Beer – Page 5 – mmm-yoso

Monday Meanderings – Benchmark Brewing Company Opens in Bay Park, Ramen Ryoma, Bonchon, and is Hunan Kitchen Closed?

July 23, 2018 mmm-yoso Beer, Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants, Ramen

It's been a crazy busy day. I haven't done one of these in a while…so here goes.

Benchmark Brewing Company Opens in Bay Park:

I was driving past last week and noticed folks in the place. This past weekend; the sign was up.

I'm happy for my 'hood.

4112 Napier St
San Diego, CA 92110
Hours:
Tues – Thurs 4pm – 8pm
Fri – Sat Noon – 9pm
Sunday Noon – 7pm

Ramen Ryoma opening in Kearny Mesa:

I had some free time to drive around this past weekend. I was staying away from the crowds. I noticed that Ramen Ryoma is replacing Bangkok West.

I know about the much hyped soon to be Hillcrest location of this Oregon based ramen chain. But hadn't heard they were opening in KM.

9119 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92123

Bonchon Chicken opening on Convoy:

I'd read about Bonchon opening on Convoy in the Eater. It replaces the R&B Crawfish Lounge.

This chain based which originated out of Busan now has a ton of stores in the US.

4690 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

The reason I drove into Plaza del Sol; was that I noticed Hunan Kitchen (i.e. Noodle Hut/Tǔjiā Xiāng Cài (土家湘菜) was closed.

The signs are still up. So I'm hoping it's just for some renovation or temporary repairs.

4690 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

If not; this would be the fifth restaurant in this location since 2011!

Talkeetna – Twister Creek Restaurant & Denali Brewpub

July 17, 2018 mmm-yoso Alaska, American/New American Restaurants, Beer, Gastropub, Travel

It had been a pretty long day by the time we were able to check-in at lodge we were staying at. We decided to take a short nap. Upon waking; we realized it was like 7pm! That's the thing about Alaska at this time of the year. The sun didn't set until 11pm…..and, like folks told us; the weather can change by the minute here. Like the "polar winter" we experienced in Tromsø it was a bit disorienting at times….it was 730 pm when we left the lodge for dinner and this is what things looked like.

It could have been 2pm anywhere.

We walked into Talkeetna. Things had quieted down a bit from earlier in the day….folks gone for the day. Plus, this was still early in the season and Talkeetna was still kinda "sleepy" once many of the tourists were gone.

All the restaurants seemed empty; except for one; Twister Creek Restaurant, which is run by Denali Brewing Company.

After our previous experience at Seward Brewing Company we thought; "why not?"

The place was three-fourths full when we arrived; but soon filled to the brim.

I started with….well a beer of course. I liked the fact that Denali Brewing offered many Belgian style brews; I went with the Belgian Golden Strong dubbed "Abaddon".

Served at a perfect temperature; slight banana tones; somewhat boozy in the Belgian way….no joke at 9.1ABV.

Our Server whose name I believe is Nastasia was a joy. So nice, so friendly, awesomely efficient, and she also made one fantastic recommendation.

This being heavy pub-grub; we shared an order of Sweet Potato Wedges….the Missus loves this stuff.

This was strange as it was fairly crisp; nice flavor, the Missus loved it; but it was still slightly cold in the center. Still; while the Missus would soon tire of pub-grub; we weren't at that point yet.

They were out of a couple of appetizers and mains. We ended up going with the Reindeer Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy.

The meatloaf was fairly lean. The flavor was mild. The gravy had quite a bit of black pepper and was nicely seasoned, rich, and smooth. But it was barely past lukewarm. Ditto the slightly water-logged mashed potatoes.

But, there were two reasons we really enjoyed this meal. The first was the amazing service by Nastasia. The second was; when I wanted an digestif; she recommended they newly released single malt whiskey. We were told that the first run of the whiskey sold out in hours; but the restaurant still had a stock.

