Go Alice Go

3rd June 20183rd June 2018

Il Vecchio Delicatessen (Penticton)

We started visiting this deli about a year ago and we’ve been addicted ever since. During the Spring, Summer, and Fall we pop over about once a month to pick up a sandwich and have a picnic at one of the many wonderful places to have a picnic (beaches and parks are plentiful in this area–we are so lucky). The level of access can vary but most parks and lakefront stops have ample parking and level ground. But, more about Il Vecchio Delicatessen…

Things of note:

There is street parking and we’re able to find a spot right near the deli about 80% of the time. The other 20% I go in and get the food while someone else circles the block.
There is a small step up into the place from the sidewalk.
The deli itself is very small and the spaces inside are narrow and crowded to navigate. It may technically accomodate a wheelchair but, personally, I would feel anxious about trying to get around with one in here.
If you come around lunch time, be prepared to have to stand in line. They are efficient but at peak times we’ve had to stand in line for 20 minutes and sometimes the line is out the door (that should tell you just how delicious the food is here).
There are 3 tiny tables but this isn’t really a place I would choose to sit and relax. The metal chairs aren’t particularly comfortable (no arms, though) but they are, at least, sturdy. Most people don’t eat in; rather, they take their food to go.
From what I can tell, there are no public washrooms.
They only take cash so come prepared.

The menu is small in terms of prepared food and consists of about 8 sandwich offerings, a couple of salad options (summer), soup (winter), and tiramisu that they will proudly tell you is their grandmother’s recipe. Of course, there are plenty of other things you can buy. They have a nice selection of meats, the cheese selection is stellar (they have this walk-in cooler full of wheels and slabs of cheese that I once saw open and you can forget about wardrobes and Narnia because this is the door I want to get lost behind), they offer a variety of European candies, chocolates, & cookies, they have a cooler stocked full of cold drinks, and there is a section with pastas, sauces, and spreads of all kinds.

What I really love is their 4 meat/1 cheese sandwich. It’s always made on a fresh roll and you can select mayo and either sweet or hot mustard. I always pick the sweet mustard because it’s slightly grainy and full of flavour. Aside from the bun, mayo and mustard, I ask for their “regular 4 meats” (it’s some magical combination of carnivorous delights) and usually choose havarti cheese. I ask for it with “all the veggies” which includes lettuce, tomato, pickle, artichoke heart, roasted egg plant, and sun dried tomato. Additionally, you can ask for hot pickled peppers to be added if you so desire. It’s so fresh and full of good quality ingredients, and makes for perfect picnic food.

To top that off, here are some of the views in the area:

While Il Vechio Delicatessen may not be easily accessible for all people and their needs, the sandwiches are delicious and maybe you have a friend who would pop in and grab one for you if navigating cramped spaces is an issue for you?! They are a real lunch treat, I promise.

1st June 20182nd June 2018

Milestones (Kelowna)

Milestones is one chain restaurant that I enjoy for a number of reasons that will hopefully become clear throughout this review. It’s a great go-to place in that it’s centrally located near Orchard Park Mall, they offer some good deals on certain nights of the week, and it’s the type of place that everyone can find something they enjoy on the menu.

Some points of note:

There is loads of parking as Milestones shares a parking lot with the mall. While it’s a busy lot, we’ve always managed to find a spot quite near the door.
It can get busy at this place so I recommend making reservations but I want to point out something wonderful…when I called to make a reservation the hostess asked me if we required any special accommodations “such as a table with wheelchair accessibility”. She asked me that completely unprompted! That’s how it’s done, people!
The bar/lounge side of the restaurant has those high chairs that I really dislike but the dining side has mostly booths and one wall with booth seats against the wall and tables and chair that can me moved. But the great thing is that the booths are large, and wide, and comfortable. I can easily fit in them! Again, this place pays attention to people’s comfort and that means a lot to me.
There is an outdoor seating area but I haven’t eaten out there so I’m unsure of the seating arrangements (it has a privacy fence between it and the parking lot, and walls separating it from the main areas of the restaurant). Maybe I’ll check it out this summer.
I have never had anything but excellent, friendly service at this location.
The washrooms are wheelchair accessible.
They offer some items on the menu permanently but they also have seasonal items (the lobster bisque I had this past winter was excellent!).

Two of my favourite nights to eat here are Monday nights and Wednesday night. On Mondays you can order 4 appetizers with either 4 bellinis or a pitcher of beer for $40. Wednesdays are “Date Night” and you’re welcome to order from the regular menu at regular prices but they have a smaller menu that allows you and your “date” to share an appy, each have a main, and share a dessert for $50. It usually offers a choice of about 5 appetizers, 8 entrées, and 2 desserts.

I ordered myself a bellini as I love them here. In the past, I’d only ever had the regular size. On this night I went all wild and crazy and ordered the large! As much as I enjoy them, I think I’ll stick to the regular size going forward as I’m a light drinker and a fishbowl of alcohol is a bit much for me. Still delicious, though!

On this particular night, I chose from the Date Night menu and shared an appetizer of spinach and artichoke dip with tortilla chips, had ginger soy-glazed salmon with bok choy and spicy pineapple shrimp fried rice, and for dessert spilt a piece of white chocolate cheesecake that we weren’t quite able to finish between two of us. It’s a lot of food and I took half of my entrée home for lunch the next day.

If you’re looking for excellent service and consistently good food, this is a great place to enjoy a meal.

1st June 2018

Buy The Sea (West Kelowna)

You may know of Buy The Sea as a place to buy wonderful fresh and frozen seafood items but you can also eat in or get takeout from their small menu of tasty items such as fish & chips or seafood chowder.

