Restaurant Review: Smitty's Oyster House

When the sun cracks the sky first thing Friday morning,

and you find yourself seated at this gleaming bar in Gibsons by noon…

and the bartender hands your boyfriend an icy, midday brew within minutes of arriving,

then shucks shells that reveal the freshest oysters,

that you slurp with a squirt of lemon, a quartet of  hand-cut salsas and freshly grated horseradish,

and a pound of clams arrive, plump and steaming, bathed in a buttery white wine and shallot sauce,

perfect for soaking up with slabs of soft, sweet bread,

and you get to eat three of the four fresh fish tacos (because let’s admit it, he ate almost all of the clams),

and the warm corn tortillas don’t fall apart when you stuff them full of seared halibut, pico de gallo, avocado, and shredded lettuce,

and you chuckle to yourself over the quirky artwork,

as well as the quirky view,

You know it’s the start to a good, good Friday… and a fabulous weekend to come. Make your Friday (or any day) a good one:

Smitty’s Oyster House

Address: 643 School Road Wharf, Lower Gibsons, British Columbia
Phone: 604.886. HOOK (4665)

Tucked next to one of Canada’s few remaining working wharfs by the Gibsons Harbour shoreline, Smitty’s Oyster House serves up slurp-worthy oysters (surprise!), fresh local seafood, and a solid list of suds and wines. Best of all, it is a short, scenic, and (if you are lucky) sunny sailing over from Vancouver via the West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast ferry.

Full disclosure: I was under the influence of the Friday off and the sunshine, but loved this spot immensely. The oysters were fresh, the clams plump and perfectly cooked, and the fish tacos tasty (though I could have used more of a little of those taco fillings! ). Stop by on your next trip to British Columbia’s gorgeous Sunshine Coast.

Saturday: Occasional sunshine with isolated showers. Highs of 19 degrees C, lows of 14 degrees C. Probability of precipitation: 40%.

Sunday: Sunny with cloudy periods. 10% probability of precipitation. Highs of 17 degrees C, lows of 10 degrees C.

Either day: A field trip to Langley in Fraser Valley farm country, where showers or sunshine, you can start your day with this…

Stuffed Crepes with Ham, Gruyere and Mornay Sauce, The Baachus Bistro at Domaine De Chaberton

… end your day with this…

Freshly Picked Blackberries, Krause Farms

… and pick these up along the way…

2008 Baachus, Domaine de Chaberton

Vista D'Oro Artisanal Preserves

2008 Viognier, Township 7

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Langley Circle Farm Tour Map

Reusable grocery bags (enough to bring back a few bottles of wine, a few jars of preserves, and lots of freshly picked berries)

Empty containers for freshly picked berries

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one. Baachus Bistro at Domaine De Chaberton
Address: 1064 – 216 Street, Langley, BC
Phone: 604.530.9694; Long-Distance 1.888.332.9463

It’s worth the drive into Langley for the brunch at Domaine De Chaberton’s Baachus Bistro alone. Call ahead to reserve a table, and if it’s sunny, book one for the patio overlooking their vineyard. Order a bottle of vin rouge or vin blanc from their winery, and tuck into generously-sized plates of traditional French cuisine, prepared with farm-fresh ingredients grown in the Fraser Valley. I know this for a fact, because my family and I were there last weekend. We ordered the Stuffed Crepes with Ham, Gruyere and Mornay Sauce and it was delicious, as were all of these other dishes:

French Quiche with Mesclun Greens

Moules a la Dijoinaise

French Onion Soup

While their cafe au lait is excellent, you may wish to pass to keep your palate clean for the wine tastings to follow. We didn’t, and came to regret it. But not enough to proceed here:

two. Domaine De Chaberton Wine Boutique

Address: 1064 – 216 Street, Langley, BC
Phone: 604.530.1736

Swirl and sip Domaine De Chaberton’s award-winning whites and reds in the wine boutique next door. We tasted a selection of six wines, and picked up a case of the 2006 Pinot Gris and a few bottles of their signature 2008 Baachus.

There are daily winery tours (weather permitting) February from through to November at 2 pm & 4 pm.

three. Vista D’Oro Farms & Winery
Address: 20856 4th Avenue, Langley, BC
Phone: 604.514.3539

Heritage orchard fruits and herbs grown on Vista D’Oro’s ten acres, find their way into the artisanal preserves, jams and wines sold in their charming Farmgate Shop.

Vista D'Oro Farmgate Shop

We picked up a bottle of their  2007 D’oro, a fortified walnut wine made from an ancient recipe and a blend of North Okanagan Marechal Foch, Central Okanagan Merlot & Cabernet Franc, Fraser Valley Green Walnuts and Okanagan Brandy, and fell in love with every preserve we sampled before picking up several jars of their Turkish Fig with Walnut Wine and Black Cherry with Pinot Noir.

four. Township 7

Address: 21152 16th Avenue, Langley, BC
Phone: 604.532.1766

Township 7 crafts award-winning wines from some of the best vineyards in the south Okanagan Valley, as well as from  from their vineyards in Langley.

After tasting a flight of six wines, we picked up a few bottles of their 2008 Viognier, a crisp white sipper for the last days of sunshine of the season.

five. Krause Berry Farms

Address:6179 248 Street, Langley, Bc
Phone:604.856.5757

You’ll be distracted by the home-baked pumpkin pie and loaves of farm bread in the market shop, but make sure you remember to pick up a flat of blueberries for pies, crumbles and cakes as we did. And for those of you who understand the necessity of blackberries fresh from the bush for Blackberry Buttermilk Cake, you’ll find row upon row to meander and pick through .

Oh. And remember to bring your sunglasses for that chance of sunshine.

This past Sunday, under the bluest of September skies, Michael and I headed to Vancouver’s 15th Annual Feast of Fields. In an open grassy field at the UBC Farm, surrounded by towering West Coast forest, over 60 of British Columbia’s finest chefs, wine makers, brewers and artisan food makers transmuted farm fresh harvest ingredients into a tantalizing array of small plate delights.

Feast of Fields, UBC Farm

With a wine glass in one hand and white napkin in another, we wandered from tent to tent and feasted on small, bite-sized gems:

Pear Cupcakes with Blue Cheese Buttercream, Savoury City Catering

Tomato Tarts with Goat Cheese Cream, Twisted Fork Bistro

Organic Vegetable Salad (C Restaurant)

Scallops Over Potato Salad Nicoise, The Cannery

Seared Duck Breast and Sausage with Plum Compote, Restaurant 62

Smoked Organic Pork Sausage with R&B Lager Mustard, Boneta Restaurant

Smoked Sablefish (with Tomato Gelee with Apple & Watercress Slaw), Hyatt Regency

Apple & Calvados Apple Brandy Tartlet, O'Doul's Restaurant

Local Blueberry Tarts with Basil Creme Fraiche, Terra Breads

Local Summer Berry Pavlova, Araxi

But best of all, we wandered through the fields, and discovered small gems of a different sort:

Welcome Fall.

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