Original Joe's Restaurant and Bar (Cloverdale)

Original Joe's (Cloverdale)  139-17455 Hwy 10, Cloverdale, B.C. Canada  Phone
778-574-4446   www.originaljoes.ca  It has a great location right on the North West corner of Hwy #10 and Hwy #15 in Cloverdale, B.C..  Excellent for travelers from U.S.A. heading to Whistler or where ever.  It is about 7 miles straight north of the PAC Highway border crossing and on the way to Hwy #1.  They have 16 different types of beer on tap including 5 of the Original Joe's beer.  They also have numerous canned and bottled beer as well.  Thursday is a great day to go as it is 1/2 price on all bottles of wine.  They have daily food and drink specials.  There is a catch to this place.....they allow children.  When we were there any one who came in with young children were all seated along the north wall so they didn't bother the rest of the patrons.  There is a nice sidewalk patio that faces west and runs the whole front of the bar.   2 large roll up garage doors can be opened up from the inside area to the patio. They have a nice sit up bar that seats 11 people.  Along the walls they have booths and the rest is high bar chairs and tables.  Several of the tables seat 6 easily.  The food was very good.  I had the Hawaiian burger that had peppered bacon, pineapple and terriaki sauce with lettuce, tomato on it.  It also comes with your choice of 2 side dishes, I had the coleslaw and the french fires which also come with gravy.  Other sides include salad, yam fries and a couple of other things but I can't remember.  The burger, fries and coleslaw was all very good.  There is a lot of food on your plate.  My assistant the "Blogger Babe", had the fish tacos which she said were very good and she gave them an 8 out of 10!!  There was no shortage of servers all of whom were were very friendly and helpful!  With 6 flat screen TVs you won't miss any sports either!  The washrooms are very modern and clean, they should be as they have only been open for 6 weeks!  I really enjoyed my visit here and for sure I will be back.  It is located in a small mall with a Chocolate shop, Staples, M&M meats, Vera's Burgers, Starbucks, Rexall Drugs and a few more opening up.

Toby's Tavern (Coupeville, Washington)

Toby's Tavern, 8 Front Street, Coupeville, Washington, USA Ph# 360-678-4222  www.tobysuds.com  This was another fantastic fine, and thanks goes out to my good friend Dean Sr. for this one!!  It is located right on the water in down town Coupeville, Washington.  It is on Whidbey Island which is also home to the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. Here is from Toby's website:
"The building is on the shore of tranquil Penn Cove, waters known for its abundant crop of Mussels. Originally a mercantile built in approximately 1890, the structure has housed many businesses. Following prohibition, it became a beer parlor and has been a Tavern/restaurant since the early sixties.
The back bar was originally brought around the horn and placed in the Fort Warden officers club in about 1900. It then moved to Fort Casey and then eventually to the Central Hotel in Coupeville. When the Hotel suffered a serious fire, the back bar was then moved to its current location at Toby's."
Toby's opened up in 1938.  The Front street is full of shops and places to eat all of the buildings are from around the late 1800's early 1900's.
They have beautiful ornate sit up bar that is full of history.  The sit up bar was full for the 1 1/2 hours that we were there.  I would say it sits around 15 people or so on backless stools!
The food here is awesome! We were there with a bunch of friends and ordered the 2 pounds of steamed Mussels. which came with wonderful fresh toasted bread.  These were probably the best mussels that I have ever eaten.  One of our friends ordered the Ruben sandwich, which came on fresh dark rye bread and lots for french fries.  Other friends had the fish and chips which were also very good.  The service was fantastic and the girls were running all the time keeping every one happy!
There is a good variety of beer on tap, as well as a decent wine list.  It is great sitting here, looking out at the water and watching all of the boats passing by. 
They have one pool table, but no one was using it when we were there.  This place was packed the entire time we were there.  There are all kinds of things on the walls from a moose head, buffalo head, a 5 person rowing shell from the 1950's from the University of Washington.  Just come in and check it all out.
You have to go to Coupeville as it is so beautiful here, great shopping and of course you have to go to Toby's Tavern!  It is a definite two thumbs up for sure!

April 2018.  Bach again.  Once a gain we shared the pound of mussels and they were awesome.  They came with 3 slices of garlic toast.  We shared an order of fish and chi[s.  The fish was very good, nice and meaty!! the fries were good to as can the creamy coleslaw.  Everything else it side is the same.  Love it here!!!

August 30, 2022

Back again and still awesome. Always worth going too! This time my wife and I shared the 2 pounds of steamed Penn Cove Mussels with garlic bread. They were fantastic!! The view is amazing and service is fast and friendly. You have to try Toby's out you will love it!!

Overflow Bar (Sedro Woolley, Washington)

Overflow Bar, 109 Ferry Street Sedro Wolley, Washington, USA.  A small little local bar that was once a Livery then an automotive shop and finally a bar.  The sit up bar seats 12 people and there are 2 pool tables in the middle of the bar.  There are smaller tables around the edges and a large round table towards the back.  Pool on suynday's is free and there are food and drink specials through out the week.  Out back they have a fenced in patio area and is mosly filled up by smokers.  There is no smoking in the bar.  The entire bar isn't that big, probablyt not much bigger than some one's basement rec room.  There was only one bartender/ waitress, but she worked hard and efficient to keep everyone happy.  The first bartender was replaced by Stephanie the bar manager and she too was great.  If only everyone worked that hard and maintained a smile on their face as these girls did!  People were very friendly and one person in particualr was great and that was "Big Mike".  He was very friendly and it was enjoyable to sit and talk to him.  Big Mike told us that this bar is a good local bar and the prices are better then some of the more fancier bars around.  I didn't try any of the food so I can't tell  you about the food.  We had a great time here having a drink, playing some pool and visiting with every one!!   There is no reason why I would't come back here, I had a great time!

