HUNGRY GERALD

Birthday dinner for Gifted Daughter Lesley R. (looking particularly radiant) and the clan gathered at Terre Rouge Bistro in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. While completely delicious, the meal was an affront to the heath police and cardiology guardians. Featured were artery cloggers like roasted marrow bones, pork bellies, pate, ham, compound butter, macaroni and cheese. The birthday lady, who received gracefully some gifts, stuck to PEI sea bounty–scallops and mussels. BSK surprised HG. Usually, BSK denies the truism that fat is flavor. Does not eat chicken skin. Trims fat from pork chops, prosciutto, etc. But, on this festive night BSK ate with hearty appetite a very robust dish of pork bellies. Didn’t leave a sliver of fat. Of course, BSK’s appetite was tepid compared to that of Handsome Haru. Fresh from a vigorous day at tennis camp, HH attacked the shared plates with an enthusiasm that was a tribute to his HG lineage. Teru, the wee bundle of cuteness, was at the table for almost two and a half hours and maintained perfect aplomb. Found a special treat: A very good cherry jam condiment. The meal ended with an interesting creme brûlée and a variety of gelatos. Much fun. But, HG is going to heed Tony Soprano’s advice to a chubby colleague: Time to stick to salads.

HG derived vicarious pleasure watching distinguished son-in-law Profesore Massimo R. devour a giant marrow bone at Prince Edward Island’s Terre Rouge bistro (yes, the generous Ufficiale gave HG a taste). Roasted marrow bones have long been served at old time Paris bistros. HG has relished them with a crusty baguette and a carafe of rough red wine in Left Bank rooms perfumed with Gauloise smoke. For years, the health police managed to have them banished from most American restaurants but, thankfully, marrow bones are making a comeback: In the mid 90s Fergus Henderson, the British chef and cookbook author served a dish at his St. John restaurant in London of roasted marrow bones with parsley and capers that was an immediate trend-setter and was soon replicated at New York restaurants like Prune and Blue Ribbon Bakery; now there is hardly a meat-centric New York menu without marrow bones. In older times, bone marrow found a elegant approach as a specialty of the old Oak Room in New York’s Plaza Hotel: A big scoop of bone marrow adorned braised celery which accompanied tournedos and potatoes soufflé. It was one of HG/BSK’s favorite meals. HG once had a very lusty steak, a pave, topped with almost a half inch of bone marrow at some long defunct bistro near the Place de Clichy. Memorable. Bone marrow is frowned upon by cardiologists because it is pure fat and cholesterol, a big time artery clogger. Wickedly delicious, however.

Lots and lots of tasty food at Gifted Daughter Lesley R.’s birthday dinner at Terre Rouge in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. One of the star features was a gigantic, roasted marrow bone (see the photo of the scooped out bone) ordered by Profesore/Ufficiale Massimo R. The treat was the size of a dinosaur femur and was served with parsley caper salad, duck fat toast, shallot marmalade and a fried egg. Much more food. Roast pork, Smoked potatoes. Buttery mashies. Arctic char. Chicken liver pate. Cod fritters. Mushrooms on toast. Beet salad. Three flavors of ice cream to finish. Muscadet and pinot noir were the beverages of choice. Yes, there was lots to eat and drink following HG’s dining strategy: When in doubt, over order. That’s why doggie bags were invented.

Terre Rouge Marche/Bistro on Queen Street in downtown Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, is an unusual establishment. It does many things and does them all superbly. Owned by John Pritchard with Mike Clarke as chef, Terre Rouge (it means “red earth”, a reference to uniquely colored PEI soil) occupies a roomy space in a pre-1860’s commercial building. The restaurant is strictly locavore, with a farm-to-table, nose-to-tail philosophy. The raw material provided by PEI’s farmers and fishers is incomparable. And, chef Clarke cooks with imagination and precision. (Pritchard says: “He’s killin’ it.)HG/BSK had a simple, late lunch there on a rainy day this week: For HG, a “Shellfish Sammy.” This was a toasted soft roll lined with fresh cut herbs and filled with chunks of local lobster, Gulf of St. Lawrence shrimp and fried Colville Bay oysters. This very sizable treat was nestled next to an extraordinary salad of baby greens, pickled radishes, curls of carrot and golden beets. Perfect. BSK had “Cod Fritters” with pickled onion remoulade and green salad. BSK declared these the best fish cakes ever, superior to BSK’s previous favorites consumed at Nantucket Island’s Downy Flake Cafe. The moral: Only eat fish cakes on an island. HG/BSK drank a nice chilled Pinot Grigio with these treats. There’s lots of robust food on the Terre Rouge menu. Some examples: Roasted marrow bone with truffled parsley-caper salad, duck fat toast, sunny side farm egg. Beef Carpaccio with olive oil, parmesan and organic greens. Pan roasted pork loin with rosemary gnocchi, green beans, beetroot puree, natural jus and root vegetable chips. Fish of the day with smoked potatoes, pine nuts and sauce vierge. Terre Rouge serves some unforgettable sandwiches like the inventive take on the BLT that features pancetta, lettuce, tomato jam and aioli on duck fat toast. Salads (for lighter appetites) and vegetarian platters. A definitive seafood chowder made with local seafood, smoked corn, pancetta and served with fresh biscuits and sea salt butter. There’s lots of seafood (lobsters, clams, oysters, shrimp, crab, scallops, fish) from local waters including an ebullient Plateau de Fruits de Mer. The restaurant does justice to its motto: “Famers plus Fishers plus Fat= Good Food”. But, there’s more to Terre Rouge than the Bistro. There the Marche. The Marche sells superb house-made sausages and offers an array of cheese from local farms (as well as some from New Brunswick and Quebec). Very good breads and some opulent desserts. If you’ve got some kids with you, pop into Terre Rouge for some house-made Italian gelato. You can have a cappuccino or an espresso. Terre Rouge stays open late and serves all day. It has something for everyone. World class food and sweet and savory treats served with the usual Prince Edward Island modesty and courtesy.