Chef Jonathan Gushue, a returning Newfoundlander, tells a very eloquent food story. “We’re trying to take traditions and interpret how they would look in a contemporary setting,” he says. “We build on how people aged meat, how they dried fish, how they made sandwiches—throwing small salted fish pieces into a wood stove, then putting them on molasses buns with partridge berry jam and some aged cheddar.”

HOTEL REVIEW: FOGO ISLAND INN

The same thrill comes with suppertime. Root vegetables are popular (because they can be cellared), as are all manner of wild mushrooms, greens and berries—and cod cooked in every way possible. Guests tuck into pickled scallops with rhubarb and sweet cicely; poached halibut with smoked tomatoes and lobster cream. Things like moose tartare, salt-water lamb and roast duck thrill the carnivores, while squash dumplings and heirloom beets satisfy the vegetarians.

“We focus on flavours like a little view to the past, a taste of the past.”

The lamb bacon is incredible and so is the salt beef sandwich I mow down at luncheon. Now if I could only learn how to cure a moose…

TASTE TO TRY: COD SOUNDS
WHERE TO STAY: IN ST. JOHN’S
NEWFOUNDLANDANDLABRADOR.COM

The post Lamb bacon is a thing appeared first on TravelRight.Today.

The hospitality here is sublime. Guests get a feeling they’re at Grandma’s house and can do as they please. As a charitable, socially conscious business, the Inn reinvests profits in the Fogo Island community.

Vibe: Sweeping contemporary architecture is contrasted with interiors based on the history, traditions and cultural icons of Newfoundland. The result is an upscale take on the fishing village leitmotif, an unfussy prettiness that is understated yet sumptuous—a meeting of new and old. Colourful furniture, quilting and crafts punch up white-painted wood floors, walls and ceilings. A thought toward the essence of Newfoundland culture can be found at every turn.

Rooms: Ranging in size from 35 to 100 square metres, the 29 rooms and suites sport floor-to-ceiling North Atlantic views, handy binoculars, heated wooden floors, hand-crafted quilts and rugs, and locally produced furnishings. Toile wallpaper designs spotlight local architecture. Bathrooms feature electronic toilets and walk-in showers. Twenty-one rooms have wood-burning stoves and 11 rooms have soaker tubs.

F&B: The local Fogo Island flavours never stop. But don’t expect a larder full of the usual North American staples—you eat what is available in Newfoundland at that particular time of the year, with limited outside ingredients involved. Think foraged berries, mushrooms, wild greens; produce procured from neighbourhood community gardens; the freshest seafood, including the province’s ubiquitous and delicious cod; salt-cured meats and some wild game. Absolutely everything is homemade with menus changing frequently.

TASTE TO TRY: LAMB BELLY

Extras: The Inn features a lobby lounge and bar, tea room, art gallery, library and cinema. Wellness facilities include a gym, and rooftop saunas and hot tubs.

Off-Site: This part of the province is famous for parading icebergs, cavorting whales, wild storms and the Northern Lights. The resort’s Community Host Program matches local people with incoming guests to help orient them to the region and to its heritage. Free excursions include a range of natural, cultural, marine, and artistic activities: things like guided geological hikes, berry-picking and jam-making, boating and fishing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling, bike rides and bonfire nights.

Rate: $$$$$

Book Now

The post Newfoundland: Fogo Island Inn appeared first on TravelRight.Today.

WHERE TO STAY: IN ST. JOHN’S

McCarthy is at the forefront of this tradition-based wild-food movement, not by reimagining Newfoundland foodways, but by elevating what’s already there, preserving the food heritage. Visitors eat this up, while she picks berries, smokes a char, cures bacon, dresses a grouse.

The Instagram posts make me salivate on an hourly basis—and there are two. I just don’t think I could catch a rabbit in downtown Toronto, so this will have to do.

The post I ate a moose and I liked it appeared first on TravelRight.Today.

Vibe: At Inn by Mallard Cottage, two separate guest houses contain a total of just seven rooms, each so quaint you may never want to leave. Vacationing couples, business creatives, retirees—a mixed bag of relatively well-heeled guests comes here to relax for a few days and read a book. People celebrating a special occasion will book a big dinner at the renowned Mallard Cottage restaurant across the street, and then spend the night.

Rooms: Find high ceilings and king beds in 435 square feet of space with white painted wood walls and floors. Punches of colour come from the traditional wooden furniture and handmade quilts on the beds. There are no TVs, but a Tivoli radio with Bluetooth capability sets you up for sound. Big bathrooms have walk-in showers. Rooms are also equipped with a free bottle of wine and beers in the fridge (also free).

F&B: Once the private residence of the Mallard family, 18^th-century Mallard Cottage is a National Historic Site of Canada, refurbished as a restaurant in 2013. It focuses on seafood, wild game and local produce whipped into jazzed-up Newfoundland culinary staples. The menu is posted on Instagram every day and can include dishes like corn-fried cod cheeks, salt cod tartare, pickled mussels and hedgehog mushrooms—everything in season. Reservations are required. A daily hot breakfast is served there in high season, but the special treat is the little breakfast tray that arrives at your door in the morning, with coffee and baked treats.

ROAD TRIP: GO FORAGING

Extras: Hardy Boys books! The friendliness of this neck of the woods is unbeatable, like you’ve being invited into someone’s home. As such, the Inn’s multiuse common room has a big table, around which you can chat with whomever is handy, power up a laptop or pour yourself a drink from the common bar (also free).

Off-Site: Close to hiking and biking trails, fishing excursions and berry picking, this fishing community was first settled in the 16^th century. Quidi Vidi Village is a 10-minute drive from downtown, and you feel like you’re out of the city even though you’re not. It is also home to a visitors’ centre and art studios, as well as Newfoundland’s largest micro-brewery, Quidi Vidi Brewery. The airport is 20 minutes away.

Rate: $$

Book Now

The post St. John’s: Inn by Mallard Cottage appeared first on TravelRight.Today.