HUNGRY GERALD

The sometimes cloudy, sometimes sunny September day on Prince Edward Island was marked (So, what else is new ?) with some very good eating.. A favorite breakfast: Corn (from the Blum’s truck in Montague) pancakes gilded with extraordinary maple syrup from Nova Scotia. Then, off to the southeast shore of the Island to inspect a variety of properties developed by Jeff Klein, a former New York investment banker who fell in love with Prince Edward Island and its breathtaking shoreline. (HG/BSK are trying to have restaurateur daughter Victoria and chef/partner./husband Marc M. consider PEI for a vacation home). Jeff recommended 21 Breakwater Restaurant in the town of Souris for lunch. Turned out to be a winner. It’s in a lovely old house and faces Souris Harbor and the ferry that leaves daily for the Madeleine Islands. Splendid view and splendid food. BSK had the house salad (local mixed greens, tiny tomatoes, goat cheese, red onions, green onions in a red wine vinaigrette) with an addition of spicy Portuguese Piri Piri chicken. HG had a big bowl of creamy and buttery sea chowder filled with hake, lobster, potatoes and smoky bacon. Drank good Pinot Grigio. Restaurant is owned by chef Pedro Pereira (he’s from Portugal) and his wife, Betty Macdonald, a native Islander. Many of the house specialties have a Portuguese flavor. HG/BSK intend to be back there for dinner next week and try some more Piri Piri chicken, Portuguese fish and chips and special nachos made with PEI potato chips and aged cheddar. Stopped off at MacPhees Market in Souris and the young female butcher cut HG a 2-inch thick New York strip steak (local beef). Brisk walk on a beach near HG/BSK’s north shore home. For dinner, BSK pan broiled the steak to the proper degree of rareness. Served it with buttery orzo mixed with shallots and chantarelle mushrooms (the mushroom were a gift from neighbors Molly and Peter E.) An onion and tomato salad plus a simple green salad. Drank a good red wine from Newman Estate, a local winery. A tasty day.

Souris (pronounced “Surrey”) is a charming town; a 17-minute drive from HG/BSK’s Cable Head home on Prince Edward Island. Founded in 1727 by Acadians, the town — at some point in its early history — was invaded by field mice. Thus the name: Souris is French for “mouse.” Despite its rodent influenced name, Souris is a lovely place, very scenic and charming. Surrounded by water (Rollo Bay, Colville Bay, Souris River, Northumberland Strait, South Lake), Souris cultivates lots of splendid oysters and its fishers pluck juicy sea scallops out of the waters (plus lobsters, of course, in season). Many potato farms. Souris is also the port where a ferry leaves for Quebec’s Magdalen Islands, windy, beautiful and Francophone. Souris’ most illustrious citizen is Johnny Flynn, the proprietor of Colville Bay Oysters. In HG’s opinion (shared by BSK, SJ and nearly anyone who has tried them), Flynn cultivates the best oysters in the world. They have distinctive slightly green shells and balance brine and sweetness to provide unique sea succulence. You can buy these oysters at The Lobster Shack, a pretty little shop and outdoor dining area perched at the edge of Rollo Bay. You can buy a few dozen for home shucking or eat them there (lobster rolls are also available).

A rainy day on Prince Edward Island (welcomed by farmers and decried by vacationers). So, it was off to the tiny village of Chepstow just beyond more populous Souris, a scenic town with spectacular views of bays and harbors. The object of HG and BSK’s motor jaunt to Chepstow was to examine the fresh seafood (all caught by local fishers) at the Bergayle Fisheries shop. All of the fish glistened with freshness and clumps of just cooked crimson lobster looked tempting. HG and BSK brought home two pounds of cod for Brilliant Lesley R.’s cod and potato stew, a hearty dish with overtones of southern France and the Iberian coast. BLR started with a base of onions and garlic gently sauteed in olive oil from Puglia, Then came very thinly sliced PEI new potatoes, a specialty of the Island. White wine and clam broth were added, plus grindings of black pepper and some smoked Spanish paprika. When the potato-onion-garlic base was just about done, BLR added the chunks of cod, some thinly sliced tomato, and popped it in the oven to finish. BLR follows the counsel of the great chef, Eric Ripert of New York’s Le Bernardin. The enemy of seafood is overcooking. Less is more. BLR finished the dish by giving it a pungent dusting of chopped Kalamata olives, parsley, garlic scapes and scallions. This was followed by green salad and Canadian cheeses. Profesore Massimo R. had, earlier in the day, discovered an aged New Brunswick goat cheese. HG dug into it and received a collective tongue lashing from his table mates. HG had displayed bad cheese manners. He had dug into the center of the cheese instead of correctly cutting a small wedge incorporating both rind and center. HG promised to behave better in the future.