This column is about all kinds of food stuff that happens in the geographic (and gastronomic) heart of Vancouver Island: the greater Comox Valley – Campbell River region. It’s a rich region. If you’ve got news, be part of the conversation. Share this information. Join the discussion on Facebook or Twitter.

Courtenay
Chef/owner Chris Zmeis hails from Greece and has 25 years in the rest industry before opening the doors to Yiamas Greek Taverna [75 - 8th Street, Courtenay 250-871-8552 +FB]. It’s in the newly renovated space that used to be home to my favourite Indian restaurant in my town, Go Mango. Rumour has it that owner Rikhi Datt is, like the owners of La Cabana De Marcos (also “closed until further notice”), looking for a new location. I keep thinking the glassed-in, blue-tile bit of modernism overlooking 5th and in the same courtyard as Delicado’s [180 - 5 Street Courtenay 250-338-8885] and #1 Hana Korean Restaurant [250-334-0868, 526 Cliffe Avenue, Courtenay] would make an excellent venue for a hip downtown restaurant or bar…

In the meantime, south Asian fare can be had at Kinaree Thai Cuisine [526A Cumberland Road, 250-898-8639] where some of the Girls Who Love Good Grub Club (“GirlsWLGGC”) recently enjoyed a large and sumptuous dinner with “excellent service.”

South of town the Kingfisher Resort [4330 Island Highway 250-338-1323 and 800-663-7929  +FB] and Chef Troy Fogarty are celebrating the resort restaurant’s new name with a new “West Coast inspired/local ingredients” menu. The name for The Breakwater Restaurant may have come from a Facebook contest, but it also reflects Chef Troy’s interest in local marine history and the resort’s tranquil nature. Stay tuned to our Twitter and FB feeds as I’m hoping to test the new menu soon.

Pecan pie at Atlas Cafe in Courtenay

Downtown, Atlas Cafe [250-338-9838, 250-6th Street, Courtenay  +FB] just celebrated a birthday on April 24 – thanks to owners Sandra Viney and Trent McIntyre for helping to change the face of the local food scene with their bold step 17 years ago! Atlas will be releasing an updated Spring/Summer menu mid-month. A couple of Chef Jon Frazier’s Asian-themed items are piquing my interest. (What I’m really interested in though is what mix-master wizard Torrie Howlett is going to be doing with the new drinks list, especially after talking to Connie about their recent trip to Victoria for wine – and various other tastings.)

The birthdays continue with Thai Village Restaurant [2104 Cliffe Avenue, Courtenay, 250-334-3812  + FB] celebrating its 7th in May with “the most flavour molecules for your dollar.” These flavours include fresh-from-the-patio Thai herbs and $3.95 beers from Granville Island Brewery [@itsgoodtobehere], Tree Brewery [@treebrewing], and Phillips Brewery [@phillipsbeer]. New hours: no lunch but extended evenings hours through the summer.

The “Big Bike” menu continues at Crown Isle’s Silverado Grill [Crown Isle Resort, 399 Clubhouse Drive 250-703-5050]. Chef Andrew Stigant and crew are offering a $26 3-course menu, with $1 from each meal donated to the resort’s Heart & Stroke Big Bike Campaign: Crown Isle employees take a turn on the 30 person fundraising bike ride in Comox June 16th. In addition to personal fund-raising, the Big Bike menu earned $300 by mid-April, with a dining goal of $500 by April’s end. The team’s overall goal: $2000.

About 5 minutes outside of Courtenay, Blue Moon Winery [250-338-9765, 4905 Darcy Road] is starting a monthly feature, working with local chefs for a series of Blue Moon Farm Dinners paired with Blue Moon wines. Local food, from local farms, created into amazing dishes and an incredible menu by our local talent. It may be over when you ready this, but the kick-off is a great one: On May 5th, Chef Ronald St. Pierre of Locals Restaurant [250-338-6493, 364-8th Street, Courtenay  + FB + @eatcomoxvalley] makes a farm feast in an intimate setting for 20 people. For ticket information and menu details on this and upcoming Blue Moon Farm Dinners visit the website.

Comox

Planked salmon, puffed grains with dried cranberries at Avenue Bistro's May One Big Table event.

