Victoria, BC

When I booked this trip it was suppose to be a girl's weekend with an former coworker. We've taken a few girl's trips before and she is one of my favorite people to share food with. Unfortunately she had to cancel (the positive of this is, now we have a weekend in Bend, OR planned for the summer.) This change in plans is what brought me to start this blog. Food and travel should be shared and this seemed like the best way to share when no one could join me. Plus, I was in desperate need of a hobby. So 101 Intro to Food... was born.

Day 1

I was running a little behind so I wasn't able to make any stops along 101 on the way to the ferry. I wanted to stop at The Tides for breakfast, but the parking lot was packed and I didnt want to take the chance of missing the ferry. By the time I got to Port Angeles I was really hungry. So I made the convient choice of The Downrigger on the Water, maybe 100 feet from the ferry terminal.

I started with my go-to cocktail, Moscow Mule. Theirs was made with local Bedford's Ginger Beer. As an added bonus, I got the entire bottle. For lunch I settled on the Sourdough Bread Bowl with Clam Chowder and Ceasar Salad. Food and service was overall good, but it all felt very touristy.

The ferry started out a bit bumpy, but mellowed out less than halfway into the crossing.

I had done some Google searches prior to leaving and decided to check out IL Cova Trattoria, the restaurant across the street from the resort I was staying at. It was convient and had great reviews. I arrived at 5:10 and was lucky that there had been a 5 o'clock reservation that didn't show, so they were able to get me in on a fully booked Sunday night.

I was seated at a table with a view of the bar, which helped the time go by since I was alone. I ordered two cocktails and a glass of red wine. The cocktails were okay.

The food was amazing.

Dinner started with warm foccacia bread with an anchovy and sun-dried tomato tapenade.

For my main, I had the Tagliata con gnocchi. A New York strip served medium rare with a wild mushroom gnocchi and Barolo Reduction. The steak had a wonderful crisp sear all while still melting in your mouth.

I opted for the Panna Cotta for dessert. There was a choice of Berry Coulis or Chocolate Hazelnut. The server offered to do a combination of both. It was a true Yin Yang dessert.

Day 2

I only had one day entirely spent in Canada. It started out overcast with the lightest sprinkle. But I wasn't too concerned as I am native to the Pacific Northwest. As the morning progressed it began to rain more and I began to see more and more umbrellas. I can only imagine that they were tourists. At one point the rain was heavy enough that I decided to take cover at the Empress Hotel an hour before my tea time.

The Tea Room at the Empress was underwhelming. It could be me, maybe I don't love high tea as much as I think I should. It really is geared towards a person who is more into sweets. I enjoyed all but two of the savory items. The curried chicken salad being my favorite. The smoked salmon my least favorite, but again that is probably just me, I'm not a huge fan of salmon. The raisin scone with strawberry vanilla jam and clotted cream was good. The other sweets were all right as well, just too much for me. I was unable to finish. The atmosphere was nice, I fantasized I was in the 1920s rather than the 2020s. If only I had come dressed for the occasion. Overall I'm glad I did it, but wouldn't do it again.

After high tea I decided to check out the Royal BC Museum. The natural history exhibit was wonderful. But I don't know if I was looking in the right spots that is really the only exhibit that I could find. So I decided to walk around town a bit more then headed to Fisherman's Wharf.

While at the Wharf I grabbed a quick bite and a beer from The Fish Store. I had a BC Halibut Fish Taco and a Pilsner. I really enjoyed the fire roasted salsa.

After my afternoon snack I headed back to my room to relax and soak in the hot tub. For some reason I always watch The Food Network and HGTV when on vacation. It was interesting to see the similarities and differences in their programming lineup. I ended taking a nice long nap and when I woke up I did not have the motivation to make the 20 minute walk to the restaurant I had planned on having dinner at. So opted for the restaurant located in the hotel next door.

I honestly wasnt expecting much of The Blue Crab Seafood House, but I was happily surprised. The views were stunning, even from the tables not sitting next to the floor to ceiling windows. I was able to watch the harbor taxies ferry people from stop to stop, watch seaplanes land and take off and even got to see a tugboat guide a ship out of the inner harbor.

I started meal with the Organic Salad. Mixed Greens with Blueberries, Goat Cheese, Walnuts and a Honey Vinegrette.

For my main I chose the Albacore Tuna. It's was searerd rare and served on top of a fried risotto cake with perfectly cooked asparagus and carrots. The miso buerre blanc was devine.

Regretfully I ordered dessert. Not that there was anything wrong with it, it's just that it was probably more than I needed and not worth being uncomfortable. Sometimes it can be. The Crossaint Pudding was served with a butterscotch sauce, a vanilla gelato and a gooseberry for garnish.

All three courses were enjoyed with a couple of pints of Granville Island Pilsner (Granville Island Beer was the first alcoholic beverage I consumed legally when my brother took me to Vancouver for my 19th birthday almost 25 years ago.) After dinner I headed back to the room so I could enjoy the sunset from the hottub.

Day 3

My last day in Victoria was going to be short. I was leaving on the 10:30 am ferry, which I thought was the 10:00 am ferry. So I showered and picked up my room and headed to Belleville Diner across the street from the ferry terminal.

I ordered a London Fog another one of my go-to drinks and the Green Eggs and Ham. House Smoked Ham and Scrambled Eggs with Pesto and Goat Cheese. It was served with Rainbow Potatoes, Grilled Tomatoes and Sourdough Toast.

Breakfast was a very large portion which surprised me a bit, I thought that was an American thing. But being located in a hotel and across from the ferry terminal I imagine they cater to tourists. Another thing that surprised me was the Cheez Whiz portion cups along with all the jams. Upon examination the picture on the cup was toast covered in Cheez Whiz. So when in Rome... It was okay. I think I will stick to jam.

The ferry ride home was a bit bumpier than the ride there and I have decided I am not the biggest fan of sea travel. Even when it is only a 90 minute crossing.

Once I arrived back in the States I got in my car and headed home. But not without making two stops. As I was driving through Sequim I noticed a billboard for a gem store, so I made a quick detour and pick up some stones and beads.

My last stop before home was to grab dinner for the family from The Tides. The Tides is my family's restaurant that I help run part time. If you follow my blog I am sure you will learn all about it.

So that pretty much wraps up my trip. What can I take away from this adventure? Victoria is a wonderful city, I felted relaxed as soon as I walked out of the terminal. Not a bad meal was had and only one was just okay, the rest were delicious. I highly suggest visiting if you a wanting a relaxing getaway with great food. No need to bring a car if you are just wanting to stay in the city. Everywhere is incredibly walkable and they have wonderful options for public transportation.

Thank you for joining me on my first blog adventure. I hope we connect again.