by Eva van Loon
It’s been a rough year on the Powell-River-restaurant front. We lost Local Loco’s, Bakewell’s, 5th Avenue Bistro, Westview Pizza, Ljubo’s…sad for the community as well as the restaurateurs. Powell River is said to be better off than most communities in BC, and BC may be doing better than any other province, but you can’t prove it by our people in business for themselves. Even the Farmers’ Market reports lower sales than usual—shouldn’t that be going the other way as we focus on becoming a self-resourceful community?
We still have great dining spots—the stylish Alchemist (try that pear appetiser), the funky La Casita (oh, the mole!), and the tasty and affordable Curry Hut which has cleverly snuggled into the same locale as the always fabulous Bemused Bistro still make Marine Avenue a major dining destination. The Westview area along Joyce, Marine, and Willingdon Avenues also offers half a dozen Asian restaurants which offer excellent value; take your pick of Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese. Granada, the Shingle Mill, and Manzanita keep Townsite going, Lund has an embarrassment of dining riches, for such a small place, with The Laughing Oyster, Nancy’s Bakery, the re-opened Boardwalk, and the Lund Hotel. South of town, do not miss The Savoury Bite, Skeeter Jacks, Cherie Lou’s Diner, and Eagle’s Landing Bistro, especially on gloriously sunny evenings.
We’ve said this before but it bears repeating: Eat out at least once a week! Even if breakfast at Jane’s Edgehill Grocery, tea and a little something at Breakwater Books, an appetiser at Kane’s sports bar or the shopping centre, or a special coffee at Rocky Mountain, the Jailhouse, or River City is all you can afford, support your local eateries! As the sign outside a Maui restaurant says, “Come in and eat or we’ll both starve!”
Maybe the time has come to institute a local currency to facilitate our local businesses, a coin or bill that won’t depend on the dollar for its value. Call it the Pearl, perhaps. We shall dine out on pearls.