Great Food, Great Friends, Great Fun!

I just spent the weekend in Victoria, visiting one of my favorite people, my dear friend, Kim.   There was food, wine, shopping, more food, plenty of laughs and some really great friends.   Oh yes, and more wine.  Sigh. As always, the time goes by so fast.  I took a picture of a random tree because back home in Calgary, we still have snow.  This hardly seems fair.

Friday night Kim and I went for dinner at Camille's.  A wonderfully quaint restaurant in down town Victoria, which prides itself for using all local ingredients.  We decided to really indulge, which incidentally became somewhat of a theme for us for the duration of the weekend, and partook in the Chef's tasting, a five course meal with wine pairings. I must give credit where credit is due, this was Kim's choice of restaurant and her suggestion that we forego the menu altogether and just put our trust in the chef.  This from the girl who I've never seen order anything more adventurous than a beef dip or a chicken club sandwich.  What has happened to my predictable friend? I was quite happy to oblige.  The meal went something like this:

Halibut Ceviche with Carrot Ginger Salad...

  

Lemon Ginger and Spot Prawn Bisque...

Lamb Merguez Sausage with Rosemary Mashed Potato and Olive Tapenade...

Veal Striploin, Wild Mushroom Forestiere, 

Stinging Nettle Pest, Herb & Parmesan Choux Pastry...

Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta, 

Local Rhubarb & Tawny Port CompoteSable Cookies...

I'm not too proud to admit that I ate everything on all my plates.  I really did.  It was a wonderful meal and I will definitely be back.  Just in the interest of keeping it real though, and at the risk of sounding like I'm tooting my own horn (did I really say that?), I have made a better Panna Cotta than that one.  Sorry.  It's true.  That one was still good, lovely in fact, but mine's better.  I'm just sayin...

So Saturday we decided to stay in and have a few of Kim's closest friends (none of whom I'd ever had the pleasure of meeting) come over. Everyone brought something to eat and we pigged out.  I mean really pigged out. I will post the details and recipes of our little private food festival that was Saturday night, but I am absolutely exhausted right now and must get the kids to bed.  But before I sign off, I just have to say that I had the best weekend ever.  As trying as it can be at times to have one of your favorite people and best friends move away, I'm truly fortunate and grateful that she moved to a place I love to visit.  For a stay-at-home mom who sometimes gets bogged down by the monotony of daily routines, a change of scenery is good for the soul.  And, as of Saturday, I am even more excited to return and hopefully see more of Kim's amazing friends.  So fun.  More soon...