Canada Food and Restaurants

Montreal – Patati Patata

May 11, 2018 mmm-yoso Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Canada, Canada Food and Restaurants, Montreal, Travel

It was our last morning in Montreal, our flight was at 3pm, though we had to check-out at 11am. We did need something to hold us over….so why not poutine? There were a few stops to make in the morning and Patati Patata Friterie de Lux….well, with a name like that and being a few blocks from where we were staying, it just made sense.

This tiny corner shop was quite charming as it really looked like an old school diner.

The Missus enjoyed the fresh squeezed orange juice and we both enjoyed our coffee.

We also ordered the Poutine Avec des Ouefs…..which seemed like something right down our alley, with easy over eggs (sorry to FOY Jessica).

So, the frites were crisp, but on the dry side, the cheese curds too mushy, the gravy quite salty….the eggs wonderful. This reminded us of the poutine we had in Vancouver. Not a bad thing, just not to our taste.

The service was great, we loved the vibe, but not the poutine. glad we got to try it though.

Patati Patata Friterie de Luxe
4177 St Laurent
Montreal, Quebec, Canada

We had use of one of the Sky Team lounges at Trudeau International Airport which was pretty quiet.

The food choices were fine for a snack to hold us over.

And we had bought some "goodies" to have at home…..

Though it was nothing like having it there….in Montreal.

I guess we'll just have to return.

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!

Montreal – Jean-Talon Market and Schwartz’s Deli

March 15, 2018 mmm-yoso Canada, Canada Food and Restaurants, Diner, Markets & Grocers, Memorable Meals, Montreal, Sandwiches, Travel

I knew we needed some exercise after our zillion calorie meal at Au Pied de Cochon. So I had planned on hoofing it up to Jean Talon Market but it was drizzling so we decided to catch the metro instead. When we arrived the place was pretty much deserted.

It was pretty quiet and we weren't going to be doing any self-catering during our last evening in Montreal, so we just kind of wandered around.

Nothing caught our fancy, so we decided to head on back to Mount Royal area.

Jean-Talon Market
7070 Henri Julien Ave.
Montreal, QC H2S 3S3, Canada

It was a pretty good walk.

There are some pretty interesting buildings in the area, like this one.

I couldn't figure out what it was, so when we returned I looked up the address and it's named Musée des pompiers de Montréal. It's the firefighters museum; which is only open on Sundays from 130pm to 4pm.

It was still a bit early for our lunch destination, so we decided to grab a cup of coffee and relax. We found this very modern-hipsterish looking shop named Dispatch Coffee.

I got some espresso and they served it up right….with sparkling water.

Dispatch Coffee
4021 Boulevard Saint-Laurent
Montreal, QC H2W 1Y4, Canada

By this time our early lunch destination was ready for business.

I'd heard countless times that you "need" to go to Schwartz's when in Montreal. It's an iconic purveyor of Montreal smoked meat….don't be calling it pastrami in MTL. While similar in in terms of being seasoned, cured, and smoked, classic pastrami is made with beef navel, the front or "ventral" part of the beef plate. Montreal smoked meat like corned beef is made with the brisket. You can read more about the differences at a load of sites; some of them humorously opinionated. I was here to eat.

One quick thing about Schwartz's. You'll see the opening hours listed as 8am; you can get stuff next door to go at that time. But if you want "hot meat", you'll have to wait until 1030.

We got in right at 1030 and sat at the counter. The young man who served us was great; friendly, helpful, in that truly Canadian way.

The place filled up pretty quickly.

The young man pointed out that the "classic" Schwartz's combo was a Smoked Meat Medium Fat, Fries, Dill Pickle, and a Cherry Soda……we got fifty percent of that, the dill pickled, crisp, nicely balanced in flavor and the Smoked Meat Sandwich Medium Fat (9.75 CAD – about $7.40/US !!!). We watched with anxious anticipation as the meat for our sandwich was hand cut.

Man, this was good!

