Food is a way of life on Prince Edward Island. With fresh, local ingredients from the land and sea, the incredibly talented chefs will take your culinary experience to a whole other level. There’s a reason Prince Edward Island is called “Canada’s Food Island,” and it has a lot to do with how passionate the locals are about their food culture and restaurants. The food on the island is fantastic, and the seafood is world class. You can get unbelievable mussels just about anywhere, and if there are oysters, lobster or any other seafood on the menu that’s the place to go.
The Claddagh Oyster House is the top ranked restaurant in Charlotte town, rated numero uno on Trip Advisor and it is not hard to see why. Enjoy oysters caught in a number of different locations across PEI, alongside fresh seafood and meat dishes. Another favorite of ours in North Rustico, close to where we will be staying on the North shore is the Blue Mussel Cafe a fabulous place for seafood, serving up everything from chowder and crab cakes to their famous steamed mussels. Darlene even got the recipe for their Seafood Bubbly Bake, soooo good. If lobster is your shellfish of choice, you won’t find better than those at Water Prince Corner Shop and Lobster Pound. Found on the corner of Water and Prince streets in a beautiful, classic blue-painted building, the restaurant has been pleasing local foodies for over two decades. Lastly, for food that comes with a side helping of art, plan a trip to The Dunes Studio Gallery and Cafe. Watch pottery being made, shop for local jewelery and crafts, and browse the extensive gardens before sitting down with a fresh-brewed coffee and delicious meal.
We are all in for another great culinary experience, Chef Michael Smith’s Firework Feast. For those of you who don’t know who Michael Smith is he is a celebrity chef who has numerous shows on the Food Network. He’s built an inn on his property called the Inn at Fortune Bay, which is a stone’s throw from the water, and features a phenomenal collection of gardens. Your evening starts by grabbing a sangria, gin and tonic or another beverage of your choice and takes you out to the back part of the property where there are stations setup for appetizers. All of the food for the evening is prepared over an open flame (hence the Fireworks name), and you leisurely stroll among the gardens and sample some of the finest appetizers you’ll ever have in your life. It only gets better as we are treated to more fabulous dishes, but I don’t want to tell you too much as it will be great for you to be surprised. It was an experience that we will always remember.