It’s the weekend, and that means that Dining at The Doctor’s House is in full swing. Our new Executive Chef Chris Chafe is already making waves with his fantastic new Spring Menu, currently available Thursday through Sunday by reservation. Creatively prepared and elegantly presented, Chris’ dishes have already become huge hits in a short time. Above is his fabulous Roasted Beet Salad, featuring Inn-made ricotta, orange, pickled radish, candied pecans and arugula. Below, Pan Fried Local Cod, with parsnip puree and poached apple, and Herb and Dijon Crusted Spring Lambchops. All too good to pass up – so please call 709-582-2754 to make your reservation!
Green House Coming Soon
This project is near and dear to our hearts. Along with our many other projects at The Doctor’s House (like building The Big Barn for the upcoming wedding season), we’re also building a green house. We’re going to use it to grow produce for our Dining Room (talk about local!) – everything from herbs, of course, to elery, cucumber, pumpkin, ground cherries, tomatoes, and more. Our salads will be garden fresh, and we’re going to have a lot of fun doing it! We’ll also be growing cut flowers for the rooms. We’ll keep you posted as we populate these homes with plants!
Eat the Hill Leftovers
A few left over shots sent by a friend who also enjoyed Eat the Hill last week, a yearly event in Clarenville to celebrate local food and cooking. If ever there was a doubt that we boast world-class chefs on this magical island of ours, that weekend made clear how great their talent really is. Just like I’m sure the happy couples enjoying our special Valentine’s meal will see this weekend.
So Happy Valentine’s to you and yours, and I hope you have a loving day filled with lots of good food, lots of good desserts, and lots of, well, love!
Eat the Hill Day 3 – The Best for Last
Our last day at the annual Eat the Hill – an extravaganza in Clarenville showcasing local chefs, ingredients and cooking – was the best of the weekend. We got to meet all the chefs one-on-one, which was a treat. But of course not as big a treat as the food they prepared, all which was like nothing I’ve ever tasted. Cod tacos, braised beef on mashed potatoes, special sliders, Newfoundland-style gnocchi, apple pork pie and deserts – it was all truly unbelievable, an original food mosaic that was so unique and so ‘Newfoundland’ and so delicious. We’ll definitely be back next year and encourage you to keep this great event on your radar.
We also enjoyed a performance from Clarenville band, Disisit. They were stunning, one of the best local band I’ve heard. Great times, great people, great venue – Eat the Hill was probably the best time we’ve had in at least a year.
The Berry and I were at Eat the Hill on behalf of the wonderful LCENDMO, the Legendary Coasts of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador Destination Management Organization, of which I’m currently the vice-chair. We’ve gotten so much out of membership from LCENDMO, sing its praises whenever we can, and encourage others in our region to sign up. You won’t regret it.
If you’d like to see more photos of our weekend, please see our album on our Facebook page. It’s back to the usual grind for us now (we’re currently renovating at The Doctor’s House and promoting our new winter package at the cottages, Stay in and Stay Warm), but we’ll treasure the memory of this wonderful weekend, and can’t wait for next year.
Eat the Hill Day 2
This weekend, Laurelyn and I were lucky enough to represent the Legendary Coasts of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador Destination Management Organization at the brilliant, second annual Eat the Hill at the White Hills Resort in Clarenville. Here’s Day Two:
With a spectacular venue, 160 people showed up to experience seven chefs from St. John’s, Marystown, Clarenville and the Bonavista area celebrating our food in our place with our local ingredients. Yes – it was all as amazing as you would expect.
Our evening started with hors d’oeuvres and martinis, followed by a seven course meal from the seven artist/chefs. We had bread, scallops, salad, scallop bisque, halibut, dessert, and coffee. All prepared in a unique way with a unique Newfoundland and Labrador taste.
It was one taste explosion after another. Then Kelly Ann Evans got up to entertain and again blew us away. Like our chefs, she and her group are also great artists. How blessed are we in this province to have such artists walk amongst us? And better still, we are so grateful that they choose to stay here when they could make fortunes elsewhere.
The Berry and I made lots of new friends and really enjoyed ourselves. Being a member of this organization has been such a positive experience, and it can do wonderful things for others in the Destination Management Organization. I would encourage anyone in our region to sign up and get the benefits that come with membership. It is the best value package I have seen in a very long time.
For more pictures of Day 2, please see our Facebook page. And we love using our blog and social media to promote regional tourism events, so stay tuned to learn more about upcoming happenings as we move into spring. Tomorrow I’ll be sharing ‘Day 3’ at Eat the Hill plus some video – see you then!
Day Trips: Grow Dat Farms
I took this picture on a recent day trip to Grow Dat Farms. I’m always talking up the great day trips you can take on the Baccalieu Trail, so this summer, in our very limited free time, The Berry and I are trying to practice what we preach. Grow Dat Farms in nearby Heart’s Delight was a great place to start. They’ve got fruit, flowers, vegetables, and herbs, all organic and fresh. And of course, chickens! We love their hen house – makes me wonder if it’s something I could replicate at The Doctor’s House. Regardless, it’s a fun place to visit, and just a reminder to guests – we love giving recommendations if you’re looking for fun things to do in the area, and we have a list of local activities here.
Maiden Voyage
Life is different out on the water! We took Boston Whaler, the A Wake at Last, out for the first spin of the season the other day. The engine worked like a charm – what a comfort to go out on the water and be ‘pretty’ sure you won’t have to call someone to tow you back.
Then we met up with Andy and Uncle Jay from Cavendish, who were diving for muscles. They gave us a tub full of them. They were the freshest muscles I’d ever seen and they were sweet when we ate them an hour later. All in all, it was a great start to the boating season.
Fillet Like A Pro
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That’s the way you do it! Here’s Alf, filleting a fresh catch for our guests. He’s not even trying to go fast!