Have you ever tasted something so rapturous, so luscious, so drool inducing that it almost made you weep? Where successive rounds of “OMIGOD’s” were uttered because it felt as if you were being transported from the here and now? Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce you to The Manx Pub‘s pulled-pork tacos (PPT)! Filled with copious amounts of sumptuous meat, dressed with a rich flavourful sauce and topped with buttery avocado, the chef at The Manx was able to elevate these tacos from mere plebeian to out-of-body experience.
The tacos sparked discussion. We debated on the merits of soft shell vs. hard shell and my friend astutely noted that by crisping the soft shell it allowed the whole to remain intact and impervious to pesky leakages. Not to say that the PPT’s weren’t messy. They were definitely a chin-dripping 5-napkin affair. The genius, however was in the full package. The tender meat, the blend of spices, and the outer taco shell were harmoniously unified to near flawlessness.
If there is an award for best taco, best meal, best restaurant of 2013 (and I know there is) and if there is a God (and I for sure know there is) this award must, IT MUST go to The Manx for its pulled-pork tacos. This is not an exaggeration or excessive hyperbole. It’s straight-out reverence for a job well done. Excellence must be rewarded.
These tacos are from the “specials” menu. Here’s hoping they make it up to the big leagues of the “mains.” But in case not, you must run right now to get your fix. Me? I’ll be telling the world about my taco moment!
P.S. You have but a few mere months to enjoy these blurry pictures. iPhone 5s is coming! iPHONE 5S IS COMING!!!
Clover is my go-to place for breakfast when I am in Boston. And the Harvard Square location is my favorite. It doesn’t matter where I am staying in the city, HSQ Clover is where I need to go for breakfast. It’s fast food done right. It’s vegetarian. There are no freezers. They cut up the food as close as they can to when we’re going to eat (e.g., tomatoes are cut when you order). Everything is done in an open kitchen visible to the customers. 100% of what they hand us is compostable. The menu changes daily. If you can’t already tell, I’m nuts about this place. You should definitely check it out when you’re in town.
On this occasion, I had the oatmeal with fruit compote with a hibiscus green tea. If you’re in for lunch, I highly recommend the chickpea fritter.
This enormous mural installation was posted in Harvard Square near the Coop in order to bring attention to homelessness. 60 3-by-4.5 foot photographs and one 15-by-17 foot photograph cover the entire Palmer Street building in Harvard Square. The installation, called “I am…. More Than Just Homeless,” is a dramatic testament to the strength, resilience, and survival skills of these vulnerable youth. Anthony Pira partnered with Youth On Fire, a drop-in center for homeless youth ages 17-24 in Harvard Square, to present the images in this second public art installation in collaboration with the Outside In Project national campaign “Creating Art to End Homelessness.”
I had heard about this place that served the best lobster sandwiches in New England. Not lobster “rolls,” but “sandwiches.” I took the T to Central Square and then walked for what seemed liked decades. It didn’t help that I wasn’t familiar with the area and that in typical Boston fashion, squares turned into circles, streets were in illogical order and signs were often missing. Definitely not a place you would suddenly stumble upon. Did I mention that it was also raining? Finally, FINALLY, I arrived at my destination, Alive & Kicking Lobsters.
By the time I arrived, I was parched, starving, and I JUST WANTED SOME FREAKING LOBSTERS!!!! And that’s exactly what I got. A generous portion of lobster smushed between two slices of warm and toasty bread. And for $13.95, the price was right. Oh yeah. They even have their own line of drinks. Ginger Ale, Birch Beer, Iced Tea, Root Beer, Lemonade, Diet Root Beer, Cream Soda, Black Cherry, Raspberry Lime, Grape Soda, Water, Sarsaparrilla. I had the orange soda. Quite refreshing after such a long trek. I would definitely recommend this place. But suggest using a GPS to find your way.
I visited Boston on Memorial Day weekend. Volunteers planted an estimated 30,000 flags representing the service men and women from Massachusetts who have died in the line of duty since World War I. The sea of flags were quite stunning yet very sobering.
Another sad moment was when I visited the Boston Bombings makeshift memorial near Trinity Church. Although right in the middle of a busy city, the site was eerily silent. Not much more to say other than I do hope that my favorite city recovers from this tragic event. Its people are so kind, resilient and truly Boston Strong.
Visiting my friend and going to Fenway are the chief reasons why I come to Boston. The concourse at the ballpark has a wide variety of offerings but I like to stay with the tried and true. Fenway Franks and peanuts. This is baseball after all!
What a find! A Red Sox sandwhich container!!!!
