Category Archives: Dining

Tratoria La Festa – Consistency Counts – and Yummy matters even more!


Eating at the Trattoria is like eating at home – except you get better food, and you don’t have to do the dishes.

We eat at Trattoria La Festa almost every time we go to Stowe, Vermont – the consistency is so amazingly – well – consistent. You know you will have a great meal, you know the service will be pleasant, you know you will be greeted like old friends, and you know the price range will be acceptable. Given all that – you know why we go so often!

This time was no exception. We arrived and were greeted by all three of the owners – Patty, Johnny and Tony. The restaurant was nicely filled, but not packed. Which reminds of one of the things I so adore about the Trattoria – it’s not noisy! For some reason, the current in thing is to create a ‘bistro’ feel with hard walls, hard ceilings, hard tables – and the result is a very noisy restaurant. But not at the Trattoria – the rough wooden floors absorb sound – not reflect it – and even packed – you can easily have a conversation with your table-mates. Such a refreshing change.

But it’s about the food and the service, too! And as always – it was great, with one tiny exception. I had two orders of the Mussel appetizer – one as my appetizer, one as my main course. The best part was the delicious sauce – I needed a bread refill to enjoy it all.

My dining partner enjoyed the Luchame (Escargo in french) with sambuca – oh my they were divine. If you go – definitely order them! I passionately enjoy their speggitti carbonara – it’s the best I’ve ever had – and that’s including many trips to Italy, but it’s not really on my diet – so this time I skipped that pleasure. My husband generally gets Vittello a la Lemon, the Duck, or the Bistecca Pavaroti, but this time he tried something new – the veal chop. Itm looked great – but the taste just wasn’t blow you away. That’s the problem with the Tratoria – you get spoiled! So not perfect is disappointing.

Patty makes the desserts – and they range from delicious – to fabulous. And this time we hit fabulous – a lemon blueberry Zuppa Englese (Triffle). Oh my was it yummy. Just the right cross between acidic and sweet. Cool and refreshing.

We gladly paid the bill – full but not stuffed – and strolled out into the night. We’ll be back. You can count on it.

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Trattoria La Festa on Foodio54

Bob’s on the Bay – Eat at your own risk!


Oh dear – I blew it. Had I read the reviews – I would have known that Bob’s on the Bay in Brockville was a bad choice – but I got busy, forgot to check – and ended up there with no other options but to make the best of a bad idea.

Does admitting it make it better? Probably not. But at least I can join the masses in not recommending Bobs.

Or maybe I should just quip – Bob’s should swim in the Bay!

We opted for Bob’s for the reasons most other people would – the ‘On the Bay’ part of the name. It sounded lovely. And we drove up – I thought it was going to be perfect – lots of people enjoying a moment of sunshine on the High terrace. But the problem is – they are not on the Bay. There’s a huge – multi-store apartment building between them and the Bay – and to the west – another one. So yes you can see the water to the East – but on the Bay it’s not.

But it’s supposed to be about the food right. So how was the food?

If I’m not terribly hungry – I’ll order an appetizer for dinner – and at Bob’s – that was clearly the smart choice. I definitely enjoyed my Quesadilla, it was well made and yummy. But my husband thought his French Dip was downright terrible, and my grand-daughter ate her garlic mashed potatoes – and none of her salmon. Moral – if you are in a bar – order bar food, for which Quesadilla works, and salmon is a loser.

Oh well – at least the view to the east was nice and the service was fine.

My quick summary – when visiting Brockville – pick a different place!

Bud's on the Bay on Urbanspoon

Pickering, Ontario – More than just a Nuclear Power Plant


Don’t knock Pickering – sure it’s got a Nuclear Power Plant – but it also has the “I love Roti”. Even better – right near by is a Cold Stone Creamery. It’s a win-win for hungry travelers.

