Saint john restos want foodies to Chop chop
Published Friday October 30th, 2009
The first, hopefully annual, Chop Chop "feast-ival" starts Sunday in uptown Saint John, running until Nov. 7. This restaurant week gives uptown eateries a chance to promote their cuisine with daily Chop Chop specials.
Meanwhile, the annual Moncton Wine Expo kicks off its of wine and food this week, too, with a week of event starting Halloween night and culminating in grand tastings Nov. 6 and 7.
Pitting the Wine Expo against Chop Chop is a battle of the senses, but it's mostly a friendly one.
In truth, the draw from Saint John and Fredericton to the Moncton show is likely not very important Sunday to Thursday. It is hard to justify driving to a wine seminar or special tasting, then driving home. If you have friends and family to visit, or can afford a hotel, then, go for it.
Most of us will wait until the weekend, when wine lovers from all over New Brunswick, as well as some from Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, will converge on the Moncton Coliseum to sample more than 360 wines.
Chop Chop is the brainchild of a group of uptown restaurants that got together to plan a full-on restaurant week. Each of the 22 participants (visit www.chopchopfestival.tumblr.co for the list) will offer one, two or all three Chop Chop specials: a three-course dinner for $30, a two-course lunch for $12 or a special Chop Chop plate of nibblies for $10. Some restaurants may offer wine and beer pairings, as well.
The idea is that people can try a variety of restaurants during the week for very fair prices or, if they are super-keen, they can hit up a different place each night for the three-course dinner. That would give you an excellent feel for how far the Saint John dining culture has come in the last few years.
I'm always keen to taste what Chef Axel Begner of Opera Bistro and Chef Jesse Vergen of The Saint John Ale House have cooking. These two chefs are on the cutting edge in the region, and no doubt they'll whip up something extra special this week.
There are many others to watch, too.
Chef Charlie Burtt at Boilerworks is doing some great things, and Sebastian, Lemongrass and Thandi are all contenders. Seafood lovers should visit Grannan's, Steamers and Billy's Seafood. Sense of Tokyo on Waterloo Street is always fantastic - it is a sushi feastival there every week!
If you have not tried some of the newer restaurants, this is the perfect chance. Alley-Gria is the recently opened tapas bar on Prince William Street, and initial buzz about the food of chef/owner Stéphane Métayer, formerly of the Hilton but well-known for his catering, has been great. The Urban Deli on King Street has been pulling in great crowds since opening with house-made smoked meat, great soups, perfect fries and a convivial atmosphere. What a great addition to the city. And it is so nice to have a brew pub again, with Big Tide opening this summer on Princess Street. All are part of Chop Chop.
If you want to mix wine and food, I'm helping with "Chop Chop, Sip Sip" at happinez wine bar on Princess Street on Tuesday night, where we'll match wines with small plates.
Friday, though, I'm off to the grand tasting in Moncton, as I've done every year since moving to New Brunswick. It is a way to connect with everyone in the local industry and maybe meet a few visiting winery representatives from other countries.
There are some very exciting wines this year, too many to list (see wineexpo.ca for a full inventory). I plan to make a dent in the New Zealand Pinot Noirs before tasting some Burgundy for comparison. I'll try new Canadian wines, hit the German Rieslings, then gradually move over to the "big" reds.
There are many, from Argentina, California, Spain, Italy, South Africa and Chile. There are too many heavy-hitters to list. Be warned that if you want to buy any, there are often just a few cases of each, and they tend to move fast, especially if they won awards at the show competition that was judged in the spring.
One seminar you may be keen on is Bordeaux 101, Tuesday, at the Delta Beauséjour. For $50, you will get to taste some of the amazing 2005 Bordeaux on sale for the first time in New Brunswick. Last time I checked there was space. I wish I could go, but I can only be in one place at a time. I need a doppelganger!
Another special event I'd love to attend is the wine and food dinner on Wednesday at Little Louis' with Augusto Boffa from Pio Cesare, the famous Piedmont winery that has supplied New Brunswick with many delicious Barolos and Barbarescos over the years. Andrew Stevens is one of the best young chefs in Canada and is sure to do something incredibly yummy.
New Brunswick's wine and food scene gets better every year and two events of this calibre running concurrently is testament to that. Now get out there and enjoy it!
Cheers!
Craig Pinhey is a writer and Sommelier, available for private tastings. Visit him at www.frogspad.ca.
Chop Chop restaurants
Beatty & The Beastro
Big Tide Brewing Company
Billy's Seafood Company
Boilerworks
Church Street Steakhouse
Grannan's Seafood Restaurant
Happinez Wine Bar
Lemongrass and Pepper's Pub
Mexicali Rosa's
Opera Bistro
Saint John Ale House
Sebastian
Sense of Tokyo
Shucker's Restaurant & Bar
Steamers Lobster Company
Taco Pica
Thandi
The Brigantine
The Wild Carrot Café
Urban Deli
Vito's Dining Room & Lounge
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