Boundary Bay Brewery And Bistro: Bellingham, WA

Although it's best known for its amazing microbrew beers, Boundary Bay is a super place to have reliably good food; they really mean it when they say "Be Local, Eat Local." They use local produce, milk and cheese, as well as oysters, salmon, and locally made artisan bread. It was the first local restaurant we tried, and well, we've not tried as many others as we might because we keep going back; the food is that good, and the people that nice. Plus, the beer is great.

I'm not one to drink without at least something to nibble, and the Hummus Plate is a favorite. It includes hummus, tzatziki, cucumber slices, incredibly sweet fresh grape tomatoes, sprouts, and warm pita bread. It's large enough to comfortably share over a couple of pints of beer.

In terms of the appetizers, I have to confess it's pretty much impossible for me to pass up Boundary Bay's Pan Fried Oysters. These are fresh local oysters pan fried in corn meal, and served with a citrus remoulade, a slightly vinegary slightly peppery coleslaw and crostini. They are extraordinary. There's a tendency sometimes to do to much with pan fried oysters, so that the oyster is completely lost in whatever coating or sauce is used; not so here. I confess that it's almost impossible to have dinner or lunch at Boundary Bay, and not at least contemplate the oysters. I also confess that I haven't, yet, tried them with the Imperial Stout.

Usually a salad labeled as "House Salad, " or "Side Salad" means a chunk of ice berg with a couple of slightly orange hot house cherry tomatoes, some carrot shavings and whatever commercial dressing is currently on offer. Not so here. The House Salad is fresh, local mesclun greens, grape tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, and croutons with a choice of dressing. It's not small either, but it is just the right size to fill out an order of pan fried oysters—or the Smoked Salmon Chowder.

The smoked salmon chowder is so good that I pretty much can't go to Boundary Bay and not either order the smoked salmon chowder or get it to go. The salmon is local, and there's verifiable salmon here; it's not a matter of a chef waving a salmon over the pot and pronouncing it "salmon chowder." We're talking chunks of salmon, a rich and creamy chowder with potatoes, celery, onion, and just a touch of pepper. It's served with fresh bakery bread, and there's a combo with salad that's just the right size for lunch, or dinner followed by dessert.

Did I mention dessert? The dessert menu is seasonal, and changes. My absolute favorite is a rich, dense, chocolate and almond cake. There's also a fabulous hazelnut torte. Sometimes, they've had crème brûlée. I generally find something from the current offerings; they have their own in-house baker, and she's worth trusting.

Boundary Bay is very much part of the both the microbrew community, and the local community. They buy local, they feature local music, they sponsor local charities and community events like the Boundary Bay Book Club, they have special dinners for holidays, and they have lovely beer garden. You can find the Web site here, they have a blog here, and they even Twitter. Plus they have fabulous beer.