In the Kingsway area (Bloor & Royal York), this is one of the more upscale places. Surprisingly, it doesn't have prices to match.
For dinner on a Tuesday night, Ian had chicken parmesan for $14.95 (came with roast potatoes and grilled veggies) and I had taghiatelle veranda - basically noodles with some veggies, olive oil and tomatoes for $12.95. Both dishes were good and of course, Ian liked the plentiful bread that came around.
We unfortunately ordered the grilled veggie appetizer for $8.95. If we had known it was going to be the exact same veggies that Ian got with his chicken, we would have saved our $8.95.
The main beef with this place is the ridiculous number of rules blatantly displayed. They have some complex "seating" scheme whereby if you book for 5 and clear your table by 7 you get 10% off, then there is the 7-9 seating and a 9 seating. Walk ins are welcome space permitting. They also make allowances for the dessert/coffee crowd! All of this is conveniently displayed on a board outside the restaurant. I know a lot of the top end places do this, but they don't make it that obvious!
Immediately afterward, the adjectives that came to our minds were "snobby" and "hoity-toity". We won't be back anytime soon. There are lots of good Italian places in the neighborhood that don't take themselves quite so seriously!!
Here's the website link.
Showing posts with label Italian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Italian. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Dinner with Robert Mondavi of Woodbridge Winery
Last night we ate in with a bottle of Mondavi Merlot and some home made pizza.
Robert was somewhat quiet, but he seemed to enjoy the pizza.
Robert was somewhat quiet, but he seemed to enjoy the pizza.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Chianti (Edmonton)
When Ian and I lived in E-Town, Chianti's was our favorite restaurant. You can't beat the tastiness for the price at this place! Most pasta dishes are in the $11-$14 range (and that gets you a heaping plate with enough left over for lunch tomorrow). Pasta Monday & Tuesday is the real deal with all pasta dishes $7.99!
Last night, Ian and I went with both sets of parents. We were lucky to have made a reservation...who would really expect to need one on a Monday night...but Chianti's was packed at 6:30!!
The meal started well with delightfully warm rolls. Then came deep fried zucchini with thousand island sauce. Lighter than you might think for a deep fried item. Then bruschetta with yummy bread and so-so tomato topping you spoon on yourself.
For mains, Ian usually liked to order chicken Milanese with pasta, but with pasta Monday and all he strayed away and ordered pasta marinara. Lots of little shrimp in a garlicky tomato sauce with what tastes like fresh pasta!
I typically order the linguine primavera (highly recommended), but in the past 7 years, I've taken up with gnocci, so I thought I'd give it a try. Sauce was creamy pesto with peas. Tastiness was high, but I really should have got the primavera for nostalgic purposes!
The parents enjoyed lasagna (veggie x 2 & meat x 1). Veggie has lots of spinach, cheese, sauce, and I think I spotted some mushrooms in there too.
My dad had fettucine alfredo and he didn't have too much to say about it, but he did finish the plate!
A half lite of house wine was alright, but next time I would order a bottle of something a bit better.
A fantastic deal at this place with 6 pastas, 1/2 L wine and 2 apps to share for $91 including tax & tip....although keep in mind no PST in Alberta so an 8% discount over Ontario.
Last night, Ian and I went with both sets of parents. We were lucky to have made a reservation...who would really expect to need one on a Monday night...but Chianti's was packed at 6:30!!
The meal started well with delightfully warm rolls. Then came deep fried zucchini with thousand island sauce. Lighter than you might think for a deep fried item. Then bruschetta with yummy bread and so-so tomato topping you spoon on yourself.
For mains, Ian usually liked to order chicken Milanese with pasta, but with pasta Monday and all he strayed away and ordered pasta marinara. Lots of little shrimp in a garlicky tomato sauce with what tastes like fresh pasta!
I typically order the linguine primavera (highly recommended), but in the past 7 years, I've taken up with gnocci, so I thought I'd give it a try. Sauce was creamy pesto with peas. Tastiness was high, but I really should have got the primavera for nostalgic purposes!
The parents enjoyed lasagna (veggie x 2 & meat x 1). Veggie has lots of spinach, cheese, sauce, and I think I spotted some mushrooms in there too.
My dad had fettucine alfredo and he didn't have too much to say about it, but he did finish the plate!
A half lite of house wine was alright, but next time I would order a bottle of something a bit better.
A fantastic deal at this place with 6 pastas, 1/2 L wine and 2 apps to share for $91 including tax & tip....although keep in mind no PST in Alberta so an 8% discount over Ontario.
Sunday, December 07, 2008
5th Elementt Christmas Party
Ian thought of a brilliant opening line for this blog, but on further wikipedia research by me, the line seems to have fallen apart.
Here it is:
"The 5th elementt supplements the usual 4 elements - earth, water, wind and fire with mediocrity"
But it does appear that people besides the classic greeks (namely Asian people), consider additional elements for a total of 5.
Regardless, we will ignore fact and stick with the mediocrity theme.
