March 1, 2019
Gallant’s Shellfish evolves to allow for year-round operation in Charlottetown Feeding Islanders is at the heart of why Tyler Gallant is moving his restaurant. “We wanted to be be more Island-focused with feeding and producing good quality food for Islanders.” As I sit to chat with Gallant in the new space for his restaurant and catering business, construction continues around…
March 1, 2019
Stories from the worst kitchens in the world Weird complaints are just, well, weird. Sometimes they stem from ignorance or a misunderstanding of how food or restaurants work and sometimes from just plain madness. Burnt enough for ya? Years ago I worked at a large chain hotel’s restaurant. It was mostly good work but we would get some very particular…
February 1, 2019
Dining on the Marie Celeste The restaurant industry can be a precarious endeavour for all concerned. Restaurant owners, investors, employees, diners, and landlords can all feel the brunt of a business that can be fleeting and is often only slightly above “spas” (I mean the kind that are open all night and have neon signs in their darkened windows) when…
January 1, 2019
In the dead of winter downtown Charlottetown restaurants benefit from 14th annual food event Shorter days, longer nights, windchill temperatures that dip into the minus twenties (or colder); late January and early February can be challenging, especially for businesses trying to entice customers out of their cozy homes. After all, it’s easy to arrive home after a day at work…
January 1, 2019
Restaurateur determined to serve local community year-round “I’m not confident about my looks, I’m not confident in my teeth, but I am confident about my cooking.” Refreshingly self-effacing, when I sat down with Caroline Farrell, she quickly revealed her determination to make a go of The Home Plate, a recently opened restaurant in Murray River, PEI. On the corner of…
January 1, 2019
New Year edition-rules for dining out It’s the New Year so let’s start off on the right foot shall we? We have one quick story this month, and then a couple of lists for diners and hospitality staff to keep in mind when it comes to dining out. But first the quick story: Alana When I was working in Jasper…
December 1, 2018
Award-winning restaurant busy keeping their customers satisfied Summerside’s South Central Kitchen and Provisions won the CBDC Central New Business Award at last month’s 25th annual Greater Summerside Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards. South Central’s owners, Dan Kutcher, a former lawyer, and Ian Gass who is a Culinary Institute graduate, couldn’t be happier. They teamed up earlier this year to…
December 1, 2018
Crustacean consternation This week we have a tale about a lobster (or two) and how not to sell them to mid-westerners. Or anybody for that matter. Many years ago I worked at a country resort on the north shore. We got a lot of visitors from Canada and the US who had never eaten lobster before (unless it was out…
November 1, 2018
Wine choices – red or white? There is no use whining about wine (yes, I went there!). These day even in small places your wine selection is vastly improved over the days when a rafetta covered bottle of cheap chianti was considered classy. Still, sometimes picking a wine in a restaurant can be fraught with too many choices, but in…
October 1, 2018
Spills both hot and cold, all in the timing Have you ever seen something that years later still makes you cringe? I certainly have. I was maitre’d at a resort restaurant on the Island’s north shore. We had a table of ten or so come in with a little baby, not more than a year old. We put her in…