Rocking Horse Pub (Nanoose Bay, British Columbia)

The Rocking Horse Pub 2038 Sanders Road, Nanoose Bay, British Columbiam, Canada.  Located just south of Parksville on beautiful Vancouver Island.  www.rockinghorsepub.ca  phone 250-468-1735.  This was a great find, it is located on a 5 acre equestrian centre in the country.  The house was originally built in 1972 and in 1977 it was converted to the Rocking Horse Inn and an extension was added.  It has gone through several changes over the years.  When you enter the pub is to the right and the resturant is to the left and is adorned with beautiful antiques.  Out back there is a beautiful patio area and also extends on to the grass looking out to natural area of the ranch.  The pub has a English pub look and feel to it.  The sit up bar is beautiful and seats about 8 people and stands about another 8 people.  There are 5 picnic style tables around the inside perimeter of the pub with 6 round tables with pub  arm chairs.  They have one country style table that seats 8 people.  There is one pool table and 3 flat screen TV'S.  The food was very good, I had the steak and Guinnes pie which came with home cut fires.  My wife had the Chicken Medetrainian Salad that came with black olives, feta chese, sun dried tomatoes, cucumbers mixed greens with a beautiful balsamic vinagerette dressing.  She said that it was very good.  There is a fire place with a wood stove insert that actually burns logs....not a fake one!  The serivce is very good, and the regulars very friendly.  I learned alot about fishing, crabbing and prawn fishing, if you are in the area maybe drop in for lunch and get a few tips before you head out on the ocean.  This place is well worth the time to stop in.  When I was there a British Sports club car dropped by with 10 old sports cars.  There is lots of paking aswell!  Great find!!

Pacific Beach Shore Club (Pacific Beach, California)

Pacific Beach Shore Club, 4343 Ocean Blvd. Pacific Beach, San Diego California, USA.  www.pbshoreclub.com  This is a very popular bar and well located.  It is right on the beach right across from the life guard station.  It is located on the second floor.  There is a set of stairs in front when entering from the beach.  There are two bar areas when you enter.  The bar on the left has a 10 person sit up bar and along the two walls with windows there is bench seating facing the windows.  Just about everyone sits on the table area and feet on the seats facing in.  There are also two large picnic style tables in the middle.  There are 25 different types of beer on tap!  The bar on the right has several booths and 3 picnic tables. They have the same style sit up bar as the other side.   There are 25 TVs through out!  For lunch I had the  Lobster burrito which was very good.  My wife had the 2 grilled mahi tacos and black beans and they were awesome!.  This place was packed by 1:30 pm You would have thought that it was 11 pm instead.  Lots of people were drinking these Red Bull smoothies!  If you are ever in Pacific Beach you have to go here for sure!

Bon Vin (San Diego, California)

Bon Vin, a wine shop and wine bar.  542-5th Avenue, San Diego, California, USA in the Gaslamp Area. www.bonvinsandiego.com  It was fairly quite when we were there.  They sell wine from California, France, Italy and Spain.  There is a tasting room in the back and a sit up bar where we sat.  In front there are comfortable chairs to sit and enjoy a glass of wine.  To go with our wine we had a cheese plate with three different types of cheese.  Bon Vin is located in an old heritage building. The plaque on the front of the building offers this information about the building:
The Lewis Brick Block, Stingaree Hotel 1887.  Known as the Lewis Brick Block, the upper floors were referred to as the Stingaree Hotel in reference to the area's red light district.  The main floor was used for cigar and tobacco shop, billiard hall and revival center.   This Victorian building is characterized by decorative b rick arches over the second story windows and stepped brickwork along the roof line.
It is a very nice relaxing place to have a glass of wine, some cheese and let the day slip by.

Coronado Firehouse Bar and Grill (Coronado, California)

Coronado Firehouse Bar and Grill 126 Orange avenue, Coronado, California, USA.   www.coronadofirehousebarandgrill.com  This is a Coronado Historical Landmark as it was the site of the first fire house in Coronado in 1892. Obvious fire dept theme. Sit up bar with its checker plated face plates, seats 25 and is 45 feet long. They have roll up garage doors at the front to open it all up,  with side walk patio. 20 flat screen TVs through out the bar. The food was very good, I had the pizza, which was very good!  My wife had the chicken salad and said it was very good.  Our friend had a burger and he too said it was very good. All of the food had fire fighter themed names. They have a nice patio area in front and it is a very relaxing place to enjoy a drink and something to eat. With 14 beer on tap, a large selection of craft beer and the usual beer as well as a nice wine selection you can't go wrong.  Very wide open feeling here and mix that with all the sunshine it is all good!! Two thumbs up!!