BY LANE MACINTOSH
REACHING UP TO GRAB THE HANDRAIL OF THE 1930s RAILWAY CAR reminds me of those classic movies about train trips to exotic locations. I help my dining companion up the stairs towards the entrance to Fresh Fine Dining, feeling as if we’re boarding the Orient Express. My mind is already conjuring white-gloved waiters with an endless parade of exotic dishes. As
we open the door and step into our evening’s dining experience, my companion’s smile tells me we’re
on the same train of thought.
Set in a refurbished Canadian Pacific railway car in Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick, Fresh Fine Dining is an enriching experience for the senses. The service and the cuisine are first class, and the intimate elegance of the railway setting simply enhances
the experience.
Owner Sara Caines personally welcomes every guest to the 30-seat restaurant she opened in September 2007. “I want you to have an experience here,” she says as she greets us warmly at the door. “We want you to
feel pampered.” Seated comfortably in our private, elegantly appointed dining booth, we simply relax
and savour the experience.
Savour is exactly what you do with Chef Jeff MacLean’s creations. Days after tasting his Shrimp Trio — lemon aioli and sea salt; Bonito and rice noodle; and pepper — the memory of the experience still launches me into reverie. native Maritimer, MacLean has worked across Canada and has spent time in the West Indies as well. The restaurant’s menu clearly reflects his broad culinary experience and his passion for fine ingredients.
After martinis, we order a bottle of Cono Sur Pinot
Noir, which Caines immediately opens. We also order appetizers — the aforementioned Shrimp Trio as well as Sesame Chicken Spring Rolls. It’s fun to sit and look out the window and talk about how we’re really riding the Orient Express bound for some exotic location where it’s always warm and the air smells of lavender and ginger.
On Caines’s recommendation, my dining companion orders Jeff’s Choice for the main course. I choose the Beef Wellington — a thick char-grilled steak layered with garlic, mushrooms and red onions, wrapped in
a golden puff pastry and finished with red wine demi. Time slips past far too quickly, but we savour the evening’s every moment. The beef Wellington is superb, as is Jeff’s Choice, which turns out to be scallops sautéed to perfection in a buttery sauce drizzled over angel-hair pasta. The service and attention to detail are second to none. Caines
herself serves all the guests personally. She and MacLean, in fact, are the restaurant’s only staff.
It may not be the Orient Express, but the experience
of Fresh Fine Dining is real, and it’s a pure delight for the senses. For three or four hours you and your guest will be in your own private world. Climb on board and indulge yourself with a journey through an evening of pure dining pleasure. |
