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There are few things finer in life than food and, being that me and Rebecca’s trip to Parksville had been so packed full with fantastic cuisine at every turn, it was fitting that we ended our girls’ getaway with the dinner of all dinners.

It’s impossible to walk in the front doors of The Landing West Coast Grill and not notice the immense wine cellar as you enter. Recently installed, the cellar is capable of storing quite literally thousands of bottles of wine and is maintained through an exact science. Wine is both exquisite and temperamental in nature, which I suppose is the reason it is also so perfect. This cellar is truly a source of pride for the Landing’s in-house Sommelier, Atilla Cimsit, who has put countless hours of love and devotion into creating this for the restaurant.

Also not to be overlooked is the Landing’s impressive 6,000+ gallon aquarium that swims its way through the centre of the dining lounge. I found it both intriguing and peaceful.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that Rebecca and I are suckers for anything made of bread or any kind of cheese. When you put the two together, it’s double trouble (and I’m not just talking about us girls). Naturally, this was the direction we wanted to take in ordering our shared appetizers.

Because we couldn’t decide between the Warm Oregano and Cheese Whole Wheat Flat Bread with Artichoke & Parmesan Dip or the Spicy Fire Cracker Flat Bread with Warm Goat Cheese and Tomato Dip, we ordered both. And yes, this was in addition to the savoury artisan breads with fresh butter delivered to our table.

While I don’t eat meat, I was quite happy to see that The Landing is a huge supporter of the Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise program by serving sustainable seafood choices. This meant Rebecca could indulge in her Cedar Plank B.C. Wild Salmon completely guilt-free!

I chose the Linguine with Alder Wood Grilled Vegetables and Herbed Olive Oil. While it may sound plain, it was seriously anything but. Never before have so many vegetables danced so wildly on my tongue!

Just when I thought our bellies were about to burst and Rebecca and I couldn’t possibly fit another bite into our mouths, a wooden tray was brought to our table. Somehow there is always room for dessert, and we watched each others’ eyes grow as we were presented with the entire dessert menu. While for a moment I thought it was implied that we were to try each and every single one of the bold creations, we chose two and shared. This concept was (almost cruelly) fantastic in that, rather than trying to envision what you’re deciding off the menu, you instead know exactly what you’re ordering.

After humming and hawing for close to five minutes over the dessert tray, we decided to split the orange-tinged chocolate mouse and a raspberry and lemon-laced crème brûlée.

After two days in the Parksville sunshine topped off with a fantastic meal, I think we both look deliciously sun-kissed.

The beauty about calling Vancouver Island home is that, no matter where on the Island you are, there’s no place you’d rather be. The exciting part is knowing that the next undiscovered awe-inspiring place is always just around the corner.

You can check out Rebecca’s review of the restaurant – and scope out some pictures of her grilled salmon – on her blog.

Located at Nanoose Bay’s Pacific Shores Resort & Spa, The Landing West Coast Grill is open year-round with their delectable menus at 1-1600 Stroulger Road. To find out more about the restaurant or to make reservations, please visit their website or call toll-free at 1-888-640-7799.

I really hope you appreciate this photo post and show it lots of love and tenderness because creating it was a nightmare! I need to gain some more WordPress skills – soon enough.

So about last night… no resolutions, no celebrations, but also no staying home and crying over Titanic with a jumbo box of bon-bons either. All Jenny and I wanted was some decent food, yummy cocktails and a little bit of adventure. Lately it seems to be becoming tradition to kick off evenings out with chardonnay at my place. I’m a red wine snob, so don’t ask me why we bust out the white.

These are my Lippmann Collection nails.

Boobs.

After a few glasses we set out for Yaletown. Lame, yes – but Yaletown’s got my favourite Cactus Club and they always make their lime margaritas on the rocks (which I love)!

Cactus Club was closed to prepare for the New Year’s Eve party they were throwing. Apparently tickets were still available but even if I was a New Year’s Eve party girl, I am pretty sure that my first venue of choice wouldn’t be Cactus Club when the Opus Hotel is directly across the street.

We ended up at Wings on Granville Street because: A) it’s not pretentious; B) it’s cheap; C) they have really cheap martinis and cocktails; D) I love chicken; E) I love chicken that I can lick off my fingers; and F) they have a fireplace that we got to sit next to.

Except maybe I’m NEVER going to Wings again because I bit into one, pulled it away from my mouth and looked down to see this:

Except maybe I will go to Wings again because I ♥ their mud pie.

After we finished up, Jen and I decided to pop in and visit Duane since he was chillin’ with some Diet Pepsi and AppleTV. On the way, I saw this lady in Blenz and she was seriously head-to-toe Elle Woods.

