From royal fries to championship seafood

Caron Prins in her chip shack.

The Charlottetown Food + Fact Tour

STORY AND PHOTOS BY DARCY RHYNO

It’s the breakfast of champions,” quips Heather Carver, our guide on the Taste the Town Food + Facts Tour in Charlottetown, PEI. She’s holding out a tray of oysters, ready for slurping from the half shell. It’s only mid morning, and we’re at MacKinnon’s Seafood Market, the first stop on the 3.5-hour walking tour around the historic downtown, so yes, raw oysters dressed with a dash of hot sauce and a squeeze of lemon are breakfast.

Whatever the time of day, PEI oysters

“ are champions in their own right. In 1900, oysters from Malpeque Bay on the north coast travelled to Paris for the World’s Fair, Carver tells us, where they were named the best on the planet. Ever since, “Malpeque” has been synonymous with the world’s finest oysters. In many an inlet around the island, countless shellfish farmers string their oyster cages in straight rows marked by black buoys. Raspberry Point Oysters (started by the creator of Cow’s Ice Cream, another famous and favourite PEI food) ships half a dozen varieties such as Lucky Lime, Pickle Point, and Shiny Sea across the country and around the world. Known equally for their sense of humour reflected in their cheeky slogan—eat oysters, get Lucky—and the quality of their shellfish, Raspberry Point and other PEI growers operate some of the most northerly farms in North America. Their oysters take from four to six years to mature, allowing those briny flavours to fully develop.

Cradle of Confederation

Out on the streets of Charlottetown, we pass historic sites like the soaring twin spires of St. Dunstan’s Basilica built in 1913 and named for the patron saint of blacksmiths. It rises above Great George Street across from the hotel of the same name. The Great George is known for its eclectic collection of luxurious rooms in a row of historic buildings and for its links to the birth of Canada. Some of the 23 political leaders who met here in 1864 during the Charlottetown Conference slept in these buildings. That meeting led to the creation of the Dominion of Canada just three years later. A block away, we come upon Province House, one of only three provincial legislatures in the country that’s also a National Historic Site.

We stop for a pick-me-up at The Gallery Coffee House & Bistro. As our tour continues, we window shop and make mental notes to return later for Iisland treats like wild blueberry juice, creamed honey, and PEI rum cake. Intriguing restaurants entice us—the Sugar Skull Cantina serves Mexican style tacos on their outdoor patio. At Gahan House, we learn about the brewing process, then settle in for a flight of beers. It’s tempting to spend the rest of the day here, but we’ve got another couple of stops I don’t want to miss.

Down near the boutique shopping district at Peake’s Quay on the waterfront, we meet the island’s most enthusiastic and amiable food truck personality, Caron Prins of The Chip Shack. The pride she takes in her food is tattooed right on her arm—beneath an inky likeness of herself are printed the words “Queen of Fries.”

“The red soil is full of iron and minerals,” she says, cradling a PEI potato as if it has healing powers. “That’s what makes the fries so good—that and the love.” Opposite the giant menu posted beside her window are greetings written in chalk. “Smile. Life is delicious,” and “Free hugs.” I accept a heaping serving of her homemade chips like it’s a gift and sit with a view of the harbour to devour them.

Back to the beginning

Our tour comes full circle back to MacKinnon’s Seafood Market. Everything from the floors to the display cases are kept sparkling clean. Behind the counter is a blackboard with a complex grid of species,

Oysters, breakfast of champions.

sizes, and prices that change daily, including live and cooked lobster options. From one of the many crates of lobster immersed in a giant saltwater tank, our guide selects a market size lobster, weighing in at just over a pound.

We admire its mottled markings of red, orange, green, and black on its shell. Turning the creature over, Carver shows us the subtle differences in the sexes of lobsters. This one is female, Carver confirms, showing us how its tail is slightly wider than a male’s. That’s for carrying her eggs. With a lobster caliper gauge, she shows us how fishers determine if a lobster meets the minimum size requirement. The length of its carapace from its eye to the start of its tail must be at least 74 to 77 mm, depending on the fishing zone.

With our lobster 101 class at an end, we head over to Lobster on the Wharf, the restaurant next to MacKinnon’s, to sample the goods. We’re presented with a platter of lobster rolls—a blend of lobster meat, mayonnaise, baby spinach, and seasoning tucked into toasted buns. When it comes to enjoying the delicate flavour of lobster, simple is best. We’re at the end of the Taste the Town Tour. It’s noon. I grab my lobster roll and have at it, the lunch of champions.