New Brunswick Canada

Back in September we took an extended vacation to the Atlantic Provinces of Canada and ended up in Bar Harbor, Maine.

This post will focus on New Brunswick, Canada. A couple of revelations up front. New Brunswick is big and it is a long drive from Bangor where we flew in to Riverside Albert where we were staying for a couple of days. Also, the time is in the Atlantic Time Zone. It's an hour later than you think.

We stayed at The Maplegrove Inn. A cute, bright yellow building which includes an adequate cooked breakfast. 

This place was selected because it was close to Hopewell Rocks Park, situated on the Bay of Fundy. The park includes some incredible landscape. I highly recommend visiting. How the tides carve out the rocks is fascinating. The seaweed covering the boulders reminds me of giant mop-dogs sleeping in the sun.

This area of Canada is dotted with small towns and communities. Along the way, one discovers covered bridges. New Brunswick contains over 60 covered bridges.

Restaurants can be hard to come by, even with local recommendations. In the Bay of Fundy area we had lunch at the park - a lobster roll.

Before dinner we visited Waterside Farms Cottage Winery and tasted their famous blueberry wine - both sweet and dry versions. Surprisingly tasty. Unfortunately, they do no ship to the States.

For dinner we landed at the Tides in Alma, New Brunswick. It reminded me of the traditional seafood restaurants that I visited with my parents as a child, only this one featured lobster instead of shrimp and crab. 

We shared a Lobster Dip with crispy pita. Hubby decided on the scallops, a feature of the Tides. Decent, but not extraordinary. I went with an unconventional choice for me - Lobster-stuffed Chicken. Once again, decent.  Both were accompanied by a baked potato and veggies.

What was interesting about this place was the view. We could see the tide coming in and it came in fast. I was able to get a before and after photo.

On our drive back through New Brunswick we stopped at Fred's Restaurant in Cap Pele. Once again, a traditional place, but since Cap Pele is in the heart of Acadia country, all of the staff spoke French. Hubby enjoyed fried shrimp and I had an open-faced turkey sandwich. The turkey was real roasted turkey; none of the processed, sliced stuff here.

Before we left Canada, we spent the night in Saint John. This is the largest city in New Brunswick and cruise ships stop in for the day. A quaint place with some interesting church spires and architecture.

  A lot of the shops are only open when the cruise tourists roam, thus, we covered the heart of the town fairly quickly. We did visit Barbour's General Store and came upon a Canadian candy called Chicken Bones.

Saint John also features a market including a booth with fresh Dulse, a type of seaweed.

I think we did hit upon the best restaurant in town, Opera Bistro. When we crossed the threshold the place looked more like a take-out place with a counter displaying desserts and implements for coffee and espresso. However, when we perused the menu, we knew we had landed at a little gem.

The wine list was a bit challenging, but it seemed that the Province of New Brunswick had issues with supplying their Canadian residents with affordable and tasty wine. We ended up with a Cabernet Franc/Cabernet Sauvignon from Niagara's Jackson Triggs. Not bad.

To start, we had a warm lobster potato salad. Absolutely awesome! Hubby enjoyed baked salmon with a blueberry salsa. Right up his taste bud alley. I had the duck confit sandwich. Yummy! If you find yourself in Saint John, go here to eat.

New Brunswick is definitely the place to explore the Bay of Fundy and the varied and awe-inspiring geological formations. Great culinary places are few and far between, but little gems can be discovered.

Anniversary Trip - Part Quatre: Montreal

We followed the road along the St. Laurent River to get to Montreal. We passed tiny communities and a lot of farmland. For lunch we went to a hamburger stand called Casse-Croute of Neuville. These burger joints dotted the winding road, but this one was perched along the bank of the river with picnic tables for one to enjoy the view. We ordered Hamburger Fromage and Frites (2 personnes). The burgers came with a toasted bun and the fries were thick-sliced and heavenly.

Montreal is a bigger city than Quebec and looks much more like a city even though part of Montreal is also called the Old City.


We stayed at Acceuil Chez Francois B & B located across from La Fontaine Park. This area is populated with row houses and reminded me of the Fan District in Richmond. The one big difference is that the stairs to the second floor of these townhouses were located outside. Francois was a great host, very laid back, and a great cook. We had scrumptious and filling breakfasts every day. Francois was also a wealth of information about the city, how to navigate the bus and Metro, and where to eat.

