Barb recently tagged me and, although I’m a little late, I’m going to post my (very boring) response.

The idea is that I’m supposed to list my five favorite restaurants and describe them. Here’s the problem - we don't often go out to restaurants. It’s rare for the three of us to be in the same place at the same time (and on the same schedule), so we sort of “hit and miss” and grab a lot of take out vs. dining out. Seriously, one of our favorite things is to pick up gyros from a kiosk in the mall or order in Chinese (Bamboo Grove, every time)...not very elegant or impressive. But, for Barb’s sake, I’ll give this a whirl:

1/ Cronos - Steak, Lobster & Pizza House. Cronos is in the heart of Richmond, but sort of tucked away and hard to find. We’ve been going there since the kids were little...not so much for the ambiance (it’s dark and ugly) but for the delicious food. There's a nice variety to the menu and I like the fact that they serve Italian and Greek dishes. The lasagna is fantastic and the caesar salad is the best I’ve ever had. We also order the chicken souvlaki that comes with pita bread and, again, the best tzatziki I’ve ever tasted. The pizzas are excellent and it’s not uncommon for us to order a bunch of food and then share/sample a bit of everything. We have fond memories of Ty at 2, squishing a little creamo cup all over the bald man’s head behind us. (Now you know why we order in.)

2/ Friendly Banner’s Restaurant. This place is a little gem that’s a 5 minute walk from us, but we’d walk 50 if we had to. It’s hard to find a true “family” restaurant these days - especially one with a menu as extensive as this one. It’s pages long and there’s something for EVERYONE. Everything from salads to wraps to pasta to turkey or steak dinners. Burgers, sandwiches. There are even old favorites (of Mom's) like liver and onions and veal cutlets. Our favorite is the chicken quesidilla....yummy. The place is always packed as a result of the great food and large portions. Most entrees come with soup or salad (no, not “super salad”) - the soup is always delicious and the salad always fresh. And one of the best things about the place is the staff there - they treat you like you’re long time friends (well I guess we are now). Everyone that goes there seems to know them by name and the regulars who have coffee and cigarettes outside just go on in and help themselves like they run the joint. There aren’t too many places these days where four people can walk in and sit down without having to order?....they know exactly what we want and how we want it. Pretty amazing. Just don't sit in the booth that's right beside the bathrooms.

3/ Pajo’s Fish & Chips - O.K., it’s greasy food, like I showed you. But not TOO greasy, it’s actually really good. And they have a nice selection of freshly caught cod, salmon and halibut (they're 5 minutes from the docks), as well as some pretty decent burgers. But the best part of Pajo’s is the location - it’s situated smack dab at the foot of Garry Point park. It’s a great place to go for a beautiful sunset dinner on the beach. Fairly reasonably priced. And the little building it's housed in also has an ice cream shop that's a must after dinner....mmmm freshly made waffle cones.

4/ Nando’s Chicken - (Do you notice a trend here?...if you open a restaurant that ends in "o", chances are I'll come). By far the best chicken going. The setting isn’t the greatest, feels kind of like you’re crammed in a hallway, but the food makes up for it. And it’s a family run franchise with a really friendly family running it - they tend to come out and mingle with the diners. A little pricey, but the portions are good and it’s always delicious.

5/ I’m saving this spot. There are several restaurants in my city that I’ve never been to, despite the fabulous reviews that they get. Some are just a hop, skip and car ride away. So I plan of visiting them in the near future and returning to update here, on number 5.

These restaurants include:

The Charthouse Restaurant in Steveston. I was born and raised in Steveston - my parent’s house is still there. And people from all over the world have dined at the Chart House, so why haven't I? I don't know. That’s going to change. Soon.

La Pergola. Another Steveston restaurant that’s a stone’s throw away from my old stomping grounds. And it's calling my name.

Papi’s Restaurante Italiano. Again, Steveston. Did I even live there at all? Where the hell was I?

The Mad Greek. It’s Greek. It’s gotta’ be good.

Go here for info on all the local restaurants here.

So this is the deal. I'm to tag five people and you must add 5 restaurants in your area that are worth checking out. Then add your info to the end of this list of links.

Nicole Sydney, Australia
verlverse Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
LB San Giovanni in Marignano, Italy
Selba Jakarta, Indonesia
Olivia London, England
ML Utah, USA
Lotus Toronto, Canada
tanabata Saitama, Japan
Andi Dallas(ish), Texas, USA
Lulu Chicago, Illinois, USA
Chris Boyne City, Michigan, USA
AB Cave Creek, Arizona, USA
Johnny Yen Chicago, Illinois, USA
Bubs Mt. Prospect, Illinois, USA
Barbara Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Deb Richmond, British Columbia, Canada

Whew, that's a long list.

So I now tag tk, whitenoise, mellowlee, Allison and gled.

And, if you're like me and don't frequent restaurants much, I'm changing the rules to say pick 5 that you'd LIKE to dine at.