Kayaks In The Mist

Steveston, BC.

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Changes On The Drive #19

Yesterday morning we took some friends for their first time at Western Lake dim sum.  They loved it, of course; and by the time we were done the lashing rain had just about finished, allowing me to walk down the Drive more or less between showers.  Thank goodness, as taking notes, swinging a camera and balancing an umbrella all at the same time is a skill I seem to be losing as I age.

There are a couple more vacancies on the Drive this month, though several of them are having work done to them: the interiors of both 1840 and 1748 seem to have been painted since I last walked by, and the owners of the Rodway building are still working on the interior of 1616 Commercial, though there is no indication if another tenant is yet ready to move in.

Besides these, the old DQ store in Il Mercarto continues to languish, as does 1044 Commercial (formerly EWaz).  Spank’s shoe store at 1181 has closed, and Tony’s Deli on the corner of Napier has now been shuttered for a month.

On a more positive note, the never-before-used storefront next to Liberty Wines, which I tagged last month as Mexcal, still looks blank and vacant from the outside, but inside the bar and tables are already in and they tell me they are aiming for a March 19th opening (“if we have power”).  A sign on the window now calls it Mexcaleria by La Taquiera. La T. has an excellent reputation for authentic Mexican food so we may have something really good to look forward to.

Scandilicious is now open at 1340, offering waffles of various descriptions.  I had a piece the other day when they were offering samples on the street; not bad.  However, you may recall that the crepe place in the 1800-block didn’t last very long last year, so we’ll have to wait and see how this place gets on.

Caffe Amici at 1344 has suddenly morphed into La Patrona Eatery which is advertising breakfast, lunch and dinner menus.

Havana rebuilt their patio a couple of weeks ago.  And it also appears we have a new set of lawyers on the Drive.  I noticed a new sign for Francesco Grayer LLP in the upstairs offices of 1416 Commercial. Patrick Grayer and Marco Francesco Lilliu have hung on their shingle.  And talking about signs, a correspondent told me that Spartacus Gym has a brand new sign above the Grant Street entrance.

Finally, we have the Daily Catch fish & chip food truck.  With more than 90 restaurants on the Drive, a food truck is just what we need, I don’t think.  It wouldn’t be so bad, I guess, if they stayed parked outside the Daily Catch shop; but for them to pollute Grandview Park is a great and ignoble shame.  We have the BIA to thank for that.

Previous Changes On The Drive posts.