From Bad to Terrific in two point five hours.

From Bad to Terrific in two point five hours.

We were celebrating our thirty-fifth wedding anniversary and so we chose to go to one of our favourite dress-up places in Victoria – the Harbour House.  The restaurant is located near downtown Victoria with views of a park and the inner harbour: Harbour House is situated in an old home which adds to its character.  It has been there for thirty years and it is almost a throw-back to those days of the ‘70’s when steak houses were all the rage. 

When we got in the usually lightly occupied restaurant was filled with a bunch of older people having a wonderful time.  They were a tour group having a night out.  We had 7:30pm reservations and by 8:30 rolled around things quieted down a bit.  By then we had our appetizers and a glass of wine.  I found it nice that the waiter, who was their junior waiter (he had only worked there for 25 years), recommended the less expensive wine over the featured selections.  And he was right.

You could tell that the tour group cut into his usual still because he acted kind of rushed until we said we were not in a hurry and he could take his time with us.  I don’t eat very much so our meal was basically an escargot appetizer with garlic butter and whole wheat buns.  The main course was steak and lobster split between my wife and me.  All tasted very good and was well prepared.  Steak and lobster is definitely a special of the house.  They have had a sign outside promoting the dinner for years.  When we first came it was $14.99 and now 30 years later it is $29.99.  It is pretty good bang for your dollar when you consider that also includes potatoes and three vegetables. 

By now things have become quite subdued and less noisy.  The waiter had some time to chat with us and we felt a calm in the room.  We had an evening coffee and while we were sitting we had a chance to talk to the people across from us.  They were from Australia and visiting Canada on a month long vacation.  So we gave them some travel tips for Victoria and had a great chat.  Soon after they left their table, the owner of the restaurant dropped by our table with a small bottle of champagne to help us celebrate our anniversary.  It was a gift from the Australians.  The owner talked about the history of the place with us and how he enjoys having a restaurant in Victoria.  It is quite an achievement for a restaurant to stay open that long here.  They are open 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

We will definitely go back again and I would recommend it for anyone wanting a romantic night out, just avoid the tour groups.  The evening of wine, appetizer, Steak and Lobster dinner split, and an Irish Coffee came to just over $100 including the tip.  All in all a pretty good night.