Peter the eater

You have the right attitude! Mabou - there's an excellent bakery on the main drag where we always stop, but no seafood. Baddeck - many options, "Baddeck Lobster Suppers" on Ross St. is good. There's a good spot right by the Margaree Harbour bridge, can't think of the name. Cheticamp has several seafood and Acadian restaurants, I like "The Seafood Stop" and "Le Gabriel". Pretty sure there's just the one place in Neil's Harbour (near the lighthouse) I stop there when bicycling around the Cabot Trail. You are allowed to eat anything when traveling by pedal power. There are several options in Ingonish, which you'll go through. I think the best place is the crab/lobster roll shack near the foot of the ski hill looking over the river and marshes. You get your food from the girl in the window and then you sit at a picnic table and admire the view. Sydney's a problem for me - you'd expect the biggest city on the island could offer something great. Anything decent never seems to stay open for very long. When we are there (every other month or so) we buy the ingredients and take it back to the farm just out of town. Hope that helps - every year a few new places show up and a few disappear so I say keep your eyes open as you go. And don't forget to post a report here when you get back!

In the produce section prices are often given only in pounds. The scale is only in kilograms. I can do the math, but give me a break - how hard would it be to take a damn sharpie and mark in the pounds?

Give us an idea where you are headed. Are you looking for the best of restaurant fare, or steaming mussels yourself on the beach, or both? Get the province's "Doers and Dreamers Guide" at the welcome building as you enter Nova Scotia (by car) or from the info booth at the Halifax airport. There are tons of seafood festivals everywhere all summer.

Never read the books, love the films. Best I can do is . . . Malfoy's Mille Feuilles godspeed, Mahona

I read about some seafood enthusiasts somewhere (I don't think it was on eGullet, but I believe they are in the UK, I could be wrong) and their mission was to systematically scour all available seafood outlets for the best value items. That means: what has great taste and nutrition, but is really affordable? What is the best kept secret? I am always amazed when good stuff is so cheap and lesser stuff is so pricey. Around here I would say the great deals include pork tenderloin and farmed Atlantic salmon. But beef tenderloin - forget it, it is woefully overpriced and under aged. Chicken used to be the food of kings, lobsters were used to fertilize Nova Scotia potato crops, and so on. The "sea catfish" was definitely a new treat - it was moist and sweet. I recommend it to anyone who likes haddock or halibut or the like. I bet it would be lovely in a batter with fries, too. But like the monkfish, maybe you ought not to image google it before you dig in.

Hi SheenaGreena: This travelogue is a very enjoyable read, I love your "respectfully casual tone". Every one of your posts has words and/or pictures of food I have never seen before. I think I need more guk in my life, and it behooves me to mention that bucket of pigs feet - wow! Okay, I am no ichthyologist but I would bet dollars to donuts you have there in your sink three juvenile Largemouth bass and three Green or possibly Pumpkinseed sunfish. Plus an unusual scouring pad. Do your trout there go by any other names?

Wow that's a cold kitchen. You could almost put stuff on the counter to freeze.

So many good dinners here, very inspiring. Tonight we had something different (for us) since my twin children turned two years old. We had a surf and turf: beef ribs and sea catfish (aka seawolf, wolf eel, Atlantic cat) Never had the fish before, it was very nice, white and sweet like haddock. I probably went for it based more on price than reputation. It was $11/kilogram and I have never met anyone who has bought, ordered, coked or otherwise eaten it. And until I taste otherwise I believe pork to be the better rib, beating beef for price and taste. those are button mushrooms with sharp cheddar, young poatoes and grilled bread. the fish was done in a foil pouch built up as follows: the oranges were dominant, spinach and yellow zuke and red onion looked and tasted well enough. Probably didn't need soy sauce and olive oil in the pouch, but cracked black pepper made it happen for me. The kids were not too into it, favouring the strawberry dessert (no pic) We are having a real more kid-friendly birthday deal in 10 days or so. I predict I will photograph and post more food at that time.

Its the Bunnykins bowl for grown-up cat lovers! (the infamous Royal Dalton bowl for kids who are rewarded by seeing the bunnies on the bottom of the bowl if they eat all their food) That's a delicious looking leek pie. I'm very much looking forward to your coffee roasting segment. I'm sorry but I couldn't wait and roasted 100 grams last night in the aluminum popcorn maker. I seem to have quite a blend of beans ranging from "still slightly green" to "black like a space shuttle tile".

I spend lots of time in Cape Breton and have to taste the oysters, they always seem to be from Prince Edward Island. Were they as good as they look?

Spot on Bob. As far as I'm concerned, flavour rules. Unless you are in a rush and need medium rare lamb for your dinner party or whatever, take some time and coax the best out of that "cheaper cut". Shanks are good, shoulders even better.

Jessica, I'd love to see your store front photo complete with Puerto Rican cyclists and everything else ambient that contributes to the tone of your place. For a while a few years back my wife embraced kick boxing in a big way. I went along for a bring-your-friend night and loved it too. I tried to find her a used "slam man" but instead wound up with a basic heavy bag which we still use. I got quite good at wrapping her fists - maybe you could post a pic a la "Rocky I" showing how this skill helps you in the kitchen.

Around here (Eastern Canada) local lamb is better and a little bit cheaper than the frozen Kiwi (NZ) stuff. Fresh legs, shanks and shoulders are all around 10 - 12 $CAD per kilogram. Loins and racks etc. are a lot more. Stuff from nearby would be even better priced if it were not for the coyotes - this invasive species has been a very big reason the market is still small.