Ian finally has a job and with any job, this means Christmas Party! The company has enough people and guests to rent the restaurant out & require supplemental plastic chairs.
Drinks started somewhat poorly, with $7 a hit for a rum and coke and $3 for my cranberry juice. If we had known juice was not free, Ian could have hooked me up with free beverage from work.
Appetizers were yummy with plentiful chicken korma chunks on toothpicks. Ian had about 5 of these and at one time remarked "it's looks like a whole chicken per appetizer platter". Too bad chicken korma at local Indian buffets does not have chicken chunks this big floating around in the sauce. A+
Then came bruschetta with chicken. The chicken did not add anything and in fact detracted from an otherwise decent appetizer. Wikipedia does not recommend chicken and we all know this website is an authority on food... C+
In short supply were decent, although greasy, spring rolls, veggie/sun dried tomato pinwheel pasty and a goat cheese pasty. B
Then came the wait...from sitting down to bread & wine we waited about 40 minutes. Clearly this party overwhelmed the kitchen & wait staff. But I guess what restaurant owner in their right mind would turn down a packed house and lots of liquor sales on a weeknight.
When bread finally arrived, it was a nice herb bread with olive oil & balsamic. Perhaps not enough for our table of 8 though. No refills arrived.
House wine was poured - Jackson Triggs cabernet sauvignon. Our table were non-drinkers, so Ian and I enjoyed for the rest of the table.
Plated appetizers were the star of the night. Ian enjoyed some pan sauteed black cod with white beet. This was an incredibly large appetizer with a whole large fillet of fish on the plate. A bit bland, but pleasant overall. My salad of lettuce, Asian pear and mango was delightful & light. Others as the table enjoyed pork something...again a dinner sized portion. B-.
Main courses started a sharp decline. Huge chunks of pesto coated Chilean sea bass suffered from a rubbery texture and lack of flavor. The luke-warm (at best) temperature of the meal really was a detriment to the fish & sides (mashed potato & spinach). I could not stomach about more than 1/3 of the fish. D+.
Not very many positive comments on lamb. Chicken with rice seemed to be the best choice of the night.
Dessert was a bit of a fiasco. We were unfortunately one of the last tables served, so this meant no chocolate mousse for Ian. It seems as though the waiters let people change their mind at the event thus resulting in not enough mousse by the time they got to us. If they were that tight on dessert, why let people switch from their original order they made a few weeks in advance?
In the end, we both ended up with gateaux mango & lychee. Fairly pleasent, but Ian was still a bit grouchy about the whole experience. C+.
Here it is:
"The 5th elementt supplements the usual 4 elements - earth, water, wind and fire with mediocrity"
But it does appear that people besides the classic greeks (namely Asian people), consider additional elements for a total of 5.
Regardless, we will ignore fact and stick with the mediocrity theme.
Ian finally has a job and with any job, this means Christmas Party! The company has enough people and guests to rent the restaurant out & require supplemental plastic chairs.
Drinks started somewhat poorly, with $7 a hit for a rum and coke and $3 for my cranberry juice. If we had known juice was not free, Ian could have hooked me up with free beverage from work.
Appetizers were yummy with plentiful chicken korma chunks on toothpicks. Ian had about 5 of these and at one time remarked "it's looks like a whole chicken per appetizer platter". Too bad chicken korma at local Indian buffets does not have chicken chunks this big floating around in the sauce. A+
Then came bruschetta with chicken. The chicken did not add anything and in fact detracted from an otherwise decent appetizer. Wikipedia does not recommend chicken and we all know this website is an authority on food... C+
In short supply were decent, although greasy, spring rolls, veggie/sun dried tomato pinwheel pasty and a goat cheese pasty. B
Then came the wait...from sitting down to bread & wine we waited about 40 minutes. Clearly this party overwhelmed the kitchen & wait staff. But I guess what restaurant owner in their right mind would turn down a packed house and lots of liquor sales on a weeknight.
When bread finally arrived, it was a nice herb bread with olive oil & balsamic. Perhaps not enough for our table of 8 though. No refills arrived.
House wine was poured - Jackson Triggs cabernet sauvignon. Our table were non-drinkers, so Ian and I enjoyed for the rest of the table.
Plated appetizers were the star of the night. Ian enjoyed some pan sauteed black cod with white beet. This was an incredibly large appetizer with a whole large fillet of fish on the plate. A bit bland, but pleasant overall. My salad of lettuce, Asian pear and mango was delightful & light. Others as the table enjoyed pork something...again a dinner sized portion. B-.
Main courses started a sharp decline. Huge chunks of pesto coated Chilean sea bass suffered from a rubbery texture and lack of flavor. The luke-warm (at best) temperature of the meal really was a detriment to the fish & sides (mashed potato & spinach). I could not stomach about more than 1/3 of the fish. D+.
Not very many positive comments on lamb. Chicken with rice seemed to be the best choice of the night.