It's not very often that a place delivers on all the hype and expectations. Schwatrz's did this and more. From the surprisingly tender and moist texture, to the balanced seasoning, not too salty, but with more "umph" than most pastrami sandwiches I've had, the wonderful savory tones really shone. The bread was soft, but stood up well to the pastrami with the flavor of caraway, that malty-nutty-spiciness, bringing things together. The mustard added just enough acidic-pungency to cut any richness.

The Missus is still talking about this sandwich.

There was a line forming outside the deli as we left. I can see why…..

Schwartz’s Deli
3895 Boulevard Saint-Laurent
Montreal, QC H2W 1X9, Canada

A while not everyone would agree, I'd say Schwartz's really delivered. We left, satisfied and not stuffed, just perfectly happy.

Montreal – Au Pied de Cochon

February 22, 2018 mmm-yoso Canada, Canada Food and Restaurants, Montreal, Travel

I decided to schedule one dinner on our return to Montreal. It came down to dinner at Joe Beef or Celebrity Chef and Madman Martin Picard's love letter to Montreal cuisine; Au Pied de Cochon. Since we were staying rather close to the Mont Royal area in Milton Parc, I thought Au Pied de Cochon made more sense.

The walk was a bit over a mile; about 25 minutes.

Our reservations were for 7pm. The place really has no sign, you just kinda figure you're there. And of course it was packed!

While the hostess seemed a bit detached, our Servers were so very friendly in the congenial Canadian way. Even stopping to chat about "stuff", specifically "Duck in a Can", in spite of being completely slammed.

The seating is a bit tight, we were seated near the bar. And it was tight squeeze for the staff.

As you can tell by the photo above. The whole area was blocked when the tableside salad was being made. The wheel of cheese brought on a cart.

The menu was a paean to foie gras and pork, with no less than 7 foie gras dishes on the single sheet menu.

It seemed like the locals were ordering steak and beefs dishes or pasta, while visitors were going for the crazy stuff.

And since we were visitors, it just felt right to hold to that course.

The Missus was focused on the foie here; but we only had one stomach each, so we'd have to choose well. We started with the Foie Gras Poutine ($24 CAD – about $18/US)

We just loved the poutine in Quebec, the potatoes seemed to have a more pronounced flavor and were sweeter, earthier. That young lady in Viti's Liquor in Vancouver was right; when I asked her where the best poutine was in Vancouver she told me "well sir, I personally think that you need to go to Montreal!" The gravy was on the lighter side…..totally against character for this place, but not overly salty, the fries were lovely crisp outside, soft and fluffy inside. The foie gras….well, was foie gras. Not the best quality, but with a good sweet-offal-ly richness, that just made this that much better. There weren't very many cheese curd; which were fine, but nothing special. We'd actually have better poutine the next night, but this was quite indulgent.

When it came to our main; I had thoughts of doing Duck in a Can, but in the end, we decided on the restaurant's namesake, the Pied de Cochon (Pig's Trotters), but not any Pied de Cochon, but one with, well, Foie Gras of course ($54 CAD – $41/US).

If you think this looks like a hot mess, you'd be right. The foie gras was over-cooked, the gravy was nice, but there was just too much of it. The cheese potatoes was just mostly gooey-gummy cheese and too salty. The pork trotters were roasted; then deep fried; but the result was a exterior that was too hard and an interior that was on the dry side. For some reason we didn't find as much lovely gelatinous goodness as we usually enjoy.

Perhaps we had just found the dish that was just too over-the-top for us to enjoy? The prices weren't too bad; about $100/US with beer and wine. The service was amazingly efficient and friendly for a place so busy.

Au Pied de Cochon
536 Avenue Duluth E
Montréal, QC H2L 1A9, Canada

It was good thing we were walking….I needed it after this calorie bomb dinner!

On the way back; we stopped by the local Provigo Grocery. While looking over the beer, I quickly noticed that all Unibroue beers were on sale for $3.99 CAD….that's like three bucks US! There was quite a selection of stuff we don't have here in the states. So, I bought two bottles. On this evening I had the Raftman, a smoked ale.

