[4330 Island Highway, Courtenay 250-334-9600 Kingfisherspa.com] on March 5th and April 2nd. Thursday's nights also feature a complimentary lobster tail per person with an appetizer and entrée order. Inspired by a recent trip to India, chef Nicola Cuhna is treating patrons to new uses for fresh curry leaves, black cardamom, and pomegranate molasses at Cumberland’s The Great Escape [2744 Dunsmuir Street, www.greatescape-cumberland.com, 250-336-8831]. In Comox at Avenue Bistro [2064 Comox Ave, 250-890-9200 www.avenuebistro.ca], Chef Aaron Rail has been busy building relations with local producers. Look for seasonally inspired menu changes, as well as a reprise on the recently finished March 2nd wine makers’ dinner. Otter's Kitchen Store [250-339-1153] is moving to a more visible location, kitty-corner to The Lorne Hotel (a good place for lunch when in Comox at 1770 Comox Ave. 250-339-3000). Dough Diva Carol Spencer has made a bold move with Wild Flour Organic Artisan Bakery 221A Church Street in Comox [250-890-0017, www.wildflourorganicbakery.com]: eschewing the costs of running a retail outlet she is now doing free home deliveries, Farmers Markets, and offering classes at the bakery location. Check the website for details – and plug into her new blog at http://wwwwildflourorganicbakery.blogspot.com. —Hans Peter Meyer
TOFINO With spring just around the corner, Tofino and Ucluelet welcome new restaurants and fresh faces to the dining scene. Black Rock Oceanfront Resort, the West Coast’s newest full service luxury Resort opened its doors in mid January. Located on a stunning rocky edge in Ucluelet, Black Rock Resort features 133 suites, a 90-seat oceanfront restaurant, Fetch, 50-seat oceanfront lounge, Float, a wine cellar available for private parties and events, conference and banquet facilities for 100+, and a full service destination spa. After an evening of dining at Fetch, I am eager to return for more melt-in-your mouth braised bison short ribs and lamb sirloin. Featuring the cuisine of Executive Chef Andrew Springett, most recently of Innvision Hospitality Resource Group and former Executive Chef of the Pointe Restaurant at the Wickaninnish Inn, ingredients are sourced locally whenever possible and everything is made in house. The team, lead by Hotel Manager, Carly Hall, (formerly of Long Beach Lodge Resort) also includes Brent Baker and Simon Gillet (both from Middle Beach Lodge). Black Rock Oceanfront Resort is the sixth property opened and managed by Boutique Hotels & Resorts of British Columbia. For more information go to www.blackrockresort.com New to Tofino, Chef/Owner Vincent Fraissange brings a fresh face and menu to the Spotted Bear Bistro, located at the old RainCoast Café on 4th Street. (The RaincCoast Café has closed the doors after 11 years of success, and will be missed by many.) After an apprenticeship at Le Crocodile in Vancouver, Fraissange worked at both Feenie’s and Lumiere, and now brings his passion to Tofino. While still under renovations as I write this, the Spotted Bear Bistro will be open for dinner this spring; breakfast and lunch will follow for the summer season. With a French inspired menu, we will look forward to change in Tofino. For more information call 250 725 2215. Beginning in February, The Pointe Restaurant’s Executive Chef John Waller and Restaurant Chef Nick Nutting will have introduced their Sunday Brunch. Brunch is open to both guests of the Inn and the public, featuring traditional and non-traditional a la carte menu items, with highlights of local ingredients from Vancouver Island purveyors, including Medicine Farms (Barkley Sound), Nanoose Farms (Nanoose Bay), Sloping Hill Farm (Nanaimo) and Wildside Seafoods (Tofino). For more
information go to www.wickinn.com The Pointe Restaurant will also be hosting its annual fundraising dinner for the 21st Annual Pacific Rim Whale Festival, March 14 – 22. Don’t forget to check out the ever popular Chowder Chowdown, hosting more than 500 guests, as well as the Annual Martini Migration, where you will find all your favourite restaurants competing for best chowder, or best martini! For more information go to www.pacificrimwhalefestival.com And finally, with the absence of the Tofino EATBuzz for January/February, congratulations to Chef Jesse Blake of the Wildside Grill for winning the People’s Choice Award at the 12th Annual Clayoquot Oyster Festival Gala! The Juried Prize went to Chef Joshua Anker of Long Beach Lodge Resort and Best Presentation went to Chef John Waller of The Pointe Restaurant. —Kira Rogers
VICTORIA Spring is in the air! And for Victoria’s seasoned and novice gardeners there is a plethora of classes, tools, and programs to help you get your garden growing. For those who need a little space to grow, check out Lifecycles Sharing Backyard Program at sharingbackyards.com to find a backyard in your neck of the woods that is available for gardening. Or, if you’ve got ample space and would like to donate that to a keen gardener, contact Lifecycles to let them know and they’ll put you on the map. Peruse heirloom fruit and vegetables varieties like black gypsy tomatoes or dragon’s tongue beans in the Seeds of Victoria 2009 Catalogue. Find them at Dig This shops around Vancouver Island and Plenty on Fort Street or order from the catalogue online at earthfuture.com. March 10th through April 7th, Camosun College is offering courses on Organic Gardening and Increasing Your Yield taught by local garden gurus, Tina FraserBynes and Mary Alice Johnson. Tina will also be offering classes for the market or personal gardener at Haliburton Farm just outside of Victoria. Or if you’re closer to Sooke, the Sooke Food CHI is hosting garden classes at their CASA site. Call 250.642.6371 for details. Youths interested in learning to grow food and be involved in Vancouver Island’s food system, can sign up for Lifecycles six-week Youth and Agriculture Work Experience Program from March to April. The program teaches basic farming practices, small scale food processing, food security basics, and introduces participants to local food businesses and farm to assess a match for a full-time work experience placement. If you’re more interested in the eating part than the growing efforts, note that several pocket markets have reopened for the Spring after brief winter closures: Fernwood’s Community market is open Tuesdays 2:30 to 5:30 at the Gladstone Café, the UVic Student Centre market is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:30 to 4:30, and the market at the Cedar Hill Rec Centre is now open Wednesdays from 10:00 to 1:00. A brand new pocket market has just opened at Cliff Leir’s new bakery Fol Epi at the Dockside Green; check it out Saturdays from 10:00 to 2:00. Don Genova’s course on Exploring Local Foods taught at the University of Victoria may suit your tastes. There may still be room by March 1st if you contact Heather McCrae at hmcrae@uvcs.uvic.ca soon. In restaurant news, make your way over the blue bridge to for a fantastic cup at Caffe Fantastico’s new location in the dockside green, right in front of Cliff Leir’s recently opened Fol Epi. The new café will be manned by Fantastico’s brilliant baristi and boasts some shiny new equipment, so expect excellence. Ooh La La Cupcakes quietly opened up under the radar at Hillside and Cedar Hill, but is becoming popular
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EAT MAGAZINE MARCH | APRIL 2009