As I write this I’m preparing to enjoy another of Chef Aaron Rail’s One Big Table events at Avenue Bistro [250-890-9200, 2064 Comox Ave, avenuebistro.ca +FB + @AvenueBistro]. I wrote about it recently because these are very tasty, very social, very fun events. They happen on the last Monday of the month and are well worth a visit. May is also the month when the region’s growing season really gets started and this will be showing up on Chef Aaron’s nightly fresh sheets. AveB staff join with staff at sister Atlas Cafe to thank Jeff and Susan Vandermolen at Beaufort Wineries [www.beaufortwines.ca] for hosting the “Spring Release Wine Tasting” and showcasing what AveB’s Connie Earl says is an “amazing line-up this year!” Both restaurants are offering Beaufort’s red and white wines on their lists, as well as featuring them in a series of special events over the coming year.

Cumberland
On May 5 Chef Greg MacDonald is hosting a “special menu night/date night at the Waverley Hotel in Cumberland [2692 Dunsmuir Ave. 250-336-8322 waverleyhotel.ca +FB]. At $25 a seat they’re selling out. I’ll be checking out Chef Greg’s weekly Sunday Bluegrass Brunch this month with some of the GirlsWLGGC. Watch for Chef Greg’s bi-monthly Chef Table events (5 courses $38 without wine; $50 with wine).

I recently dropped into the Wandering Moose Cafe [250-400-1111 2739 Dunsmuir Avenue  Cumberland www.wanderingmoose.ca +FB] in the old post office on Dunsmuir. My coffee was great, and even though I’d already had lunch I was tempted. Right across the road is Tina Willard-Stepan’s Seeds Natural Food Market [250-336-0129 2733A Dunsmuir Ave www.seedsfoodmarket.ca +FB] – watch for daily specials posted on FB. Kitty corner is Riders Pizza [250-400-7433, B-2730 Dunsmuir Ave. www.riderspizza.com +FB]. I’ve not been yet but have heard great things about the pizza (I also like that they’ve taken a few steps into the local tango Argentino community, always a good thing in my books!).

Campbell River

"Breakfast Chef" Tanya Kuster of Anglers Dining Room, Campbell River

A couple of great recent food experiences in this town include the annual Campbell River Rotary fundraiser Dancing and Tapas (at North Island College, featuring the talents of NIC’s Culinary Arts program students (who also show their stuff via the seasonal Third Course Bistro at North Island College, 1685 South Dogwood St, 250-923-9708 Thurs & Fridays 5-8pm  http://j.mp/3rdCourseBistro).

The second great CR food experience was a wonderful brunch at Anglers Dining Room [at Dolphins Resort, 1-800-891-0287, 4125 Discovery Drive  / dolphinsresort.com +FB @DolphinsResort] thanks to “breakfast chef” Tanya Kuster.  May 25-27th marks the beginning of monthly wine pairing dinners with partner Beaufort Wineries [250-338-1357, 5854 Pickering Road, 10 minutes north of Courtenay www.beaufortwines.ca]. With Chef Joe Volk (NIC Culinary Arts alumni) at the helm the dinners have a “100 mile” theme. Dolphins Resort (parent to Anglers) is offering special 1-night rates for all wine pairing diners not wanting to travel after eating and drinking. What’s cool is that there’s also a “by donation to the Campbell River Food Bank” shuttle as far south as the Oyster River.

My cinnamon bun at Lorna's Roberts Lake Resort dining room.

About a half hour drive north of town, I found delicious (and enormous) cinnamon buns thanks to baker/owner Lorna Duncan at Roberts Lake Resort [Island Highway, Roberts Lake 250-287-9421]. Note: There are lots of great hikes nearby to help discount the caloric impact of these beauties.

~ hanspetermeyer

Related articles

• What the food and dining conversation looks like on Twitter, 80km around the Comox Valley (hanspetermeyer.com)
• One Big Table, the monthly social feast at Avenue Bistro (bonvivantvancouverisland.com)

Martin Picard was recently in town at Barbara Jo’s promoting his new cook book, Au Pied de Cochon Sugar Shack with a book signing. I am not afraid to admit that I am a pretty gushy fan of his. When Au Pied de Cochon self published their first cookbook, I called the restaurant in Montreal trying to get a copy. The hostess was astonished that someone in Vancouver had actually even heard of PDC, let alone want their cookbook.

