I like things that have an air of mystery to them; I think it adds to the excitement and romance of an occasion.  So when my husband and I decided to explore the Southern most part of our province, despite the foggy and rainy conditions, I was filled with visions of old inns and hotels nestled closely to the water, blurred and mysterious with the fog.

So you’ll imagine my surprise when we pulled into the parking lot at the Ye Olde Argyler Lodge and the picture in front of me was right out of Wuthering Heights – a beautiful, distinguished house, blurred slightly by the mist and fog, with an expansive garden reaching out in front of it, and the sound of close-by water. I threw the car door open (why end the dramatics now) and was hit immediately by the fresh, salt air.  As we carried our bags inside, we realized that the expansive garden was a mix of flowers, various lettuces, countless herbs and even some vegetables – this was certainly a good omen of things to come.

We were greeted at the door by Jonathan Joseph, one of the Inn’s owners, who warmly welcomed us (the remaining owners are rounded out by Jonathan’s parents, Jay and Lois and his wife Elana).  While we got our room details settled, I had the opportunity to take a look at the inviting dining room, which is just past the lobby.

Despite the foggy conditions, it was clear that view was nothing short of spectacular.  Just past the back end of the Lodge, and through the entire side of the windowed dining room, was a bay with 365 islands.  Even with the fog it was possible to see the outlines of some of the closer islands, and I could imagine what it would look like eating dinner in a room with that sort of view!

Once all details were taken care of, we were shown to our room.  We stayed in the Captain’s Quarters, and were very impressed by the high ceilings, the gorgeous windows making up the entire far wall of the room and the beautiful woodwork on the furniture – especially the detail on the four-poster bed.  The accommodations were nothing short of lovely, and felt very cozy despite the expanse of the ceilings.  After getting settled we took a walk around the property and could easily envision how busy a spot like this would be on a summer weekend.  Close to the shoreline was a fire-pit that would make the ideal marshmallow roasting spot, and there was a wharf to the other side of the Lodge that housed several boats.

We came back into the dining room for dinner and met Jonathan’s wife, Elana, and we had a chance to chat about the property.  The family is originally from Florida and they purchased the Lodge five years ago.  Elana confirmed what I had guessed – that this would make an exceptional spot for a wedding.  She took us on a quick tour of the Inn, which included a huge space downstairs complete with a massive, stone-hearth fireplace and bar (again, this would be ideal for people having a wedding, especially for guests staying on-site).

We came back to the dining room for dinner, and took a spin through the menu.  As a quick heads-up for anyone traveling in this part of Nova Scotia: when you sit down and see “local scallops” on the menu, do yourself a huge favour and order them. And then send me a comment telling me how good they were.

On this particular evening my scallops would be seared with a dusting of five-spice and a light miso glaze.  Once my decision was made, I peeked over my menu at my husband.  His menu was down, and boy did he look satisfied.  Ribs – there must have been ribs on the menu.  He confirmed my suspicion and went one step further, letting me know that they had been snuggled by a root beer BBQ sauce.  BBQ is something my husband loves, and he prides himself on his own well-crafted root beer sauce.  I sensed a challenge, but said nothing.

Prior to round one of the rib showdown, we ordered a bottle of the Jost Avondale Gold Reisling, which Elana kindly brought to the table (and I will say, for a girl originally from New York and then Florida, she’s very well-versed in Nova Scotia wines).  We filled her in on the root beer BBQ sauce challenge – I hope she was as entertained by the idea as we were – and we enjoyed the view while we waited for the food.

It had cleared up a little bit (only so much that you could actually see the first island) and it was lovely to be inside a cozy dining room.  Once our food arrived, I would officially say round two of the Great Root Beer BBQ Sauce Challenge began.

But enough about the ribs for a second – the scallops had their own moment in the sun.  They were plump and juicy and sweet, which was a great contrast with the distinctive flavour of the spice blend. The accompanying sides of rice and vegetables were very well done, and didn’t detract at all from the stars of the show.  I could have had another plate.

