Nick and Nat’s Uptown 21

Nick and Nat's Uptown 21
21 King St. North
Waterloo, Ontario
(between Erb and Dupont St.)

Lunch 11:30AM - 2PM, Tuesday - Friday
Dinner 5PM - , Tuesday - Saturday

If my memory serves me right, Uptown 21 first opened its door December 2008. Both proprietors, the chef and the manager, were originally from Hannah’s Bella Bistro. The decor is mostly the same from the now defunct Salute with some personal touches; for example, a wall of shelves full of pickled vegetables jars.

Lunch items, all served with soup of your choice, salad or fries, range from $12 to $14. They also offer a three-course prix fixe option for $25. If you order dinner a la carte, it can easily add up to $50+ per person for a three-course meal, so the three-course ($35) or four-course ($45) prix fixe options are highly recommended. By the way, all prix fixe menus change daily.

Other than the “cider beer tempura of fresh tuna”, the idea “eat local” is heavily promoted. They even installed the supplier’s name plate on the kitchen range hood. I myself also side with the "eat local" concept so Uptown 21 certainly gains bonus points on this.

During one of our visits, we had the following items:

• Dinner four-course prix fixe (two options for each course).
• Foie gras of the day: foie gras poutine with truffle
• Cocktail, the Uptown

Cocktail:

the Uptown - vodka, red Alizé passion fruit liqueur, sparkling wine, grapefruit and cranberry juice

Normally I order the cocktail named after the restaurant (I believe many people would), mainly because I automatically assume that it should be the signature drink. The composition also looks good on paper - with the clean vodka backbone and a bit of fizz from the sparkling wine, the tartness of the grapefruit juice and cranberry juice should balance well with the Alizé passion fruit liqueur. RIGHT?

It was surprisingly flat.

The bland syrupy liqueur totally dominated the drink and made it taste artificial. The juice, probably from some concentrate mix, wasn't of much help either. This is one example of good concept with poor execution. If I were the owner/bartender, I would look into changing the name of the drink or fine-tuning it. Simply removing it from the menu would do, too.

The food, however, is a lot more interesting and packed with character.

We were tempted by the description of the foie gras of the day so we ordered it in addition to the four-course prix fixe. DON'T DO THAT! The portion of every course was generous. We should have scaled back to three-course prix fixe with that foie gras dish.

The foie gras of the day was foie gras poutine with truffle. The portion was generous; a big plate full of skinny crispy fries topped with brandy-glazed foie gras bits and truffle sauce. Brandy was not completely burned off so TripleQ, who rarely drinks, found it a bit overwhelming. I myself enjoyed this course very much. It was rich and flavorful, completely maxed out the "umami" meter (if there is one). Price-wise though, this is not your everyday comfort food.

We both ordered the four-course prix fixe menu. There were at least two options for each course so we ordered different items to maximize our sampling.

First courses:

• Crisp fried frog legs with an espresso-ancho dusting served with a radish and jalapeno salsa and chive sour cream

• House-made lamb and smoked boar chorizo with herbed crème fraiche and olive-basil pesto

The chorizo was quite lean. I don't remember TripleQ commenting on it.
The frog legs were over-fried so they weren't as juicy and tender as I expected. But it might just be the spice mix overpowering its delicate flavor. By the way, I wonder where they can get frog legs locally. I would love to get some.

Second courses:

• Cream of asparagus and fiddlehead soup

• Shaved asparagus, greens, aged goat cheese, toasted almonds and rhubarb chutney

I had the soup. With the distinctive asparagus flavor, it is something you either like it or you dislike it. The salad composition sounds appealing; however, TripleQ (again) quietly worked through it stoically. Something funny was going on in that dish: all the ingredients were obviously fresh and it was seasoned. Still, I didn’t feel the whole dish came together. Could it be proportions? Maybe some asparagus could have been treated differently (e.g., grilled) to add dimensions to the dish? Maybe the almonds could have been toasted a tad longer? A squeeze of lemon juice to spike the flavor? I watched TripleQ’s fork repeatedly poking and picking up each piece, with no intention to share/help. :p

Third courses:

• Moroccan style paella with dried fruit, almonds, and olive studded saffron rice simmered with fresh seafood and smoked garlic sauce

• Roasted duck breast fanned over crisp fried sage spatzle, fiddleheads, asparagus and duck confit finished with a sherry jus

Compared with the previous course, both options of the third course were extremely savory. The chef really managed to showcase the gamey side of duck meat. As for the paella, TripleQ was awfully quiet that night but this time I am sure he was just too busy (in eating) to talk. I have to admit that between the two, the paella wins the title of “the” comfort food.

Last courses (desserts):

• Goat cheese mousse with praline maple and a fresh doughnut
• Parfait of chocolate cake, chocolate gelato and a rhubarb strawberry compote

The doughnut was really cute sitting in the glass. It won't be fair for me to comment on the taste since I am not a big fan of goat cheese, and the goat cheese had a strong presence in that dish! As for the dessert I had, at first I was just ok with the chocolate cake dessert. The more I dug into it, the more nostalgic I felt. It is just like the brownie with strawberry syrup I had as a kid when dining out with parents. I don’t know why but all of sudden I thought of the scene in the movie “Ratatouille”, when the food critic dropped his spoon and had his childhood flashbacks after he sampled Remy’s ratatouille. (And coincidentally, I write restaurant reviews just like that mean food critic!)

Now let’s recap all the dishes we had for the night:
- Crisp fried frog legs with an espresso-ancho dusting served with a radish and jalapeno salsa and chive sour cream
- House-made lamb and smoked boar chorizo with herbed crème fraiche and olive-basil pesto
- Cream of asparagus and fiddlehead soup
- Shaved asparagus, greens, aged goat cheese, toasted almonds and rhubarb chutney
- Moroccan style paella with dried fruit, almonds, and olive studded saffron rice simmered with fresh seafood and smoked garlic sauce
- Roasted duck breast fanned over crisp fried sage spatzle, fiddleheads, asparagus and duck confit finished with a sherry jus
- Goat cheese mousse with praline maple and a fresh doughnut
- Parfait of chocolate cake, chocolate gelato and a rhubarb strawberry compote
It is quite obvious that today’s (vegetable) feature of the day were asparagus and fiddlehead. The chef also had a good supply of goat cheese and a huge jar of rhubarb handy.

Eating local, sustainable produce is a good cause. A chef earns my respect instantly if he/she is willing to source local sustainable products plus changing menus daily. For the level of work he/she has to go through, it takes tremendous determination! But will I go to a restaurant simply based on those factors? Food is meant to be enjoyed after all. If I have to eat so righteously (or shall we say, politically correct?), I find it a bit hard to swallow.

In my opinion, a customer will likely return if 1) food is good; 2) service makes you feel right at home; 3) dirt cheap; 4) no where else to go (luckily #4 is rarely the case in KW). As an independent business determined to provide quality food, it's understandable that #3 is out of question for Uptown 21. Also, it might be quite a stretch to achieve #2 since the service we received wasn't that memorable (on a not-so-busy night). So the deciding factor to attract returning customers for Uptown 21 will be squarely on #1. Both TripleQ and I feel that some items could have turned out better, with more experience and polish. We'd rather see a well sought-after seasonal menu. If it's too boring, make it weekly.

Although we hope that all restaurants thrive in KW, Uptown 21 is definitely one of the few that we really want them to stay. I always enjoy dining at a bistro - small operation with quality (local) food. A place you know you can always take your friends to which is not uptight, yet the food can satisfy any self-acclaimed foodie.

Every city should have at least one of those gathering places, and Uptown 21 has the potential to be one for Uptown Waterloo.

Loire Casual Gourmet

119 Harbord Street
Toronto, Ontario

Once in a (very long) while we're able to get away and venture into the big city of Toronto to sample the latest culinary trends. Sadly, it seems that the era of fine dining in Toronto is coming to a close with many high end establishments falling victim to the shrinking expense accounts (and employment, for that matter) of bankers and financiers. So far, we in Kitchener-Waterloo seem to be holding up fairly well, and as long as people keep buying Blackberries it seems this town will do okay.

Rising from ashes are a number of new restaurants that focus on a somewhat lower price point, but still emphasize high quality ingredients, good service, and sophisticated flavours and cooking techniques. We visited one such place a few weeks ago, Loire Casual Gourmet. Rated one of the top new restaurants of 2008 by Toronto Life, we figured it was worth a visit and would be much more affordable than the remaining high end spots.

The restaurant is tucked in a quiet corner away from the shadows of the banking towers, along a street brimming with good restaurants. It has a very neighbourhoody feel to it, and we immediately felt at home as Sylvain (sommelier and owner) led us to our table. Being there for a late afternoon weekday lunch, the place was very quiet but the phone was ringing off the hook for dinner reservations, so there certainly seems to be a buzz about the place.