Let's start with places for lunch:

In Vieux Montreal at Place Jaques Cartier, a variety of French-style cafes line each side of the cobblestone square. Touristy, yet also quaint. Each cafe had tables inside and out. The weather was grand and we chose La Maree because it was on the shady side of the square and it had a bright blue awning. We were seated in a prime people-watching spot. For wine we selected Chateau de Roquetaillade-La-Grange from Graves. One of the few Bordeaux wines we had all trip. And going against the red wine grain and against my usual personal preferences I ordered trout. It arrived slightly smoked accompanied by an orange cream sauce. So good! Hubby had the hangar steak and was quite satisfied. Around Place Jaques Cartier there are many art galleries and a little enclosed shopping area called Bon Marche. It is the building with the silver dome...


Near one of the commercial/business districts we had lunch at Rosalie located on rue de la Montagne. More upscale; men in suits; waitresses in short, low cut dresses with 4 inch black heels; outside dining; men in suits having extended alcoholic lunches. We decided this might be the high end "Hooters" of Montreal. I told my husband to enjoy the view while he could. In any case it was amusing to watch the other diners, especially the group of men ordering bottle after bottle of wine and asking for an extra glass so the waitress could also partake in the merriment. Once again the weather did not dissapoint and we ate outside. My husband decided to try the Rickard's Red Beer. He thoroughly enjoyed the Canadian brew and is trying to find it here in the States. I opted for a half bottle of Cotes du Rhone, which paired well with the Onglet (hangar steak accompanied with sauteed green beans and au gratin potatoes). My other half had the Rigatoni. After the meal we had plenty of time to enjoy the rest of our wine and beer, and the street scenes and the other views. And we contemplated dessert. And then we saw the list of after-dinner drinks. And we saw it - Belle de Brillet. We discovered Belle de Brillet at a wine shop in Washington, DC. The amber nectar comes in a pear shaped bottle and is indeed pear cognac. It is about 30% alcohol and has a slight sweetness, thus, it's not as harsh as an eau de vie or a typical cognac. For us, it's perfect after a meal and can be sipped alone or imbibed with a light dessert. We had never seen it listed in a restaurant until Rosalie. Of course, we ordered it and lingered a while longer in the sunshine.

We also had lunch at the Casse-Croute in the Botanical Gardens located near the 1976 Olympic Stadium. We had the typical burgers and the (once again) great fries. What was great was the view from our picnic table and then the subsequent garden scenes...


A place for afternoon refreshment:

The Botanical Gardens were quite extensive. When we returned to our B&B that afternnoon we decided to seek out a place to relax and quench our thirsts. We happened upon Studzio. A small little cafe on rue St-Denis with little cafe tables located out front. We were atrracted to this particular place because every occupied cafe table had a pitcher of sangria sitting on it. Red wine, fresh fruit juice, and slices of oranges and lemons. Very refreshing. And while at Studzio we also discovered something peculiar about Montreal. If you have something alcoholic to drink, you have to also order something to eat (even if it's only a dollar's worth). Studzio happened to have a light tapas menu and we ordered a tapanade trio with bread.

Let's talk dinner:

There are a slew of great places to eat in many areas of Montreal. We concentrated on one area a few blocks from where we were staying - the intersection of Duluth and St. Denis. The reason: Apportez Votre Vin (Bring Your Wine). This area of the city and only this area contained a myriad of establishments that allowed you to bring in your own wine with NO corkage fee! Amazing! And, of course, right on this corner there is a SAQ (Societe des alcools du Quebec): the Province-run wine and liquor store. Every night the wine shop was packed and the check-out line was long because everyone bought wine to take to dinner. And even though the taxes on the wine were significant, buying wine retail is still much, much cheaper than buying in a restaurant. We ate French our first night at La Prunelle. Fabulous duck confit. All of the large windows open up, so, even as we sat inside, it felt like we were at an outdoor cafe. The next night we had Italian at L'Academie. A hopping three-story place. We ate on the 2nd floor and were, thankfully, seated by the window which put us out of the mainstream of the hustle and bustle. Across the street was a hair salon that was just closing up. We were able to observe the staff relaxing with friends in the client chairs. The fried calamari was run of the mill but the veal parmagiana and the veal with roasted red peppers were excellent.

