The Tea Party Cafe - Ottawa Ontario

I got a groupon for high tea for 2 a few weeks ago, and had the opportunity to use it when Mom and I were in Ottawa the other weekend for some shopping.  Now, mom and I really enjoy having tea, and considering that she lived in England for 2 years, we consider ourselves quite the experts.  We have yet to have a better scone experience than in Sierra Madre, CA, a small town just east of Pasadena.  Now, I know that it doesn't bode well to start a review with a comment on my favorite place for the same meal, but I did want to give a shout out to one of my old haunts.

This place is right near byward market and an easy walk if you are in that area for some shopping.  The cafe is on the first floor of a brownstone on a beautiful tree lined street.  After placing out order, we had the daunting task of picking our tea flavor.  There is an entire wall of loose teas which range from the classic british varieties, to fruit teas, to asian flavors.  There is something for everyone.  I went with a favorite and picked a plain vanilla.  It smells wonderful, it's warming but light and not too deep like a traditional black tea. 

The high tea includes 4 different types of finger sandwich and 4 different sweets.  There was the classic cucumber and cream cheese, along with a lettuce and cream cheese.  There was also a pesto and tomato sandwich which I did really like.  The pesto had a ton of flavor and texture.  The tomato gave the sandwich a touch of acidity and substance with the thick slices.  The final sandwich was a roasted red pepper and feta.  Now, I do enjoy feta cheese in salads and sometimes I like roasted peppers in a dish, but I would never eat them on my own.  Let's just say that this sandwich wasn't up my alley.  Mom and I traded her pesto sandwich for my red pepper and feta. 

On the top of the tier are the sweets:  a turtle bar, a scone, a brownie and a chocolate chip shortbread cookie.  The scone was good, not great.  It wasn't flavored and didn't come with cream/butter or jam.  I thought it was a bit boring, although moist and crumbly.  I didn't really like the cookie, it was just kind of flat in flavor.  The chocolate aspects of the dessert made up for it though.  The turtle bar was definitely not big enough.  It was caramel and dark chocolate over chocolate crumbles, so it was gooey with crunch.  yum yum yum.  The brownie was amazing as well - moist, rich and gooey on the inside while having that slight crispness to the crust. 

An interesting place to stop for soup, salad, high tea or just a glass of tea.  Good service and an interesting menu (other than the high tea). 

Next Door Bar&Grill - Rochester, NY

I am going to include Rochester in this blog as a potential component of the North Country - Rochester is certainly part of the Northern/Central NY region that those in NYC consider "up there."  I also really thought this was an interesting restaurant.  Mom and I stumbled upon it after Rochester for a wedding errand for the afternoon. We were looking for an easy but interesting place to eat an early dinner, and at first I was excited to just go to Wegmans (I LOVE Wegmans) and get something from the deli section there...  but then I found out that not only was there was the flagship Wegmans down the road, but there is a restaurant owned by them across the street.  I was intrigued.

The menu was a bit all over the place but had some very interesting options.  There's a mix of European appetizers and entrees along with pizza and then there's a sushi bar and Robata grill (a Japanese technique which uses a special charcoal).   There are a lot of interesting options on the menu and they also have some options for hosting parties there.  They have a test kitchen where one can host a party and have cooking demonstrations.  They have have smaller private dining rooms for smaller private parties too.  This would definitely be an interesting place for an adult birthday party or other celebration.  

They have a weekly fixed menu suggestion which did look very interesting, but we were looking for a lighter meal than the 3 courses recommended. This place is actually a great option for a lighter dinner as you can order appetizers (I think I could have been excited for half of those options), sushi or one or two things from the grill.  I think the Robata grill is intended to have you pick a few different protein and vegetable options, but each individual part is small (my mother actually ordered the scallops - the serving consisted of 3 grilled scallops on a skewer), but I can see how it would be an interesting meal with the veggies on the side.

