OKANAGAN VALLEY - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 376

Walla Foods (1475 Fairview Rd., 250/770-2001, 8am-6pm Tues.-Fri., 9am-3pm Sat.,
lunches $9-13) is part-bakery, part-Middle Eastern café, but the combination works well in
this nondescript location. Breakfast choices include shakshuka, eggs poached in a tomato
sauce and topped with feta cheese. You can also pick up delicious Mediterranean-style
breads and filled focaccia sandwiches.
One of my favorite casual dining spots in Penticton is M Dream Café (67 Front St., 250/
490-9012, 11:30am-2:30pm Wed.-Sat. and 5pm-9pm Thurs.-Sat., $13-20), away from the
water but with a dreamy ambience (think eclectic furniture, colorful kites hanging from the
ceiling, and soothing background music), friendly staff, and innovative cuisine. The menu
takes inspiration from throughout Asia and steers clear of red meat: poached lime chicken
salad, salmon spinach pie, rice noodle wraps, Alaskan crab cakes, and tandoori chicken.
Across the road from the beach along the busy downtown tourist strip is Salty's Beach
House (1000 Lakeshore Dr., 250/493-5001, from 11am daily, $11-17), with tables inside
and out. The menu blends conventional pub fare with Thai and Caribbean cuisine, such as
pad thai and a seafood pizza drizzled with lime and wasabi vinaigrette. The fruity drink
menu befits the location.
On Main Street between Okanagan and Skaha Lakes are several decent eateries. At
Theo's Restaurant (687 Main St., 250/492-4019, 11am-10pm Mon.-Sat., 4pm-10pm Sun.,
$14-29) you can tuck into European favorites such as lamb moussaka or wine-marinated
calamari in an older open-plan eatery.
INFORMATION AND SERVICES
Wine Country Visitor Centre (553 Railway Ave., 250/493-4055 or 800/663-5052,
www.tourismpenticton.com , 8am-7pm daily in summer, 9am-6pm Mon.-Sat. the rest of the
year, 9am-5pm Sun.) is well worth searching out. Inside the adobe-style structure are free
Internet access, a wine information center, and lots of local literature.
Penticton Regional Hospital is on Carmi Avenue (250/492-4000). The post office is
on the corner of Winnipeg Street and Nanaimo Avenue.
GETTING THERE
Penticton is on Highway 97, 63 kilometers (39 miles) north of Osoyoos and 64 kilometers
(40 miles) south of Kelowna. The most direct route to Penticton from Vancouver is to head
east on Highway 3 and then take Highway 3A north from Keremeos. Total distance is just