Chinched Bistro

Canada vs. France Wine Dinner

Shaun and Michelle — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:32:34 +0000

On March 1st Team Canada will be taking on Team France in a side-by-side wine pairing. We have partnered with Greg Winter of Dialog Wines to host a very unique five course Wine Dinner, pairing a Canadian wine up against a French wine for each course. Our menu is in the planning process, but promises to be spectacular! The dinner will begin at 7:00pm on March 1st; cost per guest is $115 (plus tax and gratuity).

We will be joined by an associate of Greg Winter’s, Steve Lee, on behalf of Dialog Wines and Steve will be able to answer any questions you may have regarding the wines themselves. We are very excited about this event, I’m sure it will be a wonderful time.

Our Wine Dinner also happens to be just a few days before Chinched Bistro and their staff takes a small break for minor renovations and repairs as well as some menu research and development. We will be closed for a few weeks from March 5th until March 29th, but we promise when we re-open to knock your socks off with our newly inspired menu!

2nd Annual Quidi Vidi Beer Dinner

Shaun and Michelle — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 23:04:38 +0000

Annual Beer Dinner

Happy New Year!
It is certainly hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone and 2012 is already well underway. We hope that you had a wonderful holiday season and would like to take this opportunity to thank you, our loyal guests, for your support in 2011.
In the New Year we will be continuing to have our Pre-Game Specials for each St. John’s Ice Caps Home Game. On game nights the dining bar opens at 5:30pm to give you lots of time to get a bite to eat and make it to the stadium for the game. We offer 4 tapas and a pint of Quidi Vidi Beer for $27.
We have also started to make plans for the 2nd Annual Quidi Vidi Beer Dinner. This years theme is “A Celebration of Pork & Beer. After all, who doesn’t like “Pork & Beer?” The dinner will be on January 26th at 7:00pm. Chef will be preparing a 5 course tasting menu featuring a selection of choice pork cuts paired with a variety of Quidi Vidi’s unique brews. Dinner is $85/person, plus tax and gratuity, and includes a 12oz. Quidi Vidi Beer glass to take home.
The owner of Quidi Vidi Brewery, David Rees will be joining us for the dinner and will be happy to answer a few questions for our guests. We hosted this event last year and it was a huge success, we are looking forward to the 2nd annual event!

Whats On

House Made Saucisson Sec with “Organic Farm” Micro Greens,
Shaved Parm, Crostini, Balsamic and Olive Oil

Quidi Vidi “IceBerg”

Quidi Vidi “Premium” and Aged White Cheddar Soup

with House Smoked Bacon Fritter and Sour Cream

Quidi Vidi “Premium”

“Eric’s Cream Ale” Braised Pork Cheeks with “Porter’s” Crispy Boudin Noir,
Celery Root Puree, Orange-Fennel-Caper Relish

Quidi Vidi “Eric’s Cream Ale”

Hot Smoked Pork Belly, Crispy Potato Pancake,

“Honey Brown” Reduction, Apple Rosemary Confit

Quidi Vidi “Honey Brown”

Molasses Spiced Cupcake, Mummer’s Brew Ice Cream and Candied Bacon

Quidi Vidi “Mummer’s Brew”

$85/person (tax and gratuity not included)
*Menu Subject to change due to product availability

Call or email for more details.

Ice Caps Game Night Specials!

Tim Corbett — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:07:53 +0000

Well there’s finally some decent hockey in St. John’s again. The Ice Caps have put us back on the AHL map and Newfoundlanders couldn’t be happier. The team has played in front of a sold out crowd in each of its first three home games. And after a rough home debut they’ve played some great hockey and have earned the top spot in the Atlantic Division with a 6-2-3 record.

With return of the AHL to St. John’s we’ve decided to open our Bar early on game nights, and so far it has been a huge success. We’re offering our Tapa’s Menu, Charcuterie, Game Night Features, and of course beer specials all prior to each home Ice Caps Game. On game nights for the rest of the season we will be opening the bar at 5:30, so there’s plenty of time to have a bite to eat and a drink before the game.

You can find Chinched Bistro less than 1 minute away from Mile One Stadium, located directly across of New Gower on Queen St. The next home game for the Caps is coming up on Saturday November 12. Hope to see you then!

Elizabeth Lee – The Macaroon Queen

Tim Corbett — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 07:27:46 +0000

The beginning of summer this year was an interesting time at Chinched Bistro. Not only did it mark the beginning of the first summer ever for Chinched, it also marked adoption of Elizabeth Lee into the Chinched Family.

Fresh from the Culinary Institute of Canada located in PEI Elizabeth joined the team as part of her programs cooperative component and left 5 months later as part of the family.

