Nova Scotia Recommendation.......Advocate Harbour Area

[GoaGirl]

Which is better.....the restaurant at the Lighthouse at Cape D'Or or the Wild Caraway Cafe in Advocate Harbour?

[chrubuky]

The chef from the Lighthouse opened the Wild Caraway. I ate at the Lighthouse when he was the chef there & the food was incredible. I would love to be close enough to go to the Wild Caraway to see what he has done with his own place. It is also worth taking into consideration that Wild Caraway is MUCH easier to get to. The Lighthouse, while having phenomenal scenery is at the end of a very rocky road & down a fairly steep driveway/cliff.

Hope this helps.

[im_nomad]

I can finally add my review of this fantastic little gem in Advocate. Ditto on the location of the Lighthouse, however even though it appears to be closed now (not sure if this is indefinitely or just for the season), it is SO worth the drive down there and the subsequent walk to enjoy the scenery. I was just there this weekend and it is an amazing spot.

Myself and friends were in Advocate for a little getaway ( I will also highly recommend the Driftwood Park chalets on the beach for so many reasons-and the area in general is beautiful even this time of year). I had heard about the Lighthouse as well as more recently the Wild Caraway and was really interested in checking it out for myself. My expectations were exceeded. What a wonderful find !

The cafe itself is in an older home , but there is nothing dated about the place. The decor was lively and the music that played throughout dinner fit so well. It is situated across the harbour with gorgeous views. At the point we visited, the cafe was only opening on the weekends (evidently they will also close down during Feb and March, to reopen in April), and closes at 7pm. I think their menu might also change a little (?) in the off seasons , not sure on this. They do brunch on Sundays but we didn't make it there for that.

Now for the food ! The special that night was the halibut, served on a bed of lentils with broccoli and almonds. I knew what I was getting !! We ordered a bottle of Rioja (evidently purchased regularly through Crystal and Luckett in Bedford / Halifax and btw all wines on the list are available by the glass), and while we waited for our salads, we were brought a wonderful little treat which was a shot of mushroom soup along with one of the best rolls I have ever tasted; a dulse and fennel bun that had it been a huge loaf of bread I would have eaten the entire thing !! Oh so good.

Had a caesar with local scallops that was very good, the scallops were a little over cooked, but the tastes were perfect. I would order again . It also came with the option of house-smoked chicken instead of the scallops.

My main was a beautiful thick piece of halibut cooked to perfection, sitting atop a bed of french lentils which were very flavorful. The broccoli with almonds were lovely. The fish was "roll your eyes up into your head" good. Those were some mighty bare plates when we finished.

Now, we were pretty content with the meal at this point and also very full..... but there was dessert. As soon as our waitress said sticky date cake with caramel sauce I was a goner. We three shared this huge piece of cake and it was equally fantastic.

I will also note that our waitress was fantastic, absolutely no complaints there (no complaints anywhere at this point !)

My bill came to the high $30's for this wonderful meal (two of us shared a salad, all three shared the wine, and I took the dessert.

Loved this restaurant !!!