Steal My Food Itinerary: 3 Days on Prince Edward Island

Raspberry Point oysters at Landmark Oyster House on Prince Edward Island. | Kate Heddings Recently I spent a few days exploring Prince Edward Island, a place that embraces its local foodways with gusto. There’s a complex history here, with roots in Indigenous Mi’kmaq, Acadian, Irish, Scottish, and other cultures. And if one thing unites these histories, it’s the island’s abundance of seafood and produce, which have helped earn it the nickname Canada’s Food Island. How can you not want to visit Canada’s Food Island? On a stretch of land only about 140 miles long, you can eat oysters pulled out of nearby waters, potatoes grown on local farms, dig into a juicy burger made with PEI beef, and lick ice cream made with milk from the cows you pass along those famous red-dirt roads. That’s a lot of good eating packed into a place you can drive across in an afternoon. I had to structure my visit, therefore, around where to dine, but also include a bucket-list visit to Green Gables Heritage Place. (I am a complete freak for L.M. Montgomery’s novel Anne of Green Gables, set on PEI around the turn of the last century.) I also had to schedule time at the PEI International Shellfish Festival, which promised endless trays of freshly shucked oysters and clams, hot buttered lobster rolls, steaming bowls of mussels, and plenty of entertainment, from shucking competitions and cooking demos to live music and dancing. My husband and I rented a car and stationed ourselves in Charlottetown, the island’s main hub. Prince Edward Island is situated in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, just a hop away from Nova Scotia. You’re never far from the ocean here, and on a sunny day, the air seems to sparkle. The island is known for its red-sand cliffs and beaches, rolling landscapes, fishing harbors, and lighthouses. If you’ve read Anne of Green Gables, you’ll know just how pretty PEI is. We landed late Thursday afternoon, ready to hit the ground running. With just shy of three days, I had carefully mapped out the places I wanted to visit, using Charlottetown as my base.  Day 1 Drinks and snacks: Slaymaker & Nichols Charlottetown isn’t big, and most things here are walkable within 20 minutes or so. First stop in PEI: Slaymaker & Nichols, a gastropub and inn with the feel of an old-fashioned supper club. It takes its name from the 19th-century circus that once performed on the site. They take cocktail making seriously here. The summery feel of the day prompted me to try the watermelon mule, with hibiscus-infused vodka and chunks of pickled watermelon. I liked it, especially alongside the creamy lobster dip with tomatoes and harissa, and the buttery shrimp pil pil, with lots of tasty little spears of asparagus. More drinks: Reddins I was saving myself for my first lobster roll, which we grabbed up the street in an unremarkable spot. It was pretty mediocre, so I won’t go on about it. But after eating, we stopped into Reddins, a speakeasy that channels PEI’s Prohibition history in a dark, intimate third-floor bar with vintage furniture, good jazz, and whimsical cocktails. Our excellent bartender, AB, told us the space had once been a pharmacy where folks came during Prohibition to get their “medicine” — drugstores could legally dispense alcohol by prescription. We tried a few of the signature cocktails, and the one that stood out was the Pink Canary, with vodka, rose, lychee, citrus, and rosé bubbles, served in a small bathtub. Yup, you heard that right. It was sweet and awfully fun to sip.  Tip: You need a secret password to get in when you buzz from downstairs. You can get it online, or just do as we did and ask the hostess next door for help. Day 2 Breakfast: Receiver Coffee In the pouring rain, we made our way to nearby Victoria Row for breakfast at local roaster Receiver Coffee. Fuel for the day included strong coffee, a particularly good cup of Earl Grey cream tea, and the Ham Slam, a big fluffy cheddar biscuit layered with a runny fried egg, Black Forest ham, Swiss, and Dijon mayo. Lunch and more: Landmark Oyster House, Island Chocolates We swung by the shellfish festival (more on that later) but the rain wasn’t welcoming, so we got back in the car and drove out to tiny and charming Victoria-by-the-Sea. When I say tiny, I mean it: The town is half a square mile, with a population under 200. Despite the town’s size, Landmark Oyster House, set there in an old general store with pretty green shingles and a steep gabled roof, thrives. Our friendly waiter (everyone is abundantly friendly on PEI) suggested Raspberry Point oysters to start. They hit the spot: medium-sized, briny, and sweet, served with lemon wedges and freshly grated horseradish, which is now how I think every oyster should be eaten. We also tried the scallop dog, with buttery sweet scallops, bacon jam, red pepper aioli, and pickled shallots nestled in a toasted bun. It came alongside a very good, eggy potato salad.  After seeing the cheery lighthouse and visiting a couple of l