By this point my husband was already well into the ribs, which he confirmed were crumbling off the bone.  He also managed to mumble through mouthfuls that the root beer sauce was very well done (I’m fairly sure he was taking mental notes).  It was a fantastic dinner – well-sourced, quality ingredients, simply and well prepared. We managed to roll ourselves up the stairs to our room and enjoyed a wonderful night’s sleep (I honestly thought about sneaking away with the quilt).

When we woke up the next morning, the fog had yet to roll in and we had a perfect view of the bay and islands from our window.  This would certainly make a wonderful spot to moor a boat and enjoy either a brunch or a dinner  (they do have a weekend brunch at the Olde Argyler in case you are in town!).  In addition to the lovely view of the islands, we were also treated to a wonderful breakfast that included a sensational granola made on site at the Inn and fresh pancakes.

There are so many opportunities to travel to places like this in Nova Scotia. The hospitality, fantastic service, wonderful people and amazing vistas will certainly make Ye Olde Argyler a repeat stop on our travels to the South Shore.  And I would say we’re due for another round of the Great Root Beer BBQ Challenge soon!

By: Meghan Cadue

Have you ever wanted to just get out of town? Load the kids/dogs/husband in the car, sneak away and drive? If any of you are shaking your heads ‘no’, I’ll give you a few minutes to actually think about it…

There, I knew you would say yes.

So my husband and I did just that – we loaded up the car and hit the highway.  There are certainly some very unique things about driving in Nova Scotia. One of these unique little tidbits is that you won’t get very far before you hit shoreline.  What is an even more delicious tidbit, is that every now and then you’ll find a beach where you can enjoy some quintessentially Nova Scotian fare.  So, if in the near future, you decide to take one of these drives, and that drive happens to be to Nova Scotia’s south shore, be certain to check out the Quarterdeck on Summerville Beach.

When you roll up to a restaurant there are certain things you look for as indications you’re in a good spot – a crowded parking lot, a nice patio, inviting décor.  The first thing we saw when we drove up to the Quarterdeck was two beautiful sides of salmon strapped to cedar planks over an open fire pit. Now if that doesn’t make you want to scoot inside and grab a seat, I have no idea what would. Seriously.  We made our way through the dining room, adorably decorated with Nova Scotia folk art and all things nautical, and found a seat that had an amazing view of the beach.

Even on a less than sunny day, the view was outstanding; you are literally on the beach.  Our server, Bonnie, came over to give us some menus and have a quick chat about the food.  Now I’m sure you’re familiar with my policy of full disclosure: I knew exactly what I was going to order, in fact I had made my decision before we left Halifax.  But I thought I should let my husband spend some quality time with the menu.  While he did a little light reading, I asked Bonnie a little bit about the place. The Quarterdeck has been on the same spot since the 1930s. They are well known for their wonderful view of the beach, and their planked salmon – the same little lovelies we saw on the cedar planks when we arrived.

By this point my husband had made his choice, and we had some drinks on the way.  He settled on the Halibut ‘n’ Chips, with a wonderfully cold glass of Garrison Tall Ship Amber, and I (finally!) got to order my lobster.  While we waited for our food, we really got a chance to appreciate the view.  The Quarterdeck sits on the end of Summerville Beach, and you can see well to the other end.  On the section of the beach closest to us were several villas, which backed directly on to the beach. As a quick note, I would highly recommend taking your someone special here for a night or a weekend – waking up to the sound of the water would be incredible!

And then our food arrived. Let me start by saying that I grew up in Nova Scotia and can’t even count the number of lobsters I’ve eaten.  But every single time I see that bright, shock of red there’s that little thrill of knowing just how good it’s going to be – and I was certainly not disappointed at The Quarterdeck.  My pound-and-a-half lobster was cooked to perfection, and perfectly pre-cracked as well to minimize work and maximize eating, and came with the traditional drawn butter.  There was also a wonderfully crisp Caesar salad beside it, complete with Parmesan crisps.

The lobster was sweet, tender and just plain wonderful, and I was fully absorbed in eating.  So absorbed in fact that I forgot for a moment I wasn’t by myself, that my husband was also eating something, and Bonnie was asking me if I wanted another glass of wine (I was enjoying the Jost Trilogy by the way).  Once I snapped to it, my husband let me know that his Halibut ‘n’ Chips was great, and that even being a battered fish it kept a great flaky texture.