I really enjoy smoked beer when they are available. This being a Belgian style ale; it had that sweet-booziness, with a caramel nose, and an almost bourbon like smokiness. Being only 5.5ABV, it was really easy to drink as well.

It was a nice way to end the evening. We went to sleep early; we'd have a busy day ahead of us.

Thanks for reading!

Quebec City – A Quick Trip to Lévis, Dinner at Le Lapin Saute, and the Secret of the “Red Door” (A K-Drama Tie-in)

September 11, 2017 mmm-yoso Canada, Canada Food and Restaurants, French Restaurants, Quebec City, yoso-silly

We took a short break after our wonderful lunch. Getting back up, the Missus was itching to "do something….anything". I asked the concierge about taking the Ferry across the St Lawrence to the city of Lévis. The very friendly concierge said that just the views of Quebec City was worth the $7.10 CAD (about $5.75) round trip. So off we went. The rather cloudy, rainy weather made for a rather dramatic view of Chateau Frontenac and Terasse Dufferin from the river.

When we arrived at dock, we just walked out and took a look around. The Missus saw these stairs and of course we ended up walking up.

We felt a bit odd when we reached the top; it was almost like we walked into someone's yard.

There were some nice looking homes on this side of the river.

And the views were wonderful.

This is Notre-Dame-de-la-Victoire de Lévis Church.

We took a loop, before heading back down to the dock via the not so picturesque street. And then headed back to QC. We took another break before heading off to dinner.

The place I selected for dinner was on busy Rue du Petit-Champlain. A place named Le Lapin Saute and yes, lapin means "rabbit" in French. The restaurant looks really colorful from the outside and was totally packed! Folks were eating out on the patio in spite of the drizzles.

Luckily we had reservations.

I had been wanting to try a beer and ordered the Anne Baillargeon from Microbrasserie de l'ile d'Orléans.

A very light, fizzy, blonde lager….nice and refreshing.

There was one item I really wanted to try here; the Rabbit Poutine.

You are given a choice of gravies; we chose the version with mustard and it did not disappoint as it added a nice touch of pungent-sweetness that cut the richness. We love the potatoes in Quebec; this version was crisp, but all the fried potatoes seemed to be quite dark, but very sweet. The braised rabbit was very moist and tender, very clean tasting, with a slight almost chicken flavor.

The Cassoulet however, was a mixed bag.

While the sausage was wonderful as were the lardons; the beans were tough and undercooked, the rabbit dry and tasteless, and the duck confit dry and very salty. There was a lack of thyme-garlic flavor and the dish, other than being salty was a disappointment. The Missus started requesting my cassoulet immediately after.

The service was very friendly, even though the place was slammed. You gotta love Canadians, they are always so polite!

I'm certain we'll return; if only for that poutine and perhaps one of the nice looking salads next time.

Le Lapin Saute
52 Du Petit-Champlain St
Quebec City, Canada

Before heading back to our room; I decided to take a photo of the Red Door.

What's up with the Red Door you might ask? Well, while walking on Rue du Petit-Champlain during our first afternoon in QC, we noticed a preponderance of Korean tour groups and everyone was taking a photo next to this door. So, when we returned to our room I Googled "red door quebec city" and oh my! Apparently, a K-Drama, known as Goblin, was partially filmed in Quebec City. The series was the second highest rated drama in Korean cable history. And it's made Quebec City a destination for Korean tourists! The Red Door is the portal from Korea to Quebec City and plays a rather large role in the K-Drama. Who'd have thunk? We'd actually run into another Quebec City Goblin filming location before we left the next morning. I texted the photo of the Red Door to our friend and K-Drama junky, "Xiāngjiāo" and got a really excited response "oh-my-god…how did you find the door"! Funny thing, we didn't find the door, the door found us.

I guess that's how Quebec City works!

Thanks for reading!

