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Cabrales: You should check out the Oyama Sausage Co at the market. I don't know where they're getting their cheese but it's very good. We had a fantastic aged Gruyere from them a couple of weeks ago. As long as you're there you owe it to yourself to try some of the the pate (campagne, breton) and any of the sausage they make. Altho it's a good idea to get some instructions on how to prepare them. I was in Les Amis du Fromage on the weekend. They have Jean Grogne (sp?) which is a fantastic aged triple cream type cheese. Goes very nice with their anchovy stuffed olives. I keep telling myself all this protein will make me trim and svelte and that the unseasonable amounts of sun are causing my belt to shrink. Oh well.

As long as Bittman was in the neighbourhood he should have given Bin 942 a try. It never seems to get the attention that the big names do but the food is fabulous. You don't get waiters hovering over you like at Ouest but the food is great. Like Vij it has a very casual atmosphere but is very serious about what ends up on your plate.

Junior, Les Amis de Fromage is the new name for Menusetters. It is an excellent place for any type of cheese and once they know what you like they can usually make excellent suggestions. They also can do up cheese platters and gift baskets for any budget that will definitely make a big impression. You probably can't go wrong with their recommendations, altho there was this Australian blue that probably would have been better in a Monty Python skit than a cracker.

We were up in Tofino in the middle of September. The Long Beach Lodge was a nice surprise. The food was much better than I would have expected from a new place and the atmosphere was very loose and holidaylike. Dinner at the Wick on the other was just this side of execrable. My companion had a steak that was too tough by far and the food lacked any real sizzle. The atmosphere left something to be desired with waiters still on a training program and the generally stiff atmosphere nicely complementing the large number of male patrons wearing jacket and tie. The setting is beautiful but I have never been impressed with the food or atmosphere or help and this last experience will be the last. The Middle Beach Lodge does a crab feed buffet style on Friday nights that hits the right note for a resort meal. Unfortunately this time we gave that up in favour of the Wick (all those good reviews have to be right. Right?) The setting is nearly as good as the Wick and the lodge great room is a fantastic place to eat and enjoy and apple crisp for dessert. This time the weather was unbelievable and made the whole place more beautiful than usual.