On our last night we headed out of our culinary comfort zone and tried Khyber Pass - an Afghan place. After securing our bottle of wine from the SAQ, we headed for the Pass. We tentatively peeked in and the place seemed almost abandoned. Did we make the right decision? But, we wanted something different and forged ahead. As it turned out no one was eating inside. Everyone was on the terrasse, the outdoor patio in the back. And we happened to get the last available table. Good for us! For starters we were presented with a soft flat bread and three different sauces: green coriander, white yogurt, and red pepper (not hot). I liked to mix the green and the white together. The Table d'Hote included soup, appetizer, main course, dessert, and coffee. The soup was noodles with beef in an herb infused cloudy broth. I have no idea what the herbs were, but what a great tasting soup! So different, yet, so good. The appetizer was herbed gound beef fried pastries - it looked like a flaky empanada. Once again, good, but, a little on the heavy side. The main course was grilled chicken kababs served with three different preparations of basmati rice - cardamon (green), garlic (white), and cumin (brownish red). The cardamon rice was the best. The chicken was moist and tender. Dessert was a white custard or pudding. Very sweet with ground cardamon on top. A different take on dessert for us and not something we would seek out on our own. I'd have to say the soup was the best and most surprising dish. And I would recommend this place for folks who would like an out of the ordinary culinary adventure.

Anniversary Trip - Part Trois.Un: Le Champlain Restaurant at Chateau Frontenac - Just Say "Non"

For the big night we knew it had to be Le Champlain at Chateau Frontenac (a Fairmont property). A no brainer. I had made reservations 4 months in advance and had alerted the reservationist that it would be a special night. And I must say that the food was great. The salad presentation was artistic and lovely. My caribou and my husband's pork was delicious. But the service was absolutely ABYSMAL! I have now discovered where inept, pretentious French waiters work. They are not in Paris; they are shipped to Chateau Frontenac. No one remembered our anniversary. We were not seated in a nice spot with a view, even though the place was not busy. The waiter opened our wine bottle, poured the first glass, and no one poured us more wine except for my husband - and we had so-called "waiters" walking by us every 5 minutes (they just did not bother to look in our direction). Every other place we went to in Quebec had better wine service, including the casual pizza joint! They mixed up our orders and served me first. My spouse did not receive his meal until 5 minutes later. At the end, they messed up our bill. We were very disappointed and upset to have a so-called 5 star establishment completely ruin our special evening.

I was too upset to complain that night. I did email Chateau Frontenac upon our return. And surprisingly the hotel manager called me and apologized profusely and thanked me for the feedback. He also said that he would be mailing a gift certificate that I could use at the Fairmont in Washington, DC. Unfortunately, I am still waiting for the "check in the mail."

Update: On 6/19/2006 the check did arrive in the mail. We now have a $100 Fairmont gift certificate. I'll give an update on another Fairmont experience when we redeem it.

Anniversary Trip - Part Trois: Quebec

We arrived in a sunny Quebec after a very boring road trip on the autoroute. On the way we did, indeed, stop at Tim Horton's to have lunch and a doughnut. Word to the wise - all of the traffic signs are in French. We rented a large studio apartment on rue St. Pierre in the Vieux Port section through rentalo.com. Very reasonale rates. Rue St. Pierre is paved with cobblestones and houses a number of art galleries and restaurants, as well as a furrier. We stayed on the third floor of the middle building:



Another word to the wise (or to the out of shape) - the old part of Quebec is made up of the port which is at the river level and the old city which is at the top of a very steep hill. We climbed and gasped a great deal and then climbed the three flights of stairs to our apartment at the end of each day. Of course, with all of the multi-course meals we had, we needed the exercise.

Most of the old city contains shops catering to tourists, but it is well worth checking out the Inuit art gallery. The dancing bear sculptures were our favorites. Le Petit Champlain is the famous Quebec shopping quarter...


If shopping is not your bag, just walk and sightsee...


But, we can't forget the food! First of all, everywhere we ate we had delicious food. And we also had great service (with one notable exception). If the weather is decent make sure you eat outside. There are lots of options for al fresco dining. On our first evening we decided to go Italian with Restaurant Gambrinus. Our table was under an awning and we had a great view of Chateau Frontenac and the street where the clip-clop of horse and carriage accompanied our meal. The penne with a spicy red sauce was filling and unpretentious. The wine was decent but pricey (most wine in Canada is more than one would shell out in the US).

