The Brink

Tofino is so truly beautiful. I just returned from a week at the Middle Beach Lodge where I rented a cabin overlooking the tumultuous ocean. It was in effort to postpone the start of the year. Who doesn’t need a few extra days to get over the Christmas excess?

I was at the beach just before sundown yesterday and the sand, covered in ripples, reflected like a mirror. An old golden lab was ambling about with such glee in her face. I could completely relate. With that amount of expanse, all you want to do is run and jump.
Tofino really feels like the edge of the earth, the end of the road. I liked to think that the ocean crashing into the rocks below my deck was completely uninterrupted all the way to Japan. Secretly, I know there must be an island or two in between. I wonder what they are like….

Anyway, Middle Beach Lodge features buffet style seafood dinners, usually barbequed wild sockeye salmon or locally caught crab along with various salads and mashed potatoes or wild rice. The appetizers range from cheeses, to tapenade to bbq oysters on the deck (fabulous). This Friday I had crab. While booking the meal I was asked about dietary restrictions and my Celiac disease was duly noted. However, the entire meal (save the fresh baked bread on the side and bruscetta starter) was gluten free already. Alongside the whole crab(!) was a wild rice mélange, a green salad, a Thai flavoured salad with peppers, beansprouts, baby corn etc. and a Greek salad. It was all so fresh and healthy. And get this, dessert? Flourless chocolate mousse cake! It was unbelievable!!



Did I mention this was all pulled off during a power outage? Tofino is pummeled by the weather most of the winter and a little storm-induced darkness is nothing to panic about. The kitchen runs on a separate generator but the dining room was lit all by candlelight. It felt so rustic yet comfortable. There is something so sophisticated about Middle Beach without an air of haughtiness. What a wonderful place to start a new year.