Well, in the intervening years, Martin Picard’s enthusiastic exploration of Quebec cuisine and rich excess has won him legions of adoring fans (even Rob Blumer showed up to the event, adding some Food Network buzz to the proceedings). It’s easy to overlook that there is also restraint in what he does, keeping his cooking firmly in the world of real food and not stunt cooking. “Sometimes what I cook looks simple, but behind it there is a lot of complexity and technique.”

Picard opened Au Pied De Cochon’s Cabane À Sucre about five years ago to celebrate the food of the country side and the traditional sugar shacks that turn maple sap into syrup. An immediate hit, reservations for the season sell out within hours each December 1st. The new cookbook aims to give a taste of what we are missing, with a focus on detailed step by step photos and recipes that work.

“Each recipe was tested almost seven times, and we are sure that people will have great success with it. I am very proud of the fact that the people will be able to taste real maple syrup in each of the recipes… The maple eclairs that were made here [by the cooking team at Barbara Jo's] taste exactly like the one’s we did in Montreal.”

For many, including myself, the first step in trying the recipes is getting over the idea that maple syrup is a luxury product to be used sparingly. Picard wants us to conquer our prejudice.

“It’s much like how olive oil is treated. We have a false idea that we need all sorts of olive oil that you drizzle a little on things. Then you go to Spain you see how it’s really used.”

Here, maple creme is used in a sandwich of duck fat fried pancakes, pork confit, and cucumbers.

The PDC’s no holds barred food has clearly made a huge impression in the culinary world – with even California taking notice and influencing Los Angeles’ Animal Restaurant. For Picard, “It’s very cool that when you have success, you inspire other people, as I have been inspired by other chefs and restaurants before me.”

As with all great chefs, Picard’s generosity underpins everything he does. He shares local Quebec cuisine with us because he loves it and wants us to love it too. He wants us to really celebrate and enjoy maple syrup, perhaps the most Canadian ingredient out there.

“We are so happy when people are coming from other provinces and the US to come and eat with us.” And with the new book, Picard says “Now we can really share our passion.”

~ Canucklehead

We have a copy of Martin Picard’s new book “Au Pied De Cochon Sugar Shack” to give away to the first person to correctly answer the following question in the comments section below:

What renowned Montreal restaurant did Martin Picard help open in the early 90’s?

Air Canada’s Enroute Magazine has just announced their picks for Canada’s Best New Restaurants of 2011. An impressive list which includes three of BC’s top new restaurants: Ulla in Victoria, L’Abattoir in Gastown and Hawksworth in the Rosewood Hotel. A big congratulations to all the winners!

Unofficial party organ of the engaged yuppified left has launched a food section and to commemorate the event has put together a reading list of 40 writers examining what it means when we discuss what goes in our mouths today. Go have a read here. It’s always a welcome addition to the media landscape to have a dialogue about food detailing more than how much butter to add to mashed potatoes or what some freeloading blogger had comped last night.

~KT

Last week, a group of local food media were invited up to Nita Lake Lodge in Whistler to dine at Aura (formerly Jordan’s Crossing), the 3 year old resort property’s newly revamped fine-dining restaurant. The lodge, having recently changed ownership just after the 2010 Winter Olympics last March, has quietly been ushering in a series of promising changes and upgrades that are worthy of note.

The restaurant’s new kitchen talent is big league. Executive Chef Tim Cuff (formerly of West, Wickaninnish Inn, Mission Hill), along with Restaurant Chef, Owen Foster (former Bearfoot Bistro, Market by Jean Georges, Mission Hill), have some serious kitchen chops and it shows all over their ambitious menu.

Sourcing directly from local farmers, foragers, ranchers and fisheries, the team is committed to bringing the freshest and highest quality products into their kitchen. And they have even taken it one step further by planting a massive roof-top herb and vegetable garden, which is lovingly serviced by both gardeners and cooks. More plans to expand  are in the works with a greenhouse being built in the next few weeks.

^ A taste of some of the house made charcuterie and accoutrements

Our first bites are in the lodge’s impressive presidential suite where we are presented with a variety of charcuterie, all made in-house. Drawing on much of Chef Foster’s butchering skills and experience (he did a brief stint at Market by JG as their butcher), the variety of salumi is impressive, and what is more impressive is they started us off with a beer pairing of Kriek Cherry Lambic served in wine glasses, very clever considering the room was filled with mostly wine nerds.