“Unfortunately, no amount of schooling can prepare you for your first job in the kitchen,” says Chef and part owner, Shaun Hussey. “From long hours, to spending the entire day on your feet to dealing with the chaos of the evening rush, the only thing that prepares you for it is to do it.” Fortunately for Chinched, Liz (as her friends call her) was a machine. After getting settled into her new surroundings Liz hit the ground running and within a week was manning her own station like a seasoned vet.

For the duration of the summer Liz managed the pantry, churning out appetizers, charcuterie and desserts like it was her true
calling. Prior to Liz’s arrival the pantry was manned by two people; Michelle LeBlanc (the 2^nd half of the Chinched ownership team) was responsible for prep and the bread program in the mornings while a line cook would need to come in for evening service.

“It was amazing to have someone new come into the kitchen and take over the prep as well as the bread program and not miss a beat,” says Michelle. From prep to service Liz did fantastic work.

Very quickly it became apparent that Liz had a flair for baking and desserts. Soon after Liz arrived at Chinched the spring menu ended and the summer menu began. Liz whipped up a classic sour cream peach tart that became a mainstay on the summer dessert menu. As if that wasn’t enough she created and ran various dessert features throughout the summer months including a Chocolate Brownie Cheesecake, a Chocolate Honey Cake with a Marzipan Bumblebee, and her famous French Macaroons.

Prior to her time with Chinched Liz had been exposed to making French Macaroons, a delicate dessert made from whipped egg whites, sugar and ground almonds considered to be quite the tedious dessert. In the past she had never been able to master them and was determined to use her time at Chinched to change that.

On the Left: Liz’s first try. Blue Macaroons with Lemon Curd Filling

On the Right: A few tries later, Blueberry Macaroons with Fresh Blueberries and Maple Cream filling.

Trial and error, attempt after attempt yielded results that were underwhelming. Liz however was unfazed and continued her research until finally she was able to create what can only be described as art on a plate.

The missing link as it turned out was exhaustively whipping the ingredients. “It goes against everything I knew about baking,” said Michelle, “but it’s hard to argue with what she was able to create.”

The final dessert feature Liz ran was a Macaroon Burger (right) with a dark chocolate ganache ‘patty,’ fresh mint ‘lettuce,’ local strawberry ‘ketchup’ and shortbread fries was a monstrous success. It was one of the most visually appealing plates served throughout the summer.

For someone who barely breaks 5 feet, she certainly left a big void. Liz truly became one of the family during her time in St. John’s and she will be deeply missed. There is no doubt that no one will ever be able to pull off leather boots and chef’s pant quite like Liz did.

So Liz from all of us here at Chinched; We miss you dearly and we wish you all the best with everything you do in the future!

Kristen Higdon

Shaun and Michelle — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 16:19:41 +0000

We had an awesome time there last night celebrating our anniversary! The food was absolutely amazing and the desserts were to die for! Thanks so much!

Reaching out…

Shaun and Michelle — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 14:03:38 +0000

For the last 10 years Shaun and I have moved up and down the eastern seaboard island hopping, if you will. Having been in St. John’s almost a year now, we are settling in and feeling very much at home.
Being part of the small business community allows us the opportunity to meet many wonderful people and to be part of some fantastic community events.
We have recently had the opportunity to participate in “Blind Date with a Star”, which is the primary fundraiser for the Learning Disability Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (LDANL). Chinched Bistro had the pleasure of hosting Ennis and their guests for the evening.
When we were first approached for the LDANL we were thrilled at the idea of helping out with such a great event. It was a pleasure to participate in raising awareness for a less recognized organization and to contribute to such a worthy cause.
Having been approached by many organizations over the last few months we have decided to do our best to continue to help these charitable organizations as much as possible. As some people may know we have somewhat of a Pig theme at Chinched Bistro and some of our most recent additions to the “Pig Family” has been “Piggy Banks”, which we have placed in each of our washrooms. We have reached out to the LDANL as well as to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation in hopes to help them raise both funds and awareness for their respective organizations.

To help fill the “Piggy Banks” and spread the word, the staff at Chinched will donate $5 each Thursday as part of our “T-Shirt Thursdays’”. Each staff member working on Thursdays has the opportunity to wear their Chinched Bistro T-Shirt and in return they will donate $5 to the organization of their choice!
So next time you are in for dinner and find yourself with a little spare change, please help us in raising awareness for these two wonderful charitable organizations!

To order a shirt give us a call at 709-722-3100 or email us at info@chinchedbistro.com, or mention it to your server when you join us for dinner.

