Fed Up with Julie

Photo: At the Listel Hotel media launch for Dining Out For Life: Mark Wendenburg, Senior Winemaker, Sumac Ridge Estate Winery; Lisa Martella, Executive Director, A Loving Spoonful ; Sheena Sargent, Executive Director, Friends For Life Society.

Credit: G. Hynes

It was pitching down rain, and my husband and I were both just on the mend from wicked colds. We felt like a bit of dining indulgence. The two of us decided to forgo the stove, ditch doing dirty dishes and go on a date. Cru is about a five-minute walk from our place, just enough to make an arm-in-arm soggy stroll romantic. The cozy restaurant’s Thursday’s date night menu—a three course dinner for two with a bottle of wine for $99 turned out to be a great meal deal if ever there were one. A Riesling-poached Anjou pear with micro greens, Poplar Grove’s Tiger Blue cheese and toasted hazelnut preceded my main course of sweet seared Qualicum Bay Scallops on a bed of tender braised Savoy cabbage, and Steve’s creamy butternut squash risotto. Chocolate truffle torte with peanut butter mascarpone was like finishing up with Reese’s peanut butter cups for grown-ups, but way better. And the wine was no slouch either. Expecting a modest little white to be included, I was surprised and pleased we were offered a bottle of Burrowing Owl Pinot Gris. A hundred bucks for a special night out? Not bad at all.

So, on March Thursday 25th, make a date of it at Cru, or any one of the 230 plus restaurants that have signed on to Dining Out for Life. Twenty-five percent of the establishments’ take will go to Friends for Life which provides services to persons with any life-threatening illness including cancer and Hepatitis C, and Loving Spoonful a volunteer driven, society that provides, nutritious meals to people living with HIV/AIDS. Sumac Ridge is this year’s wine sponsor and a dollar from every bottle purchased will also be go to the cause.

There’s a cool contest too. Email a photo of your gang having a fine time along with a 100-word caption (dofl@thefinerdetails.ca) on why dining out is important to your team. The best pic and blurb will win Dinner for Eight (5 course meal) in a private dining room at O’Doul’s Restaurant & Bar, and will appear in Business in Vancouver.

Dining Out For Life is taking place on March 25th throughout Vancouver, Whistler, the Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island. Log on to diningoutforlife.com for a list of participating restaurants and their menus.