I was sad to finish that lobster – I’ll admit it.  I think Bonnie our server saw just how sad I was and decided to make me feel better by suggesting I give the blueberry crumble a try. I lit right up.  It was certainly more than worth it, and was only made the better by the view, the great service and the company.

So the Quarter Deck is certainly an interesting spot, and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention just how wonderful the staff was.  There’s a lot to be said about people who love what they do, and who can really sell their local area and all the wonderful things about it. Carter’s Beach came with an especially high recommendation.  And there’s something great about piling into a car and getting to see a beautiful piece of Nova Scotia’s coastline, having some wonderful local food and meeting some interesting people along the way.

And who doesn’t want to enjoy lobster with a view?

Not to be confused with the relatively recent fad act of planking (lying face down with arms to the sides of the body, in unusual public spaces and photographing it), planking (in the culinary world) is the act of unleashing the delicious natural flavors present in wood, often cedar, using it as natures cooking sheet to broil or barbeque salmon to perfection.

Planking salmon is more than the preparation of a meal. It is equal parts art and science. To do it right, planking requires the careful blending of ingredients to achieve the perfect flavour. Quality ingredients are only part of the equation – there is also the selection and preparation of the plank itself. Wood must be carefully selected, carved, sometimes soaked or smoked and dried. The preparation process itself used to take hours for the chef…until Cedar Bay Grilling Company, a Blandford, Nova Scotia based company took it upon themselves to change salmon history.

Cedar Bay Grilling Company is a locally operated company that makes putting delicious cedar-planked salmon on your table easy. Co-founded by Doug and Barb Park just three years ago, Cedar Bay has already been recognized as an innovator for their production of products from the sea that are healthy and simple to prepare.

Barb notes that the company was founded to meet three concepts:

1) People want to eat more seafood for its health benefits
2) People generally don’t like to touch seafood
3) People need a hand in appropriately seasoning their seafood

Barb and Doug have taken a family recipe for planked salmon and found a unique method to address the points above.  In the process, their cedar-planked salmon has garnered national and international acclaim.

In 2009, Cedar Bay took home three honours for its planked salmon at the Canadian Council of Grocers and Distributors Grand Prix Awards including Best in Seafood and Deli, Most Innovative and Original Product as well as Most Healthy Innovation. They also received international acclaim last year at the renowned 2010 Boston International Seafood Show, winning “Best New Retail”, an award bestowed upon the most innovative product of the year.

Barb and Doug are particularly proud of the health benefits of their planked salmon. Offering tasty treats that provide a great source of omega 3 and 6, they are one of few barbeque items on the market that bear the Heart Healthy icon.

My Cedar Bay experience started last week. I picked up three varieties of frozen planked salmon at my local Sobeys and got to work (by work I mean turning on the barbeque and sipping on a glass of Gaspereau Vineyards 2009 Muscat, as recommended by my friends at Bishops Cellar). Cedar Bay couldn’t make it any more simple:

1. Defrost delicious salmon
2. Pre-heat BBQ at medium
3. Remove delicious salmon from package and place on BBQ
4. Cook delicious salmon for 12-15 minutes
5. Attempt to avoid salivating due to delicious aroma created by delicious salmon as it cooks
6. Resist temptation to consume delicious salmon immediately and allow delicious salmon to cool for 2-5 minutes to avoid burnttounguefrombitingintodelicioussalmontooearly syndrome
7. Enjoy!

On the glorious evening I discovered Cedar Bay, a few friends and myself feasted on the Maple & Smoked Pepper, Applewood with Orange & Ginger, and Sugar & Spice varieties. Complimented by roasted potatoes and fiddleheads, the result is best described by the words of “Macho” Man Randy Savage…. “Oohhhhhh yeahh!”