That was a lovely yarn. Its been nearly twenty years since I spent a summer touring France by bicycle and munching voraciously. Your blog set off a few welcomed flashbacks for me.

Hi Jessica, cool store, full of whimsy! Yesterday I bought a 2lb bag of green coffee beans from Just Us! Coffee Roasters Co-op while in Wolfville (Nova Scotia). I have never roasted at home and I am eager to darken these little Bolivians. I think now I will watch and see how you do it - I may use my hand crank stove top aluminum popcorn maker although the skillet method looks like a good way to start too. I do not have a hot air corn popper but . . . could this be an excuse to get another kitchen gizmo? And is it true I have to wait a day after roasting to grind and brew?

Food looks great! What is that upright brass cylindrical thing I keep seeing in your photos? (forgive me if I missed the answer) I'll guess a pepper mill or a heavy pounder. Or possibly an artillery shell.

That awesome!! And a bit revolting. Thanks for sharing. I once had a dream that I made and ate a giant scotch egg, but I hadn't considered it could be an ostrich egg. I figured it was a giant chicken from HG Wells' "Food of the Gods". I've always wanted to make a basket of spicy wings but use big turkey wings instead of chicken, now I'm thinking Ostrich! ← I believe there is a large version of a scotch egg on pimp that snack ← Now there's a show that speaks to me! (PS I liked your old avatar) ← the one where I'm digging for gold and snacks? ← Ya-hun

I emailed the clam vendor's ask the chef and promptly got this reply: Fresh steamer clams can be placed in a bowl of salted water (sea water) with a tablespoon of cornmeal. The clams take in the cornmeal and spit out sand. This method takes about 2 to 3 hours. So pleased was I more Q's were sent: Where did my steamer clams come from? Local aquaculture? Our clams come from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia. What about those black siphons - do people usually eat them? You may eat the siphons. If you are not accustomed to eating them...try them....they kind of taste like chewy scallops. Does the cornmeal trick work on your mussels too? Mussels should not contain grit as they are suspended by strings as they grow. ← Wow, I wish I could get vendors like that here. That Mackerel looked good too btw. ← Thanks - You probably can - these guys sell online a lot here

That awesome!! And a bit revolting. Thanks for sharing. I once had a dream that I made and ate a giant scotch egg, but I hadn't considered it could be an ostrich egg. I figured it was a giant chicken from HG Wells' "Food of the Gods". I've always wanted to make a basket of spicy wings but use big turkey wings instead of chicken, now I'm thinking Ostrich! ← I believe there is a large version of a scotch egg on pimp that snack ← Now there's a show that speaks to me! (PS I liked your old avatar)

That awesome!! And a bit revolting. Thanks for sharing. I once had a dream that I made and ate a giant scotch egg, but I hadn't considered it could be an ostrich egg. I figured it was a giant chicken from HG Wells' "Food of the Gods". I've always wanted to make a basket of spicy wings but use big turkey wings instead of chicken, now I'm thinking Ostrich! ← It is revolting isnt it? I cant figure out why though. And I do the Turkey Wing thing with GREEN Tabasco and call em Dinosaur Wings ← That's brilliant - can you post a picture?

I'll pre-order a few copies!

That awesome!! And a bit revolting. Thanks for sharing. I once had a dream that I made and ate a giant scotch egg, but I hadn't considered it could be an ostrich egg. I figured it was a giant chicken from HG Wells' "Food of the Gods". I've always wanted to make a basket of spicy wings but use big turkey wings instead of chicken, now I'm thinking Ostrich!

David, you are a gifted cook and storyteller. Among many other things, I love the "showtime chicken"! I take great pleasure when I pull out the George Foreman Grill to do salmon or chicken with skin when we have dinner guests. I look forward to the big finale in Nevada!

great looking food! jende: I've had inconsistent experiences with prosciutto as well - I have pretty much switched to Westphalia ham which is always good at my store. I get them to slice it as thin as they can and its half the price of prosciutto. rwsweet: I have been seeing skate a lot more recently, I think I will get some. shelby: Those dogs are hot, and I think everything tastes better when served in a martini glass. I saw some local lamb sweetbreads for sale and decided to take the plunge. I'm generally pretty good about enjoying the organ meats although I have had some so-so experiences, particularly with dodgy steak-and-kidney pie at the pub. I recalled how good the sweetbreads looked in Chufi's eG foodblog several weeks ago and did a little reading. I soaked them for many hours, poached them briefly in salty water, dumped them into icy water, removed anything unpalatable (membranes and vessels) and finally panfried them in a little butter, after flattening and dusting with flour: I have had sweetbreads before, in France almost 20 years ago, but thats about it. I am pleased with the result today - they were wonderfully delicate and almost creamy inside the slightly crunchy coating. I may not have removed 100% the blood since I could taste a hint of liver, maybe overnight soaking is the answer. I also picked up these beautiful rib chops, possibly from the same lamb as the sweetbreads. I think they will be grilled for dinner tonight with mint and rosemary.

It used to be dairy products, until the babies came along. Now we go through alarming amounts of high fat yogurt (like 6+% milk fat, its called "Balkan style" for some reason) and homo milk (as in homogenized or whole milk). Now its usually hidden leftovers that go dank. I actually like what happens to the white button mushrooms in the crisper - over time they will shrink and get chewy and I find the flavour is more intense (for a button).