ST. ANDREWS: The best for last, part II

Once we arrived in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, the plan was to wander around town and grab dinner. But we were so tired once we checked into the Rossmount Inn that we decided to stay for dinner, even though we had the next night booked there as part of a package deal.

I’m so glad we had two chances to eat here. The menu, which is largely local and organic, changes every day. The dining room is gorgeous but not stuffy.

We started with a cute amuse-bouche from the chef, two Asian-style spoons with simple heirloom tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and a bit of basil from the inn’s garden in the back. A lot of flavour in a tiny spoon. It was a great sign of things to come.

Jason’s warm chèvre gougeres ($4) were delicious, five savoury puffs filled with goat cheese.

My bloody Caesar oyster shooters ($7) were a revelation. They looked great and tasted even better. Three shooter glasses were filled with Clamato juice, vodka, lime, horseradish and chive oil and Malpeque oysters. The mix of flavours was so good.

From the carefully selected wine list, we got a carafe of the 2005 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Villages ($22), a ripe red with a slightly spicy finish.

In a typical role reversal, Jason ordered the poached halibut ($22) with brandade-potato galette, green beans, shiitake-brown butter vinaigrette - and I got a rack of lamb.

The halibut poached in extra-virgin olive oil was smooth, meaty and moist, and bursting with flavour. Anyone who says they don’t like fish needs to try this.

The fillet was nestled atop a brandade, which is usually pounded salt cod, olive oil and milk, but this one also made with potatoes for more of a galette-type crusty cake. It was a really nice partner to round out the fish.

I was in a meaty mood and the roasted rack of lamb ($28) from Whitfield Farms in nearby Sussex fit the bill. Six (six!) pieces of almost-medium rare, melt-in-your-mouth, tender wonderfulness with a ginger-soy glaze and charred red pepper oil.

Along with the heavenly lamb was an unconventional but tasty ratatouille of Japanese eggplant and chickpea. I love a kitchen that takes chances like that instead of sticking to the old mashed potatoes/steamed vegetables routine.

Already stuffed with the more-than-ample portions, we ordered a dessert plate of artisanal cheese ($16), thinking it would be a light end to the night. The platter arrived with huge pieces of cheese, warm toasted fruit-nut bread, medjool dates and walnuts.

It was fun to sample cheeses from New Brunswick that we normally don’t get to try. Three of the four cheeses were from La Bergerie aux Quatre Vents, a raw milk cheese producer in Sainte-Marie-de-Kent, north of Moncton:

• le bleu geai - strong creamy blue cheese made from raw cow’s milk
• tomme le champ dore - semi-firm and nutty made from raw sheep’s milk
• le gamin - my favourite; mild and earthy, like mushrooms, made from raw cow’s milk
• gris bleu - creamy aged goat’s cheese from Quebec, tangy and full-flavoured.

The best part is there was no worry about getting home because we were staying at the inn. So I also got a terrific, very dry, glass of 2003 Château Bonnet Entre-deux-Mers to go with dessert.

Here’s the kicker, our total bill (before tax) with both appetizers, two entrées, wine, and the cheese plate: $106.00.

Even better, we got to eat there again the next night. Stay tuned for part III.

Rossmount Inn, 4599 Route 127, St. Andrews, New Brunswick, (506) 529-3351.
More info here.