A true food experience, a feast, and a farm.
Get ready to feast!
Full disclaimer. This was the best food experience I have ever had. Michelin stars don't compare. Street food is garbage by comparison. Downtown atmosphere will leave you wanting after this.
Another Disclaimer: The pictures are not great. We were having too much fun. We signed up for the Fireworks Feast at the Inn at Bay Fortune on Prince Edward Island expecting a fancy meal with fresh ingredients. What we got was a party in our mouths that lasted for hours and spanned two days.
4:00 PM Git yer duds in order
The road to Bay Fortune leads through picturesque farm country. On the way you pass The Inn at Fortune Bridge, the sister property, and its 1950s Bentley. The car is cool, and its basically the Inns ferry for people who plan to drink.
As soon as we arrive we are greeted with chocolate chip and tonka bean cookies. In addition to this the cocktails hour starts at 4 and runs until 5.
5:00 PM Farm tour
For those who are interested in learning about where their food comes from there is a farm tour that spans the grounds. You will see experimental plans (this year was cherry tomatoes), green houses full of herbs, pigs, chickens, mushrooms, and huge piles of oyster shells.
6:00 PM Fire Garden Oyster Hour
This is where the big show began. on the Farm tour we were shown a "Fire Garden". This was a large open space decorated with lobster traps. There were statins throughout the area which each contained a form of live fire to cook food. Smokers, grills, a giant rock with burning coals on top of it for poaching oysters. It was great. But the food! what follows is a list of everything available. Each item was served on a "all you can eat" basis. There was also a separate bar with different cocktails from the earlier bar.
Bay Fortune Oysters: Poached on the Oyster Rock in Love butter , or with caviar, or with frozen Caesar, or "Plain". I ate at least 30. The raw oysters with the frozen Caesar were the most interesting. Sharp and fresh with the right amount of salt. The caviar Oysters were the most challenging. it was a BIG hit of the ocean and salt.
Beef and Mushroom tacos cooked on The Fire Alter: Lobster mushrooms, lobster roe butter, beef shank, collards, tarragon gremolata, and chili oil. There was a lot going on. basically a surf and turf bitesize taco. It was rich with a little bit of pop provided by the gremolata and oil. I had about 10.
Pork Belly Sizzlers (not pictured): Thinly sliced porkbelly wrapped around a metal spike and grilled on an open flame until charred. It was then doused in honey, whitbier salt, and a mix of greens. Very Salty, Very Fatty, Very Sweet. Just plain good. I ate a dozen.
Sustainable smoked salmon: A crisp made of gouda and seeds topped with smoked salmon, black apple emulsion, and flowers. This was a texture star. the cracker was crispy, the smoked salmon was hearty, the emulsion was creamy. I lost count of how many of these I ate.
By this time I was already stuffed. Dinner hadn't even started.
7:00 PM The log that broke the camels back
After gorging ourselves like medieval lords in the Fire Swamp we were treated to a multi course dinner that started with an entire loaf of bread and what seemed like a pound of butter/pate/whipped cheese and followed through with 5 courses that hit like Mike Tyson in 1988.
Bread Tree: We were presented with a loaf of bread, spiked on a metal tree, surrounded by whipped maple brown butter, pork and cheddar pate, and fresh cheese. Of course we are all of it because our decision making skills were lost in a fog of food. The bread was lightly sour, the cheese light, the pate was a dream of clogged arteries, and the butter was a monsters dessert.
East Coast Chowder: Bacon, mussels, bar clam, rock crab, haddock, scallop, salt cod, lobster, beach wort, dulse, and a potato cracker shaped like an anchor. This gloriously small mason jar was full of richness and the ocean. surprisingly light while still sustaining the rich feel of a true maritime chowder.
Our Farm: Next up was a duo of plates. One that represented the earth with three root vegetable purees or ash baked beet, smoked parsnip, and roasted carrot. it also included lentil sprouts, a faux salty dirt, and baby vegetables. This mixed crunchy and smooth, with crispy raw veggies, and whiffs of smoke.
The other plate was a salad of far too many greens, herbs, and flowers to list here. It was dressed with a cider vinegar, honey, and canola oil. We were told to mix the plates together in what would eventually become a very heart and creamy salad.
Land and Sea: We were served two separate main courses
Plancha Seared Halibut with, mustard pickles, fennel salad, fennel oil. The halibut was nice and salty with a perfectly crispy sear. The fennel was strong. Usually fennel is a pretty weak flavour but it popped here.
Smoked beef brisket and grilled flat iron steak with something called Liquid Steak ( or Beef Jus for normal people). Classic, Perfect, Tender, Salty.
Both were served with Lard Poached potato, peas, kale, kraut, turnips, squash (ummer and winter). and blistered tomatoes. I will note that there was also a vegan option of Chia Lentil Cake.
Dessert: A haskap berry and tarragon entremet. An entremet is traditional served as a kind of multilayered dessert. a desert lasagna. It was served with a lemon verbana cream, Tarragon anglais, haskap meringue, and haskap basil ice-cream. At this point we were basically dying from food intake. We could barely move. but the basil icecream was awesome. and turned our entire mouths green. The combination of a savory herb with the sweetness was interesting. Despite not even being able to consume a simple mouthful of water at this point the Inn staff left a couple of chocolate truffles on our door handle. Of course, I ate mine immediately.
What happens when you wake up full and served breakfast in bed anyway?
Included with our stay was a breakfast of champions that would make Tony the Tiger cry.
Fresh blueberries, apple cider, house made yogurt with strawberry compote, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, honey and oats.
A brisket sandwich with egg, salsa Verde aioli, caramelized onions, and gouda on a milk bun.
Cured salmon gravlax with labneh cheese, chive flower, sumac, pickled red onion, and egg on a wood fired sesame bagel.
Three chewy caramel cinnamon rolls.
Coffee
And a mimosa kit that would have quenched the thirst of 40 dehydrated dragons.
It was foolish to say the least. everything was amazing. I cant even describe it at this point.
Upon checkout they gave us a still warm loaf of sourdough bread.
It is 2 weeks later and I am still full!
What do I think?
Food experiences like this are hard to find. I have had food that I have enjoyed more. I have had more creative and interesting food. But I have never had a full experience like this. I could do this over and over for the rest of my life. I will be looking hard for experiences like this when we travel. I will still enjoy Michelin starred dinners, tasting menus, food tours, street food, bakeries and the like. They offer tastes I enjoy. But a true, full on experience. A Food party. interaction with chefs and farmers. That is the new gold standard for me.
TL;DR
Overall rating: 10/10 No where else I have eaten in Canada comes close. A few international restaurants with Michelin star, tasting menus, famous chefs, and unique ingredients have offered similar quality.
Why you should go there: Based on food alone this is a "Must" experience for anyone who loves food. Based on price alone this is a special anniversary trip, a once in a lifetime experience.
Price Point: $$$$ You can certainly find more expensive food in large cities, european wineries, and celebrity kitchens. However this is the major downside for the Inn at Bay Fortune. The dinner alone will set you back $150 per person ( Some years I have seen in listed for 125, some years for 175). Add to this the fact that it is almost impossible to get a reservation without booking a room ($350 per night) this is pretty unattainable for most people.
Atmosphere: Very relaxed family BBQ feel. Dress up or dress down. talk with strangers, talk with Michael Smith. do what you want. You are paying enough, don't stress about anything.
Food Style: Maritime through and through. Picky eaters and adventurous gluttons alike will love it. Tourists will get a true look at what Maritimers eat. Maritimers will have incredible versions of foods they grew up with.
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