Gourmet Dining at Trout Point: Fresh Seafood Cuisine, Taste of Nova Scotia, Extensive Wine List

"They come for the seafood" Globe & Mail

Dining and Wine at Trout Point, Nova Scotia
"it's really the food that shines at this gourmet wilderness lodge."
Frances MacKinnon, Air Canada OnAir

Trout Point Lodge's kitchen deftly brings to fruition savoury creations by drawing from traditi onal cooking techniques combined with fresh local ingredients. Fare intertwines wild mushrooms & plants, produce from local growers as well as the on-site gardens, and the ethical selection of the North Atlantic's freshest seafood to create a unique and unforgettable dining experience in daily-changing prix-fixe (i.e. set) menus.

Trout Point cuisine reflects place and time without undue emphasis on food styling. The art is in the preperation of the food, with flavour given top priority. Chef-proprietors Vaughn Perret and Charles Leary started as some of Louisiana's first organic farmers, and draw inspiration from substantial time living in places as diverse as Rome, Granada, Central America, and China. They are now the only members of Relais & Chateaux in Nova Scotia, a family of hoteliers and Grands Chefs from all over the world who share a passion for and a personal commitment to ensuring their guests are privy to moments of exceptional harmony.

"To choose Relais & Châteaux is to experience an unforgettable celebration of the senses."

A hallmark of Trout Point's cuisine is the use of the Lodge's own in-house ingredients:
--House cold-smoked salmon, scallops, trout, and swordfish;
--Home-made cheeses like chevre, ricotta, and fresh mozzarella;
--Vegetables, herbs, and salad greens from the Lodge's ever epanding gardens;
--Desserts, ice creams, sorbets, and artisansal breads made daily.

The dining rooms serve Nova Scotia seafood Table d'hôte style, with daily-changing fixed seafood menus. Local salmon, lobster, scallops, monkfish, halibut, haddock, sole, tuna, oysters, mussels, and other seafood form the primary ingredients; wild chanterelles, porcini, or seabeans; garden-fresh organic produce; and always homemade breads and desserts constitute a part of every candlelit dinner.

The intimate restaurant, flanked by two granite fireplaces and a wood-burning grilling oven, serves lunches and dinners en famille at long wooden tables. Dress is in the main Dining Room is always smart casual. Dress code in the Napier Club requires a jacket and tie for dinner.

Those wanting a romantic table for two need only ask before mealtime.

The Dining Room overlooks the Tusket River just a stone's throw away, and in the summer months patio dining forms a favorite option. Wines and bar service are available to compliment every meal.

"Roughing it never tasted so good." Genevieve Paiement, enRoute

"With its quiet setting, romantic water views, exhilerating outdoor adventures and exquisite culinary delights, a visit to Trout Point Lodge nourishes both body and soul."American Eagle Latitudes

Chef/proprietors Vaughn Perret & Charles Leary have had their culinary talents praised by a variety of sources, including Travel & Leisure, Food & Wine, and ForbesTraveler. They previously operated Chicory Farm and the Chicory Farm Cafe in New Orleans, and count among just a handful of North Americans inducted into the French Guilde des fromagers in 1994. Their food emphasizes what is fresh, local organic vegetables, herbs, wild foods, and seafood as complimented by culinary talents honed in Louisiana, Spain, France, and Italy.The Trout Point Lodge Cookbook: Creole Cuisine from New Orleans to Nova Scotia was published by Random House to rave reviews.

The Full Board Plan provides two guests with three meals per day for $205.00 (in addition to the room tariff). Half Board is $172.00. Seating in the Dining Room is limited, and reservations are required for lunch and dinner. The lunch seating is at 1:00 p.m. and the dinner seating is at 7:30 p.m (7:00 p.m. after September 20). The dinner seating only is open to the general public by advance reservation--761-2142.

Please note that meals usually consist of seafood. Vegetarian options are available with advance notice. Child meals usually consist of smaller portions of the regular menu.

Not to belittle any of Trout Point’s many compelling features – fishing, hiking, canoeing, hot tub – but the main attraction is the cooking. In Trout Point’s kitchen, the province’s abundant and fresh seafood and produce come head to head with [Chef] Perret, who is on a mission to rediscover Acadian cuisine. To achieve that, he has blended local culinary lore with his own background of Cajun and Creole cookery. The results, I can report, are delicious.
Mark Shatzker, Pure Canada

WINE AT TROUT POINT

a sample wine list can be downloaded here as a pdf
our list is constantly being expanded and improved

The list offers a wide variety of wine and styles with special emphasis on fine wines from France (including Bordeaux reds), from Spain, and diverse white wines to pair with seafood, including from Upstate New York & Nova Scotia.