Nice try, Butters. I see you hiding behind my wine glass.

Duane had some poo paper. I am pretty sure it was just a chocolate smudge on a utility bill, but calling it “poo paper” allows me to use mini alliteration.

Let me just beat you all to it and say “yes, I know this is pretty much a direct Raymi rip-off, and it wasn’t intentional but it’s pretty much undeniable in style.”

I was home before the midnight mayhem, so that was awesome.

Okay, now share some sentiment because this post was an entire labour of love.

I can’t stop looking at this. Every time I’ve toggled to that page this morning while sitting at my desk, I’ve died a little on the inside.

I hate you, Internet Explorer. Everytime I blog with you, you squish my pictures and make me look schmucky. I should basically just always use my laptop, me thinks. (Translation: click each picture to see it in my Flickr stream, not looking schmucky.) Safari FTW.

Okay, so Lady Phae wanted to treat yours truly to a divine dinner at my absolute favourite spot. The first time I went to Boneta was on my birthday last year and I have been back a handful of times since.

We let the amazing men of Boneta pick wine for us, and so we had some Italian red vino. My friend Toni claims to be Italian red wine but I am not sure he’s as drinkable.

We had cheese. And crustinis. And cheese.

Normally I’m pretty lush-ous when drinking red wine, but for whatever reason I managed to remain pretty sober. The same cannot be said for my hot date. She’s charming.

“Boneta loves you.” It’s written all over their restaurant, literally and figuratively. We were treated like royalty, and at one point, one of the owners actually stabbed at one of the fresh, local strawberries with my fork and fed it to me.

Being that Jack popped my Pimm’s cherry on my birthday at Boneta, I decided Phaedra needed to do the same, so we capped off the evening with a Pimm’s-based cocktail of our own. Needless to say, it was a hit.

Just yesterday, Duane wrote a blog post that touched down on customer service. I agreed with his points in that I feel as though it’s largely a lost art. I am rather adept in the kitchen and know very well how to pick out a good bottle of wine to tote home, so when I go out for dinner, it’s the service and experience I am paying for.

At Boneta, phenomenal food, killer wine and service to knock your stillettos off are all guaranteed, all the time. Why else would my darling and I have gone two times already?

Thanks for a truly stellar date, Phaedra…

Since everyone and their dog has recently blogged about the minute amount of snow that blanketed Metro Vancouver over the weekend, I’ll share a slice of Vancouver Island with you. Though I was beyond thrilled to dash from my hair appointment to my nail appointment in the falling snow on Saturday, and to wake yesterday to find beautiful flakes falling from the sky, I can only hope that the kind of snow that parts of the Island saw over the last two days will fall again on Christmas Day in the Comox Valley. (And speaking of, might I point out that the joyous occasion is only three weeks away?)

This was what my truck looked like yesterday at 4:00 p.m.

Photo courtesy of tempest kat on Flickr

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In honour of four years of keeping Vancouverites aprised of the comings and goings of our wet, wet city, Miss604 is holding a contest that’s open to all readers (whether you’re a blogger or not).

Photo courtesy of Duane Storey on Flickr

Why did I choose to use the same anniversary photo as Becky herself did? I think it’s a terrific photo, so why not?

Anyways, as I was saying, up for grabs are a pair of tickets to an upcoming Vancouver Giants hockey game in addition to two full-day passes (with rentals) at Mount Seymour. To learn more about the contest or how you can enter, visit the contest page.

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As I mentioned on Friday, my work week had been sheer and utter hell. Being as short-staffed as we were, a ridiculous amount of responsibility and expectation had been placed on my shoudlers. Typically the end of the week sees a bit of a reprieve, but this particular Friday was a tremendous exception. By the end of the day, I’d experienced every emotion possible all the while fighting back tears through my gritted teeth. I won’t elaborate.

The only thing getting me through the day was the knowledge that I would, sooner or later, be in my legwarmers, eating take-out and drinking red wine. Or so I thought.

Change of plans. Instead, I was treated to one of the finest new dining establishments that Vancouver has to offer.

Photo courtesy of Urban Mixer on Flickr

Only open for a handful of months, Boneta has quickly established itself as what can be seen as a stellar pinot noir in a chardonnay world. With a harmoniously exciting blend of succulent food, killer service and an ambience that’s worth writing home about, it’s a dining experience that I can promise you won’t soon forget. The menu changes weekly, as do the events, so be sure to check out Boneta’s website for more information. And yes, before you ask, Boneta does have a Facebook group.

Boneta is located at 1 West Cordova in Gastown, Vancouver.
Open late.