HG doesn’t fancy big time restaurant dining on Prince Edward Island (though there are a few places that deserve the much abused descriptive “gourmet”). HG prefers raffish, casual places like Rick’s Fish N’ Chips and Seafood Restaurant a hundred yards from the shores of beautiful St. Peter’s Bay. And that’s where the HG famille gathered for an Exquisite Maiko birthday dinner. Daughter LR is off to Italy with family; SJ is tending to biz in New York. HG daughter Victoria F. is running her trio of Manhattan eateries. Thankfully, Irene didn’t bite any of them. So, the birthday party was only a foursome, HG, BSK, EM and adorable grandson Haru.
The group toasted the birthday girl with the surprisingly good house white wine. Haru clicked his milk glass happily and shouted “Kampai!! (a hearty Japanese “cheers”). Then some joyous feasting: well chilled, delicious Colville Bay oysters; Cajun mussels (rolled in a cayenne and garlic spiced batter and deep fried); juicy fried haddock, local french fries and onion rings plus plenty of home style cole slaw. Haru opted for a non seafood menu: hot dogs (with lots of ketchup) and french fries (with lots of ketchup). Dessert was vanilla almond-caramel ice cream at home with a blazing sunset over the ocean.
The name — Mussel Interpretive Center — is not one to set the taste buds tingling. So, ignore the name for the moment.
Here’s the set up. The Center is one of the stores in the pleasantly grey shingled group of buildings facing St. Peter’s Bay in the town of St. Peter in Prince Edward Island.
One part of the Center is a rather bleak dining room surrounded by the none too exciting implements of mussel farming (one can also watch a video devoted to the bivalve). The rest of the space is the domain of the MacDonald family — father Andrew and sunny faced young daughters, Katie and Sarah. Here you can buy hard shell clams (quahogs), oysters and, of course, bags of freshly harvested mussels. Best of all, one can feast on HG’s daily luncheon treat, the MacDonald mussel chowder. This is simply the best chowder imaginable. A creamy (but not heavy) broth filled with plump, flavorful mussels. Diners can also have big platters of perfectly steamed mussels or quahogs with melted butter (pus a bit of tabasco) and a crisp biscuit with butter.
There’s another treat Chez MacDonald– South Lake oysters on the half shell. Big, briny, lush. At $1.35 an oyster they are an affordable sea dream realized. Andrew MacDonald shucks them perfectly with the deft touch of a brain surgeon. Not a drop of brine is wasted. Not a chip of shell mars the exquisite oyster.
Beyond the wonderful eats to be had at the M.I.C., the MacDonald family are a joyous presence. Andrew, Katie and Sarah take real pride in their establishment and they extend a genuine feeling of welcome to all customers.
SJ here! In a previous post, Hungry Gerald lauded the Scallop Burger at Lin’s Takeout as “better than Pastrami.” Well, nothing is really “better” than Pastrami. Different, yes. Enjoyable, yes. But, Better? Hmmm. That said, Lin’s Takeout is simply terrific. The lauded Scallop Burger is a wonderful thing. The view of St. Peter’s Bay is a joy. And…The fish! Yes Lin, who can gently saute a scallop, also turns out to be a wizard with the deep fryer. She produces crisp, not-greasy and not over-breaded pieces of Haddock with stunning, hand cut, PEI sourced French Fries (or chips to these Anglo-Canadians). These fries have character and the real minerally flavor of fresh potatoes (A PEI potato farmer informed SJ that most of the Potatoes we eat in the states are up to a year old!). The fish is perfection — crack that crust with a fork and the briefest whisp of steam escapes revealing perfectly fresh, white, flakey haddock. Splash some malt vinegar on the whole, take a deep breath of that glorious rose-scented air of St. Peter’s Bay and dig into one of the finest Summertime treats.
SJ and famille are on Prince Edward Island. That means oyster shucking time. Most oyster lovers are familiar with PEI’s Malpeques. Certainly a tasty, briny oyster. But, it’s not the only Island oyster. Here are some other varieties.Colville Bay, Raspberry Point and South Lake. HG’s favorite is South Lake. Perfect in size. Perfect balance between brine and sweetness. Let’s start shuckin and pass the India Pale Ale.
