Got it, Cook it: Victoria BC Food Fest

Everyone needs Tea at the Empress, it's the thing to do in Victoria!

The last time we had tea at the Empress was in 1985, on our honeymoon.... so it's been a while. The Empress is now a Fairmont hotel, so it's a splurge to stay there, however, you can find some great deals in the off season if you look.
However, Tea at the Empress is no bargain, that's for sure, at $50 a person. We almost talked ourselves out of going, but our sister-in-law, who had never been, said "this time, I AM going". LOL, okay, we're in too.
So, just in case you've never been, maybe you'd like to see what you get for the money.

The service and atmosphere are beautiful, and the view is fantastic looking out over the inner harbor of Victoria from the Palm Court at the Empress Hotell. You start by choosing your type of tea from the tea menu. It arrives in the classic silver pot and poured by your waiter. A very civilized small table sits by your dining table, so you don't have to impede your access to the goodies when they arrive. Shortly after your tea is served, you get some strawberries and cream to start your tea. After that, each table gets a three tiered plate stand of goodies. You start at the bottom and work your way up.
Here's what you get for the price, 5 different kinds of finger sandwiches: ham, curried chicken salad, smoked salmon pinwheel, classic cucumber, and the best egg salad I've ever had (and I'm no fan of egg salad). Each type of sandwich was perfectly paired with just the right type of bread. I especially liked the curried chicken salad on some sort of rye bread. The raisin scones, with cream and jam are delicious. Simple, classic and fantastic.

We ate 1 or 2 of the sweets, but had no room to finish them. The lemon curd tart and the shortbread were my favorites, but we packed away the white chocolate grand marnier cake, the chocolate truffle cake and the chocolate mousse for a pick me up later. We ate them on the Gulf Islands ferry boat on the way home.
Left, A little bit of the beautiful ceiling detail in the Palm Court tea room.

Below, when it's time to go, you get a little box of their famous Empress blend tea to take home. We were groaning a bit when we left, but a little walk over to the BC Museum for some wandering through the exhibits was just the thing. It's a great museum, and highly recommended.

A rainy day in Victoria with a couple of old gents strolling through town on their way to the Tartan festival. It's not every day you get to enjoy a fuzzy sporran swinging down the street in broad daylight.

Irish Times Pub- This place is right downtown on Government Street a couple of blocks from the Harbor. It's a great old building, maybe a bank in the old days, but not a great pub. We didn't eat here this time, but did manage to stop in for some beers a couple of times.

They have the normal beers you'd expect with about 30 on tap; the classic Irish, Guiness, Harp, Kilkenny and a great beer called Innis & Gunn from Scotland. Its stout beer aged in old whiskey barrells and it made everyone in the group say "wow" after one taste. So different, and so delicious, I can't wait to find it somewhere else in Seattle.

Brasserie L'ecole was written up in Sunset magazine last month as one of the top places to go in Victoria. Looking on "Yelp" it was confirmed as a terrific place to go, OK, so I will go already! The menu changes every day, and they post a PDF of that day's menu on their website, which is a fun way to get an idea of what's cooking for dinner. Also, they don't take reservations and the place is small, so my advice is get there at 5:30 when they open and get your name in for dinner. We got there at 5:35 and every table was filled, so we gave our cell phone number and the hostess told us she's call us when the table was ready, probably around 7:30. We meandered back down to the Irish Times for a beer while we waited, and presto, before we knew it was time. We saw so many people get turned away that night, mostly because I'm sure it's a challenge to turn their tables more than 3 times. Our service was amazing, and we never felt rushed.

Here's the wine we chose, and at $50 a bottle, it was amazing and a bargain compared to most wine lists.

The green salad, with hazelnuts, green apple and lardons. You know lardons, right? Big, fat hunks of crisp bacon, on your salad.
My sister in law was gracious enough to let us all try her lardons. Really, I'm not sure I could have shared.

I had the smoked raw ahi, with sweet potato fries and some celeriac slaw. I can't remember what those little orange spots of color were, but they were delicious and I finished them up in no time.

The chicken liver mousse was pretty good, but not as good as my Mom's. I know... who even says that?

These days, I make my Mom's recipe for chicken liver pate for my husband who is a big fan. Maybe I will have to blog this some day, it really is delicious.

This is a terrible picture of the french onion soup, but it was delicious with cheesy goodness, and the classic sweet onion soup. I need to make some of this again.
I especially like these classic lion bowls. I really need some.

Below, I had the beef that is slow roasted like a pot roast, then sliced and pan seared, served with a peppercorn sauce and homemade gnocchi and pureed carrots. It was topped with frizzled, crispy fried kale, a very nice touch.

My hubby and brother in law both had the steak and frites. The frites were some of the best I've had... ever... and served with homemade aioli. Divine.

An old favorite, Pagliacci's.
This place has been a favortie place in Victoria for over 40 years.
It's another restaurant that doesn't take reservations, so be prepared to wait. Luckily, these tables turn quickly and we waited only a short while.
The bread alone is worth the trip. I can't remember when I've eaten more bread at dinner. Normally, I say NO to bread. Not at this place. They will keep bringing it and bringing it.
I keep eating it and eating it.

I wish I might have taken another picture besides the bread and the antipasto platter, but we were having such fun, we just didn't. Whether you have a pasta, a steak or a salad entree, the place is consistent and well priced. Worth a trip to check it out. It's nothing fancy inside, a NY Italian-style one room dining room where people are loud, chatting and having fun. Just the place for a casual night out in Victoria.

My advice, get outta town, get outta the county and take a little jaunt to Victoria for some fun.

After a dinner like that, you really do need to gt out and stretch your legs. The inner harbor is all lit up with the lights from the parliament building. A great weekend getaway in Victoria was had by all.