Foodies Across Borders

A couple of day’s before I was due to fly to San Jose, California for the launch of Nissan’s new Z-car we were watching Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on the Food Network. On this episode, he visited a place called the Falafel Drive-In, which has been pumping out the middle eastern chick pea treats since the Sixties. We noticed that it was in San Jose. A quick trip to google showed that it was a scant 1.1 miles from the hotel. Given that my plane would land just after 1 pm, this was a perfect opportunity to fill my tummy and stretch my legs after a long flight.
Read the rest of this entry →

There seems to be some confusion in the Toronto area regarding the Mongolian Grill. Google Mongolian Grill in Toronto and that confusion seems warranted. On review sites, people regularly compare the place in town with the places around the suburbs. News flash folks, they are totally different restaurants! They aren’t even related. One chain is called JB’s Mongolian Grill and the other is the Ghengis Khan Mongolian Grill. To make matters worse, the JB’s people haven’t updated their website in years so some of the new stores aren’t listed on their main site, but they have new individual sites for the new locations. Do these two companies have no clue about brand imaging?

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to visit both Ghengis Khan Mongolian Grill on Don Mills Road in Toronto and JB’s Mongolian Grill in Whitby. The idea that supports both restaurants is the same. The guest fills a bowl full of meat, veggies and sauce, which a guy then cooks in front of you on a large round cooking stone. It’s a great concept that promises a fun meal. Same name, same concept. Where the 2 places differ is in the execution and layout of the “assembly” area.

Read the rest of this entry →

We’ve been pretty quite here in Foodies for the last few weeks, as life has been a bit overwhelming lately, between work and all sorts of kid stuff. During last weekend’s rush, a bunch of us left the annual dance recital headed for a bite in the sun. Bobby C’s Dockside is a big place in the marina in Bowmanville. Being surrounded by boat yards and industrial units, the scenery approaching the place is less than stellar, but at least there is a nice patio overlooking the pier. On previous visits, the service has been less than stellar, but I figured that it would be hard for them to screw up a few pitchers (or more) and a few pounds of chicken wings. WRONG!

First of all, the patio was full, but the outside hostess said there was loads of room inside, so there would be no problem seating all of us (I think there were 14 or 15 of us). WRONG. They sat 6 of us at a table in an empty section at one end of the restaurant & the remaining group were put in a party room at the other end of the building. The manager explained that all the tables around us were reserved. No worries…just bring us beer & food & we’re good to go. While we waited about 20 minutes for our pitcher to arrive, we were treated to the stunning view of a chubby hostess cruising around the place with 2 inches of ASS CRACK! When she bent over to set a table I think I saw some of that cutlery the bar was missing…

A tiny appetizer plate of wings and a chicken quesadilla came at the same time as the pitcher, but well over an hour later, there was no sign of dinner. This was when we noticed that the other group had already left, on their way back to the recital. Now, we started to panic as we realized that we may be late getting the kids on stage. I grabbed the manager and told him that we weren’t pulling a dine & dash, rather he was comping our beer & apps to make up for the non-existant service. I made a point of mentioning the other table that had come with us, who had already eaten and left. Little did I know…

When we arrived back at the school, we found the others in the cafe, tucking into Subway! It seems they too had only received drinks & had done a runner. They didn’t really run, they tried 4 times to get service, but the service never came. They also announced their departure. I’ve NEVER bolted from a bill before, but I also don’t think I’ve ever had service that sucked so badly. We won’t be going back.

Regina’s Cathedral Village Free House

Ok, so I work in Regina. I don’t live there, but commute there on a weekly basis. At first, I thought to myself, “who the hell did I piss off to end up here?!”, but man, have I ever changed my tune. In addition to having some of the friendliest, genuinely nicest people I’ve ever met, Regina has some true culinary gems.

I’m a bit of a creature of habit, so I make the rounds of my favourite restaurants each week. On Mondays, I usually end up at the Cathedral Village Free House, at 2062 Albert Street.

They’ve got a great, casual fare menu; I’d like to say it’s pub food, but it’s up at least a couple of notches. At least.

