The hunt for marine life has inspired some of mankind's greatest literature, from Melville's Moby-Dick, to Hemingway's The Old Man Vs. The Sea: An Autobiographical Thriller. Reel in a meal with this Groupon.
$30 for $60 Worth of French and West Coast Bistro Cuisine
The recently revamped menu features a blend of European and Canadian cuisine, with dishes such as a 6-ounce Angus flat iron steak oscar with dungeness crab ($28), potato-herb gnocchi with housemade ricotta ($23), and platters of mussels or clams, prepared one of three ways and served with pommes frites and aioli ($20).
Tapenade Bistro
Even though the menu is influenced by eateries in the Old World, almost every other element of Tapenade Bistro is supremely local. Chef Colin Uyeda, who grew up in Steveston, got his first job in a kitchen at age 15 according to the Richmond Review. The reporter sampled locally caught seafood, going so far as to name the local fisherman behind octopus that's "succulently braised and served with in-house merguez sausage, harissa paste, a combination of pickled and fresh vegetables, and a citrus emulsion."
That's not the end of the regional influences though; there are Salt Spring Island mussels, cuts of Fraser Valley pork, and more, all of it made in compliance with Ocean Wise's guidelines for sustainability. Small producers from the region are well represented on the wine list, as well, and a special dinner series walks patrons through those offerings.