We started out with a selection of charcuterie ($15), the trendy menu item that is popping up on restaurants everywhere. Essentially cured meats, this plate contained pork rillette (the jar of a pate like substance - meat cooked in fat and meant to be used as a spread on the bread). Very delicious, as anything with lots of pork fat generally is. Moving clockwise we had some cornichon (french pickle) with frisée, proscuitto, and cubed apples. Next was the most delicious item on the plate, a homemade maple and tarragon mustard. The balance of the flavours was simply perfect. Finally, at the bottom of the picture was a chicken liver pate. This was incredibly smooth and rich and literally melted in our mouths. Overall everything was superb, but this dish is definitely not for calorie counters or those with clogged arteries.

The other appetizer was a goat cheese topped with pistachios and arugula salad ($13). The goat cheese with pistachios was a great combination, but the salad and dressing wasn't terribly memorable.

For my main, I had the braised pulled-pork sandwich ($14). It was served on multigrain bread with carmelized apples. On the side was a chipolte mayo and home fries. The pork was very tender and moist, especially when combined with the juicy apples. The fries were very finely cut, and mostly crisp, but some where a little soggy. The mayo was nice but wasn't very heavy on the chipolte, and enough was provided that you could easily put on some weight if you finished it all. The execution was very good, but the plate lacked a little green - both visually and for taste balance.

Sapphire had the Lake Erie white fish with mung-bean carrot ragu, chinese greens (bok choy) and blood orange yogurt ($19). The fish skin was crisp (nicely presented facing up so it would remain so!) and the flesh was tender. It had that grassy/earth taste that is distinct to some fresh water fish, but not overpoweringly so. The combination was interesting -- certainly not something I would have come up with myself -- but didn't click as a whole to make it an exceptional dish.

We shared two desserts - one was the pecan tart with honey-thyme roasted pear puree and butterscotch gelato ($9) and the other a lemongrass-ginger crème brûlée with a mini coconut cake ($9). The tart was very sweet and probably would have gone better with a less sweet gelato. I felt the need to drink something between every bite, but perhaps I'm just getting old and can't hold my sugar like I used to be able to. The crème brûlée was also very strongly flavoured but nice, and the coconut cake was perfectly toasted and full of intense coconut flavour.

Service was friendly and prompt, although with only 3-4 four tables it was not especially difficult for Sylvain to service all the tables by himself.

I would have to agree with Toronto Life that this place has great potential. While the dishes are not at the extreme high end of cuisine, it is certainly a restaurant that is suitable for the current times. A more down to earth, friendly dinner spot with good quality, well executed bistro fair. Contrast this with Splendido -- which we coincidentally visited recently as well -- just a couple of blocks down the road. This was a place for the pre-bailout era and as a result, it is undergoing a reinvention of itself to compete with with more affordable places. Here at Loire, the title casual gourmet fits perfectly.

Benjamin's Restaurant & Inn

Benjamin's Restaurant & Inn
1430 King St. North
St. Jacobs, Ontario N0B 2N0

Benjamin's Restaurant and Inn is located at the north end of "downtown" St Jacobs. Although I never quite understand why St Jacobs attracts so many tourists, it is indeed a small pretty town. There are unique shops and studios, and plants in the planters are so perfect they almost look unreal. Most of the restaurants, if not all, in St Jacobs are along the King Street. They range from casual to formal, with Benjamin Restaurant sitting on the higher end.

I have to admit that I was slightly reluctant to set my foot into Benjamin's the first time. For some reason I thought it was a place more suited for the tourists than the locals, with so-so food, slow service, not-so-friendly staff and worn (but charming in some people's eyes) settings. I'd rather wait in the long line to get in the Stone Crock Restaurant. Good thing that I gave it (and myself) a chance. We've been there several times after my first visit.

The following notes were taken during our recent visits:

The bread is in general nice and moist. Normally we are offered the sliced multigrain variety but occasionally we get bread with vegetable bits (zucchini maybe?) in it.

Calamari- lemon thyme marinated calamari tubes, gilled over open flame, accompanied w q truffled greens salads and an orange vanilla aioli

They did an outstanding job of grilling the calamari; it had great texture. Not like it is that difficult to get it right - fresh squid and a quick grill will do, but you'll be surprised how few restaurants offer this light and healthy item. However, I didn't taste much truffle in the salad. Also, the orange vanilla aioli seemed out of place; it goes better with the deep-fried calamari.

We've tried scallops prepared in different ways. Although they never overcooked our scallops, the dishes didn't seem to reach their full potential. This might sound abstract but I can explain why.

Grilled jumbo sea scallops basted with sesame soya glaze accompanied by tamarind noodle salad and mango oil.
Sea scallops: grilled scallops over nuttery spheghetti squash w pancetta crisp n roasted tomato n smoked paprika coulis

Like the grilled calamari, the texture of the scallops was good. But the excellence stopped there. In the noodle salad dish, the scallops were slightly under-seasoned. The concept of tamarind and mango is great but I couldn't taste either in that dish. The scallops with squash, pancetta and roasted tomatoes sound wonderful as a fall/winter dish. In reality the depth and smokiness were missing. The tomatoes weren't roasted enough to compete with other ingredients; they weren't refreshing enough to cut through the grease either. The smoky paprika coulis, which was supposed to envelop the dish with big bold flavor, was also lacking. After the initial tasting my only thought was, "Why?" Why is every ingredient reasonably prepared but they just don't form a nice dish when put together?

It seems all the dishes we had at Benjamin's suffer from the same shortfalls. The grilled elk chops or lamb chops were succulent but not quite memorable. And it's not like no attention was given to the sides. Once we had fresh corn shoots sprinkled on our mains. It isn't a common ingredient and I definitely appreciate the thought of showcasing the local produce. However, its flavour was so unique and intense that it didn't quite get along with the rest of the dish. I understand how hectic and unpredictable it is being in the kitchen but it will take more work on tweaking the flavours and better execution to bring Benjamin's to the level of sophistication it (intends to) be.

Having said that, food in general is still quite enjoyable. The service is always friendly though slow at times. And the place does have a homey, country feel to it which makes it good for tourists and locals alike to feel welcome in St Jacobs.

Wildcraft

Wildcraft
425 King St. North
Waterloo, Ontario N2J 2Z5

It's almost impossible not to have a huge buzz surrounding the opening of this new restaurant. With a lavish new building that catches your eyes even in the middle of the cold, dark winter, the veterans behind Charcoal Steak House and del Dente are attempting to bring a new upscale dining experience north (or is that west?) into Waterloo. We had high expectations for this place, and while it met most of them, there were some disappointments. Until the menu was posted recently on their website, I had hoped for a more adventurous culinary experience. Alas, the Widemans know their target market too well and brought "American comfort food" to town using a fairly standard menu with few twists. I suspect this approach will maximize their bottom line without taking many risks.

The interior was designed by Cricket Design who did a fabulous job creating a warm, inviting atmosphere which hits on all the latest mainstream design trends. A soaring facade of stonework towers over a huge fireplace. Dark tones and warm colours make you feel like you're relaxing in someone's family room. Trendy dogwood and tall grasses accent the walls. Contemporary drum shade lamps, chandeliers and sconces soften the mood with dim lighting. All of this is anchored by a huge two storey glass encased wine cellar that highlights the highest margin items in the house.

I reserved our dinner online at OpenTable.com (very handy) for a Thursday night about one week after the restaurant opened. We arrived to a packed front lobby but were still greeted very promptly by the hostess team who took our jackets and found our reservation quickly. Even though the restaurant was only open for a week, the service was well above our expectations with only a few minor glitches. Other new restaurants opening should take note - iron out your service before opening, bad first impressions take a lot of effort to correct.

We were brought water quickly, although no drink order was taken at this time and this caused our bread, drinks and appetizers to eventually arrive at the same time. This was really the only quirk in service which otherwise was very friendly and efficient. Even while Wildcraft is advertised as "casual upscale", there were some nice high end touches such as having napkins refolded after leaving your seat.

First up were the sirloin skewers. This was my favourite dish of the night, even though it wasn't perfect. The beef had a fantastic rich, savoury taste, dusted with walnuts and just a hint of heat. Normally I prefer my beef on the rare side, but even though these were cooked through the texture was fine. Three of the five skewers were perfect, but the other two had a fair amount of chewy gristle. The chili orange aioli that accompanied it didn't quite complement the flavours by virtue of being too sweet.

Our other appetizer was the roasted wild mushroom soup. This was a puree of five mushrooms (portobello, shiitake, oyster, button and porcini), topped with some fresh enoki mushrooms and a healthy dose of white truffle oil. The truffle aroma was almost overwhelming at first, but added a rich earthiness to the dish. A great dish for the winter. In the background of the photo you might be able to make out salt and pepper grinders. They've dispensed with the "would you like some fresh ground pepper?" routine which was not missed - usually I'd expect the chef to properly season the dishes, and if not, I'd like to taste it first before deciding if it needs more spicing up.

For my main course, I had the seared ahi tuna. It had a nice crust of pepper, fennel and coriander seed and was evenly and properly seared. The flavour of the fish was a little plain and almost watery, especially when contrasted with the heavy spice crust. A nice ponzu sauce made up for the lack of taste though. The julienned vegetables was a little heavy on the onions and pepper. They were seated atop a bed of jasmine tea scented rice. The fish wasn't quite sushi grade, or at least it wasn't trimmed to sushi standards since there were some stringy bits of membrane running through a couple pieces.

