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    Home » On the Road

    Visit New Brunswick, Canada – It’s a world away, right next door #ExploreNB

    Published: Feb 26, 2019 · Modified: Nov 15, 2021 by Chef Dennis Littley

    413 shares
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    When I think of world travel, I don’t think of Canada. But after my trip to the province of New Brunswick, I’ve definitely changed my mind.

    This is a sponsored post for the province of New Brunswick. But all opinions, images and amazing experiences are 100% my own.

    Kayaks on the mud flats of Caraquet, with one person looking out into the distance.

    When I first thought about visiting New Brunswick, I’m not sure what I expected. I knew I was going to eat well, and I knew the weather would be cooler than in Florida, that was a given. But what I didn’t expect was how much kindness and hospitality our neighbors to the north would show us.

    chef Dennis boarding an Air Canada jet on the tarmac

    Our adventure began onboard Air Canada (which is now my favorite airline) when we went old school and walked out on the tarmac to board our smaller jet to Moncton, New Brunswick. It had been years since I was treated to that experience! When we landed in Moncton at their regional international airport we were greeted by smiling faces and warm welcomes.

    But the first real excitement on our trip came at the car rental counter when I told the agent we were going to Caraquet. Oh, be careful at night she told me…… what? Visions of gangs of Canadians in plaid carrying axes went through my head…… well, maybe not. Needless to say, I was intrigued and asked her why?

    Then she told me to watch out for the deer and the moose. What? Now my mind heard what she said, but couldn’t really grasp the meaning and the only thing that made sense to me at that point was “watch out for the tiramisu”  which I couldn’t imagine being a bad thing. But she was dead serious, and from what the locals tell me an incident in a moving vehicle with moose usually winds up as a fatality for both the passengers and the moose.

    warning sign for moose on the highway in New Brunswick, Canada

    So we watched out for the deer and the moose (and the tiramisu).

    woman walking outside of a yellow building on the Mirimachi river in New Brunswick

    Our first stop was in Miramichi (pronounced meera-ma-she) the largest city in Northern New Brunswick, situated at the mouth of the Miramichi River where it enters Miramichi Bay. We enjoyed the hospitality of the Rodd Miramichi River Resort, where we had our first meal in Canada.

    2 glasses of sangria on a wire with the mirimachi river in the background

    We enjoyed a glass of sangria as we sat there thinking how lucky we were to be experiencing the beauty of  New Brunswick.

    The next morning we were on our way to Hotel Paulin in Caraquet. Our hosts Karen and Girard at Hotel Paulin were extremely kind and very helpful. Karen acted as our guide, sharing all the deliciousness that Caraquet had to offer.

    woman digging for clams and bucket of clams. Text reads clam digging in Caraquet, NB

    Not only we did enjoy the local cuisine, but we also went out Kayaking in the bay to a sandbar to dig for local clams. We even cooked them up on the beach afterward enjoying a cold local brew and very fresh steamed clams!

    Mixed blood Acadian Oyster fisherman wearing a hat with a feather on his boat holding live oysters

    One of the highlights of the trip was getting to meet Gaeton Dugas, a mixed-blood Acadian Oysterman. He was kind enough to take us out on his boat and share his family’s history and Oyster farming techniques. I’ll be sharing more about this in a video I shot while on his boat.

    chef dennis peeling vegetables in 19th century kitchen with Ms. Savoie watching

    We also got to visit the Acadian Village where I had a cooking lesson from Ms. Savoie in her 19th-century kitchen. I’ll share more on that in my next post with the rest of our adventures in Caraquet!

    parliament in Fredericton , New Brunswick

    After a scenic drive along the coast, we made our way to Fredericton, the capital of New Brunswick. Our hotel, The Crowne Plaza Fredericton Lord Beaverbrook was perfectly situated for sightseeing and dining.

    tagliatelli with pulled duck breast in a rosa sauce with chunks of goat cheese served in a white bowl

    Did I mention dining in Fredericton? We had an amazing meal at 540 Kitchen and Bar Gastropub just 2 blocks from our hotel. I had an OMG delicious bowl of Tagliatelle with pulled Duck Breast in a Rosa Sauce with Boursin cheese. Wowser!

    Man making Whitney Coffee at Fredericton Boyce farmers market

    We didn’t get to spend a lot of time in Fredericton but we did get to the Beaverbrook Art Gallery and the Fredericton Boyce Farmers Market for coffee and scones. I had been told that even in blizzard conditions the market was open so the locals could get their Whitney Coffee, after tasting it found out why. Unfortunately, you can’t buy it online, but I did bring a bag home which I’m now enjoying.

    boats in the water with houses in the background in the bay of fundy, st. andrews, New Brunswick

    The next stop on our tour of New Brunswick was St. Andrews by-the-Sea. This sleepy little community would be the perfect spot for our summer home…..sigh.