Kathy Hickman

Shaun and Michelle — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 14:03:16 +0000

Chinched Bistro- wow! Had a perfect first meal with you on Thursday night with a great friend. Soft tender coconut perfumed mussels, luxurious pork belly topped with a perfect tarty red onion followed by a richly complex brownie shared from heaven. Friendly male server was very capable and sincerely interested in pleasing us. A few words with the unassuming, expert female owner was the finishing touch of perfection. I wish you every success and will visit again soon.

HUNGRY? we’ve got Apps for that…

Shaun and Michelle — Mon, 23 May 2011 19:37:24 +0000

The unofficial start of summer!
With May 24th weekend almost over I can’t help but feel like summer is finally in our reach which is such a refreshing feeling. So far the spring has been quite beautiful, it is so wonderful to see the daffodils blooming and trees budding.
We have slowly been shaking off the winter blues and doing some minor work in the restaurant to prepare for the summer. Some of our changes will be more visible than others, we’ve had a few new members join the team at Chinched Bistro and they all seem to be settling in wonderfully. There have also been a few additional pigs added to our extensive collection.
We are very excited about the much anticipated summer season! Our menu will soon begin to change to reflect what local produce is available. We are looking forward to the first mushrooms of the summer, as well as all the fresh fish and seafood we plan to offer our guests.
In the meantime, we have restructured our bar menu offering our “small plate” dining lounge menu at a reasonable price which gives guests a chance to sample a variety of what the kitchen team at Chinched Bistro has to offer. Our new structure allows you 2 choices for $12, 3 for $17 and 4 for $22. We have also shaken up some tasty specialty cocktails each made with handmade wild berry preserves.
What better way to spend a warm spring evening than in the dining lounge sipping on a “Cloud Nine” and dining on a fabulous offering of “small plates”.

Ismene Fundraising Dinner

Shaun and Michelle — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 12:53:07 +0000

There are many things in life that bring people together, some for better reasons than others. It always seems like family reunions happen based around weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and unfortunately more sombre events dealing with death and sickness.
The act of coming together to celebrate in times of happiness or to support each other in times of grief is something that connects us all.
Chinched Bistro and our staff are no different than anyone else; we have been affected by tragedy and triumph. One specific tragedy that seems to touch many people is the wrath or cancer. Cancer seems to have a never ending affect of people’s lives, one which some day will be less drastic.
We have partnered with Rabbittown Theatre and the Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Center Foundation to host a fundraising dinner. Shaun will be preparing a three course meal, and live entertainment will be performed throughout the evening. Reservations can be made by contacting us at Chinched.
$60/person (not including gratuity or tax) and seating is limited. We are accepting reservations for 6:00pm and 8:30pm only. All proceeds from the evening will go towards the production cost for Ismene, which will play at the Rabbittown Theatre from May 11-15, 2011. The box office intake during the run of Ismene will be donated directly to the Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Care Foundation.
The fundraising event will require much work and organization for everyone involved. However it will be a pleasure to work on this fundraiser and make an effort to help people who are affected by this terrible disease.
If you don’t have plans for April 28th mark it on the calendar and come join us at Chinched Bistro to help those who need it most. Stay tuned for our final menu. Seating is limited, so don’t wait to long to book a table, call us at 709-722-3100.

6 “month-iversary”

Shaun and Michelle — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 22:52:44 +0000

: Staff Pic

I am very happy to start this entry by announcing our six “month-iversary” this week! It’s hard to believe we have been open for six months already. But as they say, “time flies when you’re having fun”. And we are certainly having a great time!
Although it feels like just yesterday when I posted a blog talking about how we made it thought our first month, with all the trials and tribulations of our opening; smoke alarms going off during dinner service, our computer system not working, not to mention the tremendous heat in the dining room and of course, training our staff.
I guess it wasn’t all bad… as I mentioned we are six months in and our staff has stuck by us the entire time. We are fortunate to have such a great team. And much to Shaun’s delight, he remains surrounded by women. Each member of our team has been a valuable addition and we are looking forward to building the Chinched Bistro family over the coming months.
But before the summer creeps up on us we have a few things planned for the spring, if we can get through the winter first… Shaun and I are really looking forward to the Savour Food & Wine Show which is hosted annually at the Delta St. John’s. You can check out the web site at www.edining.com
We’ve got a few other ideas brewing for the spring… maybe a wine dinner or fundraiser? I’ll be sure to update you all on the fun upcoming events as details begin to unfold. There is always something to keep us on our toes… and to keep our guests interested.
As for this week and our six “month-iversary”, we will have a few specials coming from the kitchen and the bar… I’ll keep you guessing, until next time!
Cheers