Prince George
DININGGUIDE
Presented by
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2014 Dining & Entertainment Guide
Table Of Contents Pizza Hut......................................................................................................PG 04 Subway........................................................................................................PG 05 The Keg........................................................................................................PG 07 Hummus Brothers.................................................................................PG 08 Kelly O’Bryan’s..........................................................................................PG 10 North 54......................................................................................................PG 12 The Twisted Cork....................................................................................PG 14 White Goose Bistro...............................................................................PG 16 Shiraz.............................................................................................................PG 18 Nancy O’s....................................................................................................PG 20 Nechako Oyster Bar..............................................................................PG 22 Nelly’s Pub..................................................................................................PG 24 Cimo Mediterranean Grill.................................................................PG 26 Food & Wine Pairings..........................................................................PG 27 Sustainable Seafood............................................................................PG 28 THE PRINCE GEORGE Tipping in Restaurants.......................................................................PG 30
CITIZEN THE
PRINCE GEORGE
CITIZEN THE CITIZEN PRINCE GEORGE
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PIZZA HUT “The two most popular forms of food in the world are sandwiches and pizza,” said TJ Grewal, owner of the city’s only Pizza Hut location, at least for now. So popular is the Parkwood Place location that he hinted at another opening in the city soon. “The secret is in the dough,” he said. “Lots of places have pizza, but we have pan pizza
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and no one does dough like we do, all made right at the restaurant, and it’s great to eat.”
It’s a great place for families to watch the big game on the giant TVs, and Grewal supports local sports teams and other community causes too as a way to say thanks for sharing a slice of life.
There are some ultra popular menu items like the Cheesy Bites stuffed crust pie, and poutine pizza, but Grewal Lots of places have said the pizza, but we have menu flexes with pan pizza and no one the times does dough like we do, so new delights all made right at the are also on restaurant. the way.
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By the pie or by the slice, for a snack or for a meal, with fingers or a fork - pizza is one of the world’s go-to foods. For many in Prince George it’s Pizza Hut and nothing but.
Subway
TJ Grewal has been running Subway sandwich centres in Prince George for 20 years. After some time away, he moved back to his hometown in 1994 when he purchased three Subway locations. Since then he has added five more. “I wanted to move back and do business here,” said Grewal.
He has to frequently reevaluate his local operations and work with Subway headquarters on keeping the business model as fresh as the produce and the bread. “We have new sandwiches and new kinds of bread coming this year. Obviously
we are leaders in the sandwich profession and we take that very seriously.” The public demands it, now more than ever. Grewal said his fare is being embraced like the greatest thing since sliced bread, in these healthconscious times. “More people are eating out with us because people are busy, they
want to grab and go, but they want it to be healthy, a good choice for their family or eating on the run. Some of our locations have been hitting all-time highs in sales.”
Tejinder (TJ) Grewal, owner of multiple Subway’s and Pizza Hut location in Prince George, is shown here on the far left with his wife and two sons.
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The Keg
For more than 30 years The Keg has been a downtown anchor. That spirit has never been greater with its fresh mega-renovation and a new owner, Alycia Van Hage, at the helm. She worked there long before becoming proprietor, and grew up in Prince George, so she feels the history of the spacious restaurant and the excitement of the splendid changes. “There are lounge areas, places you can kick back with a lot of friends, have business meetings or private parties,
have a family meal, all under the same roof but in your own space,” Van Hage said. “Our patio is open for the summer, and it’s a pretty special place.” The popular Keg features remain: great steaks, great drinks, great prime rib.
Van Hage loves the business plan in their downtown location. Now the rest of downtown is revitalizing too so The Keg is well situated for another 30 successful years.
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The steaks are sizzling and so is the new Keg, even though it hasn’t moved an inch.
There are lounge areas, places you can kick back with a lot of friends, have business meetings or private parties, have a family meal, all under the same roof
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Hummus Brothers
In addition to their eclectic family menu and stirring environment in the dining room, they also have a separate all-ages lounge for families or associates to get together for the big games, two fireplaces, a private banquet / meeting room for 60, and the best kept patio secret in town.
People also loved the most flexible menu in town. You can get your favourite meal barbecue ribs, chicken, steak, pasta - but they also have unique touches of South America, the Mediterranean, Asia and seasonal items that go with the flow. And their specialty is tapas, with 20 appetizer items to customize a meal from.
