The Willow Inn, Lummi Island, Washington

The Willow Inn is about 80 minutes south of Vancouver, assuming no border traffic. It is worth the drive. In my experience, it is easily, one of the 10 best restaurant experiences in North America. it ia also an idyllic retreat. I stayed in a cottage, about 3/4 of a mile from the Inn, managed by the Inn, on the shore overlooking the San Juan Islands, just a spectacular view. We rented electric bicycles to get us around the island, so much fun.


The chef, Blaine Wetzel, did a 2 year stage at Noma, the #1 restaurant in the world, working as the chef de partie, and it shows. Many of the dishes reflect the philosophy of gathering ingredients foraged or farmed and presenting them in a very natural setting with very clean, complementary, distinctive flavours. He and his chefs spend about an hour a day foraging for wildflowers, berries and grasses. The Inn owns 2 fishing boats that provide wild sockeye and king salmon caught by a Native American method called reef netting and are bled under water. This process reduces the fishy taste of fish. A farm owned by the Inn provides ducks that are slaughtered at 8 weeks and are aged on the premises.

Our First Dinner

Reef netted, raw, wild sockeye salmon, smoked and presented in a closed box containing smouldering alderwood chips. This fresh smoked salmon was an amazing taste experience.

Black cod, smoked over alderwood with dill and sour cream on a crunchy potato chip.

A crispy wrap with pink salmon roe, maple syrup, sherry vinegar and whip cream.

A farm basket of radish and baby turnip with their leaves accompanied by "dirt in a pot", a mixture of browned beer malt  and ground hazelnuts (a dirt-like appearance) in a layer on top of a sour cream and chives dip. We were instructed to dip the vegetables into the pot. This dish is a local take on a similar experience at Noma, but I enjoyed it more here.

Tuscan kale "toast" with Washington state chopped black truffle puree and toasted rye crumble.

Pickled oyster with sorrel stems and leaves from the garden. The tart leaves were a wonderful complement with the oysters which were exceptionally fresh.

Geoduck clam served on marinated grains with beach herbs, sauce of squid ink and mussel juice. Another hit of great flavours and textures.

The delicious bread baked in house, had an extraordinary crust and was served with fabulous butter!

Heirloom tomatoes with tarragon and fresh field greens.

Pickled kohlrabi and pickled seaweed oyster sauce with local spot prawns.

Fried, white anchovy, brown butter emulsion and pickled seeds of angelica and nasturtium. Wonderfully crunchy.

Mashed and boiled potato with dill oil, buttermilk whey and greens. the flavours were quite sublime.

Very crispy skinned king salmon, puree of summer squash, lemon cucumber sauce, nasturtium flowers and leaves and sauteed zucchini.

Sorrel granita, fresh wood and garden sorrel, caramelized honey, pine ice cream, steel cut oat crumble. A very refereshing, incredible combination of textures and flavours.

Our Second Dinner

We were presented with 4 apps but i did not take photos. first, reef net caught wild sockeye salmon presented in a box of smouldering alderwood chips. Then a house made sauerkraut with a piece of black cod on a potato chip. A farm basket of radishes was then presented with an herb emulsion. Next, Tuscan kale "toast" with Washington state chopped black truffle puree and toasted rye crumble. Last, pickled oyster with sorrel stems and leaves from the garden.

Geoduck and butter clams, potato, cucumber in a clam broth with dill oil and with frozen horseradish. A refreshing and palate pleasing dish.

The delicious bread baked in house, had an extraordinary crust and was served with fabulous butter (it was so good, I must mention the bread and butter again)!

Organic grains with pickled and roasted wood ear mushrooms with watercress and a sauce of mushroom bouillon and pine oil.

Baby squid with pickled kohlrabi, seaweed and a brown butter, elderberry, anchovy and oyster emulsion.

Fried, white anchovy, brown butter emulsion and pickled seeds of angelica and nasturtium. Wonderfully crunchy.

Nettles farm hen's egg with summer herbs and vegetables (wood sorrel, rosette cress, chickweed, sheep sorrel, woodruff, pickled beets) and a lemon verbena sauce. Another cornucopia of flavours.

Slow roasted pork shoulder with grilled and pickled cipollini onions, grilled scallions, grilled onion sauce, thyme oil and flowers and chickweed. The vinegar flavour of the pickled onion enhanced many of the flavours.

Green apples with buttermilk, dill weed, elderflowers and licorice.