Dessert was a bit of a fiasco. We were unfortunately one of the last tables served, so this meant no chocolate mousse for Ian. It seems as though the waiters let people change their mind at the event thus resulting in not enough mousse by the time they got to us. If they were that tight on dessert, why let people switch from their original order they made a few weeks in advance?
In the end, we both ended up with gateaux mango & lychee. Fairly pleasent, but Ian was still a bit grouchy about the whole experience. C+.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Trattoria Trestevere (Montreal)
This place appears to be among the more traditional/less trendy places on Crescent.
Dinner started well with some tomato-cheese crostini on the house. The co-workers arugula salads & tomato-bococcini salads were all delightful and fairly large servings.
The main courses were fun to order. Many of the pastas were names I did not recognize, so I was asking the waiter for translation. He gave up on that and started designing pastas around my choice of sauce, rose. The first few selections were meaty, but I chose the last one with fungi.
My veggie coworker went with my pasta, one guy had another custom pasta - penne arribiatta with spicy sausage. The carnivorous food guru had a massive veal chop with potato & veg.
The pastas and veal were all fantastic. Large bowls with great sauce. The rose was interesting - it was more like Alfredo with their tomato sauce ladled on top. Price was pretty decent too...about $18 or so I think for the pastas.
Dinner started well with some tomato-cheese crostini on the house. The co-workers arugula salads & tomato-bococcini salads were all delightful and fairly large servings.
The main courses were fun to order. Many of the pastas were names I did not recognize, so I was asking the waiter for translation. He gave up on that and started designing pastas around my choice of sauce, rose. The first few selections were meaty, but I chose the last one with fungi.
My veggie coworker went with my pasta, one guy had another custom pasta - penne arribiatta with spicy sausage. The carnivorous food guru had a massive veal chop with potato & veg.
The pastas and veal were all fantastic. Large bowls with great sauce. The rose was interesting - it was more like Alfredo with their tomato sauce ladled on top. Price was pretty decent too...about $18 or so I think for the pastas.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Bellagio (Montreal)
This place appears to be one of the more popular upscale downtown Montreal places. It's up a bit closer to what I think people call the "Plaza".
Dinner started off well with some complimentary bruschetta and rolls with olive oil & vinegar.
I skipped the appetizer, but others liked their soup and Cesar salads.
For main course, I had some pasta with sun dried tomato and spinach. It was delicious and not horrendously expensive at about $16 or so. Ian would probably call it a bit salty, but I enjoyed it!
Veal eaters in the group seemed to enjoy.
Dinner started off well with some complimentary bruschetta and rolls with olive oil & vinegar.
I skipped the appetizer, but others liked their soup and Cesar salads.
For main course, I had some pasta with sun dried tomato and spinach. It was delicious and not horrendously expensive at about $16 or so. Ian would probably call it a bit salty, but I enjoyed it!
Veal eaters in the group seemed to enjoy.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Pizza Il Focolaio (Montreal)
Another phillips square place. The pizza menu is extensive and all are baked in what appears to be an authentic wood burning pizza oven. If there is a crowd, go for a jug of the local brew.
First time around, I had a veggie with mushrooms, zucchini etc. It was only so so. Last week, I went with broccoli rabe, tomato and mozza and whole wheat crust. The tastiness level was high and the $12.50 pizza was probably enough for two somewhat light eaters.
First time around, I had a veggie with mushrooms, zucchini etc. It was only so so. Last week, I went with broccoli rabe, tomato and mozza and whole wheat crust. The tastiness level was high and the $12.50 pizza was probably enough for two somewhat light eaters.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Il Fornello Round 2
Round 1 didn't go that well, but the manager of the Il Fornello chain got in touch with Ian and I and sent a gift certificate to come and try them out again. That scored pretty high marks with us!
Things started well with it being warm enough to sit outside and enjoy the nice weather and boats on the lake. You really cannot beat this place for location in the summer time. Basically the rest of T. agrees with us! It was generally rather packed for a Thursday night.
Appetizer was some bruschetta - 4 slices of toasty bread with a humongous mound of tasty tomato, red onion, herbs etc. It would have been nice if our waiter could have brought some cutlery and napkins. Ian of course got a bit messy and had to wipe his hands on his socks. Looking back, we probably should have just waited for the waiter to come back so we could make our request for utensils...
Bread declined even further vs last time - this time absolutely none came. I guess on the positive side, we didn't have the oil/vinegar fiasco like last time.
Ian ordered some pizza on my recommendation - the sign out front said best pizza in TO. He went with the Pizza Pollo- obviously came with some chicken, but also had roasted garlic, red peppers and provolone cheese. This pizza may live up to it's billing as best in TO. Ian seemed reluctant to share with me, but the tiny piece I did snag was quite yummy.
On the advice of random internet people, I went with the arugula mushroom salad for my main course. It was shaped in a cute stacked up circle and had some grated cheese on top and sauteed mushrooms, red onion and tomatoes in there.
As per last time, the food came out extremely quick! It was very impressive!