I’ve actually ate at the “I Love Roti” before – many years ago when a conference required me to drive from Montreal to Toronto – and I ended up hungry about mid-way. This time was no different –

“I Love Roti” is hardly your white-table cloth restaurant. Located in a mall that offers little else besides a Tim Horton and a Cold Stone Creamery, it’s long, thin, and basic. The menu consists of just a few very traditional foods – chicken with or without bones, in Roti or on rice; beef without bones, and a chicken curry. But what they do – they do right. I got the chicken with bones wrapped in a Roti and served with a delicious home-made curry sauce – and it completely and totally hit the spot. Such a nice option if you don’t feel like American Fast-Food.

After lunch – we strolled over to the Cold Stone Creamery for Ice Cream. Oh my – that was delicious. For those of you who don’t know what Cold Stone is about (and I admit – I didn’t) – the idea is simple. You pick your ice cream flavor, pick your size, and then – this is the cool part – you pick your garnish. There were at least 2 dozen options – from Reese’s Pieces to Toasted Almonds. They put your ice cream on the cold stone (hence the name), and then they chop and dice it to mix up it up for you. It’s delicious.

And a perfect way to break up a long drive.

I Love Roti on Urbanspoon

Boat Names – Boatyard Eatery – Good food in Midland, Ontario – Who Knew?


On the shores of the Georgian Bay, hard by Ste Marie among the Huron’s – you will find the town of Midland. We cruised Main Street on our way to the harbor and our destination – the Boatyard Eatery. We got distracted briefly by the Crow’s Nest – a wonderful bric-brac store with a collection of collectibles – ranging from junk, to vintage jewelry, silver plate, and the occasional true treasure. We bought 12 silver napkin rings for $10, a silver plate Ewer with a strangely curvy shape, and then moved on.

The Boatyard reminds me that it’s location, location, location. And the location is superb. The large wooden deck with its tables, umbrellas, and dappled shade overlooks the harbor with its working boats like tugs, and it’s pleasure boats – primarily cabin cruisers of the 32 to 50 foot range.

The food isn’t bad either! We order draft beer and onion rings while we peruse the menu. Most in our group opt to try the Pickerel – a fish my hosts tell me is native to this area of Ontario, while Anais orders pork ribs with absolutely yummy Sweet Potato Fries. I remove the ‘fried’ skin, and just pick at the delicious white flaky fish. The rice it’s served with is good, but I definitely should have gone for the Sweet Potato Fries. For dessert, Anais gets ‘fried’ cheesecake, which given the speed with which it disappears, must be truly delicious.

After our yummy meal, we relax and just enjoy the good company and the great view, until Anais and I decide it’s time for a closer look at the boats.

We start to play the name game – trying to pick out the best. Not all boats have names, a puzzle we find odd. Why would an owner not name their boat? It’s a question we cannot answer – but we do find all the names a lot of fun – and this list we share with you!

Knot Mov’n
Knotty Bouys
Dealing with the Devil
Knot a Dream
Island Time
The Bottom Line
Night Moves
Naudi Impulse
Naudi Moves
Naudi Dreams
Naudi Girl
Windancer
The Honey Bee
The Office
Sea n’Dubble

Picked your favorite yet? We decided on Naudi Dreams!

Signing off – The Soup Lady

The Boathouse Eatery on Urbanspoon

Posana Restaurant – Ashville, N.C.


Yes – I know – I’m bouncing around in location – I actually ate at the Posana on June 15, 2013 – and only got around to reviewing it today – because missing this one was not an option!

Located right opposite the downtown city park, the Posana is a beautiful restaurant owned and operated by Peter Pollay, a graduate of the CIA (culinary Institute of America). Since this is my daughter’s alma-mater – I’m always intrigued to see what other graduates are up to – and this seemed a great opportunity – prices weren’t crazy, the restaurant looked lovely – and the ‘100% Gluten Free’ advertising slogan said – modern cuisine to me.

