Split Crow Pub-Truro

Before heading to Truro this Summer I was given a list of suggestions of places to eat. Having already exhausted all of the places I already knew in town, we decided to take one of these suggestions (which was also seconded by hotel staff) and check out the Split Crow. For those who don't know, the Split Crow got its start as the first pub licensed to serve liquor in New Scotland, some 250 years ago. It has since branched out from its original Halifax location, with one of these branches being a fairly new spot on Prince street in Truro. The restaurant certainly seemed appealing- the front was opened onto a patio, with patrons enjoying the cool evening over a pint of beer and a meal. With this promising setting, we decided to give the place a try. The first thing the waitress did was to ask for our ID's, on the assumption that we would be ordering alcohol. I suppose, given that the Split Crow is first and foremost a pub, that this shouldn't seem to strange; nor should we have been surprised when, after only one of us ordered a beer and the others water, she suggested we let her know if we change our minds. I can now see that these were clues as to what kind of an experience we were going to have, for it became clear to us over the course of the meal that, while the Split Crow boasts a wide and moderately-priced menu, the establishment exists solely for the purpose of selling you beer. I ordered the fish and chips, beer battered haddock and a favourite at the Crow, according to the menu. Many items on the menu including a suggested drink pairing, and so I figured I might as well try that too. After all, a place with this kind of history and reputation should be able to do a good fish and chips, and pair it with a good beer, right? Wrong. The fish and chips were, hands down, the worst I've had in my life. Rather than beer-battered haddock, it was more haddock inside a crusty batter shell. The overcooked batter didn't seem to touch the fish but rather imprisoned it. It was also rock hard- I've never struggled to cut fish and chips before- and tasted horrible. The tartar sauce had way too much dill in it, and the fries weren't bad, but some at my table felt they were far too salty. For fairness sake, though, the fish itself did taste very fresh and well cooked. Without the batter it may have been great. The part which really bugged me, though, was the emphasis on drinks. Rather than refill the waters at our table, the waitress only came around when she saw a beer getting low. She offered each time she passed to bring another, but never once asked about more water. In fact, the only way we could think to get her attention to leave was for someone to finish their beer and just ask for the bill. Honestly, I hope that the Split Crow in Halifax is better, or maybe that we were there on an off night. The place was nice, the menu items all sounded good, and the prices would have been acceptable (though high) had the food tasted ok. But the service, and the unabashed focus on selling us beer, really put me off.

Frank and Gino's

Frank and Gino's is a personal favourite spot to stop when going to or from Halifax, since it's only a few minutes off the highway, and the food is really good. The restaurant might remind you, at first glance, of a cross between Olive Garden and East Side Mario's, but don't let the quality of the advertising and branding fool you- this is a local restaurant. It definitely has the elements that make those sorts of chain restaurants appealing- it's clean, large and open, with nice decorations and well-designed menus. But it definitely has the quality of a good local restaurant, with friendly staff, and excellent food. I'm a big fan of the classic- Spaghetti and Meatballs. It's a little pricier than I like to pay, at 14.99, but the sauce and meatballs both taste fantastic, and the portion is fair for the price. The only downside, in my mind, is that the prices are a little bit high, making it more of a treat than a regular stop while travelling. Definitely one of my favourites in Truro.

Saltscapes

We were driving through Truro, on the way to Halifax, when we decided that we should probably grab lunch somewhere. "Hey, you never tried Saltscapes yet." It was true, I'd heard lots about this place, but I'd yet to try it. Saltscapes seems to fancy itself as a Maritime-themed restaurant. You get this as soon as you walk in the door: you're greeted by a large gift shop, selling all manner of Maritime-themed product. It's not at all kitschy as quite a lot of these products are, indeed, ones I've seen friends and family take suitcases full of on their way back to wherever they may live- but the store portion does remind me of the American restaurant chain "Cracker Barrel", which does a similar thing with the South as its theme. The restaurant was pretty quite when we got there, and we were seated quickly, with very friendly service. The menu continued on this theme-there was a wide range of classic Maritime dishes to chose from. I found the prices expensive, however, and between that and the presentation of the menu (including the fact that it was more or less entirely Maritime-themed) you could tell that there was a touristy vibe to the place. I chose the fish cakes, my coworker chose a chef's salad. It seemed most appropriate that we both drink tea. While you wait for your meal, you're served tea biscuits, and there's a little bottle of Crosby's Molasses (a New Brunswick company) sitting there waiting for you to dip the tea biscuits in. Tea biscuits are a big thing around the Maritimes, and certainly something you'll find in a tea room or at someone's house, but I'm not about to say that they're typical to serve while you wait at a restaurant (or necessarily a-typical)- it reminded me a little of putting an East Coast twist on serving bread or corn chips while you wait. They were, however, very very good tea biscuits, so you'll hardly be hearing me complain. The food itself was quite good. I ordered the half portion of fish cakes- which turned out to be one fish cake, and so it seemed like the sides I had chosen were more of the meal than the fishcake. The fishcake and chow were quite good, and I really enjoyed the pasta and cheese (this is actually on the menu as mac and cheese, but it's made with penne). I tried some of the chef's salad, and have to say that it was easily some of the best bacon I've had in my life. All told, Saltscapes has good food and service, and it certainly offers tourists the opportunity to get a look at a wide range of local products and delicacies. My only gripe is that the prices seemed a bit high. Update: I've left the original review intact, as it still very much stands as an accurate representation of my first trip to Saltscapes, and probable experience for many, but recently I took some friends there and had a bad experience worth blogging about. This time, it was for supper and not lunch. The restaurant was busier, and the staff clearly more flustered. First off, the cup given to me for my tea came dirty- full of ketchup caked on, which the waitress didn't notice until I pointed it out. She was friendly and apologetic about it, and grabbed another, which still had a speck or two of food matter on it, but I didn't complain. Then, where previously I had been told (and thus written) that tea biscuits automatically came with the meal, I was told this wasn't the case this time, so check before you order if that matters to you (as it did me). Finally, and perhaps the biggest problem, one of my friends was served the wrong side dish- a bowl of thickly sliced carrots and onions in place of a salad. While this was easily fixed, what struck me as quite unprofessional was that the waitress, at the end of the meal (albeit after my friend had stacked the bowl on his plate), actually came by and picked up the onions to remark on how odd they were. None of these were big issues, but they all made me question whether perhaps the restaurant doesn't handle a dinner rush as well as it does a slow lunch time.