Quebec City – Lunch at Le Saint-Armour

August 31, 2017 mmm-yoso Canada, Canada Food and Restaurants, Fine Dining, French Restaurants, Memorable Meals, Quebec City, Travel

We decided to cap off a fun morning in QC, with a nice lunch. During our walk around QC the previous day, we wandered away from Rue Saint-Jean and came across one of the restaurants I had on my list; Le Saint-Armour. The lunch menu, while not cheap, looked interesting. One of the Servers came out and chatted with us. Since the restaurant was a short detour from the way back to the hotel; we decided to stop and have lunch.

We were led to our table by the nice gentleman who chatted with us yesterday. He even remembered us.

The elegant, though simple exterior of the restaurant belies the charming, classy, and quite elegant dining area. A garden like ambiance, what seems to be a former courtyard is topped with a glass ceiling….the natural light and colors just give the place so much character. Quite romantic…..

It was easy to pick our choices from the lunch menu…I think we're getting a bit predictable these days….

The baguette was lovely and warm; which doesn't seem to be the norm in QC.

And of course, I started with the Foie Gras.

The foie gras was very refined; super smooth, perhaps too much for my tastes these days; which is now evolving to enjoy more earthy flavors. The purees were interesting; Sea Buckthorn Jelly, slightly bitter with a touch of tanginess and sweetness, and "Apple Spruce", which tasted like a basic apple based sauce.

The Missus's choice was more interesting, called "Asparagus Elegance".

The asparagus had such a nice, pronounced flavor, it seems that vegetables really shine in this part of the world. The parma ham was tender and added a nice salty component to the dish as did the cheese; a washed rind cheese from Charlevoix (in Canada), which added a fairly mild, milky-acidity to the dish. Of course there was that perfectly poached quail egg.

The Missus got the Pork Cheek for Her main, which She loved.

The mushrooms and sunchokes really added nice earthy tones to the dish. The pork cheek was perfectly braised…spoon tender; though the sauce was a bit too strong for my taste.

I got the "Red Deer"….possibly the most tender venison I've ever had.

I could cut that venison with my fork! The jus was seasoned perfectly and added a velvety, earthy elegance. The Missus loved the cauliflower and sweet potato purees. And that one lovely piece of mushroom in the corner had me wishing for a whole plate of it.

Dessert, is of course the Missus's department and She enjoyed both.

I thought the chocolate cake was very nice….not too sweet.

And then there was my shining moment. While waiting for coffee service, I walked over to the restroom. As I was returning, a party of four middle aged Asian women walked up and told the hostess, "we have reservations for xxxxxx". They were Japanese! They sat at the table right in front of us. The Missus was quick to point out the 20k Hermes bag one of the women had. They spoke very little English and the good natured Server was trying his best to explain items on the menu to them. In the end he smiled and said; "Madam, I can explain the menu in five languages….unfortunately, Japanese is not one of them…." I decided to seize the moment, walked up to the table, bowed slightly, and said "sumimasen", one of the few words I know in Japanese. Luckily, when it comes to food…perhaps it wasn't perfect, but I was able to go down the menu and say…."hotate……buta tontoro (while pointing to my cheek)…rokuniku….bīfu-sutoroganofu……." all the four women made that Japanese game show sound "aaaah"! They then asked me if I am Japanese and I mentioned that I'm sansei….so speak very little Japanese. They all thanked me and went ahead and ordered. I walked back to the table head held up high! As the Missus smirked, shook Her head, and said; "you're such a show off!" But even She couldn't bring me down. Heck, I milked what little Japanese I knew!

And heck, Le Saint-Armour was probably the best meal we had during this trip. Great food, superb service…..

Le Saint-Amour
48 Rue Sainte-Ursule
Quebec City, Quebec

We did some shopping at Place Royale on the way back to the room. Picking up a few gifts.

The Missus looked at this shop and laughed…..

Nope it's not "Prada"….it's Frada!

We were having a great time in Quebec City!

Quebec City – Walking Around the Upper and Lower Town and Dinner at Panache (now named Chez Muffy!)