This was fantastic….we loved the vanilla tones of this rather smooth spirit. We really wanted a bottle….but of course; there was none to be had.

So, we'd just have to return again.

Twister Creek Restaurant/Denali Brewpub
13605 E Main St
Talkeetna, AK 99676

Our Server chatted with us a bit about working in Alaska. She told us that you either loved it here….or you left. She was lucky as, unlike many of the folks who work two-three jobs during the high season, the brewpub was open year round and she enjoyed Talkeetna.

Many of the places were closed; but we visited those places that were still open.

As we left one of the shops; it seemed like the weather was turning a bit……

So we headed back to the lodge. By the time we walked the half mile back, the weather had cleared up a bit, so we walked along the Susitna River and enjoyed the view.

After wandering around for a bit we returned to the lodge and while the Missus showered and got ready for bed, I had a nightcap.

The Denali Flag Stop Mile Post 2 is a Flanders Red; mild stone fruit, slightly tart, no, it wasn't Duchess, or as we learned in Ghent, "Doo-Chezz", but this was perfectly fine.

As was the view out our window.

You could do a lot worse than this…..

Thanks for stopping by!

Seward – Resurrection Bay and Dinner at Seward Brewing Company

June 28, 2018 mmm-yoso Alaska, Beer, Gastropub, Travel

The first task of the day….well, the second after a simple breakfast was to head up to the boat harbor and the offices of Major Marine Tours to see if any cruises were going out on this day. The Fjords cruises were all cancelled because of storms at sea, but the regular bay cruises were still going out. Folks were really nice and we ended up getting a discount because we were actually staying in town. Our cruise didn't leave until around noon; so there was some time to kill.

I had heard that there was something interesting to see in the boat harbor; so we walked around the building……

And sure enough; there they were……

Two adorable otters….totally oblivious to us.

There's something so amazing about watching creatures who are so graceful in the sea. Every so often they'd dive….apparently the otters enjoy the mussels attached to the docks.

For some reason; it just brought out the inner child in the both of us. We were mesmerized.

We drove back to downtown and spent some time shopping.

Instead of driving back up to the boat harbor; we decided to walk. It was only a mile-and-a-half or so. Plus you could walk along the bay. And even on an overcast day like this one, you sometimes felt like you were viewing a painting.

We passed various campgrounds…..if you parked your RV here; you really couldn't complain much about the view.

You notice a lot more when walking……do you notice something that looks a bit out of place in this photo?

It was a nice walk back to the boat harbor.

This is the Seward Mariner's Memorial, to memorialize all those lost at sea.

We eventually got back to the boat harbor.

We just went and grabbed some coffee and killed the hour or so before the line-up for our cruise.

We really enjoyed the four hour cruise; the captain was wonderful as she and her crew went looking for wildlife. We also got some history as well, learning about the effect the 9.2 magnitude Good Friday Earthquake in 1964 had on Seward. It totally changed the town's shoreline.

We saw the B&B we were staying at as we headed out into the bay.

We travel light these days; without even the DSLR. So no crazy wildlife photos. But we did see Bald Eagles, goats, one amazing sea otter just hanging out in the bay, seals…..

We got "blessed" by one of the many beautiful waterfalls created by water from melting ice from glaciers.

And then it happened. The highlight of the cruise.

A young Humpback Whale! The captain stopped the boat. There are specific rules for approaching marine mammals here, which I really appreciate. The whale seemed a bit curious and really got close to the boat before figuring out we were just boring humans and heading on his or her way.

I've seen whales several times while taking folks around back home in Hawaii….but let me tell you; it never gets old.

We got back to the harbor after about four hours. We were kind of pooped. In fact, there were folks sleeping on the benches as we returned. As much as I would have loved that entire eight hour tour….possibly seeing glaciers calving; I'm not sure how tired we would have been.

