"Charming, comfortable, and hip with walls of art -- all backed by city's best chef and kitchen," is how one fodors.com user describes this bustling Italian villa-style room. The frequently changing menu highlights regional, organic fare; favorites include braised beef short ribs, local wild salmon, Cowichan Bay duck breast, local lamb, and house-made charcuterie. Virtually everything, including the bread, pasta, and desserts, as well as some of the cheeses, is made in-house -- even the butter is hand churned. The 400-label wine list has a top selection of B.C. choices.

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I am not a big show person in general - even at shows that others rave about I start to fidget and my short attention span kicks in about 45 minutes in. 'O' was absolutely fantastic, though, I am not being dramatic when I say I was enthralled the entire time. Ok, the clowns were not my fave, but they lasted about five minutes at a time between acts, I'm sure so that the performers could do costume changes and set adjustments.

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