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Having lived in the Tri-Cities area ever since my family and I moved to Canada, there is always a special place in my heart to promote awareness of what’s in the area. When I was invited to the Eat Your Heart Out event, not only was I attracted to the idea of a restaurant crawl in Tri-Cities, but I was also drawn to the fact that this was a fundraiser for the Eagle Ridge Hospital Foundation to ensure the Eagle Ridge Hospital is well-equipped and staff are well-trained to serve the community.

I was happy to see such a great turnout at the event. After a few speeches to kick off the evening, we all hopped on a trolley supplied by the Vancouver Trolley Company.

Now how often do you see a line-up of trolleys outside of the Port Moody City Hall, or on the road in Port Moody?! It’s quite fun to travel in style. And depending on your fellow participants, your trolley could turn out to be the “party trolley” haha!

In our Loop 1, we made stops at the following three restaurants. Each of them served up a tasting menu, highlighting some interesting ingredients or their signature dishes.

Saint St. Grill

• Wild salmon carpaccio, with julienne of diakon and carrot marinated in avocado oil and white balsamic vinegar, pink peppercorn aioli topped with tobiko roe.
• Slow braised BC raised ostrich red wine demi caramelized onion.
• Roasted mini potatoes with squash stuffing.
• Chocolate biscotti cup filled with white chocolate mousse painted with bitter sweet dark chocolate.

Certainly didn’t expect to see ostrich on the menu, and I never knew that there are ostriches in BC! This tasting plate was very good, had a lot of delicate components. The restaurant has some unique character (red lighting and an eclectic collection of decor items); I’ve never eaten there before, but maybe I should plan a visit some other time.

Browns Socialhouse Newport Village

• Slow braised pork ribs with smoky BBQ sauce, with a side of crisp coleslaw.

I successfully navigated through my plate under the dim lighting and dug into the tender pork ribs. The meat fell right off the bones and there were many pieces on the plate. It could definitely be a messy one!

Mr. Mike’s Steakhouse Casual

• Steak with creamy peppercorn sauce, garlic mashed potato and Cascadia Salad.

The steak was cooked to perfect medium. It’s a simple dish, but quite satisfying.

And the evening didn’t end there. We travelled back to the Galleria at the Port Moody City Hall where a big spread of chocolatey desserts by Christine Catering as well as coffee and tea were waiting for us. I was already quite full after Mr. Mike’s. Now this just put me to 100% full, maybe 120%.

Attending this event was a great way to spend time with friends, or to meet new friends, while supporting a great cause. With friends and family living in this area, it was heart-warming to see the support the ERHF received at this event, knowing that local residents are in good hands should they need help from the hospital. To learn more about the Eagle Ridge Hospital Foundation, visit its website at erhf.ca.