Without reservations – on a Saturday night – we were going to have to wait – but just 10 minutes. Hardly a problem. The hostess suggested we sit at the bar – so we decided to see if the bartender could make a Caipirinha – the Brazilian National cocktail that my sister is enamoured of. Yes – he could – and he had no problems giving me a glass of 1/2 white wine, 1/2 soda water. Great. We add lettuce wraps as an appetizer – and sit down to wait. Curiously – our table is ready before our appetizer – and the hostess requests that we settle with the bar before she escorts us to our table.

I’m a bit surprised by this request – I don’t think there are more than a dozen tables – how can they not figure out how to move a bill from the bar to the table. But never mind, we pay up – go to the table – and only once there get our appetizer of lettuce cups with chicken and veggies. Not quite as good as PF Chang’s version and definitely a lot less food – but good just the same.

This slows down the ordering process a bit – with the net effect that getting our dinner gets delayed – and we will end up taking over 2.5 hours to eat. Why is this a problem? We’re an hour away from ‘home’, and that means a long drive in the dark with deer. Oh well – Be Calm and Carry On I suppose.

I order fish, which eventually is served as a tiny, but yummy portion. My sister gets a chicken dish – also consumed with delight. The Posana advertises itself as 100% Gluten free and Organic – I guess that explains the size of the portions.

Two points of critique – I had ordered soda water at the bar, after asking the price and being told it was free since they were ‘making’ it themselves. I repeat the order at the table, and when the bill arrives – am disappointed that they charged $2 for it. Hey – $2 for a 1/2 of a glass of soda water? Sorry – I’m not impressed. To the waiter’s credit – when I question it, it is removed from the bill. Nice response, but just a little late.

My other complaint – and I’ve made this before – the chef comes out of the kitchen and is chatting with the people at the table right next to us. Would it be too much to ask for him to at least turn around and smile in our direction? Guess so. Moral – Chefs – if you walk into the dining room – say hi to every table – regardless of how difficult it feels. Your guests will appreciate it more than you can imagine. And yes – we do notice if you ignore us!

Bottom line on the Posana – beautiful restaurant, delightful if tiny portions, and great location. B+ from this reviewer.

Posana on Urbanspoon

Posana Cafe on Foodio54

Lakeview Restaurant – Lake Lure, N.C. – Brunch is definitely a “Skip It”


Lakeview at Wynham – Great location – lousy Breakfast

We had decided it would be fun to do a Sunday Brunch before heading off homeward. After consulting with Tripadvisor – and finding out that the Larkin – where we’ve already eaten two meals is a top restaurant in this area – we figure out that the nearest brunch place is the Lakeview. Reviews are a bit mixed – dinner gets high ratings, other meals less so – but hope beats eternal…

The location is great – overlooking Lake Lure and a beach, and just minutes from the condo. We opt to sit outside on a lovely porch, clearly designed to make the most of the view. So far, so good.

Unfortunately, the ‘buffet’ is forgettable at best. There’s a omlet station – that would have been great – but with only one server, who clearly has little idea how to handle the station, the line waiting is too long for our schedule. We still need to get me to the airport on time. Ok – so let’s stick to the prepared foods. There’s no eggs – you are supposed to use the omelet station. The bacon and potatoes ‘bins’ are empty, and there’s only one piece of French Toast left. Good news – a young man reassures us that more food is coming in a second.

There’s a nice fruit selection – so I make do with that, and return to our table. My sister has ordered coffee (extra charge – sorry), which I enjoy with my fruit. I return to the buffet – and by now they have replenished the bacon and the French Toast. Oh yum. Best bacon ever – crisp – which is surprising, and delightful. Worth waiting for. The French Toast is ok, but the ‘fake’ syrup is disappointing for someone from Quebec.

The bread options are truly disappointing – come on people – there’s more than just white bread in this world.

Bottom line – get a server who can cook if you can only afford one on the omelet station – or at least put a platter of scrambled eggs out for those of us who just can’t wait 40 minutes in line. And please – include the coffee in the price – it’s annoying to get an additional charge for something that really costs almost nothing. And offer more than the cheapest possible bread and pastry.

