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don't forget about marley farm winery - also on the saanich peninsula - about 5 minutes drive from both church and state and winchester cellars. though they're known for their fruit wines, they also do dry grape wines - pinot grigio, pinot noir and blends - - and have a tasting room open year round. www.marelyfarm.ca glad you enjoyed your san pen tour barolo!

tigh-na-mara may be a beautiful place to stay (haven't been overnight myself) and is definetely the place to spa, but you should also check out parksville's quality resort bayside - - RIGHT on the beach - - and the on-site heron's restaurant - ahh.... that view... also try the landing restaurant - in the pacific shores, in nanoose. chef colin dunn is an egulleter and could probably enlighten more...

definitely - check out markus' wharfside restaurant - - http://www.markuswharfsiderestaurant.com/index.html chef = owner. hostess/sommelier = owner. lovely

last i heard, earl's is keeping their location next to the arena, as well as opening up a few blocks away in the bay centre. different crowds of tourists, i suppose.

hi ryan - and welcome to egullet!! many thanks for the invite - - i'd love to stop by. i'll pm you when my schedule is finalized. same with you whifflechef - - great website, by the by. i really appreciate everyone's recommendations thus far. i'm a little bummed about union station hotel restaurant, but am thinking capitol grille (though sean brock is no longer there in may??) or wild boar (though it may be closed?) for fine dining eve. the other three nights are quickly falling into place - (watermark/radius10/bound'ry are in the running - and now tayst/pastperfect). and it looks like i might need to rent a car.. i saw there's a wine festival on saturday, may 20th - taste of tn?? i had no idea there were wineries in the state - how exciting!! we have a thriving wine industry here in bc - mainly centered in the okanagan valley, but also growing rapidly here on vancouver island. what sort of grape varietals do you grow there? is the wine festival worth a car rental day for? (it's at the race track). thanks all! t

this is great stuff - many thanks roughly how much would a taxi cost from opryland hotel to the gulch area? is the gulch area downtown? if not - how much between opryland and downtown? leading to another area of questioning - - what about food shops/markets? anything i should make sure to visit? i arrive in town on a monday, leave on the following sunday morning, so if there's a saturday market or something, i could definitely hit that.

oh - that's a shame. it looked like such a lovely room. so this fine dining restaurant is closed, and the wild boar is in bankruptcy - - is this reflective of the trend in nashville dining presently? not so high-end, but more casual eats? would you say there's a vibrant food culture in your town, or is it eclipsed by music fervour and cultural pursuits?

Of course your companion has a conference at the hotel---it's the only reaon any sane person ever stays there. My last visit was for a chess tournament for my son, and you really haven't lived until you've been in a hotel with one bajillion geeky little chess kids, or one bajillion hematologists, or one bajillion quilt makers or, well, you get the picture. It could be worse, though. You could be visiting during Christmas, when it's mobbed by day trippers to see the decorated atria. Bring alcohol. ← you're hilarious!! thanks for the info/warning. i'll treat the hotel like disneyworld - suspend belief and enjoy the ride.

many thanks for everyone's feedback thus far. my companion has a conference at the opryland hotel - which is why we're staying there. i will definitely break away though to try restaurants off site. i've heard something about a high end restaurant in a hotel that used to be a train station...??? we'd like to do at least one fine dining experience during our trip. sorry to hear about wild boar - i understand they had a vast wine cellar.

hello all - i'm a food/wine writer from victoria, british columbia, visiting nashville for the first time in early may. i'd love to hear recommendations on where to find the best dining experiences. i'm there for almost a week, so lots of time to spend munching. i'm also interested in finding out places with great wine lists - doesn't have to be fancy, just well chosen. i'm staying at gaylord opryland hotel, so would love to hear about the eateries on site, as well as in other areas of nashville (downtown?). i won't have a car, but don't mind cabbing or grabbing a shuttle in search of good food. thanks kindly for your help

you can also read the 'secret diner' reviews of dine around victoria - posted daily on tourism victoria's website - www.tourismvictoria.com/dine

chef alain leger has moved to canoe, late of brentwood bay lodge.

i think this is amazing value - and my newly found favourite riesling - - Riesling Kabinett Badstube - Dr. Pauly Bergweiler 2003 SKU #219956 / UPC #831906005215 Price: $29.95 Alcohol %: 10 % Sweetness: 00 Volume: 750 mL Country: Germany

the november/december edition of eat magazine is now on the streets - - great poker night piece andrew!

no speedos while we're eating - thanks i believe the $100.00 per person ticket price gets you a 4 course dinner -

hi matt r. - this is what i know: November 6 – Vancouver Island Chef of the Year Competition Inaugural event put on by the Canadian Culinary Federation (CCF) Victoria branch. Ten Chefs have been selected from entries open to all professional chefs and cooks resident on Vancouver Island. Their task involves incorporating Island products in a four course dinner menu for 10 people – the winner receives a $1000 cash prize and the illustrious Chef of the Year title. Camosun College, Interurban Campus. $100.00. 598 5817 or mikepitre@shaw.ca i also know they're trying to get local wineries to match wines with the courses - should be an interesting event.

paprika is pretty cozy - but an absolute beauty of a room. an intimate wedding perhaps....

the winchester cellars winemaker's dinner is sold out, but they're taking seats on the waiting list. i however, will see you there shelora

www.eatmagazine.ca

i would check out herons restaurant in the quality inn bayside resort. absolutely beautiful oceanfront view, mid priced west coast cuisine. open for breaky, lunch and dinner - and awesome sunday brunch. they also have a sports pub on site if that's your mood. www.qualityresortparksville.com if you're up there at the end of the month, they're doing a import winemakers dinner - september 29th. they have a series that runs throughout the year - i've been up to every one now...

thank you mr. toast - sinclair and his team at s.h.h. are amazing - a true gem. i'm glad you were able to enjoy a true, honest slice of west coast's finest.

i vote for brasserie for dinner (make a reservation for 2 for the table in the window = perfect) and pick up george's sausages to go from paprika. delish! enjoy victoria - the dragon boat festival is this weekend so downtown will be hopping!

thanks shelora - i keep meaning to meander over the bridge to check them out. another great reason to visit is general manager mark wachtin - late of nanaimo's glow restaurant, as well as new arrival stuart brown on the floor - ex manager extraordinaire of the hotel grand pacific's mark restaurant. with those two professionals on board, i have zero doubts that service levels will be top notch.

i had a drink at lure at the opr last saturday - we were told it was three days after opening. definitely some issues to resolve - it took nearly 10 minutes for someone to come over to us, even though the place was near deserted at 4pm, and my bubbly came nearly 10 minutes after my date's cocktail arrived - but i'll chalk it up to newbie jitterbugs to be worked out. a nice little cup o nibblies arrived - peanuts and the like - and the view is certainly tops. we didn't stay for sup, but i perused the menu - so many typos that i couldn't go on! i'm a writer - these things are pet peeves! beautiful menu covers and presentation - just get thee a proofreader! prices are reasonable - and on par with like restaurants. chef mike weaver is a gem - order any of the desserts and you won't be disappointed. i'll certainly make my way back - maybe in a few months tho and good luck in vancouver marnie! victoria will miss you!

i saw hookahs in the window on my morning walk to work...