Watermark Gets the Shaft... Again... And Again.

I don't have anything against the Watermark Restaurant on Kits Beach. I had lunch there with my parents when it first opened last July and found it be a pleasant place to have a mildly overpriced meal.

They outfitted the restaurant with all the necessary ingredients for success in Vancouver...

• ULtra modern design, with liberal use of glass... CHECK
  
• Lanky, attractive waitresses... CHECK
  
• A nice view... CHECK
  
• Open kitchen layout, staffed with many cheffy looking chefs... CHECK
  
• Willingness to allow Clinton to cancel multiple dinner reservations in a row... CHECK
  

Okay, so you're wondering about that last one. I exaggerate, of course, when I talk about cancellig all those reservations. They were all done over a period of say, 5 months? Back in January I was giddy over a girl who I went out with a couple times before she disppeared for a few weeks to enjoy her vacation in Costa Rica. When she got back, I jumped the gun a couple of times, booking a table at Watermark in anticipation of our next date.

Why Watermark? I don't know really. The food is nicely presented but pretty unremarkable for the price you pay. When I lunched with papa-san the one real standout was the encrusted pan-seared tuna. It was good enough to order a second helping. I chose to have a dinner date at Watermark because a) the environment is nice and b) lack of alternatives. Normally, my mind is brimming with restaurants I would like to try. Opening new restaurants is like a sport in this city, so there really is never a lack of places to sample. But put me on the line to figure out where to dine on a date, and suddenly I'm Mr. Tourist who doesn't know fine cuisine if it slapped him in the face. Some of you unfortunate ones may remember the wannabe glamour model I tried to date over the course of last summer. For our final painful outing, I actually made a last minute swap and took her to Cactus Club instead of Feenie's! Cactus Club!! I continue to hang my head in shame...

Where was I? Right, so things with that girl back in January turned flakey, but not before booking, then cancelling 2 dinner reservations. Advance a couple more months and I think I did the same thing with a new girl. Into the future a little bit more, I booked, then cancelled a lunch reservations for Mother's Day. No... they actually wouldn't accept any reservations with less than 5 people for Mother's Day. Screw them! Still, I came back for some more fun for Father's Day. My father, the frugal man that he is, refused to go to Watermark for fear that it would hurt my wallet too badly. Awwww, what a sport! Finally... seeing a nice young lady now and was this close to taking her to the Watermark, then decided to check out Lucy Mae Brown instead. Now that dinner kicked my wallet in the nuts... but it was worth the bruising, oh yeah babeeeey. That time I didn't even bother calling in to cancel. I was using them as my backup reservation in case Lucy Mae Brown fell through.

Does this mean I'm destined to never return to the Watermark to nibble on their savoury seared tuna? It could be one of those signs, you know. A higher power out there is trying to tell me, time and time again, to gather up some creativity, rub those brain cells together and pick a restaurant based on merit and not on how it juts into the view of the beach like a gian, metallic splinter. Fairly good views from inside. Look at the exterior and... well.. it almost looks like it doesn't belong there.

Until next time... remember to do more cooking at home, unless you have a hot (or even lukewarm) date.