Restaurants

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Needing an Evening Out

I’m still very much under the weather, unheard of for me after almost a full week, but I have my appetite back now that I can taste food again. I haven’t been out in a week, other than to check my mail and run a few errands, and I was starting to feel mildly claustrophobic. Moreover, my fridge’s offerings were positively unappealing. So, this being a Sunday night I thought the Drunken Goat might be quiet and a good place to catch a bite. After all, isn’t garlic good for the immune system? 🙂

I wasn’t ravenous, so I thought of just ordering an appetizer rather than a full platter. But then I noticed that there was a wrap available for a very reasonable price, under $20, even made up as a meal with a salad, rice, and potatoes. I decided to try that, confident that I would have leftovers for a nice lunch tomorrow, which I did. It was all very tasty and just what I needed. The best part? A wonderful person I know picked up the tab for me!

Since I had a relatively light dinner, I had room for dessert, so off I went to the ice cream parlour where I confounded the server by asking for cookie dough instead of Rolo. 🙂 I took my cone up to my favourite bench by the river and watched the muddy eddies of the mighty Yukon mix with the clear waters of the Klondike. The day had started off very grey and nasty, but the sun was finally out in full force. I took my time enjoying my ice cream, savouring the cold treat and the warmth on my face, knowing that my Klondike days could very well be numbered and that such evenings remaining might very well now be counted on one hand. I have a lot on my mind right now, but my plans are taking shape.

When I finally headed back to the car I ran into one of my friends and we gabbed for a bit. I cannot believe how impossible it is to go out in Dawson without running into someone I know!

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The Drunken Goat Taverna

I have a little secret: for five months now, I have been directing Dawson City visitors to one of the best restaurants in Dawson, the Drunken Goat Taverna… without having actually stepped foot inside. Oh, I have had their food; wonderful people have shared their take out with me, but that’s not really the same.

Since I wasn’t working this evening I decided it was time to go to the Goat.

The menu is rather small, featuring the typical Greek appetizers as well as platters of roasted meat with rice, potatoes, and salad. The average price of a dinner is $30, but there is a ‘platter for two or more’ option that offers very good value as it includes spanokopita, cheesy phyllo thingies, shrimp, pita with tzaziki, rice, potatoes, salad, and a HUGE skewer of meat (lamb, beef, or chicken) per person.

Being alone, I decided to go for the chicken breast dinner with Greek salad, which would have come to about $31 with the tip. I made my decision while standing in a corner with a glass of water waiting for a table to open up. When one did it was a four seater and there were three solo diners waiting for a seat. The restaurant is quite small and very busy, so we were fine with dining together. As the fellows perused the menu, I suggested we split a platter for three. I can’t believe how bold I’ve become! They estimated the quantity of food and cost per person and realised that my suggestion was very good one. We didn’t regret it! There was so much food that we wound up giving some to a fourth person who joined us just as we were finishing up the appetizers! The cost per person was only $31, including taxes and tip.

The food was delicious and very fresh. I even liked the potatoes (very sweet and flavourful) and spanokopita (spinach isn’t my favourite thing in the universe). The phyllo cheese things are addictive (I had some this week from a friend’s takeout) and the chicken was so moist and flavourful. Add sweet shrimps, chewy rice, and perfectly dressed Greek-style salad! The service was okay and the atmosphere quite cozy. I doubt I’d go back to the Goat alone, it’s just not as good value when solo, but I’d happily join a group!

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Sam ‘N’ Andy’s Restaurant, Whitehorse

Tuesday night in Whitehorse, I had dinner  at Sam ‘N’ Andy’s, a Tex-Mex restaurant. The food and service were ho-hum, but much, much better than at the ‘authentic’ Sanchez Cantina.

My chicken enchilada was flavourful, but the sides of rice with vegetables and a boring garden salad were uninspired, which was a shame. Why bother with a good main course and neglect the sides?

The server was brusque, but attentive. I didn’t have to wait long for service even though the place was busy, and my drink and food came promptly.

