Grand Banker: The Lunenburger (Lobster-Topped Burger)

While vacationing in Nova Scotia, we took a day trip to visit Lunenburg, which in the 18th century was founded as a British port. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site, and a fascinating town to explore, from its waterfront to its colorful historical architecture. We explored the three-story Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic, visited a local distillery, and for lunch, chose to dine at the Grand Banker Bar & Grill.

The restaurant, which opened back in 1996, looks out over the water and is a casual spot, with a predominance of seafood on its menu. The menu is broken down into Appetizers (14 options, $9-$24), such as Potato Skins, Nachos, Mussels and Fried Calamari; Entrees (9 options, $13-$50), such as Acadian Cajun Seafood Stew, Fish & Chips, and Seafood Linguini (there are some non-seafood options too, such as Beef Tenderloin and Rack of Lamb); and Burgers & Sandwiches (7 options, $15-$29), such as Lobster Roll, Fish Tacos, and Gourmet Grilled Cheese.

I began with a cup of Traditional Maritime Seafood Chowder ($10.50), which is made with haddock, shrimp, scallops, and clams in a New England clam broth and accompanied by a warm biscuit. The Chowder was more thin than thick, although not overly so and still with a creamy texture. It possessed a delicious flavor, with a plentiful portion of seafood. Seafood chowder is definitely more prevalent in Nova Scotia than clam chowder, and they usually have at least 4 different seafoods in them. . 

I then opted for their famed Lunenburger ($29), which includes 6 ounces of "hand formed fresh local ground beef", smoked mozzarella, smoked bacon, baby spinach (which I had them omit for me), garlic aioli, Nova Scotia lobster (all knuckle and claw meat0, and a tarragon butter sauce. It was also topped by a toothpick holding a bacon wrapped scallop. As you can see from the second pic, there was plenty of lobster atop the burger. Yes, it all worked well together, creating a more decadent sandwich, which was only slightly messy from the butter sauce. Salty, smoky, sweet, beefy and cheesy. The burger on its own would have been excellent, but the addition of the lobster elevated it to a different level. Highly recommended.

The Blue Rocks Fish Cakes ($16.50) was another winning dish. It included two large fish cakes made from haddock, salt cod, salt pork, & potato, sand erved with rhubarb relish and a side salad. The fish cakes had a pleasant crispy exterior, and a great taste, with plenty of fish and not just filler. They were seasoned well, nicely balanced, and definitely something I'd order again. 

If you ever visit Nova Scotia, you should stop in the historic town of Lunenburg, and dine at Grand Banker Bar & Grill. There are plenty of restaurant options in this area, and I wish I could have sampled the fare at some of these other spots too, but I can recommend Grand Banker, especially for their seafood dishes.