Oyster Guy

I use the Kumomoto as a introduction oyster to "oyster virgins" at my oyster bar. To use a Bluepoint or anything large is visually a real turn off for most oyster novices. In this case, size does matter. The "Kumo" is a small harmless looking oyster that most first timers feel they can handle without a problem. Another thing I do is serve it with an orange slice rather than lemon. The first reason is that the "Kumo" is too delicate for any sauce or even lemon juice and it gives the first timer a familiar taste with an unfamiliar texture and increases their comfort level with trying it. I have converted more oyster novices into oyster fiends using this approach rather than using a larger oyster as suggested in this thread. A footnote to the person in NY, Fanny Bay has sadly gone out of business and I am waiting to see if anyone is going to take over their leases on Vancouver Island. I would not use an Olympia even though it is comparable in size to the "Kumo" due to the slight metallic finish and prefer to save this native West Coast gem for the more sophisticated oyster eater who would appreciate it subtlties and nuances much more than a novice would. This is only my opinion being a professional oyster shucker for 20 years and an oyster farmer for 2 years. Keep on shucking Oyster Guy P.S. I also like to keep the "Kumo" for those guys who sit at my bar and ask for the biggest oyster that I have. I laugh at them and when they ask why, I tell them that we shuckers have a saying in the business (at least in Canada) that a man asking for a large oyster is not "well-endowed" in other areas. At that point, they usually seem very interested in the smaller ones.

Southern Accents

I also suggest the Beer Bistro. Anytime I am in Toronto it is a stop I find the time to make! Keep on shucking Oyster Guy

Unfortunately when the snow level rises in Whistler, the prices have a tendency to do the same. The oyster special at the Bearfoot Bistro is the only one going that I know of. A lot of places here make 70% or more of their annual income in the next 4 months and of course, they want to maximize their profits. I will hunt around but there are a few places here where the prices are reasonable all year round and the food is good and the portions are healthy. 1. Elements (Summit Lodge) I have mentioned this place in another thread here but it is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and serves breakfast till 3:00 p.m. It is a nice cozy spot and has a good but small wine list and is worth checking out. Their kitchen is open till 12:00 a.m., which is rare for Whistler and is a great late nite choice for a snack. 2. Wildwood Pacific Bistro (Whistler Racquet Club, near Marketplace) Great locals place open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 3. Carumba (Village) is also a good place for lunch or dinner. 4. Les Gros (West Side road) Pascal does a fantastic job in this cozy place and the food is fantastic and so are his prices. A bit out of the village but definetly worth the trip. Here are a few to help you out and you can also ask any local as we are all in the tourist business in one form or the other and are very helpful. Have a good time Hope this helps Keep on shucking Oyster Guy

Another place you might want to check out is Rick's Grill (located in the Crystal Lodge buliding) Huge portions, great prices and a funky little place to have dinner or just drinks. Check out their bar! I also would advise Elements. The kitchen is open late and they also serve breakfast till 3:00 p.m. ( a must for the seasoned Whistler vistor) The kitchen is run by a very dear and close friend of mine, Kate Brewster and she and her staff are a lot of fun to talk to if you sit at the bar. The prices are very reasonable and late at night, a very nice alternative to Subway or Domino's for a late night nosh. Also the room is amazing! Warm, cozy and they have a waterfall! I would also check out BBK's (upper village) and the new Cinnamon Bear Lounge in the Hilton for other good reasonable local eats. For breakfast, go to the Wildwood. I would not go to the Crab Shack for oysters though. (Sorry Jamie) The best place and deal for oysters is the Bearfoot Bistro. A daily apres special of 9.95 a dozen simply can't be beat outside of Florida and Louisiana. I don't really know about the Dub Linh Gate though. Their beer prices are the highest in town and the food while passable for a pub was really nothing to write home about. Also, I don't like eating at places that have to employ doormen. I generally do not look for a rowdy dining experience. Unless I'm at Rodney's Have fun and eat well. Keep on shucking Oyster Guy