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“People love our freshly renovated patio because it’s private, relaxed, tranquil,” said co-proprietor Kent Jomha. 8
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Hummus Brothers became a landmark Prince George original restaurant downtown, then they moved that casual fine dining reputation to a new level. They are now the feature restaurant at the Treasure Cove complex, at the main intersection in northern BC - Highways 16 and 97.
Their specialty is tapas, with 20 appetizer items to customize a meal from.
Hummus Brothers is open for lunch, dinner, late evening, and catering is also available.
Kelly O’Bryan’s Kelly O’Bryan’s has fallen in love with downtown PG. For their 16 years here they have enjoyed the vaulted ceilings and spacious floors inside the only restaurant on 2nd Avenue.
Book they donate $1 to our local food bank. Their Irish roots ensure St. Patrick’s Day is a big event as well, and hearty meals on
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Part of the Kelly O’Bryan’s structure is about 100 years old, a history now under research in the lead-up to the PG centennial and big exterior renovation.
Part of the Kelly O’Bryan’s structure is about 100 years old, a history now under research in the lead-up to the PG centennial and big exterior renovation. “What we do best is celebrate birthdays,” with discounted meals, said Colley, and for every signature in their Birthday 10
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“We were asked to move at one point, but we want to be part of downtown. We proved to head office in the past 12 months that it was the right decision,” said GM Darryl Colley.
an extensive menu are the everyday fare. Chicken lips and pachos are a couple of the community’s favourite appetizers found only at Kelly O’s.
North 54
North 54 is the line you cross on the Prince George map where everyone gets the same fine dining experience. Jeans or suits, noon or night, your food compass is pointing to the North 54 door. The magnetism of their food and atmosphere is so strong, manager Teresa Oliveira welcomes all with open arms.
North 54 made the finest cuisine in the city long before it was trendy.
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of chef Marc Kraima can be traced through hand-sourced ingredients and precision kitchen tools. Oliveira has curated a 200-label wine cellar to match all his combinations.
Once a secret guarded by the city’s business Oliveira has curated a elite, the boutique “It is the best place to 200-label wine cellar restaurant on 3rd eat in Northern B.C.,” and Victoria has said Oliveira. to match all his (Chef come to light the Their attention to Kraima) combinations. same way Prince details and delights George itself has allows them to come into its provide, like the city own. Local pride is itself, a high quality surging and visitors experience at prices that For years they have honed are discovering our city’s easy delight the eye. their menu, service, and access to high quality of life... decor. The craftsmanship including great food! The Prince George Citizen
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The Twisted Cork
and we put a huge focus on BC wines.” said McKenzie. There is also a 95 seat banquet room that is perfect for wedding receptions, birthdays, corporate functions and hosts many events such Twisted Cork has as concerts and comedy shows. Let implemented a buy-local us take care of you policy to reduce and your event so environmental footprints, you can enjoy your experience worry boost quality and invest free. “We are locally owned so we believe in sourcing as much of our proteins and produce as we can from growers and ranchers in our community,
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When Chef Chris Angus and business partner Troy McKenzie saw the rustic wood beams and brick interior, they knew they had found a home for the Twisted Cork. Five years later it’s one of downtowns most desirable restaurants and social spots. They are casual fine dining with quality food and great service, without the pretension. Twisted Cork has implemented a buy-local policy to reduce environmental footprints, boost quality and invest in the local market. They even have their own rooftop herb garden.
in the local market.
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White Goose Bistro
Cyre grew up in a family of dedicated cooks, from grandparents on through to his little sister Fallon, the head of the service staff and a proud fan of her brother’s work. Chef Ryan also studied 16
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at the side of renowned Italian chef Moreno Miotto. The White Goose has An education become a pillar of in wine came with Miotto’s downtown’s dining mentorship. Twice the White renaissance. Find them on Goose has won the city’s 3rd Avenue and Dominion Golden Cork award, and Street. Ryan helped get the laws changed allowing BC Chef Ryan also restaurants to uncork studied at the side of customers’ renowned Italian chef own wine to maximize Moreno Miotto. meal pairings.
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Few chefs are as hands-on with their food as Ryan Cyre, owner and kitchenmaster of White Goose Bistro. He considers the making of a meal to be a form of communication between the chef and the person at the table. Custom off-menu touches are often his pleasure, but he invests so much creative energy in his cullinary art that usually people want to go along with whatever he cooks up.
