Bloganagan

Pincushion Mountain – Peachland, BC

No more excuses – I say, trying to convince myself. I could go on indefinitely finding reasons to keep tapping at this keyboard instead of tying on the hiking boots. Must get outside. The hiking partner parental unit gives me a nudge with a suggestion that Pincushion Mountain in Peachland is calling my name. Somehow, out of all the trails I’ve hiked in the Okanagan, this pretty obvious one has been overlooked. Let’s do it.

Hayman Lake – McDougal Rim

The phone message from my hiking partner (aka mountain-goat-Dad) sounds urgent. "The flowers at Hayman Lake are amazing – best I've ever seen them. Won't last long!" A mental picture forms. Hayman is a high country lake on top of McDougal Rim, the ridge directly across Okanagan Lake from the city of Kelowna. I know from experience that the flower show on the ridge usually peaks around Father's Day, so the timing is right for lupines, Indian paintbrush, columbine, maybe some chocolate lilies and a host of other flowers with names I can never remember. I pop on the headset and punch in the parental unit's number. While we talk, I start plugging in camera batteries and sorting lenses. I'm desperate to give my new 100mm macro its second field test. 

Many Hats Theatre Company

Yesterday I posted a review  that I did for Okanagan Life's Best Restaurants issue on The Can Coffee Company, home of the Cannery Stage where the Many Hats Theatre Company performs. Ed Schneider has just let me know that The Can has closed, but Many Hats is alive and well. Next performance Same Time Next Year, July 8, 2010.

Victoria Rd Deli & Bistro

While chefs all over the Okanagan talk about fresh local ingredients, Roger Gillespie really walks the walk. Like many good eateries, Victoria Rd’smenu changes often, though you can always count on specialties like handmade smoked duck ham and fresh corned beef.  Being a fry fan, I was knocked out by Roger’s signature mixed frites—yams, potatoes and parsnips—and then I discovered I was dipping these little tasties into his own smoked tomato and cherry ketchup made with heirloom tomatoes grown on his own property. Sensational.

Brown Derby Café

Owners Carolyn and Neil Todd don’t have to say a word, their characters are stamped all over the place. A card on my table is very specific. “Listen carefully while your voluptuous and perky server titillates your taste buds with today’s tantalizing treats.” So when my voluptuous and perky server rushes up and reels off: “Mango, carrot and walnut soup; avocado, cream cheese, tomato and lettuce wrap or Reuben …” then stands with pencil poised over notepad, I’m all ears, but a little shaken. (Guessing the Brown Derby’s mostly local trade inArmstrong already knows the regular line-up.) 

Passa Tempo

My first experience of Passa Tempo, the chic bistro at Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort & Spa in Osoyoos, was a dinner I won’t forget. It was my amazing good fortune to be seated at the restaurant’s 20-person alder wood table next to wine guru John Schreiner. He patiently talked me through a succession of wonderful Okanagan vintages (representing a good number of the more than 140 labels on the wine list from the Valley and beyond) that were paired with a succession of equally wonderful dishes (and did it without making me feel like a complete wine dolt). 

A la Crêpe

Silvia Thomas calls them her little delights — les p’tits bonheurs de Silvia — but there’s nothing little about the delight I take in her fruitilicious crepes. If I know I’m going to the Kelowna Farmers' and Creafters' Market on Saturday, my mouth starts watering about Wednesday. On the big day, I join the inevitable line-up and watch the tag-team show as Silvia and her partner, Helene Guy, efficiently work their magic. 

Valentini's Café

Penticton’s converted Cannery Trade Centre serves up double-barrelled dining. When I’m hungry, I head straight for Valentine’s Café. Local art for sale makes for a tasty gallery, but the menu favours home cooking like thick and spicy tomato/veg puree soup with a veggie sandwich on fresh bread featuring avocado and asparagus. Makes me very happy. There’s a daily special along with wraps and sandwiches on chiabata. Locals swear by the breakfast wraps, omelettes and Bennie’s.

Hubert's Restaurant

I discovered Hubert’s by accident. I was in Lumby doing a photo shoot on paragliding and finished up around lunchtime. Terror (or was that exhilaration) builds a ferocious appetite—so the sight of a flower-decked patio in front of a homey restaurant was life saving. My next discovery, that the house specialty was schnitzel, sent me over the moon.