HG and BSK are big fans of a lady we know only by her first name, Theresa. That’s the name that adorns various mason jars of good things — pickles, chow chow, relishes, jams jellies — available at various farm stands on Prince Edward Island. Theresa’s strawberry jam is a breakfast staple. Here’s the list of ingredients: “Strawberries. Sugar.” That’s it. Short and to the point. No preservatives, chemicals, pectin, gelatins, etc. A simple taste — “Strawberries. Sugar” — and so good. Somehow it seems symbolic of the soft green hills and soaring surf of this gentle island.
Back from Prince Edward Island Farmers Market with a load of organic lamb, artisan cheese and many other treats coaxed from rural PEI’s rolling green hills and fecund soil. So, amidst all this home grown bounty, what is the most popular food stand at the Market? The lox and bagel guy. Literally hundreds of jolly PEI Irish and Scots men and women were happily chomping away on this traditional New York breakfast treat.
In typical Prince Edward Island style (meaning NO pretense and barely a smidgen of irony), St. Peter’s Bay has a fine spot for lunch with the deeply appetizing name of the Mussel Interpretive Center. The center was originally operated by the Province government to showcase PEI’s Mussel economy but — surprise, surprise! — it lost a bunch of money. It is now run by a retired Mussel Man who, amongst the fascinating exhibits on the life cycle of mussels and the miraculous leaps in Mussel farming technology, operates a food stand.
HG dined there and was thrilled. Big platter of juicy, steamed hard shell clams (quahogs). Big platter of steamed, plump mussels. Melted butter. Lemon juice. Tabasco. Flaky biscuits. All for a total of ten bucks. Beat the heat and come to P.E.I. Enchanting, gentle and affordable.
Seems like everyone —young and old, male and female– on this very Celtic Prince Edward Island plays a musical instrument (mainly fiddle and guitar). And, those that can’t, sing and step dance in lusty fashion. Every town has a weekly Ceiligh (pronounced Kay-lee). This is a traditional Gaelic social gathering with Gaelic folk music and dancing Though it originated in Ireland, Ceilighs are prevalent throughout the Irish and Scottish diaspora (exemplified by PEI). HG and BSK reveled in the sounds of Celtic music on the banks of Rollo Bay at the annual Rollo Bay Fiddlers Festival. This was toe tapping music supreme.
As HG neither dances, sings, fiddles and can barely manage a hand clap in rhythm, he pitched in by consuming an impressive amount of nice, home style, pan fried haddock sandwiches.
The Saturday Farmers Market in Charlottetown, PE.I., is the place to meet, greet and overeat. HG managed to score pierogies with sour cream and scallions, Chinese spring rolls, Lebanese falafel and a bite of BSK’s pulled pork sandwich. All wonderful. Did not have room for Indian samosas, Canadian cheddar soup or various African and Thai goodies. The Market is a great place to buy freshly ground coffee (the family coffee maven, Profesore/Dottore M., lauds the espresso); organic lamb, beef and chicken; smoked salmon, herbed gouda (from The Gouda Lady); extensive variety of sausages and, of course, lots of fresh vegetables. Nice music from Island fiddlers and Irish pipers.
Being a born and bred New York guy, HG has always loved a good pastrami sandwich. It is the ultimate urban sandwich — designed for, created and yes, perfected by the Jewish immigrant groups who nestled in tight enclaves like New York’s Lower East Side; all of whom needed a portable meal as they hustled to fulfill their American dream. And, yes, such a treat is still available (with many a regional discrepancy!) from Montreal to New York (most notably at Katz’s) and even across the country in LA (Langer’s). However, HG has discovered his new favorite sandwich at a more pastoral location: Lin’s Takeout in Prince Edward Island. Little more than a trailer, Lin’s is nestled on a bucolic hillside on the road to Greenwich Provincial Park (beautiful beaches, warm water swimming). HG lunches on Lin’s scallop burger. Lin tucks about 15 sweet, gently sauteed sea scallops into a big, soft bun. A slice of tomato. A lettuce leaf. Cole slaw. Touch of mayo. Sometimes greedy HG accompanies this sea treat with crisp, greaseless French fried onion rings.
No smell of asphalt. No car horns blazing. No taxi drivers cursing your mother with a Turkish accent. Just the sun gently shimmering off the waters of St. Peter’s Bay. The joys of a pastoral sandwich…Ahh Life’s good.
