Category Archives: Dining

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

Imadake – Japanese Pub with style (and a lot of noise!)


Follower alert – I’m back in Montreal – but not for long… Next Stop – South Korea.

The Imadake is in a great location if you are doing the theatre at Dawson – and need a quick bite to eat, but heads up on the noise level. This is a pub – and the waiters encourage the customers to scream and yell each and every time they serve them. But noise level aside – the food was quite yummy.

We ordered a variety of the appetizer sized portions – the absolute best of which was the Miso Glazed Black Code. I mean – this was delicious. The Black code was perfectly cooked – white, tender, and tough to explain – actually juicy. I loved it.

2nd best were Takoyaki – or Octopus Balls. I mean who knew Octopus even had balls? Learn something new every day I say. These ‘balls’ were deep-fried and yummy. I liked the dipping sauce too.

Also ordered was Negibuta – pork belly slices wrapped around an entire green onion. My dining partner loved this dish, but I found difficult to eat. I wanted to bite it in half – but it’s hard to bite thru a green onion.

Definitely less thrilling were the Tempura Veggies (cut way to thick), and the Ponzu Beef Tenderloin. And last and clearly least thrilling were the Udon Noodles. I really didn’t care for the taste of these.

So – some winners, some losers, lots of noise, but very fast, and for the ‘in-crowd’ who were screaming and yelling – clearly a really good time was being had. Maybe not that great for seniors though. Just saying.

Imadake on Urbanspoon

Imadake - Japanese Pub on Foodio54

PF Chang – the Montreal Version – Not quite up to snuff. Sorry folks.


PF Chang – High end Franchise opens near me – cool, eh?

My first experience with PF Chang was in Florida – I was hungry – they were there. It worked out. I thought the restaurant was beautiful, and the food quite delicious. So I was very excited to discover that they were opening a branch right around the corner (sort of) from my office.

We eagerly planned our next luncheon to be there – and since we had lots to discuss, knew it would be long lunch. PF Chang was great on at least that aspect – we could sit as long as we liked, no problems. There were plenty of empty tables (not a good sign, eh?) – and we were tucked nicely into a corner where we were out of sight – out of mind. Perfect.

Unfortunately, that was the highlight. Well, that and the Signature lettuce wrap with chicken, mushrooms, green onions and water chestnuts. That was delicious. I was not really impressed with much else unfortunately. And I wanted to be – I really did.

I will give our waitress full credit for a nice try. She was extremely pleasant, and very well-informed on the menu – nope – the problems lay elsewhere.

We managed to confuse the kitchen by mixing up our order, one of us ordered the lunch special, the other 2 ordered a la carte. Shouldn’t have been an issue – but I guess the kitchen is still working out the kinks – the luncheon special main course arrived long, long before the rest of our order – to the embarrassment of our waitress. She apologized, but it ended up meaning that one of us ate a cool lunch that should have been hot. Better – just remove the dish, and take it back. By asking if it’s ok – you put the customer into complaint mode – and my friend felt awkward complaining.

My ‘main’ course was billed as Cold Ahi-tuna Slices with a mustard sauce – way too heavy on the sauce unfortunately – couldn’t taste the tuna at all. My friend who got convinced to order a chicken dish wasn’t exactly thrilled with hers either. And the cool instead of hot main course of my friend was never going to be right.

In comparing the menu we were offered in Montreal with the menu on the US website – I think part of the issue might be that the Canada franchise isn’t offering exactly the same things as the US version – at least the menu seemed quite different. I couldn’t even find my tuna dish on the US menu – good thing to be honest. It wasn’t great.

We ordered one desert to share – the Banana Spring Rolls with coconut pineapple ice cream. It was good – but not blow you away. They ‘under-drizzled’ the caramel and vanilla sauces in my opinion, at least I couldn’t taste them. The ice cream was so cold that you couldn’t taste the coconut and pineapple – and I thought the fried banana spring rolls were terribly rich. Not a bad thing for dessert of course, but I wasn’t thrilled.

So – lovely restaurant, nice waitress, some good, some not so good food. Can’t give PF Chang an A. Sorry people. Better luck next time.

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PF Chang on Foodio54

Enjoying the Flavors of north-east South Korea – The Jungang market of Sokcho


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Jungang market is described on the map as a ‘fairly famous conventional market’, but to my mind – it was the quintessential market of Korea. Just large enough to qualify as a market, but small enough to remember which stalls were where! I loved it.