The Sugar & Spice was my personal favorite. Blending brown sugar, cracked black pepper, basil and a hint of tarragon, this filet clearly walked the plank and plunged into a sea of flavor.  Applewood with Orange & Ginger brought to the table a heavy infusion of orange with subtle ginger overtones. If you are a citrus enthusiast, this is worth a try.  The Maple & Smoked Pepper was a real crowd pleaser.  A delicious interpretation of a classic salmon recipe, this fish meant business, offering nice hints of maple combined with some zing from spices and natural smoke.

Cedar Bay planked salmon is available at Costco, Loblaws and Sobeys locations across the country in individual and “Big Fish” (18” full fillets) sizes. Barb is also very excited about the launch of two new products, a line of spice rubs called Seafood Savours (great pun!) and the Cedar Bay Atlantic Salmon Burger (just salmon and spice, no breadcrumbs or preservatives).

Don’t be shellfish, invite a few friends over and throw some Cedar Bay salmon on the BBQ this summer!

Over my life, I have considered myself to be many things: a bit of a geek, a mediocre endurance athlete, a budding karaoke world champion…the list goes on.

One thing I have never thought of myself to be is a wine connoisseur. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a great tasting glass of wine to compliment a meal and I can’t help but take notice of the growing variety of locally produced product here in Nova Scotia – which is why today’s trip to Blomidon Estate Winery is so exciting. It’s just that I didn’t learn much about wine etiquette and the formalities of tasting while studying to earn my chartered accountant designation (although I did learn about the tax implications of wine-related research and development…admittedly not as tasty).

I get somewhat intimidated when ordering a bottle of wine at a restaurant as well as the practice of sampling it when the server pours the first taste. As I venture into the world of food blogging and foodie-ism by exploring the array of culinary adventures that Nova Scotia has to offer, I will be making an effort to calm my wine-xiety by putting formality aside and getting back to basics.

Arriving at the Blomidon Estate Winery near Canning in the Annapolis Valley, my honest lack of formal wine knowledge and etiquette was greeted with friendly helpfulness by Janet Woodworth, the retail manager. Having arrived at the Estate on a quiet and rainy spring Sunday, my girlfriend Kelly and I had the opportunity to privately tour Blomidon’s facilities with Janet. Taking us through the winemaking process from grape growing to marketing, we were provided with a memorable hands-on experience of one of Nova Scotia’s emerging wine success stories. We were intrigued by the fact that everything is done on site at Blomidon, from grape stompin’ to labeling, and that the winery is an important part of the Canning and Valley communities.

Post tour, Janet offered us a tasting of several of Blomidon’s featured wines. The tasting included their Estate Baco Noir, a rich and complex wine that displays hints of blueberry and black cherry aromas. An avid red wine drinker, the Baco was Kelly’s favourite and we purchased a couple of bottles for home consumption. One bottle was used that same evening to pair with Sunday dinner (mom’s pot roast recipe– nothing quite like it). The second bottle was carefully hidden out of plain sight as the Baco is expected to age well over the next couple of years.

For white, we sampled Blomidon’s L’Acadie Blanc, an award-winning dry white wine with aromas of green apples and a crisp acidity, characteristics that represent the Annapolis Valley well. This wine will be accompanying us as we travel throughout the summer, ensuring anyone we visit has the opportunity to experience a true taste of Nova Scotia.

Blomidon’s winemaker, Simon Rafuse, attributes the winery’s location as the key to producing clean, crisp, aromatic Nova Scotian wines. “Our location on the edge of the Minas Basin, with the world’s highest tides, creates a very special microclimate for grapes,” says Rafuse. “The potential here is incredible.”

Blomidon’s wines are primarily sold through their on-site retail store in Canning. But if you don’t get down to the Annapolis Valley very often, you can also give Blomidon Estate products a try by picking up a bottle or two at their booth at the Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market any Saturday morning of the year.

If you have tried their products before, you might want to note that Blomidon has new wine labels.  Look for the creative silhouetted images designed locally by Janet’s daughter – including the new cleverly named “Blow-Me-Down”.

As Nova Scotia gains international acclaim as a wine producing region, and local estates open their doors to young and curious wine drinkers like myself, I am warming up to this whole idea of becoming a wine guru.

