York's

That's an old sign, more than a decade old anyway. Possibly two. York's is a New Brunswick institution although, oddly, not one my family went to. We always stopped at a store not far from here that sold fine china. Not just my immediate family but the extended family, which perhaps says something about the value set I spring from.

I was first taken here by a woman who had left New Brunswick and lived in Paris with a drug dealer and had decided to get her marriage annulled after they had a motorcycle accident together. It's a long story.

Anyway, "here" is the town of Perth-Andover which was created by uniting two towns from opposite sides of the river. And if you make the joke "Perth and over" the locals will lose all respect for you. Nine million people have made that joke before you.

York's is perfect in every way. Here is the exterior (you can click on all these images to see them larger if you wish):

And here is the interior

Note how well lit and wholesome looking it is.

York's do not need advertising from me. The restaurant is known all over the world and many people come to New Brunswick just to eat here. It's home cooking not gourmet but it's quite possibly the best home cooking anywhere.

There is no menu. You are given a series of main courses to choose from. Today the options were scallops, steak, surf and turf, boiled lobster, or smoked pork chop. Along with this you get a five course meal.

Because it's home cooking, they don't start preparing your meal until you order it. (Except the pork chop which they did ahead of time but all smoked food is smoked on the premises.)

Anyway, the appetizer was a a corn fritter sitting in a bowl of maple syrup. I also got a tomato juice and a market salad.

Then the main course:

If that looks like a big lobster it's because it's a lobster and half. Another customer ordered a surf and turf. The surf and turf is a 16 ounce steak plus a half lobster and they gave the other half of his lobster to me. (Always be nice to your waitress is the lesson here. Be polite and respectful and don't hit on her.)

There is a side order of homefries just out of the frame on the right and up to the left is some zucchini bread.

The fourth course was steamed mussels:

And garlic butter. Do I like steamed mussels or do I just like the excuse to dip things in garlic butter? Under the advice of my attorney I will regretfully take my fifth amendment rights on that one. (Although I should note I've had mussels without garlic butter and enjoyed them.

For dessert I had banana cream pie. There are bananas under that cream. Honest.

Hey it was the sabbath. I don't do this everyday.

$51 for the whole shebang.