August 17, 2017 mmm-yoso Canada, Canada Food and Restaurants, Fine Dining, French Restaurants, Quebec City, Travel

I enjoy train travel and while not quite in the same class as riding the Shinkansen in Japan, I enjoyed the three-and-a-half hour ride from Montreal to Quebec City. We were in business class, the seats were comfortable enough, the wifi decent. The Missus however got bored fairly quickly. I'd make sure that She had some movies and shows to watch on the way back to Montreal. We arrived at Gare du Palais; it was already about 430 pm, the sky overcast, slightly drizzly, but we'd been sitting long enough. So we walked to our hotel.

The one thing the Missus wanted on this trip as to "not feel like I'm in North America"…..well, QC sure didn't feel like we were in the US that's for sure.

We made our way to our hotel, which is now one the Missus's favorites, the Auberge Saint-Antoine. Things just seemed to be set-up perfectly for us, the rooms comfortable and cozy, the service was great, but not intrusive, the rooms quiet.

We had dinner reservations at the restaurant in the Hotel, named (at that time) Panache (more on that later). But the Missus really wanted to get going. Our location in the Old Town was perfect, quiet, but just a five minute walk to Place Royale. You want to feel transported to Europe? Here you go…..

Eglise Notre-Dame-des-Victoires crowns this small, but charming square, established by the "Father of New France", Samuel de Champlain in the 1620's when it was called Place du Marche. The name was changed in 1686 when the bust of Louis XIV was placed in the center of the square.

From here a few charming streets stretch out.

The most charming being Rue du Petit-Champlain which claims to be the oldest lane in North America. It's full of shops, cafes, restaurants, and boutiques. Touristy? Yes, but also quite charming and at least during our visit pretty chill and relaxed.

At one end of the lane is a funicular that takes you up to the Upper Town; but of course, this is the Missus, so we used the Escalier Casse-Cou, also known as the Breakneck Steps.

Built in 1630, this is the oldest stairway in Quebec City. There are actually quite a few well known stairways in Quebec. We'd run into a few during our stay. It's slight uphill walk on one of the oldest street in the city Côte de la Montagne, built in 1620, for many years it was the only street linking the Upper Town and Lower Town.

Taking a left at Rue Port Dauphin, you come to Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec which, in several incarnations (having been burned down twice) has been here since 1647.

That's the Monument Du Cardinal Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau. Taschereau was the Archbishop of Quebec from 1871 to 1898.

And just a short walk away is the most photographed hotel in the world; Château Frontenac.

That still looked mighty impressive, even on a drizzly day.

The wide open boardwalk that surrounds the hotel and extends parallel to the St Lawrence River is the Terrasse Dufferin. The views from here are quite lovely.

This is the monument to Champlain in front of the hotel.

Notice the Harp Player next to the monument….he kept playing thru the drizzle…..talk about dedication!

And there's also this rather odd looking "Elephant Sculpture" by Salvador Dali.

We noticed that QC has its own style….not overly formal….but just, well QC……and they seemed quite proud to be Québécois.

It started raining a bit harder, so we decided to head back to the hotel. Of course, the funicular was not an option.

We took a short stop at Parc Montmorency, which has quite a history. And quite a view…..

From the cannons.

We got back to the hotel, freshened up, relaxed a bit, then headed off to dinner, which was just downstairs.

The place was named Panache. I say "was" since the place has been renamed to….ahem, Chez Muffy at the end of June. Why "Chez Muffy"? Well you can read about that here.

So, I've decided not to dwell on this meal very much. I'll let you enjoy the photos. The service was excellent and this was far from a cheap meal. When we mentioned we'd be sharing; they split everything except the Celeriac Spaghetti.

I keep wondering why they serve cold bread here in Quebec. That just seemed like the norm.

Of course we had Foie Gras which was really great in a mulled red wine sauce and a not too sweet orange marmalade.

The wine it was paired with was outstanding, really elevated the flavors, both sweet and earthy of the dish, without being too cloyingly sweet.

Very nice.