Decadent… have you ever actually looked up the word? I took a spin on the web and Miriam Webster provided me with a little guidance:

dec•a•dent adj. characterized by or appealing to self-indulgence <decadent pleasures>

Now to many the act of self-indulgence, the very act of being decadent, would be thought of as being something special.  Something you treat yourself to; a thing to be savored.  Now I certainly subscribe to the belief that there are somethings that should be kept for special occasions – that 18 year old scotch we bought 2 years ago that my husband has squirreled away in the liquor cabinet – but I do think we place too many wonderful things in the “decadent” category.

So here is my recommendation: take a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, head down to the Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market and spend a few minutes in front of the cases at Gourmandises Avenue Chocolaterie.  Trust me – the desire to treat yourself will be overwhelming.

This charming little spot is the amazing work of Jean-Pierre Gallois and Yseult Bertic. They’ve been creating delicious treats and tasty items in Nova Scotia for eight years, and another 20 years prior to that in their native France. Jean-Pierre is from Lyon, while Yseult hails from Brittany.

I had the opportunity to speak with Yseult, and she emphasized their foundation being about finding the highest quality ingredients to make their products.  They use fresh, local eggs and every step is a careful investment in time – everything is made from scratch.  As we passed her displays, my eyes darted back and forth between beautifully tied bags of truffles, candied nuts, almond and chocolate barks, macarons of all flavours – and the smell of all these little wonders was incredible!  It was wonderful to hear her speak about her product. Every single piece in front of me – from the simplest truffle to the most complex basket or chocolate display – were all made with the same attention to detail, the same high quality of ingredient and the same passion!

With Yseult’s gentle suggestions (which I couldn’t have done without), I finally decided on a couple of choice items – a little bag of Acadie Folie (pecans caramelized with Nova Scotia maple syrup); chocolate Florentines flavored with passion fruit, orange and ginger (Florentines are like little waffers of almonds held together with caramel – these ones were also dipped in chocolate); a cute little box of chocolate truffles made with Gaspereau Ortega Icewine and a jar of Cremeux des Salins (trust me, I will come back to this one).

Because I believe in honesty, the entire bag of Florentines was gone before I got to the car. They were the wonderful texture everyone loves in a Florentine, and throw in an extra kick of citrus from the passion fruit and orange and it made it extra-wonderful! The Acadie Folie are wonderfully crunchy pecans with just a little bit of sweetness from the maple syrup.  And the texture is a nice dry roasting, so it isn’t a sticky texture at all.   My husband took one look at those and promptly tossed them on top of a spinach salad with goat cheese, apple and honeydew melon – wonderful! And keeping with the honesty kick, we sat down and savored the Icewine truffles as our dessert. Since there are 5 in a box, I recommend getting two boxes so each person has an even number – just a heads-up.

And last but not least – the Cremeux des Salins.  Yseult put this in my hands and told me to promptly go home and have this on toast. Or pancakes. Or ice cream.  The best way to describe this is a thickly textured caramel.  It looks and tastes just like a caramel, but it behaves like a buttery spread.

This is where the discussion of being decadent had its start.  I had the house to myself Sunday morning and I thought I would treat myself to an extra special breakfast.  We had some baguette and half a wheel of brie left over from the night before.  I toasted my bread and smoothed some of the buttery caramel over top, plunked down the brie and added a few dried cranberries.  I will admit I was pretty proud of myself for pairing such amazing things together that early on a Sunday.  As I wandered out in the backyard, it hit me – this feeling of luxury and decadence is something we should be experiencing as often as possible.  It shouldn’t be something that we hide away and only take out for special occasions.  I felt very self-indulgent munching on brie and caramel that early, but it was nice, it was worth it, and I liked it.

So put on your prettiest, make a trip to Gourmandises Avenue and welcome in the decadence – even on a Sunday!

Admittedly, “Caboose # 5 would be just perfect for you” is not something I’ve ever heard when reserving accommodations.  After speaking with Carol at the Train Station Inn in Tatamagouche, I knew my Northumberland shore weekend was on the right track. Having made a reservation to eat in a dining car and sleep in a Victorian themed caboose, it was clear this would not be a typical getaway. The Inn brings together locomotive heritage, local food and Maritime hospitality to deliver a unique package – perfect for a weekend getaway to explore the less discovered, yet incredibly beautiful, Northumberland Shore – one of Nova Scotia’s many hidden secrets.