We rather enjoyed the walk back to downtown. We decided just to head back. Looking at what was served at the touristy seafood restaurant in the harbor just didn't inspire us.

While we'd obviously be happy with another meal at the Cookery; it was Monday and the place was closed. So we decided to hunt around a bit for a dinner spot….this one was definitely not it.

After looking at a few places…..we decided just to head back to the Seward Brewing Company.

The Missus just wanted some fries. And the "Hangover Homie"; thick cut fries, crisp, topped with that sunny side up egg…….on this evening, there were no complaints.

Bacon….cheese sauce….crema…..gorgonzola……I can handle that for one meal.

Needing something to finish up the evening….and my second beer. I went with the Fried Cauliflower.

Which was way too sweet……

But heck; we could deal with this for one night.

Seward Brewing Company
139 4th Ave
Seward, AK 99664

And then it was off to sleep….sort of.

Seward – Seward Brewing Company and Dinner at The Cookery

June 26, 2018 mmm-yoso Alaska, American/New American Restaurants, Beer, Gastropub, Seafood, Travel

We loved the town of Seward. Tucked in the Kenai Peninsula; this town of about 3,000 had character and charm. Instead of staying at one of the hotels near the boat harbor; we decided to stay at a B&B in the historic downtown area. And driving down Ballaine Boulevard to the B&B indicated I'd made the right decision.

This was the view across the street from our unit.

When we checked-in we found that there were some severe storms at sea and our whole day wildlife tour was cancelled. After travelling for a while you understand that no one controls Mother Nature and you have to go with the flow. We were given some Resurrection Bay alternatives. Major Marine was given as the company to use. We decided to wait until the next morning to book our tour. And headed off to explore Seward.

We were steps from the Alaska Sealife Center, but our schedule didn't allow us time to visit. Though there were some musicians and this really interesting vendor there as we walked past.

Now there must be a story here…….

Downtown Seward had the feel of a touristy-kitschy-artsy-"wild frontier" kind of vibe. It is also "framed" by some wonderful views.

Things were quite mellow when we arrived. We were told that the first cruise ship of the season had just left, so things were quiet until the next one came in.

It was still too early to head to the spot I wanted for dinner, so we wandered around a bit.

It was a bit too early for our dinner destination; so we decided to grab a drink at the Seward Brewing Company.

We enjoyed the vibe of the bar area. The Missus had a white while I had a red ale. Folks here just start talking to you…….

Our bartender was from…….San Diego! Encinitas if I recall. She was here for the summer, working, like many folks we ran into, several jobs during the busy season. Her other job? Well, working at Major Marine. Go figure……

We really enjoyed the Seward Brewing Company and returned the following evening.

Seward Brewing Company
139 4th Ave
Seward, AK 99664

Our dinner reservations was at a place called The Cookery. I'd looked over their menu online, and the small plates seemed like just the thing we'd enjoy.

First off, this place gets really busy, really fast. The crew is quite nice, though they seemed a bit harried. We enjoyed the menu….perhaps a bit hipster, but quite interesting and perfect for folks who don't want to stuff their face.

The Amuse was a ceviche of sorts.

This was quite nice. A good acidity; meaty fish……

I love my oysters so we started with a half dozen.

The Halibut Cove were really briny reminding me of Atlantic/French oysters. The Jakalof Bay oysters were still a bit too briny for my taste, but had an interesting, almost sweet finish. It had been too long since I'd had good oysters, so I really enjoyed these.

The fish of the day was Halibut Cheeks…….how could we not order this?

I actually enjoyed what the light curry sauce and the mango added to the dish. The Halibut Cheeks would have been amazing, except it was over-cooked, therefore losing that rich fattiness that would take this to the "delici-yoso" level.

The Roasted Brussel Sprouts had been cooked well, as in not mushy, still crunchy.

The Missus, who loves Brussel Sprouts simply said; "not savory enough and not enough flavor" in Her assessment.