Joanne Chang is a Boston celebrity. An honors graduate of Harvard with a degree in Applied Mathematics and Economics, Joanne left a career as a management consultant to enter the world of professional cooking. In 2000, she opened Flour, a bakery and café, in Boston’s South End. Flour features breakfast pastries, breads, cakes, cookies, and tarts as well as sandwiches, soups, and salads.
Flour has been featured in Gourmet, Food&Wine, Bon Appetit, the New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, Lucky Magazine, Inc. Magazine, and Boston Magazine and has received numerous Best of Boston awards. Flour was also featured on Throwdown with Bobby Flay on the Food Network in which Joanne’s sticky buns won over Chef Flay’s. I visited the newly opened Back Bay location and feasted on the lemon-raspberry cake (lemon pound cake brushed with lemon syrup, filled with lemon curd, crushed raspberries and buttercream). Ms. Chang has built an empire in Boston and certainly does not need endorsement from little ole me, nevertheless I urge you to visit Flour as soon as you can and you’ll see why in 2012 it was voted as Best Bakery and received runner-up status for Best Reason to Cheat on Your Diet. Although I would have given it first place!
Pizza is always on my mind. I had heard about Otto’s greatness but in all my visits to Boston, I had never feasted upon “the pie” for myself. I chose to remedy this situation. I picked the Coolidge Corner location and dined on suggestions from the server. Margherita and Baby spinach, chicken and asiago. Delish. Otto is noted for combining unique toppings. Try the Butternut Squash, Ricotta and Cranberry or the Apple, Bacon and Red Onion or maybe even the Mashed Potato, Bacon and Scallion. Opt for pizza topped with three-cheese tortellini or maybe even pulled-pork and mango. With these wonderful creative pies, it’s easy to see why Otto was recently chosen by the Boston Globe as one of the 10 best pizza shops in New England.
My pal and I made our way to Inman Square to a local sandwich shop deserving of its name, All-Star Sandwich bar. The wild colors, the people, the friendly wait staff and the chaos from the kitchen somehow brings this place together and makes it very unique. It’s exciting and welcoming all at the same time. All-Star runs seven different specials for every day of the week, specific to that day.
We tried out some mainstays from the menu. The Veggie Cubano (Grilled eggplant, zucchini, summer squash, roasted peppers, portabelo mushrooms, jack cheese, Swiss cheese, with cilantro aioli and Dijon mustard pressed on French bread) and the classic Reuben (Corned beef with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and russian dressing on rye). The Cubano was perfect. It’s hard to make a veggie sandwich that’s not mushy or watery. Not in this case. All of the ingredients blended in perfect unison. The Reuben was, well, classic. Great tasting corned beef with just the right amount of dressing on nicely toasted bread.
It’s a fun place with delicious food. And I will be returning. Often. If only to try out one of the special sandwiches that’s right in my wheelhouse. Buttermilk fried chicken, braised collard greens, country gravy and cheddar cheese. That sounds crazy good, no?
Oh, and I forgot to mention that I visited for the first time, the Christian Science Center. Check out my pics from a beautiful sunny day in Boston 😉
And with that it was time to bid adieu to my fav city. But not without a clam roll and some chowder from an old mainstay, Legal Seafoods. Boston I miss you already. I’ll see you in September! Stay #bostonstrong! Go Red Sox!!!!
I could barely make out what she was saying. ”You’re party has already been seated,” the hostess pointing toward the general vicinity of a table occupied by my patiently waiting friends. No, it wasn’t yet time for me to get fitted for hearing aids. I had just walked into a Chinese restaurant.
Anyone who’s ever stepped foot inside a busy Asian dinning establishment knows that fireworks, shuttle launches and rock concerts have nothing on the auditory levels of a Chinese restaurant. Dishes clang, children whirl about, food sizzles and conversations occur at such a high decibel level that it’s possible to scream and not be heard. If a tree fell in a Chinese restaurant, would anybody hear it? No. No they wouldn’t. But that’s not always a bad thing. Sometimes dinner in a thundering environment is in order. As was the case with my recent visit to Yangtze Dinning Lounge.
As enticing plates of Fried Lobster and Steamed Pickerel whizzed by our table, we settled into the tried and true: Straw Mushroom Egg Soup, Springs Rolls, Kulu Chicken, Thai Basil Beef and Kung Po Shrimp. At Yangtze’s, even the basics are fantastically prepared. It may not be the ultimate location for intimate conversation, but Yangtze’s is a great place to eat. For all it’s loudeness, it’s the perfect establishment to bring your kids. They can hoot, holler and run around and no one will even notice. Heck, you can hoot, holler and run around and no one will even notice. Welcome to Yangtze’s!
