Tofino, Canada II

Well, I'm just getting around to posting another blog about our amazing time in Tofino.

First, I must talk about the Pointe Restaurant. WOW! Normally, hotels don't have the best restaurants and the food is typically sub-standard. Even the Fairmont's food usually blows. But The Pointe Restaurant at the Wickanninish Inn is stupendous! Patty is a foodie and, of course, I've always got an opinion to share (especially when it comes to lesbians and food) and we both give their nosh five stars. Some of the highlights include: brioche french toast, the warm spinach salad with Hillier's bacon dressing, their amazing clam chowder made with local fish, the pork belly appetizer, and their wild salmon with potato gnocchi. All of this deliciousness is couched so close to the sea you don't need to salt anything as the air itself is so salty. At high tide, the waves crash within feet of the big windows.

Beyond the gourmet cuisine, the service was sterling, too. Our favorite waiter was Danny. He's pictured here. We got to know the wait staff pretty well, as there really isn't anywhere in town to eat, so we ate most of our meals at the Inn. We did venture out for lunch one day, only to find one restaurant open--the Dockside Pub, a local haunt for fisherman. It was quite the experience. It was full of salty dogs and you could have heard a pin drop when Patty and I walked in. As pretty much the only women in the pub, the entire sea of unbathed, scruffy men watched us walk through the door and to our small table with a view of the bay. "We don't see many like you coming to these parts."

On our way back to the ferry at the end of the trip, we saw a black bear fishing in a river by the road. Gawkers that we are, we stopped and took pictures. We decided it was time to go after we opened a bag of beef jerky and he started walking and sniffing our way.

Thanks for the great birthday Patty!