    They have a saying in St. Andrews,  the Bay of Fundy Starts here. And that means fishing, whale watching or just cruising in the bay for a glorious day on the water.

    scallops on a bed of risotto with sweet potato chips and greens on a white plate

    They have some of the freshest seafood you’ll ever taste in St. Andrews and we certainly did our best to sample as much as we could on our trip.

    woman on a bridge in Kingsbrae garden, St. Andrews

    We also got to visit the Kingsbrae Garden, which is a must-visit if you’re in the area. And Ministers Island, where twice a day, you can drive across the ocean floor.

    Dennis and Lisa sitting in front of a fireplace at the Algonquin Hotel

    During our stay in St. Andrews by-the-Sea, we stayed at the Algonquin Resort, part of the Autograph Collection Hotels run by Marriott. There’s a lot of history at the Algonquin and some even say Stephen King started writing the Shining on one of his visits to this beautiful resort.

    view from the Algonquin hotel in St. Andrews by-the-sea

    We couldn’t have been happier at the Algonquin and hated to leave. I could really get used to waking up to a view like this!

    boat in saint John harbor

    The next leg of our journey took us to Saint John or #SaintAwesome as the locals like to call it. And Awesome is an understatement! We arrived in Saint John and checked into the Delta Hotel by Marriott, which was located in the hub of the city, or Uptown as it’s referred to.

    saint john market

    Our first stop was  Saint John City Market, the oldest continuing farmer’s market in Canada. The roof is a traditional post and beam market roof that resembles the inverted hull of a ship. The Inside Connection (Saint John’s indoor walkway system) allows you to get around without setting foot outside. This would certainly come in handy during the winter months. The walkway let us walk from our hotel to the City Market and Market Square, home to the Saint John free public library and the New Brunswick Museum.

    red pad thai in a bowl on a wooden table

    We were treated to a delicious dining selection with lunch at the Thandi Restaurant where we had an insanely delicious Red Pad Thai and got to spend some time chatting with the chef Ken Singh after lunch.

    fried calamari on a white plate with marinara sauce

    And dinner at Italian by night (which is a story for another post) where I had the best-fried calamari I’ve ever had!

    long building with awnings of restaurants on a street in saint John New brunswick

    Saint John has a unique flavor being a port city and is slowly becoming the culinary mecca of New Brunswick. It might feel like a blue-collar town, but they certainly know about fine dining and everything that goes along with it.

    view of Bay of Fundy National Park

    After leaving Saint John with our bellies full and well-rested from our night on the town, we had a short drive to the Village of Alma. This was the first breathtaking view of the day as we prepared to drive through Fundy National Park and it just kept getting better!

    boats sitting on the ocean floor at a dock while the tides recede into the bay of fundy

    Our hotel The Parkland Village Inn was situated right at the docks of Alma where we had a spectacular view of the tides coming in and going out. Our third-floor room not only gave us a great view but let us enjoy the delightful breezes coming off the Bay of Fundy.

    cooked lobster ready for sale at the Alma Lobster Shop

    If you blink you might miss the Village of Alma, and that my friends would be a mistake! Have I mentioned lobster lately?

    Chef Dennis holding a lobster roll in front of lobster traps with a view of the bay of fundy

    The fresh seafood in New Brunswick is plentiful and delicious and everyone in the province takes pride in serving up deliciousness for locals and visitors alike. This lobster roll I enjoyed at the Alma Lobster Shop was just a sampling of what we ate while we were there.

    people walking around the base of hopewell rocks in the bay of fundy at low tide

    Our last night in New Brunswick would be spent in Moncton but on our way to Moncton, we had one very important stop to make. Lisa and I were going to walk on the Ocean Floor at low tide at Hopewell Rocks. 

    kayaks at high tide at Hopewell rocks park
    photo courtesy of Hopewell Rocks Park

    Since I didn’t stay for high tide later that day, I’ve borrowed an image from Hopewell Rocks Park to show you the same area underwater.

    barn with chairs outside on the fundy studio tour

    As we made our way to Moncton we stopped at various craft studios that were part of the Fundy Studio Tour, one of which was Norman Bradford Farm Life Studio. I got a beautiful print for my kitchen to remind me of my time in New Brunswick.

    stuffed chicken parm at Gusto in Moncton, NB

    We arrived in Moncton later that day just in time for lunch! I know it’s a rough life….sigh. We had a great lunch at Gusto Italian Grill and Bar, where Lisa had this decadent stuffed Chicken Parm.

    After lunch, we checked in at The Residence Inn by Marriott and went out exploring the city. Then it was back to the hotel for a quick nap before dinner.

