Hemmingways

Location:

140 Cumberland Street, Toronto

Cost: Avg main is $13

www.hemingways.to

In the heart of Yorkville there's a cosy little people (or celeb) -watching pub that has the likeness of some Great-Grandfather's study. Green walls, heavy bookcases laden with old books, equestrian oil paintings lit up with dimmed wall sconces, antique wooden furniture dusty with age ----oh, hang on, that actually is my Great-Granddaddy's study...

I got carried away.

But you get my drift, Hemmingways has the authenticity of an ol' pub that Hemmingway himself might have frequented, but with a menu that's a mash-up of Eastern and Western delights, ie: bruschetta, spring rolls, escargot, Boston Clam chowder, Caesar salads, Greek salads, Tandoori what-nots, roti, pad thai, kung pao whatsits, souvlaki, fajitas....it's a really eclectic menu.

The ambiance at Hemmingways

I had the chicken souvlaki once and it was great; couldn't complain. I did however complain about the wine which tasted like that cloth one uses to wipe up counters...YOU know the one! They even confessed that they had that particular bottle sitting out for a while and opened a new one for me.

Chicken Souvlaki [caption id="attachment_1286" align="alignleft" width="604" caption="Chicken Souvlaki $13.99"][/caption]3.99

Besides that one incident (and I only ordered beer after that night), Hemmingways is quite simply: cosy.

And if you can't make up your mind on what to have for dinner, or if you have picky company to dine with, go to Hemmingways. Lots of food options PLUS beer.

Elephant & Castle

Location:

212 King Street West, Toronto

Cost: $50 with tip

www.elephantcastle.com



As far as pub food in the city goes...this place has got to have the blurst (read: worst).



It's got a great atmosphere for after work or late night drinks, but I've got to say the food is absolutely mediocre.

So, the mahi sandwich with fries was just okay...which is not saying much.   

It certainly was better than the chicken skewers, which were...disssssguuuust. 



Unless you like your chicken pinkish....



The bruschetta was alright.



And the fish fritters with chips (crisps) was sub-par.



Thank Guinness for beer!  I'm happy my half pint of Guinness was so generous...I needed it!

TRAVEL: Palm Beach, Charley’s Crab

Location:

456 S Ocean Blvd, Palm Beach, FL

www.muer.com

Our first place to dine in PB was Charley's Crab...a highly recommended restaurant along the beach.





Apart from the Guinness that was poured out of a bottle (egh)...



the sandwiches we ordered were amazing and I'm not a huge sandwich person! (We quickly realized that most of the lunch fare in PB was sandwiches and/or burgers.)

Our server suggested the Bistro Chicken Sandwich with goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, field greens & balsamic vinaigrette, which looked like this:



and tasted great although it was a bit heavy on the goat cheese (for me, but then I don't do cheeses well). The second sandwich, the Chili Dusted Ahi Sandwich - chargrilled with bacon & pepperjack cheese, and honey mustard aioli, served with French Fries and coleslaw was kick-ass!



Juicy and very filling!



We got it with green beans instead of fries, and I could have done without the slaw entirely. Still a very satisfying lunch for a day at the beach.

Astoria Shish Kebob House

Location:

390 Danforth Avenue, Toronto

www.astoriashishkebobhouse.com

I trust you've already heard of my love affair with Greek food. I simply adore it.

And at Astoria, there's so much more to love. The portions are gigantic!

This particular day, we were out on the patio; which is always packed in the summer months (I'm SO looking forward to that, aren't you?) and the sun was shining and the beers were cold.


We had the "Astoria’s Appetizer Platter", which consisted of deep fried calamari, dolmades (grapevine leaves stuffed with rice, herbs and spices) spanakopita (spinach & feta cheese pastry) and two homemade dips (we chose hummus and tzatziki, I believe).

[I had an awful experience with calamari once which involved: barely cooked calamari + some form of sausage + smoky lounge (back when smoking was allowed indoors) + car-sickness = a lovely bout of  vomiting ]

Now then, if you're not completely revolted, let's continue...

Calamari, when breaded and deep fried like this, is quite alright....I think.



I think part of ordering chicken souvlaki is knowing that those potatoes will also be there. Happy potatoes.



Oh souvlaki, how I love thee.



Funnily enough though, three out of the four of us had some...er... "discomfort in the digestive tract", after our meal at Astoria (I had the chicken, one had pork and the other lamb).  It's never happened before, but it's true.  Unless...

Dear calamari, I think it's best we part ways.

The Jason George

Location:

100 Front Street East, Toronto

I've been to the Jason George twice. Both times I had the fish n' chips. Hey, why change a good thing?

It's crispy, flaky, tender, tasty. And the yam frites are scrumptious.



Whether indoors or out, the ambiance is fun and friendly.

A great local pub.

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

True to my word, here's a RECIPE (from the Toronto Star) for Chocolate Guinness Cake!

I can't wait to try it!