The "Wild & Tame Mushroom Toast" was a nice dish; nice earthiness, but a bit too sweet for our palate.

I told the Missus to order dessert……but knowing how much I missed oysters…….

We enjoyed our meal at the Cookery. In fact, if hey had not been closed on the following evening, we'd have eaten there.

As is; this was the second best meal we had during our trip to Alaska.

The Cookery
209 5th Ave
Seward, AK 99664

Hours
Tues – Sun 5pm – 10pm

Montreal – The Mont-Royal Street Festival and La Banquise

May 4, 2018 mmm-yoso Beer, Canada, Canada Food and Restaurants, Festivals & Events, Montreal, Travel

During our last evening in Montreal, I wanted something in particular….poutine! The Missus decided to humor me. And to make things even better, She decided we could catch the metro instead of walking all the way to our destination.

So, we got out at the Mont-Royal metro stop and wouldn't you know, there was a street festival taking place.

We couldn't help but really enjoy the chill and relaxing vibe of the street festival.

One of my favorite scenes on this trip was when the gentleman below heard the DJ put "his song" on and just dropped his bags and started……well, calling it dancing might be a stretch. But we just loved it.

We had such a good time that we actually went past the street we needed to turn on and walked all the way until the end of the street fair.

Not sure when it'll be this year….but this was a lot of fun.

Anyway, we turned on Avenue Papineau and backtracked until we came to a place I was looking forward to eating at. La Banquise.

During discussions about poutine in Montreal, this 24 hour-a-day "poutinerie" would always somehow be mentioned. La Banquise is one of those beloved institutions having been around for 50 years. They also have 30 plus variations of poutine on the menu….though there was only one I was after.

Even at this rather early hour for dinner, the place was humming. Though we had no wait, almost all the tables were taken. We were seated in the covered back area……topped by a bright red-orange tarp, it made all my photos come out rather reddish. So my apologies.

I started with another thing I wanted to try, a Bec Cola. Produced in Montreal with maple syrup being the primary sweetener….well, it was a "must try". This wasn't highly carbonated, with a typical, perhaps slightly bitterish at first taste….but with a definite maple syrup flavored finish. It was refreshing on quite a warm day.

As for my poutine? Well, I'd already had a rabbit poutine in Quebec City and on the previous night, it was an over-the-top foie gras poutine. Here, I just wanted a "classic".

This was by far, my favorite poutine of the trip. It wasn't salty, the cheese curds weren't tough, with a slight "squeak", the gravy had a decent tongue coating beefiness and there wasn't too much of it. The potatoes weren't particularly crunchy, but there was a definite sweetness and deep potato flavor to them. I mentioned this to Cathy who said that she believes the potatoes are grown in excellent soil and left in the ground longer to develop the sugars better.

The Missus, still swooning from the Smoked Meat sandwich at Schwartz's ordered the version with smoked meat.

This wasn't bad….but I'll take the classic version any day of the week.

We were amazed to have finished everything off….and didn't feel stuffed or gross……just totally satisfied.

La Banquise
994 Rue Rachel E
Montreal, Canada
Open 24 Hours

If you want to read more about La Banquise, you can do so here.

Of course the Missus insisted that we walk back to the apartment.

And it "just so happened" as we passed Au Pied de Cochon, we ran smack dab into a chocolate shop.

And the Missus was a happy camper.

Les Chocolats de Chloé
546 Avenue Duluth E
Montréal, Canada

The rest of the walk was uneventful….though I loved the name of this place…..

As we settled in for the night; I opened up the last beer in the fridge. Remember getting those brews by Unibroue on sale for $3.99CAD?

Even the Missus enjoyed this Belgian White Ale with Apple.

Life was indeed good……

Thanks for reading!

Sometimes……..

May 1, 2018 mmm-yoso Beer, Cooking, yoso-silly

Sometimes, you just need to take a breath, and enjoy those little things.

Like taking Frankie for a much deserved "frolic"…..