Shiraz
customers more like fans and family than just patrons.
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like it has been done in northern BC - a new cuisine, a new way of hosting, a new kind of kitchen, new way of presenting your front-of-house.
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Like an actor’s adrenaline just before the curtain rises, Reza Akbari was scared to open Shiraz Cafe and Restaurant. He was a young entrepreneur and his concept was new to Prince George - a Persian dining experience.
His (Reza Akbari) concept was new to Prince George - a Persian dining experience.
Akbari got standing ovations since his opening act. In his first 18 months he has won trophies at the Golden Cork Restaurant Challenge, the Business Excellence Awards, a spot on the Chamber of Commerce board, and 18
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“I opened a new concept,” said Akbari, a UNBC student from Iran who fell in love with Prince George. “Nothing 2014 Dining & Entertainment Guide
“I’ve always wanted to be more than just a restaurant. Our mission is not just serve food - we are here to make a difference, to add to the colours already in PG. We want people to walk out with not just their stomach happy, but a happier mind.” Shiraz is located in Parkwood Place.
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Nancy O’s If one restaurant epitomizes the turnaround of downtown Prince George, it’s Nancy O’s. A blaze of popularity was sparked whenn Garrett Fedorkiw and Eoin Foley opened the doors on their 3rd Ave. boutique cafe, with its long bar, intimate tables, prominent wood and well-stocked bar, with smells and sounds of scratch cooking coming from the kitchen, and live
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entertainment from the stage. The signature Nancy O’s meal is the pulled pork sandwich, but the pantry is loaded in hearty comfort food and tempting treats. “As much as possible, our menu is all local,” said Foley. “We even worked out a local deal for the fresh mint in the mojitos.”
As much as possible, our menu is all local. We even worked out a local deal for the fresh mint in the mojitos
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The menu is connected to their massive beer selection, substantial wine list,
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and quality cocktails. The clientele is connected to the city’s leading events list. The stage is just as hot and satisfying as the performing arts in the kitchen. It has a busy slate of local and touring music, comedians, DJs, regular occasions like Open Mic Night... It’s part of that mysterious formula that brought downtown PG back to life in recent years.
Nechako Oyster Bar Prince George’s food vocabulary has expanded greatly in a single word: oyster.
McIntosh has been in the food industry a long time the Chicago Chophouse and St. Germain in Calgary, UNBC’s Thirsty Moose, Joe Forte’s in the Lower Mainland - and his contacts hooked him up, directly to authentic seafood from Fanny Bay, Komo Gway, and Kusshi.
The Nechako Oyster Bar is a new seafood oasis downtown. The public realization is sinking in that our central city has an open channel “We are to prawns, focused on calamari, We are focused on BC BC oysters salmon, oysters - extremely - extremely scallops, focused on ocean-wise focused on seasonal and sustainable ocean-wise crab and practices and lobster (even sustainable steaks and practices,” salads) and McIntosh said. “The same the headline oysters. goes for our other products. “The first question for us was, Our chicken is organic, what kind of restaurant does free-range.” Prince George not yet have,” Open 5 p.m. til midnight, said chef Kyle McIntosh. “The Tuesday to Saturday, second question was, how reservations are do we get fresh seafood? It recommended by calling turned out to be remarkably 250-596-1850. easy.” 22
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Nelly’s Pub
Dependable, reliable, homemade – exactly what you’d expect from a place serving the community for more than 30 years in the same hands. Nelly’s Pub is a Hart Highway landmark, attracting weary travellers and a local clientele year after year. It features monthly UFC Fight Night on their huge projection screen as well as all sporting events
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and games. It’s where country star Rick Stavely played a lot of his gigs, and other local acts too. It’s the labour of love for Nils (“Nelly”) and Aline Aaroe and their son Mike is running the kitchen.
I (Mike) make everything myself from real ingredients. No processed stuff here.
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“I make every meal like it’s for someone I care about,” said Mike. “I make everything myself from real ingredients. No processed
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stuff here. I make the hamburger patties. I even make the au jus for the beef dip from scratch.” Nelly is proud of the staff; the welcoming and friendly staff at Nelly’s Pub and Nelly’s Cold Beer and Wine Store is one of the many reasons for the smiles on customers faces. Nelly’s Pub is also home to banquet rooms, sleeping accommodation and an open air patio.