I had a hard time photographing this meal, so please forgive the image, the restaurant is rather dark.  Mom was nice enough to share her appetizer (especially since she couldn't share mine due to a shellfish allergy) since it was very interesting.  She ordered the seaweed salad quartet.  On presentation, this dish was somewhat disappointing as it was supposed to be 4 different seaweeds, and there were only 3 on the plate.  I think ideally, if a dish isn't going to be as advertised on the menu, the customer should be informed and given the option to change the order.  My mother was not given that option, and considering she was super excited to try several different types of seaweed (we love seaweed salad when we go for sushi), she was pretty disappointed to be missing a quarter of the dish.  Given that, the dish was interesting.  I've only had basic seaweed salad (which was one of the seaweeds on the dish), but there were two other kinds - one was a redish twig kind and the third was a dark green thicker seaweed.  The red twig one was kind of firm and almost too fibrous in texture, although it did have a little crunch.  The green one was more like pasta al dente, which is a texture I like, but it didn't really have a lot of flavor.  The dish came with a sesame vinaigrette which did add some subtle flavor and creaminess.  Overall not a hit of a dish, and certainly only for adventurous taste buds. 

I got a watermelon and crab salad.  I thought this was such an interesting combination and was super excited about trying it.  It came with a drizzle of truffle oil and black sea salt.  How decadent does that sound?  I thought it was very chic.  Well, I never realized how fragrant truffle oil is, I am sad to say this was my first experience with it.  It was a fairly powerful smell, although none of the other ingredients really have an odor.  The watermelon was nice and fresh, moist and sweet.  The crab was tender and succulent, and was piled high with a bit of arugula on top for crunch and texture.  It was fun to be able to experiment with all the different components on the plate since the oil and sea salt were drizzled around the edge.  I think my favorite bite was watermelon, crab, arugula and a small amount of the truffle oil.  I did think the sea salt was a it overpowering since the pieces were a bit large.  I think a bit of the flavor permeated the truffle oil though.  To be honest, I think I'd like to try some truffle oil in another context.  I think it doesn't quite go with the watermelon and the crab.  Those two ingredients are so delicate and light and fresh, the truffle oil in contrast is decadent and rich.  However, I still cleaned my plate and had a great time experimenting with components.

Lastly I got a sushi roll.  This was a new one to me:  tempura shrimp, asparagus, cucumber, roe and spicy mayo.  I loved the crunch of the tempura and the little bursts of saltiness of the roe.  The asparagus gave it an earthiness and depth of flavor.  It was a great sushi roll.  I think the sushi is something they really do well here.

Overall an interesting experience, worth another trip to try some new things and expand the palate.  I guess the words of advise are to make sure you know exactly what you're getting as the menu is diverse and a bit out of the ordinary.

Windfall Bar and Grill - Cranberry Lake, NY

For my fiance's Grandmother's birthday, we went out to dinner at a little hidden treasure in the Adironacks near Cranberry Lake.  This is a very unassuming restaurant, with a small bar in the front along with a pool table and alcove for a live band.  They don't have a long wine list, but it's diverse with some good local (finger lakes) options.  They also have some great draft beers on tap - we love blue moon and long trail (shout out to VT breweries).  The service is friendly and efficient, and if you think it's taking awhile to get your read with dinner - don't fret because they're actually baking it to order!  Can't beat that.

We shared an order of steamed clams - but wait, this wasn't your average plain steamed clams...  this is more the clam version of steamed mussels with a wonderful white wine, herb and olive oil broth that you can dip the clams in.  Sometimes when clams are steamed, they can be a bit chewy, but these were tender and super flavorful and moist.  They were almost falling out of the shells.  When we were done, we actually kept the bowl of left over broth to dip bread in.  And then came out the bread - a little after the appetizers, but worth the wait as it was fresh out of the over.  Crunch on the outside and soft on the inside it was very good bread.  I did also get to taste the french onion soup.  The soup was full of onions!  Just packet!  It was a bit salty, ut otherwise had good flavor.

I got the tilapia which came with a basil aioli.  Now, normally I ask for sauces on the side since I think in general most dishes are over sauced, but I forgot today.  The aioli added some creaminess of the fish.  The tilapia was super moist and fresh with a very clean flavor.  now tilapia is a fish easily dried out with cooking, so I was very impressed with that.  I did think there was too much aioli, but that could be brushed to the side.  This meal came with a side of carrots which were also well cooked - not mushy as carrots can be, but beautifully cooked with a little bit of butter and herbs.  These hadn't been sitting there for hours and I bet were freshly cooked to order.  The fish also came with a side of sweet potato fries - again obviously home made!  And I can tell you this since sometimes I make sweet potato fries from scratch and sometimes from frozen - these were uneven just as they are when hand done, with the charbroiled taste of fries not fried!  A definite winner.