The next morning we picked up coffee and toast and proceeded to visit the fort. Of course, we took the long way around. We ambled along the St Laurent until the found THE STAIRS. These stairs led to the fort. It is our firm belief that we when we arrived at the top we had climbed a mountain. For lunch we headed back to the old city and settled upon L'Entrecote Saint-Jean. The host seated us at a cozy table for two by the window facing the street. All of the large windows were open, thus, we felt like we were dining in the open air. We started with a demi-litre of Montepulciano. A light Italian red wine - a good choice after our "mountain climb." My husband ordered the Plat du jour (or table d'hote) consisting of soup for the first course, shrimp with a white wine sauce and rice for the second course, and profiterolles with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce for dessert. I ordered duck confit (cuisse canard) and a cafe au lait for dessert. Wait service in Quebec is very similar to wait service in Paris. A lot of attention to detail, ensuring all parties are served at the same time, replacing utensils after each course, refilling wine glasses if the volume has been reduced by half. We were also encouraged to take our time and enjoy the meal (which we did). And this restaurant also ensured that we had a great table with a street/people-watching view...


L'Entrecote Saint-Jean gave us a wonderful lunch experience for our 20th anniversary. For the big anniversary night, we had decided to splurge on Restaurant Le Champlain at Chateau Frontenac. I'll relate our experience here in a separate post.

Another great place for lunch is Portofino - Bistro Italiano. Do not judge the place by the brochure picture. The picture is so cheesy that I never would have considered the place. Thank goodness we were in the mood for pizza and happened upon it in the Old City (the cheesy brochure maps out 6 other Portofinos in Quebec). We ordered Italian wine, a Montepulciano, I believe - they have an extensive list. And we split a sausage pizza. Simple fare, yet, delicious. Very thin crust, copious amounts of cheese and thick slabs of wonderful sausage (not the non-flavored stuff that we usually get at home). The pizza was baked in a wood-fired oven. And, as usual, the service was excellent...even in a pizza joint!

For the evening we went traditional and ate in the "Oldest House" in Quebec - Aux Anciens Canadians. The place is indeed geared for tourists with 17th century costumed waitstaff and ye olde colonial decor. The restaurant is rather large and accomodates large tourist/school groups on the upper floors. But the food was decent and reminded my husband and me of Botin's in Madrid (the oldest restaurant in the Madrid serving traditional food). For the wine we selected a 1999 Chassagne-Montrachet. Once again a lovely Burgundy. If we were not imbibing Italian wines we seemed drawn to the Pinot Noir nectar. Upon a lengthy discussion of our menu options we went for the Table D'Hote. Lots of restaurants here have table d'hote for both lunch and dinner which is a multi-course special. We began with a pureed root vegetable soup. For the second course (or entree) I opted for a salad with chives and creme fraiche; my husband selected the traditional pot of baked beans. For the main course it was grilled turkey fillets with a hazelnut sauce for me and chicken in a flaky pastry served with a cream sauce for him. Nothing knock your socks off, but, still, very good, and a decent change from the dinner fare we had consumed the past week. For dessert hubby had vanilla ice cream with a mixed fruit sauce and I had the baked custard with maple syrup. And please note, that no mention of dessert was made until after we had finished our wine (I hate being rushed into selecting dessert if our bottle of wine has not been finished). Coffee after dinner was included as well as a traditional shooter send-off - a small shot of vodka with cranberry juice. Vive la tradition! And here is a shot of the restaurant...


For our final evening in Quebec, we did a 180 and ate at the modern comteporary Restaurant Toast (non-smoking establishment) housed in the Hotel Le Priori in the Old Port. We were seated by the window that housed a dozen red votive candles. Our view consisted of cobblestone streets and paintings from the art gallery across from the restaurant. Very romantic. The wine was Chateau Ermitage from the south of France and for staters we shared an Italian-style antipasto with proscuitto and fresh mozzarella. My husband ordered the Thon Rouge (rare tuna) and I had the pork tenderloin. For enders it was a Chocolate Obsession and Creme Brulee. As usual, the food was great, service was spectacular. A nice way to say Au Revoir to Quebec.