And maybe make the Missus pasta….sort of like She had in Emilia-Romagna……no garlic, no onions, very little olive oil……you gotta get a bit creative.

And then you can take a break…..and have a nice cold one.

I'll be back tomorrow with another restaurant and…or travel post.

Thanks for indulging me!

Clearing Out the Memory Card – Tiger! Tiger!

March 2, 2018 mmm-yoso Beer, Gastropub

**** Tiger! Tiger has closed

I love being wrong……I do. I visit every place, whether it's new or on our rotation hoping for a great meal. And for places we love….well, sometimes, it ain't so great. At the beginning of 2018, we visited Tiger! Tiger! a couple of times and were quite disappointed. I believe I mentioned that in a post somewhere….of course, a week after I wrote that, the Missus decided we should pay them another visit….and, of course we enjoyed ourselves.

So here's a round-up of recent dishes at Tiger! Tiger! And….I'll preface things by saying that having something like Pliny the Younger….does help things!

Even at $15……you should try this once…..great balance…..amazing tongue feel……and 10 ABV….well, don't have too many!

The Missus has been enjoying the really spicy….and I do mean legit spicy Mushroom Sandwich……

While I enjoy the sausages…whether the Bratwurst….

Or the Kielbasa….it's made inhouse and has great snap and flavor. And when the potato salad is "right"…..like on our most recent visit, the perfect amount of mustard and studded with just the right amount of slices of pickled celery…well, it was quite good.

The Missus has enjoyed the Kim Chi Brussel Sprouts….though it's not always perfect for Her tastes.

Still, there's a nice umami touch that helps move things along, even when not cooked perfectly.

And of course, old favorites like the charcuterie…….

And certain soups the Missus enjoys…..

And even though there are certain "clunkers" we don't enjoy…like the under-flavored and usually over-cooked broccolini….which isn't a good value…..

We still go by the specials board and not the menu.

Plus, we like the relaxed atmosphere……. So, Tiger Tiger is back on the rotation….for now…..

Tiger! Tiger!
3025 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104

And….everytime we visit….I think of Sammy…….

Cross Street Chicken and Beer (Pre-Soft Opening)

October 4, 2017 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Beer, Chicken Wings, Korean Restaurants

Cross Street has fascinated me since I first noticed that Your Story was closed back in June. I'd heard that the place was going to do KFC….you know K(orean) F(ried) C(hicken), which was confirmed by Eater a few weeks later.

While driving by last week, I noticed that the place looked open. I sent a text to "YummyYummy" who through her connections verified that they were in "Pre-soft" (???) Opening mode. Soon enough, "YY" and "Xiāng Jiāo" and I decided to meet up.

The place is dressed up in the very modern; industrial style that is popular these days. Lot's of staff on hand….super friendly young folks. This being "before" the soft opening, I expected some mishaps, but there were none. Some scrambling, but these folks seem up to the task.

The menu is mostly made up of fried foods, with Chicken Wings (of course) being the focus. It's basically $11 for 6 wings prepared in one of six "styles".

But first that popular Korean drinking snack, Corn Cheese ($8).

These were pretty dull for corn cheese, not enough cheese, the corn not sweet enough.

And some Beer Battered Fries ($6), which I found to be ok.

I thought these could have been more crisp and the fries got soggy fairly quickly.

So, what about those wings. Well, before folks freak out about the $11 for six wings thing; I'll say this, the wings are pretty large, in my opinion too large as I prefer a small to medium size wing….better skin to ratio. The wings were good quality; tender meat, juicy, no broken bones, no off colors.

As to how these compare to the KFC we had at, say, Mirak or Kkanbu in Seoul? Or even Gala, "Bee-Bee-Q", or Kyochon? Well, let's take a look.