I saved room for dessert - as I always try to do.  There was something on their menu I've never seen before - fried dessert wantons.  I was intrigued.  They're almost like crab rangoons but sweet with a pear, pecan and red wine filling.  Before you think aout that combination, let me tell you that they don't taste like alcohol from the wine, and the filling is thick and rich - almost like a preserve or compote.  They aren't overly sweet, especially with the savory aspect of the wanton fried.  One could actually do something similar as an appetizer with also a bit of brie in the center with the nut/fruit filling.  There was a bit of a raspberry sauce drizzled over it, which did make it more sweet as a dessert, but I think it would have been even better with a pear sauce since that is the fruit in the wanton - it would have brought out the subtle pear flavor better.

Overall, a great little place in the mountains - excellent after a day on the water in summer or snowmobiling in winter.

Julian's - Brunch!

I felt that the brunch menu for Julian's was sufficiently different from the main dinner menu to warrant its own review.  As you may remember from a previous post, I do enjoy Julian's as a relaxed dining option with high quality food without an unreasonable price tag.  This is the second brunch experience we have had there, but I think the better of the 2 meals.

The brunch menu does include some more lunch-type options, but I am a huge fan of breakfast, so even though we arrived a little after 1pm (they only serve brunch until 2pm on Sundays), I was sure to stick with a combination of sweet and savory breakfast options.  We did start with some interesting drink options - I ordered a passionfruit bellini and my fiance got a mimosa.  The bellini was not as I was anticipating, but was yummy.  The bellinis I have had in the past were a 50:50 combination of pureed fruit and champagne.  This was more 10% fruit and 90% champagne.  Don't get me wrong, this was certainly more of a bang for your buck alcohol wise, but just not as strong in fruit flavor as I was anticipating.  It was almost more of a passionfruit mimosa.  There was a sugar rim to the glass, which was an interesting touch for texture and a stronger punch of sweetness.  My fiance got a mimosa - very traditional, no surprises there.

I actually couldn't choose between sweet and savory for this meal, so I got both.  I ordered the spinach and goat cheese omelet with whole wheat toast on the side.  The omelet was very good, although it may have been a it heavy on the goat cheese for my taste.  The egg part of the omelet was very thin and tender.  I've never had an omelet where the eggs were so thin - almost crepe like.  They were light in color, making me think that there was less egg yolk in it than normal, but I don't know if that was the case.  I am definitely going to have to attempt to replicate this.  The goat cheese provided a wonderful creamy texture with that hit of tang in the background, warm and rich.  The spinach was tender with an earthiness that grounded the dish.  Crunchy and hearty, the bread was also excellent.

My Fiance got the eggs benedict.  Now, he hammered this before I even got a real bite to comment on it.  The one interesting thing to comment on this dish about was that the eggs are on corn bread instead of the traditional english muffin.  While this adds some texture to the meal with the grains of the corn meal, it did mean that it was a it more messy to eat as the corn bread breaks up much more easily.

My mother got the smoked salmon omelet with feta, onions and capers.  Now, this was an interesting combination.  To me, smoked salmon and eggs are a pretty classic combination, but the feta, onions and capers are a twist on the traditional.  I'm not a big fan of capers or onions, but they were good in this dish.  The onions gave some crunch and the capers were little bursts of saltiness.  Now, I think this dish was a bit heavy on the salt factor - the smoked salmon and capers are both salty and the feta also have a bit of saltiness.  The feta did provide the creaminess that cream cheese normally has when paired with smoked salmon, but the additional tang took a it of getting used to.  Overall, an interesting twist on some classic flavors.

The crepes were my side dish, and an excellent addition to the meal.  The crepes were super thin and tender, much better than the last time I got this dish.  Now, the interesting thing about ordering this dish was that it came out with a pool of whipping cream (not whipped cream) as it had all fallen with the heat of the crepes.  now, I find this to be odd, since wouldn't they have found a solution to this problem previously?  Mine can't have been the first set of warm crepes to have the whipped cream put on top and then melted.  Maybe they could start putting it on the side since then the warmth would not affect the volume of the whipped cream.  However, they were still yummy and full of tender, summer ripened fruit.  A definite repeater, maybe with the whipped cream on the side to keep it intact.

