Lunch required fish and chips. Don't ask my why, sometimes it just happens. But I was in Dartmouth, far away from Phil's!
Now John's Lunch is a possibility, and there is the drive out to Eastern Passage for that great spot in the Fisherman's Village, but I wanted somewhere I hadn't been in a while.
And Peter did not seem as enthused about the fat intake from the "fish an'" as I was.
The Micmac Tavern and Grill came to mind - Dartmouth's Midtown.
On arriving I am greeted by Calvin Coolen, ex of the Midtown, and of my high school. Calvin is now big - as in muscles/bodybuilder big. He remembers my face, and the good news is that there are no bad memories associated with it.
A pint of Garrison Red (on tap - Micmac 1, Midtown 0)and a few minutes later, we are enjoying a good solid lunch. The server who does our food is full of suggestions, and alternatives - three types of potato, if you have the roasted potaties, there are three different spices they will do them in... almost too complicated for a tavern. At the Midtown, you get what you ask for, but you can sub any potato in and out of the plate. (Midtown 1, Micmac 1)
The fish and chips arrives along with the ribs for Peter. My fish (a 2 piece) is good, not mushy, not pure fresh, but no sign of formaldehyde or fishy-ness. The fries are excellent. Fish - about the same as the Midtown, actually. Fries - much much better, though the portion is so large I leave enough behind to feed the next guy. (Micmac 2, Midtown 1).
Peter's ribs must be good, becasuse I recall watching him sucking the last shreds off meat off the bones. His potato chunks have a curry spice covering that is a bit salty, but certainly not tavern-normal.
The entire menu is ambitious, with probably more on there than they need, and you can really pay quite a bit for a staeak here if you try. As we drive off, I decide that it is different from the Midtown, and though they have given away a bit of authenticity to the suburbs that have grown around them, the Micmac remains a great place to go for hearty, tasty tavern food. I'd just keep the orders plain and simple.
Though it is great to see a microbrew on tap. Maybe I can talk Eric into a tap - my advice on getting the Propeller in bottle seems to have worked for him...
2 comments:
If in your mind Midtown even gets 1 point you don't know what real food taste like. The MicMac tavern is about 100 times better then The Midtown and there food quality is probably the best tavern food in the city.
Obviously you have never had the fish and chips at the Midtown, which is the food compared here. The rest of the food at the Midtown is, well, prehistoric, in some ways. The Micmac, though perhaps with a more "modern" menu, is more like a Keystone Kelly's now. Sure it is better than that, because it is a real place, like the Midtown. Not some chain. Where else in the world can you buy a meal like the Midtown steak any more? Or the boiled dinner?
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