(Read “A Visit to the Comox Valley Pt 1“)
What would it take to get me to pack up my family and travel 5 solid hours by boat and van to a fairly remote town overrun by wealthy Albertans and military personnel? Good food. And beer.
When I told people that I was headed to the Comox Valley for a visit and asked for dining recommendations, Locals in Downtown Courtenay, was an overwhelming favourite. This lovely restaurant, Chef Ronald St. Pierre’s first, is an elegant and sincere expression of what fresh and honest food is all about. The name says it all. As their menu states, the whole concept revolves around local food from the “heart of the island”. The walls are adorned with framed photographs of the local producers who supply the restaurant daily, making a visual and viseral reconnect with the food on the plate.
All the dishes we sampled that day were simply prepared, extraordinarily fresh, and an absolute joy to eat. This place is a definite must for anyone visiting Courtenay and wanting to experience the bounty of the region.
^ Trio of Cheeseburger $14 ~ Courtenay Hereford Farms trio of beef burgers served with Qualicum Cheesework Raclette chees, Blue Claire cheese and Okanagan pure goat cheese.
^ Quackery Duck Salad $14 ~ warm slow cooked duck leg confit served on mesclun greens with roasted cashews and grapes, baked goat cheese croutini and local wild berry dressing with a glass of Beaufort Vineyard’s 2007 Merlot, $9.
^ Chef Ronald St. Pierre working in his kitchen.
Next up, a visit to Natural Pastures Cheese Company to pick up some fine wedges and wheels for our travels. I was keen to try some of the famous Mozzarella di Bufala made from water buffalo milk from Fairburn Farm in Duncan, but we were told that it quickly sells out and none was available. So we settled for some of the award-winning Comox Brie. Poor us.
^ The Comox Brie won the World Championship Gold Medal, in the 27th biennial Contest (WCC) in 2008, a first for Western Canada. Serious kick ass cheese.
On our last day in the valley, we visited Brambles Market, one of Canada’s first grocery stores to offer 100% locally grown and produced products, from fruits and vegetables to meat, fish, baked goods, condiments and spices. The store, owned and operated by long-time Courtenay residents, Jim and Angeline Street, the market offers a unique and rewarding shopping experience. For example, the corn above was delivered moments before I took this picture and was still warm from the morning sun. And for anyone who knows and loves corn, the fresher the better. Sweetest corn ever!
Most of the goods in Brambles are drawn from many of the 440+ farms in the Comox region, directly supporting the regional economy. And what I found especially remarkable was that much of their product was not only of a better quality, being delivered farm direct, but also being sold at a better price than the larger Thrifty’s grocery store up the street.
^ There is even a friendly butcher on site for custom cuts of meat. Pork shoulder anyone?
Needing to re-fuel, we made our way to the Atlas Cafe for our next meal. Very popular with the locals, the place reminds me a bit of the Waazubee Cafe on Commercial Drive with their funky decor and eclectic menu. When we arrived, it was quite lively and packed for the lunch rush.
Luckily, we had a reservation and we were seated after only a short wait, by-passing the forming line at the door. Considering all the hustle and buzz, I was impressed with how the staff kept everything flowing at a good clip and I was especially glad to see some local craft beer on tap. My first taste of the delicious Red House Ale got me primed and excited for our next and final stop: Surgenor’s Brewery.
Nestled amongst the trees, tucked away in a quiet residential neighborhood, lies Comox’s first brewery. The brainchild and namesake of Bob Surgenor, a former commercial electrical contractor, the brewery currently produces two very accesible yet full-flavoured beers: Red House Ale (an Irish red ale), and Steam Donkey Lager (named after the steam powered engine widely used in logging operations in the region during the late 1800’s). The beers, a runaway success since their introduction into the market less than 6 months ago, have been making their way onto many draft beer lists all over Vancouver Island (and on tap at the Alibi Room!) and can also be found in bottles at select BC Liquor outlets and private liquor stores. 
Surgenor’s is the first BC brewery to use aluminum bottles. This technology, a hybrid between a bottle and a can, has a few distinct advantages over the traditional glass bottles. It is lightweight and it doesn’t break, which saves money on fuel costs and prevents breakage during bottling and transport. As it is opaque, it also prevents the dreaded “skunking”, a foul taste that emerges when beer is exposed to light (ding dong, hello Corona, what’s that smell?).
And that my friends, was my first taste of Vancouver Island’s Comox Valley. In a few words, brilliant, vibrant and inspiring. And if it wasn’t for all those rich Albertans who have already bought up most of the place with their piles of oil money, driving real estate prices into the ionosphere, I might have been packing up my family for a move already. Oh well, it still is a nice place to visit. ~ PK
