Raising a Baby in St. John's: Fine Dining with a Baby

Now that Thomas is able to sit up in a high chair (yay!), I wanted to put together this round up of fine dining establishments in St. John's that have a high chair. It's great to know there are high and (medium!) end dining options for the whole family to enjoy -- not only to be able to bring baby along to avoid the costs of a sitter, but also to expose baby to the enjoyment of dining out. As Thomas grows up, it is a priority for me that he be comfortable (meaning enjoy eating) and able (meaning having the appropriate table manners) to eat at a high end restaurant. In St. John's, high chairs can be found at (in alphabetical order):

• Aqua
• Bacalao
• Bianca's
• Blue on Water
  
• The Casbah
• Get Stuffed
• Indian Gate
• The Keg
• Oppidian
• Piatto
• The Peppermill
• Portobello's
• The Rooms Cafe
• The Sprout
  

In completing my round up, some restaurants (Duck on Water, Oliver's, The Cellar and Chinched Bistro notably) let me know that while they don't have a high chair, they encourage patrons to bring along a booster seat as they're child friendly. Annexe Resto also mentioned that they plan to buy a high chair soon (as they're a new establishment). I also couldn't reach anyone at Basho or Yellowbelly, so I'm not sure about their status? Anyone know? If I missed somewhere, please let me know. I'd love to add them to the list!

What I Order: Piatto

This Saturday, my mom kindly watched T so that Greg and I could go out and celebrate my birthday. We chose one of our favourite casual places - Piatto. It was a delicious and fun meal with my dream date, what more could a girl ask for? Thank you Gregory for a beautiful birthday.

Piatto Pizzeria + Enoteca, 377 Duckworth Street, St. John's, NL
Monday - Thursday 11:30 am - 10:00 pm / Friday - Saturday 11:30 am - 11:00 pm / Sunday - 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Antipasti
Olive Brushetta
Prosciutto Pacchi - fresh mozzarella wrapped in prosciutto and baked in tomato sauce

Pizze Rosso
Della Terra - fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, mushrooms, olives, artichoke hearts + grana padano

Drink
San Pellegrino

Dessert
Limoncello Tart

Images via Piatto.

Our Favourite Places: Cook St. Helena

A friend recently asked for advice on vacationing in the Napa Valley, which got me thinking about our honeymoon and the many delicious meals we enjoyed during that time. I found myself recalling the most casual and affordable lunch we enjoyed on those first blissful days of marriage - sharing a platter of antipasti at Cook St. Helena complete with salumi, roasted garlic, percorino, olives and crostini. Sometimes it's these simple meals that leave a lasting impression. Images via Magourty and Wander and Whimsy.

Our Favourite Places: Rocket Bakery & Fresh Food

Our favourite place in St. John's for a casual lunch and chat? The Rocket! We fit in at least one meal a week at this bakery. Images by Lisa Moffat and Matt Jiggins.

A way to share our favourite places (shops, restaurants, hangouts, vacation spots etc.), I'll be posting images of the locations where we make (and have made) our favourite memories occasionally here on Horizontal Stripes.

What I Order: Bivver

Bivver, Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland, Cavendish Square, St. John's, NL
Sunday - Wednesday 12:00 pm - 12:00 am / Thursday - Saturday 12:00 pm - 1:00 am

Meal
Club Sandwich with home fries and chipotle aioli

Drink
Dreamsicle

Images courtesy of Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland.

What I Order: Chinched

Chinched Bistro, 7 Queen Street, St. John's, NL
Dinner: Tuesday-Saturday, 6:00 pm to Close

Appetizer
Potato Bisque with bacon and cheddar fritter and chive sour cream

Entree
Flatbread with olive oil poached local cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, olives and arugula

Dessert
Chinched Pavlova: Swiss meringue, poached pears, chocolate sauce and walnuts

Images courtesy of Chinched Bistro.