The Train Station Inn is the creation of James LeFresne, who in 1974, at age 18, entered into an entrepreneurial venture that would help to define tourism in Tatamagouche for years to come. As a teenager, LeFresne had recognized the importance of the railway station as a part of the region’s history. So when in the mid 70’s it was slated for demolition, he stepped up to purchase it, laying the ground work for a business that has welcomed visitors to the town for over 20 years. The station itself served as the initial guesthouse until, in the 1990’s, LeFrense began purchasing decommissioned cabooses and converting them into stylishly decorated, comfortable and fun rooms. The rest, as they say, is history. Over the years, the Train Station Inn and its many (currently nine) cabooses have won multiple awards, served as accommodations for the Governor General, and has been recognized as one of the most unique places to stay in Canada.

Kelly, my girlfriend, and I had dinner reservations for 7pm. We entered the dining car to the sounds of local country music goddess Christina Martin playing on the radio. An avid Christina Martin fan, Kelly was particularly tickled to learn she will be performing a live show at the Inn on Tuesday July 19^th, as part of their summer concert series.

In my ongoing quest to find the world’s best seafood chowder, I opted to start with the menu item that boasted a freight train of flavor. Again, using my ABC criteria to evaluate, the Inn’s chowder passed the test:

Appropriate use of ground provision (excellent usage of finely chopped onion)
Bundle of Seafood (hearty helpings of haddock, lobster, and scallops)
Consistency (a well-balanced creamy broth)

The Dining Car menu features a variety of local food and beverage, including Jost Wines, which are produced about 15km away in Malagash, NS. Kelly and I were offered the house red, Jost’s Cabernet Foch, to compliment our locally produced AAA Tenderloin. This was a wonderful recommendation, offering a full-bodied oaky vanilla taste with hints of black cherry that paired well with the tenderloin.

Served with garlic mashed potatoes, broccoli and carrots, my AAA local Tenderloin steak was nicely cooked to medium rare. It hit the spot the way only a perfectly home-cooked meal can.

For dessert, the Inn’s chef successfully managed to pack an entire boxcar of flavor into a single dish. The “Poor Man’s Pudding” was anything but poor, offering up the perfect meal finisher by combining pound cake complimented by blackberries, local maple syrup, whipped cream and lemon zest. Absolutely delicious!

After a beautiful sunset stroll through the town of Tatamagouche along the Waugh River, Kel and I made our way to Caboose #5, a retired rail car retro-fitted with Victorian furnishings. A particularly neat feature of the car was a cupola sitting area (a table and chairs in the dome atop the car, which, in its day, would have been used by passengers to take in the sights of passing country side). It made for a great spot to read through the guest book, which was full of great stories of romance from couples who had come to Tatamagouche to relive their experiences of travelling by train together across the country. While the Inn isn’t just for the railway enthusiast, it does inspire curiosity in rail travel, both future and times past.

I continue to be amazed by the number of options in close proximity to Halifax to get away to for a peaceful, relaxing weekend. Tatamagouche, which derives its name from the Mi’kmaq term Takumegooch, meaning “meeting of the waters” is home to stunning views of the Waugh and French rivers, in particular at sunrise and sunset. All aboard for hometown hospitality, great local food and a unique experience at the Train Station Inn!

Perched above Main Street in Wolfville, The Library Pub is a classic Irish public house with a cozy feel. It offers a vast selection of beer, wine and drinks alongside a diverse “not your average pub food” menu featuring many locally produced ingredients. Seating about 30 normal sized people or 10 members of the Acadia Football Team’s Defensive Line, the pub is a known hotspot for informal musical performances throughout the week, offering a welcoming stage to local artists and budding East Coast stars alike.

As a proud Acadia alumni (’05), The Library Pub is my own little version of Cheers. Okay, maybe not everyone knows my name, but I am always glad I came. A trip to The Library Pub guarantees running into someone I know. Whether it is a former classmate, professor, current student, or Drew MacNeil, the Pub’s hospitable owner, chances are, things will be getting nostalgic before the night is through.