Oh well – we were warned. I hope other’s who come to this area heed the subtle warnings in the Tripadvisor reviews.

Lakeview Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Restaurant Budapest – Simply Yummy!


Ok – I know you need more details – but trust me on this – the bottom line is Yummy.

The Budapest is a tiny storefront restaurant that we fell into the other night. We were intrigued by the combination of flowers, tablecloths, and smiling hostess/chef. I generally won’t walk into a restaurant that is empty, but we were short of time (on our way to a fringe play), and the prices looked great. Every entre was under $10 – and the list, while short, sounded delicious – Schnitzle, Goulash, and Chicken Cordon Blue. What can you lose.

Our waiter, surprisingly, announces that he is normally the violinist! On Friday and Saturday nights – reservations required – they offer a special 3 course meal for $25 – and there’s live Hungarian Music. We immediately start thinking of people we can invite who would just love that.

This night – being a Wednesday – was music-less – but we were ok with that. We quickly ordered one each of the 3 main entries, told our hosts that we were a bit pressed for time – and were asked if we’d brought our own wine. Oh – it’s a BYOB. Make a note for next time!

Reassuring noises immediately started coming from the tiny kitchen – and it’s clear our meal is being prepared to order. Now that’s great news – both Chicken Cordon Blue and Schnitzel are tons better made fresh.

The meal arrives, it looks great – and the portions are prefect. The Goulash is served with fresh spaetzle, pasta made by dropping the dough into boiling water. It’s fabulous – and the Goulash was clearly made long long ahead – exactly as Hungarian Goulash should be.

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My Schnitzel portion is huge – and served with roasted potatoes (simple and so good), and a bowl of purple cabbage that was absolutely delicious.

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The third entre – Chicken Cordon Blue, a chicken Schnitzel stuffed with ham and cheese, also comes with the potatoes and the cabbage. Oh my, are we loving dinner.

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For dessert we order one Palachinta – a thin crepe folded over apricot jam and then served with hot chocolate sauce. Enough said. The waiter is amazed that we only want one for the 3 of us – but dinner was so filling! And we still need to stay awake for the theatre.

To say we rolled out happy is an understatement. I’m definitely coming back to the Budapest!

Budapest Roma on Urbanspoon

Restaurant Budapest on Foodio54

Biltmore Day 2 – Better than Day 1 – how cool is that?


Today is Saturday – Father’s Day – and we’ve been warned. The one lane road that goes from the ticket booth to the Biltmore (about 5 miles long) – can take up to 45 minutes – it gets that crowded. So show up early – or else.

So early it will be. We manage to get up, get breakfast, take 2 mile ‘fast walk’, shower, do laundry, and still leave the condo by 9:05. Not bad – our target had been 9:00. So congrats sister team!

Naturally – we are there so early – it’s no problem to do the drive (lovely – a different vista with every snake-like turn of the road – a stream here, a pond there, a bamboo forest here, a hardwood forest there. Ormsted (landscaper of Biltmore, Central Park – and Mount Royal in Montreal) was no fool. This is awesome landscaping. We hazard a guess as to the number of gardeners – naturally – we’re off – it’s actually 55. Which honestly – feels low given the size of the gardens and the year-round nature of their care. Guess they have a tight scheduled. Today the Rose Garden, tomorrow the Azalea, then we mow some lawn.

Our specialized tour today is the Architecture tour – but first we check out the indoor pool, the pictures of the construction (George V knew this was going to be amazing – so he has before and after pictures – hard to believe it was that barren before. Such vision), the kitchen (again), and the laundry rooms. So cool.

