The Bleue Coyote Bar and Grill serves some quality food with generous portions on the Brentwood Bay strip. A pub-style restaurant found at the corner of Wallace and West Saanich Road, this is one of those places I’ve passed numerous times, but never quite found the time to visit. Too bad: I was missing out.
A co-worker and I opted to escape the office for lunch one day and made our way down to the restaurant. A typical “seat yourself”-style place, a waitress quickly came over with menus and took our drink orders. She seemed to be accustomed to the professional crowd coming in for lunch, knowing we would probably not be getting a beer, but still asked for ID: as she should, really.
Like many a pub, the walls were lined with TVs and adorned in warm deep colours and wooden… everything. The tables were quite well spaced out, which was a nice change from some places, and had me wondering what the night life was like: maybe Brentwood Bay gets pretty crazy! I also noticed some pool tables off in one corner, so this could potentially make for a good hangout spot to shoot some pool with some food and drink.
The menu had a good assortment of all the pub favourites, with proud boastings of their use of Red Barn Market products in their dishes. I opted for something known as the Phatty B Burger, which was listed as having two charbroiled patties, cheddar, onion rings, veggies, garlic aioli, Red Barn Market double-smoked bacon, and a Buffalo chicken wing. Filled with intrigue, I had to get it. My compatriot got a beef dip and added on bacon because: bacon.
Our food came and our jaws dropped onto the table. What was this beast of a burger they brought me? Standing nearly a foot tall, the sheer logistics of eating this thing were mind-boggling! After thoroughly inspecting it from all angles, I promptly peeled off the chicken wing and dropped it on myself, mussing up my work clothes. With that all-important task done, I settled on removing one of the patties and eating it separately, and having the burger with one patty.
This was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever tried to eat (logistically, at least), but it tasted awesome! Quality, hand-packed burger, fresh veggies, onion rings, good cheese, aioli, fresh and quality bun, and amazing bacon. Absolutely worth the hefty cost of $17.95, plus a Caesar salad on the side to boot. My co-worker was also quite pleased with his beef dip, although my hands were too full to try any of it.
The Bleue Coyote Bar & Grill is definitely worth a visit, and I’ll be back to try some of their other fare soon, I’m sure. Price-wise, they fall in the low-mid range ($13-$18), offering both budget items and more expensive dishes. So, if you’re in Central Saanich near Brentwood Bay, stop in for lunch at the Bleue Coyote. You won’t regret it.