Having frequented the pub during my undergraduate career, I knew what to expect on my most recent visit. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t have even bothered looking at the menu for food selections, but I took a second glance to see if anything had changed. And there it was: The Library Burger (TLB). Calling out to me from the page, just one look at those three little words and I rolled up my sleeves in anticipation of the deliciousness.

How delicious you ask? Well, let me tell you a little story. About a year ago, my roommate Bruce went vegetarian. While he has continued to abstain from consuming animal meat for the most part, he does make one exception: The Library Burger. That’s right – the man turned down a homemade-by-Mom turkey dinner with all the fixings over the Christmas holiday, but on a recent trip to Wolfville, he was caught fork and knifing it with a freshly grilled TLB.

It’s important that you know that ordering a TLB is an exercise in pushing one’s taste buds to the limit. A delicious patty of local free range beef topped with smoked bacon and cheddar cheese, TLB’s distinctive taste comes from a one-two punch of spicy mayo and homemade barbeque sauce. It’s this perfect pair that provide a great combination of sweet, zest and tang (the bing, bang, boom for your taste buds, if you will).

If you decide to take the TLB plunge (and I highly recommend that you do), you are going to want to roll up your sleeves and consider dawning a bib, as there are more tasty ingredients packed in than even the freshest of buns can handle.  To paraphrase the great Jimmy Buffet classic “Cheeseburger in Paradise”:

But at night I’d had these wonderful dreams
Some kind of sensuous treat
Not zucchini, fettucini or Bulgar wheat
But a glass of wine, great view and tasty TLB.

The next time you are in the Valley, be sure to pull stop into the Library Pub, grab a window seat, a glass of Nova Scotia wine (or two), and consider wearing sandals: I have no doubt you’ll have your socks knocked off by The Library Burger.

Imagine a place where you can savour carefully prepared local food and sip on-site crafted beer, while taking in a view of one of the sites competing to be one of the new 7 wonders of the world.  You can do all of these things simultaneously at The Port Pub in Port Williams, Nova Scotia. Opened in 2007, The Port Pub prides itself on minimizing “food kilometers”, making every effort to use local ingredients and to serve as a pillar of the community.

Driving across the dykes from Greenwich, The Port Pub comes immediately into view as you cross the Port Williams bridge… a red beacon of local-deliciousness nestled against the Cornwallis River. I’d been there before –after a long day of cycling in the Valley, there is no better place to refuel and re-hydrate (or dehydrate – as the Sea Level Brewing Co. beers are irresistible after a day of pounding the pedals).

Housed on-site, the Sea Level Brewing Co. is an independent microbrewery producing craft beer. Brewmaster Randy Lawerence has carefully crafted something for just about everyone: Planters Pale Ale, Blue Heron Extra Special Bitter, Rojo Mojo Red Ale, and Port in the Storm Porter.

This time around, I opted for a Rojo Mojo Red. A medium-bodied beer with a balanced hoppy flavour, the Rojo Mojo was a great start to my lunch, the perfect compliment to a view of the rising tide of the Cornwallis River from a great window seat (make sure to secure a window seat for the optimum Port Pub experience). As well as beer, The Port also offers a unique drink menu, including the all-Canadian bacon-infused Caesar. As patio season approaches, I’ll look forward to sampling one of these while watching the tide of the Cornwallis River rise…

As you may know, I’m a real sucker for lamb (see my Blomidon Inn post). Kelly, my girlfriend and senior blog advisor, recommended I order the Pulled Pork Pile Up. While this certainly looked delicious, I did not have the shear determination to stray from lamb (yes, that was a yet another bad pun… if you are lactose intolerant, the level of cheesiness of my posts may lead to an upset stomach). Seeing the Local Lamb Burger on Chef Peter Welton’s menu, complete with sweet potato fries, I grinned sheepishly and went ahead with my order.

The burger was delicious. Topped with tzatziki, Monterey Jack and sprouts, there was nothing “Baaaa”d to say about it. Served on a fresh sesame seed bun and set aside a healthy portion of crisp sweet potato fries, the burger was tender and not overwhelmingly gamey, making it accessible to anyone looking to start a life long love affair with lamb.