As an aside,  much of the restaurant’s delicious charcuterie will be featured at the Crush Gala at Cornucopia this November.

^ Once a wine fridge, now a charcuterie fridge

Once seated and after a nice start with a cherry tomato amuse bouche to liven our palates, we dove into this multi-course wine-paired marathon of culinary delights. Here is the play by play:

First dish is a mixture of seafood and fruit that has many subtle and soft flavours, along with a citrus note blending in the mouth, fairly complex and interesting.

^ Scallop, Side Stripe Prawn and Cuttlefish with Lime Injected Melon paired with Lucien Albrecht Gewurztraminer 2008

Next up is a bit of surf and turf with some Artic Char and Veal Cheek Pastrami that has some of us perplexed. With the meat, lettuce, bread crisp and horseradish it evoked a deli sandwich but one bite of the Artic Char and we are thrown off completely. Not a big fan of cold surf and turf to begin with. This dish was a big swing and a miss for me.

^ Arctic Char Belly, Veal Cheek Pastrami, Caraway Aioli, with crisp lettuce and fresh horseradish paired with Codoulet du Beaucastel Cote du Rhone Blanc 2008

The next dish brought table service, which is always a nice touch to any dining experience. The warm consomme is a perfect change of pace for the palate.

^ Parsley Root Consomme and Tortellini, with poached quail’s egg and lemon zest paired with Domaine Weisskopf Les Rocher des Violettes 2006

The Porchetta dish, which uses fresh artichokes from the roof-top garden, is tasty but also a bit busy on the plate with the hazelnut oil and capers and pine nuts and could have benefited with a little more focus and a couple less ingredients.

^ Sloping Hills Porchetta Di Testa, Rooftop Artichokes Barigoule, with virgin hazelnut oil, fried capers, and confit pine nuts paired with M. Chapoutier Beaurevoir 2007

The next course of bacon wrapped quail was incredible and perfectly paired with the evening’s only BC wine, the highly quaffable reserve Pinot Noir from Naramata’s La Frenz Winery.

^ Tiroler Bacon Wrapped Thiessen Farms Quail Breasts, served with Heirloom beets, blossoming oregano, and savoury oats La Frenz Reserve Pinot Noir 2007

Perhaps, it’s because I prefer meat to fish, but this course of bison and melt-in-your-mouth Wagyu short-rib was by far my favourite dish of the evening. Just enough meat, balanced with a variety of interesting and colourful textures, and further elevated by a big red cabernet from Washington. Excellent.

^ Bison Flat Iron Steak, Oakleigh Ranch Waygu Shortrib, served with antique carrots and toasted bulgur wheat Isenhower Road Less Travelled Cabernet Franc 2006

By this point my palate is starting to red line and the Foie Gras and freeze dried fruit salad is hard to appreciate. While the techniques are admirable, this dish is lost to me.

^ Vidal Ice Wine and Quebec Foie Gras, and Amarena Cherry, with freeze dried fruit salad paired with Amarena Cherry Cocktail

But dessert is not finished! An incredibly rich Chocolate Ganache flown in from Belgium with smears of squash toffee and pumpkin streusel arrives to pound my belly into submission. I wince and ignore the gingerbread fudge and coconut macaroons that arrive shortly after.

^ Fresh Coriander Seed and Cluizel Chocolate Ganache with squash toffee milk sauce, and pumpkin seed streusel paired with Graham's Lat Bottled Vintage Port 2005

A final glass of port is a welcome digestif and a perfect ending to this epic meal. The wine program is headed by Ryan Dyck (also formerly from the Wickaninnish Inn) and is a nice mix of mostly B.C. and new world wines along with a few excellent old world selections.

All in all, I was very impressed with Aura. The kitchen team is very talented and it is great to see a new fine restaurant stepping up in Whistler, and giving Creekside another dining attraction worth seeking out.

Aura Restaurant at Nita Lake Lodge
2131 Lake Placid Road | Whistler
Tel: 604.966.5700
www.nitalakelodge.com
View Map

~ PK

The Le Magasin  space in Gastown has been through many reincarnations since its inception in 1911 and with the most recent, McLean’s, it appears to be going through several all at once.

The awkwardly named So.Cial at Le Magasin has been renamed and re-outfitted by former Vancouver Canuck hockey star Kirk McLean in a grey-on-white style accented with white roses and serving continental-inspired West Coast fare.

