Besides frites and beer in Belgium, and beer and cheese in Holland, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from the culinary side of the trip. Sure, there are lots of jokes about people going to Amsterdam to eat Indonesian food and, of course, “special” brownies. But what else could we expect? Well, here’s a quick overview of some of the best spots we uncovered while traveling in both regions.

Beer—OK, this was a no brainer. There are thousands of beers brewed in Belgium and they come in all types, with a special glass for every one too! ‘t Brugs Beertje offered a phenomenal selection in Bruges including a wide range of Krieks (beer’s fruity cousin). As of this trip, Kasteel is by far my fave. So, NSLC or private local liquor stores, please call me when you get some in. Cokebaby and I also did a tour of De Halve Maan (The Half Moon) Brewery which was a very different experience from Guinness or Heineken because of how small an operation it is. The steep steps during the tour are not for the faint of heart!

Enter at your own risk!

Chocolate (Bruges)—Well, maybe this was a no-brainer too. All I can say is that, yes, it does taste better in Belgium. My favourite were the chocolate covered orange slices. This from a person who doesn’t really have much of a sweet tooth. There are chocolate shops around every corner here and each one seems to have a different take on chocolate. The only thing you can do is go from shop to shop and try them all…

Frites—We know them as French fries but that’s a misnomer because the Belgians invented and perfected them. The secret? Double frying in animal fat, then serving them up piping hot with a massive dollop of mayonnaise on top. I have to admit they were too rich for my taste but Cokebaby seemed to enjoy them.

Proeflokaal De Admiraal (Amsterdam)—One of several “tasting rooms” in the city, the place is decorated in an old nautical style along with distillery kettles and tools, and old wooden casks. This was actually our first stop to eat so we sampled some regional cuisine. Whenever we saw “snack” listed on a menu in Amsterdam it was referring to bitterballen. These are sort of like puréed meatballs made of beef, beef broth, flour, butter and seasoning. They’re deep-fried and served with mustard. Here we also tried pickled herring and smoked eel, both served on toast. The herring was only lightly pickled so it had a fresher consistency closer to sashimi than the stuff you’d find in a jar. We also enjoyed our first taste of Jenever (a.k.a. Dutch gin). I quite liked the berry infused one that I tried while Cokebaby went for an aged one that was more akin to Scotch.

A traditional Dutch treat similar to miniature pancakes

Café Cobra (Amsterdam)—Situated conveniently within a stone’s throw of the Rijksmuseum, Cokebaby and I stopped here for a light lunch. He ordered poffertjes, essentially miniature buckwheat pancakes, while I had mustard soup with salmon. The rest of the trip we were on a mission to find a poffertjes pan (which we did) and some time this fall I’m going to try my hand at making the soup based on this recipe. If you have a better one you’re willing to share, please do!

Sacre Coeur (Bruges)—On most of our trips we typically find one restaurant that we return to more than once because of the recipe for a good place to eat: delicious food, excellent service, interesting ambience, and good value. Sacre Coeur has it all. And they don’t skimp on portion sizes. Of all the meals we had it was the traditional Flemish stew and Koninginnehapje (Queen’s Delight) that I’d recommend above everything else.

At Sacre Coeur Restaurant

Tujuh Maret (Amsterdam)—We couldn’t leave the city without trying at least one Indonesian place, right? This meal was by far the most expensive of all the places we went but the food and service was great. Cokebaby ordered a rijsttafel (rice table) with a wide variety of meats and vegetables in interesting sauces. I opted for one of the smaller, but still considerably pricey, dishes that was essentially a plate of appetizers. Truly a delicious experience.

Honourable mention goes to breakfast. In Amsterdam, for me that meant having a slice of ham and fried egg piled on a piece of toast with cheese melted on top (always served with a small salad). Meanwhile Cokebaby sampled a number of sweet and savoury pannenkoeken (pancakes). In Bruges, our hotel provided an amazing spread that included pate, smoked salmon, a variety of yummy cheeses, breads and homemade jams.

On a side note, if you ever do fly with Icelandair, everything at Reykjavík Airport is crazy expensive! You’re better off eating on the plane or packing a snack. I don’t mind splurging while on vacation but not on airport food.

In any case, that wraps up the posts on Amsterdam and Bruges. You can check out some more photos from the trip on Flickr.