Being in the industry, I tend to tip 15 to 20% unless the service is amazing. Then I will tip more than that, sometimes as much as 30%. If it is bad service 10% is the max. I have never stiffed anyone as this is not a "get rich quick" career but I will not return to the place and I will not reccomend the place to others. I find that people from Western Canada tend to be in the 10 to 12% tip average range, way down from their southern cousins, the Americans. Americans tend to tip at least 15% to 20% and I think it is mainly because places in the States tend to pay peanuts to their staff in the way of wage. To those people who replied earlier in this thread....... To the person who worked in a sales job in retail...... Did you make a commission on your sales? If so, look at the tip in the same way. To the one who doesn't tip at all.... Stay out of any restaurant I work at, please! I find the cheapest people tend to be British or Austrailian tourists who, to be fair, come from countries that have unionized labour in their kitchens and restaurants and therefore the price of dining out is higher to cover the increased labour costs. But when they are abroad, they tend to stay in this mindset. (Not all of them to be sure, but a significant number) The telltale sign you are about to get stiffed is when someone is high maintence and says to you, "Don't worry, I'll take real good care of you." I don't like this topic very much as I have always been more concerned in giving the guest the best possible service rather than concentrating on what they might leave as a tip. Isn't that what the "service industry" is all about after all? Keep on shucking Oyster Guy

If you are looking for something different, here's a few places you might want to check out while in Toronto. For breakfast, try the Beaver Cafe on Queen Street west near Dufferin. Great food, good portions and a funky little place for breaky. The Swan on Queen West is also very good for dinner or lunch. And I would not be living up to my nickname if I didn't mention at least a couple of really good oyster places. (Something that Vancouver even with it's proximity to the ocean is sadly lacking, Joe Forte's and Rodney's aside.) Oyster Boy at 872 Queen St. West. Starfish at 100 Adelaide Street East. Rodney's at 469 King Street West. All these places also have a non seafood menu as well and are worth checking out. Hope you have a good trip and enjoy yourself. I live in B.C. now but I miss the food in Toronto a lot. Oh, check out Chinatown (Dundas and Spadina area) for really good cheap Chinese food. Kensington Market is also pretty cool. Have fun Keep on shucking Oyster Guy

I am sorry that I couldn't attend (compete in) the Joe Forte's event as it would have been a pleasure to meet you in person Jamie, but the amount of prep required for an event like that demanded my immediate attention. I like to do it for the charity (I'm a soft touch that way) but as a real shucking competition goes, it lacks what is most important to most oyster shuckers. Recognition on a national or international scale amongst our peers. I have been in over 60 oyster shucking competitions so far but there are only a couple that I make sure I compete in year after year. My best time in a competition was 1:37 for 18 oysters. (not that I'm bragging) Back to the topic for I digress............ The Slow Food event is indeed outside of the Cornucopia event and is headed up by Astrid Cameron of Astrid's Fine Foods (a very reliable and great supplier) They have done events in the Pemberton Valley which involved cycling to various farms in the areas and visting with the actual growers and getting an education as well as exercise. It appears that Tourism Whistler seems to be a little reluctant to throw it's full weight behind this organization though. Hopefully they will see the benefit of associating this group with the event as I think it would certainly round it out a little better. I find that the local culinary scene (at least in threads in this forum) tend to concentrate too much on the big guys here and hardly anything on the cool little local spots. Do a little exploring off the beaten track here and you can sometimes find a real gem. Anyways, I will write more tomorrow or later tonight after I finish up at the Bearfoot Bistro winemakers dinner. The dinner features 4 decades of Dom and I will post the menu here. The oysters I will be serving tonight will be..... The "Cortesean" from Marina Island, B.C. and was farmed by Brent Petkau (The Oysterman) and it truly a gem amongst oysters. I will also be serving the small but delectable Beausoliel oyster from Negauc, New Brunswick. I'll let you know how things go. Till Then Keep on shucking Oyster Guy P.S. My hands are fine but my wrist is a little sore. Thanx for asking.

