Get Stuffed: A taste of old St. John’s

I will be honest. I am not one for food.

That’s why I eat so well. I couldn’t care how things taste either way.

Then I realized I am not into food because I live off raw fruit and veggies, grilled chicken breast and salad. I stuff my temple with whatever easy nutrition I can find and I live off my slow cooker due to convenience.

So every once and awhile I eat a really good steak or am somehow treated to dinner out and I realize why other people enjoy food- because it can be enjoyable.

So, you may not want to take my opinion to heart about the downtown St. John’s eating scene, but I wanted to let you all know about a great experience called Get Stuffed.

Sometimes when you walk through downtown St . John’s you can shut your eyes and picture the dirt roads and cart fulls of fish and old time scenery and somehow, as Newfoundlanders we are tightly connected to every single person who trudged the oldest street in Canada, whether we know them or not.

An old Victorian home across from the War Memorial on Duckworth, Get Stuffed creates that false sense of nostalgia. Even entering the dining room, you tend to imagine who lived there, what happened, how they kept warm and what brought them to this home. That sense of community and history lies directly in the floorboards of the restaurant and it is truly comforting.

Get Stuffed offers an a la carte menu for entrees, which is unique and interesting at the same time. To be honest, I like my options being limited because as stated earlier, I am not great at food. Plus though it is a small list, it is well prepared with a great selection.

The atmosphere is cozy, with a long bench from wall to wall and yet it is elegant and tasteful in all the right ways. It provides an intimate setting with your company and without even speaking to those around you, or to those who once lived there, you feel this community connection that was totally unexpected.

Nothing on the menu for Lunch or Dinner is unpronounceable, but it is also something you couldn’t conjure up yourselves at home. It’s the foods we know with a little bit extra to put it over the edge.

My favourite, the breaded chicken breast in a mild hazelnut sauce. I try not to order this every time I dine at Get Stuffed, but I always end up eying it and drooling. There is a plethora of options including lobster, scallops, duck, strip loin, cod, antipasto, mussels with spicy maple sauce, to name a few.

One of my favourite parts of the menu is the hot dog.

I know it seems odd but there is the option to add a hot dog to a meal for one dollar. Every once and awhile you just want a hot dog. Although it seems to be in the wrong environment and atmosphere, I mean a hot dog is for a kid in the 80s or a 5-year-old’s birthday party. But it fits just right.

After all that beautifully prepared food, if you didn’t get the hefty Get Stuffed option, a hot dog tops it right off perfectly. Get Stuffed doesn’t take a heavy hit on the wallet either. It’s a great location for first wedding anniversaries or those university students who want to get out of residence and pretend they are fancy and have some money, as well as the high-class individual or just a tourist walking down water street waiting to be even more impressed with the offerings of this fine island.

That’s the beauty of Get Stuffed- it encompasses everyone. The old, the new, the rich, the poor and even our ancestors.

Bringing the us all together over good food and wine.