I met up with my friend Tanya and her husband, Doug, at Joe Fortes for happy hour. Just an FYI – the bar area easily fits groups of two, but getting a table for anything more than that proved difficult. I arrived at 4:00pm and I waited until 4:45pm for a table. We ended up sitting at the bar.
The wait was worth it. Though the bar seating was cramped, the bartenders were attentive and friendly. Our $5.00 glasses of house white wine and waters were constantly topped up. The house wine tasted better than the $13.00 dollar glasses I get at my local pub.
I didn’t want to ruin my appetite for my dinner at Cioppino’s so I just ordered six Dollar Oysters ($6.00). The oysters were cold and fresh and tasted like a west coast variety. Again, these were as good as the full price oysters I pay for in Calgary.
Doug ordered the Mini Atlantic Lobster & Shrimp Rolls shrimp ($10.95). I took a little bite of the lobster and shrimp mixture. There was a generous amount of seafood in a tangy remoulade sauce. The bread was cute, shaped like a baby loaf. I would order this dish.
Tanya ordered the Jumbo Tiger Prawn Cocktail, which came with fresh horseradish and cocktail sauce ($11.95). She didn’t say much about the shrimp and kept picking at Doug’s rolls, since he wouldn’t eat the bread.
If I wasn’t saving my appetite, I would have ordered the Fried Oysters ($8.95), Crispy Calamari ($9.95) and Oyster Rockefeller ($13.95). I don’t know about you, but when I drink on an empty stomach, I tend to get social. I chatted up our neighbours who did order those dishes. They allowed me to snap a picture of their food and told me everything tasted amazing. I didn’t take a picture of the fried oysters, because they already half devoured the dish and the plate was not picture taking worthy.
With the poor exchange and Alberta’s current economy, it looks like most of my vacations will be in Vancouver, visiting my friends and family. It just so happens I’ll be back in March to celebrate The Yen’s bday, so I’ll be returning to Joe Fortes.
Hitting the Sauce 
OMG your photos are making me drool! I have been there before and tried their pasta, soups, and oysters. The service is good and the food never disappoints! I will defiantly have to try everything you did next time! Oh and 5 dollar wine?? I am so in! Thanks for your lovely post!
My pleasure. Happy hour is great for trying out a bunch of different dishes and at these prices, sweet!