Sunday, October 30, 2011

Cousins Village Fisher Restaurant

After finishing a nice trail on the North Cape, I figured this would be a good chance to have our Fried fish dishes! There was a restaurant at the lighthouse but it was clearly intended for tourists with the prices to accompany it. So we decided to drive into Tignish and see what our choices were. Our first stop was a take out with a small dining area located in the middle of a convenience store. We decided to check out some other options.

After getting quite frustrated listening to our smartphone's GPS provider, we finally found Cousins Village Fisher Restaurant (nowhere near where it was pointing us, I'd just like to add). It looked like we were walking in just after a little busy rush, it was a round 3pm. The place was decorated nicely. We made our way to a booth and the waitress returned with some menus.

We took a quick look through the menu and decided on some onion rings for appetizer, if they were homemade. I decided on clams and chips with a side of gravy and Gary was having fish and chips.

Unfortuately, the onion rings were not homemade, so on two choice number two, Mussels. No luck, they were out. So then we decided on fishcakes. The waitress was very apologetic and explained that this was their last weekend open and many menu choices were no longer available. This made complete sense. Our mains were still available so all things considered, it was understandable.

The fish cakes arrived and they were excellent, nice ratio of salt fish to potato and a very nice seasoning.  Our mains followed shortly after. My clams were done perfectly. No grit, and a nice golden color on them. Gary enjoyed his fish, also nicely fried with just the right amount of batter.. Both our dishes had a side of coleslaw and it was damn good coleslaw, the creamy type. Only thing I'd object to would be the tarter sauce and the fries, neither were homemade. Overall it was a good meal. 


I usually don't order dessert but today I in the mood for something sweet and I noticed coconut cream pie on the menu.What grabbed my attention was the description, "House made, a customer favorite". I ordered my pie and waited patiently. And finally it was here, I grabbed my fork and got down to business. With the first bite I was reminded why I love coconut cream pie so much...Such a creamy filling, topped with that wonderful whip cream and a dash of coconut over the top. The texture was amazing, did I mention how creamy it was?...So creamy! . The sad part is, my lack of control caused me to dive into the pie while forgetting to get a picture :( I guess this means I'll just have to order more pie while visiting PEI!


Bill total, was $51 with taxes and tip included. (prices are approx.)

Fish and chips 12$
Clams and Chips 13$
Fish cakes (6-7$ maybe?)
Two pop 4$
Dessert 4$

Didn't make note of price on the fish cakes as I had originally planned on onion rings and I forgot to  note the price after I had changed my order.

All in all it was a decent lunch, besides the little hick ups along the way. I'm sure during the summer months when they have a complete menu, it' all worth trying.  The bill was a little higher than usual but then again, we don't usually order and appetizer or dessert with our lunches. What the hell, we're on a mini vacation right?

Cousins Village Fisher Restaurant
276 Phillip Street
Tignish, PE
902-882-5670


Happy Eating Everyone!


Monday, October 24, 2011

By the Bay - North Rustico PE.

This is one of my favorite breakfast places on the island. This was our second time back and we're glad we returned. It's your typical little diner spot with all the regular items on the menu. I've only ever been here for breakfast but I'm sure the rest of the menu is just as tasty!

Not feeling much in the mood for breakfast food, I decided on a BLT with homefries and Gary went with the Steak and eggs. 



We didn't have to wait long at all for the meals to arrive and we dove right in! I couldn't wait to get into the homefries, last time we were here, they were the most amazing homefries I had ever had. Wonderful pieces of potato fried with onions. Don't know if there's a secret spice, they just have yummiest taste! Gary enjoyed his steak and eggs, his steak was cooked to order as were his eggs.


Not much to say except this is a nice little diner that provides a filling meal for a long day ahead. 




Our bill came to $30.00 tip and taxes included. A little pricey for a plain Jane breakfast but still quite good!

BLT 6.00$
Side of homefries 2.50$
Steak and eggs 12.49$

and a couple of coffees, good coffee.



Couldn't find a web page, so here's the rest of the info...
7207 Main St Po Box 259
North Rustico, Prince Edward Island
C0A 1X0
 902-963-2290

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Schnitzel Haus (New Brunswick)

On our way to PEI for the long weekend, this was a good spot to stop!