I am a creature of habit, as I mentioned earlier. So, when I hit the Free House, I usually go for their pizza. All pizzas are thin crust and available in 9″ or 12″ sizes. Oh yeah, they’re cooked in a wood oven, the best way to do it, in my opinion. My personal favourite is the Tandoori Chicken pizza. There is just the right amount of spice and the mango and cilantro make this a simple yet exotic pizza. I can’t get enough of it.

I’ve recently discovered the Cappicola and Tomato pizza – for me, it’s the basil pesto base (instead of the traditional tomato sauce) that really makes this special. Roasted tomatos don’t hurt either. A new favourite? We’ll see…

The Free House also has specials sheets that seem to be renewed every 6 to 8 weeks. Usually, there’s a trout special included: the last one was Trout Vindaloo. If there’s anyone from the Free House reading this: put it on the regular menu! Just the right amount of heat is balanced nicely with the fatty fish that’s cooked medium rare; they also had a mango raita on the plate that was wonderful. Mmm…I may have to go to the Free House for the second time this week…but I digress.

The Free House has the usual suspects too: good selection of beers on tap and a fairly standard, non-intimidating wine list that’s reasonably priced.

When I’m on the road, I try to seek out small local spots that offer quality food at a decent price. For me, the Free House hits it: great food cooked with interesting ingredients, good prices and a cool vibe. If you’re ever in Regina, I strongly suggest you check it out. You’ll be glad you did.

More to come from the wilds of Saskatchewan.

Mooby

Believe me, I can cook. I don’t think I love anything more than the satisfaction of preparing an elaborate dinner and sharing a little wine with some friends. But one of the other things I love most in life is a great freakin’ burger!! Whether it’s right off our own barbeque or a treat at a local hangout, there’s nothing better than a super-juicy, hand-packed, made-with-love….

In the last few weeks, we’ve made a point of trying a bunch of new and not-so-new spots and comparing patties from heaven. Here are our Canmore results, to date:

Rose & Crown (Railway Avenue)
Last week, I mentioned that this burger was held over from the previous menu – which is true – in all three of its glorious formats: their regular Burger, the Mushroom & Swiss and the totally awesome Banquet Burger (cheddar, fried onions, sautéed mushrooms and bacon). What I neglected to mention was that the Rose has increased the SIZE of their hand-packed patty and it’s now an 8-oz-er!! Served with choice of fries, soup or salad, this one ROCKS: “A+”!

Miner’s Lamp (Georgetown Inn, Bow Valley Trail)
A girlfriend tried their burger recently and invited us to come out and experience it for ourselves. This “best-kept secret” of a pub has a really intriguing menu – a combination of pub food and Rocky Mountain cuisine, but we were on a burger mission! I do have to say that it was completely divine! Served with caramelized onions and a brie “upgrade” (from cheddar), the burger was completely stellar!! A little skimpy with the fries, I can only give it an “A”, but the burger itself was heavenly.

Sage Bistro (Bow Valley Trail)
My husband had been to Sage for breakfast with a couple of friends a few months ago when I was out of town. Suddenly, he had an urge to go back, so we invited the same friends and made a bit of an event out of it…. Now, I’m all for breakfast being the most important meal of the day, but when I found out I could actually order lunch instead, that just made my day (it was a late breakfast, anyway). I opted for the lamb burger, which was beautiful and juicy, and not as lamb-y as I might have thought, which suited me fine. Served with Oka cheese, it was just incredible, as were the absolutely divine sweet potato fries!! The one knock, unfortunately, was the onion bun; I know some people must like them, but yuck. So I can only rate the experience an “A”. And heck, if you like onion buns, this burger is going to knock your socks off!!

Crazyweed (Main Street)
Another girlfriend once told me that she thought this was the best burger in town, but honestly, “what’s all the hubbub, Bub?” This burger was dry and unimpressive, with little flavour and a crappy bun. Served with nary a side dish in sight (nope: no fries; no salad; just plain nothin’) and no cheese option, I can’t help but give this burger an “F”. I’ve heard that they sometimes have a lamb burger “special”, but I’m not feeling hopeful so it would take a lot to make me go back to try it.