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For the architecture tour – our lovely hostess starts with a down and dirty history – this is where we learn that Cornelia actually deserted her family when times got tough, leaving her husband and kids (and grand kids) to maintain the house. Then we walk up 250 stairs to the roof – and visit the attic, pat some of the gargoyles, and take pictures of what our hostess refers to as fantasies (and Wikipedia calls ‘grotesques’). The difference? Gargoyles – gargle. When the water goes thru them, they make a noise – hence the name. Fantasies don’t allow the water thru – they are just for fun. Check out the pictures (bit X rated – sorry)

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On this tour – it’s not so much what we see as what we hear that is cool. Our hostess shares tons of tidbits – and that makes it really fun.

Lunch today is shared sandwiches from the bakery. I have to say that the food options are outstanding – they really do a good job. Later I learn from my daughter – a graduate of Culinary Institute of America – that lots of the interns come here – and the ability shines thru. They have their ‘food’ act together!

Finally – we are hitting the gardens. And they are spectacular. It’s hard to explain why acres and acres of grounds should be so special – but it’s the variety and the twists and turns that makes this place so cool. You literally never know what will be around the next corner. Could be a stone wall, a fountain, the Italian gardens with their highly structured layout, the huge glassed in Conservatories, the Bass Pond for boating, or the Spring Garden – a riotously joyful explosion of flower and plant. We spend way too long, and way too much money in the garden shop. In my defense – it was probably the best garden shop I’ve ever been in, and finally drag ourselves back to the car. We still plan to visit Ashville!

But before Ashville – we must stop at Antler Hill Village and Winery. This is the home of the Inn at Biltmore – a monster of a ‘Hotel’ that towers above the ‘village’ with it’s collection of shops, an exhibit on the Vanderbilt’s, a maze, a kid’s Land Rover Course (you know you want to drive a midget Land Rover over rock bridges and obstacles don’t you), the farm, the barn, the kitchen garden, and the miniature winery. We’re not impressed with the winery – they don’t even grow their own grapes – but the rest is cute if way over priced. Maybe we’d feel differently if we’d had kids – but the off-key singing of the musician on stage was extremely off-putting.

So now it’s on to Ashville. Cute town, cute shops, great little ‘art’ market, and my favorite – the Mast General Store. Dinner, drive home (avoiding all deer), and bed time. Tomorrow is check out and leave. So much fun, so quickly done.

Biltmore Estate in Ashville, N.C. – A house definitely worth a 2 day visit!


Some houses are big, some houses are insanely big – and then there’s the Biltmore. It defies description today – probably the most common reaction when George Vanderbilt – grandson of Cornelius “Commodore” Vanderbilt – decided he needed a pied-a-tere in a remote corner of Ashville, NC.

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Talking about a good idea that got carried away. The Biltmore has 240 rooms (including closets and toilets according to our guide), an indoor pool, an indoor garden, servant quarters by the dozens – and no residents. The Vanderbilt’s only really lived there for 35 years – 2 years longer than I’ve owned my home. It took 5 years to build, many more years to furnish – and was opened to the public by Cornelia Vanderbilt (age 30) in 1930, mostly I’m guessing because the family had simply run out of money to maintain it. In any case, shortly afterwards she divorced her husband, left him to raise their 2 kids and tend to the monster of a house – and went to England. There she changed her name and lived quietly for a long time before she died. Today the home is still owned by her kids and grandkids.

All of which reminds me that money just doesn’t make you happy. Even lots and lots of money.

In the Wikipedia write-up – the authors speculate that George probably spent his entire inheritance on this house – an idea that while appealing, just doesn’t seem right. The family owned at least 4 other homes – so while this one might have been horribly expensive – in those days – it was probably considered just extravagant – but not ruinous. Nope – I think their lack of business smarts did them in, not just the house.

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Anyway – our tour. We opted to not only pay for admittance ($49 each) – and get an audio head-set (another $10) – but to take not one but two of the topic specific tours ($17 each). I’d say we’d Vanderbilt out! The Butler’s tour was up first – and our cheerful and extremely knowledgeable guide lead us upstairs and down – showing us the room where the housekeeper lived, explaining the intercom system, letting us admire the freight elevator that even the staff couldn’t use, and letting us peek into Edith Vanderbilt’s toilet, bath and shower. One oddity – there was no sink. In those days – servants brought you water in a pitcher and you washed in a bowl. Kept people employed I’d imagine.

