Tastes of Europe
Palette Pleasers

Opera Bistro

Colleen Thompson, Travel Writer for The Daily Gleaner, wrote "Opera Bistro is known throughout the region as the ultimate dining experience in New Brunswick."

The owners Margret, Axel and Mario Begner named it Opera Bistro as a tribute to their proximity to the first Opera House which opened in Saint John at the corner of Prince William and King Streets and to honor the opening of the first opera house in Italy. As the owners came here from Europe, they have given Opera Bistro a distinct European environment. This theme includes European style pastries - chocolate truffles, Gelato and more. The luncheon menu also features many Italian speciality dishes and is served in small, medium or large size dinner plates. During the summer and fall guests may want to sit on their outside patio.

Opera Bistro in the heart of Uptown Saint John provides fine European Bistro dining in an elegant atmosphere.

Opera Bistro hosts private functions and meetings and is happy to offer Wine Flights which are tastings of multiple wines, so the patron can get a feel for the breadth or depth of it. Wine flights are usually intended for those new to the experience of tasting wine, or those who want to increase their understanding of a specific region, vintage, or variety.
This Bistro was featured on the Food Network’s production "Opening Soon" which is now shown on all Air Canada international flights. They have also produced a cooking show for Aliant telephone high speed customers.

Opera Bistro, is located at 60 Prince William Street and is open 7 days a week. For further information or to make a reservation call (506) 642-2822 or go to www.operabistro.com

Pomodori

At Pomodori, they believe in "food with integrity", a belief that we can always do better in terms of the food we buy and use - better tasting, better for us, coming from better sources, better for the environment, better for the animals and better for the farmers who raise the animals and grow the produce.

Partners Keith Dunphy, Janice MacPherson and Stephen Goddard pose in front of the wood-fired brick oven Photo: Sébastien Benoit

This means using food which is unprocessed, seasonal, family-farmed, sustainable, nutritious, naturally raised, free of synthetic hormones and organic." For Pomodori, this belief has resulted in not just an exceptional tasting pizza, but a pizza that is better for their customers than virtually any other fast food on the street - a pizza which is served quickly in a comfortable environment and in an ecologically sensible way. The recipes used at Pomodori are all made fresh on the premises from scratch. The pizzas are cooked in a high-heat wood-fired brick oven which will cook the pizza in 90 to 180 seconds. They also make biscotti and gelato on site. Pomodori’s pizzas are ordered, cooked and served ready to be eaten in about five minutes. There is no loss of nutrients in pizza which is cooked at very high temperatures. The heat carmelizes the proteins, the sugar comes out and the nutritional value is preserved and given a more intense flavour. Pomodori proves that fast preparation, good taste and healthy are not mutually exclusive when speaking of food.

Families in Rothesay, the Kennebecasis Valley and its surrounding communities are faced with the challenge of finding great taste in a healthy but conveniently quick, family restaurant. The owners Keith Dunphy, Janice MacPherson and Stephen Goddard hope to provide all of these requirements to area families and to fill an important niche in the community.

Pomodori is located at Fairvale Plaza, Suite F, 83 Hampton Road (506) 847-9663 www.pomodori.com

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