    Although we didn’t get a chance to see it for ourselves, Moncton is known for the Tidal Bore caused by the Bay of Fundy tides. The Tidal Bore occurs twice daily as the waters of the Petitcodiac River roll back upstream in one wave that can go up to 2 feet high. This phenomenon has turned into a surfers dream, where they can ride a wave for more than 2 hours.

    oysters on ice with lemons

    Our last dinner in New Brunswick was at the Tide and Boar where we had the pleasure of dining with two of the New Brunswick Tourism representatives. And I had to have one last plate of delicious fresh oysters.

    plateful of fries, wild boar, cheese curds , gravy and ketchup

    And I couldn’t have come to Canada and not had Poutine and it was love at first bite. Wild boar, cheese curds, caramelized onions, chicken gravy and house-made ketchup on a bed of hand-cut fries took this poutine to another level of deliciousness.

    As we packed our bags in the morning for our flight back to Orlando,  Lisa and I talked about all the things we had done and seen, the people we had met and all the glorious seafood we had consumed. It was indeed the trip of a lifetime.

    Chef Dennis and his wife in front of Hopewell Rocks

    New Brunswick is so familiar, yet so different. It’s truly a world away and yet so easily accessible, right across our border. Would I go back? In a heartbeat. With the world in turmoil and not everyone looking favorably on Americans, the Canadians welcome us with open arms and our dollar goes a long way. If you haven’t visited, it’s time you did. You’ll make memories that will last a lifetime.

    Chef Dennis holding a coffee and Tim Hortons bag

    Did you really think I’d visit Canada and not stop at Tim Hortons? This is the first in a series of posts about my adventure in New Brunswick, Canada.

    Click on the link to read my second post about the Acadian way of life in Caraquet. And If you enjoyed my post about New Brunswick please leave a comment, I love hearing from you!

    Please SUBSCRIBE and FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST!

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    About Chef Dennis

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    Chef Dennis Littley is a classically trained chef with over 40 years of experience working in the food service industry. In his second career as a food blogger he has made it his mission to demistify cooking by sharing his time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen. Let Chef Dennis help you bring the joy of cooking into your home. For more details, check out his About page.

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    1. Brendan Shelton

      August 19, 2019 at 8:27 am

      I never knew that the farmers market was open even in blizzard conditions. My wife and I are planning a trip to Fredericton soon and we are trying to come up with some fun places to visit and good places to eat. We will keep your blog in mind as we make a plan to have an awesome vacation!

      Reply
    2. Zaidi

      September 26, 2017 at 4:09 pm

      Thank you Dear ,Chef Dennis Littley for this fabulous sharing with these beautiful views, which excite all the sensations of joy, really, a province, which dazzles endlessly through its beauty and effects that excite and explode the sighs, vivacious of love that embrace these marvelous places and which transmits its powerful harmonization between these high flavors of sublime tastings and the magic of beauty., fabulous and even more, thank you again, love for you,

      Reply
    3. Charlie Ralph

      August 15, 2017 at 12:14 pm

      Dennis:
      I’m so glad that you enjoyed my New Brunswick!
      I love it here.

      If I had of known you were coming I would have invited you over. Would have loved meeting you and your wife.

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        August 15, 2017 at 7:20 pm

        Thanks Charlie, that would have been nice! We did love New Brunswick and hope to get up again soon

        Reply
    4. Elena

      August 12, 2017 at 8:08 am

      I love Canada but I wouldn`t change it for FLorida. I used to live in Destin as an exchange student and I every time I hear something about Florida I feel so homesick.

      Reply
    5. David Elliott

      August 11, 2017 at 1:07 am

      That looks like it was such a great trip to New Brunswick. It would definitely be a lot different weather wise than Florida. I have actually wanted to go out there and visit before. I just haven’t been able to make it there yet. This definitely makes me want to consider it as a trip in the near future.

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        August 11, 2017 at 9:52 pm

        We had an outstanding time David! And the weather was a much needed break from the Florida heat

        Reply
    6. sara lafountain

      August 10, 2017 at 10:55 am

      Fabulous photos Chef Dennis! We just spent the past week in Michigan and we could see Canada across the river. We are planning a visit very soon!

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        August 10, 2017 at 2:35 pm

        Thanks Sara. I highly recommend visiting Canada its such a beautiful friendly country!

        Reply
    7. Candy Rachelle

      August 10, 2017 at 9:16 am

      I’ve never thought to visit New Brunswick. I’ve only had Montreal and Vancouver on my list. This looks more rugged than it’s sister cities. And the food looks absolutely scrumptious!!! Awesome photos!

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        August 11, 2017 at 9:51 pm

        New Brunswick doesn’t get the press the bigger cities do, but its well worth the visit!

