Our first daffodils must have got their asses kicked over the weekend. I dont know for sure if they survived the wintry blast (I flew down to Los Angeles for a food safari right when the weather was getting particularly sour), but their recent arrival was no small cause for celebration in our household. Our first blooms usually herald the time when we start sorting our plans for Spring and Summer travel. I have Mexico and Europe on the horizon, but Im just as excited about puttering around the province again looking for new tastes and rekindling old, flavourful flames. Here are several that Im fixing to make it to once things warm up.
Gods Mountain | 4898 Lakeside Rd. Penticton, BC |
At least two of the best dining experiences of my life have taken place at this gorgeous cliffside B&B just outside of Penticton on Skaha Lake, and Im hoping to give it another go this summer. The setting is especially dramatic: one long, white linen-draped table under a grove of trees overlooking the shimmering water as the sun sets behind the mountains. Pentictons Joy Road Catering does the cooking every Sunday night of the summer, which is to say supper with all its ingredients sourced locally is drop-dead outstanding. Ive yet to stay overnight afterwards. This year I mean to.
Rockwater Secret Cove Resort & Spa | 5356 Oles Cove Rd, Halfmoon Bay, BC |
Ive heard plenty of great things about this place on the Sunshine Coast ever since it opened a few years back. The accommodations are supposed to be some of the most jaw-dropping in the country. Think spacious tent houses with radiant floors, king-size beds, hydro-therapy tubs, rainforest showers and fireplaces, all right on a remote, rocky waterfront. There is a full-service restaurant on site which has been recommended to me on several occasions, but I know next to nothing about it, save for its West Coast cuisine specialization. Time to check it out!
Ocean Village | 555 Hellesen Drive, Tofino, BC |
I try to spend as much time as I can in Tofino on Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Island (about a month a year) and Im sure Ive stayed at just about every hotel and resort they have save one: Ocean Village. Ive walked past it dozens of times while beachcombing up and down Mackenzie Beach, and have always wanted to stay in one of the beehive-shaped cottages that sit a mere putt from the high tide line (and right in front of the sunset). They come equipped with kitchens, but just up the road from the beach are The Tofitian for morning coffee and both Tacofino and Wildside Grill for fresh, hot chow.
| Cheese, apples, and more.
From its annual Apple Festival with its 350 types of organic apples (this September 30) to its host of homey cafes, Salt Spring Island offers a wealth of easily accessible variety to adventuring foodies. Dont get back on the ferry without first checking out its two superb cheese dairies: Moonstruck Organic Cheese (MoonstruckCheese.com) and Salt Spring Island Cheese Company (SaltspringCheese.com). The former makes some of Canadas best blue cheeses, while the latter produces a battery of flavoured goats cheeses, including the almost famous, surface-ripened Juliette, done in Camembert style.
The Terrace | 1730 West Bank Road | West Kelowna, BC |
The Terrace restaurant at West Kelownas multiple award-winning Mission Hill Family Estate Winery is the ultimate in al fresco dining. Few settings this picturesque are matched by culinary skill, and instead of leaning on its stunning location and dishing mediocrity (as is common with rooms with views), they really go for it. I havent eaten chef Matt Bateys food in more than two years, so Im keen to give it another try, especially since chef Chris Stewart (ex-Fat Duck, with stages at Bouchon and The French Laundry) has joined his brigade for the new season.
Nita Lake Lodge | 2131 Lake Placid Rd, Whistler, BC |
I reviewed the food at this Whistler hideaway last summer, and boy was I ever impressed. Chefs Tim Cuff and Owen Foster work its restaurant, Aura, with the aid of a massive rooftop garden that supplies their kitchen with a battery of same day fresh ingredients, which resurface artfully on the plate with proteins sourced from around BC. As an added bonus, bar manager Hailey Posemko is one of this provinces best kept cocktailling secrets, shaking and stirring all manner of original drinks that would be at home in any of Vancouvers top watering holes.
Miradoro | 32830 Tinhorn Creek Road, Oliver, BC |
Jeff Van Geest was once one of Vancouvers most up-and-coming chefs when he owned Main St.s award-winning locavore restaurant, Aurora Bistro (now The Wallflower). Hes since left us for Oliver, where hes been plating superb Mediterranean fare at the new, architecturally-stunning and view-heavy Miradoro restaurant (umbilically attached to Tinhorn Creek Winery). Hes at his best when hes tinkering, and as a former John Bishop protege (he was once a sous chef at Bishops), hes well schooled in making magic with local, high quality products. Miradoros pizzas and pastas hardly challenge him, so if there are any intriguing specials on offer, pounce. Also, do your part for Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»and plead with him to come home.