I have one comment on service.  There was only one waitress in the dining room for this meal.  When we arrived, there were two other tables finishing up their meals, and after they left, we were the only table.  The service was remarkably slow considering the lack of other customers.  I had the feeling this waitress was still getting into the swing of things - maybe she drew the short straw of working Sunday morning because she was new.  We gave her the benefit of the doubt, but the meal just did not run smoothly.

Sneakers - Winooski, VT

On a recent weekend trip to Burlington, VT (where I went to college and many of my friends still live) I stopped by my ALL TIME FAVORITE breakfast place in Winnoski (well, pretty much my favorite place anywhere).  Sneakers has recently relocated down the street from it's original location on the main rotary in downtown Winooski.  It is still on the rotary, but now in a slight larger and more modern location just down the block.  They still have some of the original booths from the previous location, but now there is a bit more seating and it's a LOT more spacious.  I chose to eat early, as the wait can get a bit long as the day progresses, especially on the weekends.  If you do get there and there is a wait, you can get coffee and juice next door at The Monkey House (they have games and the paper to keep you occupied).  Don't worry, they know to look for you there when they are ready to seat you.  I haven't tried to eat there with a party larger than 4 people, but I've also never seen it and I don't know if they have a table large enough, so be warned and call ahead if you plan on bring more friends there.  Also be warned that generally they won't seat your party until everyone is there. 

I've never been disappointed in the service.  I don't even know if it could be truly terrible unless someone was downright rude because it is always easy to get someone's attention.  I will say that considering how busy they can get, they never make you feel rushed.  When I was there the other day meeting up with a friend, we spent about 20 minutes chatting after we had gotten the check and no one bothered us. 

I got there early and ordered a green tea as it was chilly and raining outside.  I was impressed that they utilize loose leaf green tea and presented it in a traditional chinese teapot.  My friend hadn't quite had his coffee yet and ordered the watermelon mojito thinking it was a mimosa.  Even with the mistake, it was not a disappointment!  The watermelon flavor was almost intense, not watered down or artificial in any way.  It was a beautiful red, ripe watermelon in a glass.  The mint added a pop of brightness and freshness, making the drink very reminiscent of a mint and watermelon salad I grew up with.  I have to admit that I could not take the alcohol at all and could have downed this in about 30 seconds if it was mine to consume.

Now, I have several favorites at Sneakers, and there are always interesting sounding specials. But today I branched out and tried something new.  To be completely honest, I couldn't decide so found an option that let me have a few different things going on.  I got "The Homer" which is one slice of Kahlua battered french toast, one scrambled egg and normally comes with a side of home fries.  Now, if you've read other posts, you know that I do enjoy a good side of potatoes, and Sneakers does theirs well, but what they do even better and which can't be found many places, is a great side of fresh fruit.  I don't think I've ever gotten a side which wasn't fresh and ripe, and from living in Vermont for several years, finding ripe fruit in the winter is not an easy task.  So if you like fruit, this is the place to replace those empty carbs and fat of potatoes and replace it with a healthy and fantastic option (all for the tiny price of an additional $1).  Now, on to the rest of the dish.  I haven't had the french toast before, but their pancakes are also amazing, and I've been tempted by these Kahlua flavored treats in the past and never indulged.  Well, I'm going to have a hard time not ordering a side of them at my next visit.  They were warm and moist on the inside, almost custard in consistency, with a nice crust from the griddle on the outside.  The bread they used feels like challah so you get that great chew factor from the edges of the slice where the bread was browned more during the first cooking.  The Kahlua flavor was definitely prominent, but not overwhelming and all the alcohol was cooked off, so it didn't feel like drinking a mudslide or something like that.  I wouldn't even say it was strong on the coffee flavor, but more of a liqueur feel.  It almost could have been amaretto or something else, but did taste like kahlua. I also got to sample their scrambled eggs for the first time.  Now, scrambled eggs can bit a hit or a miss with me.  I liked the way sneakers made then, scrambled but folded together kind of like an omelet without anything in it.  They were slightly soft, almost undercooked, which is how I like my eggs.  Take this as a warning if you don't like your eggs this way, you might want to specify that they be cooked a little longer.  I would rather they be light, fluffy and slightly moist than overcooked and rubbery.  I find the latter option far more common at breakfast locations.