G had the ricotta ravioli, a hearty portion of huge ravioli in a roasted pepper sauce. The sauce was quite sharp, but when matched with the rapini (hidden underneath) it was fine. The ravioli were stuffed very full with ricotta and herbs and were quite satisfying.

For dessert we shared the cranberry maple tart. It was a nice pairing of very sweet chai syrup and tart cranberries with a pecan crust. On the side was some whipped cream and nice candied ginger. G enjoyed this dessert very much. Normally she avoids this kind of desserts because they tend to be overly sweet. Nonetheless, a scoop of vanilla ice cream would go better with the tart than the whipped cream; that blob of white mass was really out of place.

Overall, the quality of the food and service were top notch, especially considering how new the restaurant is. The menu isn't quite as exciting as I had hoped. Starters include a few soups and salads ($5-$7). Some more interesting appetizers ($9-$17) include the sirloin skewers ($10.95), warm goat cheese ($8.95) or short rib quesadillas ($8.95). They have an offering of thin crust pizzas called flatbreads for around $10. Entrées are pretty standard and range from $13 for the W burger to $35 for the veal porterhouse. The list includes a few steaks, pork tenderloin, chicken breast, rack of lamb, salmon, seared tuna, a vegetarian stir fry and a couple of pasta dishes. You can also jack up your bill by adding some sides à la steakhouses - mushrooms, peppercorn sauce, shrimp skewers or fries ($4-$6).

Desserts are all made in house, and kudos to them for doing so. It's all too common these days to find the dessert menu stacked with Dufflet pastries. Again there was nothing surprising on the menu, which includes crème brûlée, cheesecake, chocolate torte, fruits, cheeses and gelato. I think the cranberry maple tart we had was the most original item.

Total for the evening was just under $100 including tax and tip. One bottle of sparkling water and no alcoholic beverages were consumed.

Finally, I couldn't resist a picture of the washroom. Trendy trough sinks and some gratuitous LCD TVs. The men's washroom had little instructions on the faucets, but the ladies did not. What kind of statement are they trying to make?

Rundles Restaurant

Rundles Restaurant
9 Cobourg St.
Stratford, Ontario N5A 3E4

This is another review which seemed to take forever to complete. The menu we had was way back in the summer/fall season so for sure the menu has changed now. In fact, the restaurant might not even open at this time; many restaurants in Stratford are closed between December and March.

One thing holding me back from completing the review, other than my pure laziness, was the "overall" experience. Don't get me wrong, we did NOT experience anything unpleasant. The food was fantastic. The wait staff seemed a little nervous and unpolished but it's still better than bad attitude. I can't explain why I feel so. Maybe the answer will eventually surface.

When we made the reservation, we were told (by the answering machine) to leave our info then they would call back to confirm our reservation. Interesting. How are they going to "confirm" our reservation if there's no table available? Being "old-fashioned" people like us (who prefer to talk to a real person than an answering machine), we called few times during 8pm and 11pm and eventually left a message and got response the next day around 10am. We assume this is arranged so their dining service won't be compromised during their operation hours.

The restaurant, along with the house, has been featured in various interior design and gourmet media publications. The frontage of the building is very narrow. There was a small, not very well-groomed English garden at the front entrance. Normally you would expect a sleek contemporary garden to go with such modern design. But the garden might be the owner's way of saying, "I'm on vacation, just make yourself comfortable."

We were somehow disappointed with menu offering (smaller selection due to Sunday). The menu was identical to what was posted on their website, and they were out of skate wing. The food, however, was the highlight of the night.

We had a cocktail called Tampico and sparkling water throughout the meal. From its description on the menu, Tampico is a long drink consisting of campari, cointreau, tonic and splash of lemon juice.

Amuse bouche: pea mint sorbet
The amuse bouche was served on a spoon. Great balance. Pea puree/sorbet was delicate, with just right amount of mint and citrus juice to wake up your palate. It was divine. In comparison, the bread was fresh and good but not as memorable.

Appetizer #1: ROASTED GOLDEN and RED BEETROOT and fresh sheep’s milk cheese, with walnut and sherry vinaigrette.
Appetizer #2: SMOKED RAINBOW TROUT with green apples, guacamole, Peruvian pepper vinaigrette, and tomatillo gazpacho.
Both items utilized the ring mold extensively. Smoked trout was smokier than I expected (in a good way) but the combination of tomatillo and guacamole was a bit overpowering. The contrast created great impact in the first few bites but the whole dish wasn't that interesting afterwards. On the other hand, the beet appetizer was a superb dish. Fine cubes of color were packed by the ring mold, like a jewelry box covered with semi-precious stones. Each vegetable cube retained its unique flavor yet they all harmonize as a whole. Every bite was like a treasure hunt for taste buds. Vegetables rarely taste THAT good. Naturally we both wanted to have more of the beet appetizer; however, J was the one ordering it originally, leaving me no choice but to peck at the smoked trout appetizer.

Main #1: GRILLED SIRLOIN and BRAISED BREAST OF LAMB with roasted red onions and black trumpet mushroom sauce.
The sirloin was tasty and exceptionally moist. The braised lamb didn't taste "lamby" but it tasted good and straightforward. The potato puree was the smoothest we've ever had. At the end it just blended into the jus.

Main #2: CRISP, SUCCULENT CONFIT OF DUCK with garlic sausage, and a cassolette of seasonal vegetables.
I found the garlic duck sausage was a bit strong and out of place. It tasted nice by itself but there was no coherence between the duck confit and the sausage. The coherence issue didn't stop me from loving the dish - it was the best duck confit I have ever had. The skin was crispy and the meat was absolutely tender and moist; clearly it was done over a long period of time. No rush in the process. This is how duck confit should be like. Period.

Dessert #1: CANADIAN, UNPASTEURIZED MILK CHEESES with walnut and raisin bread
Dessert #2: GLAZED LEMON TART and orange sorbet
I really enjoyed the variety of cheese. With walnut and raisin bread, it really tasted like a dessert. J also enjoyed his lemon tart.

J and I discussed about this restaurant. One word we could come up is "Eclectic", to the extent that the restaurant might suffer identity crisis. The menu is somehow limited and it doesn’t seem to be updated frequently; however, the food is fantastic. The wait staff will fluff the down seat cushions if we leave the seat during the meal but they seemed inexperienced in handling plates and responding to customers. The service wasn’t the formal type but the staff wasn’t as welcoming as you would expect from a bistro. The restaurant enjoys lots of media buzz over the years but its wait staff isn’t snub or polished, although people around us did look well-cultured with big disposable income. As we are confused by the personalities of this restaurant, we inevitably discuss "how much are we willing to spend dining at a restaurant like Rundles”. There's never a definite answer on this question but in this case it is extraordinarily difficult.

Janet Lynn's Bistro

Janet Lynn's Bistro
92 King St. South
Waterloo, Ontario N2J 1P5

Back when I was a student at UW, Janet Lynn's was often quoted to me as Waterloo's top restaurant, both in terms of price and quality. It was a place where I heard you could blow hundreds of dollars on a single meal. That seemed like a ridiculous amount of money to spend on food to me and a decadent waste. So during my last work term, I was asked where I wanted to go for an end of term lunch, I jokingly suggested Janet Lynn's and was a bit surprised when my boss agreed and had already booked us a table there. I deserved this?

I remember my first experience there, struggling with the dinner plate sized flat bread propped up vertically between a few pieces of foccacia. Was I supposed to put it down on its side? Butter or not? Was it even possible to gracefully break off an appropriately sized portion without it shattering? To this day it still confounds me and probably gives the wait staff nightmares.

Bread mechanics aside, Janet Lynn's has maintained it's reputation as one of Waterloo's top restaurants over the years. However, many other places in the region have either opened up or moved up in both price and quality so it's no longer in the rarified air that I remembered it as a student. G and I have had the occasion to dine there a few times since my first visit, each one marked by consistent professional service, high quality ingredients and preparation. The menu is by no means innovative, but lends a certain familiar feeling that probably draws back their many regular customers. The best description I can give it is fine dining comfort food. The list of mains would be at home in any upscale bistro and includes pork tenderloin, sirloin, BBQ corn fed chicken, Black Angus beef, rack of lamb, duck two ways, and lobster. Of course with a more gourmet flair in the description of each item. Even the starters are fairly generic, consisting of lobster bisque, quail salad, calamari, hot and sour soup, smoked salmon, and of course fois gras.

Our most recent visit, we started with the grilled jumbo quail with sweet corn salsa, tomatoes and pine nut salad. The quail was fine, if not a little difficult to get at all the meat. The salad was a little too sharp in contrast between the corn and tomato, but the pine nuts were a nice touch to add some textural interest.

