In a previous Food Friday post, I mentioned that I did an East Coast road trip last year. The main reason why we chose the East Coast was because of Food Network’s You Gotta Eat Here. John Catucci was New Brunswick and actually featured this restaurant. The dishes looked so scrumptious that we just had to go!
You know you’re a foodie when you plan a trip based on a restaurant!
[custom_box width=”60%” bgcolor=”#D5F2B6″ border_color=”#3F9F29″ text_color=”#3F9F29″ icon_url=”https://www.fionaman.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/knife-fork.jpg”]RESTAURANT: Saint John Ale Houseo
ADDRESS: 1 Market Square Saint John, NB E2L 1E8
CUISINE: Seafood, Pub Food
PHONE: (506) 657-2337
WEBSITE: http://www.saintjohnalehouse.com[/custom_box]
Since we’re in the East Coast, we just had to order Raw Oysters. Who can resist? I believe these were Malpeque oysters which happens to be one of my favourites. These oysters have a very light and clean taste with the perfect balance of sweetness and creaminess. The mignonette was well paired with the oysters as it had a pickle-like liveliness.
Oysters
Shucked, Lemon, Mignonette
The Grill Calamari was cooked to perfection. The lemon and green onion added a brightness to the dish with the chili oil giving it that extra “oomph”.
Grilled Calamari
Lemon, Chili Oil, Green Onion, Sea Salt
Here’s the pièce de résistance and the reason why we came to Saint John Ale House…the Big Lobster Roll. When we watched John Catucci and Chef Jesse make this, our mouths started to salivate. The roll was jam packed with lobster and incorporating lobster mayo was a brilliant idea. The sourdough bun added a nice contrast and was crunchy, soft, and warm!
Just to forewarn you, as I was a bit taken aback by this, the price of this dish is listed as “Market Price”. It definitely wasn’t cheap and came out to $35. Because we made the trip out East for this particular dish, we just accepted the cost. Was it well worth $35? Probably not as I would have loved a large warm lobster instead. But it was an experience on our vacation!
Big Lobster Roll
Meat from a Freshly shucked Lobster, chopped lettuce, lobster mayo, sourdough bun
Look how big it is!
my signature “pointing at the food” shot
Another dish that we saw being made on TV was the Chocolate Guinness Cake. Chocolate and beer? Come on…that’s a no brainer! It wasn’t as dense as a flourless chocolate cake but still decadent. The whiskey caramel just oozed down the cake and with every bite of the moist cake, I had to close my eyes and go “mmmm”. Honestly, you could hardly taste the Guinness in the cake and the whiskey in the caramel. By adding the Guinness into the cake, it really did cut down the sweetness of the chocolate. What a great way to end off the meal!
Chocolate Guinness Cake
Whiskey Caramel
Service was impeccable. We actually arrived just after the lunch rush so we had the restaurant to ourselves. Our server was attentive and gave us some great insight into the dish, the area, and what places to hit up in Prince Edward Island.
What made the experience that much more special was that Chef Jesse came out from the kitchen! He greeted us and wanted to see how we were enjoying the dishes. The persona he projected on TV was exactly how he is like in real life. He’s goofy, funny, charming, and super knowledgeable! Overall, ’twas a good idea to go to the East