We shared an all Ontario maple cheesecake for dessert. Ian liked the mild maple flavor. I liked the blueberry sauce on the side.
This place appears to be extremely popular - I think mainly due to the yummy-ness of the food for reasonable prices. If the service were improved - it would be a fantastic place!
Things started well with it being warm enough to sit outside and enjoy the nice weather and boats on the lake. You really cannot beat this place for location in the summer time. Basically the rest of T. agrees with us! It was generally rather packed for a Thursday night.
Appetizer was some bruschetta - 4 slices of toasty bread with a humongous mound of tasty tomato, red onion, herbs etc. It would have been nice if our waiter could have brought some cutlery and napkins. Ian of course got a bit messy and had to wipe his hands on his socks. Looking back, we probably should have just waited for the waiter to come back so we could make our request for utensils...
Bread declined even further vs last time - this time absolutely none came. I guess on the positive side, we didn't have the oil/vinegar fiasco like last time.
Ian ordered some pizza on my recommendation - the sign out front said best pizza in TO. He went with the Pizza Pollo- obviously came with some chicken, but also had roasted garlic, red peppers and provolone cheese. This pizza may live up to it's billing as best in TO. Ian seemed reluctant to share with me, but the tiny piece I did snag was quite yummy.
On the advice of random internet people, I went with the arugula mushroom salad for my main course. It was shaped in a cute stacked up circle and had some grated cheese on top and sauteed mushrooms, red onion and tomatoes in there.
As per last time, the food came out extremely quick! It was very impressive!
We shared an all Ontario maple cheesecake for dessert. Ian liked the mild maple flavor. I liked the blueberry sauce on the side.
This place appears to be extremely popular - I think mainly due to the yummy-ness of the food for reasonable prices. If the service were improved - it would be a fantastic place!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Bruschetta's (Pittsburgh)
I went out for some Italian tonight in Pittsburgh. My one co-worker seems to enjoy this place, but the Internet had mixed feelings - mainly related to service.
Things started off a bit poorly with no wine list by the glass. I ordered a pino grigio and hoped for the best. It turned out well, but was pretty expensive at over $7 for the glass.
For appetizer, I went with wedding soup. Really only adequate.
For main course, I went light with grilled veggies & bruschetta + side salad. Very high marks for tastiness! A whole pack of grilled veg - zucchini, yellow squash, peppers, portabello etc. Toast was garlic-y and tasty. On the toast was a delightful sun dried tomato type spread.
Since I was reasonably healthy so far, I went with a the peanut butter - chocolate tart! This was the star of the night.
The service ended up being ok. I was a bit freaked out by my waiter - he looked like a slightly pudgy George Stomombopolous (spelling??) and even more freaky - he totally talked like the guy!
Things started off a bit poorly with no wine list by the glass. I ordered a pino grigio and hoped for the best. It turned out well, but was pretty expensive at over $7 for the glass.
For appetizer, I went with wedding soup. Really only adequate.
For main course, I went light with grilled veggies & bruschetta + side salad. Very high marks for tastiness! A whole pack of grilled veg - zucchini, yellow squash, peppers, portabello etc. Toast was garlic-y and tasty. On the toast was a delightful sun dried tomato type spread.
Since I was reasonably healthy so far, I went with a the peanut butter - chocolate tart! This was the star of the night.
The service ended up being ok. I was a bit freaked out by my waiter - he looked like a slightly pudgy George Stomombopolous (spelling??) and even more freaky - he totally talked like the guy!
Friday, May 02, 2008
Stormy Outside + Inside at Il Fornello
On my infrequent jogging around town, Il Fornello on Queen's Quay is generally packed with the after work crowd. So we thought we'd check it out.
Dinner started off poorly with some slow service off the top. I ordered a $7 glass of Merlot. It was quite a puny portion and not worth it! Water was somewhat hard to come by too.
Bread was the next ordeal - we waited quite awhile and were somewhat jealous of the people all around us munching on bread. Finally, our waiter asks if we'd like some. Ian of course worries about if this is going to cost us etc etc. In the end, we gave it a yes. Seems kind of awkward - why not just bring us the bread and skip the awkward-ness??? Then, I spy the olive oil and vinegar on other tables, so I ask our waiter for some. Again, why not just give it to us and spare me having to flag him down?
Main courses were extremely quick - they came in about 5 minutes! Ian likes his seafood linguine with tomato sauce. My pasta with mushrooms and sirloin tips was only so so. It was supposed to be cream sauce and cheese - but it was more like runny beef broth. A distinct meaty flavour permeated the whole dish and the cream-y-ness was nowhere to be found. Even Ian, the dedicated carnivore, had to agree that it was too much meaty flavor.
For $56 (including tax and tip) for 2 entrees and 1 glass of wine, I would expect better. I'm not sure why this joint is so popular and why it's a mini-empire in the T.
Dinner started off poorly with some slow service off the top. I ordered a $7 glass of Merlot. It was quite a puny portion and not worth it! Water was somewhat hard to come by too.
