Rain and cold set in Tuesday and lingered from dawn until dusk. Fortunately, our itinerary for the day didn’t require great weather, as it centered around exploring Prince Edward Island’s capital city of Charlottetown and eating lobster: both in roll form for lunch and as part of a traditional lobster supper, for dinner.
Our day started, however, on a more mundane note, at the Fluff n’ Fold Laundromat in Charlottetown. When traveling for an extended period of time, with kids, and trying to pack lightly, laundry becomes a necessity of any trip. One big takeaway from our 2015 European vacation was the concept of wash, dry, and fold laundry service. For just over $20, our laundry was completely refreshed within a few hours, and we were able to shop and dine, instead of spending time in a laundromat.
It had been a few days since I’d gotten my iced green tea fix, so another early stop in Charlottetown was at Starbucks. Of course, that leads to Emmie requesting a vanilla steamer, and Noah wanting his peach green tea lemonade. Gee Gee joined in on the morning drink fun with a Frappucino, and Amanda even partook, requesting a hot chocolate to warm her up on the cool morning.
We spent the majority of our shopping time in downtown Charlottetown at a small, enclosed mall, shielding us from the rain and cold, as the drizzle was steady and temperatures were under 50 degrees. Noah got his much-desired stuffed lobster at the first store; Amanda and Gee Gee each picked up souvenir shirts; and we bought a hat and braids set to jump start Emmie’s Anne of Green Gables Halloween costume.
The shelves of one of several “Anne of Green Gables Chocolates” stores in Prince Edward Island.
We then drove a few blocks downtown to Dave’s Lobster, one of the top-rated restaurants in the city, famous for its lobster rolls. The place was surprisingly quiet, but the rolls did not disappoint! I went with the classic lobster roll, served cold on a warmed bun; Amanda tried the ‘tasty’ variant with the same filling, served warm. The kids each had grilled cheese, made with local cheddar; all of our baskets came with a side of Covered Bridge Chips, made in New Brunswick.
Given the rain and cold, there wasn’t a lot of demand for outdoor seating at Dave’s Lobster.
We stopped at a few big box stores and picked up laundry on our way out of town. To get Eilidh some downtime before our much-anticipated* lobster dinner, we returned to the hotel instead of driving westward to Island Chocolates in Victoria-by-the-Sea. * Anticipated by me, at least.
Emmie tried on new shades at the Charlottetown Old Navy.
Of course, I couldn’t let a planned stop slip from our itinerary, so I recruited Emmie to make the 80-minute round trip to Island Chocolates while the rest of our crew relaxed at the hotel. We had a fun drive together, and enjoyed sampling some chocolate at the store plus taking back some chocolates to eat later. We hung around town long enough to visit a couple local shops and pose with the town’s lighthouse. On our return route, Emmie requested to stop at a store advertising candles so she could smell the scents.
Emmie poses in front of the lighthouse in Victoria-by-the-Sea, Prince Edward Island.
Supper was at the New Glasgow Supper Club, a Prince Edward Island tradition which dates to 1958 when the restaurant was established. During the summer, for four hours each evening, the restaurant serves unlimited appetizers and desserts along with diners’ choice of a main entree.
Upon payment, small paper cards were provided to give to wait staff.
Eilidh is often relegated to the floor in restaurants; this was no exception.
Amanda and I of course had the lobster, with Gee Gee sharing and partaking in the appetizers. It seemed like a quintessential island experience: a lobster meal served family-style at tables close enough to nearly touch the other parties eating in the large dining room. Dated decor, a traditionally-dressed wait staff, and old-school placemats and lobster bibs rounded out key restaurant features.
After finishing her milk, Eilidh was ready to eat some lobster.
Emmie took advantage of the all-you-can-eat setup by ordering both lemon merengue pie and ice cream for dessert!
While I’m glad we went, the overall meal was ultimately disappointing. The seafood chowder paled in comparison to the rendition we’ve ordered at the Blue Mussel Cafe. The mussels were dry, salads were bland, and desserts ordinary. The lobster was probably the highlight of the meal, but I’d like to compare to lobster prepared at a more upscale/modern Atlantic Canada restaurant.
As a post-dessert dessert, Noah ate his chocolate lobster we picked out for him at Island Chocolates.
Tomorrow starts with a 4-hour gourmet cooking experience for Amanda and Gee Gee, while I take the kids to McDonald’s.