At a canal-side patio enjoying a Kriek

Amsterdam is probably one of the least likely places I thought I’d be taking a vacation based on the limited information I knew about the city. You know, what with the Red Light District and the not-quite-legalized cannabis. We’re more of the historic and cultural sites, yummy foods and tasty beverage kind of travellers.

So, how did we wind up spending four days there? Seat sale. Yes, the lovely people at Icelandair made us an offer we couldn’t refuse. Our original plan was to spread our vacation around BeNeLux, primarily in Belgium but the airfare made all the difference. Since we were flying into Amsterdam anyway we decided to look into what the city had to offer.

For one: art. The Rijksmuseum is currently restoring the main building so Dutch masterpieces by the likes of Rembrandt and Vermeer are on display together. Not “The Girl With The Pearl Earring”, which we found out after is in the Hague. At a cost of € 12,50 it’s a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

Pulleys are still used to transport items

Amsterdam also has beer: namely Heineken. Since it’s just around the corner from the museum, and we were thirsty, we decided to pop in. Not as grand as the Guinness brewery which we toured on our trip to Ireland last year, it still provided an hour or so of beer history. Plus, two glasses of their finest were covered in the cost of admission.

The most entertaining part of the tour was a sort of virtual reality “ride” in which you are the beer from scratch to bottling. There’s also a green screen in front of which you can sing Karaoke and send a video card home to friends. You know, if you’re into that sort of thing. (The rest of the food and drink experience I’m going to leave for my last post of the series.)

Scenic view

Amsterdam is also home to some unique architecture. Due to the of lack of space, houses were built quite narrow, not more than nine meters wide. Many residences were also businesses. As a result they have a pulley outside to move larger objects to upper floors.

And let’s not forget the tulips! The floating flower market or Bloemenmarkt offers an amazing array of the loveliest flowers. We brought back all kinds not just for our garden but as souvenirs, including the gorgeous Black Parrot. You simply have to ensure they have a health inspection certificate for Canada.

Then, of course, there’s the seedy underbelly. Part of a walking tour we did one morning was through the Red Light District. Among other things, this is where we saw our first instance of a public urinal for men. Women still have the decency to go indoors and often have to pay for that bit of privacy.

Overall, Cokebaby and I agree on one fact: Amsterdam is a great starter city for anyone who’s thinking of visiting Europe for the first time. Pretty much everyone speaks English (there are as many tourists are there are locals at any given time), the cost of food and drink is reasonable, and it’s small enough to get around on foot easily provided you have a good map. Friends of ours loaned us a copy of Top 10 Amsterdam which also came in quite handy. And I’m also pretty sure it would be easy to fake speaking Dutch. So many of the words are similar to English that our running joke upon seeing a new word on a sign was, “Guess what the Dutch word for [FILL IN THE BLANK] is?”

Next week: a day trip to Alkmaar for the last cheese market of the season and on then on to a charming place called Brugge (a.k.a. Bruges).

Photo credit: kaytethinks from Flickr

I wouldn’t call myself a connoisseur of beers, but when I do have a pint I prefer something fuller than a Bud Lime. Cokebaby dabbles in home brewing and wine making so he has a better appreciation for the art behind micro brews. When we recently checked out one of Halifax’s newest dining spots, Rock Bottom Brewery, it was mostly for the beer.

First off, I love the decor. Although owned by the same folks who run Your Father’s Moustache (located upstairs in the same building) the two restaurants are worlds apart. Where upstairs you have a wide-open North American style pub & eatery, downstairs is a cozy, warm and intimate bar. As the name suggests, there are plenty of rock walls. The low-lighting, earthy tones and wood beams give the feeling of being tucked away in a grotto of sorts.

So cozy.

The food is 100% un-pretentious. Simple comfort food is the impression I took away from the meal. I had the turkey & avocado burger with baked sweet potato fries ($10.50). The cheese, bacon, sautéed onions and chipotle mayo as toppings were all kinds of awesome. Even though the additional combination of avocado and tomato made for a messy burger, the combination of flavours was precisely what I love about burgers. For drinks, I went with wheat ale followed by a stout. Both were totally enjoyable. When it comes to beer, I may not know much about the process of making it, but I know what I like and Rock Bottom Brewery makes beer that I like.

