Big Night Out

On thursday a number of us decided to go to the Dorset Suites, one of the two hotels in town, for dinner as it would be our only opportunity to do so before leaving.  There are no 'restaurants' or 'fast food' places in Cape Dorset.  There are the two grocery stores and the two hotels.  The Dorset Suites are open daily for lunch, but only two nights a week for dinner (unless by reservation) and the Kinngait Inn I believe does pizza delivery (I am unclear whether they have an eat in option for non-guests).

I had not been inside the Suites before last night, but had heard that they had a lovely carving and print collection, which was on display.  I was not really sure what to expect from the descriptions I had received from different individuals. However, I was delightfully surprised.  The restaurant and hotel rooms (we were able to peek inside one that was open) were much more lavish than I had anticipated.

Although very modern and beautiful there were two things that stood out.  When you entered the building there was a large vestibule in which to hang up your parka, but also store your outdoor boots... meaning that if you did not bring slip ons with you, you were walking around and eating in your sock feet.  This at first seemed to contrast the look and feel of the place, but once you took your seat and realized that other guests were also sock footed, it seemed like quite the natural thing to do.

The other thing that stood out was that our waitress seemed to do a bit of everything.  She took orders, served the tables, answered the phone, dealt with take out orders, and seemed to work in the kitchen.

The contrast between 'high end' aesthetics and the need for functionality was very apparent and quite humorous.  

Vestibule

shoes are optional