Bowls of cold water shrimp, glossy baby back ribs and beef gnocchi hand rolled with mushroom arugula are just a few of the drool worthy, belt untightening dishes which are a part of the fifth annual Dine Around Freddy.
Dine Around is a three week feasting affair which includes seven of the city’s classiest dining establishments including the swanky Blue Door and Brewbakers, along with the lesser known Sam Snead’s Oak Grill and the Schnitzel Parlour.
“This season is a notoriously slow time of year and this helps get people out of the house. The comments on social media are showing an awful lot of people going to restaurants that they wouldn’t have tried before,” said Stacey Russell, Fredericton Tourism’s social media representative.
A few years back, Dine Around included some student favorite pubs, but the price point of their normal meals was cheap enough that it became difficult to match the event’s standard $29 three course meal.
“The ultimate goal of Dine Around is a culinary experience, to really get the chefs to pull it all out on the table and offer a diverse menu,” said Russell. “Another goal in terms of the student population is bringing the students out to do some fine dining at great prices that they probably wouldn’t experience otherwise.”
After you’re done feasting and sitting there holding your guts and feeling guilty at how quickly you scoffed down that meal, you can gain some peace of mind knowing that $1 from every plate sold during Dine Around Freddy goes to the Canadian Diabetes Association.
“It’s a win-win and what we’re seeing is a lot of people aren’t just doing one restaurant,” said Russell.
This year the organizers are keeping up with the Internet world of food selfies. Each restaurant will have Dine Around Freddy picture frames. Diners are encouraged to hold up the frame and snap a picture of their dish. Those who #DineAroundFreddy will have a chance to win some local loot.
“Who are we kidding? People love to see images of food. Plus it really engages the community and increases awareness for all the dishes out there,” said Russell.
The social media pages are already raking in a few Instagram filtered treats. The ham, ribs and steak all look good through a lense, but these photos leave vegetarians wondering what kind of Dine Around adventures can Fredericton’s herbivores get into?
Fredericton Tourism blogger Kaylee Hopkins took on the challenge from the vegetarian perspective. Hopkins was stoked about Brewbakers and The Blue Door’s selections.
“Vegetarianism is not the rarity it once was. With the wealth of information on the Internet, people are realizing the benefits of making healthier choices and sometimes that includes less meat,” said the vegetarian blogger.
The Blue Door chef Shane Bauer has been getting creative by tweaking the Dine Around’s original menu to meet vegetarian needs. Hopkins was able to feast upon a pickled beet salad with smoked goat cheese and a labyrinth of pea shoots followed by an edamame risotto.
“Everyone has different tastes and as chef as a restaurant you’re always prepared to accommodate them,” said Bauer. “We even have a couple a vegan dishes on the menu so everyone can come on in.”
Dine Around Freddy runs until March 29.