Cokebaby went with one of the specials as he’s apt to do: a meat lasagna with Caesar salad ($7.95). Although he wasn’t disappointed in the meal, he said it was just average. The most interesting thing about the entrée was that the pasta was whole wheat. He enjoyed the beers that he had with the meal though: nut brown followed by red. We finished the meal with warm gingerbread: made in-house & drizzled with a lemon vanilla sauce ($6).

Service was attentive, efficient, and very friendly. Other things that impressed me about the restaurant were the variety of healthier options available, like baked sweet potato fries or mashed sweet potato. They also provide gluten free options. The beers are also reasonably priced: 12 oz ($4.20), 18 oz ($5.75).

There’s no mistaking the pride taken in making the beer either. Each has a great little write-up on the menu and the metal casks are on full display behind glass for diners to see. Live entertainment takes place in various forms throughout the week, too. Overall, our experience at Rock Bottom Brewery was lovely and we’ll certainly be going back.

Happy turkey day!

I don’t know about you but my tummy is still recovering from a Jiggs dinner with the in-laws yesterday. It was, as they say, a wicked scoff. I’d just like to take a moment of pause here to mention one of the things I’m thankful for this year and that is all the new friends made through the magic of social media. It’s been a wonderful year of meeting people that I may not have crossed paths with had it not been for Twitter.

Now, without further ado, the winner of the first ever East Coast By Choice contest is:

Michelle Yogis

She’s won two bottles of wine from Blomidon Estate Winery, a $25 gift certificate from Bishop’s Cellar, a free bottle of wine with the purchase of a meal at DesBarres Manor Inn, and t-shirts from Hart & Thistle.

Thanks to everyone who posted their comments in support of the guest bloggers and to the guest bloggers themselves who provided such great posts. Here are some of the entries from Twitter about the many offerings that the East Coast has in terms of wine and beer. It just goes to show there’s plenty to do, see, and taste right here in our own backyard.

#ECBC

[Wrapping up a great week of East Coast good spirits is brewmaster at the Hart and Thistle Gastro-brewpub in downtown Halifax. And, if you need an excuse to grab a pint, it's actually his birthday tomorrow so head over for a special dinner and release of 'Double Simcoe SMaSH'. It's also your last chance to enter the contest this weekend to win some great items donated by the guests. Leave a comment here or tweet about your fave East Coast beverage using the hashtag #ECBC. Check out the full contest rules and prizes.]

By Greg Nash

When I was asked about writing a guest post here my first thought as a professional brewer was to write about brewing and how it has redirected my life and influenced those close to me.

In my previous life living outside Amherst, Nova Scotia I was a meat cutter, a Christmas tree farmer and an automotive paint technician but then something happened—I started home brewing and by the early ‘90’s I was hooked. The never ending quest for more information on the art and science of brewing became more and more intensive and the supply of books available was suddenly insufficient. I started working in the craft brewing industry in 1994 and soon after enrolled with a reputable brewing school. In 1996 I graduated from the American Brewers Guild in Davis, California and have brewed professionally in several states and provinces since. Some notable local breweries I have brewed for are Garrison Brewing Company and more recently the Pump House Brewery in Moncton, NB. before returning to Halifax where I currently brew for the Hart and thistle Gastropub and Brewery while I continue work on other projects.

I was a bit of a foodie before I started brewing but then something happened – brewing brought it all together, beer and food have become a wonderful marriage, in my own mind at least. When I brew I am cooking, nothing more nothing less. Not only do I have a serious relationship with beer and food but I love to mix it up by putting the two together, I cook most food with beer and strive for that perfect pairing at the dinner table. As I became more involved with beer I became more of a foodie, learning to brew has made me a better cook and learning to cook has made me a better brewer, however there seems to be several annoying drawbacks to all this seemingly glorious food stuffs.

Dining out….

I seek fresh local foods with flavour. I love food as can be witnessed by my ever increasing girlish figure. I smoke cheeses at home, I cure and smoke bacon (mmm bacon) and other meats at home, I make my own sauces and breads, I even went so far as to invest an almost foolish fortune on a ceramic cooker and grill to help emphasize these gastronomic delights, a Primo. A lot of this may have stemmed from the sensory analysis training at brewing school, or maybe I just drank too much beer and had the munchies all the time. That’s not it! Dining out has become a bit of a crap shoot as I am sure a lot of you know already. Some of the things I love so dearly can be dreadfully disappointing if I happen in the door of the wrong establishment bent on trying out the new place I’ve never heard of. Can I really blame this all on beer, I say yes.