For my main dish I had one of the specials, Thai marinated ribs with asian pasta and julienned vegetables. As expected, everything was cooked perfectly - the ribs were meaty, moist and tender. The Asian pasta was a little heavy on the vinegary dressing which made it a bit of a struggle to make it through the generous portions. G had the roasted garlic and fennel seeds marinated rack of lamb with herb tomato vinaigrette gnocchi. Rack of lamb is G's litmus test of a decent restaurant, as we know from first hand experience that it can be difficult to tone back the harsh lamb taste while finding some interesting flavours which do not include rosemary or mint. Janet Lynn's passed with flying colours here - no complaints. The gnocchi was also very good, making us appreciate proper cooking techniques with this item. The portion size was very generous with 7 ribs arranged in a little tepee over the gnocchi. A real bargain compared to the 3-4 ribs you'd normally be served. We skipped dessert since there was nothing that caught our eye amongst the cheesecake, creme brulee and cakes.

What I've come to appreciate most from Janet Lynn's is the professional level of service. For business lunches, they are prompt and unobtrusive. For dinners the servers have always been able to find the appropriate level of engagement, whether you're on a casual dinner or an eye-gazing romantic affair. I'll never forget one of our first dates when we were seated at a corner table. We were obviously out together for the evening, and when it came time for dessert we ordered two separate ones. The kitchen sent it out on a single plate together with a couple of heart shaped cookies. It was at that time we knew we were in love.

Total cost for the most recent dinner was $104 including tax and tip, but without wine or dessert.

Peter Martin's 20 King

Peter Martin's 20 King
45 King St. West
Kitchener, Ontario

We visited 20 King several times, even before they moved to the current location. I refused to go back after one visit few months ago. One of us ordered Chef's special, the first two courses came with identical garnishes. I understand how hectic it could be in the kitchen but HE~~~LLO! It is chef's special. What kind of creativity does it show in those dishes?

To make the long story short, we visited 20 King again. The menu is standard yet extensive...striploin, lamb, red deer shortloin, osso bucco, duck, capon, salmon...pretty much things you expect from a decent high-end restaurant. Speaking of the word "high-end", the price tag on food is quite steep in K-W standard; the price for a main dish ranges from $26 to $39. the lunch and dinner menus seem to be updated every season. You can always check out their website for the current versions of the menus.

I had a sourtini and we shared St Pellegrino throughout the dinner. We shared the Almond Shrimp as appetizer. For main courses, J had Red Deer Shortloin and I had Duck Two Ways.

Sourtini - pomegranate liqueur, watermelon liqueur, raspberry sour, shaken.
Almond Shrimp - black tiger tempura coated with slivered almonds, served with edamame hummus and lemon vinaigrette.
Red Deer Shortloin – served with creamy risotto, honey-preserved chanterelles, jus.
Duck two ways - confit leg, smoked breast, braised Napa cabbage, Yukon gold mashed and blackberry jus.

The cocktail wasn't the most exciting drink in the world; I expected the refreshing, pungent flavor from pomegranate liqueur and raspberry sour but the drink was just plain sweet. I guess it is meant to be a (typical) girly drink.

The almond shrimp was very sophisticated. The fluffy tempura batter, the crunchy slivered almonds and the juicy shrimp reminded me why we visited this restaurant several times. (After all, I only criticized the garnish and creativity, not the food itself.) The shrimp was served with edamame hummus and lemon vinaigrette, a relatively safe/conservative choice. I don't remember much about the deer shortloin, at least nothing I disliked. As for the duck two ways, it was another classic combination – duck with fruity jus. The smoked breast was thinly sliced while the leg was served whole. Both were tasty. I think the smoked duck breast with greens will also make very good duck salad.

The service was on the slow side. But it was clearly due to lack of manpower (both at the front and in the kitchen). We got a bottle of sparking water on the house because we waited a long time for the main courses. Note: we got the free bottle of sparking water not because we complained or anything; we just looked around and wondered where our food was. In terms of service, it was a nice touch.

It is hard for me to describe the unique characters of 20 King. It is not traditional nor conservative; however, it is not exactly innovative or French-Asian fusion either. The most appropriate word I can think of is "classy", the food is quite sought-after – rich, polished and somehow predictable. It won't really wow you but the menu can stay for few years without being outdated. With the limited resources (based on what we observed that day), that is quite an accomplishment. I am still having slight issue with the garnish though…does it really require THAT much water cress (as garnish) in certain dishes?

Langdon Hall

Langdon Hall
1 Langdon Drive
Cambridge, Ontario N3H 4R8

Langdon Hall is a special restaurant in our memories; we went to this restaurant the day J proposed to me. There have been different chefs since then (e.g. Chef Shantz left Langdon Hall and opened his own restaurant, Verses). the current chef Jonathan Gushue started in November 2005, he previously worked at Truffles (at the Four Seasons Toronto). After checking out the sample menus posted on their website, we decided to revisit the restaurant.

Many people will probably be impressed by the grandness of Longdon Hall especially if that is the first time they see the building. It is not about the size of the building, but the soaring white columns with red bricks, dark front door and a formal yet casual, immaculate landscape. The staff is all polite and soft-spoken, the maitre'd has a sense of drama and our waiter has French accent. He seemed a bit distant, hopefully not because we didn't order any wine to start (After thinking about the case of wine sitting in our basement, we really couldn't bring ourselves to order more wine).

We ordered San Pellegrino to share, I had Campari and tonic. The amuse bouche was breaded goat cheese with tomato cumin puree, pine nuts arugula puree. This little chef's treat immediately won my heart. Goat cheese is never my thing. I had breaded chevre cheese somewhere else, it was...I'd rather not think about. Not that amuse bouche. The goat cheese wasn't overly strong, and each type of puree/dressing was very distinct. It definitely served its purpose (as a means to wake up the taste buds).

For appetizers, I had Digby scallop and champagne vichyssoise with Granny smith apple poached scallop hudson bay caviar. We don't normally see restaurants specifically label the origins of their supplies on the menu, but that is definitely a beautiful dish to show case Canadian ingredients. I just wish I had a video camera with me at that time so I could capture how this dish was served. The scallop was thinly sliced and placed in the centre of the plate. Apples were cubed in the size of (roughly) 0.5 cm x 0.5 cm x 0.5 cm and evenly scattered on the plate, along with the caviar. When the vichyssoise (which btw, is a fancy way of saying "chilled potato and leek soup") was slowly poured in the plate from a pitcher, the green apple bits and charcoal caviar started to float in the milky white liquid. It was aesthetically stunning! The taste was just equally pleasant. The scallop was very tender and fresh (in fact, I think it was raw), the subtle yet delicate champagne flavor lightened the body. Occasionally I "caught" a fish egg which generated instant burst of saltiness and richness. Without the apples, the soup might be too rich to finish. J had Dungeness crab tortellini with sweat pea sauce sherry dupuy lentils shellfish vinaigrette. It was delicious but not as interesting as the vichyssoise.

J had fennel crusted Provimi veal tenderloin with ruby beet and truffle puree, sweet pea ravioli, pistachio jus as main. At first we were slightly concerned that the fennel might overpower the veal but it turned out pretty well. In fact, fennel and truffle actually make good combination. Veal was tender as it "should" (after the appetizers, the expectation was high : p). I had Eversprings farm muscovy duck breast hazelnut crust confit leg with Girolle mushrooms (Chanterelle?) and tomato ragout, citrus jus. Another dish well-done! The duck was moist, skin was crispy. The vegetables and citric flavor counterbalanced the rich, savory duck, making it a nice summer dish. We didn't have dessert. There wasn't anything we particularly wanted to try. (Also we had desserts we made the day before still being chilled in our fridge.) Overall, it was a great experience.

Langdon Hall is well-known as a SPA resort. In terms of dining experience, it is a hidden gem in the tri-city area. The evening we went there, our car was the only one from this area (judging by the license plates, many guests were either from great Toronto area or from the States). We will try their Sunday brunch or afternoon tea some other time.

Kristoria

Kristoria (Closed)
104 Surrey St. East
Guelph, Ontario

We visited Kristoria (French Fine Dining) quite a few months ago but were never inspired enough about it to write up the review. Not that it wasn't any good - it was - but just that it lacked anything that stood out, good or bad. So after procrastinating over this like that Masters thesis that never gets finished because there's no real deadline except for that nagging feeling hanging over your head for months, here it is.

Located in the heart of downtown Guelph, this restaurant occupies a tiny renovated old house. The walls are painted a deep, trendy red that matches the iterminably slow website, offset by dark woods and crispy white linens. The place was quite small and held 10 tables, tops. The place wasn't full but we did manage to overhear most conversations without too much difficulty.
I vaguely remembered reading that a tasting menu was available, so after perusing the a la carte menu and not finding anything that jumped out at us, we ventured to ask for a tasting. After the dishes started coming out, we started to realize that this wasn't of those tasting menus that the chef makes up on the spot daily, but it was just items off the menu that the chef chose for us. Oh. Well, not a terrible thing since we ended up getting more courses then we would have normally for a cheaper price, but someowhat disappointing since it lacked the creativity I always hope for from a tasting menu.

Overall the food was very good in a very traditional french preparation and the presentation. There was no pretense of 'fusion' or trying to venture into the new frontiers of fine dining. The style was classic french cuisine, as suggested by the restaurant's subtitle. Service was friendly and the wait staff seemed very genuine, if a little bit unpolished. Understandable seeing as the place had only been open for a few months.

