Surprising Destination For Southern Classics In The Pacific Northwest

There’s a gorgeous golf course just south of the Canadian border near Bellingham, Wash., where the restaurant serves some of the best shrimp and grits west of the Mississippi. Here’s why you need to take a trip to this under-the-radar bistro that’s far from your typical “19th hole.”

A heartwarming menu

Chef Matthew Boudousquie was born in New Orleans, but spent some of his formative years in Bellingham, a college town halfway between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C.

So, when he saw an opening at the Shuksan Golf Club come up, he took a shot. He’d been dreaming of opening his own place, had drawn up a business plan for a restaurant showcasing some of the Southern dishes his grandmother and mom taught him how to cook and pitched it to ownership. As Emeril Lagasse likes to say, BAM! He was hired.

When his Southern-inspired menu featuring gumbo, Étouffée and various po’boys rolled out in 2022, the Bistro got lots of accolades and attention. There are framed reviews hanging on the wall near the entrance of the grand dining room, a cozy bar off to the side near the 10th tee.

All of the dining and drinking space take full advantage of the spectacular views of the jagged peaks leading up to Mount Baker. Come for brunch and you’ll likely get a meal and a show... if you’re into watching golf.

But I was there for the shrimp and grits.

A brief history of shrimp and grits

This now iconic dish was once considered a simple meal cooked up by fisherman in South Carolina. It was known back then as shrimp and hominy, before that preserved corn morphed into grits, a tradition traced to the Gullah Geechee culture along the southern Atlantic coast.

The late Bill Neal is often credited with bringing shrimp and grits into a more fine dining space at the estwhile Crook’s Corner in Durham, N.C. (Watch the Southern Foodways Alliance video below for more on that, a film by Kate Medley and Jesse Paddock.)

At this point in our global cuisin-driven restaurant culture, shrimp and grits isn’t exactly novel. But it can still surprise and be deeply satisfying. That’s what you’ll find at this out-of-the-way bistro in the very northwestern most corner of Washington state just miles from the Canadian border.

Chef Boudousquie’s version stands out for a couple of reasons: the ultra-creamy grits and and the outstanding sauce used to finish the dish. They’re not exactly textbook versions.

So creamy

First, let’s start with the grits. The kitchen rotates between Anson Mills, the South Carolina-based operation that focuses on heritage grains, Delta Grind from Water Valley, Miss., and Bob’s Red Mill.

The extra creamy quality comes from a combo of heavy cream, half and half and cream cheese. “That’s how my grandma made them,” he said.

That velvety smooth foundation provides the perfect contrast to the full-throttle sauced shrimp on top, those plump beauties tucked in beside slices of spicy andouille sausage. If the sauce reminds diners of the barbecued shrimp at the New Orleans landmark Pascal’s Manale, that’s no coincidence.

Boudousquie explains that the sauce is loving tribute to that seafood-focused restaurant which opened in 1913.

Not just Southern fare

The eclectic menu includes plenty of contemporary fare that cannot be defined by a geographic label. There’s a burger and sandwiches, in addition to a sophisticated presentation of local albacore tuna. Sesame seed-encrusted and barely cooked, the gorgeous fish is served on an ube puree. Definitely Instagram-worthy, but it tastes as beautiful as it looks.

Catering is also a big part of the culinary team’s mission, so they deliver custom menus to various groups, weddings and other celebrations. Judging by the polished service in the cozy bar area, the staff is on top of its game and the chef even occasionally steps in to deliver plates to the table. That’s the kind of warm hospitality that can only be described as Southern and it’s most appreciated in this often chilly neck of the woods.

While the food definitely leans into the rich side, be sure and order the fried green tomatoes topped with crab for a starter. And those oysters from Judd Cove on Orcas can be enjoyed raw on the half shell or Rockefeller’d.