Victoria dining: Four great spots within a short walk

VICTORIA, B.C. -- This city is well known for its colorful flower gardens, English architecture, great golf and whale watching. Less known is its reputation as a culinary hot spot. But the city is home to the second largest number of restaurants per capita in North America, many within walking distance of its picturesque downtown Inner Harbour. They offer fresh, locally grown products to tempt the tastebuds and turn out tantalizing dishes.

Here are a few of Victoria's best places to enjoy a bite (all prices converted to U.S. dollars):

Pagliacci's

There are so many appealing pasta dishes at Pagliacci's that it's hard to choose. "Mel Gibson said the beef lasagna was the best he'd ever eaten," offers general manager Sorcha McEwan, who is working the room the day we walk in for lunch.

We opt instead for the thick, hearty spaghetti, loaded with Abruzzi-style meatballs, tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese, and the rich and garlicky linguini carbonara, with fat chunks of crispy bacon, onions and mushrooms. A half-order each at $6.75 is perfectly filling (full orders average $9.75).

Pagliacci's is a Victoria institution of sorts (it has no connection to the pizza chain of the same name). Since the funky eatery opened in 1979, it's packed in locals and tourists alike looking for good Italian food in a casual atmosphere. Brother-owners Howie and David Siegel are also huge movie fans, which partly explains the steady stream of visiting celebrities who've dropped in for a meal, and their autographed photos covering the pumpkin-colored walls.

McEwan also tells us that "Pags," as it's affectionately called, has the historical distinction of being the second place in Victoria to install a cappuccino machine. "And we've never paid a penny for advertising in 26 years," she says. "Everything is word-of-mouth."

Before we leave, she urges us to try the baked New York-style cheesecake, known to lure diners back. It's sinfully delicious, and it alone is worth stopping in for at Pags.

The basics: 1011 Broad St., off Fort Street. Phone: 250-386-1662. No reservations. Hours: daily for lunch (brunch on Sundays) and dinner; live rock and jazz music Sunday through Wednesday evenings. Arrive early to avoid lines.

The Veranda

Perhaps the most heavenly spot in Victoria for light alfresco dining is The Veranda at the Fairmont Empress.

In late May, the hotel's large front stone patio, with its giant ivy-draped columns and arches overlooking the Inner Harbour, opened as the spot to sip a glass of bubbly and nibble on a tasty morsel.

The view is drop-dead gorgeous: blooms of flowers, sea planes landing and taking off and taxi boats putt-putting along, and the setting sun shimmering on the water. White tablecloths, candles and vases of fresh flowers add to the romantic, elegant surroundings. Seated in big, comfy, cushioned wicker chairs, and warmed by heat lamps and a blanket, we didn't want to leave.

The Veranda specializes in sophisticated "small plates" (larger than an appetizer size), a long list of clever cocktails, and champagne by the glass. A plate of paprika-rubbed lamb chops with goat cheese fondant and braised potato is delicious, as is the white salmon and vegetable tempura roll.

To finish off, we enjoy an inventive dish of fresh strawberries tossed with black pepper, accompanied by soft Vancouver Island brie drizzled in local organic balsamic vinegar. A platter of any four items (about $52) is perfect for a light meal for two.

The basics: 721 Government St. Phone: 250-389-2727; Web: www.fairmont.com/empress Hours: 5-11 p.m. through September, weather permitting (closes for wind, cold or bothersome rain).

Cafe Brio

Unless your hotel recommends Cafe Brio or you know it already, you won't stumble across the place, as it is away from the tourist track. But food reigns here, and the restaurant has been rightly praised by Gourmet magazine, Conde Nast Travel, Northwest Palate and the like.

As rays from a late setting sun fall through big skylights in the open room and a female nude smiles upon us from a modern painting adorning a terra cotta wall, we peruse the menu. Appetizers range between $9 and $12, while main courses average $23.

The kitchen uses many organic farm ingredients, and local varieties of wild seafood are ordered on a daily basis. Items are all fresh and seasonal and constantly change. My tartare appetizer of albacore tuna with diced eggs, capers, onions, nicoise olives and horseradish cream ($11, and a dish I normally wouldn't order) was just introduced the day before.

It wins me over, as does everything else we select. A puree of onion soup with chives and gruyere crostini. Polenta with grilled mushrooms and asparagus. Succulent pillows of potato gnocchi with fiddleheads and morel mushrooms (half-order, $14). Salmon baked with asparagus served atop sliced potatoes and bacon.

What's particularly refreshing about Cafe Brio is that while the food is gourmet, the atmosphere is unpretentious. Wood tables are bare of tablecloths, and you can wear jeans here and feel comfortable.

The basics: 944 Fort St. Phone: 866-270-5461 or 250-383-0009; Web: www.cafe-brio.com Hours: nightly for dinner from 5:30. The three-course Chef's Dinner is a steal at the set price of $20 (you must be seated by 6:15).

Fire & Water Fish and Chop House

For a fine steak, you can't do much better than the Fire & Water Fish and Chop House at the new Marriott Victoria Inner Harbour.

The contemporary restaurant uses only Stirling Silver beef from Alberta, aged 28 days. After choosing the type and size of meat you want (a 6-ounce filet mignon, for example), you then get to choose a sauce from among seven selections (including Stilton butter, béarnaise, and whiskey espresso barbecue) and two sides (choices include peppered steak frittes, grilled asparagus, twice-baked goat cheese potato and sautéed button mushrooms).

I tuck into a very tender and flawlessly cooked prime rib, marinated for three days in cognac sauce, then innovatively seared in a cast iron pan (a 7-ounce serving costs $17.75). My husband orders a hot scallop appetizer, with beef short rib and mushroom ragout, tagliatelle noodles and creme fraiche that is large enough for a main course ($13).

Instead of plain bread and butter, we get rosemary sourdough with a chickpea tapenade.

It's too bad, though, that the background tunes don't match the food. I suspect that, being a hotel dining room, it's obligated to play bland recorded music instead of real music or nothing at all.

In the summer, you can catch some sun and sit outside on the patio for the "beer and BBQ" menu. Items include a lamb burger with brie ($9.75) and a mixed seafood skewer with citrus garlic marinade ($6.50).

The basics: 728 Humboldt St. Phone: 250-480-3800; Web: www.marriott.com/yyjmc Hours: daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

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