The Oyster Bar

The other day, we spent the afternoon along Chuckanut Drive playing in the parks and on the beach. We knew we wanted dinner out, but had no idea what a gem we would stumble upon.

The Oyster Bar is situated right alongside Chuckanut Drive. For a Saturday night, the minimal parking was full, and we had to do a few U-turns to find a spot. And along that narrow, windy road, that meant driving about half a mile before you could find a place to turn around. But, as we joked at the end of the meal, the 3 U-turns were worth it.

The tiny little spot overlooks Samish Bay and the view is just beautiful. The wood-paneled walls, low ceilings, and multi-leveled seating area give the restaurant a cozy, intimate feel. The western wall is almost entirely windows, and the two different stories are connected by a spiral staircase. This evening they were packed, and only had outdoor seating available. It was a clear, crisp fall evening, and Josh and I had been playing outside all day anyway. We were brave! The off-season outdoor seating is accommodated with thick fleece blankets! Oh, they helped so much! We were also told that if we wanted, they would let us know as soon as the next indoor table opened up, which we thought was very kind.

The meal started off with warm bread and butter, while I had a cup of Earl Grey. I so appreciate when restaurants have good tea! It’s so disappointing to be offered Lipton or Stash at a nice restaurant. I was brought out Mighty Leaf tea with honey and a little pitcher of cream, and she kept the pot of water filled and hot. I was so thankful. Josh had a glass of wine, which may have kept him almost as warm as the tea warmed me! We decided to share a bowl of the Smoked Salmon Chowder (a lightly creamed hot smoked King Salmon chowder with a mirepoix of vegetables and pancetta, garnished with sour cream and chive mini bisquits) and were pleased to learn that the chef smokes the salmon in-house. The soup was delicious; creamy, slightly spicy, and the smoky flavor of the salmon wasn’t overpowering. The little girl in me thought the mini biscuits were just darling.

In between the soup and our entrees, our waitress brought out a blackberry sorbet with a splash of champagne to “cleanse the palate”. The result was quite nice. It was rich and refreshing, and just the few bites were a perfect transition from the spicy rich soup to our steaks. I wonder if the sorbet differs depending on your entree; the table next to us ordered fish, and their sorbet was a lime cilantro with champagne. Mmmmm….

For dinner, Josh chose the Grilled Filet Mignon (aged grilled Filet Mignon with a black truffle demi, braised leeks and chantrelle risotto) and I chose the Steak and Prawns (dry aged Top Sirloin seared with boar bacon and julienne apples, topped with grilled prawns and a whisky cider reduction). Both meals were just lovely. And the bonus – a table opened up indoors just before our food came out! Thank you Lord! Fuzzy blankets and all are nice, but we’d had enough of being brave. ;) The verdict on the food was good. I was a little mislead by the phrasing on the menu, thinking that the boar bacon would be more evident. Apparently it was cooked into the sauce and the tiny little specks were barely noticeable, which was disappointing. However, the prawns were tender and melt-in-your-mouth, some of the best prawns I’ve ever had, so that made up for my denied curiosity over what exactly boar bacon would taste like. Both meals came with a goat cheese soufflé and vegetables, broccolini and acorn squash. The soufflé was lovely, the texture light and fluffy and the flavor of the goat cheese was subtle. I like my vegetables a little less done, but the flavor was nice. Josh thought his Fillet Mignon was excellent as well.

We had barely saved enough room for dessert, and the Apple Calvados Crème Brulee (cinnamon spiced apple and Calvados custard with a vanilla sugar crust with a cinnamon cookie) called our names. The portion was perfect for two, just enough to satisfy our sweet tooth.

Overall, The Oyster Bar is a place I would recommend. The service was excellent and we were made to feel very much at home, I just love the atmosphere (I have my eye on the table next to the fireplace for next time!) and our meal was very satisfying. It was a wonderful way to end the day.

Tags: Bow Restaurants, Seafood, Steak

This entry was posted on October 29th, 2009 and is filed under Restaurants. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or Trackback from your own site.