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Places to Eat and Drink in Nova Scotia: Kiwi Cafe in Chester

16 Jul 2010 -
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Toulouse enjoying his signature drink at the Kiwi

“Would you like another Toulouse-o-cino to go with that pear scone?” Ilse asked me in her lilting Dutch accent. My ears pricked up and I glanced up from my notebook. I checked my cup  and smiled. It was empty.

I meowed an affimative.

Ilse gently pointed to my nose. “You have a bit of foam there, Toulouse.”

I thanked her with a quiet grin and wiped off the foam then stroked my whiskers in place. Good gosh! Nina’s clumsy exuberance in the sensual pleasures was beginning to wear off on me!

I’d begun to patronize The Kiwi Café in Chester, on the Nova Scotia coast, Sunday mornings to write my memoirs in the cheerful atmosphere of a bustling artistic crowd and soft jazz of Diana Krall.

On my first visit to the café I met Natalie Shaw, the general manager, who understands cultured cats; she lives with

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Natalie shows Toulouse Kiwi's pastries

 one. In a moment of genius, she introduced me to one of their signature “coffees”: the “baby-cino”, a concoction of steamed and foamed milk sprinkled with chocolate and cinnamon, served in an espresso cup. They’d invented the “baby-cino” for the children who supported their parents’ gourmet coffee addictions. Natalie became my friend and the Toulouse-o-cino was born! The Toulouse-o-cino is, in fact, a variant of the baby-cino. It is the Kiwi’s signature “Flat White” in an espresso cup: a combination of steamed milk and a shot of espresso with foam and cream blended in. I was affectionately reminded of café crème.

The Kiwi Café is the creation of Lynda Flinn who immigrated to Nova Scotia from New Zealand over seven years ago. The café offers a full range of brewed coffees, lattes and cappuccinos roasted fresh weekly by Java Blend in Halifax (since 1936). The Kiwi Cafe also offers a unique menu of internationally-inspired fresh dishes for breakfast and lunch including soups, wraps and sandwiches and all-day breakfast. One of my favorites is their Nova Scotia fishcakes, made with local haddock and served with mesclun salad (artisan lettuce mix) and house dressing of balsamic vinaigrette garnished with house-made mango salsa. Exotic squares, scones and cookies are hand-baked on the premises using 100% pure ingredients.  The Kiwi Café is located in the heart of the charming seaside village of Chester. It’s open every day of the week from 8:30 am to 4 pm and in the summer they serve suppers on Fridays until 8 pm.

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Toulouse savors fishcakes done the right way at Kiwi

Chester (population of 1200) lies nestled on the rolling hills of Nova Scotia’s Bluenose Coast off the Lighthouse route. You take Exit 7 off Highway 103 and wind your way through a patchwork of meadows, heritage farmhouses and woodland until you reach the village perched on a hilly coast. Chester just celebrated its 250th year and supports an eclectic community of small entrepreneurs, artists and artisans mixed in with CEO’s, bank presidents, inventors, and ambassadors, whose estates and mansions grace its shores and bluffs. For a small town it’s packed with a wealth of galleries, art studios, theatre, golf clubs, wellness studios, cafés, bakeries and unique shops. According to my sources, Chester is one of the wealthiest communities in Nova Scotia. It’s best known as a destination for sailing, golf, studios and galleries. Chester also served as the setting for numerous movies including Black Harbour (1996), Deeply (2000) and Noah’s Ark (2008). Some scenes of Steven King’s “Haven” are currently being filmed there.

When I first visited Chester in late November 2009, I discovered The Rope Loft, a quality seafood restaurant with dockside dining that overlooks the sea and the charming waterfront. It was a balmy sunny day, so I sat outside and enjoyed white wine, seafood chowder and fresh mussels with freshly baked bread. Soon other tourists gathered on the deck and joined me in lively discussion about winter over wine and seafood. LOL! The restaurant is locally known as the Old Wharf and the building has been around for over 200 years, enjoying the bustle of fish, coal, grain, and rum—but not at the same time…

I also enjoyed visiting Chez Glass Lass, which features world-class fused glass art by artists Sharon McNamara and

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Paula and Toulouse watch the coffee at Kiwi

 Paul Palango of KilnArt. And it wasn’t just because of the cat sculptures (although they were very cool!) Paul had named each cat he created. After a long glance at me – in obvious recognition – one curious customer asked Paul if he had a “Toulouse” (what was she thinking?!? Of course they didn’t! There’s only ONE of me…). I waited with puffed cheeks and then sighed when Paul said “no, but it’s a good name!”

Ah, the life of a cool travel cat! :-3

Contact information: 19 Pleasant Street, Chester, NS, B0J 1J0; tel. no. 902-275-1492; www.kiwicafechester.com.