Cimo The pasta is freshly made, the support ingredients are largely from regional food producers, the wines are from BC, and somehow all this local personality whisks Cimo patrons off to the Mediterranean. The secret, according to husband-and-wife proprietors Dean Russell (chef ) and Carey-Lynn Campioni (general manager), is by serving only authentic food with impeccable table service. “The restaurant strives to provide sincere, personalized service where servers get to know the names of their guests creating a home away from home,� said Campioni. The main gesture of customer respect is the quality of the pasta, the seafood, and the grill items. They follow up with attention to customer details like vegetarian considerations, custom dietary requests, whatever makes eating out feel like home - if home was on the Riviera. They take care of the customer even in ways unseen by the patrons at the table. An aggressive recycling program turns the kitchen waste into rich, black soil which gets donated to community gardens for growing even more local food for the healthy Prince George dining cycle.
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Get your fresh on at Cimo’s Mediterranean Grill downtown on Victoria Street.
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Food and Wine Pairings White wine and food matches Chardonnay: seafood with butter sauce, chicken, pasta with cream sauce, veal, turkey, ham, Emmenthal, Gruyeres, Port-Salut Riesling: mild cheese, clams, mussels, Asian dishes, sashimi, ham, pork, lobster Newberg, Tandoori chicken, Coquilles St Jacques Sauvignon Blanc: oysters, grilled or poached salmon, seafood salad, Irish stew, ham, chevre, goat cheese and strongly flavored cheeses, asparagus quiche Gewurztraminer: spicy dishes, Thai food, curry, smoked salmon, pork and sauerkraut, Muenster, spiced/peppered cheeses, onion tart Red wine and food matches Cabernet Sauvignon: duck, spicy
beef, pate, rabbit, roasts, spicy poultry, cheddar, blue cheese, sausage, kidneys Pinot Noir: braised chicken, cold duck, rabbit, charcuterie, partridge, roasted turkey, roasted beef, lamb, veal, truffles, Gruyeres Merlot: braised chicken, cold duck, roasted turkey, roasted beef, lamb, veal, stew, liver, venison, meat casseroles Shiraz: braised chicken, chili, goose, meat stew, peppercorn steak, barbequed meat, spicy meats, garlic casserole, ratatouille Natalie MacLean - The Ultimate Guide to Food and Wine Pairings (www.huffingtonpost.ca)
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Three ways you can help contribute to the sustainable Story on next page seafood movement
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An estimated 90 per cent of the world’s biggest fish – including many tunas, billfish and sharks – have been fished out. World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Canada believes that by protecting marine habitats and promoting sustainable fishing methods, we can keep our oceans healthy now and for future generations. Choose Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified seafood! By supporting independently certified sustainable fisheries with good management practices,
you are helping protect marine environments. The MSC eco-label is used by retailers, restaurants, schools and universities as an easy way to give you the piece of mind that your seafood is ocean friendly.
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Your choices also help support the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people who depend on ocean resources for their livelihoods
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Are you passionate about protecting your planet? You can help save our oceans by simply shopping smart and staying informed.
Home to a quarter of the world’s coastline, 40 per cent of Canada’s territory is ocean. Buying sustainable seafood supports WWF’s efforts to
protect marine life and ocean habitats. Your choices also help support the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people who depend ocean resources for their livelihoods. If sustainable seafood is not available at your local grocer, ask for it. If your retailer can’t provide answers, say you want to know where your seafood comes from and you want it to be credibly certified. By doing this, you can support a healthy marine environment for years to come. To learn more about how important sustainable seafood is to our oceans and economy, what to look for and where to find it, visit wwf.ca/oceans
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Gratuities are seldom included in Canadian restaurants. It is customary to tip approximately 15% on the total bill before tax, 20% for exceptional service. Approximately because tipping is personal and if 10% is your personal choice then tip 10%; but 15% is customary and (rightly or wrongly) expected.
Tipping In restaurants
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Many restaurants may charge an automatic 15% or more gratuity for larger groups. This is up to the individual establishment but is usually applicable to groups of 8 or more. Some restaurants also “auto-grat” groups from countries that don’t normally tip. A “tip” for calculating the appropriate tip at a restaurant is simply to multiply the 5% GST (Goods and Services Tax) amount shown on the bill by three--three times 5% is 15%. The GST has been replaced by the HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) in Ontario (13%) and the Atlantic provinces (13% to 15%) and, depending on the amount, it may be easy to round up to 15%. Source: Tripadvisor.com
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