Out& About
On a trip to P.E.I., Jim Byers discovers a city far from its bucolic past – and looking to the future
you’llALWAYS HAVE the girl with the freckles and the shops selling raspberry cordials. And this town will forever be associated with the Fathers of Confederation. But Charlottetown has found a different, parallel groove to complement those hugely popular standbys. Nowadays, in addition to Anne of Green Gables and T-shirts featuring the two Ls that made P.E.I. famous (lobsters and lighthouses), you also can find top chefs dishing up first-class charcuterie and the sort of menus you might expect in Vancouver’s Gastown or Toronto’s Yorkville.
You’ll also find cafes like Youngfolk & the Kettle Black that cook up caffeinated blends and espresso drinks just as rich and fulfilling as anything you’ll find in bigger cities. Not to mention a jewelry designer who fashions intriguing necklaces shaped like skulls made out of everything from old timepieces to dead beetles imported from Thailand. “I could carry the same things as other shops, but my whole goal is to make stuff you don’t see other places,” says Matt Bowness, the young owner of Overman Jewelry and Art on Water Street. “I can’t say what exactly would’ve sparked the changes but there are a lot of cool, new shops in the downtown area. People are opening dream spots and they choose to do it here.”
Around the corner, in a handsome, 150-year-old building on Queen Street, John Pritchard and Dave Mottershall make amazing charcuterie and dreamy dinners at Terre Rouge. Pritchard, who spent a fair bit of time in Toronto and working in Bermuda and the Cayman Islands, makes chorizo, orange walnut salami, lamb prosciutto and handmade gelato and sorbet. The emphasis is on farm to table as well as serving “kick ass” food.
Norma Jean MacLean, man-
ager of the popular Youngfolk & the Kettle Black coffee shop, says the presence of the Confederation Centre in downtown Charlottetown helps the new atmosphere by bringing theatre folks into town. She also notes Holland College is growing in size in downtown Charlottetown, adding more students to the mix. “There’s a lot more to this place than people might think,” she says. “There’s quite a variety for a city this size.” Indeed, tiny Charlottetown has just 35,000 residents. But it’s the seat of provincial power and also home to the University of Prince Edward Island, helping it punch very much above its weight when it comes to tourism offerings.
If you wander along Queen Street you’ll almost certainly spot the bench with a statue of Sir John A. MacDonald, oddly without a drink in his hand. Folks in town say the statue gets more action on a Friday or Saturday night than any guy in town, with plenty of women nuzzling up and whispering sweet nothings in the ear of our first prime minister.
Also on Queen Street, you’ll find Liquid Gold and All Things Olive, where you can do olive oil and balsamic tastings that will have vio- lently swear off buying generic stuff at your grocery store. You also can sample exotic balsamic vinegars or buy luxurious bath products.
The folks at P.E.I. Brewery are rounding up fans by the barrel full with varieties such as light and summery Beach Chair Lager, Island Red, to match the island’s famous red soil, and Sir John A’s Honey Wheat beer, a fave of local celebrity chef Michael Smith. You can do a tour of their lovely, modern tasting room for $10 and try tasty samples. They also do culinary events, with space for a wedding. And what guy wouldn’t want to get hitched at a brewery?
The Confederation Centre not only tells the story of the birth of a great country, but you’ll also find cutting-edge art work in their galleries, as well as Mavor’s, a chic café with a great patio and an emphasis on local food. You also can take tours of historic homes and take boat rides on Charlottetown Harbour to get an up close and personal view of the lobster boats and great shots of church spires rising above this handsome, compact city.
The great thing is that all these new up-and-coming spots sit cheekto-cheek with the standby spots that helped make Charlottetown such a popular destination for families and other travellers. The city still has an outlet of Cows Ice Cream (another Smith favourite) and places to buy Anne of Green Gables raspberry cordials, along with plenty of places to buy sweatshirts with P.E.I.’s famous red dirt infused into the fibres like dye or, yes, T-shirts with images of those quaint lighthouses and ubiquitous lobsters.
After all, some things you just don’t want to mess with.