Dining in Atlantic Canada

[EFranklin]

Planning a trip to Newfoundland, Nova Scotia including Cape Breton and Prince Edward Island this summer. We are obviously food enthusiasts and would appreciate any up-to-date recommendations. We loathe the touristy restaurants and mediocre seafood joints that tend to make up the bulk of eateries SO please bring on those out of the way (not in the tourist brochure) restaurants (and B&Bs or Inns if you you can)....

[rozrapp]

Though it was quite some time ago, when we were in the Cape Breton area, we spent a couple of nights at the Keltic Lodge. Excellent accommodations and delicious food. Information about it, and 2 other lodges in Nova Scotia, can be found here.

[EFranklin]

Thank you. We've bookmarked website for our reference.

[Jake]

I've stayed at the Haliburton House Inn in Halifax. Lovely place, great dining room, but it is not right on the water....

Haliburton House Inn website

[rozrapp]

I've stayed at the Haliburton House Inn in Halifax.  Lovely place, great dining room, but it is not right on the water....

Haliburton House Inn website

Your link is not working. This one does.

[Amy Rosen]

I love the east coast: In Halifax try Da Maurizio (sp?) for upscale Italian, Bis (world cuisine on the waterfront), Fid, Basil's, Sushi Shige, Chives Canadian Bistro, Tribeca for cocktails and snacks, and Le Cave for a quirky late night slice of cheesecake.

In PEI go for a lobster supper of course, also hit the Inn at Bay Fortune (stay there and eat; it's expensive but a truly memorable experience). Harbour House is pretty okay.

In St. John's there's a great place, I think on Water Street (maybe George) but I can't remember the name (sorry). The outside is a bit yuppie looking, so ask around, or you'll spot it. I also liked Cioppino's for it's kitchy looks, great service and down-home Italian menu.

Have fun.

[merlin]

I concur with Amy.

One family operates da Maurizio in the Old Keith's Brewery Building, Bish on Bishop's Landing and Il Mercado on Spring Garden Road. I understand they may have opened a fourth restaurant in Bedford.

The first serves terrific Italian fare and has a top class, albeit expensive wine list dominated by the types of Italian wines you would expect.

Bish was our favourite during our last visit. Extensive menu, friendly staff and if the weather co-operates you can sip a drink or eat outside on their patio which snakes around the perimeter of the restaurant adjacent to the square and boardwalk along Halifax harbour.

Il Mercado provides a nice respite from the summer heat and hustle and bustle of Spring Garden Road. More trattoria in style. Cool tile. Food is less 'fussy'. Extensive antipasto selections.

FID as Amy recommended was brilliant. Limited menu and wine list but very good indeed. It is somewhat awkwardly located. It took us a time or two to find it but it was worth it. The simple halibut dish I had was outstanding.

We too enjoyed Chives and Maple.

Bacchus in the Halifax Casino was excellent too. Our plane arrived late on a Wednesday and we were in need of food but did not want a huge meal. They were more than accomodating with getting us several appetizers with glasses of wine. Good selection. Excellent service.

If you venture out to the Annapolis Valley a nice light lunch can be found at the Grand Pre Winery in Grand Pre. Newman's [or is it Neuman's] in Annapolis Royal is very good. In Wolfville there is the Blomidon Inn and another opened last year I believe, Storm perhaps? It had a weather related name and was featured on the Food TV program "Opening Soon".

In Cape Breton we had dinner at a restaurant whose name escapes me in Inverness. It was in an unlikely location in a trailer/tent campground on the bluffs. It was excellent and afforded a beautiful view of the sunset. A Google search should confirm its name as there was not much dining in Inverness.

On the island as Amy suggested we did stay and dine at the Inn at Bay Fortune near Souris on the north-east coast of PEI. Michael Smith was long gone by the time of our visit but the food was excellent nevertheless and the eclectic wine list very good.

We stopped en route from Charlottetown in Montague and had a nice family/homemade style lunch at Windows on the Water.

Later while making our way back to Charlottetown we had nice meals at the Inn at St. Peters and Dalvay-By -The Sea within the PEI National Park.

In Charlottetown we enjoyed meals in the restaurant which is part of the multimedia centre celebrating Confederation on the waterfront. I think its name is McAssey's. I was told that they are owned by the same people who operate the Gahan brew pup where we enjoyed the beer. I am not sure that the food was going over with the locals [PEI residents sure do appear to love their deep fried this and that].