Now, even though I didn't actually eat these items at this visit, I would like to mention my other favorites at Sneakers in case any of them strike your fancy.  The California Benedict (veggie sausage, portabello mushrooms and avocado) is a frequent on my plate, along with the crab cake Benedict (how can you go wrong with crab).  My fiance thinks the pancakes are some of the best ever!  I was also able to try the chicken-n-waffles that day with my friend, but my general dislike of gravy kind of made the dish a "miss" for me.  I also felt that the chicken and gravy generally overpowered the waffle, which I think was a shame.  However, my friend enjoyed it very much!

Well, the fact that I frequent Sneakers on the way home from every trip to Burlington is a testament to how much I love the place.  I encourage you to try it and form your own opinions.

First Crush - Potsdam NY

I have eagerly awaited the opportunity to review The First Crush Wine Bar in Potsdam, NY.  The opportunity presented itself as my fiance and I had errands to run in Potsdam on a Sunday afternoon and we were on the market for a late lunch.  First Crush is a small restaurant with a bistro feel but also is attempting to fill the coffee bar niche as well.  They have a smaller but thoughtful menu and an impressive wine list.  Save room for dessert as each option sounds more tempting than the last.  We had lunch, which is a selection of salads, wraps, paninis and sandwiches.  Their dinner menu has fewer things on it, but has a selection of tapas (an order of several of these makes a great meal to share with a lot of variety) as appetizers, dinner sized salads which can come with a duck breast (would love to try this since I am a huge fan of duck - see previous post about attempting to cook duck) and some entrees and paninis.  They have some great sounding wines and some of our favorite types - my fiance loves dry reds and they have what looks like a great selection.  Everything also comes by the glass, so you can try all the options.  We didn't partake in this as it was only 3pm.

Service was quick, but considering the time of day, I would have been disappointed had it been otherwise.  We ordered our drinks - they have a great selection of wines and some good options for beer.  If you're interested in coffee, they have options to rival starbucks.  We each got sandwiches.  I got the Crab-L-T sandwich which was one this hearty whole grain mulberry bread with a crab cake, bacon and lettuce and tomato with a garlic aioli.  The crab cake was excellent and would have been perfect on its own, full of large lumps of crab meat.  There wasn't a large amount of fillers in it and it wasn't too peppery.  I do think things like crab with a subtle, delicate flavor are easily overwhelmed with pepper - either ground or bell, and this cake was definitely allowed to shine.

My fiance ordered the High-On-The-Hog panini, which was also a good choice.  I think this sandwich definitely was better as a panini than it would have been as a regular sandwich.  The crisp bread against the melted cheese (havarti) and the tender pulled pork in BBQ sauce provided good texture.  The havarti was buttery in its smoothness and melted really well with the pork.  It is a milder cheese which was almost lost in the BBQ sauce with occasionally added a bit of sharpness.  Now, pulled pork is one of my favorite things in how tender and succulent it can be, and this was a good version.

For dessert, we shared the bananas foster flambe.  This was a great idea as it is a dessert intended for 2.  I don't know where the ice cream came from (might be local or made on site, definitely tastes high quality) with a traditional vanilla, rich and creamy and melting from the heat of the flambe.  The bananas are lightly sauteed in sugar and butter to create a caramel sauce.  Although the sauce was very tasty, it still had a bit of texture from the sugar.  I can understand why this is a dessert for 2, I could never have eaten both portions, although, personally, I could have done with a smaller portion of the ice cream and a larger portion of bananas and caramel sauce  :-D  but of course, I did order it for that component.  Definitely bang for your buck though since it is less expensive than 2 desserts separately and were a very generous portion. 

 Worth a repeat visit for dinner and wine!

