They Came They Shucked They Conquered

Never wanting to be left out from any oyster event we can get to in a reasonable manner, we headed up to Whistler for the Annual World Oyster Invitational and Caesar Battle. Once settled in at the Westin Whistler Resort & Spa we enjoyed a chill night at the hotel, dining at the tasty onsite Grill & Vine Restaurant before retiring for the evening.

The next morning the weather was a bit of an issue; a bit of rain, sun, wind, etc, but the Bearfoot Bistro had prepared with some tents to shelter guests that afternoon.

The Bloody Caesar Battle took place before the 2 pm start to the official oyster festival and was judged by  Joel Virginillo – Brand Ambassador for Ketel One Vodka, Eric Blouin – Sommelier and Kasey Wilson – Host of the ‘Best of Food and Wine’ show on AM650.

2014 Bearfoot Bistro Bloody Caesar Battle:

CONGRATS to Amy Huddle – 2014 CHAMPION – Sushi Village, Whistler
Cocktail name: Oishi Caesar
Rim: tagarashi spice, toasted sesame, yuzu Drink:chili oil miso paste, daikon, sake Garnish: shrimp, cucumber, nori flake

Other tasty Caesars included:

Geoff Mott From Stable House Bistro, Vancouver
Cocktail name: red Roy
Rim: brown sugar, celery salt Drink: amarena cherry, sweet vermouth, islay whiskey rinse Garnish: scotch egg

Scot Curry From – alta bistro, Whistler
Rim: spicy quinoa
Drink: jalapeño infused ketel one, mango shrub, gazpacho,
Garnish: shrimp, mango jalapeño

Alex Metcalf – Bearfoot Bistro, Whistler
Cocktail name: red dragon Caesar
Rim: ginger yuzu Drink: wasabi, soy, hoisin, ginger Garnish: tuna avocado sushi roll

Jordan Cran – Legacy Liquor, Vancouver
Cocktail name: Mescal Caesar
Rim:celery salt Drink: WALTER CAESAR mescal, celery bitters, horseradish Garnish: blazes beans

Name: Daniele Porrit – pier 7, North Vancouver
Cocktail name: Nolet’s west coast Caesar
Rim: paprika smoked salt Drink: pentage port, homemade BBQ sauce Garnish:smoked salmon, okanagan goat cheese, maple pecan

The shucking was a bit more intense. With there being: Round 1 – 3 Heats, 2 best scores from each heat advances to Round 2 and Round 2 – 2 Heats, best score from each heat advances to the Final. Third place determined by the best score from Round 2 (excluding the two advanced to the Final).

Round 1 – Heat 1
Ian Peck – Smitty’s Oyster House – Gibsons CA 23 seconds 3 min 13 seconds Advanced to Round 2
Issac Del Campo – Vancouver CA 26 seconds 3 min 33 seconds Advanced to Round 2
Oyster Bob – Boulevard Kitchen and Oyster Bar – Vancouver CA 84 seconds 4 min 47 seconds
Anthony Wing – National Beer Hall – Calgary CA 118 seconds 5 min 38 seconds
Asuka Kitagawa – Bearfoot Bistro – Whistler CA 190 seconds 6 min 26 seconds

Next up
Rich King – Chewies Steam and Oyster Bar – Vancouver 46 seconds 4 min 27 seconds Advanced to Round 2
Michael Moran – Moran’s Oyster Cottage – Ireland 132 seconds 5 min 36 seconds Advanced to Round 2
Matteo Teahen – Joe Fortes – Vancouver CA 82 seconds 5 min 59 seconds
Oscar Galdamez – Coast Restaurant – Vancouver CA 176 seconds 6 min 49 seconds
Brian Moran – Moran’s Oyster Cottage – Ireland 138 seconds 6 min 50 seconds

Next Up
Tom Stocks – Taylor Shellfish Farms – Seattle USA 48 seconds 4 min 13 seconds Advanced to Round 2
Anthony Pane – Marinelli Shellfish – Seatac USA 110 seconds 5 min 27 seconds Advanced to Round 2
Shoko Izumi – Keki Oyster Bar – Tokyo JP 49 seconds 6 min 16 seconds
Tyler Neal-Ellis – The Chase Fish and Oyster – Toronto CA 112 seconds 6 min 22 seconds

Round 2 – Heat 1 
Issac Del Campo – Vancouver CA 42 seconds 3 min 49 seconds Advanced to Final
Tom Stocks – Taylor Shellfish Farms – Seattle USA 60 seconds 4 min 17 seconds Third place
Anthony Pane – Marinelli Shellfish – Seatac USA 136 seconds 5min 45 seconds

Round 2 – Heat 2
Ian Peck – Smitty’s Oyster House – Gibsons 50 seconds 3 min 53 seconds Advanced to Final
Rich King – Chewies Steam and Oyster Bar – Vancouver 106 seconds 5 min 04 seconds
Michael Moran – Moran’s Oyster Cottage – Ireland 190 seconds 6 min 35 seconds

Final
Issac Del Campo – Vancouver CA 80 seconds 4 min 12 seconds First place
Ian Peck – Smitty’s Oyster House – Gibsons CA 78 seconds 4 min 16 seconds Second place
Issac Del Campo from Rodney’s took first with Ian Peck in a very close second.

Oysters and the prize money were courtesy of Sawmill Bay Shellfish and the Bearfoot Bistro’s Chef Melissa Craig rounded out the food offerings with a massive barbeque. .

No one went hungry or thirsty as there were also at least a dozen wine and beer stations to sip from along with the Caesar stations including a make your own bar where you could add pepperoni, bacon, peppers, tomatoes and a glassful of other stuff. I do think the alcohol part was tightly controlled though.

The DJ was awesome and got the crowd dancing well into the evening but we had returned back to our comfy room where we later ordered a pizza and crashed early. Too much sun as they say.