How to: Eat Alone in a Restaurant

These days even getting a shower alone (meaning without a baby sitting outside the tub in a bouncy chair) sounds like a luxury, but there was a time when my work (due to travel) often saw me eating alone in restaurants. I admit, it did take time to gather the courage to go into an actual restaurant (instead of getting a quick bite to go or ordering in room service), but once you've done it, it becomes a freeing possibility -- being able to eat anywhere you choose, even if you're flying solo.

While I'm not quite back to work yet (another 8 months or so), I recently picked up two great tips on dining alone:

1. It must be done with intention. This means no texting or gazing at your phone. If you do this, you risk looking like you're waiting for someone to show up, and then when they don't arrive, you look like you've been stood up.

2. Look at it as an opportunity to have you senses heightened. Dining alone is the perfect opportunity to really savour the flavours of the meal you're enjoying since there's no one to distract you. Try something new and try to guess the ingredients. If you're stumped, perhaps the waitstaff will help enlighten you.

Painting via Carol Marine.

What I Order: Aqua

Aqua, 310 Water Street, St. John's, NL

Dinner: Monday to Sunday, 5:30 - 10:00 pm

Raw Bar

Salmon Sashimi - wasabi miso dressing, pea sprouts, soy beans, pickled carrots and tempura crisps

Appetizer

Pear and Rocket Salad - red onion pickle, candied walnuts, blue cheese and honey curry dressing

Meat

Southern Fried 1/4 Chicken - old fashioned potato salad, collard greens, buttermilk biscuits and spiced cajun honey

Dessert

Roasted Parsnip Cake - caramel cream cheese icing and crispy parsnips

Cocktail

Sweet Apple Martini - vodka, Disaronno and granny smith juice

This post is the first in a new series of entries detailing my favourite meals at my favourite restaurants around St. John's that will appear periodically on the blog. I'd love to hear your recommendations as well. xo Images via Aqua Restaurant.

Critic

I'm reading Garlic and Sapphires, and am adoring every page (thank you, Gregory). With the conclusion of every chapter, I'm yearning to be a food critic more and more.

Town

Right now, there are plenty of reasons for St. John's residents to be excited. I'm particularly pleased with the following developments:

1. The Possibility of a Good Burger - Hopefully sometime soon, Greg and I will have a chance to check out Basic Burger Joint, which is set to open in the former Mustang Sally's. Greg's always on the hunt for a delicious burger, and I adore homemade fries. Apparently, the restaurant will only be open for five weeks, at first, to test the waters. Here's to hoping the fare is good enough to warrant sticking around. St. John's sure needs a burger replacement with the closing of Folly last week. Image via Dublin.

2. The Possibility of Recycling Glass - With the long-desired emergence of public curbside recycling has come a decision to not collect glass and plastic bags. Atlantic Blue is stepping up (for $5 a month) to collect those glass bottles that the city has prohibited from its program.

3. The Possibility of Great Pizza - Piatto Pizzaria and Enocteca is now open. Dining there is on my to-do list. For more thoughts on local pizza, check out this blog.

Epicurean

Tonight, in honour of a big accomplishment of Greg's (news forthcoming), I'm treating him to celebratory dinner at the Epicurean Kitchen. The Kitchen opens only once a month and the menu is a mystery of local and Italian influences (tonight at least!), but I'll be sure to share a full review of this mysterious establishment after we're experienced such. Image via The Shakhanovite Twins.

P.S. I'll be wearing a fab black and blue silk top from Model Citizens snagged this afternoon on an impromptu shopping trip at the tail end of a walk all over town.

Soup

Tonight's dinner menu consisted of apple, turnip and brie soup from Red House Soups (delicious!) with a side of Mad Men and ice cream sundaes for dessert. I love Friday-evenings-in with my husband! I'm also super excited to see which soups will be posted next for purchase. Image via Red House Soups.

Raymond's

Greg and I love to eat at home around our coffee table, in fine dining establishments and at casual mom-and-pop diners. I'm beyond excited about Raymond's - the newest culinary gem on the St. John's restaurant scene that's set to open this fall in the former Brother TI Murphy Centre. A menu similar to the original Atlantica paired with a location that assists in the further revitalization of East Water? Oh yeah, and a view of The Narrows to boot? Perfect. I'm already considering wardrobe options for a date night there this fall when it opens. Images via The Scope and Signal.

