Six dishes you must savour in Saint John, NB  

By Shelley Cameron-McCarron

 

Anyone familiar with the port city of Saint John, NB, can tell you what a hip culinary destination it is. Here are six great dishes one must try while visiting:

1. THE PLACE: Italian by Night
THE DISH: Calamari Fritto – deep-fried calamari, arrabiata
sauce, basil oil, and Maldon sea salt flakes

Chef/co-owner Michelle Hooten says the calamari at Italian by Night—an urban Italian restaurant and bar with a cuisine focused on combining imported Italian ingredients with local seasonal ingredients—has been on the menu since they opened on December 2, 2016. “It was my nemesis! I couldn’t get it right: wrong portion size, too tough, bland. It tasted like so many other calamaris until I changed the crumb. A secret ingredient knocked it out of the park. Instead of grilling it, we deep fry it. Instead of rings the body is fanned causing a beautiful presentation. It is our number one selling antipasti,” she says.

On Italian by Night: “In this ever-changing world, we believe delicious simplicity is always current. Our goal is to share our love of Italy by creating an authentic Italian dining experience. The vibe is generous and relaxed. The food is pure and sensual,” she says. “The contemporary industrial turn-of-the-century space is the perfect backdrop for dropping by for a glass of wine and pizza at the bar, sharing platters with friends or colleagues at one of our signature family-style tables or a relaxed, intimate evening
of dining.”

On the Saint John dining scene: “The wonderful thing about Uptown Saint John is the critical mass of great restaurants. You can literally walk to wine bars, micro-brewery pubs, restaurants, both high-end and mid-range, breakfast spots, cool coffee shops, a scotch bar, art galleries and theatres. Almost all of the restaurants in Uptown are independents, which offers the consumer a unique and diverse choice selection.”

2. THE PLACE: Saint John Ale House

THE DISH: Bacon Maple Scallops – Fundy, NB
smoked bacon, cocktail sauce, fire grilled dulse.

“Our bacon maple scallops have been on the menu since day one. It’s a crowd favourite cause who doesn’t like a bacon wrapped scallop?” says chef/co-owner Jesse Vergen (who has a small farm outside the city where many of the vegetables, flowers and herbs are grown for the restaurant (check @axilgardens). “What sets them apart is how we use a whole piece of bacon per scallop and after we cook them, they are soaked in heated maple and garlic. The process keeps the juices of the scallop inside it. To finish, we place them on a tangy cocktail sauce and crush fire-grilled dulse (a local seaweed) on top.”

On the Saint John Ale House: “(It’s a) progressive pub with a focus on local products from food, beer, to wine. We are located on the historic market slip on the Saint John waterfront, and the building the Saint John Ale House is in has been around since 1886! It’s modern with a touch of Saint John rustic grit, paired with a hip staff and soul/funk numbing to keep the vibe strong.”

On the Saint John dining scene: “Saint John became a foodie city because of the residents deciding to draw their line in the sand by not leaving or even deciding to move back! But more importantly deciding to create awesome things in our city instead of looking enviously at other cities. People should visit Saint John for the food, the beer, the vibe, but most importantly the people!”

3. THE PLACE: VEGolution 

THE DISH: Veggie Burger – house made patty (brown rice,
mushroom) house sauce, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle,
cheddar on a brioche bun.

“I decided to make the anti-veggie burger, lol,” says chef/owner Keith Broome. “At first, we didn’t have a veggie, but everyone wanted us to have one so I gave in. I figured if I’m going to do one, it would be a burger that held together, had lots of sauce and looked nothing like your everyday veggie burger. Our vegan burger is made mostly from mushrooms, brown rice, onions, spices, house burger sauce and other stuff (top secret), can be made with real cheddar or vegan cheddar.”

4. THE PLACE: Pomodori Pizzeria

THE DISH: Cherry Pom Pesto Pizza– pesto sauce with semi dried cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil and cracked pepper.

“One of our top sellers is our chicken pesto pizza. The cherry pom pesto is the vegetarian equal,” says Janice MacPherson. “We use semi-dried cherry tomatoes that have been marinated in oil on our house made pesto, top it with bocconcini, fresh basil and cracked pepper. The tomatoes char just the right amount when cooked in our wood oven for an incredible pop of flavour.”

On Pomodori Pizzeria: “We create Neapolitan style, thin crust pizzas, fresh salads and house-made gelato … Over the years, we had dined out a lot and felt there was something missing in the restaurant scene in New Brunswick. With young children, there were no options to give our kids a delicious, but healthy meal choice. At one lunch out we decided we needed to ‘put up or shut up’ so we put-up and opened Pomodori.

Wood fired pizza is truly the original ‘fast food’ and we wanted to show that fast food can also be very good food.”

They took their recipe to the World Pizza Championships in Italy in 2009 and took eighth place overall in a tough category, ‘Margherita Pizza.’ “Pomodori is Italian for ‘tomatoes’ as everything started with our sauce,” says MacPherson. “We love being a place for everyone looking for great food, but especially that families can feel comfortable coming here with their little ones.”

On the Saint John dining scene: “Our city is beautiful in so many ways—the mix of modern and historical architecture, the bay surrounding us, the mysteriousness of the fog as it rolls in and out of the city and the passion of the residents for our small city has generated a very cool vibe in our Uptown core. There is a great mix of dining options in such a small walkable area. We like to spend evenings choosing single items at multiple restaurants doing our own ‘mini food tour,’ including Pomodori, of course.”

Two more great dishes to sample:

5. THE PLACE: Thandi

THE DISH: Butter Chicken – boneless chicken simmered in a
creamy mild, sweet curry sauce.

6. THE PLACE: East Coast Bistro

THE DISH: Sticky Toffee Pudding – with rum toffee sauce and
vanilla gelato.