40 - Wednesday, November 14 , 1990 ~ North Shore News Cactus Caesar comes in four variations From page 37 Most have retained the childcare consciousness of their babysitting days and can charm the cranky scowl off the most beastly of wee folk The skill is essential at the Cac- tus Club, which is equal parts fam- ily restaurant and young adult hangout. But all the charm in the world, whether it be young or old, would account for naught were the Cac- tus Club’s food dull. And it is far from dull, bearing the same kind of robust and sim- ple charm that’ makes the test of the Cactus Club so attrac- tive. The Wee Man and | dropped in- to the Cactus Club on a recent Friday night to check out the babes and take in game three of the World Series. | thought maybe we would down a few strawherry shakes, go over some show and tell items and generally shoot the father and son breeze. We rolled in just before the Fri- day night rush and got a good table just below the southside tv set near the washrooms. The Wee Man immediately pulled out his bankroll: eight hockey cards, 35 cents and a core sample from the Britannia Mines tour last week. Hey, hold on there young fella, this one’s on the old man. He opened with a Very Vanilla milkshake ($3.47) from the customized Cactus Club menu; | ordered a glass of Shaftsbury Cream Ale ($1.92). The ale comes by the glass, pint or pitcher, as do three other draft beer offerings stocked by the res- taurant. The Cactus Club also has a half dozen wines by the glass, carafe and bottle (from around $3 up to $17) and a few fancy cocktails trom the repertoire of Jaffray and Morison. Menus at the Coctus Club re- quire sorne special handling. Alf are custom decorated by the res- faurant’s statt with doodles, car- toons and assorted finger paint- ings, and ail are the size of bath mats -- ideal for young folk to wipe out entire tables of drinks with a single pass. The culinary philosophy of the Cactus Club is fast and funky. Dishes are designed for quick Preparation and hearty consump- tion. The menu presenis a parade af tapas, salads, soups, burgers, clubhouse sandwiches, fajitas, steaks and chicken. In case you're wondering about the odd-figured prices on the Cac- tus Club menu. the restaurant knocks two cents off “all menu items so that everyone can get their two cents worth.” While a Jat of the Cactus Club’s selections sound familiar, the food stands out fromy the ordinary by virtue of the imaginative Cactus Club variations played upon standard themes. The Cactus Club, for example, features a special Caesar Salad section that offers four different varieties of this classic dish. | tried a New Zealand Squid Ring Caesar ($7.97). A large serving of Romaine fet- tuce arrived with croutons and chopped purple onions topped with fat rings of fried squid and a sharp Caesar dressing. The combination worked weil together: Caesar meets Ulysses. Across the way, the Wee Man was loading up on his milkshake which arrived in a huge aluminum shaker, and a Cheeseburger ($4.67) with a side of curly fries. The burger was served on a wholewheat bun and came with lettuce and tomato and a special Cactus Club sauce. The verdict? Good. | also sampled the Cactus Club’s you did. Noe valid with any ether promotion Feast on Forster’s Famous Prime se cent an Forster's Famous Prime Rit! At Forster’s we're proud of our Prime Rib dinners. We slow cook our beef the night before serving to ensure that it is cooked evenly all the way through to seal in the most tender taste possible. Succulent slices of fine prime rib cooked to perfec- tion with no salt, spices or preservatives added — giving you the freshest, most tend: beef you’ve ever eaten. Take a bite. Offer expires Nov. 28, 1990 For the month of November Shrimp Cocktail 99¢ ~ with any dinner entree Emerald Park 350 East 2nd Street, North Vancouver ses-ose_| * delicious wil be glad b chili ($6.52). Good, also. It was topped with meited cheddar cheese and chopped preen onions. Kidney beans abounded as did the ground steak in a thick chili sauce. Flavors were complex, and there was enough chili pepper to make it interesting but not too much to make it ob- noxious. The dish came with a foot-long whole wheat garlic toast baguette. \WVe rounded the meal off with a kid's size Strawberry Sundae ($1.97) that was more than big enough for the two of us. We passed on a pair of espressos and took to arm wrestling instead. Throughout our meal. service was extremely swift and extremely triendly. The Cactus Club: fountain of youth. the culinary Barbequed Salmon Filet of B.C. salmon, barbequed over green alderwood to give it a delicate smokey flavour that is truly unique. JOIN USINAFALL | SALUTE TO SALMON For reservations ‘please call 926-3212 Valid anytime or after 9 p.m. & Come up to the Salmon House and enjoy a complimentary Barbequed Salmon when a second Dinner or Lunch item of equal or greater value is purchased. Fri-Sat. Seating before 6 p.m. Offer expires Dec. 15/90 Who's | SAUBDAY NIGATS ers | WEDNESDAY NIGHTS |E @ SUNDAY BRUNCH: HARPIST MAZING DRWE Geren Coming t., Nov. 17th! Be in the Food Court at 12:30 to find out who our special visitor is. iT WILL BE A MAGICAL EXPERIENCE. SHOPPING HOURS: Monday to Wednesday 9:30am-5:30pm, Thursday-Friday 9;30am-9:00pri- Saturday 9:30am-5:30pm, Sunday Noon-5:00pm 935 Marine Drive’ 2 SBO-BS61