You see the same massive influx of people at certain times of the year the world over.
At Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. During festival season in Edinburgh. Throughout Oktoberfest in Munich. You see it at the San Fermin Fiesta in Pamplona, where thousands try to outrun frantic, snarling bulls over an 800-metre stretch to the local bullring.
Following each event, locals breathe a sigh of relief, grateful to have their city back. I suspect this is how residents of Deep Cove feel following the summer season. As tedious as I find it to locate a vacant parking spot out there on a sunny evening in July (I have all but abandoned the idea of trying to get down there on a fair weather weekend), I have to remind myself that there are people who actually live there who must also fight for access to their own community. Sure, when the dust settles the place they get to call home is pretty spectacular, but I’m an advocate of equal-opportunity empathy and I really do feel for them, their idyllic properties notwithstanding.
The dining scene down there is, I believe, responding to growing traffic volumes, not causing them. Deep Cove’s popularity has been in steady growth mode and while I suspect the rock-solid Arm’s Reach Bistro and famous Honey’s Doughnuts can take a share of the credit for drawing crowds, only so much onus can be put on the success of local eateries. Recent additions like BluHouse Market and Café and Caffe Orso now serve the double duty of welcoming summertime visitors and tending to local traffic in the rainy shoulder season.
Newcomer Deepwater Micro Eatery is an interesting addition to the lineup. They have nailed the Mexican beachside eatery vibe perfectly; on the sunny evening of my visit, they had the roll-up front doors open and their few patio tables were jammed. Summer tunes emerged from the place, along with the scent of fries and corn tortillas. The interior is long, narrow, sparsely furnished and lit principally by ambient light from Gallant Street. In its design, Deepwater would be as much at home along Miramar Beach in Manzanillo as it is now, a stone’s throw from Panorama Park.
Up the road a ways, on Old Dollarton Highway, is The Village Table, progenitor to Deepwater and source of the high expectations surrounding the latter. The Village Table has proved a popular spot in the nearly two years since its opening and, when word of an offshoot outlet down in Deep Cove broke, there was an expectant buzz on social channels.
I dropped in with my family for a diligent sampling of Deepwater’s fare. The two-foot by four-foot lettering that spells out “tacos” behind the service bar sold me on that offering, while my wife DJ opted for a veggie burrito, the two older kids chose fish and chips (two pieces of cod, as halibut was sold out for the day), and the wee toddler was issued a kid’s quesadilla with fries.
Let it be said, Deepwater’s Kennebec potato fries are great. They are crispy, tossed in a nice salty/savoury seasoning, and are simply perfect with a liberal dousing of malt vinegar. The kids’ fish and chips were tasty, the fresh cod still moist in the centre and surrounded by a deep golden beer batter, but the fact that they made such short work of the meal and began to tuck into everyone else’s dishes in no time, betrayed the modest portions of fish supplied.
The two cod pieces were long and cylindrical (rather than the more common flat and sprawling fillets you see elsewhere) and were maybe two ounces a piece. At $18 for the dish, I’d suggest that while the spirit of Deep Water is fun, unpretentious and seaside casual, the pricing of the menu is more in line with a resort destination.
My three tacos, each on a three-inch corn tortilla, two with cod and one with braised beef, were $12. Again, the preparation here was nice, especially of the beef taco, which had been braised to fall-apart tender, paired with black bean and corn salsa and topped with avocado cilantro aioli. However, the principal ingredient in the tacos was romaine lettuce, with the proteins accounting for very little of the filling, making for a pretty light meal.
DJ’s vegetarian burrito, priced at $13, was the most substantial dish ordered and was jammed with romaine, cheese, black beans, rice, salsa and guacamole. Burritos, which can include cod ($15), beef ($15), halibut ($18), chicken ($14) or eggs and chorizo as a breakfast dish ($15) are served either wrapped in a tortilla or deconstructed as a salad tossed with chipotle honey vinaigrette.
The kid’s quesadilla, good value served with fries and priced at just $5, consisted of two corn tortillas filled with an ample portion of black beans and Monterey Jack cheese.
I imagine Deepwater’s chilled summer vibe and light fare will find favour with Deep Cove traffic over the next few months. Our meal, which also included three cans of soda, was $71 before gratuity. Deepwater Micro Eatery. 4369 Gallant Ave. in Deep Cove. deepwatermicroeatery.ca 604-770-0280
Chris Dagenais served as a manager for several restaurants downtown and on the North Shore. A self-described wine fanatic, he earned his sommelier diploma in 2001. He can be reached via email at [email protected]. North Shore News dining reviews are conducted anonymously and all meals are paid for by the newspaper.
