The Tides Restaurant is located at Parkland Village Inn in Alma, New Brunswick. In 2020 & 2021 I felt bad for all the business owners in Alma and hoped they would survive the challenges of the pandemic. I imagined everyone in town was eager for all the tourists to come back and spend money in this lovely little coastal village. In July 2022 Alma was so loaded with tourists, we went to two restaurants for a late supper on a very hot summer night and they turned us away; no more customers wanted that day! Their kitchens were backlogged, servers were run ragged. Our third attempt was at Tides Restaurant where they greeted us with a smile and sat us down immediately. As an Alma regular, I felt like I knew my way around and that I had seen it all! Lo and behold, we had this new experience at Tides Restaurant. We saw nachos on the menu and of course we had to have them - nachos in Alma is a rarity.
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| The Tides Restaurant Shrimp Nachos - July 2022 |
Distribution of Toppings
These nachos reminded me a bit of Pepper's Pub nachos in that there was no cheese on them. While there were a few plain chips left over, there was something for every chip with the loose toppings that fell and needed to be scooped up!
Quality
I really thought that the shrimps were top-notch in taste, very crispy and juicy, and the chips were very fresh and crispy. These nachos had a lot of originality, a lot of personality and were cooked to perfection.
Value
These nachos are $18 + tax, which we would consider a below average value considering the lack of cheese (or a creamy curry sauce like Pepper's), but the price is understandable considering the unique seafood recipe and location in a tourism hot spot.
Quantity
We shared this as an appetizer and I was still hungry for my meal afterwards, which is due to the lack of cheese. These are best experienced as a true appetizer and not shared as a meal like so many other nachos can be.
Conclusion
While these were good nachos, they were not great or excellent, and that's not because there was no cheese on them, or that they were different from what we usually have. I do in fact enjoy it when a restaurant can put their own spin on nachos. The real downside of these nachos is the quantity / value aspect. Tides should consider adding cheese, adding a sauce, or at least increasing the amount of shrimp. In addition, service was very slow. Even though it was peak summer season in a small tourist village with a labour shortage during a pandemic, service still counts and we have to consider it.
Nacho Blog Rating: B