The part of Las Vegas in this blog post in being played by Windsor.
I’ve never been to Las Vegas. No bachelor parties, no Siegfried & Roy, no gentlemen’s clubs, no Liberace museum. The closest I’ve ever been to Vegas is Windsor. I know. It’s a little sad. But I was travelling to Windsor to see my nephew get married and as a result, I got to experience a little slice of Vegas at the posh Caesars Hotel.
Not sure how Roman General Julius Caesar would feel about having a hotel/casino named after him, in Windsor no less. Although the hotel is without reproach, the two restaurants I dined at, Taza Mediterranean Grill and Artist Cafe, are worthy of a civil war. Caesar would not have been impressed. Those two restaurants are not terrible but certainly not worthy of such a world-class hotel. The shawarma meal at Taza was pretty bland and the meat was dry. Breakfast wasn’t much better. There is a breakfast buffet at Artist Cafe that was similarly unimpressive. The long lines to enter the restaurant wasn’t indicative of the great food, there is just no where else to go. I didn’t get to Neros Steakhouse which I hear is incredible. Next time.
Throughout the years I’ve stayed in many, many hotels. Caesar’s Windsor is by far the best. Amazing facilities, great service and wonderful entertainment all under one enormous roof. I do think that they need to improve the dining establishments. It will not, however, get in the way of a return trip. I can’t wait to go back. And I still have my hopes up for Vegas. But in the meantime, Caesars Windsor is a great stand-in!
Did you know that goat is one of the most widely-consumed meat on the planet? It is. And if you live in Ottawa I found the perfect place to get your goat on. It’s called Fishy’s Tropical Grill. Tucked away in the corner of a generic strip mall on Montreal Road in Vanier, Fishy’s is a Caribbean/Jamaican restaurant serving traditional Island food. Curry goat, fried dumplings, ackee, salt fish and more. And Fishy’s just also happens to be a Halal restaurant. Check it out. Friendly service and scrumptious food await you!
Fishy’s famous roti with island veggies and plantain. Delicious!
My boss and a few colleagues took me out for my birthday lunch. I chose Allium Restaurant because of its proximity to work and also because I enjoy it there.
Allium’s mix of Canadian cuisine and classic French techniques often lands it on various top 10 lists of best restaurants in the city. The menu changes on the first Thursday of every month and often includes your choice of duck, foie gras, salmon, steak, sandwiches and pastas.
I had the Mushroom Tagliatelle which was both tasty and filing. If I have one critique for Allium is that its portions are generally on the smallish side. Not this time. My plate contained a hearty portion of ragù which left me quite satisfied.
Mushroom Tagliatelle brought together slow roasted pork shoulder, tomato confit, bacon,
mushrooms, roasted garlic, chili and eggplant.
The rest of my party had the Club Sandwich. I received a chorus of approving nods when I inquired about how they liked their meal.
Club sandwich and potato salad
Allium is refined yet approachable. It carefully and quite adroitly straddles the line between casual and fine dinning. The menu offers regional and farm-to-table ingredients spun in interesting combinations like the Duck Fat Fried Eggplant with chili and garlic or the Scallop Salad that combines blueberries, nectarines, oranges, pickled red onion, spiced peanuts with a cilantro-parsley dressing.
I highly recommend Allium for anyone looking for bistro fare done right. It is located at 87 Holland Avenue in Ottawa.
I’m glad that I got to finish off my birthday month at Allium. It’s been a quite enjoyable to spend time with the cool people in my life. I’m a very lucky dude indeed. I’m already looking forward to next year!
Have you ever time travelled? Apparently I have ’cause I somehow ended up in the 1950s hanging out at Dick’s Drive-In & Dairy-Dip. Now the ’50s certainly wouldn’t be my preferred “Quantum Leap” destination, but I made the best of it while I was there. Dick’s motto is “Welcome back to the good old days.” And he ain’t kidding. I wasn’t around in the “Happy Days” era, but I’m thinking this is what things were like for the Fonz: A neighbourhood malt shop served juicy burgers grilled over charcoal with hand cut french fries on the side while a scary hulking sculpture of a milkshake hovered above the tables.
The burgers were quite scrumptious and tasted decidedly retro. They’re real meat topped with fresh ingredients and cooked to perfection. Nice concept. All beef burgers are Angus Pride beef and come with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, aioli, sautéed onions, Dijon or regular mustard, unless you say otherwise.