Bread was the next ordeal - we waited quite awhile and were somewhat jealous of the people all around us munching on bread. Finally, our waiter asks if we'd like some. Ian of course worries about if this is going to cost us etc etc. In the end, we gave it a yes. Seems kind of awkward - why not just bring us the bread and skip the awkward-ness??? Then, I spy the olive oil and vinegar on other tables, so I ask our waiter for some. Again, why not just give it to us and spare me having to flag him down?
Main courses were extremely quick - they came in about 5 minutes! Ian likes his seafood linguine with tomato sauce. My pasta with mushrooms and sirloin tips was only so so. It was supposed to be cream sauce and cheese - but it was more like runny beef broth. A distinct meaty flavour permeated the whole dish and the cream-y-ness was nowhere to be found. Even Ian, the dedicated carnivore, had to agree that it was too much meaty flavor.
For $56 (including tax and tip) for 2 entrees and 1 glass of wine, I would expect better. I'm not sure why this joint is so popular and why it's a mini-empire in the T.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Porticello
Ian and I went out for a nice dinner for a variety of celebratory occasions all rolled into one. After consulting with out Toronto Life Eating and Drinking Guide, we hit up Porticello on Queen's Quay.
Dinner started off well with the super friendly host/probably owner guy helping us make our selections.
On the recommendation of friendly guy, I went with a glass of the house red - some sort of 2 grape combo of weird grapes I've never heard of. Apparently in 8 years, only 2 people have disliked. Ian and I were in the majority here.
The bread was fresh out of the oven and very yummy with olive oil & balsamic.
The fish cake appetizer was generally decent.
We both went with pasta for the main course - I had ricotta stuffed pasta with rose sauce. Ian, penne with chicken and rose sauce.
Overall, only so so tastiness. The ricotta stuffed pasta was ok, no complaints, but I don't think I would order again. Same deal for the penne pasta.
The price was certainly reasonable for a somewhat fancy meal.
Dinner started off well with the super friendly host/probably owner guy helping us make our selections.
On the recommendation of friendly guy, I went with a glass of the house red - some sort of 2 grape combo of weird grapes I've never heard of. Apparently in 8 years, only 2 people have disliked. Ian and I were in the majority here.
The bread was fresh out of the oven and very yummy with olive oil & balsamic.
The fish cake appetizer was generally decent.
We both went with pasta for the main course - I had ricotta stuffed pasta with rose sauce. Ian, penne with chicken and rose sauce.
Overall, only so so tastiness. The ricotta stuffed pasta was ok, no complaints, but I don't think I would order again. Same deal for the penne pasta.
The price was certainly reasonable for a somewhat fancy meal.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Boston Pizza & Hockley Valley
Yesterday, we went on a little hiking adventure to Hockley Valley Conservation Area near Orangeville Ontario. Halfway through, the rain started, so we cut it short and took one of the short-cut loops back to the start and only went on a 2 hr adventure instead of 4.5 hours.
This seems like a pretty popular place. An old-people hiking group was there and a bus load of tourists seemed to be arriving as we were leaving.
For the last stretch, the hike went through a farmers field. The cows made Ian hungry, so stopped off at BP's so he could have an individual Meteor Pizza (3 kinds of meaty topping and meat sauce instead of regular tomato) and get his meat quota for the week. Actually, that is a lie, the gift certificate situation is a bit out of control and BP's was the original plan, even before the cows.
I had a half penne + tomato sauce with garlic bread. All food was sufficiently tasty and quick. Final bill with tax, tip, tap water x 2, cola x 1 was about $27...but only $7 for us after the certificate! Nice! The funniest part came on the way out the restaurant. This family was walking in front of us to the parking lot, and this little dude -about 2-3 years old - was walking slow and staring at Ian. Dad got mad and told him to hurry up, but then the kid points out "those big kids are following me!" Ha ha!
Friday, September 21, 2007
Alice Fazooli's
We went out for a b-day lunch on Thursday. The bread, as usual, was pretty tasty with some olive oil and garlicy type weird stuff to mix together.
I went healthy and just had some pasta e fagoli soup with three beans, pasta and veggies. It came in a fun little pitcher type thing that the waiter poured into my bowl. The soup was odd tasting, and did not have the afore-mentioned beans or pasta. A bit of a disapointment, but at $4.95 for lunch at an expensive restaurant, I guess you can't complain too much.
I went healthy and just had some pasta e fagoli soup with three beans, pasta and veggies. It came in a fun little pitcher type thing that the waiter poured into my bowl. The soup was odd tasting, and did not have the afore-mentioned beans or pasta. A bit of a disapointment, but at $4.95 for lunch at an expensive restaurant, I guess you can't complain too much.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Kit Kat Summerlicious
Ian and I decided to partake in some cheap eats and went to Kit Kat on King for the Summerlicious festival. It's basically three courses for $25 to $35 depending on the restaurant.