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The market covers an area of roughly 4 city blocks – but it’s on 3 floors – we pretty much stuck to the main floor – which had at least one, and often 4 or more – examples of everything. For instance – there’s an awesomely delicious typical chicken dish here in Sokcho – Dak-gangleon – or deep-fried spicy chicken with a sweet sauce. It is finger-lick’n good. I’m no fan of KFC – but this stuff was amazing. The contrast between spicy and sweet was so good, I keep wondering how I can bring a box home to Montreal. There have to be at least two dozen stalls selling this stuff – each stall has it’s signature box, its deep fryers, its special sauce. But it doesn’t take a lot of mental effort to realize that the stall with the continuous lines is the one you want to buy from! We couldn’t figure out how the other guys stay in business, this one stall claimed so much of the ‘chicken’ shopping crowd!

But the Jungang Market isn’t just about chicken – it’s about fish and huge fruit and lots of other goodies!

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That’s a Giant Pacific Octopus – we saw live ones in the aquariums and in the fish tanks, and boxed ones like this one ready to be taken home for dinner. I can not even begin to imagine how they are caught – but they sure were huge!

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Speak of huge – look at the size of the apples (or is it a pear?). According to the son of the Intrepid Traveler, these fruits taste more like a pear than an apple – but regardless of taste – that’s a huge piece of fruit!

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That’s a chestnut – and yes – it’s the size of my fist. I tried some roasted from a vendor just inside the market gates – and they were some of the best I’ve ever tasted. Fresh, no bad spots, super sweet. The son of the Intrepid Traveler admitted that they were so good – he might even revise his opinion of chestnuts.

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So – if you keep the fish alive and in a tank – if they don’t get sold – you can toss in fish food – and sell them tomorrow. We saw Squid (above), flat fish we think were in the flounder family (below), and two of the huge fish with giant mouths – your guess is as good as mine on what kind of fish that is. I really wonder who will be brave enough to buy him – or his brother in the same tank…

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There were also giant red snow crabs (I snapped a picture of one trying to make a get-away – going from the fire into the frypan I think!).

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I’ve yet to taste one – even though the lower part of the market features stalls with grills – and apparently they will cook up your fancy up for you – no charge!

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Couldn’t resist the sock display – aren’t they adorable?

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The hit of the market was clearly young Sophie – at 3 months old she looks a lot like a tiny Buddha – and we never passed a grannie that didn’t come over to pinch her cheeks. They would even take her away from Chris to get an extra cuddle.

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I think Sophie showed great style and grace here – never fussing, never complaining – just taking in the oohs and ahs like it was her due!

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The delicious food options were virtually unlimited – there were fried veggies and fish – including shrimp that were battered and deep-fried with not only their shells on – but their heads! So definitely munch carefully.

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And for those of you wondering if their were veggie options – of course there were! Here’s what we think might have been cucumbers – or maybe they are squashes?

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We tended to stick to tomatoes and bean sprouts – at least we know what those were! And for just $1 = you got enough for at least 2 meals. Such a deal.

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Just outside the market – marking the entrance are two bronze statues. I did not care for the one of the bull – but the one with the fish really spoke to me of Sokcho, Fishing, and the hard life people in the area have had.

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Its only in recent years that this area has economically taken off – and Korea is putting in big money in infrastructure here, from sidewalks to proper highways. So if you are coming – come soon – or even the Jungang Market will be changed beyond recognition.

Signing off – The Intrepid Traveler and the Soup Lady

Amazing Mushrooms – and Great Looking Plastic Food!


I just can’t resist sharing these pictures with every one. We went to an eMart – which is the South Korean version of a Walmart – it was huge. One giant floor of just food stuffs – you name it – they sold it. I couldn’t resist taking pictures of the Mushroom options – just a few of the bigger bagged versions. I mean these mushrooms are sold by the gram in Montreal – if you can find them. Here they are sold in bulk. And they are huge. What are they feeding these guys – steroids? Amazing.

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Attached to the eMart was a korean style fast food restaurant. You looked at the models of the meals – and then gave the number you wanted to the hostess. When it was ready at one of the 5 or so stations around the room (each station was a different style of Korean cuisine) – you picked it up.

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Pretty yummy for an eMart meal I’ll tell you. Not the best food I’ve had in Korea, but think about it – under $5 per person – and these are meals – not hot dogs!

Speaking of which – they do hot dogs too!

Signing out – the Soup Lady and the intrepid Traveler