P.S. I'm also keen to try Chinched and am pretty excited about StitchUp - finally someone is recognizing St. John's street style!

Picnic

As a token of appreciation for registering with the store for our wedding, Home on Water gave us a gift certificate for Lighthouse Picnics and we plan to make good use of it this coming Labour Day weekend. I'm excited to munch on a seafood club sandwich with smoked salmon and cold water shrimp, rhubarb upside down cake and an orzo, pepper and fresh mint salad while gazing out over the rugged north Atlantic! All images via Lighthouse Picnics.

J

Greg and I are go-out-to-eat-on-Friday-night types - date night, we like to call it! But last night we broke routine and headed out for a mid-week date night. I highly recommend the minor switch that has reinvigorated our week. I think we'll spend this Friday night at home, making pizzas from scratch and working in the garden. Bliss.

Also, check out J on Duckworth for Korean food, if you haven't already. It's delicious and the perfect mid-week (or week-end) date haunt with a fantastic proprietor to boot. Image via The Scope.

Diner

I have a penchant for diners. I love French fries and milkshakes, and I'm slowly learning to enjoy burgers. Every time Greg and I visit Vancouver, we stop at the fantastic Moderne Burger on West Broadway with family and friends. We always have such fun! St. John's desperately needs a 50s Diner and Malt Shop. To make a diner-worthy, vanilla milkshake - I recommend this recipe.

Sushi

I've seen patrons often dump wasabi in their soy sauce! Tisk Tisk. This cartoon makes me wish I wasn't constrained to a bland diet. I miss munching on a spicy tuna roll. Cartoon via Swiss Miss.

Picnic

Greg and I have a simple go-to dinner that often chases a heavy lunch - a coffee table picnic.

Yesterday afternoon, we were running about big box land collecting lots of paper in various shades of plum, violet, grape and mauve to begin creating the paper concept for our wedding (my current projects include menus and programs). The skies were dropping buckets of rain and we decided (rather, Greg offered) to grab lunch at The Narrows. We cuddled in the corner booth and enjoyed a stacked high burger complete with a pickle (for him) and a swiss cheese and portobello mushroom pita (for me) with a side of salty fries! Yum.

After indulging midday, it seemed fitting to look to a lighter meal in the pm. As the hunger pangs hit around 7 pm, my mind turned immediately to our favourite coffee table picnics. We turn on a fun TV show, set the table with colourful place mats, and serve tomatoes topped with fresh pepper and sea salt, ripe strawberries, a sliced baguette with bread and balsamic vinaigrette (for dipping) and slices of aged cheddar. To wash down these simple delights, we pour a pair of high glasses of orange and cranberry juice.

In 2010, thus far, I've been relishing the simple pleasures. Coffee table picnics are a certain simple pleasure. The image above is our living room - the beloved venue of our coffee table picnics.

Folly

During Christmas of 2007, I discovered Tangled Up in Blue - an Australian bistro on Bates Hill in St. John's. It was instant love and the cafe became the de facto place to catch up with friends on a birthday or random weekend (including playing host to my 24th birthday). While living in Alberta, a friend mentioned that Tangled had closed. I was quite saddened. Thankfully the place underwent a metamorphosis and reemerged as Folly on Bates, a late night restaurant operating between 6 pm and 6 am most evenings. Happily, Greg and I will be joining friends there tonight for a friend's birthday (Happy Birthday Amanda!). I'm looking forward to checking out their new menu!

Here's a shot of me and my dear friends Erin and Elyse at Tangled Up in Blue during Christmas 2008. All other images via Folly.

Cantine

I love Edmontonian David Cantine's acrylic on plexiglass paintings. Those of you who've been to Leva might recognise his work. His still lifes make the perfect point of reflection while enjoying a spinach and feta pizza, San Pellegrino and cream cheese icing cupcakes, as Greg and I did this evening. Images via the Peter Robertson Gallery.