Drinking out….

This may come as no surprise but the drink list at any given establishment strictly dictates both where I dine and drink. I want fresh local beer with flavour and won’t settle for tasteless rice or corn beers, I scoff at microbreweries that purposely dumb down their products lightening the flavours in hopes not to offend the palate. The selections are becoming better and better as time progresses but the choices of places that carry good fresh local craft beer are still quite limited. Sure I’ll opt for wine on occasion but beer is the drink of choice for me. After all beer is the new wine isn’t it? I’d love to see more establishments around Nova Scotia with good local beer on the taps, with beer/food pairings or featuring foods infused with beer, just one more drawback the great world of beer as I know it has bestowed upon me – it is a challenge to find good beer and food under one roof.

My philosophy on brewing is to think outside the box, not being restricted to styles but rather to what tastes good. To think of it as food, wait… beer is food. I am an advocate of both great food and beer and always try to cook, eat, brew and drink locally as much as possible. I unwittingly promote the world of craft beer to everyone that comes within arms reach. While they are there I could be caught inviting them over for a ribeye or forcing a brick of freshly smoked cheese or some home-smoked bacon porn on them. Heck any beer advocate would do the same wouldn’t they? I’m still blaming it all on the beer though. I think the same would happen to any of us whom discover the joy found inside a good, fresh, local pint.

Since I can’t let up on the bacon (life is always better with bacon), here’s something anyone can do at home if you have some sort of little smoker:

Sliced single smoked

Pork Belly beer Bacon (Beer Cured)

1 pork belly 8 – 12 lbs

1.5 L malty beer (brown ale, red ale)

600 ml water

3 bay leaves

3 gloves garlic minced

1 c kosher salt

2 tbsp crushed dried chillies

1 tbsp cracked black pepper

3 sprigs fresh thyme – stems discarded

1 c brown sugar

Bring all ingredients to a boil until sugar and salt is dissolved.

Allow to rest for 20 minutes then refrigerate.

When completely cool submerge the pork belly in the brine for 3 to 4 days for the cure. Personally I prefer 3 days, the longer the soak the saltier it becomes. (Update: The pork belly should be brine refrigerated at 35 – 36 F; the brine should be chilled to this temperature before submerging the pork belly into it as well.)

Remove from brine, rinse and pat dry. Allow to dry further in the fridge on a rack for 2 more hrs.

Smoke with applewood for 2 hrs at ~ 190 F, then 2 more hrs @ ~ 235 F or to an internal temperature of 150 F.

Slice, fry, eat. Good for 3 weeks or freeze.

Greg Nash is the brewmaster for the Hart & Thistle Gastropub and Brewery. You can read more about his handcrafted cutting edge beers on the Hart and Thistle Brewers Blog.

[The first guest post comes from one of the many great independent liquor boutiques in the city. They offer international, national, and regional wines, beers, and spirits right by the Halifax waterfront. Give a warm welcome to Hannah from Bishop's Cellar and don't forget to enter the contest this week to win some great items donated by the guests. Leave a comment here or tweet about your fave East Coast beverage using the hashtag #ECBC. Check out the full contest rules and prizes.]

By Hannah Stuart

When asked to contribute to this collection of guest posts I quickly realized the abundance of experiences I have had with wine over my brief 23 years. Fortunately, for me wine has always been prevalent in my life in some way, be it an agricultural crop tour, a cellar tour with a wine maker, stocking shelves in the store or simply opening the perfect bottle to accompany an evening’s meal.

I grew up on a small farm in the Gaspereau Valley where a small taste of the wine was always a part of the meal. Both of my parents appreciate growing their own food, revel in the act of cooking and consider wine an integral part of any dining table. My father often states what has now become the unofficial Bishop’s Cellar mantra, “Wine is food, wine is fun!” Those family dinners were my first introduction to wine and over the past few years I have developed my own love, taste and experiences with not only the wine but some of the amazing people behind it.