I'm always up for trying something new, and well this was it.We were just approaching the border of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Not wanting to stop at a fast food joint and knowing that I may have to eat an arm if we waited til PEI, I went to my phone and did a search of restaurants in the area. I noticed this place pop up and seemed to remember wanting to stop here before but they were closed. This time, we were in luck.

First thing I noticed when we walked in was the waitresses, dressed in what I called "Heidi" dresses. I soon learned they're called dirndl. The restaurant is decorated with everything from string lights to pictures and dolls, a little dated but interesting indeed! Also had the feeling I was in some sort of Swiss chalet, a real one not the franchise!

The menu starts with a little introduction to the restaurant including an explanation for a possible wait on the food, explaining that everything is prepared fresh and to order. Music to my ears!

The appetizers were a bit of a let down, I was expecting German themed items, and got tossed salad, french onion soup and clam chowder. They did have escargot but we decided on the evening's feature appetizer.

There were many different choices for mains but I concentrated mostly on their German offerings of Schnitzel dinner or Bratwurst dinner. Schnitzel is a choice of boneless meat that's been flattened with a mallet then breaded and fried. You can choose plain or have it dressed with a wine or even a cream sauce. Bratwurst is a sausage which can also be enjoyed with a sauce or gravy.

I chose to have the curry bratwurst with a homemade curry sauce, German fried potatoes and a red cabbage side dish. Gary ordered from the special board. He had a Reuben sandwich with German fried potatoes. For an appetizer, we had a homemade pretzel served with mustard. 

There wasn't much wait at all for the pretzel. Nothing special but tasted decent. The mustard had a nice flavor, I would beg to guess it's homemade or possibly a specialty type, maybe imported.


Despite the warning of a possible wait and there being quite a few people in the dining room, we got our mains in a respectable time.  I have to start with Gary's meal because that was the best Reuben sandwich I've ever had! Not that I was dissatisfied with my meal because it was great but that Reuben! It wasn't your typical Reuben but the flavor was amazing!  Perfect amounts of sauerkraut and meat with nicely melted Swiss cheese. The dressing was nice and creamy. Thumbs up!

 

My Curry bratwurst was nice. I enjoyed the taste of the sausage as well as the sauce. It wasn't your typical curry sauce, I had the expectation of a yellow sort of cream sauce but It was a dark red sauce with with the texture of a thick ketchup. It a nice curry taste along with almost a chutney flavor, maybe mango. Either way, it was something sweet and tangy mixed with the curry to make a very nice sauce that was enjoyed with the sausage and also the German potatoes. The potatoes were wonderful, they had a nice seasoning to them. They were sliced and fried with onions and seasoning. By the time I got to the cabbage dish, I was getting quite full but I did give it a try. It had a unique taste indeed, sweet but tart.


Unfortunately, we were too full for dessert but I guess that's sign of a good meal!

Our bill came to about 40$ (taxes and tip included). 
Pretzel 3$-4$
Curry bratwurst dinner 12$
Reuben Sandwich w/ fries 10$
Two Pepsi  3$
 (All prices are approximate)

In conclusion, glad we've found a good spot to eat while out on one of our many road trips! Give it a try next time you're heading out of the province (on wheels, that is), see what you think!

Onward to PEI....Happy Eating!






Thanksgiving weekend in Prince Edward Island

Didn't think I would be traveling so soon but away we went and ended up Prince Edward Island for the weekend. Thumbs up is all I can say! Well actually I've got quite a bit to say, we ate out for mostly every meal and of course I took notes and pictures!

We had a great time exploring the area and all the wonderful places to eat! PEI in the fall is so beautiful and peaceful. Most of the tourists are gone for  the season and the roads can take you to many beautiful places. The only downfall would be the fact that many places close aft labor day making a little tricky to find many places open outside the major hubs of Charlottetown and Summerside.

So the next few blogs will be ones from our adventure to PEI starting with Schnitzel Haus in Aulac, New Brunswick.

Enjoy and Happy Eating!