I started with a not so tasty asparagus soup - way too bland. Ian has mussels with a tomato wine sauce that he seemed to enjoy. For the main course Ian has chicken with prosciutto in a creamy white sauce with mashed potato and random veggies. I had pan fried sole with wild rice and the same veggie. Ian's portion was huge, but while it excelled in largeness, it lacked in tastiness.
I know that sole is kind of bland so I was expecting some sort of crust or sauce on there, but it came with neither. Overall very bland :( Sadly, my cafeteria at work makes better sole.
The desert was alright tiramisu but this time was a puny portion. With the summerlicious special we ended up paying $64 including tax, tip and tap water.
The real entertainment here were the tables on either side of us. To my left and Ian's right, there was the first date with the young guy and old lady. Neither seemed to have much to say, and the old lady admitted that her mom likes to cook for her so she doesn't really know how to cook anything. Sounds like a real catch! Awkward times all around for those two!
To my right, there was a three generation girls night out kind of event. The two older ladies got all upset about cold veggies with their meal and made a big stink about it. The waiter was extremely rude and made them feel like it was all in their head. Kind of comical. I think the waiter felt bad, so he came by every 5 minutes thereafter with awkward tidbits of what he thought was amusing anecdotes! Ian and I, as impartial judges, gave the effort a D. Awkward at best!
I started with a not so tasty asparagus soup - way too bland. Ian has mussels with a tomato wine sauce that he seemed to enjoy. For the main course Ian has chicken with prosciutto in a creamy white sauce with mashed potato and random veggies. I had pan fried sole with wild rice and the same veggie. Ian's portion was huge, but while it excelled in largeness, it lacked in tastiness.
I know that sole is kind of bland so I was expecting some sort of crust or sauce on there, but it came with neither. Overall very bland :( Sadly, my cafeteria at work makes better sole.
The desert was alright tiramisu but this time was a puny portion. With the summerlicious special we ended up paying $64 including tax, tip and tap water.
The real entertainment here were the tables on either side of us. To my left and Ian's right, there was the first date with the young guy and old lady. Neither seemed to have much to say, and the old lady admitted that her mom likes to cook for her so she doesn't really know how to cook anything. Sounds like a real catch! Awkward times all around for those two!
To my right, there was a three generation girls night out kind of event. The two older ladies got all upset about cold veggies with their meal and made a big stink about it. The waiter was extremely rude and made them feel like it was all in their head. Kind of comical. I think the waiter felt bad, so he came by every 5 minutes thereafter with awkward tidbits of what he thought was amusing anecdotes! Ian and I, as impartial judges, gave the effort a D. Awkward at best!
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Boston Pizza
Tonight after softball we went for a "patio party" at BP's. Was a pretty good deal. For 5 of us, we got a free platter with french fry thingys, cheese bread, wings and dry ribs with two dips! For free!!!
None of the stuff was all that great, but the price was certainly right.
None of the stuff was all that great, but the price was certainly right.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Indianapolis
Conference was alright, the town was much nicer than expected. Very classy looking downtown area and a nice canal, river, state park and a university campus off to one side.
Food was pretty tasty - probably 100 restaurants within a 10 block radius of my conference. First lunch we tried to go to a rib joint but it was closed down. Ended up going to the Old Spaghetti across the street. Pretty much what you would expect in Canada.
Then off for some fast food burrito a Qdobo that night. Had the veggie which came with beans, cilantro/lime rice, cheese and salsa. The menu said guacamole too, but they didn't really seem to have available. In Ian's books, this would be an unforgivable sin and immediately relegate Qdobo to the wall of shame. Me, on the other hand, am slightly more forgiving. Tasty factor was high and price was right at about $4.95. Also had diet lemonade on tap so they scored a few more points.
Then it was off to the "Palimino" Italian type place. I went with the pasta/sandwich lunch special for $11.95. Pasta was angle-hair-ish with some tomato/veggie/Romano cheese sauce. Pretty tasty all around. Sandwich was tomato, lettuce, fresh mozzarella and some basil mayo. Was supposed to be on "panini" bread, but ended up being "wonder bread style" that was toasted. Maybe I'm a fine dining connoisseur, but since when does "wonder bread" qualify as suitable sandwich bread at a semi-classy restaurant. Bread's not that expensive, why cheap out????
For dinner it was off to Harry and Izzy's. I attempted to order pork ribs, but clearly I need to brush up on my meat lingo. I ended up getting a big round ball of meat on a single bone. Seemed to be beef. I think it was called spare rib/short rib/side rib or something along those lines. Was alright - it was supposed to come with a rub and then be smoked. It really needed some bbq sauce or something like that to spice it up a little. The meat was pretty good - falling off the bone and all that good stuff. Had some green beans and tasty potato pancakes to go along with it. Certainly not cheap at $33.
Then we hit up the Steak and Shake for lunch the final day. Others had the hamburger/shake combo, ate too much and were quite queasy. I took it easy with a fish sandwich - and still felt a little queasy. I am officially off the grease!