Day 1

Right before Bishop’s opened over 6 years ago, the whole family took a trip to France in hopes of creating some relationships in the industry and finding some world-class wines to bring home. Perhaps my first and most prevalent memory in the wine industry was meeting Luc Bouchard of the prestigious Burgundian wine house, Bouchard Pere et Fils. Long ago, the Bouchard family owned the now chic town of Beaune where the walls of the original castle still stand and serve not only as a barrier to the downtown but also a safe resting place for Beaune’s centuries of liquid gold. Our host lead us down the winding stairwell, through many locked corridors until we arrived in a circular room formed by bricks of limestone where we tried many bottles including the 1982 Vigne de L’Enfant Jesus which Luc told us comes from some of the oldest vines still producing fruit in this region. As I was only seventeen at the time I was not so taken with the technicalities of wine but more excited that I was even allowed the opportunity to try. I can vividly remember my mother and father poised on either side of me like the angel and the devil, respectively, my mother encouraging me to spit and my father explaining that you don’t spit wine this good.

I cannot remember the taste of the wines that day along with many of the hundreds I’ve tried since but I can always remember the fun experience, the welcoming smiles, the beautiful food and the fabulous people behind each winery. Since that time I have made my love for wine my own embracing the opportunities that the industry allows. Fresh out of high-school, like many others I had not a clue of the direction I wanted to take in life but I figured travelling would be a good way to open my eyes and sort it out. Australia seemed a clever choice as it was hot, backpacker friendly and we had several friends scattered across the vast country. I found myself many times returning to Southeastern Australia, the home to many wine regions including some of my favourites, Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale.

It was here that I was introduced to, worked for and sometimes even looked after many of the big-time winemakers. I helped out ‘Old man Dary’ as his grandkids call him at the McLaren Vale Sea and Vines festival where all seafood based dishes are paired with D’Arenburg wines. I’d stop in at Peter Dennis’ vineyard quite often on the way home as he would often be doing barrel samples and checking on quality. But it was the black sheep of the Aussie wine industry, Hugh Hamilton and his wife, Pamela, their son Jock and the dogs, Rodney and Jim (the namesake for the popular wine Jim Jim) took me in as part of the family and the business after only just meeting. While with them I picked grapes, packed boxes, threw Oyster and Wine Nights in the vineyard, and often made lunch for the workers, no matter the task at hand I loved everything that came from working on a winery.

Since returning to Halifax, Bishop’s has helped to continue to develop my taste in wine and keep busy in the many different aspects of the wine industry. I have met some very intriguing grape growers and winemakers here on our own soil, and each carries the enthusiasm you see across the globe in this industry. I guess it’s rather self explanatory though, how could you not be happy working with wine, food and fascinating people each day?

Hannah Stuart is a student at Mount Saint Vincent University currently completing a bachelor of public relations and Marketing as well as a student of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers. Hannah has been a part of Bishop’s Cellar from day one either in the retail store or behind the scenes. In her free time In her free time she can be found perusing social media, enjoying yoga, tasting wine or enjoying one of Halifax’s many gastronomic adventures. Bishop’s Cellar can be found on twitter (@BishopsCellar) and Facebook.

I’ve got an exciting week planned ahead. In a very special East Coast Guest Posts series, a number of local makers & purveyors of beer and wine will be posting about their experiences. You’ll hear from Hannah Stuart of Bishop’s Cellar, Simon Rafuse from Blomidon Estate Winery, Audrey Firth of DesBarres Manor Inn, and Greg Nash from Hart & Thistle Gastropub & Brewery.

Not just that, we’ve also got a great contest lined up, with a prize package of: two bottles of wine from Blomidon Estate Winery, a $25 gift certificate from Bishop’s Cellar, a free bottle of wine with the purchase of a meal at DesBarres Manor Inn, and t-shirts from Hart & Thistle.

All you have to do is leave a comment on the blog any time this week (one entry per blog posting). That means if you comment on each post—including this one—you’ll get five entries. For extra entries, Tweet about your fave East Coast beverage using the hashtag #ECBC (that’s short for East Coast By Choice). One Twitter entry per day. And, finally, the one restriction is that you must be of legal drinking age to enter. Contest closes midnight (AT) on Sunday, October 11. The winner will be randomly selected and announced on the site next week.

Now start talking about the great wine, beer, spirits, or even bottled pop that’s offered on this side of Canada.