Vancouver's COAST Restaurant goes Indian

Yaletown's COAST Restaurant is featuring authentic Indian cuisine September 12-23.

"At COAST, we love to expose our guests to exotic tastes from around the world," says Executive Chef Jeremy Atkins. "With Indian cuisine, you have the freedom to experiment with different spices and flavor combinations to really create that wow factor for guests."

Here are some of the menu items. Pair with a local BC wine and you'll be transported to an exotic place and taste.

Indian Ocean Tiger Prawns with green curry, slivered mango and chilled panna
Black Widow Gewurztraminer 2006, Naramata Bench

Fire-Grilled Jack Fish & Summer Vegetable Kabobs with cumin scented basmati rice and roasted cashew butter
Winchester Cellars Sharp Rock Chardonnay 2005, Victoria

Chai Kheer Rice Pudding with chilled coconut sabayon
Mission Hill Late Harvest Riesling 2005, Okanagan Valley

COAST Restaurant is located at 1257 Hamilton Street in Yaletown. Call 604.685.5010 for reservations.

Granville Island Hotel sunrise. Sue Frause photo.

A new stage in town - For eats, not theater

I'd just spent four hours on a bus from Courtenay to Victoria on Vancouver Island, so when my innkeeper friend Sylvia Main picked me up I was ready for a table, chair, food and wine.

We went to a new restaurant in the Fernwood neighborhood of this capital city.

Stage is owned by George and Linda Szasz, the same couple that has Paprika Bistro. Located near The Belfry Theatre, it specializes in small plates and wine.

It tasted mighty fine.

Stage in Victoria. Photo by Sue Frause.

Hastings House on Saltspring Island

Hastings House Country House Hotel is a luxurious, small country resort, spa and restaurant on Salt Spring Island. It's situated on 22 acres of waterfront property overlooking Ganges Harbour in British Columbia's Gulf Islands. Photos by Sue Frause.

Lunch to go in Vancouver

One of my favorite restaurants in Vancouver, BC now offers lunches to go. Located on Denman right across the street from English Bay, it's the perfect spot to pick up your picnic and head to the beach.

The Raincity Grill's take-out window is now open weekends only -- beginning June 1 it will dish out delicious food from 11 AM to 7PM daily.

Raincity Grill has also upped the green factor, using sugarcane fiber containers and aspen wood cutlery from Lumby, BC. Both are made from renewable resources.

For $9.95 you'll receive a sandwich, salad and a sweet treat. Among the tasty sandwich offerings are Oyama ham with gruyere cheese and roasted eggplant and onion with hummus and bell pepper. Select from Caesar, potato or coleslaw salads.

Raincity Grill is located at 1193 Denman Street in Vancouver's West End -- a great jumping off spot for visiting Stanley Park.

English Bay is a Fun picnic spot. Sue Frause photo.