The Atlas Caf茅B次元官网网址檚 website says it has been B次元官网网址榮erving the good people of the Comox Valley since 1995.B次元官网网址� It seems it serves some from afar too, as word is clearly spreading.
The Courtenay restaurant will be featured on an upcoming episode of the show, Big Food Bucket List, this month.
The host of the Food Network Canada staple, John Catucci, was only too happy to come to the area to taste what the Comox Valley has to offer. He and the crew were here for a couple of days to feature chef Slone Romano and his team at the Atlas.
B次元官网网址淲orking with Slone and everyone there was a great experience,B次元官网网址� Catucci says. B次元官网网址淵ou canB次元官网网址檛 help but have a great mealB次元官网网址�. It was such a great vibe.B次元官网网址�
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He also says he could feel the support from people in the community for the Atlas.
B次元官网网址淭hey canB次元官网网址檛 help but show their love for the place,B次元官网网址� he adds.
For the host, diving into the areaB次元官网网址檚 seafood was a new world, even when it came to finding to food at the source. CatucciB次元官网网址檚 time here included such ventures as fishing for geoducks.
B次元官网网址淭hose are weird,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e odd-looking.B次元官网网址�
Catucci admits he also ate some of the best doughnuts in his life while here, but seafood was the reason for the trip.
Romano and the Atlas Caf茅 pride themselves on using fresh, local ingredients. For the episode, one of the stars will be the restaurantB次元官网网址檚 seafood chowder, which includes a m茅lange of seafood and other fine ingredients. The dish is expected to be a staple on the Atlas menu for years to come.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a little bit different than your normal chowder,B次元官网网址� the chef says. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a really good showcase for the kind of local stuff here.B次元官网网址�
Catucci can hardly hide his enthusiasm for the dish, telling Romano, B次元官网网址淵ou really elevate it, especially with those smoked oysters.B次元官网网址�
The episode will also feature a salmon dish mixing many flavours such as pesto and garlic scapes, which is likely to be more of a featured item during the year because the scapes have a short season.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 special because the window is so short,B次元官网网址� says Catucci.
For Romano, itB次元官网网址檚 important to have consistency in terms of quality, which means some things are regular items and others make their annual appearances as they become available.
B次元官网网址淵ou have to take seasonality into account a little bit,B次元官网网址� he says.
Catucci agrees, saying eating in season is exciting, and in this case, means the flavours are B次元官网网址渏ust ridiculous.B次元官网网址�
Atlas has been around for a generation, but it is in a transitional phase. Romano and his brother Zane, who is sous chef, will be running the business, as they take over from their aunt and uncle.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e both chefs, so itB次元官网网址檚 a kind of a good fit,B次元官网网址� Romano says.
The past two years have been extra tough for the restaurant business as a whole, but the TV show offers a chance to boost local restaurants like Atlas, and all in all, for Romano, working on the episode left a good after-taste.
B次元官网网址淚t was a great experience for us at Atlas,B次元官网网址� he says.
The Big Food Bucket List episode airs on Saturday, April 30 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
mike.chouinard@comoxvalleyrecord.com
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