6 Tasty Tasting Experiences

Guest Writer:  Halifax-based Lindsay Wickstrom is the author of the award-winning blog, Eat This Town, in which she delves into the Canadian culinary landscape, throwing light on the regional and the obscure, with the goal of creating cohesion and pride across cultures and provincial borders.

With longer sun-filled days on the horizon, it’s time for a road trip to check out some of Nova Scotia’s incredible culinary scene.  Here are six dining destinations that Lindsay Wickstrom recently discovered that are bound to tempt your tastebuds!

Woodroad (2815 Shore Rd, Inverness)

Woodroad is located down an unassuming driveway just off Shore Road in Margaree Harbour. Keep you’re your eyes peeled for the small sign inviting you down into the forest. As you descend, you will see the timber frame restaurant, and stunning views of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The house was constructed by Peter MacDonnell, a forestry industry veteran, who spent 4 years finding the perfect trees to mill and construct into this beautiful venue.

Woodroad offers an immersive fine dining experience, brought to you by Chef Daryl MacDonnell (Peter’s brother), who has 30 years of chef experience, starting at the Culinary Institute of Canada, and recently retiring from a 7 year stint at the iconic Keltic Lodge. He is passionate about seasonal local foods from the ocean, farms and forests of Cape Breton. Each of the 7 courses are announced from the open kitchen, and brought to guests by knowledgeable servers. The highlight of our meal was salmon stuffed with scallop mousse in a saffron cream sauce. The “sea foam” garnish was a whimsical touch. We were told it was actually the foam produced by cooking the mussels, which added an airy brininess to the dish. The meal concluded with delicious desserts from Anne Marie Woodgate, the head pastry chef, who has a resume studded with European Michelin Stars. Chef MacDonnell is hoping to introduce some new dining options in 2021, such as “dining on the beach”, and an “Over the Cliff” lobster experience on a large deck near the cliff edge.

Woodroad is 15 minutes north of Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs golf courses and 20 minutes south of Cheticamp – just off the Cabot Trail. Dinner is served Thursday through Sunday, with one seating at 6:30 pm and wrapping up around 9 pm.

GRÁ | Earth to Table Dining (8874 Kempt Head Road, Kempt Head)

GRÁ translated from Gaelic means love, and there is a lot of love put into this sustainable farm restaurant. Owner, Cherie, says her goal is to create one of the best experiences from start to finish, and to leave guests with a lasting “food memory”.

The experience begins as soon as you turn onto the driveway from the road. You might wonder if you took the wrong turnoff, but as you travel along the tree-sided driveway, you’ll see the farm and you’ll start to feel like you’re visiting your Cape Breton family. You’ll be greeted by some friendly chickens upon arrival, and the blazing hearth of a wood-fired oven. You will then be welcomed into the farm house, and seated on the lower level of an actual home (not a farmhouse converted into a restaurant). You will not find a more authentic, “downhome” Cape Breton experience than this.

Cherie is the owner and engine of the whole production. She grows the food (both vegetable and meat), procures the food she cannot grow from nearby farms (she aims for 70% produce from her own farm), churns the butter, cooks the food, types the menus, and sometimes even washes the dishes! “My original idea for this restaurant was to use the freshest possible ingredients,” she says, “And literally strip the food down to the bare basics – very few ingredients – and just allow the freshness to shine. It is easy when your food is harvested the same day!” She raises free range chickens, and this past summer she raised a couple of heritage breed pigs as well. During lobster season, she picks up fresh lobsters every day from Big Bras d’Or.

Cherie offers a relaxing experience, lasting from 6 pm to 9:30 pm with 6 courses from the constantly changing menu (the 5th course, however, is always pizza from the Applewood fired oven). The season will run from late June to mid December. The restaurant is open Wednesday – Saturday (except for December).

Le Caveau (11611 Nova Scotia Trunk 1, Grand Pré)

Le Caveau was one of the first winery restaurants in Nova Scotia, located at Domaine de Grand Pré Winery, and surrounded by its vineyards and gardens. Like the wine, the food is terrior driven, engrained in the community and reflecting the land.

Chef Jason Lynch has been at the helm since 2007. He trained at Le Cordon Bleu in both Ottawa and Paris, but he grew up in neighbouring Hortonville. While “local” has become a marketing buzzword in recent years, Jason says that’s just the way he’s always done things. Growing up on a poultry farm, he has always been immersed in the food industry. His grandparents were restaurant owners, and his first job out of high school was with a big food conglomerate.

To grow up in the Annapolis Valley, the bread basket of Nova Scotia, is to be immersed in agriculture and the gifts of the land. Le Caveau’s menu reflects the local terroir, but also the people. “I believe in the relationships I have with the farmers,” says Jason. “I have much better access to products than going to a supplier. I can hand pick the products, which allows me to be extremely flexible and I can change the menus daily.” Another advantage he has at Le Caveau is the meat processing license that allows an entirely in-house charcuterie program.