        Reply
    8. Cynthia

      August 10, 2017 at 4:03 am

      Lovely trip, the more I see about Canada the more I want to visit! Especially because everybody seems to agree that they are so kind! Did you get to see a moose? Looking forward to your post about the Acadian Village!

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        August 10, 2017 at 7:13 am

        hi Cynthia
        it really was a great experience. We didn’t see a moose but we did see a mama bear and 3 cubs. That was pretty cool

        Reply
    9. jill conyers

      August 10, 2017 at 3:54 am

      Looks like a wonderful place to visit. And those scallops. Nothing beats fresh scallops.

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        August 10, 2017 at 7:13 am

        They really love their fresh local seafood Jill, it was amazing!

        Reply
    10. Liene

      August 10, 2017 at 3:25 am

      Looks like a great trip. Nature and food are so amazing as long as I can see in pictures. I would like to visit this place!

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        August 10, 2017 at 7:14 am

        You would love it Liene, its an amazing country!

        Reply
    11. JEANNINE DIPPENAAR

      August 10, 2017 at 2:11 am

      Dennis, this was such a great post, you sound like you had an awesome time. I did not know one could eat wild boar, that is something we don’t get in South Africa. By the way, your photos are great, if cooking doesn’t work out you could always think about a career in photography, (joking) your food is awesome

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        August 10, 2017 at 7:15 am

        Thank you Jeannine! Wild boar does appear on a lot of menus and there really over populating our country. Crazy huh? Its pretty much the same as pork but with a richer flavor.

        Reply
    12. Mary

      August 10, 2017 at 1:05 am

      Wow, what an amazing trip! I have so much of Canada to see, your photos have inspired me to visit very soon.

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        August 10, 2017 at 7:15 am

        I hope you get to visit Mary, New Brunswick and the Maritimes would be a great place to start!

        Reply
    13. Adriana Lopez Martn

      August 09, 2017 at 11:46 pm

      Wow chef seems you are yoru wife have been having a lot of fun times! Never been to this area in Canada now I am inspired. My husband and I are planning a trip to Canada next year, thanks for the tips.

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        August 10, 2017 at 7:16 am

        You will love it Adriana! Especially the seafood!

        Reply
    14. torviewtoronto

      August 09, 2017 at 10:29 pm

      Fabulous post lovely reading about your time in New Brunswick. We were there while ago it is such a lovely place. Happy to see you have enjoyed 🙂

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        August 10, 2017 at 7:17 am

        We had such a good time Akheela! I can’t wait to get back to Canada to see more of its natural beauty!

        Reply
    15. Mia Voss

      August 09, 2017 at 10:00 pm

      Well, if I wasn’t excited for my Maritime Coastal Wonders tour coming up… I am certainly am now! Unfortunately I’ll only be in Saint Awesome, er, I mean St. John but obviously I’ll need to start planning another trip with a longer stint in NB!

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        August 10, 2017 at 7:18 am

        I’m sure every where you go in the Maritimes will be just as spectacular Mia! I can’t wait to hear about your experiences!

        Reply
    16. Kori

      August 09, 2017 at 8:34 pm

      What an amazing experience!! And I love all of your images!!! How was Tim Horton’s? I’ve always wanted to try it!!!

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        August 09, 2017 at 8:41 pm

        Thank you so much, I’m glad you enjoyed my post. And Tim Hortons was pretty darn good

        Reply
    17. Paige

      August 09, 2017 at 8:34 pm

      After reading this, I have GOT to visit New Brunswick! It sounds like a fantastic trip, and I never would have thought to go there on vacation. Thanks for sharing about your trip with us!

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        August 09, 2017 at 8:40 pm

        It really was a great trip. So much to see and so much to do. Happy that you enjoyed my post

        Reply
    18. Cara

      August 09, 2017 at 7:33 pm

      Wow, what an incredible trip. The food and the scenery looked amazing, especially the lobster.

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        August 09, 2017 at 8:07 pm

        Thanks Cara, it really was a fun trip and I have so much more to share about our adventure.

        Reply
    19. Carolyn Capern

      August 09, 2017 at 6:39 pm

      I spent my childhood driving through New Brunswick on my way from Nova Scotia to New Hampshire and back on family vacations. It’s a beautiful province and you are making me want to go back to explore all these wonderful things! Glad you had a good trip to the Maritimes.

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        August 09, 2017 at 8:08 pm

        We could live there (in the summertime) Carolyn, it really is a beautiful area!

        Reply
    20. Jenni

      August 09, 2017 at 5:57 pm

      Dennis, wow! What an incredible trip!

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        August 09, 2017 at 8:08 pm

        WE had such a good time Jenni! And the seafood was just spectacular!

        Reply

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