Entertainment

A welcome addition to
the restaurant scene

t the south end of ,
urban-gothic bus depot, in a no-man’s-land
between Lonsdale Quay construction sites,

sits Bennington’s, one of the North Shore’s newest

restaurant.

Open since February 4, it
occupies two floors adjacent
the Seabus terminal’s west
entrance. These two floors
represent owner John Lit-
Ue’s ambitions for a culinary
split-level personality: an
elegant upper half given over
to subdued dining amid con-
temporary decor, and its
ground-floor counterpart
given over to finger food
and pub-style sociability.

Regardless of table in the
approximately 90-seat upper
floor, the restaurant affords
one of North Vancouver’s
best second storey
panoramas of Vancouver ci-
ty and its harbor and, un-
doubtedly, the best North
Vancouver view of Scabus
activities this side of the
ICBC cafeteria.

Neil Diamond croons
beneath an atmosphere con-
spicuous by its silence. The
decor is clean lines, subdued

North Vancouver’s

colours, and Markgraf
prints, into which, the choice
of pseudo-colonial captain's
chairs and matching tables is
a definite intrusion.

Our waitress is eager and
attentive, as is the staff in
general.

The wine list is restrained:
nine whites, seven reds, with
an emphasis on French and
German in the former,
French and Italian in the lat-
ter. Each has an Australian
selection and a token Cana-
dian. Prices range from
$10.95 to $13.95 with a
single Petite Chablis at
$19.95. There is domestic
and import house red and
white by the glass, half-iitre,
and litre ranging from $1.85
for a glass of Oliver Cellars
domestic red or white to
$10.75 for a@ litre of Italian
Castelli Romni red or italian
Colli Albani white. Two
sparkling wines and two

champagnes fill out the
selection ($12.95 to $34.95).
The limited wine menu is
offset with an excellent
cross-section of imported
workingman’s champagne

table hopping

by Timothy Renshaw

from Foster’s to Whitbread
to Dos Equis, all $2.89 to
eight local brew, all $1.99.

Hiballs limbo in under
$2.00 with Bennington’s size
an extra $.99.

We choose a Sylvaner
Hugel ($12.95) and settle in-
to my wife’s favorite
pastime: reading the menu.

There is steak, an 8-oz.
New York for $9.95; Ducki-
ing in orange sauce, $10.75;
and three pastas, all below
$7; but Bennington’s
speciality, the avowed pas-
sion of its owner, is seafood:
“genuine fresh seafood as
oppposed to frozen fresh
seafood,”’

A daily fresh sheet added
to the regular menu attests
to that commitment. On this
night, five fresh-sheet items
ranged from Steamed Clams
($5.95) to Golden Tile Fish
($9.75) — these in addition
to regular menu seafood

Just clowning around

perform this show in the
highschools or take it on the
road.

Brown also paints water-
colors and sculpts in her
spare time, and she has sold

From Page 49

She gets the children involv-
ed in exercises, learning the
bow, and she keeps them on
their toes, so to speak, by
getting them to catch her
when she sneaks poses.

Gearing her acts to the age
of the children, Brown says
she is more noticeably
teaching the little ones,
whereas she can clown
around more with the older
students. “The older kids
pick up on more wit and
sarcasm. They don’t miss a
trick. For example, { might
say with a very sad face,
‘Life is so serious,’ and they
just laugh at me.”’

Other special features of
Brown's act include sweep-
ing the stage with a broom
and having it turn into a
horse or a rocket, or upside
down, a jungle; she puts a
pair of slippers on which
take control of her feet, and
she gets the children to help
her wrestle them to the
ground; she puts on a magic
nose and speaks in different
tones of gibberish, com-
plementing her voice with
harsh or soft actions; and

she wears a pair of large.

sunglasses and pretends to
be a psychic — all of which
amuse the children to no
end.

The children's participa-
tion and encouragement to
aid her out of her predica-
ments ure what tnake the
show such a stceess, Brown
explains. ‘I always tell the
kids, ‘We get a lot more
done if we work together,’
to gel them to cooperate and

participate.

Along with her children’s
show, Brown recently per-
formed a multi-media pres-
entation on women’s chang-
ing roles at Capilano Col-
lege, from suffragettes and
flappers to hippies and
liberated women. She
dances, uses pantomime,
video and slides and plans to

some of her work at art
shows.

If you are interested in
having Angela Brown per-

form, call 988-0949.

BLACK SHEEP

121 East 12th St.
(off Lonsdale)
North Vancouver

BOOK THE LOFT FOR PRIVATE
PARTY SEATING UP TO 30

For Reservation, phone

984-9595

Sp ecial “Chicken Cordon Bleu”

Breaded Chicken Breast
with Sliced Bacon & Cheese, served
with Rice or French Fries.

of the
Week!
$595

stuffed

Served 7 days a week
From 2-8 pm
Eff. Mar. 3-9

a een ame oom ms me eres ere sen 18h Cram sete oe Se sm es a eee ee

Mar. 4/85 only. 50% off all ourgers

99° Bev.

Mar. 5/85 only. Fish & Chips for only

$2.95

No coupon required. Served 2-8 p.m.

specialities from Salmon
Wellington ($11.95) down to
the classic inflation fighter,
Fish and Chips ($5.500.

A selection of seven cold
and four hot appetizers is
augmented by two salads
and two soups, $.95 to
$5.35.

I open with Escargot
($3.95), excellent beneath a
sprinkling of Parmesan,
abubbie in a fine herb and
butter sauce. They are nei-
ther too salty nor gasping
under garlic, as is often the
case. The enthusiastic clatter
of cutlery to my left con-
firms approval of a
generously croutoned Caesar
Salad ($2.95).

From the recommended
fresh sheet, | choose Grilled
Pacific Sole ($7.95), while
my wife picks
Loughborough Prawns
($11.95) from the regular
menu.

Both raied highly, the sole
moist in a pinenut and fres‘
herb sauce, the prawns
submerged in a subtle herb
and garlic butter. Entre por-
tions were extremely
generous accompanied with
ted cabbage, fruit, and
rebaked potatoes.

Our dinner total, with
wine and single coffee and
dessert, is $45.

Bennington’s ground
floor, with its beautiful 20-
foot elmwood bar, seaside
view, and impending live
entertainment, has great
potential, as does the entire
restaurant.

SI - Friday, March 1, 1985 - North Shore News

Try it...
you'll like i
Escargot

Linguine wiclam sauce... .
BBQ chicken

1337 Marine
West Vancouver

MADNESS
continues

Large Pizza

5 Toppings:
» Sauce « Cheese
+ Plus any 3 others

Hours: pun. Thurs 5o9m-71om
Fri & Sat Spm-1am

Free Delivery after 5 pm, minimum order cf 6 00

Wooden Plate Restaurant
Fully Licensed 2988 Mountain Hwy.

986-3010 986-2475