Though perhaps my favorite item of the meal was the beet tartare, which was simply delici-yoso, the combination of capers, shallots, mullet row, and lemon confit really gave this simple sounding dish complexity.

Celeriac Spaghetti.

Elk.

The sautéed kohlrabi with pistachio was delicious.

Dessert.

Ume flavored marshmallows.

Panache (now Chez Muffy) – in the Auberge Saint-Antoine
8 Rue Saint-Antoine
Quebec City, Canada

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……

Vancouver – Coal Harbour, the Waterfront, and Japadog

June 24, 2017 mmm-yoso Canada, Canada Food and Restaurants, Hot Dogs, Travel, Vancouver, Canada

After checking out Granville Public Market; the Missus had a "great" idea. Why don't we walk back and do some shopping and check out the waterfront? The Missus knows I love to watch seaplanes….so that was the "carrot". How could I refuse?

So we headed back up Hornby, made a short stop at the apartment to drop off leftovers; then went to check-out the Lululemon Store on Robson. Gladly, the Missus didn't find anything She wanted……even for me!

We then walked down Robson….took a right and ended up at Harbour Park. This piece of public art is called "Solo" by Natalie McHaffie.

You can read more about it here.

Here's an interesting tidbit; some historic ties to Hawaii.

If you're curious, you can find more info here which I found quite interesting.

It was a beautiful crystal clear day.

And folks were out and about. This dapper fellow was having a great time. Dig the bowtie!

It was fun walking along the Waterfront, all the little scenes, each a small story.

Though not everyone is interested in what's going on.

This guy got a few bucks from us…….he looked like Henry Gibson; dressed in pastels, had a slightly high, nasal, airy singing voice….and a ton of guts! Looks at the young ladies just digging it!

He was singing "What a Wonderful World" and actually pointed at the roses during the "Red Roses Too" line, which got the girls giggling. Ain't it a wonderful world?

And of course, my favorite; the Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre. We often talk about the Missus's "Bucket List". Flying on one of these is one mine. Strangely, I have a fear of heights, but having flown in small planes a bit during my childhood, I'm not really bothered by them.

I just loved watching folks board the planes. I actually saw a family with two kids and a dog board one and take-off.

Apparently, I'm not the only one who enjoys watching the Seaplanes.

It was quite obvious that Anime Revolution was still going on when we got close to the Convention Center.

There was one piece of Public Art that I wanted to see in the area. It's called the Digital Orca by Douglas Coupland. Did you love Lego as a kid? This almost 3-D depiction looks really great against the water and clear blue sky.

And laid back Vancouver, with the cast of characters from Anime Revolution….well, you can't help but smile.

And just go with the flow.

Lots of photo opportunities…..

In case you have doubts….this is still a food blog….so here we go.

I'd heard and seen a lot about Japadogs in Vancouver and more than one person I knew mentioned it as a "must try". Even though we were but a block and change from the Robson Street location, I just wasn't motivated.

But when standing in front of this.

Well, I guess we can call that "fate", right? Anyway, it seemed like a good time for a snack before dinner. So I ordered a Beef Terimayo.

I enjoyed the snap of the beef hotdog, the Missus really enjoyed the combination of mayo (seemed to be of the Kewpie variety – a little sweet) and the teriyaki sauce. She didn't care for the umami-oceany flavor of the nori, which She thought clashed with the teri-mayo. I enjoyed the fried onions and the overall texture, though the roll was a bit on the hard side.

A bit over-hyped? Perhaps; but not a bad hotdog at all.

Japadog – several locations. This cart in front of the Waterfront Skytrain Station
Between Granville and Cordova St

Montreal – Bouillon Bilk

June 18, 2017 mmm-yoso Canada, Canada Food and Restaurants, Fine Dining, Montreal, Travel

The weather had turned rather gloomy and rainy when I awoke from my nap. I needed to run a few errands; get some cash, pick-up a few items from the drug store, so I decided to let the Missus nap while I headed out.