The Hideaway - Colton, NY

To me, Mother's Day is a Brunch event.  Maybe because it's so traditional to cook your mother breakfast in bed, that the adult version is to take them out for the breakfast you used to cook them.  Certainly, there are many places out there that do a better job than I could with breakfast, and that way mom gets whatever she's in the mood food (although I know most moms are just pleased for the thought and effort).  Well, this Mother's Day didn't quite go as planned, however, that did mean I had another opportunity to try a new place and write another review!

We had called in advance to find out if we needed reservations, and were told that they shouldn't be necessary for the party size we were anticipating.  We got there right before noon (peak lunch hour) and with a party larger than expected as well, and although they did not have a big enough table for all of us right off the bat, they were will to accommodate us however we were most comfortable - we could either take 2 tables or wait for a larger table to open up.  We came up with an even better solution, and settled into the picnic table just off the porch since the weather was fantastic.  Because of the timing, they were willing to offer breakfast and lunch, so our party took advantage of both menu options.

This restaurant is pretty basic - simple, good food with no frills to detract from the at home atmosphere.  The small space has a short counter for about 4 people to mosey up and eat and about 8 to 10 tables, mainly 2 and 4 tops with basic banquet chairs.  This is your basic country, maintain restaurant caters to the local community.  It is right off the main road near a gas station and not even in the center of town.  Give it's "off the beaten path" location, you know it's good since it's stayed in business.  The simple atmosphere is also reflected in the down to earth prices - this is definitely a contender in the "best food for the price" category...  If I were to give awards.

While service was good, all of our needs were met, although I wasn't overly impressed.  However, I do have to give our waitress credit since refilling our water and checking in on us did require going outside - out of sight, out of mind, and I never really felt forgotten about.  Given the circumstances, I think they did a good job.  I certainly could have gotten up and gone inside to ask for something if it was needed.  Our waitress was certainly personable and friendly, which is always nice.  That aspect of it definitely made me want to return.

The Hideaway is known for its homemade bread and their omelets.  I had been craving baked goods, so indulged in the french toast with a side of strawberry topping.  These came with a side of home fries, which I always enjoy and was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked these home fries.  Let's start with the french toast - now, I think the fact that this was made with homemade bread was key!  Much better than the average french toast.  The crust was a little crunchy, almost chewy and inside was tender and fluffy.  It definitely didn't even need maple syrup (real syrup available for a small fee).  The fruit gave it a nice extra sweetness, although I was really adding that because I thought it would be fresh fruit and not the stewed fruit topping I normally expect at IHOP or one of those places.  There were home fries on the side and I must say they were excellent.  Small cubes of potato nicely cooked so that the exterior was crunchy and the interior soft and delicate.  I think the size of the potato is always key - too large and there is too much baked potato inside compared to crispy exterior, too small and they end up too crunchy.  These were just right, and came as a side with most of the breakfast options.

My fiance got the western omelet with a side of home fries and homemade toast.  The omelet was perfect, with the eggs perfectly cooked - not runny, not rubbery and with a fluffy smooth texture.  The filling was good in proportion and the fresh vegetables were really able to shine through and sing.  They were bright in your mouth, not over cooked as if they might have been cooked beforehand, these tasted fresh.  The side of homemade bread was amazing - beautifully toasted for some crunch and well buttered.  I normally ask for toast dry, but as this was not my meal, I took what I could get.  And in this situation I was so pleased for the butter.  A perfectly butter piece of bread is almost sinful.  This bread is almost texas toast in character, but not quite as dense, more soft and fluffy.

I had the opportunity to also try the breakfast sandwich.  A few highlights:  fantastic english muffin, suspicious that it is also homemade, but didn't ask.  Wasn't a huge fan of the cheese, but I think that's more a reflection on my tastes than the sandwich itself.  I don't normally eat american cheese (didn't grow up eating it, don't have a taste for it), so I think I would prefer it with cheddar cheese instead.  I think the bite of cheddar might add some good flavor in contrast to the saltiness of the bacon.  The egg was done very well!  I think this would not have been a sandwich easily eaten as sandwiches are intended to be eaten - there is far too much food in this little sandwich, but I don't know of many who would complain about that!

The club sandwich was also good - packed with fixings!

Overall a great spot for a weekend breakfast off the beaten path.  Down home food with great prices and good service.