The Original……

I was told these were the "signature" wings, but though while it had enough salt, it needed some zing. The wings are so large that I think the double fry method doesn't work as much magic here as all of the fat under the skin did not render down all the way and the batter got soft rather quickly. This was the only wings we had that were served with a "salad" rather than the traditional mul kimchi….which would have done good in this case.

Salt and Pepper…..

Royal Mandarin, Mandarin Canton, and the rest have nothing to worry about for now as again the coating didn't hold out too long. It also wasn't very light and crisp on this version. The flavor was very mild for S&P wings and was a bit greasy as well.

Here's the classic, very typical, sticky, Spicy Korean style wings you get at many places.

I expected a bit more heat, but we were told that they were worried about it being too hot and scaring away the non-Korean customers. It was sweet and sticky. This got soggy really quickly and the young man who I think is one of the owners really apologized about that and tried to take it off the bill. But that's not our style…..hey, they're not even in Soft Opening mode!

I thought the best wings we had was the Soy Garlic…..

While on the mild side with regards to garlic flavor; it wasn't too sweet, had a decent bit of saltiness, the batter was a bit thick, but held up the best of all the wings. This ain't no Kyochon, but I'd take this over "BBQ Chicken" and Gala.

The owners were very nice and gracious….they asked us our opinion….usually we'd balk, but this time we were very honest. We were thanked for our opinion and told to please return because they're hoping to "get better every day"! There was such sincerity in that declaration, that having to run some errands for the Missus, I returned the very next day…..

They were a lot busier this time around, but the service was still very friendly….everyone smiles here. At least on my visits they did.

This time around I had Max Cream, an all malt beer, brewed by Hite. This wasn't too sweet, very light, unobtrusive, slightly winey (cat pee), easy to drink.

I actually ordered way too much food, but really enjoyed myself.

Starting with the Fried Pickle Spears ($8).

While I thought the breading was really hard; I really enjoyed the tart-sour of the pickles….it really got my attention; especially when I took a big first bite.

The Beer Battered Fries were better this time around.

Staying nice and crisp.

I ordered the Original Wings again.

While the flavor was still rather plain and the wings didn't quite have that signature light crispness of good KFC; in terms of keeping a nice crunchiness throughout the meal; this was much better.

As were the Soy Garlic wings.

A bit more garlic; lighter crisper coating that held out well, this was much better than the previous day. They just need to get a handle on rendering out a bit more fat and I think this is a keeper.

So, I guess the really nice folks here weren't kidding when they said things "get better every day". At least it did for me.

I like these folks, I hope they do well. Though I'll wait until or maybe after their upcoming Soft Opening.

I also need to order the Garlic Parmesan wings that Kirbie enjoyed in her post on Cross Street.

Cross Street Chicken and Beer
4403 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

From Quebec City to Montreal

September 16, 2017 mmm-yoso Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Beer, Canada, Montreal, Travel

We finished up dinner at Le Lapin Saute and took another nice stroll around the Lower Town before heading back to our hotel room.

Eglise Notre-Dame-des-Victoires looked quite stunning at night.

Back at the room, while the Missus drew Herself a bath; I decided to relax and enjoy this last night in QC a bit. Based on what my phone told me, I'd earned it.

I did 53 floors? I really did earn it.

I slept like a baby…..

It was our last morning in Quebec City. We'd had a blast; from walking the streets of the Upper and Lower Town, to visiting the oldest existing grocery in North America, to having a wonderful lunch and getting to use my very limited Japanese, and of course, there's the "Red Door". While we felt like we did quite a bit, there was still much more to do. Seems like QC had become a favorite travel destination for us. While life is full of those "once in a lifetime places", like Easter Island, it's places like Quebec City that we return to.

We had time until check-out and our train wasn't leaving until 1pm, so we took one last walk.

For some reason, I really like this photo.

The horse drawn carriage leading the tour bus down the street.

We stopped for a croissant and espresso at Paillard.

On the way back to our room; the Missus saw another locale She had read about when trying to find out what the "Red Door" was all about.

