a wine in can won a “judged award” inside the country of Canada! This was not a wine in can competition Castoro de Oro submitted Heart of Gold in 250 ml single serve cans it competed against bottled white blends and it won Double Gold, Best of Category! Because "OUR" wine in can is the same wine as in our bottles the ACWC awarded the Double Gold to both SKU’s (both formats, bottle & can). The amazing thing is the judges did not beleive a can wine could wine so they re did the tasting the Castoro de Oro wine in a can wown again!

2021 Alberta Beverage Awards (ABA’s) Judge’s Selection

Submitted in bottle format, and judged up against both International and Domestic wines, our Heart of Gold won White Blend Judge’s Selection which means “Top Six White Blend” unlike other wine awards there are no metal (gold, silver, etc.) medals awarded at the ABA’s. 

 

Your Attitude Makes your Business.

 

How successful a business maybe is determined by many factors.  However; It’s your attitude and how you treat your customers that really determine your success or failure. Some businesses never learn that. On                                         a recent visit to the wineries of Vancouver Island I encountered shall we say the right and the wrong way of doing business.

I received an exceptionally warm welcome from the good folks at Blue Grouse Vineyards in Duncan. I arrived early at the winery before opening and walked around the grounds and building taking photographs. As I walked along the outdoor patio area the door opened and I was greeted by Pamula who addressed me by my surname Mr Bell. Pamela invited me inside and asked what areas of the winery I would like to see. Remember the winery is still not open I am early. You can read about my visit on the website www.winesofcanada.com

The following day I was scheduled to visit Deep Cove winery in Saanich. I arrived early once again before opening. It was a cold rainy morning. I waited until 5 minutes to 11 before testing the door. It was locked. As I did at the winery the previous morning I wandered around the building. I was on the patio where I could clearly see into the tasting room. There was an employee inside She looked at me briefly and then turned away. She did not acknowledge my presents. I returned to the car and waited for the door to open.

I entered the winery said hello to the young lady who responded by asking” what can I do for you”

I told her I had arranged an appointment. She told me they had no booking until 1 am. However, she sat me at a table and placed a very small menu in front of me. I felt I had to explain that  I was a writer and came to interview the owner or winemaker and do a story on the winery.

After a brief conversation she asked me if she should find the owner I said “yes” He appeared moments later leaned on the counter at the far corner of the room and said “ I am here ask your questions” The conversation deteriorated from there. I finally said, “I do not feel welcome here.” He said “that is my problem". So I said, “I guess I will just leave.” He said that up to you. I said I can write a negative article or a good one it is your choice. He said “I do not care”

I left feeling quite shattered. I could not believe this man’s attitude.  Where there any other customers in the winery- no. There was no need to wonder why!

I went on to the next winery walked in the door and within seconds I was shaking the hand of the manager and being warmly greeted.

 My visits to Blue Grouse Vineyards, Alderlea Winery, Church & State and Symphony Vineyards will appear on www.winesofcanada.com.