Rarely did we pierce the $150 dollar bill mark in our culinary explorations.
I’m thinking back to one of my very first meals with my now-spouse. Mid 1990s. We were living together on the outskirts of the University Of British Columbia. We got it into our heads to visit a swanky bistro… I think it was called the Frog & Peach. We enjoyed our multi-course meal AND THEN PAID OUR BILL IN 1-DOLLAR COINS. That was a biiiiiiiig stack of loonies. TS and I thought we were being clever and quirky. I don’t remember the server’s reaction (I’m betting on a bit of tight-smiling… accept this bizarre payment… and then she hustled us out the door).
In Vancouver (B.C.), we explored many high-end Indian and Chinese restaurants. One particular restaurant was called Tin Chiu… Or Tien Cxiu(?)… it was on Burrard Street, south of West 4th Avenue. They vanished after about a year. We paid top dollar for the unique bean curd creations. I have yet experienced a top-tier Indian restaurant on par with the Raga Restaurant (I think it was on West 10th Avenue? East of Granville Street). The Raga produced meals that were superior to whatever I could/can get from my favourite Brampton-Toronto vendors. It was obvious they were paying for fresh spices — nothing stale. TS and I would easily spend A LOT during our regular visits to The Raga. I still remember once asking the waitress (who was wearing StarTrek paraphernalia [really!!]) to make a particular dish spicy. … … … …Oh my phucking glod… … …Worth it.
BCB&B, neemtree, bdb, and blog 