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Category: Food and Drink, Interesting Places, North America, Nova Scotia, Places to Drink Coffee, Places to Drive, Places to Go and Eat  Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,  3 Comments

Swiss Cows are a Cat’s Best Friend

30 Jun 2010 -
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Swiss cows in a pasture with Mount Pilatus in background

Think of it: milk, cheese, chocolate, butter, cream…café crème! I was in Toulouse heaven when I toured Zurich and the countryside of Central Switzerland this spring. As the Swiss would say, es war ausgezeichnet! I feasted on the best that cows can offer. That had a lot to do with the Brown Swiss cow. And here’s why…

Brown Swiss is the breed of dairy cattle that produces the second largest quantity of milk in the world. The milk contains on average 4% butterfat and 3.5% protein, which makes it ideal for cheese production. The Brown Swiss is a large cow with long gestation, large furry ears, and a lovely docile temperament. They are also hardy and need little care or feed.

Known as Braunvieh in German, the Brown Swiss originated on the slopes

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Happy Swiss cows in Merlischachen, Lake Lucerne

of the Swiss Alps, which made them resistant to heat, cold and many other common cattle problems. The Brown Swiss, as we know it in the United States today, originated in several cantons I traveled through: Schwyz, Zug, St. Gallen, Glarus, Lucerne, and Zurich of Switzerland. Here’s what the Brown Swiss cow offers so happily and impeccably:

BUTTER: In Switzerland, butter is more of an experience than a condiment. Its fresh and bold taste carries with it the fresh smell of alpine meadows. Swiss butter makes one incredible escargots bourguignon baked with Café de Paris sauce like the six I “inhaled” at the Swiss Chalet in Merlischachen. Swiss butter melts in your mouth with a delicate nuance of the Swiss countryside. It is tasty plain on bread, croissants or butterzopf in the morning for breakfast. As I scarfed down the tenth piece of light rye with herb-tomato butter at the Rossli in Schonenburg, I pulled contemplatively at my whiskers and decided that its exquisite taste is “because the cows are happy”.  Most

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Swiss cows in Seelisberg, Lake Lucerne

Swiss cows graze freely outside in small family farms, benefitting from the fresh air, good food and pleasant pastoral setting. The Swiss are very proud of their cows, after all. Spring festivals abound around the Swiss cow, complete with regalia and huge intricately decorated bells.

CHEESE: Cheese permeates and forms an integral part of Swiss life. As with my compatriots in France, the Swiss consider it both an everyday food item and something ideal for a feast. The Swiss will commonly serve a platter of six or seven different kinds of cheese, along with fresh bread, dried meat or cervelat, and fruit, along with a generous amount of good red

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Very curious Swiss cows

wine.  I partook of many cheese platter picnics, accompanied with wine, and cervelat salad.

Switzerland is home to about 450 varieties of cheese. Ninety-nine percent of Swiss cheese comes from cows milk with the remainder made up of sheep and goat milk. This is considerably different from France, where goat milk cheese is very popular.

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Assorted cheeses in Switzerland

Here are some of the popular Swiss cheeses from extra hard to soft: Sbrinz; Emmentaler; Gruyere/Greyerzer; Berner Alpkaese; Schabziger; Appenzeller; Bundner Bergkaese; Mutschli; Raclette; Tere de Moine; Vacherin Fribourgeois; Tilsiter; Vacherin Mont d’Or; Formaggini; and Gala.

Two great warm-cheese dishes, usually served right about now during the cold winter months. Fondue is cheese melted in a wine-kirsch mixture, into which you dip chunks of bread. (I’ve never encountered other dipping stuff here like apples and so on.) And there is raclette, a big chunk of cheese held close to the fire until it starts to melt, and then the melting cheese is

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Toulouse feasts on an open-faced cheese/tomato sandwich and cafe creme

scooped off with a knife onto a plate, and eaten with bread, boiled potatoes, cornichon pickles, and sometimes some dried beef.

MILK, CREAM & “OH, THAT CAFÉ CRÈME!”: Swiss milk is also unique. People new to Switzerland would describe it as richer tasting, more creamy with a hint of countryside meadow in its aroma. Some need to get accustomed to the vollmilch (whole fat milk), and I’ve heard that they cut it in half with low-fat milk.

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Cafe creme on Lake Lucerne

Think of all the things you drink and eat that use milk. Now you know what I’m getting at. And then there’s café crème. My pure enjoyment of this simple beverage was surely a function of both the Swiss fresh water, fresh air, fresh mountain crème and excellent espresso coffee. Not to mention the awesome setting and view.

My take home message here is this: when you go to Switzerland, keep your diet at home and savor the exquisite palate-thrilling tastes that the Swiss Cow offers, in all aspects of your fine dining experience, from elegant creamy morel sauce over rahmschnitzel to a simple café crème.

I’ll be back to see my friends!