After the tour – we ate lunch in the Stable Cafe – in a horse stall of course. I shared a huge bowl of Mac n’Cheese with my sister. It was totally yummy. Then it was on to the audio tour of the house itself.

While the butler’s tour was interesting and informative – the house tour left you stunned. How could people imagine such a place – then execute it. Four floors plus a basement, glorious art, stunningly beautiful views (it was a great day – I’m sure that helped), huge pieces of furniture. The main dining room – used for family meals as well as banquets was huge – 3 stories high, hung with tapestries bought from Europe, and for musical entertainment – a huge organ.

We toured the bedrooms, admired the wall coverings, gasped in delight at the books in the library, admired the magnificent tile work in the indoor pool, and wondered at the distance between the master bedroom, the wife’s bedroom, and the childbirth room. I suppose if you have to change clothes 4 and 5 times a day – you need a lot of private space. (Oh I can’t wear that – it’s for eating lunch – and I’m going to stroll in the gardens – how silly of you!)

Our tour us through the kitchen, the pastry kitchen, and most interesting – the laundry room. I particularly loved the drying racks for sheets. Ever wonder how often they changed the sheets in those days? We did – and we asked. Daily was the answer! Imagine a team of laundry people whose only job was to keep the bed linen cleaned. Can you imagine – and no electric washers and dryers either. All done by hand.

We took so long – they closed the house around us – and we got to watch the highly trained and extremely informative staff get searched before heading home.

As the security guard explained – it’s for their benefit. If something goes missing – I can say – I searched them – they are clean.

We finally got up sufficient umpf to leave – but realizing that we hadn’t seen the gardens, or even finished up touring the house – we decided to take the $10 next day option. We shall clearly be Vanderbilting again tomorrow.

Larkin’s on the Lake – Lake Lure, N.C. – completely perfect in every way


Larkins on the Lake is so perfect – it’s scary!

Ok – I hate to say this – but I liked Larkins on the Lake so much – I ate there 2 times in a row. I mean – how embarrassing is that for a high-end foodie? I’m completely guilty of what I complain about other people doing – staying with the safe and certain.

Reviewing note – I officially might have been at the Bayfront (what they call the part of Larkin’s that closer to the dock) – because we sat outside to enjoy the breezes – but I was assured that the menu was the same. But you might ask when you go.

In my defense – Larkin’s on the Lake is awesome. First off – the location. It hangs over Lake Lure – facing almost due West to catch the last rays of sunshine, a glorious sunset – and then you can admire the mountains in the distance. I mean – what’s wrong with that? And it was close (under 10 minutes) from our home base – so getting home after dinner – in the dark – was slow, but at least short. Given the number of deer we spotted either bounding up the sides of the road way – or standing still giving us the beady eye – going fast was not an option!

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And the food – what’s a restaurant with out good food? At Larkins, it was a mixture of traditional popular dishes (great prime rib, a Spinach Artichoke Dip, or Baby Back Ribs) with more modern classics like Sesame crusted Tuna Tataki. And best of all – they had my favorite dessert – in their case it was called Hubba Bubba Brownie – but basically it’s a brownie, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and chocolate sauce. Oh man – I could diet forever to have one of those!

I had the prime rib one night – rare, perfectly cooked, super tender – and the 2nd night I opted for just an appetizer of the Tuna Tataki – nice size portion, Tuna was perfectly rare on the inside and nicely seaseme’d on the outside. Yummy.

And the service was warm, friendly, and personable. The second night, our waitress from the first night totally remembered us – and told our wait person exactly how to get us what we wanted. I haven’t had that kind of service in – well – ever!

And prices were quite reasonable for a tourist locale – from just $17 to $30 dollars per person – in a setting you will never forget.

My kind of perfect place.

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Larkin's on the Lake on Foodio54