Things of note:

The West Kelowna location is located in a small strip mall with its own parking lot. The parking lot does get busy but we’re always able to find a spot not too far from the entrance.
There is a sidewalk curb but there are no stairs outside or inside the place.
There is a single unisex bathroom that is wheelchair accessible.
The chairs are free of arms and held my weight without complaint, and the tables and chairs can be moved around as needed.
Most days they have a lunch special at a discounted rate.

The place is not fancy but the food is fresh and tasty. You go up to the window at the back and order from the board, pay at the till, and they bring your food out to you when it’s ready.

I had the one piece cod and chips meal. The batter was so crispy and the fish inside was flaky and tender. It was perfectly cooked! The fries were hot and fresh. I will definitely order this again, and I’d like to try their chowders sometime, too (they make the Boston and the Manhattan varieties).

Also, if you’re looking for seafood to cook at home, I can tell you that their tuna is excellent! I look forward to trying more products from Buy The Sea in the future.

If you happen to be in Penticton and are craving seafood they also have a location there.

For more reviews, you can check out Buy The Sea on Zomato:

1st June 20181st June 2018

Pickled Red Onion

In the Nova Scotia section I posted about a restaurant called Rhubarb where I had the best chick pea salad I’ve ever eaten, and it included pickled red onion. I wanted to attempt a version of the salad at home so I pickled my own red onion for the first time. I didn’t follow a single internet recipe. Rather, I read a bunch and then just sort of winged it. The pickled onions turned out quite nice and I still have some left, that I think I might use on some grilled burgers this weekend. Here is the recipe I cobbled together.

Ingredients:

1 medium-sized red onion
2 cups water
½ cup white vinegar
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
Pinch of salt
½ tsp. course ground black pepper

Other:

2 x 250ml canning jar or other sealing container (or whatever sized containers you prefer that equal 500mls in total).

Note: I sometimes give out homemade canned goods to friends at Christmas time or as hostess gifts. For this recipe, I’d probably use these as they are such a nice little size! https://amzn.to/2JpUSns

Method:

Slice the onion into any shapes and sizes that you please. Consistency of size and shape is up to you. I will call my cuts “rustic” ;o)
Divide the onion pieces between the two 250 mls jars and set aside.
Add all of the other ingredients to a small pot, give them a stir, and put on the stove at medium heat. Bring to a boil so that all the sugar dissolves.
Once it has come to a boil and the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat and immediately pour the liquid into the jars with the onion in them.
Seal, let cool, and then transfer to the fridge.

The red pickled onion will be ready to eat after 24 hours but should also last for weeks in the fridge!

This recipe resulted in lightly pickled onions. I will likely try it again in the future but I think I will double the vinegar, or maybe play around and try other types of vinegars. It really is a matter of personal taste so play around with this and have fun. If you come up with some flavourful additions to this recipe, please comment and let me know! I was thinking that adding some hot pepper might be a nice addition for those who like things spicy.

Here’s how the onion looked after 24 hours. So translucent and pretty!

As for the chick pea salad, I rinsed and drained a can of chick peas, cut up some cucumber and cherry tomatoes, added some roasted chick peas for crunch ( https://amzn.to/2kC0NIi ), chopped up some of the pickled red onions, and I tossed that all together with some Kraft honey mustard salad dressing. I have to admit that it wasn’t quite as good with the roasted chick peas as it was with the deep fried ones that the restaurant, Rhubarb, makes, but probably it was a little healthier and it was still very tasty.

Kraft Creamy Honey Mustard (You can find this at Amazon here: https://amzn.to/2st2fAc ) :

I would eat this salad again for sure. As you can see, below, I served it with some cold, sliced steak that I had grilled the night before, with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. It’s a great dinner for a hot summer night when you don’t want to heat up the house.

Happy pickling to you all!

31st May 20181st June 2018

Greenwood Aviation Military Museum (Greenwood)

As a bit of nostalgia, one of the people I was travelling with wanted to go to the Greenwood Aviation Military Museum and it turned out to be a really cool place! The outside of the museum is surrounded by an expansive lawn with large military aircraft that you can walk around and look at. If walking is difficult for you, you can drive up to each plane and have a look from your vehicle or get out at each one for closer inspection.

The two fellows that were working that day were super friendly and happy to answer any questions or tell stories. They were full of good humour and hospitality!

Here are some things of note:

The parking lot is large and ample parking made it easy for us to park near the entrance.
The museum is wheelchair accessible as are the bathrooms.
There are only 2 areas of the museum that are not wheelchair accessible. The first is the gift shop and that is because it is very tiny and cramped. As a very wide person, I found myself having to twist and turn my way around a bit. The second is that there is one exhibit that requires you to go up about 6 stairs, walk through a narrow-ish walkway, and then go back down 6 stairs at the other end. I will show a picture of the latter further down.
There are plenty of places to sit if you need to rest and they are mostly very wide, sturdy benches so you don’t have to worry about pinched hips or unsteady stools and chairs.

Here are a couple of the aircraft outside the museum:

I didn’t get pictures from every exhibit but you’re likely to find something that interests you at this museum. There are stations set up to look like different scenarios (switchboard operators, control rooms, etc.), real equipment that has been used over the years (drone parts, audio and video equipment, and more), model aircraft of all sorts, information about people who served, so many types of engines and other equipment that I could only identify because of the placards, propaganda materials, and more!

Here are some pictures from various exhibits:

This is the one exhibit that requires one to go up about half a dozen stairs to walk through it and then go down the same number of stairs at the other end:

If you’re in the area of Greenwood, Nova Scotia, this makes a fun and educational stop! For more information, you can visit the museum’s website here:

http://www.gmam.ca/