This site is powered by donations. For your reading pleasure I do not clutter it with advertizing; nor do I charge any of these fine establishments, events or places for my reviews. If you are a patron who enjoys my articles or at the receiving end of one of my reviews you can show your appreciation with a donation (see right top sidebar). 

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Category: Food and Drink, Gourmet Dining, Interesting Places, Places to Drink Coffee, Places to Go and Eat, Switzerland, World Travel  Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  15 Comments

Interesting Places: Bozeman Keeps it Wild

24 Jul 2008 -
 

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Main Street Bozeman

The look on the street is Carrie Bradshaw in country boots. No need to pack a blow-dryer; the Keep it Wild philosophy extends from nature to hair, which is also left untamed

—Travel & Leisure Online

“This is our kind of place,” Nina declared as we crested the hill with a view of the university town of Bozeman, nestled in the Gallatin Valley and surrounded by several mountain ranges. This “keep it wild” town was paradise for Nina, whose hair is unruly at the best of times. “Did you know,” she went on, “That The Horse Whisperer and A River Runs Through It were filmed here?” Of course I did… I’d already done my research.

“Listen to this!” Nina jabbed a finger at the visitor’s guide description of Bozeman, Montana, while she drove in that harrowing one-handed way that was becoming a bad habit—and sending my little heart a pattering. “It’s  ‘a charming town. In a John Wayne—Norman Rockwell—Bob Marley sort of way.’ ” Then she laughed and did that “pig-snort” thing at me as I tried—and failed—to picture John Wayne as a Rastafarian. She knew what I was doing

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The Leaf and Bean Bozeman

 and guffawed.

Ironically, this described the heart of Bozeman’s historic downtown perfectly. Bozeman’s Main Street features a relaxed funky atmosphere, an exciting commingling of southern wild west and northern yuppy vogue. Nina was in her element. “Yeeha!” she sang. “Let’s park and walk.” I was happy with that; I could use a break from gripping the dash, I thought.

A cross between Louisville’s bohemian Bardstown Road and Victoria BC’s historic Government Street, Main Street in Bozeman is a memorable walk. Lamps adorned with colorful bouquets of local flowers line the downtown street. Most of the buildings are heritage-style brick

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Main Street Bozeman

facades with original signage. Among the galleries (like the Beatnik), antique stores and movie theatre, I spotted several music shops, like Cactus Records, which sells international and local music and equipment. Main Street is an attractive retail corridor that houses more than 100 shops and restaurants, including those selling sporting goods, clothing, furniture, kitchen equipment, and technology.  Remember, Montana has no sales tax. The street provides wonderful and affordable choices in eating. Interesting places include the Montana Fish Company (which serves fresh fish flown in daily and sushi rolled every morning), Ted’s Montana Grill (with an attractive patio front for people-watching), The Pickle Barrel Sandwich Shop, and Burger Bob’s. The Crystal Bar, a lively place in the evening, offers a rooftop lounge with a view.

Just west of Cactus Records, is The Leaf and Bean. My well-travelled friend Armon had highly recommended a

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Toulouse chooses coffee at the Leaf and Bean

 coffee house with lots of character and great coffee on Main Street; he couldn’t remember the name. When we walked inside, I knew this was the place Armon meant. A quick scan along the brick walls lined with original paintings, and funky shelf-displays of local art (from handmade coffee sleeves to jewelry) told me that this was no ordinary coffee shop. My whiskers curled with delight.

The place was hopping with patrons enjoying lively banter by the door; others huddled over their computers in the back corner or in intimate conversation beneath the local art.  Nina and I sidled to the front counter, which showcased a savory selection of in-house baked pastries, light lunches and cookies along with alternatives to coffee beverages. We ordered a regular coffee with hazelnut syrup. A bright mural by Edward Hemingway (Ernest Hemingway’s grandson) animated the wall behind the barista. The owner told us that Edward Hemingway had lived in Bozeman and had painted the mural for the previous owner. 

Established in 1977 and once owned by actress Glenn Close, this brew house offers a rich selection of freshly air-roasted coffees, gourmet espresso beverages and exotic teas from all parts of the world. Its bohemian coffee-house atmosphere, together with friendly service makes this java retreat a coffee addict’s haven. The place even hosts life entertainment several nights a week.   According to Big Mike, a Bozeman blogger, there is also an open mic night, sponsored by the university (MSU) English Club, for aspiring singers and entertainers.

Good times to be had at the open mic! Just don’t tell Nina… ;-3

This site is powered by donations. For your reading pleasure I do not clutter it with advertizing; nor do I charge any of these fine establishments, events or places for my reviews. If you are a patron who enjoys my articles or at the receiving end of one of my reviews you can show your appreciation with a donation (see right top sidebar). 

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Category: Interesting Places, North America, Places to Drink Coffee, Places to Drive, Road Trips  Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  One Comment
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