Newfoundland visit.....

[jayhay]

We're going to visit the Atlantic provinces in September, & would like to know what experiences others have had.

There's great information on eGullet for the other provinces, but not Newfoundland.

We were thinking of spending one week out of our four week trip in that province, & will have a car. Is that a reasonable length of time? Any suggestions for food & lodging?

We're not planning on hiking or fishing, just driving & eating. (Maybe trying out a little screech too )

[riboflavinjoe]

Whenever I hear of anyone going to st. john's, i am always eager to suggest going to moo moos ice cream shop, on kings road, just below rawlins cross, and eat the turtle cheesecake icecream. the ultimate in rich and creamy decadence. i make it a point to go to st johns whenever in the atlantic region just to eat the turtle cheesecake. and then theres zapata's mexican restaurant, in st johns, which makes the best chili i have ever eaten. and ches's for fish and chips. if you make it up to labrador, my auntie makes some wicked smoked char and salmon, but sorry, you gotta be family or friends to get that!

[chromedome]

Dunno if it's still there (I last set foot on the Rock in 1982) but Ches' Fish & Chips ruled. People used to take big boxes of it on the plane back to the Mainland. I never understood that; no matter how good f & c is before the flight it's crap afterwards. Go figure.

I don't remember exactly where on the highway it is, but I loved one place I ate as a kid in the back seat. It was called the Pinchgut Diner (Pinchgut being the name of the town...Newfoundland has some of the most colourful place names anywhere). The food was ordinary, but I loved the name and still remember it.

If you spend a night in Corner Brook, the place to do that would be the Glynmill Inn. I've no idea what the food is like, these days, but the hotel is quite beautiful and so is its setting.

Although it is unlikely, given the climate of Newfoundland (nasty and brutal), there are actually a few small wineries there. The most interesting, to me, is the Rodrigues winery. They are an exclusively fruit-based winery, with two unusual distinctions. One is that they are kosher-certified. The other is that they have their own in-house distillery, which they use to make (wait for it) slivovitz (???!!!).

They are located in Whitbourne, at the narrow neck of the Avalon Peninsula, so they will be an easy visit going either to or from St. John's. They are part of the fruit-wine equivalent of the VQA organization, a standard-setting body.

The Weil winery, in Twillingate, and the Flynn winery in Shoal Harbour (near Grand Falls/Windsor), are both viable side trips from the Trans-Canada.

September is the best month to visit Newfoundland, as the fall colours come early there. If you find the opportunity, try to visit some bog country...if Cezanne had seen a Newfoundland bog in September, they'd never have gotten him back to France.

If you can fit it into your itinerary, on no account should you miss Gros Morne National Park. It is simply one of the most breathtaking spots on the planet. I can't speak for any culinary excellence in the area, but I'd eat dry bread for a day just to be there. It is an easy drive from Corner Brook; the official site is here.

I still have friends and family down that way, but most of them are out in the boonies. I'll see who I can track down for some up-to-date recommendations.

[riboflavinjoe]

speaking of colorful names, you might want to drop by dildo or come by chance. btw, dildo is in the same neighborhood as spread eagle and backside pond.

Edited July 7, 2004 by riboflavinjoe (log)

[gruyere]

If you are going to be in St. John's try Magnum and Stein's for somewhat inventive food and Bianca's.

I would second the recommendation to take in the Gros Morne National Park. It is truly one of the world's beautiful places. If you go there check out the restos in Rocky Harbour. You won't find fois gras but you will find traditional food prepared with an interesting flare. While there enquire about the boat trip to Western Brook Pond (you can probably Google on this subject and pre-book). There you will see one of the most beautiful inland fiords on this planet.

You should be aware that the island of Newfoundland is large and if you are driving for the entire trip and want to see the whole island you will spend a lot of time in your car.

Bon voyage!

[jayhay]

Thanks to everyone for all the great suggestions! I really appreciate the help.