Like So.Cial, this restaurant ambitiously comprises the formal dining room, downstairs bar, sidewalk patio and sandwich shop and squarely occupying the “something for everyone” camp serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks. The main dining room is fairly muted and formal, with a special area set aside for “Kirk’s table” where Kirk is able to communicate with the kitchen and his guests from an always reserved wing-back chair. But downstairs, “Kirk’s bar” is a schizophrenic mélange of antique books, flat-panel TVs, retro throw cushions, a back-lit Rampant Lion…and more white roses. In a small space below street level, it feels part attic and part rumpus room.

Mingling in this space over sangria and wine at a recent event it seems that this venue is best served as an after work drinks spot, where standing and nibbling would be on the agenda. We had Tuna tartare with avocado and nori chips, easily sampled with one hand while holding a glass of pinot gris in the other. The nori chips are a nice touch, both visually and flavour-wise and make a nice scoop for the tartare although the tartare could have used some more ponzu as the predominant flavour was bland avocado.

Fior di Latte, an appetizer size salad of fresh cow’s milk mozzarella was served with roasted cherry tomatoes and arugula tossed in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The menu cites this dish’s ingredients as including fresh basil rather than arugula, so I’m not sure if the intention was to be more along the lines of a Caprese salad or if they’re making some last minute menu changes. Regardless, the way it was served positioned the bitter greens at one end of the plate and the bland cheese at the other, with only the dressing to join them. This dish could be greatly improved with a little tweaking.

The seared flat-iron steak tataki is done in a tangy Asian-style with citrus soy and grapes, garnished with flat-leaf and black sesame seeds. The grapes are an interesting contrast to the richness of the meat and I enjoyed both the flavour and crunch from it but the Humboldt squid with chorizo, lime and sansho pepper aioli was my favorite dish, spicy and full of flavour.

They seem to be trying to do some innovative things with the menu and with some more refinement and tasting, they might be able to sort out the inconsistencies in flavour and pull it off. However, they are open seven days a week and are virtually guaranteed to be busy with their fail-safe affiliation with hockey fame and location on Water Street.

~ Degan Beley

CBC Radio One is on the verge of launching their first new national food show in well over a decade called  “The Main Ingredient“. Produced regionally in Victoria, the program is hosted by veteran food columnist Khalil Akhtar.  “The Main Ingredient” is not a cooking show!” he explains over the phone. “On this show we will explore the stories behind our food…the dichotomies of food. We will try to discover new perspectives and understand the cultural contexts that help reveal the undercurrents of what we eat.”

Here is a preview of what the first episode has in store:

Meal worms for dinner with cilantro on the side. We take a look at foods that walk the line between yucky and yummy. We’ll find why “supertasters” can’t stomach some vegetables. And why one woman’s placenta is another man’s meal. With this show we’re pushing the boundaries of culinary acceptability.

“The Main Ingredient” premieres on June 28th CBC Radio One and airs Mondays at 11:30 a.m. (3:30 p.m. NT) and Fridays at 7:30 p.m. (8 p.m. NT). Tune in!

Visit: www.cbc.ca/themainingredient

Follow: twitter.com/CBCIngredient

~ PK

Mark your calendars! The 21st Annual Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards is set to take place on Tuesday, May 18th at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre Hotel at 1088 Burrard Street. Reception and awards ceremony starts at 1 pm.

Note: this is an industry event by invitation only.

The Spring issue of EAT Magazine has just hit the streets! Read the digital edition: click here.

The winter issue of EAT Magazine has just hit the streets! Read the digital edition: click here.

A big congratulations to restaurant director, Sebastien Le Goff, Chef Neil Taylor and the entire Cibo crew on their winning of enRoute Magazine’s “Best New Restaurant in Canada” award for 2009! Awesome news. Read full the article, here. ~ PK

Read the latest issue of EAT Magazine online, here.

Read the latest issue of EAT Magazine online, here.

The latest delicious issue of EAT Magazine has hit the streets. Click here to read it online.  Enjoy!

(Photo by: Jackie Connelly)

Framed through the lens of the struggling economy, the Globe and Mail’s Alexandra Gill goes value hunting on Main Street, visiting Deacon’s Corner and The Wallflower.  One comes up roses, the other does not. Click here to read the review.