Tofino Fare

I just got back from a vacation in Tofino (one of my favorite places in this planet) and I find myself disappointed in my fridge items after all of the delicious meals I had this weekend... I look forward to the food in Tofino every year, and it was especially tasty this Canada Day weekend!

Shelter Restaurant

Smoked Salmon Plate (shared among 4)
Oysters
Meares Island Chowder

Chevre Cheesecake

                                   Apple Pie with Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream 

I had been talking about how I was probably just going straight for dessert, but once we got the restaurant the BF's family convinced me to put a little bowl of chowder in my belly to even things out... I have had the chowder before, and it never fails to please my palate!!! The smoked salmon and clams are abundant and smooth.I really liked the Chevre Cheesecake which was topped with a blackberry compote. I expected the goat cheese to be really mild and hardly noticeable, but it was really intense. I like goat cheese, and it wasn't a very sweet cheesecake which gave it bonus points in my opinion. The apple pie was classic, except the apples were sliced paper thin which gave it a very different texture-- very light and not as gummy as classic pie. The vanilla ice cream is something that I normally don't go crazy for, but it had a very rich vanilla flavor that I liked.

Sea Shanty
Shanty Pizza with Chicken and Onions

I ordered the Shanty Pizza, which is just a cheese pizza with a house marinara, so I added chicken and onions. The marinara sauce was obviously fresh because of the rich tomato taste, and the chicken and red onions were juicy and cooked inside a layer of the cheese so they stayed put. It was honestly the best pizza I have ever had! The crust was not too thick, not too think, corn meal on the bottom for crunch, fresh marinara, sharp cheese... ahh I'm so hungry just thinking about it!

Wicaninnish Inn Restaurant

Linguine with Smoked Chicken in a Pesto Cream Sauce

 Mai Thai

This dish was the chef's special, and it was everything I imagined and more. Normally I can't finish any pasta plate I order, but I inhaled this and had to make a conscious effort to save a bite for the BF. I am definitely going to try to recreate this dish during the week! Also, they had Mai Thai's on special, and this one was the yummiest I've had since I was slurping one out of a bucket in Bangkok (it was more glamorous than it sounds).

I also have to mention that my BF got the Wicked Bagel: smoked salmon cream cheese, prawns, shaved cucumbers, capers.... ooh it looked divine! He ate it so quick I looked back to beg for a nibble and it was gone!

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And this is not a restaurant meal, but on our last night we bought 2 crabs from a guy selling them out of the back of his truck and had surf n' turf! We boiled the crab and dipped the meat in drawn butter (we called it "budda", it made a difference in the experience), which we ate as an appetizer about 30 minutes before we threw 4 t-bone steaks onto the grill.  We each had 1/2 crab and a t-bone steak, and it was the perfect amount for a long, drawn out dinner. The BF's mom roasted asparagus in the oven and cooked up some rice, which we ate as sides with the steaks. All she did to prepare the t-bones was to brush olive oil over each and sprinkle salt and pepper on top... mine was cooked beautifully to medium rare, and it was such a treat! If you ever get your hands on fresh crab in Tofino, I highly recommend having a lazy picnic dinner with it!