Every December my family gathers at the Crow & Gate pub in Cedar for a holiday lunch. Some of us drive up from Victoria, some drive down from the Comox Valley, others come over from the mainland and a few live close by in Nanaimo.
The beautiful little pub is nestled into the farms and forests just south of Nanaimo, and our family tradition has left its mark on the place. In fact, there's a commemorative plaque above the large fireplace.
The beautiful little pub is nestled into the farms and forests just south of Nanaimo, and our family tradition has left its mark on the place. In fact, there's a commemorative plaque above the large fireplace.
Several years ago, my cousin M got slightly overzealous about stoking the fire, which triggered a chimney fire. The pub was evacuated and firefighters came to put out the fire. Everyone was fine and after the firefighters and my family took a photo together, they went back into the pub to finish lunch. I didn't attend that year, but I did read some tweets from a Cedar firefighter about a bunch of idiots who almost burned the pub down. When we arrived the following year, there was a new plaque above the fireplace. A gentle reminder to keep our holiday spirit in check. The road to the Crow & Gate was a little arduous this year. I slept through my alarm, got a late start and then we had to change a tire in the pouring rain on the Malahat after we got a flat. |
My Caesar tasted extra good when we finally arrived and I could order. It was nicely seasoned and quite sweet. The garnish was a wedge of lime and four pickled asparagus stalks. Simple, generous and tasty.
I was catching up with people and chatting, so I didn't take many notes on this cocktail. It was satisfying and something tasty to sip while I spent an afternoon with a small, happy group of my very large family.
I was catching up with people and chatting, so I didn't take many notes on this cocktail. It was satisfying and something tasty to sip while I spent an afternoon with a small, happy group of my very large family.