Every city has at least one, right? The breakfast/brunch spot that people line up and wait for without complaint. When we lived in LA, it was Maxwell’s (or Blueberry, or Lulu’s), in San Francisco it was Rose’s and (RIP) Ti Couz; in Portland, there's TastynSons. In Victoria, BC, it might be the Blue Fox Café.
By Sunday morning, our birthday crew was going in separate directions. Some to the spa, some headed home, so it was my morning to get around and see the city. I scoured Yelp for potential breakfast spots and hit on the Blue Fox Café. Four and a half stars on 129 reviews, with many warning about the wait. It was already almost 8:30 am, so I get movin’.
The last time I was in Victoria, BC, it was a pass through point on the way to and from Tofino. We darted around downtown trying to find some quick lunch before the ferry to Port Angeles. This past weekend, I headed up to Victoria with the city as the end destination for a girls weekend celebrating my friend Linda's birthday. We stayed at a great little place on the Inner Harbour - the Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort.
Spotted Bear is the kind of neighborhood joint I wish we had around the corner. The kitchen is right there as you walk in, and you're as likely to be greeted by the chef as by the host. With Tofino being a beach town, you might expect seafood to dominate the menu, but Spotted Bear strikes a balance, offering up dishes that take advantage of the local seafood, with plenty of options for folks who aren't so big on salmon and mussels (like me!).
What is it about surf towns and great Mexican food? I don't know if I'm totally biased by having spent most of my life in California, but Tofino, BC on Vancouver Island, is proving out the connection. Off Pacific Rim Highway in Tofino, there's a little center with a small grocery, a surf shop, a coffee place, and a taco truck at the back of the parking lot, a taco truck which is doing crazy business with locals and tourists alike.