Also liked the food and friendly service at On Broadway, the Merchantman Pub and Sirenella. The latter is not much to look at from outside but the food was good.

There is another "hole-in the -wall", Water-Prince Store or something to that effect which we missed that others here will likely be able to correct me on. It looks like a corner store and I am sure that we walked right by it.

Please let us know what you discovered. I am working on trying to get some time in Nova Scotia this summer as well and it would be nice to be updated.

[riboflavinjoe]

If you get up to labrador, i can't recommend any good restaurants, mainly because there arent any, but my aunt shirley makes an incredible smoke salmon and char jerky... id make a special trip there just for that. oh yeah, and in st. john's, be sure to pick up some turtle cheesecake icecream at moomoos on kings road, just below rawlins cross. most decadent ice cream i have ever eaten. i was passing through st johns on my way to goose bay once. i had a one hour stop over in st johns so i took a taxi from the airport to moomoos and got some ice cream, and brought it home with me in my carry on, next flight. worth it! be sure to check it out.

[Shelley G.]

Newman's [or is it Neuman's] in Annapolis Royal is very good. In Wolfville there is the Blomidon Inn and another opened last year I believe, Storm perhaps? It had a weather related name and was featured on the Food TV program "Opening Soon".

It is indeed Neuman's, and it is good. In Wolfville, the restaurant related to weather is The Tempest, and it is better than good... Wonderfully innovative without being precious. A singularly voluptous coconut creme brulee is my favourite sweet there.

[gus_tatory]

in Wolfville, there's also the Acton Grill, run by the guy that used to run Fenton's in Toronto...

[merlin]

Shelley G:

Anything new in the Hlfx area?

Someone at another web-site mentioned Seven. Have you tried it?

I had hoped to get back to the Maritimes this summer but that did not work out but next year is a definite possibility.

[Pots]

I spent a few weeks in Prince Edward Island this past summer.Aside from getting fresh landed lobster every day from a little fishing town called Red Head,I came across a family run snack bar in Brackley Beach area that served the most amazing fried scallops you can ever imagine.As well,they serve these lobster rolls in a toasted hot dog bun for 10 bucks.Y'all have to try it,quite something.I think I ate 3 that day.

As well In PEI,the dairy products are quite different than the rest of Canada.Aside from the infamous Cows ice cream chain that originated there,all the ice cream I ate on PEI is good.There is a dairy that still makes churned butter called North Whilshire,a small dairy dedicated to staying independant from the conglomerates.

[Shelley G.]

in Wolfville, there's also the Acton Grill, run by the guy that used to run Fenton's in Toronto...

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Acton's was, I believe, sold awhile ago. I did not care for the service last time - far too pushy. However, King Edward VIII' s favourite omelette remains a treat - lots of lobster, and napped with a white port sauce.

[Shelley G.]

Shelley G:

Anything new in the Hlfx area? 

Someone at another web-site mentioned Seven.  Have you tried it?

I had hoped to get back to the Maritimes this summer but that did not work out but next year is a definite possibility.

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I have tried Seven - the menu looked wonderful, but regrettably, the execution did not come up to scratch. Really impressive wine list, and excellent martinis, but for me, the comestibles are the main event! You should definitely try Jane's on the Common. I love it. It's fresh and has a delightful atmosphere, and that is where I go when I manage to get out - I own and cook for my own little restaurant, and hence time is scarce.

[muncher]

Definately try the Velvet Olive in Halifax for drinks.

As an aside - nothing beats the oaty chocolate chip cookies from Larkin's Bakery in Halifax too. Pure Irish goodness.

[Shelley G.]

Definately try the Velvet Olive in Halifax for drinks.

As an aside - nothing beats the oaty chocolate chip cookies from Larkin's Bakery in Halifax too. Pure Irish goodness.

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Alas, the Velvet Olive closed its door this very week, and Larkin's has been but a blissful memory for quite some time...

[jayhay]

Some food observations on places that had been recommended to us:

MAGNOLIA'S in Lunenberg...Probably the best steamed mussels we've ever had, plump & tasty in a Pernod sauce. They're noted for their Key Lime Pie, & it had a creamy, rather than dense lime filling, & a graham/nut crust. We returned again, at the end of our trip, & ordered these items a second time. Just as good!

ACTON'S in Wolfville...Lovely room. Fellow diner taking pictures of his food. Now, who on earth would do such a thing? Fresh brown bread accompanied creamy, rich seafood chowder. Crab cakes with caramilized onions...not much crab flavour, onions good though. Seafood Hot Pot, delicious flavour, although lobster chunks were tough. Crisp, garlicky croutons on top were good.

