C8-Sunday News, October 12, 1980 A dining disaster close to home That ‘ wonderfu!’ Airport food Restaurant meals are seldom remembered if they fall into the “adequate” range. The ones that linger in our minds are either marvellous or so marvel- travel- wise by Barbara McCreadie lously awful that even if you might forget them, your stomach never will. I had one of the latter kind the other day, not m some exotic port of call, but mght here in the Vancouver Inter- national Airport. I'd seen Mom off on the noon flight to Calgary. Since she was guaranteed a tasty lunch on CPAir, we had a drink in the lounge and she went on her way. | was famished! I had to remain at the airport to see lo some business at 2:00 so I trotted back to the lounge, ordered another drink and the daily special — Chicken a la King The price was outrageous — $6.20 — but I don't care much for sandwiches, beef doesn't thnll me and the only fish was a shrimp cocktail Vd tuned this creation once before (over $5') and wasn! impressed Migawd, that Chicken a la King had better be renamed! The “king” had abdicated. I expect that the substance WAS chicken because no other product can achieve such a charming color of ‘rey. The texture, however, was quite unique. (Firestone needs the formula.) The sauce appeared to be un- diluted cream of celery soup hotted-up with a piece of chopped pimento and three slices of mushroom, thin enough to read the “News” through. All this was smeared over some doughy pastry. To add color, someone had boiled a heap of carrots and dumped them generously to one side. To achieve anything hke the “flavor” of those carrots, they must have - started boiling the night before. The bread sticks were stale, even though packaged in cello, and the butter mushy and slightly rancid. Indeed, a meal to remember! It's about time for that airport to take a reading on the food services! The cafe- teria makes clam chowder, at $1.25 for a tiny cup, but I dare you to find more than five miniature clams. Of course, the amount of corn- starch used to thicken the stuff makes searching dif- ficult. Sandwiches? Well, starvation 1S your alternative, beware. Soggy and overpnced, they might be acceptable in a chanrity- operated soup kitchen. One day, one of my kids dropped a chunk of their “Jello” and it bounced a footin the aur The hot dogs in the base ment (near the International unless only Arrivals) are enough to make you pack a brown paper bag The lemonade 1s strong enough to take the enamel off vour teeth That food service savs a Kids travel globe to earn their keep Albert i Freedman believes kids should carn their keep and his own Offspring are in caper ay cord Phe editor of booeusin magarine has all four ol them ooff on assignment doing cesearch for oan up coming pleco on travel for young people Anisterdamn Frankfurt ODussetdart Galasglow London or Mane hester "81 Wardair Fli to Europe at 1980 Prices All fares guaranteed tf paid by Nov For Reservation Phone 984-0381 Orchid Travel So there they are vear old tanva in Hal 1 vear old Derek touring bourope P4ovear old Mara covertig the tonited States and 2!) year old Lisa checking out the Bahamas Like the somp says Nice workif vou can gelat ghts return trom $669 trom $731 ce ee $677 DS ae tertoares fropet VEEL Ab cata scheates Noetths V en Crtaw tet _ Wa Aises rdair . Beara SORA ESE eas seeeaes tetbeses PLANE MEALS BEAT the “marvellously awful” meals served at Vancouver In- ternational Airport, according to Barbara lot about the undesirability of monopolies. For a traveller stuck between flights or someone waiting through a delay there is no alternative. Well, V.1.A.? Care to give us all some reason for over- pnced crud? I'm sure we'd all like to know. Now. on to the good meals! A few weeks ago, | shared a seat on a flight from Edmonton to Vancouver with a young couple taking a summer holdiay. They were booked into the Hotel Vancouver and thew plan was to “blitz” Vancouver's best restaurants for a week Did I have any suggestions” I did. and they wrote down quite a few on the back of a napkin We didn't exchange names or addresses or anything else except the fact that ] wrote a newspaper column she Nhe ther fab ay | ny ds Son dau, Cootedla, hha vetaued Cae t Coby grtva baer bean eget West Van Florist 1821 Marine Or WV 922- \ 922 4171 3068 } | epee sony aten qh taught school and he was a landscape gardener. Imagine my surprise when I checked through my mail at the office and found the folowing letter: DEAR BARBARA: Just a short note to thank you for your restaurant suggestions. They all proved to be ex- cellent — in particular Guppy’s and the William Tell. Aside from the meals themselves, which were a constant delight, the staff and service was beyond compare and these people contributed to wonderful evenings for us. I was so pleased that these people went to the trouble to wnte me For the benefit of out-of-town readers. here ts a list of the other restaurants I] recommended THAT'S RIGHT) 419 Western Airlines-to- es until Oct Danielie McDonald, Mgr. Puccini's on Main St. in Vancouver, I] Corsaro on Commercial Drive (Van- couver), Las Tapas (I like the North Shore location better than the downtown), Yen Lock on Pender St., Li Gardens on 2nd at Lonsdale in North Van., Pink Pearl in the Westview Shopping Center, Upper Levels Highway, N. Van. and The Savory. Gallant Avenue in Deep Cove, North Van- couver. Maybe I'm a little heavy on North Shore restaurants but since we live over here. we do most of our dining-out close to home I've never had a bad meal or an out- rageous price tag on food at any of these places Wonder if some of these smart restauranteurs could be convinced to take over and manage that operation atthe airport” HAWAIT david ingram's TRAVEL Western Airlines Airfare 379° passport photos while you wait North Shore Darkroom 1527 Lonsdale 988-9813 1560 Marine Dr.. 926-0421 WAIKIKI *°419 8 Oays. 7 Nights, Aw & Hote! WAIKIKI *429 15 Days. 14 Nights Aq & Hote: *999 WAIKIKI 22 Days, 21 Nights Ar & Hote! LAS VEGAS 199 5 Days 4 _4 Nights Ar & Hote: RENO 219 5 Days 4 Nights Au & Hote: RENO '299 8 Days 7 Nignts A 6& Hote! CENTA. tours 1666 Robson Street 10507 K. Geo. Hwy. Surrey 689-7117 Reg Travel Agent No 157 3 fall through Dec X53) ayid we will give you-your:ho iy tinantal) foe $6 U0 per person based tn oor wclahe- ra We will alao give You your airfare for only an. A Sad eine hook vefGre Oct 20 to qualify” S18 only: good on 20, 1980 1139 Lonsdale Ave. North Vancouver 980-0321