Le Caveau has a full menu, with a 5-7 course tasting menu option. They have recently expanded to create a small dedicated space that’s able to accommodate larger groups for tasting dinners.

Founders House (3816 Nova Scotia Trunk 1, Annapolis Royal)

The Founders House is a New England Colonial style home built in 1874, and is situated on the Fort View Golf Course in Annapolis Royal. It is a beautiful property with a contemporary dining room serving “elevated rural dining”.

The wine menu is exclusively Nova Scotian, and cocktails are designed by head bartender Gavin Robichaud, who honed his craft in Australia and Toronto. The chef, Chris Pyne, got his start washing dishes at his Dad’s pub, but worked his way upwards in the industry – lightning quick – landing a job at Calgary’s nationally acclaimed Rush when he was only 17. He later got a job at NOtaBLE (after dropping off his resume three times and finally offering to work for free for a day). “I got the call afterward: ‘Everyone likes you, I have to hire you now’,” he laughs. It was here that he was encouraged to go to culinary school, so he enrolled at SAIT. By the time he was 21 Chef Pyne had his Red Seal, and was off to work at Michelin Star restaurants in London and Wales.

Now based in Annapolis Royal with his family (his wife, also a trained chef, is originally from Nova Scotia), Chef Pyne says he is fortunate to have the Annapolis Royal Farmer’s Market at hand. He shows up first thing every Saturday to load up on fresh, local ingredients, and his wife Seanna, is a cheesemonger there. This direct access to farmers and foragers allows him to change his menus frequently, depending on the seasons. “I’ll talk to all our local suppliers and see what their timelines are for things, and what’s doing well this season. Most of our product all comes from within our surrounding area. It’s definitely all about supporting our community,” he says.

The standard dining experience is a 3-course fixed prix menu, but there is also an option for an immersive tasting menu called “Trust the Chef”.

Sugar Moon Farm (221 Alex MacDonald Rd, Earltown)

Sugar Moon Farm is a maple syrup farm with an elevated sugar shack brunch. The log restaurant has grown from being a low key pancake house in the ‘90s, to a dining destination and tourism experience. In addition to a maple inspired brunch, designed by the talented Chef Mike Spurell, whose resume includes renowned restaurants like Mallard Cottage (St. John’s) and Rge Road (Edmonton), the restaurant hosts special tasting dinners several times a year, and you won’t want to miss out!

When Quita Gray and Scott Whitelaw took over in 1996 they had a vision to become a maple syrup destination. They had apprenticed for two years under maple guru, and original owner, Bob Williams, and visited maple producers all over Quebec and Ontario to see what kinds of tourism experiences were offered in Canada’s predominant maple regions. They quickly realized that that nobody west of the Maritimes even knew that Nova Scotia had its own maple sugar industry! Quita and Scott decided they wanted to create an authentic culinary tourism experience with intimate, maple-forward dining. They started by partnering with the Culinary Arts program at NSCC Pictou Campus, and eventually started hosting “Chef Nights” with renowned Maritime chefs.

Sugar Moon’s Chef Nights are intimate gatherings with visiting chefs, guest starring in the open kitchen. This interactive dinner is a showcase of local ingredients and culinary creativity. A few chefs that have made appearances at Sugar Moon Farm are Renee Lavalee, Craig Flinn, Claude AuCoin, and Sarah and Andrew from Wild Caraway (a destination restaurant in Advocate Harbour). Keep your eyes on Sugar Moon’s web site for upcoming Chef Nights.

Bessie North House (23 Bessie North Rd, Canning)

Bessie North House is a 130-year-old farmhouse named for the school teacher, Bessie North, who lived there for many years, and was much loved by the community for her hospitable spirit. The house is located at the foot of the North Mountain in the Annapolis Valley, surrounded by local farms, orchards and vineyards.

Owners, Susan and David, serve a 7 course prix fixe menu that changes weekly, based on what finds its way from farm to kitchen. The concept is hyper-local and rolls with the seasons, which, in this climate, also means extending ingredients by drying, curing and preserving. David is an engineer-turned-chef, graduating from Ottawa’s Le Cordon Bleu institute at the top of his class. He describes his style as classic French cuisine with an avant-garde flair, and you may remember his previous restaurant, Front & Central. His engineer’s mind is poised for technical culinary precision and plating techniques – but at the heart of Bessie North House is the flavour-forwardness of fresh local ingredients. Susan is a seasoned hospitality pro, with over 20 years of front-of-house experience and a diploma in Wine Business Management from Niagara College.

While Bessie North House is not licensed, they have a “bring your own wine” policy (one bottle per person). If you’re not sure what wine to bring, don’t be afraid to ask ahead for the best pairings. Bessie North House operates from April through mid-December on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings (6 pm) – reservations required. Vegetarian options available with advanced notice.

About our Guest Writer:

Lindsay Wickstrom is a self-proclaimed “food nerd”.  She has conducted extensive donair research for her food blog Eat This Town and has recently released “The Book of Donair” about the history and cultural significance of Halifax’s official food.