We seldom go south merely to escape our winters, but occasionally do travel for some salt water fly fishing. Generally we enjoy our winters, but by Christmas this one was already pleasing us too much, so we decided to cash in some card points for tickets to finding some relief when desperation would surely set in after a vernal equinox with still no spring in sight.
We chose Victoria, just for a long weekend toward the end of March. We were lured by reliable reports that there were now great seafood restaurants in Victoria; 15 to 20 years ago when we were visiting Victoria frequently, there were virtually no restaurants specializing in seafood.
So we decided to investigate, to see if Victoria, in addition to letting us smell the blossoms and see the daffodils, could sate our annual spring craving for seafood, especially shellfish. Our intelligence was that the three top seafood restaurants in Victoria are the Blue Crab Bar & Grill, Pescatores Seafood & Grill and Oyster Bar, and Nautical Nellies, not necessarily in that order.
We planned to test them each a time or two, maybe even try a Chinese restaurant alleged to be “into” seafood.
But first we had to survive the drive to Calgary International. It was the seventh grey morning in a row featuring fog, freezing rain, flashing red and blue lights and too many vehicles in the ditch or caught in the median by the spider wires. But we made it, and after an hour and a half flight during which we gained an hour, landed in sunny Victoria.
Nothing would have made us believe an Albertan would ever have to go to Victoria to find sunshine.
Throughout our brief stay we were bemused and amused by the get-ups the natives sported to combat their relatively balmy spring weather: toques, furry parkas and more sensible boots than we’d seen all of a tough winter back home. Fortunately I recalled from past trips how cold it is out on the water at this time of year, and did not even look for a salmon charter.
We were staying at the Coast Victoria Harbourside Hotel and Marina with the Blue Crab as its restaurant, so I was able to watch the sun come up over the moored fleet as I ate two breakfasts with seafood: Crab Cake Eggs Benedict and Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict. We had one dinner at the Blue Crab. They serve no-name oysters and no fish forks (both seafood restaurant no-nos in my opinion), but their Famous Chowder is close to the best clam chowder we have ever enjoyed, so much so that Herself had another bowl for lunch one day.
Nautical Nellies covers many waterfronts: seafood restaurant with some steaks on offer for incurable flatlanders, an oyster bar and the in-house Dragon Fusion Sushi. For lunch, Herself chose the Crab Cake Plate with two chutneys and green salad and I had half a dozen raw Effingham oysters (Herself, no raw oyster eater, giggles at some of the names, including Fanny Bays) then Miso Soup and the Spider Roll, featuring soft shell crab, from Dragon Fusion Sushi, all superb stuff.
We had dinner at Nellies in time for me to qualify for the Buck a Shuck oyster special (between 3:00 and 6:30 p.m.) with a dozen Royal Miyagis on the half shell. Nellies has aspirations as the best oyster bar in Victoria, but before they are there, they’ll have to serve sauces with them other than catsup.
Herself chose the crab cakes again for an appetizer followed by a main of superb Seafood Paella. Then I chose the Dynamite Roll Sushi, featuring coconut shrimp tempura and a bowl of West Coast Seafood Chowder for desert. The chowder was a cliché: over-floured, gluey and tasteless as wallpaper paste.
Pescatores was featuring their 16th annual March Crab Fest, where whole Dungeness crabs, prepared various ways, are only $16.50 each.
Herself started with crab spring rolls, and, in the total Victoria absence of my favored Pacific oysters, Kumamotos, I had half a dozen Fanny Bays on the half shell, served with cut lemons, Tabasco, fresh grated horse radish and three different mignonette dipping sauces. Then we tucked in to a crab each with drawn butter and lemon. By the time I finished I had no room to test a bowl of their clam chowder for desert.
Our only criticism of Pescatores is that the too-loud music was not sufficient to quench the unbearable, constant clash and crash of crockery. Fortunately, the next door oyster bar was blissfully quiet for lunch next day where I sampled six raw Little Wing oysters with those same superb sauces, then pan fried Fanny Bay oysters.
And so we arrive back in still sunless Alberta and drive home through occasional ice fog. My trusted sources say that, yet again, summer this year is July third: try to book the day off.
Bob Scammell is an award-winning outdoors writer living in Red Deer.