Not to fear. I opened 1300 oysters in a mere 4 hours tonight for a very appreciative audience. Yes, things were chaotic for a time at the entrance and there was a lineup but this was due to the fire marshall miscalculating the number of people actually inside the venue. It was a fantastic party. Lots of great wines were poured, "porno" prawn and chip cones (served in cones made from Hustler magazine) served with mini game burgers, sushi off naked women's bodies, chocolate penis (what is the plural of penis anyways?), chocolate breasts and of course, strawberries that you dip in chocolate yourself. Oh, I didn't even get a single scratch from the knife or shell tonight. I appreciate all the concern shown by my fellow egulleters and I truly feel the love. I will write more about the event tomorrow when (and if) I wake up. Till then, Keep on shucking Oyster Guy P.S. Memo, I will talk to the chef tomorrow about your question and get back to you.

I am about to go and set up my oyster shucking station at what could prove to be the party of the century at the Bearfoot Bistro. I, too will give you a rundown on how events went once I recover enough to use my keyboard again. "Naked ladies and a bottle of wine, Mama....." Keep on shucking Oyster Guy

Food seminars are very weak at Cornucopia this year and personally, not worth the price they are asking to attend. I would stick to the wine seminars with the exception of Anna Olson's seminar. Myself, I will be working the Masquarave event at the Bearfoot on Friday and their Winemaker's dinner on Saturday. If any of you egullet people are attending, come and say hi. I will be the one shucking oysters (duh) at both events and would love to meet any and all of you. Keep on shucking Oyster Guy

The specials are actually fine des claire which are mentioned in an above reply. They feed on a special algae called blue navicula which produces chloropyhll imparting a slight greenish tinge to the oyster's flesh. Fin des claires come in 2 classes depending how long they have been in the saltwater marshes feeding on blue navicula. 1-3 months=fin des claires 6 months or more=special The marshes have to have good water flow and a little higher salinity to produce a beautiful specimen of Ostrea edulis that goes very well with champagne or a nice chablis. I would reccomend that you go in November as the waters are at a perfect temperature and the oysters have had time to recover from their summer spawning and are nice and fat for their winter sleep. Have fun on your trip and I hope this helps Keep on shucking Oyster Guy

That's not the same Jana who sells pies in Ganges is it? A. ← No Shelora spelled her name wrong. Her name is Jenna and she is not just a pastry chef. She prefers the title of "Pastry Diva." And her desserts are worth the trip to The Smoking Tuna alone.

Hi Neil The reason good cooks are hard to find is very simple. Most restaurants pay absolutely shit money for the long hours and pressure filled environment. Never mind the fact that a lot don't pay overtime, screw up your paycheques, don't offer health benefits and will generally screw you over if they can save a buck or two. A friend of mine recently moved to your fair city from Whistler and although he is without a doubt one of the best cooks I have ever worked with, he had extreme trouble finding a job. He finally got a job with a popular place (no name will be mentioned but everyone knows it). They started him at 12.00 ( a wage he got 7 years ago in Toronto) worked him for 12-14 hours a day (no overtime of course) and would constantly omit a day's pay off his cheques (if they arrived on time). He finally got a job as sous chef at one of the major hotels where he now gets paid 45,000 a year to start and benefits as well as other perks. It is no small wonder that there is a distinct shortage of good cooks. Passion aside, it is not a job you take to get rich fast. If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys....... Don't get me started on fresh faced culinary students either.

Please don't get me wrong Jamie but how can a place get reviewed when it has not opened to the general public yet? It seems to me that it is very easy to get a good review when you only have one person to take care of. I am not trying to say it isn't good but the real test of a place is to see how they are when up and running. Please don't get me wrong on this Jamie it just seems a little out of the ordinary to me. I personally can't wait to try it myself. O.G.

Last summer, we served our oysters with a champagne and honeydew granita. The honeydew dovetailed nicely with the natural cucumber/watermelon finish of the West Coast oysters and the slight acidity of the champagne added a nice little bite to it. Quite nice for oysters in the summer. Oyster Guy

My suggestion would be some Cortes Gold smoked oysters (available at Nester's in Yaletown). They are without question the best I have ever tasted and packed in their own liquid not oil. Also already being canned and smoked, they are very easy to transport and meet any legal requirements you might run into. Wine Vinegar from one of the many fine vineyards is another thing I would take, especially the aged balsamic vinegar from Venture-Schulze on Vancouver Island. Candied Salmon would also be another must take. That's all I can think of given your restrictions. Hope this helps Oyster Guy

