The Mermaid Inn

The Mermaid Inn

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

I've been once before and had a very pleasant dinner. Tonight, with the exception of the jackass sitting two stools down from me, was equally pleasant. As I was dining solo and had to get back in decent time, I sat at the bar and decided to try dishes I'd skipped last time...

Oysters
Hurricane Harbor (Nova Scotia) - very salty and, though not thin, not the meatiest. Overall very good and remarkably fresh.

Malaspina (British Columbia) - nice, even color and full bodied flavor. Not that salty. Tasty and, like the others, very fresh.

Soup
"Hearty fish soup" is what they call it...and is served with pieces of cod, melted leeks, yukon gold and other vegetables. This was served really hot (which I like) but not too hot to not be able to eat it right away. Very flavorful and rich for a soup. For $10, I'd have liked to have seen a little more fish but it was good enough to order again or at least recommend it.

U-Peel Shrimp (Daily Special)
I knew about this Wednesday-only special from various sources and was excited to give it a shot. 1/2 a pound of really tasty, well-seasoned oven-roasted shrimp (I think it was oven roasted vs pan cooked, but could be wrong). Slightly messy, but fun, filling and overall satisfying. I'd guess that there were 8 or 9 shrimp served.

Pudding
No dessert menu means complimentary chocolate pudding. Perfect. If you like fudgsicles, you'll be happy with this.

Beer
I had two bottles of the Whale's Tale Pale Ale. A solid beer, nice caramel color, served ice cold. Solid.

Service
The bartender (Anna, I think) was great as were the hostesses. Attentive but not overbearing and not missing in action at any point.

The only thing is that after 2 visits, I've had nearly everything on the menu. Granted, the first time we went it was a group of 6 of us and shared a little, but some new daily specials other than the shrimp and oysters might be well suited for repeat visitors. But the place has a great vibe to it.