When I first told people about the trip my boyfriend and I were going on through BC and Alberta, they all said I would love Nelson. Those who had been raved about it and those who hadn't couldn't wait to go one day. Amongst the little town of nifty stores, hot springs and a beautiful waterfront, there was one thing that we had to make sure we indulged in - the amazing food we heard about. So if you are going to take a trip to Nelson, make sure you leave yourself some time to enjoy some of the tastiest dishes around. The first night we arrived in Nelson, we hit up a small place called The Outer Clove (http://outerclove.com/). This place is bold. It's all about garlic with a fun space-like theme. I know it sounds cheesy but I assure you, this place does not mess around. I find we can't go anywhere without ordering something with meat and cheese on a platter. Here, we ordered the "Beyond Inner & Outer Clove" to start. The creamy brie just oozes when cut, and went so well with the blueberry reduction. I can't remember what the sausage was, but it was so delicious. The roasted garlic bulbs served I could have eaten so many more. I don't care if I had garlic breath all night that bulb was a sh*t! We finished with some supernova salad entrées. After visiting the land of meat, sometimes you just need some vegetable goodness! So came the day where it called for 38 degrees of torture and we went to Ainsworth Hot Springs. Figure that one out. It was still hotter in the hot spring cave.... We started our morning by visiting Grounded Organic Coffee House, which was next to our hotel, and both got the daily special. The coined term for the dish is going to kill me as I can't remember at all. Essentially it was like a mini omelette, topped with prosciutto and brie, all smacked together between pesto smeared English muffins. It was full of tasty goodness. The creamy melting brie, saltiness from the meat and fresh pesto brought it together nicely. And of course I had to have it with some good tasty coffee! Attention Starbucks lovers, did you know that there's coffee out there better than yours? I should write about the unexpected places that put your coffee to shame! When we got back from the Hot Springs (remember it's now above 30 degrees and climbing) it was time to grab a light lunch and explore the town. If you've been to Nelson, you'd know it's a total hippy town. It's all about organic this, fresh that and every place has a substantial vegetarian/vegan menu. The café we went to was a full experience of this. Kooteney Bakery Café (http://kootenaybakerycafe.com/) had the delicious smell of homemade bread and was filled with homemade goodies. I opted for the potato tortilla, which was a frittata-like slice of potato and egg, with fresh onions, vegetables and seasonings, served up with their tasty in house salsa. For wanted a light lunch, it's exactly what you need. That evening we decided to go out for a nice romantic meal, and All Seasons Café (http://www.allseasonscafe.com/) delivered. This fine dining restaurant shows how casual Nelson people are, yet the level of culinary professionalism in the kitchen does not go unnoticed. By this point we enjoyed the patio in much cooler (but still hot) weather. I think the bottle of red wine helped forget about it! If you love olives like we do, start with the bowl that's swimming in a sundries tomato sauce topped with orange and rosemary. And yes that's delicious focaccia served with it! A new dish came out for the summer menu and Derek didn't hesitate. This tasty halibut sits on a Farro and shiitake pilaf with a mint chimichurry sauce and paquilo pepper purée. A little bit of fresh, a little bit of heat, this dish had it all. Even though this dish was amazing, I'm pretty sure mine was better.... or maybe I'm just being subjective as all I wanted was duck. My dish couldn't have been better. I couldn't resist ordering the duck and I got what I expected. A juicy tender duck breast with in-house made chive gnocchi with a sesame gastrique sauce. I made a compliment to the chef as gnocchi is quite difficult to cook well and I wish I had more on my plate! Savoured each bite with this I sure did! So we're almost finished a bottle of wine, just ate some fine food... wait, let's not forget about some dessert. We had three options and chose the chocolate torte. You really can't go wrong with this one. Delicious chocolate with caramel. Need I say more? I'm pretty sure we waddled back to the hotel only to end up downstairs in the bar, have some drinks and sing off the food with karaoke... Success! If you think for a minute I'd be foodied out, you are so wrong. We were leaving the next morning to head home and had some breakfast at Front Street Burger and Breakfast (http://frontstreetburger.com/). All day breakfast, all day booze (if you choose) and all the hashbrowns you can eat.... that is if you can even finish your plate. I got the breakfast hash, which consisted of two basted eggs on top of a mixture of hashbrowns, three cheeses, and saluted vegetables - all topped with a yummy hollandaise. I absolutely love breakfast. I did hit a wall at one point, but at least I didn't need to eat for the rest of the day! Well.... you gotta be hungry for the first thing you would want getting home for dinner... delicious delicious Pho! Not that you needed these reasons to visit Nelson, but perhaps at least one of these visuals will lure you. Go to Kootenay Lake, visit the hot springs and don't forget to fill your belly with goodness!
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