Note this was awhile ago so I present to you our tasting menu without much comment. Also, much of the menu has been changed (as with any decent place).

First course - Thrice braised pressed pork belly with honey, star anise, and a korean pear salad.
Can't be disappointed with braised pork belly, unless they try somehow to make it healthy or something, which they didn't.

Second course - Lobster bisque with truffle foam (tiny little serving but still delicious) and lobster profiteroles and vanilla aioli (not the best combination, plus the lobster was overpowered by the rest of the dish).

Main course - Organic roasted guniea fowl with star anise and fig sauce. Side of carrots and asparagus wrapped in proscuitto. Great winter dish - rich, warm and hearty.

Cheese course - Chevre goat cheese with capers, berries and truffle oil. G doesn't like goat cheese so they happily brought out an alternative which was a nice touch.

Dessert - Tahatian vanilla bean creme brulee - classic, very rich vanilla flavour but overly sweet.

Finally, the bill came with two small scoops of chocolate sorbet. After the huge meal we were too stuffed to appreciate it, plus it was a little too sweet for a sorbet. Including a glass of wine, the total with tax and tip came to $140. A bargain for the amount of great food we ate. We'd probably return more often if it wasn't so far away from Waterloo.

Sole Restaurant and Wine Bar

Sole
83 Erb St. West
Waterloo, Ontario N2L 6C2

If you want to go to a restaurant which provides relatively good food yet with casual atmosphere, try Sole. In the tri-city area there are several restaurants which fit in those criteria, but try Sole if you haven't.

Sole has been around for a while; the first time I visited this restaurant was back in year 2000. Some menu items come and go (e.g. Espresso-crusted rack of lamb) but nothing drastic. In "the early days", when I tried to convince friends to go to Sole instead of East Side Mario's, my reasoning was that we could get much better food by spending just a little bit more. I am not sure if I can still say it today; it is about $10-15 for an appetizer, $6 for soup, around $10 for single serving of pizza, $15-20 for pasta and $20-45 for main dishes.

The best deal you can get, other than free bread and olive oil dip, is probably their pizza. It’s around $10 for an 8” pizza. You can also get a custom-made one by selecting your own toppings. Occasionally we’ll see pizza dough flying and spinning in the air, which leads me to believe that their pizza is freshly made. My favorite is Sole Pizza – wild mushrooms, prosciutto, parmesan, mozzarella, garlic and oregano.

Some of the appetizers are quite divine. The calamari is nicely fried and seasoned, surrounded by abundant greens. Any greasiness from the deep-fry cooking is washed away by the fruity aioli. With a glass of white or a blonde beer, great for a lazy summer afternoon. I always remember the first time I had the tomato and cheese salad at Sole. Sliced tomatoes and mozzarella were placed alternately on the plate with few basil leaves, drizzled w/ extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It was so simple, yet so delicious. Funny I never ordered it again; maybe just not sure if I will still feel the same way.

During our recent visit to Sole, I had "Cam-tini" to start, Lobster bisque blue crab dumplings brandy cream and the feature pasta – linguini pasta oregano cream sauce with sautéed tuna, baby clams, olives, arugula and tomatoes. J had spinach salad with walnuts, cantaloupe and goat cheese as appetizer and osso bucco (in truffle infused mushroom consomme, gnocchi).
The “Cam-tini” contains Campari, Skyy vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice and splash of lemon juice. In my dictionary, Campari martini should be ONLY fully-chilled Campari and vodka served with ice in a frosted glass (martini or collins), maybe just a wee bit of club soda (or sparking water) for the fizz. But I must say Sole’s version is nice too.

I wasn’t loving the bisque I ordered; it was on the watery side. Also, the crab dumpling was cold. The pasta was on the salty side but nice. We are so used to tuna raw to medium-rare; we found it quite interesting that the stir-fried tuna can taste very meaty (its texture is almost like beef). By the way, if you can’t make up your mind on what to order at Sole, it’s always a safe bet to order pasta or pizza. I only sampled the candied walnuts from J’s salad; I still can’t take goat cheese. The meat in osso bucco was tender and the consommé had very distinct truffle flavor (even there was no sight of shaved truffle). We would probably enjoy it more in the winter time.

As a dessert fanatic, I have tried many desserts at Sole – tartufo, cheesecake in various flavors, tira misu and crème brulee. It is always nice to have a cappuccino and dessert to wrap up the meal. I stop ordering crème brulee after they burned my crème brulee…twice; the sugar in the center was black-brown (the color is quite far from “caramel”). It still tastes good but some people might not enjoy it.

Overall, food at Sole is good. It’s been around for several years and we rarely run into mediocre dishes. The service might be slow at times but they are at least friendly. It is probably the consistent quality (in food and service) which keeps us going back.

Hannah's Bella Bistro

Hannah's Bella Bistro (Closed)
4 King St. North
Waterloo, Ontario N2J 1W7

We went to the old Hannah's long time ago. All I remember is that the scallops were done properly – a thin caramelized crust outside and juicy tender inside. But for some reason the experience wasn't good enough to keep us going back. With their new location and new menu, we decide to give it a try.

For appetizers, J had Brazilian beer shrimp and I ordered Calamari caliente. The tiger shrimp was swimming in clear beer broth. The flavor of the shrimp and the broth was subtle yet tasty. Alas! The watercress was overpowering. It would have been nice if there was only one small sprig of watercress. (But it wouldn't look good on the plate, would it?) The calamari was coated w/ cornmeal, dusted w/ chipotle grounds and served with caper aioli (garlic mayo). The cornmeal provided nice crunchy texture and the chipotle is distinct but not the "punch-in-the-face" type of spiciness. My only complaint is that the calamari "stripped off" too much; the cornmeal coating and the meat tended to separate especially when dipped in caper aioli. Also, it would have been nicer if they could absorb more oil when the calamari came out of the fryer. Excess oil makes deep-fried food tastes stale and deep-fried items need not to be greasy. Overall, the flavoring was well-balanced.

The portions of the main dishes we ordered were generous. I had Madagascar lamb curry, pulled lamb with vegetables and banana basmati. J had Ahi tuna with black sesame crust, raspberry ginger sauce and banana basmati. We were both impressed by the aroma of the banana basmati. Man! We thought we were having desserts; the fruity and almost floral scent was so intense it was like eating candies (but without the sugary sweetness). The lamb curry was so rich and hearty, it was my favorite of the night. I can almost see myself revisiting Hannah's and having the lamb curry w/ banana basmati w/ a big, satisfied smile on my face. The piece of tuna J had was HUGE, w/ its price tag, it was such a bargain! (Eventually J hit a tough spot so the actual "edible" area wasn't as big as we thought. Still, it was well worth the price) J asked to have his tuna rare to medium rare and the chef got it right! The cross-section of the tuna showed a thin, black circle (the sesame crust), a 5mm-thick beige circle and pink to dark-red center. The salt brought out the sweetness of the meat, it was delicious. Again, there was one thing we didn't like: the sesame crust was really overpowering. After our trip to Japan, I thought there was no such a thing as "too much sesame". But now I know there is. After we used the fork to remove part of the sesame crust, the dish was outstanding. Btw, we were served w/ delicious black sesame bread roasted pepper aioli. Somehow I suspect the "secret ingredient" of the day was sesame.

Overall, the service is relatively friendly, the food is much better than we expected (hopefully it is not just because we "got lucky", able to sample the best items on the menu). If we continue to have good experience in Hannah's, this will become our usual hangout.

Truffles @ Four Seasons Hotel Toronto

Truffles
21 Avenue Rd.
Toronto, Ontario M5R 2G1

We went to Truffles during the Winterlicious. The whole restaurant was packed on Friday night. There were some chairs w/ black polyester/elastic seat covers, obviously those were brought in for the Winterlicious rush.

Truffle's Winterlicious menu includes three courses, two options for each course. So we managed to cover both and shared the food. In general the portions might be slightly smaller than what they would normally serve. Or no change in portion, but the size of the plates might be smaller than what they would normally use. One thing I am sure is that we were quite full after the meal. So they didn't manage to reduce the cost (for Winterlicious) by cutting down the food portions.

First course:
Fennel Soup Tomato Marmalade
or Winter Greens with Carrot Croutons Aged Gouda and Carrot Sultana Vinaigrette

I am not a big fan of fennel so I think it was just ok. J was happily sipping thru the whole bowl of soup. The salad was quite generic, not much plating involved. (When I say "generic", I mean it is generic within "its category"; something you expect to get from a decent restaurant.) The highlight of the salad was the shaved aged Gouda; it adds depth to the plate. Btw, the salad looked small but it was quite filling. This could have been served on a 10-inch or 12-inch plate. I don't know why they had to cram all the ingredients into that little 8-inch plate.

Second course:
Crispy Duck Confit Savoy Cabbage, Pancetta and Caramelized Chicory
or Brown Butter Basted Salmon Sunchoke Puree, Roasted Cauliflower and Truffled Enoki Mushrooms

J really enjoyed his Salmon. The fish was slightly overcooked in my standard but it's just my personal preference. The brown butter played the charm. (Note: I highly recommend that you cook w/ brown butter. You'll be amazed by the enormous, nutty flavor it can aid to your dish. How to make it? Easy. Heat the butter on low-medium heat until all the water content is gone and the color turns yellow-brownish. Remove it from the heat before it burns.) As for my duck confit...how can something submerged in fat NOT taste good? The veggy part was very flavorful (partially due to the pancetta?).