[Ben Hong]

Jayhay, if you are going to St.John's and don't eat at "Chuck's", you'll regret it big time. Chuck's is off one of the main drags just about two blocks from the grand Hotel Newfoundland. Chuck's is one of the few places left that has a license to serve wild game...in season. In Sept. moose, rabbit and maybe caribou would be available, including wild fresh and salt water fish of several kinds. A definite myust do.

[freddychef]

In St John's you may want to check out TWO CHEFS--probably the most creative thing around and one of the chefs is home grown..also there is Aqua down on Water st---and maybe even the Gypsy tea room --quite less formal .

Around the bay you'll find that the majority of Nl food is prepared in a most traditional manner but still there can be a lot said for a great meal done right! Outside the capital there is The Beach Cottage in Holyrood. Glynmill inn Corner brook as mentioned is quite alright. There is a place in Clarenville with some creativity( cannot remember the name ) as well as a few choice B&B's in Trinity, Brigus, St Micheals, Mobile and Renews here on the Avalon...

If you want to check out local food that you may wish to take home there are a few farms out around Portugal cove that specialize in smoked bacon and lamb sausages, also try Bidgood's store out in The Goulds--a whole section on NL food....on Tuesday afternoon you can get a hot out of the oven moose pie...check it out....freddychef

[Gary Soup]

You can also try to find the best fried balogna sandwich.....

[ludja]

Where can you get the best "fried cod tongues" and "seal flipper pie" ???

(Just rented Shipping News, and got a glimpse of the some the more (perhaps?) old-fashioned and colorful dishes... )

[Ben Hong]

Go to Chuck's in St. John's for seal flipper and cod tongues and other game meals.

[chromedome]

Flipper pie is definitely an old-timer's thing. A very rich meat pie, is the short version. Seal in general is very dark and gamey-tasting, but the flippers are milder in flavour and do make a very good pie. Personally, I think the liver is the best part of the seal.

Cod tongues are one of those foods that are rather off-putting, to those who aren't accustomed to them, but they are surprisingly good. A cod tongue consists of two tight balls of muscle, enclosed in a rather gelatinous pouch. Generally, they are simply dredged in flour and panfried (in rendered salt pork, traditionally!); and really they require nothing more elaborate in the way of preparation. The interest lies in the difference between the textures of the muscular portion and the softer enclosure. The flavour is, well...cod.

<sigh> Haven't had a feed of cheeks and tongues in a long time. Oh well.

[ludja]

Wow, thanks for the additional info chromedome... your descriptions are great; they both sound rather intriguing.

I actually also read about eating cod tongues in some writing about old New England cookery. It mentioned that some of the older New England food traditions long gone in New England still survived up north in the maritime provinces.

[moira27]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I do believe that Ches' is not in operation right now. They had a fire not to long ago which started inone of thier buildings and spread through most of them. The buildings are all wooden and basically next to each other so a fire speads quickly.

[freddychef]

There is more than one Ches's in the city and numerous other shops selling the same sort of fish and chips....take a day trip out to St Phillip's and go to the By The Beach take out for a feed....nicer surroundings.....

[chromedome]

I'm getting word back from my family that nobody there is really that much "into" restaurants; and therefore can't advise on what's good these days.

Into round two, I'm now checking with friends and friends-of-friends.

[jayhay]

Into round two, I'm now checking with friends and friends-of-friends.

And I'm still checking into this thread to see what else everyone has to add.....

[chromedome]

BTW, if you can free up the time (and it sounds like you're already somewhat loaded up with things to do) you can get to St Pierre et Miquelon quickly and easily from Newfoundland. SP&M is France's last North American colony; picturesque and appealing in its own right, and also an opportunity to visit France on the cheap-and-easy.

SPM website

Necessary documents

[Gary Soup]

picturesque and appealing in its own right, and also an opportunity to visit France on the cheap-and-easy.

That's what I thought I was doing every time I visit Montreal.

[chromedome]

Montreal is definitely Gallic, but SPM is France.

Both are great places to visit, of course.