Food was pretty tasty - probably 100 restaurants within a 10 block radius of my conference. First lunch we tried to go to a rib joint but it was closed down. Ended up going to the Old Spaghetti across the street. Pretty much what you would expect in Canada.
Then off for some fast food burrito a Qdobo that night. Had the veggie which came with beans, cilantro/lime rice, cheese and salsa. The menu said guacamole too, but they didn't really seem to have available. In Ian's books, this would be an unforgivable sin and immediately relegate Qdobo to the wall of shame. Me, on the other hand, am slightly more forgiving. Tasty factor was high and price was right at about $4.95. Also had diet lemonade on tap so they scored a few more points.
Then it was off to the "Palimino" Italian type place. I went with the pasta/sandwich lunch special for $11.95. Pasta was angle-hair-ish with some tomato/veggie/Romano cheese sauce. Pretty tasty all around. Sandwich was tomato, lettuce, fresh mozzarella and some basil mayo. Was supposed to be on "panini" bread, but ended up being "wonder bread style" that was toasted. Maybe I'm a fine dining connoisseur, but since when does "wonder bread" qualify as suitable sandwich bread at a semi-classy restaurant. Bread's not that expensive, why cheap out????
For dinner it was off to Harry and Izzy's. I attempted to order pork ribs, but clearly I need to brush up on my meat lingo. I ended up getting a big round ball of meat on a single bone. Seemed to be beef. I think it was called spare rib/short rib/side rib or something along those lines. Was alright - it was supposed to come with a rub and then be smoked. It really needed some bbq sauce or something like that to spice it up a little. The meat was pretty good - falling off the bone and all that good stuff. Had some green beans and tasty potato pancakes to go along with it. Certainly not cheap at $33.
Then we hit up the Steak and Shake for lunch the final day. Others had the hamburger/shake combo, ate too much and were quite queasy. I took it easy with a fish sandwich - and still felt a little queasy. I am officially off the grease!
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Good softball news (and BP's)
Good stuff point #1:
So last year, like an idiot, I left my ball glove at the diamond at the end of the last game. I went back for it the next morning and nothing. I had pretty much given up hope. I sent emails to the team to see if anyone picked it up and no one claimed to. For this year, Ian hooked me up with a loaner (undisclosed source). But then I get to the game tonight and see my old glove sitting on the bench!!! Yeah!!!!
Good stuff point #2:
The only teams my team could beat last year were the other two teams from my company. So first game out this season, we play the league champs. I was expecting the worst, but we actually beat them pretty badly!!!
Good stuff point #3:
The dude controlling the team budget said that he would buy us beer every time we beat a team not from our company.
Good stuff point #4
To cash in on point #3, we went to BP's and had a team pitcher. They seem to have improved upon the team pitcher from my days in university - now it has a frozen ice center thing to keep the beer cool! Since there were 7 of us, we had to compromise on Rickard's light - not my favorite, but since it's free (to me) it was alright.
Also had a few southwestern potato skins. Came with chipotle chicken, bacon, cheese and drizzled with ranch dressing. Pretty tasty, but not all that much food for $8.49.
So last year, like an idiot, I left my ball glove at the diamond at the end of the last game. I went back for it the next morning and nothing. I had pretty much given up hope. I sent emails to the team to see if anyone picked it up and no one claimed to. For this year, Ian hooked me up with a loaner (undisclosed source). But then I get to the game tonight and see my old glove sitting on the bench!!! Yeah!!!!
Good stuff point #2:
The only teams my team could beat last year were the other two teams from my company. So first game out this season, we play the league champs. I was expecting the worst, but we actually beat them pretty badly!!!
Good stuff point #3:
The dude controlling the team budget said that he would buy us beer every time we beat a team not from our company.
Good stuff point #4
To cash in on point #3, we went to BP's and had a team pitcher. They seem to have improved upon the team pitcher from my days in university - now it has a frozen ice center thing to keep the beer cool! Since there were 7 of us, we had to compromise on Rickard's light - not my favorite, but since it's free (to me) it was alright.
Also had a few southwestern potato skins. Came with chipotle chicken, bacon, cheese and drizzled with ranch dressing. Pretty tasty, but not all that much food for $8.49.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Boston Pizza
Part II of our weekend adventure to the country (aka something outside of downtown) was a trip to Boston Pizza in Oakville. Thanks to the in-laws I have some sweet sweet gift certificates so we were able to live it up - well as much as you can on a Sunday afternoon. I had the Jambalaya Fettuccini and Janice had the mix'n'match pasta with penne and creamy tomato sauce. Both dishes were tasty as we've come to expect from BP's. I for some reason wasn't super hungry though so I had a little bit of leftovers that I had for lunch the next day.
To look up the menu for the restaurant I had to navigate to the specific restaurant. A quick search of other restaurants menus doesn't seem to reveal any noticeable differences?
To look up the menu for the restaurant I had to navigate to the specific restaurant. A quick search of other restaurants menus doesn't seem to reveal any noticeable differences?
