Union Street Grill - A Highlight from the 2011 Dining Around Comox Valley

It's almost that time of year again... when restaurants look for ways to get people back in the door after the halcyon spending and feasting days of December and the doldrums of January. In the Comox Valley that means I'm anticipating another version of the under-publicized Dine Around Comox Valley event.

One of the highlights of last year's event was discovering that there’s more to the Union Street Grill [477-5th Street, Courtenay 250-897-0081 www.unionstreetgrill.ca] than great lunches at the Grill and tasty tapas at the Grotto.

A downtown institution
USG&G is an institution in downtown Courtenay. I don’t know how long I’ve been taking it for granted at the top of 5th Street. Too long it seems. For whatever reason (my prejudices against a place that used to be a Pizza Patio and then The Brown Derby, perhaps? Or maybe it’s the sheer number of good local competition that’s overshadowed USG?), I’ve never really considered it as a “fine dining” option. That all changed when – in a last-minute kind of situation – I had the opportunity to check out Union Street’s “Dine Around Comox Valley” menu.

I took along a friend of mine, one of the original Girls Who Love Good Grub Club. She's pretty fussy about her food (she’ll argue that she’s not “fussy,” she just knows what she likes; I’ll buy that, but I’ll also say that being a fussy eater is important, given what I pay for eating out; better fussy than sorry – frankly, I hate spending money on standard food). Her fussiness about food is one of the reasons I like having her along. In this case, she’s also been eating at USG&G for as long as I have – and perhaps taking it for granted as long too. So we were mutually surprised, and thrilled, at how the evening’s food experience turned out.

Here are the highlights: appetizer that rocked, lamb that amazed, mash that impressed even the potato-head in our duo, and desserts that satisfied even the fussy dessert guy.

The meal - from starters to mains
For starters we shared a “trio” of tastes: Tuscan roasted veggies wrapped in filo, Herb Roasted Fanny Bay oysters, and the Artisan Greens salad with Pakoras. “Amazing” said my fussy friend about the Tuscan veg: “Light pastry, perfect veggies!” My thoughts? Ditto. But I also got to enjoy the lightly battered and fried oysters (I usually like these raw, on the half-shell, but these were delicate, crispy, “sensitively” treated - what’s not to love?). And the “artisan greens” salad was colourful, with a spicy curry-flavoured dressing that “fit” the pakoras. Great appetizer. 5 stars for sure!

For mains, she had the Roasted Fillet of Salmon on a bed of lemon quinoa, with roasted peppers and capers on the side. This girl likes her quinoa, and she really liked what USG&G did with it. Kudos to the kitchen. But the real surprise was the roasted pepper thing. I know this woman: she’s NOT a roasted pepper gal. USG&G made a convert of her, and I’m still searching for the trick to how & why those roasted peppers became “perfect” in her estimation...

On my side of the table it was Grilled Lamb Sirloin. I always order it red because I find it the most flavourful and the best texture. I wasn’t disappointed: it was great. As for the sides: my pal, who’s the potato-head in pretty much any crowd, pronounced it “the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever had!” The USG&G kitchen should feel pretty puffed-up about that bit of compliment. (btw: I tried a redux on that recently and failed miserably.)

I should mention that with my lovely lamb I enjoyed a glass of the Tinhorn Creek Cabernet Franc. I’m not sure of the vintage, but here’s the trick: Tinhorn is doing nice things with Cab Franc, and generally the older it is the better. Whatever the year, this one worked. Thanks to USG&G for stocking a New World that makes me think of Old World.

Dessert
OK. Dessert. I keep saying this, and I keep having to make amendments: I’m NOT a dessert kind of guy; but I loved dessert. She loves dessert. How did she describe it? “The Chocolate Torte: totally chocolate + butter + chocolate + butter.” I concur. It was sinfully chocolatey. And rich. And it kept her up all night (too much caffeine?). I went Euro (surprise) and took the Apple Almond Torte. Her words: “Different! Really nice. Would be great with coffee in the afternoon.” I liked it just fine with coffee in the evening. But then, I probably had a night of writing ahead of me. And I’ve always had a soft spot for apple torte.

And in the end...
In the end, we were totally impressed by what USG&G offered. Cost for two? It was part of the Comox Valley Dine Around program. All beverages included at $25 per person, plus taxes and gratuities. Great price. Great flavours. Very good value.

By the way, I’ve recently done take-out from USG&G via their “daily special” (posted on the www.unionstreetgrill.ca website) and surprised another foodie fussy-pot of mine. Again: great food, good prices. (Maybe that’s why they’re an institution in this foodie town?)

hanspetermeyer
6 January 2012 (originally published in the Food Centrefold, The Island Word, June 2011)