Blurry pics of food are my specialty. Sorry about that 🙁
But here’s what’s “coolamundo” about Dick’s. While it’s unquestionably a 1950s joint with food that harkens back to pre-Kennedy times, its menu items are flat-out present-day diverse. Ostrich burgers, veal burgers, bison burgers and yes kangaroo burgers have a starring role along with the usual diner fare. While I wasn’t in the mood for a gamey culinary adventure, I now know where to go when I have a hankering for something a little more exotic.
While it was “neat-o” to visit the bygone days when they “rocked around the clock,” I was happy to time-travel back to 2012 when Dick’s ranked #4 in the Ottawa Citizen poll for Ottawa’s Best Burger 2012. But hear me out. I’ve been to the supposed top three haunts, and I can tell you from the bottom of my heart and the top of my palate, Dick’s is #1. But don’t just take my word for it, try it out for yourself. “Be there or be square!”
Dick’s Drive-In & Dairy-Dip is located at 1485 Merivale Road, near Clyde Ave.
Once in a while you come across something so intoxicating, so glorious that you feel the need to tell the world what you’ve found. Well run and tell the universe about Suzy Q Doughnuts. Please!
You don’t understand. These doughnuts are utterly sublime and delectable. Suffice it to say that they are the best doughnuts I have ever had the pleasure of savouring. Light and delicate, fluffy, not greasy and never too sweet. Perfection, really. These are the type of doughnuts that inspire cravings, addictions and obsessions.
New gournet creations are popping up all the time. Pomegranate White Chocolate. S’mores. Blue Van Fruit Loop. Maple Bacon. Run of the mill factory made doughnuts, these are not.
Perhaps it’s obvious from my superlative heavy, overt rantings that I’ve gotten worked up over some doughnuts. But when somebody is this great at what they do, I get excited. And I want to tell other people about their greatness. So hats off to Ms. Sue Hamer (a.k.a. Suzy Q). The world is a better place because of you and your doughnuts.
Suzy Q Doughnuts, 991 Wellington Street West
A box of 6 is $10. Well worth the price!
Clockwise from top left, Salty Caramel, Lemon Thyme, Blueberry,
Maple Bacon, Toasted Coconut with Kaffir Lime and Dirty Chocolate.
Listen, I don’t like to say not-so-nice things about food establishments that are clearly putting forth an effort. But TacoLot is not so fantastic. I agreed with my friend’s statement, “I really wanted to like this place.” I really did. But I ended up disappointed. TacoLot’s got much going for it. It’s in the getting trendier by the minute Hintonburgh area. It’s a hut on a lot. It’s an easy to walk to neighbourhood joint. And it serves the ever popular tacos. But the aforementioned tacos are pretty unspectacular. So bland that even a hot sauce couldn’t spice up. The tortillas were dry and almost crusty. The rice was unexpectedly sticky. Even the pico de gallo was flavourless. I’m willing to chalk this up to a bad night and give it another try maybe later on this summer. But for now at least, I’m left dreaming of a better taco. Any suggestions?
That’s what it felt like. Like I stepped into some dandyish Paris bistro for lunch—minus the haughty ambiance. Walking into Hintonburg’s Back Lane Café you’re immediately transported into a different reality than whence you came. It feels like you’ve travelled, without actually travelling. The tables are adorned with mismatched chairs. Weathered window shutters grace the walls. The place is intimate, comforting, homey and well worn. It feels like it’s been here forever.
Gazing towards Wellington Street
I’ve read that the owner, having been inspired by a recent six-year stint in Paris, wanted to recreate a time where people lived their lives in the local back lanes, surrounded by neighbours, open air kitchens and vegetable gardens.
Homemade bread, olive oil and balsamic vinegar
I ordered the Chilled pan seared trout with cucumber salad, tomato and tahini sauce. I’m normally a burger/pizza kind-a-guy but I’m a sucker for trout or any fresh fish for that matter. The meal was fresh and very flavourful. The portion was a little on the smallish side for my appetite but the extra portions of homemade bread saved me.
Chilled pan seared trout, with cucumber salad, tomato and tahini sauce
My lunch companion ordered a margherita pizza. She noted that it was a bit chewy but delicious nonetheless.
I want to go back to try the Almond, garlic and mushroom paté starter. I hear it’s a speciality and has already garnered stellar ratings. As have the mussels. Next time I’m there, I am going to try the roast pork on baguette with mustard and pickled zucchini. Or I might even have a burger or a pizza. I like that the menu allows for alternatives. Parisian ambiance with decidedly French food or Parisian ambiance with unquestionably North American and Mediterranean fare. Regardless of the menu choices you make, sometimes it’s just nice to escape to another milieu. Back Lane Café offers you that option.
Be forewarned. It is hard to get a dinner reservation for this restaurant. You may want to pop in for a quick lunch like we did.