According to the KorCan Blog, this is the "Christmas Shop" in the series. We stopped in at the little shop where it's Christmas every day. Very cute.

La Boutique de Noël de Québec
47 Rue De Buade
Quebec City, Canada

Speaking of the KDrama; SJP sent me this link to the Chateau Frontenac website; where they actually have something called the "Ultimate Golbin Experience". You can stay in the actual suite where Goblin was filmed….for only $1129 CAN a night! Sheesh….

And then strolled back down Côte de la Montagne, which is the oldest remaining street in the city.

It was once the only street which connected the Lower and Upper Towns of the city.

After a brief respite, we packed and went to check-out. We really enjoyed staying at the Auberge Saint-Antoine. The hotel was so comfortable, the staff and amenities wonderful. There's also a good bit of history here. The property was once both a wharf house and a cannon battery. When the hotel was being constructed, items dating back to the 17th century were being uncovered. So it became sort of a dual construction – archaeological site. Many of the items excavated can be found restored and on display in the hotel.

And then was what I could say was the "crowning moment", the "cherry on the top", that totally sold the Missus on the hotel. I went ahead and settled our bill at the counter. As we walked out the door; the desk clerk, a very nice gentleman, walked after us, calling to the Missus, "madam….madam". We stopped and turned around. He handed the Missus a bag of still warm cookies saying, "Madam, these cookies just came out of the kitchen and this is for you." You gotta love it! As we walked to the train station, the Missus looked at me and said, "we're definitely staying here again….." It's the small things that count.

We took the short walk to the train station and because we had Business Class tickets were able to use the lounge; which was really small, and rather tight. As we walked in and tried to find some seats, the Missus tapped me on the shoulder and said, "aren't you going to say hello to your new friends?" It was the group of Japanese women I translated the menu for at Le Saint-Armour. The were all smiling and waving. I waved back, laughing.

Our ride back to Montreal was uneventful…..other than listening to the woman with the drink cart trying to explain what the different cocktails were to the women….. This one, I had no idea about; so I hung back.

We got back to bustling Montreal. It seems the weather had cleared up and it was getting to be kind of warm. This time around, we stayed at an AirBnB in the Plateau Mont-Royal area. I wanted to stay in the area because….well, the food of course. There aren't many hotels, but I found what turned out to be a huge apartment on Avenue du Parc.

So, we were back in Montreal…..time to start eating!

Vancouver – Hawksworth Restaurant and Fritz European Fry House

July 1, 2017 mmm-yoso Beer, Canada, Canada Food and Restaurants, Fine Dining, Travel, Vancouver, Canada

I wanted to end our trip to Vancouver with a nice dinner. We'd started the trip with Miku and I thought having dinner on our last night at Hawksworth, which many consider to be Vancouver's "best" restaurant. Best, is of course quite a subjective measure, and I'm really not one to spend too much time on the those…..but I'd read enough on other food blogs and such to actually make a reservation.

The restaurant is located in the Rosewood Hotel, just a few blocks where we were staying. The dining room looked quite small and is fairly cramped and the room is quite loud overall. Service was excellent, very accommodating when we said we'd like, as is our norm to have several apps and one main. They even split our main without us asking and never charged us for it. Best of all was our Sommelier a wonderful whom we asked to match a glass of wine with each of our courses. She was wonderful.

First to arrive was the Beef Loin Tataki (24 CAD).

This was dressed with a ponzu like vinaigrette, with what tasted like a touch of ginger. which added a nice bit of acid; the beef was texturally very nice….not too soft, but pleasantly toothsome. The beef was topped with tender sprouts and a julienne of crisp taro….think taro chips strips. Quite a generous portion…..at this point we were glad we didn't go for 2 mains.