Third course - Desserts:
Bergamont Crème Caramel
or Warm Dark Chocolate and Pear Tart Roasted Cashew Ice Cream
I never have Bergamont creme caramel so I don't know if it was done the way it is supposed to. I didn't like it though. The texture was closer to jello than to typical creme caramel. The fruits used in this dish seem to be straight from a can (along w/ the syrup). To salvage the mood for the rest of the night, J offered to trade w/ me. The tart was ok. Compared w/ the previous two course, dessert is the weakest link.

Overall, all the food was nicely prepared but nothing is exciting. Maybe this suits their clientele? I suspect people who can afford and are happy to stay in Four Seasons appreciate good food but on the conservative side.

I feel the need to complain a little about their cocktail. I ordered a Cosmopolitan. It wasn't the worst I've ever had but I expected more from a decent restaurant like Truffles, especially after they charged me $14 for one! A Cosmopolitan normally consists of vodka, triple sec (or Grand Marnier, if you want to kick it up a notch), lime juice and cranberry juice. I can't believe how "flat" that cocktail was. Cosmopolitan can be very complex yet beautiful, not necessarily a "girly" drink. If using better quality of triple sec or cranberry juice is not an option, they should at least use freshly-squeezed lime juice to add the complexity. Compared w/ this disappointing Cosmopolitan, all of sudden $14 cocktail "Luce" seems a steal.

The service was slow; however, it was clear that they were swamped by the Winterlicious crowd. Our waiter "disappeared" for quite a while. At one point a lady came to add more sparkling water in our glass so we thought maybe we were caught in the middle of the change of shift. However, he "miraculously" showed up at the end and seemed slightly shocked to find out that not much left in our bottle. Before we could even react, he opened another bottle and said it was on the house since he thought other waiters might accidentally serve other tables w/ our water. Also, the hostess was very courteous. I showed her the coat check tag and inquired where we could get our jackets. She actually took the tag, ran to the other side of the floor and got them for us. I am normally quite skeptical about any restaurant evaluation system/measurement but few trivial things like those make me feel there might be a reason that Truffles is rated an AAA 5 diamond restaurant.

North 44 Restaurant

North 44
2537 Yonge St.
Toronto, Ontario M4P 2H9

This is probably the first time that I feel reluctant to write a review. I wasn't thrilled with either their service or the food. We were there for the Winterlicious so MAYBE it wasn't their norm. But again, it is unlikely for me to visit this restaurant again.

It was first snowing then turning into pouring rain but we arrived on time. We confirmed that they offered valet parking and we were instructed to wait at the door. So we were waiting…and waiting…people came and went, and we were forgotten. Eventually I got so fed up. I actually walked out in the fierce hail, found the closest parking, came back and grabbed J so we could park his car. By the time we walked back, we could finally be seated. (Here comes the interesting part) "I am sorry, but you are so late for your reservation, we don't have table available…." HUH?! How long had we been standing in front of them before we needed to rush out and parked our car?

The ordering process was quite awkward. We were first informed that the next group would arrive within 2 hours so we had to finish our meal in 90 min. Fair enough. Saturday night + Winterlicious, we understand how busy they were. We ordered sparkling water. Normally we expect to have few choices (or at least something like "Is San Pellegrino ok?"). Nope. Throughout the course, they had our orders wrong several times, one waitress got quite frustrated that she raised her voice to one of my friends, "You ordered this risotto!"

Back to the food. I had slow braised pork belly with seared scallop and natural reduction to start, organic Irish salmon with scallops, chanterelles, clams, natural reduction and crisp pancetta as main, and pavlova with winter fruit compote and orange mousse as dessert. J "upgraded" his appetizer to seared foie gras, roasted veal loin with braised shank ravioli, sautéed garlic spinach, Vichy carrots, apple jam and natural reduction as main, and apple and fig crumble with cinnamon ice cream and Tahitian vanilla sauce for dessert. Almost all the things J ordered tasted better than what I had but we couldn't really "trade"; the food potions were ridiculously small (Yes, even people like us who are quite accustomed to the "high-end-restaurant-bite-size-serving" feel so).

The only item which was done properly was the scallops; it wasn't overcooked. The whole culinary journey went downward spiral from there. The pork belly was fatty and "porky"; it had some unpleasant pork odor. Although the meat was tender, not much flavour was built before the braising took place. At that point I started to miss the piece of pork belly I had at Luce, or "Tung Po Rou" (Chinese pork belly stew), or any delicious pork belly I’ve ever had in my life. The salmon was slightly overcooked. There might be just wee bit too much pancetta dripping in the sauce; it left a funny aftertaste in my mouth, as if I just had bacon and egg breakfast in a diner.

The dessert was worth one paragraph all to itself; I rarely had such awful dessert in a so-called high-end restaurant. According to the definition on Wikipedia, Pavlova was named after a famous ballerina and should have "a crisp crunchy shell, while the interior remains soft and moist". Well then, the ballerinas on my plate must prefer to dance alone; no ingredients went well with one another. The meringue was hard and crusty from inside out, the dried fruits were tucked under the meringue and formed a piece of packed fruit cake. And if it wasn’t because it was written on the menu, I couldn’t taste the orange in the mousse at all. I stopped after two bites: one was the meringue alone, the second one was a mix of all ingredients. Several days later, I saw Rob Feenie on "New Classics with Chef Rob Feenie" making Lime curd Pavlova with a coconut citrus sauce. I was drooling all over. Maybe one day I will try this recipe just to prove that it is nothing to do with the dessert itself, but how it was executed.

Asie (formerly known as Brittany Restaurant)

Asie (Closed)
178 Peel Street
New Hamburg, Ontario N2A 1E3

Brittany Restaurant has been on our to-visit list for a while; however, it was so out of the way that there was never enough incentive for us to go. We eventually went after the restaurant’s name change; it is now called "Asie".

I have to admit that when we first read about their name change and the sample menu on their website, we were quite skeptical. So many chefs attempt to do fusion but few have done it right. You can't call your food fusion just because you dash some Chinese five-spice in your rub, or spread wasabi mayo on your salmon filet. The combination should be harmonious, the food should taste "as if" it should have been done this way. Regardless, I made reservation.

I don't know when the name change occurred but it is definitely still in the transitional stage. On their homepage, the restaurant is now referred as "Asie" but the domain name is still http://www.brittany.on.ca. The sign at their front and the wine list are still bearing the name "Brittany". The menu and business cards are switched to "Asie".

We were seated in the "red" room. Clearly the room has been updated but still retains its intricate detailing - foot-tall baseboard, elaborate crown-moldings and hardwood floor. Did I mention that the arch beside the bay window had lily-of-the-valley (something floral) patterns repeating thrughout the arch?

While I was determining which sake I should order, Kim (the chef/owner) came to greet us. After learning that I want to steer away from the "North American norms" (e.g. Gekkeikan from LCBO), I saw his eyes literally sparkling. He quickly took away the wine menu and said he would serve us his sake tasting menu - three different Junmai-Ginjo. I was slightly nervous (don't know how much we would be charged for having such premium grade of sake) but my desire for junmai-ginjo made me fearless. It turned out to be a correct decision. I will have a separate review on his sake selection. But in general we are very impressed by his appreciation of sake and happy to learn that we can actually get premium sake here.

We shared seafood spring rolls w/ miso horseradish (wasabi?) dressing to start. J had the chef's special Muscovy duck breast and I had panko herb crusted Ontario lamb rack w/ a herbed tomato demi-glaze. The filling in the seafood spring rolls reminds me of the Chinese fish balls. The horseradish dressing was mild but the punch was there. The panko crust is an interesting approach. Panko is Japanese breadcrumbs; it is fluffier than the normal breadcrumbs. The duck breast was marinated in some oriental spices. Some people say that the taste of duck is the hybrid of chicken and beef. Well, the duck we had that night definitely tasted more beefy than chicken-y. Normally duck served in the restaurants will be smothered in either fruity or maple/honey glaze, not in Asie. The first bite was almost too dry. The meat was just unbelievably meaty and heavy, I might mistake it as bison if not knowing we ordered duck. Kim was quite happy with how the dish turned out, so he probably had it done this way on purpose. As for desserts, J had the green apple gallette, I had mascarpone cheesecake. The desserts were nice but we were totally distracted by the last of the three sakes.

Overall, food here is something you would expect from a relatively high-end Asian fusion restaurant. The best part is that we got to chat with Kim and understand how he actualizes his ideas through his food. I feel that he is still in the exploring stage. Some approaches are relatively bold but there are also things which are too matchy-matchy, almost 2-dimensional. It will take some time to polish his style to a more sophisticated level. (Note: The food is good. Here I simply refer to his fusion approach.) There are some things he could have tried; not sure if he has thought about them but decided not to do so. For example, instead of having classic vanilla dressing, he could drizzle something like honey/red bean paste mix over the cheesecake for an Asian flare.

