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Saturday 28 September 2013

Churchill Arms

I recently had the opportunity to make a very, very quick day trip to PEI for work. I'm talking, maybe four hours spent on the island. Knowing that we'd only have a short stay there, but wanting to get the chance to chow down on some good food, we decided to go to a restaurant that we'd seen on a `You Gotta Eat Here" episode. The Churchill Arms is in a nice little building downtown Charlottetown- pay attention when looking for it; it doesn't stand out, and we definitely walked past it the first time. On entering, one can see the effect that being on tv had- there are signs outside advertising the establishment's tv appearance, and little notes on the menu to show you what food was featured on the show. I have to admit that I wondered a little how the pub's regulars felt about this sort of advertising-it struck me as a little cheap, to be honest; if the place really is that good, the signs shouldn't be necessary. I was, though, tempted by the advertising, and opted for menu items that were indicated as being featured on the episode. The waitress we had was very friendly. She made a point of letting us know that the kitchen was a little backed up, and that our orders would take a little while. We started with an appetizer- chips and curry. Fries and curry (no, not curry mayo- you actually pick a proper curry as your dip) isn't a combination that had ever, ever occurred to me before, but it was a very satisfying appetizer, combining a crunchy, salty fry with a spicy, savory curry. In spite of the warning that our food would take a while, it certainly seemed to come within a reasonable time frame- maybe it's just because I was kept entertained by the appetizer, but I certainly feel like I've waited longer for food without warning. This isn't a complaint- it's most certainly a compliment, that the staff would care about customer service enough to advise of a rather-average waiting time shows a commitment to the customer that many places squarely lack. To the food, then. I ordered the steak and stout pie: a thick potato crust atop a stew made with Guinness as a base. The top of the pie was thick- so much so that I actually just peeled it back to allow the heat to escape- but quite tasty. The stew portion was very, very good: the steak was nice and tender, and you could taste the Guinness in it. My coworker ordered butter chicken: he found it a little different than what he was used to; to my taste, it was closer to the more traditional restaurants I've visited. It was, however, very good, strong flavour, and not overwhelmingly spicy. I need to take a minute to talk about the decor and atmosphere. The pub has that dark, pub like feel, with dark wood walls, and a nice bar. Pictures and newspaper clippings featuring Sir Winston Churchill himself are posted around the dining room, and the bar seems to attract an eclectic mix of patrons. Honestly, this probably ranks in my top ten in the Maritimes on atmosphere. Overall, I enjoyed the Churchill Arms. The food certainly was good, and I'm inclined to return. However, I'm not quite at the point of echoing that you "Gotta" eat here; rather, I'll say that you aren't likely to be let down if you do.
Churchill Arms on Urbanspoon

Saturday 21 September 2013

Saint John- Uptown and South End

The South End,is Saint John's city centre. Locals (and informed visitors such as yourself!) don't refer to the area as downtown, but rather Uptown. The area is perched on a hill overlooking the mouth of the river, and can be found by following the Saint John Centre signs from the Thruway. If you're on a cruise, this is where your ship will dock. Below, find a list of what you should check out while Uptown, and a few hints and tips as well. Saint John City Market: The City Market is hands down Saint John's best known landmark.One of the downsides with travelling for work is that attractions such as the market are never open when I'm free, and thus, alas, I can't give any advice personally about the market. What I do know is that it's located on Germain Street, between King and Union, and is rumored to have fresh food and produce. New Brunswick Museum: The NB Museum is located in a small shopping complex along the Market Square Boardwalk. Although this is another attraction I've yet to visit, I encourage all visitors to take the time to explore it. If I've learned anything from my travels, it's that getting to know the story of a place and its peoples is a prerequisite to getting the most out of your experience. If you want to understand the context behind what you're seeing and doing, the New Brunswick Museum is a great place to start. Market Square Boardwalk: The Boardwalk hugs the harbour near Market Square Mall (not to be confused with the City Market, which is a few blocks away). Work has recently been done to make the area more enjoyable for visitors, and you can also often find ample parking here. Architecture: I love the architecture of Saint John's South End. A stroll down Union Street and Prince William Street, or a drive through the various residential streets in the area provides the perfect opportunity to appreciate it. Restaurants: You'll find reviews of Sense of Tokyo Sushi, and Taste of Egypt restaurants here on my blog. Relish also has a location near the City Market. I can also highly recommend Big Tide Brewing Company- a local microbrewery with some of the best beer battered fish and chips I've ever had. Visitors in the area during the day would be remiss not to grab some lunch at the City Market. Best Views: The best view of uptown area and the port is undoubtedly from the Harbour Bridge. If you're looking for a spot from which you can take photos a little easier than a highway, check out the Lower West Side below the bridge, or the Reversing Falls.

