C'mon Lethbridge – Let's vote! - Lethbridge Journal

312 2 nd Avenue South | 403-327-8760
Lunch Buffet: Mon - Sat: 11 am - 2 pm
Sun: 12 pm- 4 pm
Dinner Menu: Mon - Sat: 4:30 pm -10:30 pm
Sun: 4 pm - 9:30 pm
Buffet: Mon - Sun: 10:30 am - 9 pm
Hours:
East Indian Cuisine
Two locations to serve you
144 Columbia Blvd W. | 403-327-8773
Sun - Wed: 10 am - 10 pm
Thurs - Sat: 10 am - midnight
DINING GUIDE
Lunch
Special
THE JOURNAL - WEEK OF JANUARY 20, 2011 - Page 27
Andrew Hilton:
An accompaniment to fine dining
By Jeff Wiebe
For The Journal
The world of fine wine
and spirits has a good home
in Lethbridge.
Andrew Hilton Wine and
Spirits has been operating
in the city for more than 25
years, bringing together a
variety of the best beverages
from around the world.
Max Baines, the store’s
owner, started the business
with a partner in 1985,
and he says it was a natural
progression. “I’d done
quite a bit of travelling
overseas pursuing a wine
hobby, so it was a good fit,”
he explains, adding that he
now co-owns the store with
his wife, Lorna.
When the store opened
in the 1980s, Alberta’s retail
landscape was much different
– the liquor industry
was still mostly under the
control of the provincial
government, and there were
only three other private
stores in the province at the
time, restricted to selling
only wine. Stores were also
instructed to import as
much of their own product
as possible, to differentiate
them from governmentowned
shops. Today,
Andrew Hilton still offers
a variety of unique products
unavailable elsewhere
in the city and Baines still
travels to areas he believes
can contribute to the store’s
growth. “Where we go
depends on where we need
to grow,” he explains, adding
that son Kyle visited
Scotland two years ago.
The shop does a lot
of business with colleague
stores in Calgary
and Edmonton, and travel
arrangements are coordinated
between businesses
to maximize the benefits
of such trips. “It’s very
expensive to travel, and
this way we can spread out
our travel costs because we
have other stores that will
go into certain areas of the
world,” explains Baines.
For scotch connoisseurs
(and their would-be
counterparts), the store
hosts regular scotch tastings
every fall – they’re a
friendly way to try a variety
of scotches while learning
about the process. “Single
malt scotches are not the
most inexpensive things in
the world. This gives people
a chance to taste about 75
different single malts over
the course of the tasting series,”
says Baines. “It gives
them the opportunity to
broaden their pallet – find
out what they like and what
they don’t like.”
$9.95
The store is also heavily
involved in community efforts
and fundraisers. “It’s
been a personal decision
from myself and Lorna.
The community has supported
us for 25 years and I
think it’s fair to support the
community back. To thank
the community for their
support of us is the least
we can do – we try to make
sure we support one major
college event and one other
university event per year, as
well as other events.”
At Whitbie’s
every day is a Fryday
Serving English, Scottish and
Dutch classics like:
• Fish & Chips • British meat pies
• Black pudding • Frikandel • Nasischijf
• Deep fried Mars Bar or Twinkie.
Also serving European beers and wines.
Sit-in / take-out
866 Heritage Heights Plaza West
Hours: Tues-Sat 11-8
Sun-Mon 4-7
403-317-7797