Wicked Summer Eats....in Newfoundland

For all you A Wicked Scoff readers and Facebook Fans, be sure to pick up the July issue of Downhome Magazine to read my article on wicked summer eats in Newfoundland. If you live in Newfoundland, will find yourself vacationing there this summer, or have an intrinsic interest in "The Rock", I think you'll enjoy my top 10 list of places I plan on eating at this summer. While my list is capped, there are many more establishments around the Island that I hope to check out. Be sure to send me your selections of restaurants, take-outs and the like that I just have to go check out. Whether its your favorite fish and chips spot, best home-style cooking restaurant that will make me think I'm back in Nan's kitchen or the best ice cream stand, I want to know about it. Drop me a line here on the blog, on A Wicked Scoff's Facebook Fan Page or by email at awickedscoff@gmail.com.

I look forward to hearing from you. In the meantime, here are a couple of my "wicked summer eats" picks. For the rest make sure to pick up your copy of Downhome Magazine. And remember, if you haven't hit like on the Facebook page, and you do like A Wicked Scoff, be sure ti visit. Right now we're at 282 fans, lets see if we can hit 300 this week!

Sample of Wicked Summer Eats (Downhome Magazine July 2011)

The Rooms Café – I’ll likely drive back into St. John’s the day before I fly out so I can spend more time with old friends. Resuming a tradition I started on my last trip home, I’ll fuel my appetite with a brisk early morning hike out through the battery and up and down Signal Hill. That hike has to be one of the best gems of any city in North America and I am going to take full advantage. From there I’m driving straight to The Rooms, where from the café there you’ll be treated with a view out the narrows and down over the jelly bean coloured houses and other unique architecture that give St. John’s its character. While I know the view from The Rooms is spectacular, I’ve never eaten at the café, but from the look of their menu I might be hard pressed to go just once. I’m thinking a hearty traditional Newfoundland breakfast of toutons, baked beans, and local apple sausages with some Jumping Bean coffee will be just what the doctor order for this soul. I’m pretty sure if I was still living in the “sin city” that The Rooms Café would be a weekly ritual.

The Duke of Duckworth – After a scoff like that for breakfast I’ll probably skip lunch. Hopefully it will be a nice clear day and I can continue taking in the view around the city by heading up to Pippy Park with some buddies for a round of golf. Walking that hilly course on a hot August afternoon will surely work up my thirst and appetite and by the end of it my mouth will be watering for a cold pint of local brew and some of the best fish and chips (fee and chee as the townies call it) the city has to offer. The best place for that combo in my opinion is The Duke of Duckworth, an English style pub with excellent atmosphere and a large selection of beer on tap. “The Duke” as it is affectionately known, is a landmark in the City of Legends and is likely even more popular since I have been there as it is featured on the hit CBC show The Republic of Doyle. While there are no shortage of good fish and chips places in Newfoundland, The Duke makes as good a feed of fee and chee as I’ve ever had. The fries are hand cut and the fish is fresh, flaky with a thin, crispy and bubbly batter. I’m salivating right now just thinking about it. In order to work this meal off and to prevent getting loggy, I dare say I’ll end up walking down to Shamrock City to listen to some much missed live Newfoundland-Irish music and possibly do a jig or two. It’s going to be a real scoff and a scuff kind of night.