Saint John- An introduction

The city of Saint John is perched on hilltops along a harbour overlooking the Bay of Fundy. The largest municipality in New Brunswick (Metro Moncton does have a higher population), Saint John is unmistakably an industrial town, and you're likely to notice the predominance of mills and refineries before you even enter the city proper. Saint John is a good base for exploring the Fundy region, and convenient stop-over when driving to or from Maine, but don't discount the city's own charms and attractions when planning your trip. Saint John's links to industry have created, as is often the case, a strong sense of community in the small city, particularly when it comes to neighbourhood affiliations, and have left a fair bit of nice architecture in the downtown core. Getting your bearings: Saint John is built at the mouth of the Saint John River, where it empties into the Bay of Fundy. The city spans either side of the river, which is crossed by two bridges- the Reversing Falls Bridge, and the Saint John Harbour Bridge. The city's South, North, and East sides lie on one side of the river, while the West side lies on the other. New Brunswick Highway 1 (known as the Thruway in Saint John, and the McKay in the Kennebecasis Valley) cuts through the city on a bit of a diagonal, crossing the river at the Harbour Bridge, which links the city centre (known as Uptown or the South Side) and the West Side/Lancaster area. Visitors arriving from Moncton (and other places in that direction) will enter the city by way of the Kennebecasis Valley, or KV, region, and the towns of Quispamsis and Rothesay, on Hwy 1. They will pass the the East Side, North Side and South Sides before crossing the bridge. Visitors arriving from Maine and Fredericton enter the city at the West Side, before crossing the Harbour Bridge towards the city centre. This route follows Hwy 1;travelers coming from Fredericton on Route 7 will join Hwy 1 in the city's west end. If you're looking for attractions whilst in the Port City, check out the various posts detailing Saint John Neighbourhoods. As a quick reference the city's main attractions can be found in the following pages: Saint John Market-Uptown New Brunswick Museum-Uptown Reversing falls-West Side Irving Nature Park-West Side Rockwood Park-North Side Don't forget to check out the surrounding area as well-posts on the KV and Fund Coastal Drive are on their way soon. Saint Martin's is another very popular coastal spot near the city (unfortunately I've yet to stop there, so there won't be a post about it yet). Looking for restaurants? My favourite picks are mentioned in the posts detailing the different neighbourhoods and attractions.

Friday 20 September 2013

Sakura Sushi

Sakura Sushi has been on my "must return there" list for a while, and so I was glad to have an opportunity to pop by on my last trip to Metro this Summer. Now, Sakura is tucked away in a little, unassuming plaza in Bedford; when you walk in, however, you're greeted by a well decorated restaurant, complete with Sushi bar. The staff are quite friendly, and there's a fairly good menu. On my last trip, I selected a bento box with salmon, salad, miso sound and sashimi. The box was moderately priced, and came with three different sashimi. My coworker chose one of the sushi lunch combos, which was a little on the pricier side, but allowed for a choice of three different rolls for about fifteen dollars. The food is good, nicely prepared, and tastes great. Sakura is definitely one of my favourite sushi places. The only constructive criticism I can give is that I wasn't blown away with the lunch specials- I like variety in a combo, and it seemed like they were pushing to either have a large amount of sushi, or a large amount of sashimi. The bento boxes are offered with sushi as one of several sides, along with sashimi or dumplings, to accompany teriyaki meat or seafood. I would personally have preferred an option that allowed for a sashimi, a sushi and dumplings or something else crunchy- a nice balancing of taste and texture. That said, the food was great, and it's certainly a good spot for lunch for anyone who likes sushi, and for those who are trying it for the first time and want to try something that's good quality.
Sakura Sushi House on Urbanspoon

Connor's Family Restaurant

With one last night in Amherst, I was hoping to find another great little gem in the town. Sadly, this is not what happened. Connor's is a little family diner on Albion Street, not too far from the TCH.It seems like the kind of restaurant where you're going to get a nice, homemade meal. The restaurant wasn't very busy when we went, and yet some how, we wound up sitting on top of an air conditioner. On top of, as in, it was literally below the two of us seated at the end of the booth, and it seemed to be turned way up. By the end of the evening, we were all freezing. The food was passable. Two of us ordered lobster rolls, and found them small and overpriced. The rolls they used were clearly hot dog buns- making for a small dish- and coupling them with some vegetables didn't seem worth the price. The waitress also couldn't tell us where the lobster was from- not a major detail, but certainly an oversight for people who are concerned about eating locally caught lobster. The real issue though was that one of our companions' orders was done wrong. As in, they brought out the wrong dish. Now, accidents happen, and the waitress apologized, took full responsibility, and brought out the correct dish. My issue, however, was that there was no compensation for the fact that we were delayed about an extra half hour. He didn't so much as get his drinks comped or get a few dollars taken off the price of his meal (as far as he could tell). Unfortunately, the extra delay was particularly unpleasant given that those of us who did receive the proper meals, and then had to sit there waiting for our friend to be served and eat, were the ones seated atop the air conditioner. The waitress also certainly didn't seem in a hurry to bring the bill-in fact we eventually just walked up to the counter and asked to pay. Overall, not what I was hoping for in a small family restaurant.