In reading all the national press about PEI's recent political debacles, one of the funniest public comments I came across was:
"It's 11 o'clock in Toronto, 1953 in PEI".
In many ways, this is true (certainly over at the Legislative Assembly, where Boss Tweed seems to have been reincarnated multiple times in the guise of an uneducated gang of greedy island fops).
So every new food initiative which opens on PEI, whether it be a restaurant, a chip stand, or a food truck, is a small but very welcome miracle. Food restores the soul, and reminds us that there is hope. Recent rumbles of concern over in Summerside about there possibly being too many food trucks (uh, I believe they have three or four now... not exactly the Charge of the Light Brigade) is typically foolish small town politics and parochialism- it's just so darn silly you have to laugh or you will cry.
So it is a very fortunate thing that Chef Norman, originally from Nicaragua, raised in Costa Rica, has brought his delicious concoctions and his warm and welcoming personality to the streets of this small island city. Menu items include a drop-dead delicious poutine with Norman's own home made gravy, beautifully seasoned pulled pork sandwiches, poboy sandwiches, fresh fish tacos, fried oyster tacos, a real caesar salad; and there's always something new which Chef Norman is more than willing to describe to you in minute detail (like the way he uses a local garlic guy's very own home made "black garlic"' liquified into a fabulous sauce. Mmmm. Mmmm. Gooooood!!
This guy is a gem, and his cooking positively shimmers with inventiveness. Go. Eat. Live. read more