RUDDER'S BREW PUB in Yarmouth...Pints of Full Sail Pale Ale, nice caramely flavour, limited edition. Shared a large cold lobster sandwich... lots of tender meat, & cole slaw & fresh cut fries, a bargain at $13.95.

RITA'S TEA ROOM in Big Pond...Old school house, revamped and added onto, by Rita MacNeil. Very

charming, beautifully landscaped grounds. Very nice homemade bread, thick clam chowder, & delicious carrot cake for lunch.

NEW GLASGOW LOBSTER SUPPER....in PEI. All you can eat of freshly made rolls & bread, steamed mussels, seafood chowder, green salad, potato salad, pies, & cake. Choose the size lobster you want, & chow down! Didn't bother with salads or dessert...just went for the good stuff.

WATER-PRICE CORNER STORE...in Charlottetown. Another lobster dinner, the night after our New Glasgow feast. A-1..one of the best meals we had on the trip. (Thanks for the recommendation Merlin.)Similar to the above menu, but superiour. Very generous portions, not all you can eat.

IL MERCATO in Halifax...Found it to be noisy & wait staff inattentive. Food was only okay, nice room.

FRIES & CO. in Halifax...Supposed to be the best fish & chips in town. Located on an out of the way street, very small. The food was fine, but not as good as our favourite place at home.

CHIVES in Halifax...Wonderful food, great waiter, nice room...hit the jackpot this night! Both had Peasant Soup, lots of sausage slices & potato chunks in a tasty broth, & wonderful garlicky croutons on top. Bacon wrapped pork tenderloin, & beef tenderloin with a merlot sauce for entrees. Great hot

biscuits, a signature feature, served in a paper bag. We were there on a Monday night, & it was not busy. Hopefully business picks up later in the week.

NAUTICAL NELLIES in St. John's ...Heard good things about this pub in NFLD. Good, but not great food, beer was great though.

GUV'NOR'S PUB in St. John's...Nice place, lots of dark wood. Had a plate of Cod Tongues & Scrunchions Loved the scrunchions (pork fat rules!), cod tongues, not so sure. It's that gelatinous material in them I can't stand.

CHES'S FISH & CHIPS in St. John's...Looked up the location that had been given us, but they were closed for renos, because of a fire, so tried their other location on Topsail Rd. Located in a strip mall, the price was right. at $11.98 for TWO plates of 2 pieces of fish each. lots'o chips, coleslaw, gravy & stuffing(?) on the side. The fish was quite dry & the batter heavy, chips were good.

We intended to try out CHUCKY'S FISH & CHIPS in St. John's, but they are no longer in business. Also had reservations at BISH in Halifax, but cancelled our reservation. Just plain tired of eating out, so decided it would be wasted on us...another time maybe.

[Shelley G.]

Some food observations on places that had been recommended to us:

MAGNOLIA'S in Lunenberg...Probably the best steamed mussels we've ever had, plump & tasty in a Pernod sauce. They're noted for their Key Lime Pie, & it had a creamy, rather than dense lime filling, & a graham/nut crust. We returned again, at the end of our trip, & ordered these items a second time. Just as good!

RITA'S TEA ROOM in Big Pond...Old school house, revamped and added onto, by Rita MacNeil. Very

charming, beautifully landscaped grounds. Very nice homemade bread, thick clam chowder, & delicious carrot cake for lunch.

IL MERCATO in Halifax...Found it to be noisy & wait staff inattentive. Food was only okay, nice room.

FRIES & CO. in Halifax...Supposed to be the best fish & chips in town. Located on an out of the way street, very small. The food was fine, but not as good as our favourite place at home.

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MAGNOLIA'S - I agree - it's a great little place - they will be closed until spring.

RITA's TEAROOM - I admit that I am not fond of it - really something of a tourist trap. The clam chowder is thick due to cornstarch or flour.

IL MERCATO - They opened a new location, and most locals preferred the former one. The service and food both used to be very agreeable, but I had a similar experience last time I was there.

FRIES & C0. - The hands down winner for best fish and chips (and clams, scallops etc) is definitely JOHN'S LUNCH in Dartmouth. Packed with locals, and lucky visitors who hear about it. The fish is always impeccably fresh, and the lovely Digby scallops, delicately battered and never rubbery, are almost to die for.

[annadev]

Has anyone heard anything about FLeur de Sel, the new restaurant in Lunenburg?