Monday, January 01, 2007
Banff Ski Vacation
Ian and I went skiing for a couple of days at sunshine and lake louise...stayed at the Banff YWCA. Not the nicest of places, but the price (even jacked up holiday pricing) was pretty good.
For food, here's what we did:
1. On way down, stopped off at Pete's Drive In on 16th ave in Calgary for fries, burgers and shakes. Only one of each item between the two of us = lots of tasty food, although not as cheap as you might expect.
2. First night in Banff, went to the usual, Magpie and Stump. Tasty tex mex food at about $12-15 per entree. Didn't really measure up after all the cheap mexican during Ian's californian adventure this past summer.
3. Earl's on the next night. Tried to get into old spaghetti, but was super busy. Ian had spicy seafood penne which was alright. I had kung pao noodles. Ian believes that I have spelled kung pao wrong, but I will not let it stop the blogging! Pretty tasty but ended up spending $42 including a lava lamp margarita. Ian thinks he may have overtipped though? Hard to say???
4. Next night went to Old Spaghetti Factory. Really not all that tasty, but horrendous amounts of food and drink for a mere $40 or so including 1/2 L of wine, bread, salad, pasta (including Ian's meatballs), ice cream, tea and cola for Ian. Wine was Sawmill Creek Merlot. Oddly kind of bitter. I guess to be expected at $8 for the half litre???
5. New Years Eve- tried to go back to the Magpie, but closed at 5, so could get ready for New Years Eve Party. Ian and I questioned wisdom of this, at $75 for the party and only one sitting for the night = much, much less profit compared to turing tables over an estimated 5 or 6 times on a regular night?? The place is always packed from about 4:30 pm to 1-2 am. Did not make a lot of sense. Anyway, went to Tommy's pub for fish and chips and veggie burger with guacamole. Tasty all around. Spent about $24 including a beer for me. Seemed to be where the locals hang out.
6. Way home- stopped at Tim's in Red Deer for my bagel with cream cheese and Ian had the new bacon and egg sandwich. Somewhat tasty and only $4.44!
7. The real star of the show was Ian's lunch and breakfast. He is back on the disgusting superstore greasy muffins now that he is back in E-town, so he ate one of those for breakfast. Usually, on the ski hill, Ian would eat a burger and pop. New cheap Ian bought a bunch of vector bars and then ate a few of those for lunch along with some fun cheeses. Nuts and granola bars for me!
For food, here's what we did:
1. On way down, stopped off at Pete's Drive In on 16th ave in Calgary for fries, burgers and shakes. Only one of each item between the two of us = lots of tasty food, although not as cheap as you might expect.
2. First night in Banff, went to the usual, Magpie and Stump. Tasty tex mex food at about $12-15 per entree. Didn't really measure up after all the cheap mexican during Ian's californian adventure this past summer.
3. Earl's on the next night. Tried to get into old spaghetti, but was super busy. Ian had spicy seafood penne which was alright. I had kung pao noodles. Ian believes that I have spelled kung pao wrong, but I will not let it stop the blogging! Pretty tasty but ended up spending $42 including a lava lamp margarita. Ian thinks he may have overtipped though? Hard to say???
4. Next night went to Old Spaghetti Factory. Really not all that tasty, but horrendous amounts of food and drink for a mere $40 or so including 1/2 L of wine, bread, salad, pasta (including Ian's meatballs), ice cream, tea and cola for Ian. Wine was Sawmill Creek Merlot. Oddly kind of bitter. I guess to be expected at $8 for the half litre???
5. New Years Eve- tried to go back to the Magpie, but closed at 5, so could get ready for New Years Eve Party. Ian and I questioned wisdom of this, at $75 for the party and only one sitting for the night = much, much less profit compared to turing tables over an estimated 5 or 6 times on a regular night?? The place is always packed from about 4:30 pm to 1-2 am. Did not make a lot of sense. Anyway, went to Tommy's pub for fish and chips and veggie burger with guacamole. Tasty all around. Spent about $24 including a beer for me. Seemed to be where the locals hang out.
6. Way home- stopped at Tim's in Red Deer for my bagel with cream cheese and Ian had the new bacon and egg sandwich. Somewhat tasty and only $4.44!
7. The real star of the show was Ian's lunch and breakfast. He is back on the disgusting superstore greasy muffins now that he is back in E-town, so he ate one of those for breakfast. Usually, on the ski hill, Ian would eat a burger and pop. New cheap Ian bought a bunch of vector bars and then ate a few of those for lunch along with some fun cheeses. Nuts and granola bars for me!
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Boston Pizza
My car was in for servicing so Ian took the go train to mississauga so he could drive his car home. On the way back, we went to BP's. Ian as usual went for the meatiest item on the menu. The Meteor Pizza. About 4 meat items thrown on top and meat sauce as the pizza sauce. He seemed to enjoy. I had some penne with creamy tomatoe sauce. Also pretty good. A "Very Tasty" rating and no thumbs up in value. As Ian says, "how can you charge $15 for spaghetti and meatballs?"
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