The new restaurant name is "Asie" ("Asia" in French?). This shows their ambition in promoting the restaurant as a global fusion trend-setter. I feel bad but have to say that the food is not quite there yet. However, if Kim continues to be so passionate about learning and appreciating Asian (mainly Japanese) culture, he is very likely to achieve his goal.

Sassafraz

Sassafraz
100 Cumberland St.
Toronto, Ontario M5R 1A6

When shopping in Yorkville (not that frequent an occurrence, I assure you) we would inevitably walk by Sassafraz, the so-called "celebrity hotspot". I never imagined I would actually go there, preferring places focused more on food than on marketing. So I was surprised to learn I would be headed there for a bachelor party of all events. With a bunch of non-foodie type people to top it off.

The initial impression lived up to the marketing hype. Parked out front on the narrow, slush filled street was the first Maybach I had seen in person. Inside I was greeted by a fairly typical modern, contemporary restaurant design. Not much to comment on, so I'll skip to the chase.

As I was there for a social event and not so much for the food, I don't remember much from the menu except for what I ordered. And the chef's name, which was prominently plastered all over the menu. The amuse bouche was a slice of beef tenderloin seasoned with well, pepper as far as I remember.

For an appetizer, I had the Stilton and Duck confit salad. Upon presentation, the stilton was poured around the ring molded duck confit which was topped with some julienned vegetables and light greens. The duck was on the salty side, and not as tender and flavourful as I had hoped for. The sauce/cheese was quite good, but there was quite a bit of it and it didn't work all that well on its own near the end.

For the main course, I ordered the venison tenderloin and osso bucco with a barley risotto. Looked good on paper, not so great in practice. The venison was very flat, seasoned with a one dimensional peppercorn rub. The meat was tender but lacked in taste. The prune (I think) sauce was very sharp and contrasted too much with plain meat. It just didn't work together at all. The barley risotto was fine, and the only saving grace to the dish.

The service was professional and well rehearsed, but we ended up waiting about 45 minutes for our appetizers and another 30-40 minutes for the main course. It was partially our fault for being about 1 hour behind our scheduled reservation, and there were a few other large groups in ahead of us. It probably also didn't help that we (as non-connoisseurs) shied away from the $100+ bottles of wine on the menu which put off our French waiter.

Overall, it met my expectations, including the part about not expecting to see any real live celebrities. Would I go back? Perhaps when I'm rich and famous.

Luce

Luce (Closed)
30 Mercer St. (Hotel Le Germain), Toronto, ON M5V 1H3
Phone: (416) 599-5823
Fax: (416) 599-6571

Luce is run by Rubino brothers, who also own the restaurant "Rain". If you are familiar with the TV series "Made to Order" on the Food Network Canada, you probably know that the filming is done in either "Rain" or "Luce".

We were stuck with ordering the tasting menu for both. The reason is that they want to make sure they can serve every dish at the same time for each table. This makes sense (there are roughly 6 courses in the tasting menu) but I wasn't quite impressed. At Susur, a couple who choose to have the tasting menus will be served with two completely different sets. Maybe I am asking too much.

There was some lost in translation. After I ordered the cocktail "Luce" and J only asked for sparkling water, our server ASSUMED that we didn't want to have our (ok, MY) courses pairing with wine. I was slightly disappointed. There was one episode of "Made to Order". In that episode, Michael convinced Guy to prepare the special menu for an Italian winemaker, so he would be convinced that food prepared in the "then oncoming" restaurant would be good enough for his wine. *shrug* Oh well, there is always Niagara-on-the-Lake.

The cocktail "Luce" contains Limoncello (lemon liqueur), prosecco (Italian sparkling wine?), vodka and lemon juice. There might be more ingredients but those are all I remember. The drink was simply served in a martini glass with some tiny ice bits floating. Sophisticated flavor. Chilled properly.

The meal started with parsnip pumpkin amuse-bouche with squash chip. To describe it in plain English, there were two scoops of ice cream (one parsnip, the other pumpkin) garnished with squash chip. Then we had bread with sun-dried tomato roasted garlic spread and olive oil. The olive oil has such refreshing, almost "grassy" scent that we barely touched the spread.

The first course was served soon after we got the bread and its spread/dip. Charred eggplant and artichoke soup pan seared prawn with citrus. The prawn was cooked just right. The citrus flavor was strong but not overpowering. I am not sure why those two items are on the same plate since they don't quite complement each other (not really much of a contrast either).

The second course had three items: fennel panna cotta candied fennel, purple kale stuffed white bean and rosemary and date stuffed 3-cheese atop apple clove sauce. Fennel and panna cotta is an interesting combination. The purple kale item was pretty but it was overpowered by the other two items.

Before this review turns into a 40-page, double spacing essay, I will quickly list all the items I remember:
(3rd course) Porcini mushroom with fennel truffle and olive sauce pairs with buffalo goat cheese pasta with chili oil.
(4th course) (Pan seared?) Pancetta, salt cod, pork cod mash on yellow corn sauce. Pork belly lobster tomato sauce on the other end.
(5th course) Three items: Guinea fowl leg, foie gras crostini, polenta topped with heirloom tomato
(6th course) Roasted fig with spaghetti squash with three pieces of thinly-sliced cheese on the other end of the dish (sorry I didn't catch the name of the cheese)
(dessert) Two items: Fig cognac tartufo, Fuji apple confit butterscotch streusel

The item which really "wow" us is the cod dish. The cod was tender and juicy, the pork cod mash was rich and creamy (we tried not to think about how much pancetta dripping was in the creamy mixture). The fig cognac tartufo consisted of cognac ice cream with one fig in it. I always thought tartufo should be some Italian dessert with one flavor of ice cream hidden in another flavor of ice cream. The apple sauce in the dessert dish had unbelievably intense green apple flavor that it almost tasted artificial.

In general, the dishes are very earthy yet polished. They purposely choose Italian ingredients which you don't normally see in a...well, typical Italian restaurant in North American. Examples are Porcini mushroom, panchetta, polenta.
P.S. According to Wikipedia, Polenta is "a cornmeal mush... traditional staple food throughout much of northern Italy."

By the way, I have never had a meal which contained so many ingredients I dislike ...pumpkin, goat cheese, fennel, fig, date...J was teasing me throughout the whole meal on this. Yet, I finished every course. They deserve some bonus points on this. The last time I finished something I really DISLIKE in a restaurant was at Susar - his gourmet version of hot and sour soup.

Although it is smaller than it seems on TV, Luce's interior echos with Hotel Le Germain. The warm wood tones and the refine design makes the space very peaceful and intimate. (Be aware of their washroom though; there is only one unisex washroom for the whole restaurant, making me wonder if this actually violates any building/restaurant health and safety code.) The service is a bit distant but still polite and prompt. The food is good - fresh ingredients and proper preparation. The plating was nothing like "home-made comfy food", but I can feel that they deliberately scale back the showy presentation. (I am sure it would have been easy to throw in some chives or eggplant chip to add some drama.) Although every item was bite-sized, I was so full after the meal. The dishes were almost "zen-like", earthy and low profile. Maybe that is part of the reason that we didn't "miss" any of the dishes after the meal.

Will I recommend this restaurant? It is like Minimalist interior design. A piece of high quality minimalist furniture will cost much more than some fancy ornate pieces. It really depends on whether or not you appreciate that specific style and how much you are willing to pay for their seemly-down-to-earth cuisine.
P.P.S. While we were there, we saw Michael Rubino show up couple of times. He looked just the same as on TV.

The Other Brother's

37 Yarmouth St.
Guelph, Ontario N1H 4G2

We were planning to visit The Other Brother's some time but going on Saturday (October 1, 2005) was completely out of blue. We went to Niagara-on-the-Lake for the day. On the way home, we dropped by Wellington Court in St. Catharines to greet the chef and drop off our belated Thank You card. (Chef Erik Peacock catered our reception more than one year ago). We were hoping we could stay for dinner but full house + no reservation.*sigh*

On the way home, the hunger was getting unbearable. Suddenly I felt I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. "Hey, doesn't highway 6 end in Guelph?" "Your point is?" "We can go to The Other Brother's. Now it's not that far to drive there". Catalized by the hunger, "Mr. Half-Empty-Glass" emptied out his glass even more. He pointed out that there was only a slim chance that we could get a table without a reservation on a busy Saturday night. Plus we didn't even have its contact info...blah blah blah...Then I did one thing I haven't done for ages - call... 4...1...1. We were lucky enough to get the last available table (it was around 9 PM) and the rest was history.

As mentioned by our friends, this restaurant is quite small but the decor is carefully arranged. The server brought us a basket of poppadum (thin, flat, deep-fried Indian bread) with hummus. The bread was crispy and flavorful. The hummus wasn't too garlicy and the flavoring was very sophisticated. This immediately sets our expectation high... talking about the good first impression.

I had a cocktail "Hypnotique" while munching on poppadum. As its name suggests, this drink is composed of vodka and Hypnotique. (Hypnotique is blue colored liqueur in an aqua-colored bottle; it's a blend of cognac, vodka and fruit juices) I can't really comment on the drink because Hypnotique has quite unique flavor; it is hard to screw up this drink.

