October
3, 2006
Hello from Nova Scotia: Dining at the Garrison
House Restaurant
My visit to the Port-Royal Habitation had
given me great insight into the life and hardships of the early
French settlers. It had been a full day so far, from my early morning
explorations at the Grand Pré National
Historic Site, my drive through the Annapolis Valley, my walking
tour through Annapolis Royal including a quick visit to Fort
Anne and the Historic Gardens - I had already seen a lot and worked
up quite an appetite along the way.
The Garrison House dates back to 1854
So in the late afternoon I arrived at my abode for the night: The
Garrison House Bed and Breakfast, located right across the street
from Fort Anne and the Garrison Graveyard. The perfect spot for
my evening’s explorations. I checked in and one of the wait
staff kindly helped me carry my luggage up to the second floor of
this historic Victorian mansion. I settled down in my comfortable
room, and started checking my messages from the convenient wireless
network available at the Garrison House. I tried to catch a bit
of a rest but by about 7:30 pm it was time for dinner.
My cozy room
I walked downstairs to the ground floor which houses the restaurant
consisting of a large kitchen and three dining rooms holding 45
patrons. I took a seat in a cozy corner by the window facing the
church next door. The restaurant is open from early May to the end
of October and Fodor’s has recommended the Garrison House
Restaurant as the best place to eat in the area. The menu features
a selection of fish and seafood dishes such as lobster salad, Norah’s
Acadian Seafood Chowder, fresh Digby scallops and other delicacies
such as a wild mushroom risotto, a Vietnamese coconut milk curry,
lemon-grass Thai chicken and many more.
A tasty House Salad
To start my meal I enjoyed a tasty house salad followed by a Maritime
favourite: pan-fried haddock, caught not far off the coast of Nova
Scotia. The atmosphere was pleasant, several couples were dining
and I had an opportunity to talk with the chef for a bit. Norah
Folks has worked at the Garrison House for the last 20 years and
filled me in on the culinary details of this restaurant. She mentioned
that she and owner Patrick Redgrave who also cooks, prepare all
the meals fresh and from scratch, using as many local ingredients
as possible. My haddock for the evening for example, came from the
Bay of Fundy.
Pan-fried haddock from the Bay of Fundy
Norah told me about a new trend in cooking: the focus is on traditional
food with a twist. For example she would serve a rice pudding with
a Chai (Chinese tea) flavour. She mentioned that the Garrison
House changes its menu on a regular basis, and flavours and
spices also vary. About 30% of the diners at the Garrison House
are locals while 70% are travelers from other places.
As a chef, Norah mentioned that she is passionate about looking
after her guests and whenever she or owner Patrick go traveling,
they always come back with new flavours teasing the taste buds of
their customers. It comes in handy that Norah has lived in Vancouver
and been exposed to that city’s ethnic restaurants, including
Greek, Italian, Chinese and Japanese cuisine.
One of the dining rooms at the Garrison House
When I asked her about living in Annapolis Royal, Norah mentioned
that she is a local maritimer and enjoys the calm, easy-going life-style.
Many artists have recognized the charm of this town and set up workshops
and galleries here. The King’s Theatre provides theatrical
entertainment in the summer, and Norah also told me about the Tidal
Generating Plant, one of only two such electricity producing plants
in the world. I decided that I would need to see this unique power
station tomorrow morning.
But now after this enjoyable dinner, it was time for my next adventure:
the Annapolis Royal
Graveyard Tour at the Garrison Cemetery across the street, led
by local celebrity and history expert Alan Melanson.
Useful books about travel to Nova Scotia:
Related articles:
My five whirlwind days in Nova Scotia
Acadian
history at the Grand Pré National Historic Site
400 years of history at Annapolis
Royal
Port-Royal, a French habitation from 1605
Dinner at the Garrison House
in Annapolis Royal
The Annapolis Royal
Graveyard Tour
The Garrison House Bed and Breakfast
Exploring the Evangeline Trail from
Annapolis Royal to Yarmouth
Learning about Mi'kmaq heritage at the
Bear River First Nation Heritage and Cultural Center
Victorian heritage in Yarmouth
The MacKinnon-Cann Inn: Where Home
and Garden Television meets the Travel Channel
Yarmouth explained - the Yarmouth
County Museum
My car is in the ditch in Chebogue
River
The Lighthouse Trail from Yarmouth
to Shelburne
The Lighthouse Trail from Shelburne
to Lunenburg
The Town of Lunenburg - a UNESCO World Heritage
Site
An interview with the owners of the
Lunenburg Inn
The Lighthouse Trail from Lunenburg to
Halifax via Mahone Bay and Peggy's Cove
Arrival in Halifax and a stunning
musical performance - DRUM!
A Halifax city tour, the city's
connection to the Titantic and the 1917 Halifax Explosion
Exploring the Halifax Harbourwalk and
Pier 21 - Canada's immigration museum
A ferry trip to Dartmouth and saying
goodbye to Halifax
An interview with Pier 21 -
Canada's immigration museum
Helpful links for travel to Nova Scotia:
Tourism
Nova Scotia
Destination
South West Nova Scotia
Halifax Tourism
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