Saint John has a wide variety of dining options, whether at the boardwalk or in the heritage quarter. While touring the city, we stopped in at three restaurants.
Saint John Ale House is located right on the boardwalk. It was recently featured on the Food Network’s “You Gotta Eat Here“. It may be classified as a pub, but the Saint John Ale House creates some delicious food sourced from local suppliers, including some of the freshest scallops I’ve had in Canada. New Brunswick farmers play a key role in what winds up on the restaurant’s menu.
[Bacon maple scallops at the Saint John Ale House]
While there for lunch, I started with a local berry salad ($11.98), filled with greens, seasonal berries, and a berry vinaigrette. My bacon maple scallops ($13.69) were lightly smoky in flavour, complimented by a dash of Briggs maple syrup aka Liquid Gold!
There’s a casual dining room, bar, and summer waterfront patio all available for guests’ enjoyment. Local and international craft beers are on tap, including Moncton’s own Pump House Brewery, with their bright red fire hydrant-designed taps.
Saint John Ale House is located at 1 Market Square.
Bourbon Quarter is located at 114 Prince William Street, an area filled with heritage buildings and restaurants. New Orleans dishes take on Canadian classics in a menu filled with meats, fish, risottos, jambalaya and lovely desserts.
I chose the grilled watermelon salad ($10) to start, its watermelon coulis, goat cheese, mixed greens and tomatoes working divinely with the slightly charred watermelon’s sweetness.
[Halibut Provençal, maple carrot purée, veggies]
I couldn’t resist ordering the Halibut Provençal ($26) with maple carrot puree. My plate was filled with potato wedges and asparagus, both cooked to perfection and great for dipping into the puree.
Both the Bourbon Quarter and sister establishment Magnolia Café located adjacent are family owned.
The Opera Bistro is located nearby at 60 Prince William Street and was opened in 2005 by German husband and wife team Axel and Margret Begner. The restaurant has received numerous accolades over the years, starting with a stint on Food Network’s “Opening Soon” right through to Progress Magazine’s “Best Restaurants in New Brunswick” and “Best Desserts in New Brunswick”. Wine Spectator has called Opera Bistro “one of the 100 best restaurants in Canada”. Opera Bistro is also part of the Buy Local NB network, focused on sustainable, local food ingredients.
In 2006, the couple opened an outside patio (pati-oh!); in 2008 they launched “The Phantom”, a bar in the restaurant’s upper level to greet guests waiting for tables.
The interior is music-themed with sheet music hanging from the ceiling fixtures as well as cool atmospheric lighting.
I started with a mixed green, spiced pecan, and prosciutto salad. A delightfully baked chicken breast with lobster risotto ($28) followed as a main course.
[Chicken breast, lobster risotto]
Big pieces of mouth-watering lobster were enhanced by the smooth sauce in the risotto.
Margaret’s desserts will not disappoint: I tucked into her many layered carrot cake to top off my dinner and brought half of it home to my hotel. The word calorie-free dessert is included in the Begner Dictionary of Wishful Thinking 🙂
An extensive wine list caters to pairing any dish on the menu and many options are available by the glass.
My dinners at Saint John Ale House, Opera Bistro, and Bourbon Quarter were all courtesy of Tourism New Brunswick. Opinions, as always, are my own.