Saturday, August 01, 2009

Gastropubs, and other abused words...

This will be short. Attention Halifax! The term "Gastropub" came from the development of excellent food menus at pubs that already had high standards for beer and wine and in some cases other drinks in the UK. It was started at The Eagle pub in Clerkenwell, London. Probably the most famous is the White Horse on Parson's Green in London.

I have been there four times. Minstrels, Hart and Thistle, Port Pub - you are not there yet. Port Pub (in Port Williams in the Valley where I ate just today) is perhaps closest, but oh, you need a better serving arrangement (one person covering the deck on a gorgeous day?) and more rotation on the menu. Minstrels needs better beer and wine lists in addition to a more consistent menu, and the Hart and Thistle, while having one of the best beer lists in the Maritimes, and an interesting, if small, wine selection, needs a lot of work in the kitchen. The whole idea is to provide food that is a step up, not just saying you do, thereby abusing the term gastropub.

In fact, gastropub is something others should call you, not a claim you make yourself. It is like someone running around proclaiming "I am beautiful".

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