The rain wasn't too bad; mostly annoying drizzles and occasional gust of wind. I'm fairly certain that the locals would scoff at folks who grumbled about this weather after all; it ain't nothing compared to typical winters here.

I managed to get my stuff done….a quick trip to Calforex on Peel; even better than my bank's ATM foreign exchange rate. And a quick stop at Jean Coutu for some toothpaste…and a few snack of course.

I got to walk down the very commercial St Catherine Street with all the usual suspects….H&M, Puma, Guess, Zara…..

Though there always seems to be a church around the corner. I suddenly recalled a well known quote about Montreal by Mark Twain: "This is the first time I was ever in a city where you couldn't throw a brick without breaking a church window."

The Missus was starting to wake when I got back to the room. We just relaxed for a while; our dinner reservations weren't until 8pm, then headed out to dinner….the rain had paused for us it seemed. I'd made reservations at the rather trendy and hip Bouillon Bilk……the idea of sharing plates, with seasonal fare was just up the Missus's alley.

The restaurant, located in an old Electronic Repair and Retail Shop…indeed, the restaurant still has no "real" sign as it still says "Multi-Systems Electronique" on the banner. I guess when you're this popular, you really don't need a sign, right? We'd kinda enjoyed the "old" Izakaya Sakura before the sign went up in 2015.

We really enjoyed the service; efficient, not overly hovering, appropriate in the very "Canadian" way. When we mentioned how tables were moving, on a Monday no less, he mentioned that there were three distinct crowds…pre-theatre, the 730-8pm, and post theatre…and this was actually pretty nicely paced.

Bouillon Bilk offers a nice looking tasting menu; but we decided to order a la carte. We started with some cocktails; an Old Fashioned for the Missus, a Martini for me.

The bread arrived. Something both the Missus and I noticed; it seemed like serving cold bread (usually with fabulous butter) is the norm in these parts.

We started with the "Strawberries"; basically a strawberry salad.

As I mentioned in other posts; it seemed that the flavors of the fruit and vegetables practically shined. This was no exception; the sweet-tart of the strawberries; along with the crunch of the squash blossoms; the slight green-bitter of the greens, the nuttiness of the millet, you could taste it all. The romesco was a nice savory touch and the dab of crème fraiche would add another dimension when used for the berries. An excellent dish.

For us, the Hamachi was a total opposite.

Fennel and Yuzu Kosho really don't go together really well and the flavors in this dish really clashed. The excellent quality Hamachi was totally lost in a miasma of grapefruit, fennel, and yuzu kosho.

By far, the Missus's favorite dish of the night was the "Lobster". The Missus isn't a big fan of lobster….She thinks it's rather bland. But man, this was delici-yoso!!!

The lobster was nice and sweet, slightly briny, the texture tender, just perfect. The cucumber yogurt sauce was just enough in terms of the clean cucumber tones and slight, milky acidy. We could have just eaten those radishes by themselves; it was so crisp, slightly sweet, with a touch of pungency.

The Asparagus was the star of the Veal dish.

Man, the flavor of the asparagus which went so well with the bitterness of the greens……everything else just was in the background.

And of course; we had to get the "Duck".

We really, really, loved the Parsnip Puree; which went so well with the foie gras; the coffee flavors paired nicely with the duck breast. Kind of two dishes in one.

Out last was the Lamb and Pappardelle. This one didn't live up to its potential.

The pasta was undercooked and the braised lamb was very salty. So salty you really couldn't taste much else.

The Missus went with a dessert She saw everyone getting and loved it.

I went with a very nice Vermouth. A wonderful way to end a meal.

Bouillon Bilk is one of those places that seems to take chances……and when things work out they are really memorable in the delicious kind of way. When things don't seem to work out; it's just the opposite. At least none of the dishes were boring. The prices weren't too bad considering the exchange rate; coming out to something like about $120 U.S. without tip. In terms of quality of ingredients totally worth it. Though I think the Missus would select BB's sister restaurant Cadet if/when we return.

Bouillon Bilk
1595 Boulevard Saint-Laurent
Montreal, Canada