Sláinte! Have a Safe & Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

-FH

INGREDIENTS

Cake:

1/3 cup Guinness draught stout

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

5 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Syrup:

1/4 cup Guinness draught stout

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Ganache:

3/4 cup heavy cream

6 oz (170 g) semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS

For cake, liberally grease and lightly flour 9-inch cake pan. If desired, line bottom with parchment circle, as cake tends to stick.

In small pan, whisk together stout and cocoa powder on medium-low heat until smooth. Cool. Stir in buttermilk.

Sift flour, baking soda, powder and salt into medium bowl.

In large bowl, beat butter until creamy with electric mixer on medium-low speed. Gradually beat in sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one a time, until blended. Beat in vanilla.

With mixer on medium-low, add third of flour mixture until moistened. Beat in half of stout mixture until blended. Beat in half of remaining flour mixture until moistened. Beat in remaining stout mixture until blended. Beat in remaining flour mixture until moistened. Scrape bowl. Beat just to blend.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated 350F oven about 30 minutes, until cake starts to pull away from sides of pan and tester comes out clean.

Set wire rack over sheet of waxed paper. Cool pan on rack 10 minutes. Slide blunt knife around edge of pan. Invert to release cake onto rack. Cool.

For syrup, whisk ingredients in small pan over low heat until smooth and warm, at least 5 minutes.

If you used parchment, peel it off cake. Use fork or toothpick to poke holes in bottom of cake. Pour three-quarters of syrup over cake, spread with bottom of spoon and let it seep in, at least 5 minutes.

Invert cake onto serving platter. Poke holes in top. Spoon remaining syrup over top and let it seep in for 5 minutes. Reserve syrup pan.

For ganache, pour cream into syrup pan. Bring to simmer on medium heat. Remove from burner. Stir in chocolate until smooth and creamy. Cool briefly, until thickened but still pourable.

Pour ganache gradually onto centre of cake, smoothing with offset spatula until it runs down sides. (You will have some left over.) Cool cake until ganache sets.

Place pan with remaining ganache on low heat. Stir until pourable. Drizzle zigzag or whirly lines across top using whisk or fork. Or pour ganache into zip-lock bag, snip off one corner and squeeze lines or design onto cake. Refrigerate to set before serving.

Makes 12 servings.

Martha's Exchange

Location:

185 Main Street, Nashua, NH

Cost: approx $9-15 per lunch entree (after 5pm, approx $15-19)

www.marthas-exchange.com



I've been to Nashua a slew of times but never dined at Martha's Exchange on Main Street.  Martha's Exchange has no relation or connection to Martha's Vineyard or Martha Stewart.  It actually began as a sweet shop which simply grew and grew.  More of it's history can be read here.

We made it there for lunch one day and found it quite busy.  We only had about 45 minutes for a quick bite so we had to order quickly, although I would have liked to have perused the menu better and also enjoyed a beer with my meal considering it's brewed on the premises. 



Our dishes took a fair bit of time to arrive; turned out the delay was due to a large party of 30 on the other side of our booth.



However, when our dishes did arrive, we were very pleased.

My Mum ordered the Jambalaya ($12).



The Jambalaya was better than I've tasted in New Orleans!  It's ingredients being: blackened chicken, andouille sausage, shrimp and fresh veggies sauteed in a spicy marinara sauce.  It had a good kick to it (you know how I like it hot!) and was very fresh.

I'd ordered the Almond Maple Salmon ($15)



Fresh Atlantic salmon topped with sliced almonds and baked in a maple butter sauce.  Baked IN a maple butter sauce INDEED!  My salmon was having a long hot soak in a jucuzzi of butter!!!  I'd have preferred it not having quite so much R&R.   It was, however, quite tasty but the rice it came with was nothing special. 

At one point during our meal the elderly lady in the booth behind us spilled her drink creating quite a commotion (someone may have been enjoying the beer afterall!).  It seemed it was her birthday and she was treating her daughter and a couple of other friends to lunch.  They all left before she did and the lady told us as she was leaving that she was alright and we nodded and sympathised with her.  The next moment my Mum spilled her drink all over the seat as well!  Very strange.  Perhaps Martha's is haunted by a playful ghost?  The website doesn't say but you never know......

I'd love to go back to Martha's and try out the beers and more of the dishes...the menu was quite extensive.  I'm also sorry now that I didn't try any of the sweets from the still existing sweet "shoppe" in the corner of the restaurant!  Argh! I hate metered parking!!

Madras Palace: Take 2

Location:

1249 Ellesmere Road, Scarborough, Toronto

Cost: $40 for two (incl. tip)

www.madraspalace.com

The last time we went to MP, we had some service issues, but we've since realized that the key is to go when it's not crazy busy because the food really is exceptionally good.

This time we got there for dinner around 6:30 and while there were still quite a few diners preoccupied with their dosas, we still managed to receive plenty of attention from our servers.



