Among the many Mediterranean dips like humus and tsaztiki, my two favorites are taramasalata and babaganoush. I've experimented with making my own taramasalata but it just does not compare with the one from The Greek by Anatoli. Picking up a takeout container of taramasalata has become my current guilty pleasure.

Not that one should need an excuse for dining out but out-of-town visitors provide a special opportunity to show off our superb Vancouver restaurants, our fresh and varied edibles and our fine BC wines.  For my guests from Arizona, I thought seafood was the way to start.  A pleasant ten minute walk through Yaletown got us to Blue Water Cafe right on time for our 6:15 reservation. Most of the tables on the outdoor patio were already full. We debated sitting outside but the overhead heaters were on whereas the interior of the restaurant felt pleasantly cool. So we opted for a comfortably spacious  booth inside.