Dining in Newfoundland Tradition: Newfie Night at Petit Bill’s Bistro
We at foodiePrints have been following developments at the Petit Bill’s Bistro since it opened. We were one of its very first guests, eating there shortly before the restaurant opened. We re-visited on its first birthday. Though, after that less than successful anniversary dinner, we have observed some very odd dishes on Petit Bill’s menu.
Asparagus and Ham Puree Soup
Halibut Stuffed with Smoked Salmon
We chose not to return until there was some turnover in Petit Bill’s kitchen.
Recently, we discovered that Petit Bill’s opened a Twitter account, @littlebills. Its first couple tweets mentioned the restaurant employed a new head chef named “Skip.”
Since, my better half and I met Sean Fitzpatrick at this year’s United Way Schmoozefest. He is one of three brothers who operate Petit Bill’s, Terry Fitzpatrick being the most recognizable. Terry’s is the friendly face everyone meets when they arrive at the door, Petit Bill’s Maître d’. Sean ensured us their back of house had changed.
With that, Jenn and I have been looking for an opportunity to try Petit Bill’s anew. Its third annual Newfie Night, an evening of traditional Newfoundland dishes, provided that opportunity.
Newfie Night
After all, Petit Bill’s advertises itself as a “French Bistro with a Newfie Accent.”
Back of Petit Bill’s Business Card
This was the menu for that evening:
Newfie Night Menu
For appetizers, we forgoed the peas soup with dough boys (dumplings) ($6) for the cod tongues ($11) and pickerel cheeks ($11).
Pickerel Cheeks
Cod Tongues
When Terry wandered by, he mentioned everyone was following suit, ordering at least two different appetizers to try. He highly recommended the cod tongues, telling us they were more chewy and gelatinous than the cheeks. Further, the reason the cheeks were pickerel and not cod was because he was unable to source cod cheeks.
Growing up with Asian cuisine, Jenn and I are familiar with fish cheeks. Easily the most flavourful and tender portion of any fish, we frequently ate them steamed. When we visited Atelier, we had halibut cheeks sous vide. At Petit Bill’s, they were pan fried. Slightly over floured, we found them dry and overdone.
The cod tongues were also pan fried, but they handled the heat better. They were indeed chewy, imparting a cod flavour and went very well with the peppery greens and the fatty and vinegary house-made tartar sauce. Adding a squeeze of lemon juice produced the perfect bite.
For my main, I chose the Jiggs Dinner ($19), something I was forewarned by a fellow Ottawa foodie, @biff_da_bear, was good, but packed easily a week’s serving of sodium.
Jiggs Dinner – Front
Jigg’s Dinner – Back
According to the menu, the Jigg’s Dinner comes with stuffing. I found none plated, but what I was served was easily one of the best Thanksgiving dinners I have ever been served. With a dollop of thick yellow pea “peas puddin’” and numerous boiled potatoes, the stuffing wasn’t missed. At the center of the dish was gravy dressed carvings of more dark than light meat turkey. Accompanying it, salt beef and boiled carrots, parsnips, and turnip. It was a very hearty meal, everything cooked according to tradition, but everything well cooked. The protein was juicy and tender. The vegetables, fork tender. I found nothing over-seasoned and paired portions of my serving of salt beef with potato, carrots, parsnips, and turnip. In fact, this Christmas, I plan on borrowing from the Newfoundland tradition and serve a salted meat and peas pudding with turkey in lieu of mashed potatoes.
Jenn chose “A Traditional Newfoundland” Rabbit Stew ($19).
Rabbit Stew
She found the serving surprisingly filling and satisfying, savoury but not at all heavy. The meat was tender. The vegetables, carrots and celery, were cooked fork tender, including the potatoes which a lot of stews cook into a loosely held together paste. From the bite I had, I found the flavour profile reminiscent of an Acadian chicken fricot, a dish a colleague who hailed from New Brunwsick introduced me to. Actually, when Terry wandered by to seat another table, he told us that, if you close your eyes, the rabbit could easily be mistaken for chicken.
For dessert, I ordered the trio of traditional Newfoundland desserts ($6): Figgy Duff, Lassy Mogs, and Jam Jams.
Trio of Newfoundland Treats
Served with as sweetened whipped cream, I was too full to eat my dessert, but tried each. Starting from left to right, the figgy duff was a molasses-based pudding. It featured dark sugar flavours and had a traditional English boiled pudding texture. Next, I took a bite of a lassy mog. The cinnamon cookie was not memorable. The jam jam was a let down.
Jam jam? Crisp Cookie Jam Sandwich
As a fan of Canadian cuisine, I have long wanted to try an authentic Jam Jam, a cookie sandwich that is aged to allow the jam to soften the cookies, producing a texture reminiscent of both cookie and cake. What I was served did not meet these characteristics. The cookies were freshly baked and crisp. The jam was tart and runny. Individually, they were very enjoyable. Together, I was expecting a different texture.
Jenn ordered the “Newfie Pound Cake.”
Newfie Pound Cake
By the time Jenn’s dessert arrived, she too was stuffed. Like me, she tried her best to take an experience and offered me a bite. The pound cake was dense and tasted of vanilla. Its darker edges tasted strongly of rum. The plate was drizzled with a caramel sauce.
For those of you Top Chef fans who watched the “Masters” series, the final challenge for Chefs Rick Bayless, Michael Chiarello, and Hubert Keller was to make four course meals based on their careers. The first, featuring a “first food memory.” The finalist chefs each put together dishes they either grew up making or eating. Each, made ordinarily rustic dishes with skills they honed from years spent in professional kitchens.
This is what the Newfoundland Dinner at Petit Bill’s felt like. While the dishes themselves were not entirely complex, they were made with very skilled hands. Such was apparent in the carefully prepared ingredients, carefully seasoned sauces and broths, and well plated presentations.
The opportunity to try traditional Newfoundland dishes filled the dining room at Petit Bill’s, making the evening feel like a busy Friday night. We figure that Sunday evening saw at least one turnover, dinner service starting at 6:00 pm. Even CTVOttawa News Anchor Max Keeping dropped in for a hearty plate. No one seated at the tables around us ordered the “mainland” non-traditional Newfoundland alternative main, prime rib, served with Yorkshire pudding and seasonal vegetables.
Despite slight issues with our appetizer and desserts, we are eager to visit Petit Bill’s for a regular dinner with friends. My only regret that evening, not trying the fish and brewis, which consists of salt cod and Purity hard tack.
Total: $83.34 (including a pop, after taxes, before tip)
Petit Bill’s Bistro’s Business Card
Front of Petit Bill’s Business Card
Particulars:
Petit Bill’s Bistro
1293 Wellington Street W.
(613)729-2500