The owners of MP, the Purushothams opened the restaurant in 1991; the first South Indian eatery in Scarborough. For this reason, you don't really mind the decor, which has already undergone an update into its current look of Floridian-style cane seating, dark green walls and wood paneling. Sure they could benefit from a sleeker design in keeping with current trends, but that would certainly risk losing it's homely, authentic feel. Although, I must say they could turn up the dial on the light switch and their bathrooms could use some revamping.



If you only need to wash your hands however, there's a sink placed conveniently on the same floor at the back of the restaurant. Anyone who's been to India knows that it's very common to have a sink in the corner of the dining room for convenience and hygiene, especially because South Indian food really requires the use of fingers for eating.

But, on to the food!

We already knew what we wanted, so we got a masala dosa to start, a Kerala fish fry (I admit, this is the same thing I had last time I was there!), the chilli chicken masala, one chapathi, some plain rice, a beer and we knew we'd have a coffee after.

I timed the wait, thinking it would be a long time before we got our dosa, but less than 20 minutes later, our crispy pancake arrived, piping hot!





The potatoes are spiced just enough to satisfy any pangs of longing for back home. Every finger-ful of dosa that's dipped into the separate compartments of coconut, tomato and cilantro chutney creates the perfect savoury combination on your tastebuds. The sambar is so incredibly tangy that you needn't have any accompanying dosa to go with it, it's delicious on it's own. It's just heaven on a thali (plate).

Everything went down really nicely with our Kingfisher Indian Beer.



We sure cleaned up well!



Next up was our Kerala fish fry, chilli chicken, rice and chapathi.

All I can say is Yumyumyum!



The Kerala fish fry was must better presented this time and the king-fish was fresh and well marinated, tangy and spicy very spicy. Also, curry-leaves are my all-time favourite herb (Karuveppilai in Malayalam or Kari Patta in Hindi are leaves that grow on small tree plants native to India). I love it fried and garnished like this, in everything, and hate to see it wasted on someone's plate! The aroma and flavour of them really highlights a lot of Indian cooking. It's sort of like the bay leaf in coconut milk curries. I also lovelovelove bay leaves.

Sigh.

Okay, moving on.





The chilli chicken was incredibly hot and spicy, but oh-so-delicious! The curry was dense and the chicken perfectly cooked to fall off the bone. We both felt our pores open and sinus's clear during this meal!



You will not have fully enjoyed a meal at Madras Palace without leaving with an excellent cup of
coffee.

I think you really have to know your stuff when you go to MP - or go with friends who know the food. I've read too many negative things about the food on Restaurantica because people don't know what to order! You don't order mattar paneer here, if you want mattar paneer, go to Lahore Tikka House or Babur! If you want really authentic Kerala/South Indian cuisine, this is really one of the best places to get it. The other place is Saravanaa Bhavan, but that's for another review.

Québec City: D'Orsay Pub

Location:

65 rue de Buade, Québec City

Cost: $60 for two

www.restaurantpubdorsay.com

Bonjour tout le monde!

I must admit, my French is atrocious, but by the end of our Quebec City trip I was readily throwing out "bonjours" and "mercis", not to mention fully formed-sentences, at my husband, at least.

But enough of the French lessons, let's go back to the beginning.

By the time I landed in Quebec City it was past 9pm and then past 10:30 by the time we got to our hotel and were ready to go out to eat. We then realized that almost all the kitchens around the Chateau Frontenac were closed.

Finally, we were directed down a side street and then just around the corner we saw it. The D'Orsay Pub. Which was one of the restaurants on my list to try!



We were quickly seated at a beautiful folding window in the very charming, rustic interior, with its checker-board-floors and cobble-stone fireplace. Their terrace is a terrific people-watching spot as well as a great place to catch some sun. Unfortunately the weather was too chilly for us to enjoy the outdoors that night.





Seeing Leffe beer on the menu got me excited as it's not easy to find in Toronto, so we got a Leffe Blonde, $8.50 and a Belle Gueule Rousse (from Quebec), at $7.50 (which was mighty tasty!)



My husband had already had dinner, so this, in LOTR form, was second dinner for him. We knew poutine was a definite and I was feeling fishy, but almost all the seafood was in a cream sauce and while the wall-eyed pike sounded good, the salmon fillet with balsamic vinegar and orange sounded better. At $18.50 though, I assumed the salmon would be stuffed with oranges or orange chutney or something....again, too unusual to be true and sadly the dish was again what we conjure up at home. I was ravenous, so it didn't matter, but I wouldn't order that again.



The poutine on the other hand.....



MMMm......my mouth waters now just thinking about it!



I am no poutine expert, in fact, I'm lactose-intolerant and can't really stand cheese and this was only my second time eating poutine, but I must say, those cheese curds were something else. So spongy, so succulent, so very filling! Lookit how big that cheese curd is!!

Mmm.....is it correct to say it was tout le gout???

I could have eaten that all night!

The next day, D'Orsay's kitchen must have been an assembly line of poutine 'cause the terrace was packed with hungry patrons scarfing down the cheesy goodness, but alas we had other sites to see and a variety of other places to eat!!!

D'Orsay is a definite don't-miss!