We had "Ahi Tuna Tacos with Wasabi Mousse" and "Pan Seared Foie Gras with Ice Wine Jelly & Rhubarb Compote" to start, "Ahi Tuna with Wild Rice, Soy Peas, Leeks& Corn in a Saffron Lobster Cream" and "Roast Rack of Lamb with Honeyed Herb Crust on Herb Roasted Potatoes with Fresh Baby Vegetables" as the main dishes. The tuna tacos were very nice, the wasabi mousse didn't have the "kick" I would normally experience when having sushi. However, it was refreshing. Although it is hard to go wrong with foie gras, I found that having a bit of everything (foie gras, ice wine jelly & rhubarb) in one bite plays the charm. It was so well-balanced that I couldn't think out any proportion which might work better. The same magic also happened on the lamb dish. The lamb itself tasted very "meaty" (almost "goaty"); however, it became so smooth yet rich when mixing with the mint jelly. We were quite amazed that this subtle change could make such a difference.

The tuna I had was done properly; it was almost crusty outside but still rare at the center. Although I would prefer it even more rare but that was good enough. The seasoning was nice too. The wild rice mixture had the crunchy texture but with the lobster cream it wasn't too dry/hard. The dish was nicely done. My only concern is, on the menu, all the seafood items come with same side dish (Wild Rice, Soy Peas, Leeks& Corn in a Saffron Lobster Cream). I can't help but to picture army of round big white plates in the kitchen with wild rice mixture shaped with circular mold and the apprentices are busy to ladle out the lobster cream. OK, I don't really mind the grains but lobster cream for every dish? Doesn't it make every seafood dish taste the same? Regardless, we want to try their fondue next time we visit.

We were pretty lucky that our server was very friendly and polite. She always tried to serve from our rights. I enjoy to see people nowadays still try to do things properly. J didn't agree with me though. Our table was against the wall, so J had to move a bit every time she tried to serve from his right. If the service is that good all the time, it will be the biggest incentive for us to become their regular customers.

Artbar

Artbar
101 Queen St. North
Kitchener, Ontario N2H 6P7


We went there long time ago so I don't remember what we had. I only remember it was in the middle of the winter. It wasn't snowing but definitely ice here and there when we walked between the restaurant and where we parked. The restaurant was VERY quiet; we were the only customers (other than of 1 or 2 other couples). We talked to the guy who minded the store at the time. He told us that most people didn't seem to know that this restaurant not only run during the theater season. They were normally very busy before the play but ...well, we saw how empty it could be.

We've tried some edgy restaurants after our visit to Art Bar, so I am not sure if we will still consider their food edgy and nice. What I remember clearly is the reduction for duck breast. It was so rich and flavorful. But again, not sure if it is because I was (probably) the only person ordering that dish that evening.

Verses Restaurant

Verses
182 Victoria St. North
Kitchener, Ontario

This was originally posted to kw.eats in December 2003.
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If my memory serves me correctly, the Verses owners Debbie and Brett
previously ran Select Service Catering. They also had a previous stint at
Langdon Hall, so not a bad pedigree. I hear Langdon Hall has changed
their menu now, which corrobrates that story. Many of their staff
apparently also followed them from Langdon Hall.

The parking lot set the scene well, full of Mercedes, BMWs, Audis, and a
lonely SVT Mustang. A nice, welcoming entrance with discreet Verses
signage forshadowed the meal awaiting inside. Upon entering, we were
quickly met by the maitre d' who promptly took our jackets, and ushered us
to our table.

Now, the building itself deserves a mention. Obviously inspired by The
Church in Stratford, the dining room is the main floor of what used to be
a church, with tables located throughout the floor, pulpit area and even
in the balcony area above the entrance foyer. The decor has largely been
kept unchanged, with stained glass portaits of Jesus, Mary and crew
overlooking you as you dine. While there are no walls or dividers inside,
which creates a wonderful feeling of openness, the tables are arranged
artfully enough so that we never felt as if we were staring at another
group or participating in their conversation. Open concept privacy, if
you will.

Before I digress too widely, I don't think any restaurant review would be
quite completely without mentioning the food. I found the menu itself
adequate, but not very creative. Appetizers (~ $8-$18 - all prices from
memory so may not be accurate) included staples like fois gras, scallops,
and a few other items. They had perhaps 7-8 mains (~ $20-$36), including
a couple of fish items, rabbit confit, pork chops, lamb, a striploin. I
started with the vegetable napoleon ($10), which was a few layers of
perfectly grilled peppers, zucchini, and overly sauteed onions, surrounded
by a trio of seasoned cheese wedges. My partner had the "fois gros verses
fois gras" ($18), consisting of a delicious slab of seared fois gras (is
it ever not delicious?) and a mediocre slice of fois gras spread with some
brandy (?) jelly, a couple small slices of toast, and a dish of mango
slices. For my entree, I had the Georgian Bay Splake ($24). A
wonderfully grilled piece of fish, crisp outside and tender inside, set a
top a mound of wild rice drowned in butter and some non-descript veggies.
Recommended. My partner had the "Surf and Turf" - a few slices of nicely
cooked steak for the turf, and a bland hunk of overcooked tuna for the
surf. These were served over a warm miso flavoured vermacelli stir fry.
A failed attempt at trendy asian fusion. Definitely not worth the $36.
We finished the meal with chocolate attitude ($12) - 4 interpretations of
chocolate haphazardly thrown onto a place - a chocolate sorbet dusted with
goil foil, a chocolate brownie, chocolate pate, and chocolate mousse.
Excessively rich and overpoweringly chocolatey, but we scraped the plate
clean. This is not a dessert you want to fly solo on though. Other
desserts were $8ish, and were vaguely interesting, but not enough so that
I actually remembered what they were. Kudos for being made in house
though I'm not a wine guy, so I'll leave that to others.. bottles were
$25-$50+, or $8 by the glass. However, the waiter waved us off of the
house "Verses" label for what it's worth.

People go to restaurants for good food, but they stay away because of bad
service. Verses has nothing to fear in this department. Our assistant
server was inexperienced but made up for it in eagerness and an A+ attempt
at first class service. My water glass was refilled almost literally
after every sip - the water level kept rising, and he'd be there before
the glass hit the table. He almost looked disappointed when he noticed my
glass was full enough not to require a refill Nice touches with replacing
napkins and brushing and clearing the table promptly. Our head waiter was
on the slow side, but I wasn't sure if it was his fault or the kitchen's.
We had to wait a little longer than usual between courses, but it wasn't
excessive. It was a full house afterall.

We chatted briefly with another server and Debbie, who explained their
history and told us about their tasting menu, which they offered at the
chef's table downstairs next to the renovated kitchen. 8-10 people, $120
for 6 courses or $180 for 8, all at the chef's discretion. I'm sure it
would be a tasty adventure for the expense account.

While the food is far from perfect, and the prices higher than most
places in town, I'm sure this place will do well, as there is much room
for fine dining to be expanded in KW. Total with tax and tip was $160
for 3 courses and 2 glasses of wine. But one doesn't go to these types of
places for value do they.

King's Street Trio on University

King Street Trio on University (Closed)
65 University Ave. East
Waterloo, Ontario N2J 2V9

King's Street Trio is "the" restaurant which inspired me to start my gourmet adventure. Before I "took off", it used to be the only restaurant I would go when I wanted something GOOD. It has been such a long time that I can almost say that I've been thru their ups and downs with them. On the bad days, I've had bread which might make a sound if it dropped on the ground. Or canned/cocktail fruit as the side dish of my sirloin. Or steak which seemed to be smaller than my last visit. All of the above happened before they moved to their current location (65 University E.). I find that the quality of the food/service stabilized after they moved.

Now let's talk about the reasons which kept me going back to this restaurant.
Reason #1: Live Jazz performance, especially the original King's Street Trio. (Sorry I can't recall the name of the lead) Back then, there weren't many places with decent live jazz performance.
Reason #2: Steak. Certified Angus beef. My favorite is their prime rib, which is only available on Fridays and Saturday evenings. I don't know why I have this feeling. Compare with prime ribs done by King Street Trio, the ones offered by Charcoal and Ali Baba are more "macho", bigger portion and smokier. King's Street Trio's rib, to me, can be described as a well-groomed gentleman (not necessarily in a suit but well-dressed). I like prime ribs from all those restaurants. They are just different.
Reason #3: Dessert. My favorite dessert at King's Street Trio used to be the cappuccino cheesecake. I did have some ok slices but in general it was nicely done. After they moved to University Ave., I ordered the same cake once but it was presented in a different way (it tasted different as well) so I never ordered again. Being a creme brulee/creme caramel maniac, I ordered their creme caramel quite a lot. It is nice, very refreshing and creamy.

It is hard to express how I feel about King's Street Trio in just one review. I haven't been back for a while ('cause there are so many other restaurants to try!). Even so, it is still more or less a bench mark for me when it comes to compare fine dining restaurants. I just checked their online menu. They now have lamb loin. Maybe I'll try that next time I visit.