You know if there's a foie gras dish on the menu, we're going to order it right? We got the Foie Gras with Hazelnut and Pain Perdue (26CAD)

This was our least favorite dish of the night….the sour cherry topping and the pain perdue (i.e. "French Toast") just wiped out any of the rich, slightly livery flavor of the foie gras. Too much sweet and sour going on. This was foie gras torchon and didn't really hold up well in terms of texture and taste to all the busy flavors in the dish.

We did enjoy the Braised Lamb Shoulder Cavatelli (20CAD), which was our favorite dish of the evening.

The mahon cheese added a nice bit of slightly smoky. saltiness to the dish. The pasta was perfectly textured; the mint added that bit of bittersweet, palate cleansing, touches to the dish, while the green olives added a nice briney touch. The lamb was very tender and perhaps not gamey enough for our tastes; but in a nice well flavored ragu like this, it was very nice. I was told there were pine nuts in this, but they seemed MIA. Regardless, we really enjoy this dish. This was paired with a Syrah, which added nice mild spice and berry notes to the dish.

Our main course, which was so nicely split was the Duck Breast (44CAD).

The duck was cooked well and the texture was perfect. Not quite sold on the duck leg confit tamale, nor the kind of odd tasting "mole jus". Corn, morel mushroom, and white beans went nicely together; earthy and sweet notes, but I thought the white beans were undercooked.

Again, dessert is the Missus's department and She ordered two.

Though She did take he macarons to go. And enjoyed snacking on them.

I finished with a Vermouth.

We really enjoyed the service here. The quality of the ingredients and prep was excellent; though we thought some of the combinations kind of missed the mark a bit.

Hawksworth Restaurant (In the Rosewood Hotel Georgia)
801 W Georgia St
Vancouver, BC V6C 1P7, Canada

Speaking of good service. While cleaning out my electronics travel case I found this in one of the pockets.

Upon opening it, I suddenly remembered. We had really enjoyed the personal attention of the Sommelier at Hawksworth and appreciated her pairings. Just before leaving she handed us this handwritten card…..in case we wanted to find any of the wines we'd enjoyed during this meal.

Thank You Lydia! You made our night!

We went back to the apartment, packed a bit, and relaxed. We had done a good bit of walking during the day, so I started getting hungry. And thirsty. So while the Missus stayed in and watched videos, I headed back out.

First hitting up our favorite little liquor store (if you hadn't read the story, it's here).

For a couple of brews.

Then down "colorful" Seymour Street…….

This place has quite a history and is supposed to be haunted.

And then over to Davie and Fritz European Fry House.

You see; the Missus said if we were going to have a last snack, we should do it right and get some poutine. After all, our first meal when we arrived was poutine and much to my surprise, the Missus loved it. Fritz is legendary for being one of those "late night post clubbing munchy" sites. It's also a long time favorite for straight up, nothing fancy poutine. Which is what I got.

The cheese curds were nicely melted, yet some of them still had a good texture by the time I got back to the apartment. The gravy was too salty and the fries were overcooked, hard (not crunchy), and rather dry.

Maybe the girl at Viti's was right. When I asked about getting some good poutine, she told me, in that oh, so proper Canadian way, "well sir, I personally think that you need to go to Montreal!"

Fritz European Fry House
718 Davie St
Vancouver, BC V6Z 1B6, Canada
Hours:
Tues – Wed 530pm – 230am
Thurs 1130am – 3am
Fri 1130am – 4am
Sat 1pm – 4am
Sun 1pm – 2am

Walking back up to the apartment, I used Granville Street, which looked like it was closed to traffic. I came back and found that this is known as the Granville Entertainment District.

Relaxing, sitting in the apartment's solarium and looking at the street below, having a couple of brews…..now this was a nice way to end our trip to Vancouver.

We started with poutine and ended with poutine. Having some nice meals, and doing some fun things during our short stay. I'm sure we'll be back; after all, I still need to do a seaplane flight. Though when I asked the Missus what She wanted She told me, "I want some good poutine." So maybe that would be……