If I’m ever desperate for Mexican or Tex-Mex in Whitehorse, I’d definitely go back to Sam ‘N’ Andy’s… if only for their giant delicious two-ounce mojitos!

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La Table on 5th

La Table on 5th is the best restaurant in Dawson and quite possibly in all of the Yukon. It is attached to the Aurora Inn, which offers the finest accommodation in Dawson. To say it’s out of my budget is putting it mildly.

Well, I was invited to dine with someone at La Table tonight, so I got a chance to see what the fuss is all about. Oh. My. The offerings are the difference between ‘cooking’ and ‘cuisine.’

We started by splitting the ‘summer salad’, which had spinach, endive, pear, walnuts, and gorgonzola. That would make a meal unto itself. There’s nothing like the salty-sweet pairing of pears and gorgonzola with nuts for crunch!

As a main course, my companion had beef, potatoes dauphinoise, spinach, and red onion compote. I had the butternut squash gnocchi which came in a creamy goat cheese sauce sprinkled with pancetta and topped with spinach, roasted asparagus, and roasted red peppers. Divine.

We then had a 12 year old whisky (Scotch!), a Glenlivet, which is one of my favourites as it is so smooth and peaty. My companion made an honest effort but didn’t enjoy the drink at all. I loved the look on the server’s face when I said I wanted it neat, a look I always get when I order whisky neat. Heck, if I’m going to drink something with that kind of a price tag I don’t want it watered down! As an aside, that’s what uskeba (in my email address) means, whisky that is. I created the word as an anglicised version of usquebaugh, or whisky. 😉

The meal ended with a ‘dessert tester’–mango pineapple compote, chocolate volcano-type cake with strawberry coulé, and their version of tiramisu (which was like no tiramisu I’ve ever had). All were delicious. 🙂

Service at La Table is personal, unhurried, and attentive which, together with the fine offerings from the kitchen, make the La Table experience worth the price tag. Dining there tonight was a treat I would hope to repeat one day.

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Of All the Campgrounds in All the Towns in All the North, They Walked into Mine

Today wasn’t a good day. I was tired, cranky, and grumpy from working every day for four weeks solid and I just wanted to be done with my day since I have most of tomorrow off. I’d just started the evening shift and was taking a reservation over the phone when I heard someone walk into the office. I turned around and my foul mood lifted as a big grin formed itself at the sight of someone I’d been hoping would make it to Dawson, but whom I never expected to see again: my roommate at the hostel in Tofino!!!

Unfortunately, she spent three days looking for me and is leaving tomorrow, but we still had a chance to go out tonight and catch up on where our last four months of travel have taken us. It was surreal to be sitting at Gerties with this gal I chatted with into the wee hours of the morning while overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

She went off to wash her car and next thing I knew some folks were coming to renew their stay. “Last name’s Church.” I felt a tingle and fumbled for their check-in card. It said Mike Church. I asked “Are you THE Mike Church?” They needed a bit more to say yay or nay, so I looked at his wife and said “Are you Terri?” Yes, indeed. I had the awesome pleasure of not only meeting Mike and Terri Church tonight, but also of making a complete fool of myself (according to a colleague) fawning over their wonderful book about RVing the north! 😀

I’d made plans with my friends G&F to meet them at Gerties tonight since they leave town tomorrow, but my heart hadn’t really been into it until M walked through that door and brightened my night. I’m not sure how it happened, but it wound up being a whole gang of us going to Gerties; two friends from Australia, G&F who are Chinese studying in Canada, J who is from Halifax, and M who is from Austria. I joked that had J not come, I would have had to use my French-Canadian accent to blend in with the other accents. 😀 We spent about an hour and a half talking and joking over drinks. I was ravenous so I decided to try the vegetarian lasagna, which was a very good deal at $12.95 since the generous portion included Caesar salad and garlic toast.

It seems that bad days have no shortage of good moments, or, perhaps, that good days can be infused with bad moments. 🙂