Rusty Spoons loves corned beef and cabbage

The wind howling outside, snow plows filling in the end of your driveway. Who cares, there is a boiled dinner and a pot of tea on the stove. Three restaurants reviewed for their boiled dinners.

Ask yourself, on a cool blustery day what’s the one meal you crave more than any other, one that makes you think of home, one that makes you feel so good when it's on the way to your tummy? For some people it’s homemade beans, others like mac and cheese, others like something sweet or deep fried. But many Maritimers like corned beef and cabbage, also called a boiled dinner. Whatever you call it, or however you cook it, it’s a local favourite and as Irish as Paddy’s pig.

This review will be posted on Wednesday, February 24th, only a few weeks from St. Patrick’s Day (a big day for boiled dinners) and hopefully the last snowstorm of the year. But more importantly, Wednesday is the day of the week when you can take your pick of restaurants that feature corned beef and cabbage on the menu. For the past few weeks I have been sampling a full plate at lunch, and staying far away from co-workers in the afternoon. The review features meals from Kingsway Restaurant, Goodie Shop, and City Limits Convenience.

Full disclosure: I would never pretend to be an expert when it comes to corned beef and cabbage. I tried making it myself a few times and never quite got it right. I either changed my water too often or not enough, and it was either too salty or not salty enough. I know other folks that get it right every time. This review will be a straight up comparison of the dish at three restaurants, each served a week apart.

As an aside, I remember the worst plate of corned beef and cabbage I ever had. I was on vacation in Seattle and had been on my feet all day tramping around Pike Place Fish Market, and was probably a little hungover after a few days at a ski lodge, and when I saw the sandwich board advertising corned beef dinner at an irish pub I was sold. Mashed potatoes, gravy, and some strange, salty meat equaled a tip of a shiny loonie for the uninterested waitress, though she was not to blame for the misleading menu.

Kingsway

The Kingsway is a restaurant you can always count on for fast reliable service and good food. It was the first place we tried the corned beef and I will review them in order. As you can see by the photo, the full serving is way too much food for most people, which I guess makes it a good value. If I recall, all the restaurants charged around $13 for the meal, and you can get half servings, which is what I would get at the Kingsway next time I go.

I am accustomed to corned beef being served with a little juice on the plate, juice that is salty from the meat, but also has the flavour of the vegetables. The Kingsway served the corned beef that day dry, with a small pitcher of juice on the side. The vegetables appeared to have been cooked separately and the wedge of cabbage was completely intact in an undisturbed form. My lunch mate thought the food was a little cold but I didn;t share that criticism in this instance.

We both remarked immediately about the lack of juice on the plate, and proceeded to add some juice from the pitcher. The meat was tender, and the portion of meat was more than generous. But overall it was too salty once the juice was added and I will have to see next time if it is salty enough without adding the juice, even if it did look too dry.

The Goodie Shop

Another restaurant everyone is familiar with for its friendly service and reliably good food. As you can see by the photo the portion is smaller that the Kingsway, and there is a little juice on the plate. The Goodie Shop also provides a side of juice in case you think it is needed.

We did not think any more juice was required, but we were also a little hesitant to add any because of the experience at the Kingsway. But the meal was cold and had to be sent back to be reheated.

The portion was adequate, and the flavour was good. The side of chow chow was also appreciated. We both ranked it ahead of the Kingsway by a slight margin.

City Limits Convenience

City Limits is a small lunch counter nestled in the back of the convenience store on Route 11 at the corner of the North Napan Road (by Patterson's). It’s a busy restaurant with limited seating with four booths and about 6 seats at the counter. Seating is even more limited during covid, and because my lunch mate and I were not from the same household one of us sat at the counter and the other in a nearby booth.

When you compare the photos from the other two restaurants, it is easy to tell that the City Limits’ chef prepares the vegetables in the same pot. The cabbage is supple and coming apart, and the other vegetables are not arranged by type on the plate. Maybe I am wrong about how the meals are prepared (see above, I’m a terrible cook), but in the case of the meal at City Limits, it tastes like it was all cooked in the same pot as the flavours are all there in one bite. It doesn’t win any style points, but it tastes the best of all three. It is also not served with juice on the side.

City Limits portions are always very generous, no matter what day you go there or what the special is. Their staff is always cheerful. The only thing to remember is to bring some cash for a tip, because if you are paying for a meal with a debit card, it has to be done at the convenience store counter and they have no way of adding a tip to your purchase. If you eat the corned beef and cabbage there, you’ll be wanting to leave a tip. You’ll also want to get early, because they always run out.

Rusty Spoons reviews Miramichi eating establishments. Leave a comment and let her know if you agree. Also let her know what restaurant you'd like her to review next.