While BC might have more microbreweries, they are almost all owned by Sleeman's now after they went on a brewery buying spree for years. While they might have retained their names they are now part of the Stroh's Brewing Company which owns Sleeman's. This is what happened in Ireland about 15 years ago when Guiness bought every microbrewery in the country and now all you can get in any pub is Guiness, Harp, Smithwick's and uuggh, Budweiser. It is a shame to see this happen to Creemore as it was an outstanding product. Things happen everywhere for business purposes rather than quality purposes. I do find this constant Ontario bashing by BC residents annoying to the Nth degree. Oh and by the way, I live in B.C. (before you start slagging me as another Eastern type who doesn't know anything about it)

I just returned from Vancouver Island and I had the nicest dinner at Toscano's in of all places, Comox. If you are in this neighbourhood, I definitely advise you to stop for dinner here. The wine list is small but very well put together and the food was fantastic. I was quite surprised at finding a gem like this in Comox as most of the other places were not very interesting to me. The crab cakes are a must have when dining there and the service was bang on. All in all, I was quite pleased and when we got the bill, it was very reasonable in the price department. I highly recommend a stop here while in Comox. Oyster Guy

Here's a special that has not been advertised yet. On Sunday, the Bearfoot Bistro is starting their annual "Lobsterfest." This is a great deal, soup/salad, lobster and dessert for 29.95. Get your lobster bibs on boys and girls and head up to Whistler. Oyster Guy

LOL...you are absolutely right....I have done just that on at least a couple of occasions. I get a "kick"...ok, admittedly I have a somewhat "sick" sense of humour [?]...reading some of the "yellowed" reviews that restaurants post outside their entrance ways....some of them are out and out "slams" and I expect the proprietor just did not understand ... ← I too do this on occasion as I also have a somewhat "sick" sense of humour. The best one I saw was an oyster bar in Panama City Beach in Florida called Dusty's which was known as a "good place" for bad service, ugly waitresses and warm beer. I have to give them credit as they certainly lived up to their reputation quite well and delivered what was promised. Well, you have to admire consistency anyways. O.G.

Here is another update. Quattro is offering a spring 3 course menu for 29.95 a person for a limited time. Rimrock Cafe is starting their 3 course special on Sun. April 17. Don't know the cost or menu yet but I will keep you informed. The Wildflower in The Whistler Chateau is offering a 3 course for 39.00 Sunday thru Thursday 6-10 pm and every Tuesday they are offering a "Fresh from the sea" night for an individual it costs 40.00 and for two 90.00 Hy's Steakhouse is offering 20% off all food for a limited time. Thai One On is offering 50% off their menu (with the purchase of a beverage) for the remainder of the month of April. Zeuski's is offering 20% off their lunch menu and 50% off appetizers between 4-6 pm everyday. Hope this helps Oyster Guy

The reason crabs are so cheap right now are twofold. 1. Lobster season is just about to hit full swing in the East Coast, so watch for upcoming bargains on this shellfish as well. The crab fisheries have to compete so they usually drop the prices to do so. Sort of a pre-emptive strike so to speak. 2. There is a bit of a glut of crab on the market right now and while that means good times for the consumer, it is not so good for the fishermen as they don't receive top dollar for their catch at the dockside. Enjoy them while they last however and if you need a good recipe for crab cakes let me know as I am more than happy to help. Kepp on shucking (not just oysters but crabs too ) Oyster Guy

Whether or not the guys spend the rest of the year drunk is irrelevant and I personally wouldn't blame them if they did. Having experienced rough seas on both the Atlantic and Pacific in various fishing boats, I have nothing but respect for them myself. I am glad to hear they have lengthened the season so that it is no longer a rushed free-for-all as it has been in the past. A lot of fatalities came from simple exhaustion more than anything else. It's hard to pay attention when you are dead tired and if you are not watching where you put your feet when they send the pots over the side and your foot gets caught in the rope, you are are on your way to the bottom of the Bering Sea in no time flat. The money might be good but what good is money if you're dead? Oyster Guy

Just a little update. The Bearfoot Bistro has reduced it's dining room menu but has also drastically reduced it's prices as well. A 5 course meal is now only 50.00 and 3 course 40.00 I don't know about the rest of you but I'm going for dinner. Take care Oyster Guy