A Little Lunch In Saint John

One of the delights of going home is the food.

I’ve told you about all the amazing produce my father grows on the island both in the garden and wild in the forests. I’ve talked about my friend Diane the chef who somehow always squeezes in time to share a meal when I’m home no matter how busy she is. And I’ve shared photos of me cooking everything from striped bass to bagels over fire, lots of fire.

But lately, I’ve been leaving the island and getting to explore the ever-evolving food scene in Southern New Brunswick.

I’ve been quite lax about sharing some of the great meals and experiences I’ve had down east, so I’m trying to catch up.

On my latest trip home, my new friend Craig Pinhey suggested I paddle to shore and meet him for lunch at the Saint John Ale House.

Craig is a Sommelier; beer, wine & food columnist for TAPS, CBC, The Telegraph Journal, [here], &  The Coast; and judges wine competitions hither and yon (best to check his site – The Frog’s Pad for full details because I’m sure to miss something).  But the extra cool part about Craig is that he lives directly across from the island… and I mean a straight-line, right angle to the shore from Lady’s Beach. Add to that, we met on Facebook through my high school Chemistry lab partner and you can see how we were meant to lunch together.

Craig arranged for us to have a Chef’s Choice lunch at the Saint John Ale House, prepared by Chef Jesse Vergen.  Little did I know when saying “that sounds great!” that Jesse was the last person to live in Foxcroft before it was torn down. (Foxcroft was my step-mother Marilynn’s labyrinthine home on the shore of the Kennebecasis.)  The world is a tiny place. And Quispamsis, even tinier.  No point in being keeping a low profile at this point, so out came my camera!

The next post will be a break down of each dish, but for now I’ll leave you with the pretty.

Lunch At the Saint John Ale House