Our roundup of food, culture and travel news for December 2019

Most hotel restaurants don’t get me excited. But the newly-opened Terre Restaurant in the Alt Hotel St. John’s is joining the ranks of buzzworthy hotel establishments across Canada that are rapidly changing my mind.

The empty shell of a restaurant had been vacant since the hotel opened in 2017, as if waiting for Terre to take up residence. Local designers Carvel & Helm honed the minimalist design with earthy-hued banquettes, white tile walls and stark black tables, while Stelios Doussis (former restaurant manager of Riviera in Ottawa, The Merchant Tavern in St. John’s and The Fogo Island Inn) has stepped in as general manager to oversee everything front-of-house, from the wine list to the cafe. In the kitchen, chef Matthew Swift came to Newfoundland with a hefty resume, having spent time in heavy-hitter kitchens like Joe Beef, Nota Bene and The Chase.

The food at Terre is truly seasonal; I visited three times between their late-July opening through September and the menu (which consists of small and large plates ranging from $5-$155) is a true reflection of the changing seasons in Newfoundland. July’s menu, for example, was full of fresh seafood and greens with dishes like Ice Shrimp Toast ($14) with housemade 1000-island dressing and basil or the Leeks Vinaigrette with smoked mussels ($13). My latest visit was on a crisp September evening with a few girlfriends. Cocktails came first; my Pimms cup ($16) was punchy and expectedly full of fresh citrus.

While us girls caught up, we munched on Spicy Cucumbers ($5) and Potato Bread ($4) which was really a small loaf served with a thick sour cream & scallion mixture instead of butter. It had the consistency of tzatziki but was a more subtle, less garlicky accompaniment to the hearty bread. Then came the Tomato & Smoked Mussel Panzanella ($15), an earthy and hearty bowl of bread salad, and the 8-ball Squash & Summer Mushrooms ($25) with chanterelles and mixed mushrooms, cheese curds and a jus so tasty we all nearly screamed at the server when he tried to take the bowl away—obviously we wanted to dip our fries ($7) in the jus!

The nightly menu’s ode to Newfoundland this particular evening was the Lettuce & Fried Cod Cheeks ($17). An acidic but perfectly creamy buttermilk dressing bathed the iceberg lettuce that served as a wedge-salad vessel for bulbous cod tongues in a light, flaky coating. The steak ($42) was an off-menu selection; the lamb dish we had first requested was sold out so the accommodating server finagled a delicious steak option for us; just one example of the above-and-beyond hospitality we received that night. It was topped with a chanterelle jus and marinated cauliflower florets so luscious we thought they were mushrooms.

Desserts included fresh-from-the-fryer Beignets ($6) and a chocolate lava cake ($7), both served with cream and local blueberries.

Terre’s exemplary service and delicious big bowls of Newfoundland-inspired food are a welcome addition to the restaurant scene in St. John’s.

—Gabby Peyton

Terre Restaurant
125 Water Street, St. John’s, N.L.
Monday-Friday 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Saturday-Sunday 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

To market, to market
Christmas markets across Canada worth jumping on a plane for

Christkindlmarkts, also known as Christmas Markets, have been a treasured German tradition for hundreds of years. Sadly, the direct flights from Halifax to Frankfurt stop at the end of October. Luckily, there are a few Christmas markets across Atlantic Canada where you can sample the gluhwein (mulled wine) or enjoy Victorian carolers.

In Dartmouth, the Alderney Landing market hosts their own Christkindlmarkt every year with craft activities and local choirs singing carols—this year’s market with German-style huts housing vendors selling artisan crafts runs from December 6 to 8. On the Island, Charlottetown hosts the open air Victorian Christmas Market from November 29 to December 1 with horse and wagon rides and artisan crafts and food vendors selling their wares to the tune of Victorian carolers. For busy shoppers in New Brunswick, the Last Minute Holiday Shop is hosted by the Chocolate River Farmers Market on December 18 in Riverview. In St. John’s, the MUN Botanical Gardens turns into a fairy light wonderland for the Merry & Bright Light Festival with hot chocolate, bonfires and crafts from December 4 to 22.

Book at me now

With the cold weather setting in, book clubs have been reinstated and we’ve rounded up the best new and notable Atlantic Canadian works to spark insight and debate

State of the Art(ist)

The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Halifax is welcoming back Althea Thauberger for a full-scale exhibition. The Saskatoon-born visual artist showed her first piece as part of the Sobey Art Award prize in 2014 and returns with four major works underlining the architecture of institutions (like the Kandahar International Airport and the Capri Cinema in Karachi) in a socio-political context using video, audio and photography. The Althea Thauberger: State of the Situation exhibition opens on November 5, 2019, and runs through April 5, 2020.