If you are looking for a great spot to enjoy drinks and fine local food this summer, make a point to head to Port Williams to check out The Port Pub.

We all lead busy lives. I know that I for one would be lost without several day planners, multiple phones and the brightly coloured sticky notes that adorn my desk, phone and even walls.  We’ve become some very scheduled people.  So I made the decision to schedule a date night (how romantic of me!) with my husband. We scrolled through a couple of potential places and we settled on jane’s on the common.

Before launching into the witty banter, and the amazing food that made up our meal, there are several reasons why a place like jane’s is so great – it’s comfortable, the food is impeccably done, and the staff are knowledgeable, especially when it comes to where the food comes from.  And the menu is small – that’s a surefire indication that they use local ingredients and change their menus seasonally. jane’s is the ideal, upscale diner. I have a feeling that if I lived in any one of the buildings located around the restaurant and had the opportunity to frequent jane’s, I’d be greeted by name and shown to my “regular” table.  It’s just that kind of place.

Once we were seated and had the opportunity to take a spin through the menus and wine list, we settled on some starters. I went with the baby spinach salad with candied walnuts, a lemon poppy seed dressing and Ran-Cher Acres (located in Alyesford) goat cheese. My husband had a bit more trouble picking, but finally decided on the pan-seared scallops, complete with a miso-orange glaze, daikon and cucumber – he scored some serious points since the scallops had been vying for my attention as well.

We each had a glass of wine, with my dining-partner-in-crime choosing Red Rock (Blomidon Estate Winery, 2009) and my choice being the Eagle Tree Muscat (Jost Vineyards, 2008).   While we sipped and waited for our starters we admired the wonderful contemporary design and also marveled at how we managed to have a Thursday night off together.

Then our server popped around with some fresh-baked biscuits to keep us company.  Oh the biscuits – they truly deserve their own blog! Without getting too mushy, I will say that this was another example of why jane’s is so great; they’ve managed to recreate a comfortable, contemporary space where the quality of the food in front of you is really simple and really, really good.

All of this food-love continued once our starters arrived.  My salad was wonderfully dressed, and the Ran-Cher Acres goat cheese had a wonderfully chalky texture that was such a treat with my Muscat.  The scallops were divine as well. I can say that since he did share – the sweet, plump Nova Scotia scallops being a great contrast to the daikon.

Our main courses kept the love train right on rolling. I’d set my sights on a fantastic sounding trout (sourced locally from the Truro region) that was crusted in sesame seeds, along with a citrus-soy glaze.  My husband went with the pine nut-crusted pork (sourced from Oulton’s in Windsor), with a tomato and fennel slaw, sitting on a bacon-cheddar mashed potato.

We were each interested in going for another glass of wine (a fantastic perk of being able to walk to jane’s) and our knowledgeable server let us know we were already right on track with our selections – we stuck with the Eagle Tree and the Red Rock.

We were not disappointed with our main courses.  The trout was wonderfully tender, with just the right amount of crisp from the sesame seeds. I could tell that the good times had traveled right across the table because my husband raved about the pork, and complimented the simplistic perfection of the bacon cheddar mashed potato.

I do think it’s worthwhile noting just how great the service was too – the food can’t get all the love.  Our server, Laura,  was exceptional, always arrived at just the right time, had on-the-spot answers to all of our questions and was relaxed. And that made our night a true pleasure.  This was really starting to feel like a date-night – on a Thursday!

Once our main courses were gone we did manage to polish off a couple of desserts.  We’ve learned that when we go out to eat, desserts are a free-for-all – just throw the plates in the middle with some forks and let us go at it. We weren’t at all disappointed with our selections, a coconut cream custard in a shortbread crust, as well as carrot cake (long live that carrot cake!).  It’s also worth noting that many of their desserts are available for take out at jane’s next door – I’ll let you guess where that’s located.

jane’s on the common was a great dinner, with great service, great company and just a couple of blocks from home on a Thursday night. I could get used to all this.  All in favour of regular date-nights at jane’s, raise your hands (or your wine glasses)!