– by Lara Gladych –
This is the first in a six-part series of profiles on some of the Saanich Peninsula’s wonderful restaurants and pubs.
It’s round two for me at the Prairie Inn, local favourite in Saanichton. This time, manager Jamie Day bows out of the spotlight, and I have the pleasure of sitting at the bar and chatting with bartender, Pete Twiss.
I order a pulled pork quesadilla before we get started, because Jamie has told me it’s his favourite. It’s now just me and Pete, and a few regulars watching the ball game at the other end of the bar. At only just past ten in the morning, it’s an unusual time for me to be at the bar. Pete pours me a stiff one – a hot coffee, that is.
I ask Pete about the desserts, and tell him that I’d really like to try one because I hear they’re fantastic. Cook Liz comes out, and of course I have to ask her about the food. She tells me about the fruit crumble, as we’re talking desserts, which she makes from scratch with fruit that changes seasonally.
We start on the subject of how people’s palates change as we head into spring and towards summer. She adjusts the specials menu to include more salads, lighter tastes, and she reveals that the daily special is often created around the weather. Comfort foods for dark, cold, rainy days, and lighter fare for warmer days, as customers eat according to what it’s doing outside. I like that it’s that simple!
Pete, who’s been at the P.I. for six years now, loves the people and the staff at this job. One of the menu highlights for him is the Tuxedo Burger: a six-ounce patty, two types of cheese, bacon, mushrooms and all the fixings. And to go with any of their fantastic burgers, there are 16 beers on tap, one of which is a rotating local brew.
Their menu is varied and extensive. Does it have to be so large, people often ask. Pete’s response is yes, because everything on it sells! Going back to Liz, I ask what she enjoys cooking most. She says all of it, “because it’s all home-cooking.” Pete gets on her good side when he mentions that everyone raves about her soups.
My quesadilla is up, and it’s enormous. Jamie has told me in the past that they strive for great value at the Prairie Inn, and true to form, this is no wimpy meal. The meat is tender and sweet, but there are the recognizable mexicana flavours too. Nice combination!
Pete and I talk more about the pub. He says that he’s still the “new guy” on staff, even having worked here for six years. The staff all seem genuinely happy to work here, and I’ve noticed it on both visits.
The P.I. now caters, so you can bring your pub favourites to your place, or wherever you need to be. Imagine the possibilities! At the Prairie Inn they’re also enjoying the success of their expanded family section, which can now accommodate sixty children. It has gone over really well with customers, and regulars in particular, who can now bring their families in.
I have to stop eating my quesadilla halfway through because I’m saving room for my crumble. The dessert arrives piping hot, and it’s a berry-apple variety today. The brown-sugar warmth of the crumble itself is irresistible to look at, and tastes as good as it looks. I love that the fruit isn’t too sugary, which lets the natural flavours and tartness come through.
On a note not completely unrelated to food, beginning in late May, the Prairie Inn will kick-off it’s third annual Monday night golf season. Nine holes of golf at Glen Meadows, followed by a burger and a sleeve of beer back at the pub, all for $25. Sounds like fun to me!
Further adding to the fun around here, Jamie is really looking forward to this July, when the Prairie Inn celebrates its twentieth anniversary under the same ownership and management. Cheers to another round, and to twenty years more, Jamie.
Visit the Prairie Inn Neighborhood Pub at 7806 Saanich Rd, in Central Saanich. They can be reached by phone at 250.652.1575.
