Scala's Bistro - San Francisco

San Francisco - what else can you say?  Wonderful sites, busier than you would think, the #1 tourist destination in the US I was told - I might believe it based on the lines waiting for the cable cars - wow.  Make sure you build in a day to drive up to Sonoma and Napa - completely different climate within 30 mins of crossing the Golden Gate Bridge.  We saw a lot of people visiting the wineries with   chauffeured cars - might be a very good idea if you plan to see more than one winery.  No such thing as free tastings anymore....pay as you play - so check that out in advance.

Nonetheless an amazing place to visit - cost of living there is enormous, as much as 60% of your income can be spent on rent/mortgages - yikes.  Did you also know that Mark Twain said that in July it was one of the coldest places he had been....I also believe it.

Scala's bistro is half a block of of Union Square downtown.  Make reservations as it is busy every night of the week.  I don't recall the name of the maitre d however she is wonderfully efficient and courteous in spite of the major hustle and bustle.  It is rare that every dish is a WINNER when you dine with four people - twas so at Scala's.  I had the mushroom toast appetizer - killer, and we also shared some mussels.  Four pasta mains - all amazing.  Nice portion sizes, served hot and all super fresh tasting....reasonable wines.  Service is efficient and direct...they have ipads at your table so that you can peruse drinks and wine and get that started pronto...nice touch without getting too techno.

It was the best meal of our trip!  So good in fact I took 17 colleagues there later that week....it was just as good the 2nd time.  They were able to seat us in a semi-private dining area - large group able to be accommodated on very short notice - nice!  Everyone loved the experience.  Can't wait to get try it again someday.

Liverpool House - Montreal

Part of the now iconic Montreal food scene Joe Beef has sprouted a sibling...Liverpool House.  Located right beside Joe Beef in a humble yet rejuvenated area of downtown Montreal I can't help but think about how the more accessible Lee sprouted up beside Susur Lee's flagship on King West in Toronto....I had the pleasure of dining at Susur's mothership in Toronto and yes it was a wonderful, wonderful journey on taste and technique followed by an unexpected kitchen tour complete with Susur Lee lingering in the kitchen shadows intently monitoring our every move and comment - loved that.....their kitchen supported both concepts - but I digress....back to Montreal.

Getting a reservation at Joe Beef requires a better lead time than I could muster on this visit - likely 2-3 months out should get you in....Liverpool house was about 2 and 1/2 weeks.  Quaint and ecelectic in design it's easy to feel at home there....very knowledgable staff work hard to meet your whim and our server had an excellent knowledge of not only the food offerings that night but also the specialty cocktails for that evening - he meticulously walked us thru the entire chalk board of daily offerings - photo attached - some diners in the "front room" were taking ipad shots likely so they could share with their table-mates...chalkboard resonates fresh however ackward in execution and it would suck to have those two tables.

I had a beet salad starter with a nice glass of dry reisling that our server rustled up for me off the beaten path of regular by the glass wines.  A cod type chowder was also served with a dramatic puff pastry top...large starter that was more like a stew than chowder - dramatic yes...tasty yes!  My main was a whole sea bass ( headless) served on a delicious combo of lentil, some leeks with a few clams mixed in....the fish was delicious and cooked perfectly - the clams were not edible...rubber infidels that comfounded me after such a good experience.  We did ask our server to select a bottle of wine for us - not the best pairing and he did his best to soften it up for us - $70 bottle...he decanted and swished and swirled looking to create the silk purse....it got better.  My table mates both had a nicely seasoned/marinated flank steak...we had three side options that were interesting - mashed potato with red-wine gravy, all dressed brocoli (covered in almost an olive tempenade), wedge potatoes wonderfuly seasoned with a spicy aioli.

All in all - a solid experience - would like to try the mothership next door..do they share the same kitchen?.......perhaps by the time that happens and under the careful eye of the Quebec language police it might be Jacques Boeuf!??

Master Chef Mother in law

Sure, I've heard most of them...I mean the mother in law jokes.  I'm a pretty luck guy for many reasons - one of them is that my Mother in law is a master chef....no formal credentials other than raising 3 kids, a Hungarian husband and having a sense of adventure second to none + she is one hell of a chef.  Herb garden, shops the market, has a "ham guy", a "chicken guy", a "seafood place", an "egg farm" connection - you know typical stuff for someone that like to prepare great food etc.....there a legendary stories of barrels of oysters being tapped in the basement, a half butchered pig in the bathtub and by now at least a few other stories that I have forgotten.  You see before I met my in laws I did not know that cocktails started around 5 pm....then there was wine with dinner and then some wine with dinner and then brandy following dessert.....I have forgotten a few things over the years for sure.

Recent induction into the delicious hall of fame has to be the "celebration cake" - photo attached.  Lovingly crafted from an LCBO recipe - hand peeled orange rind candied in Ontario Ice wine mixed in with the cake batter and then later on parlayed on top of some type of hazel-nut cream heaven spread icing....let's just say I celebrated that cake a few times that night.

Also concocted from her recent trip to Alaska how about a red onion relish perhaps spread on smoked salmon or my preference of just eating with a spoon!  1 red onion diced small added to 1 cup of brown sugar and 1 cup of red wine vinegar...pinch of pepper and reduce until very very little liquid is left.  You could add red pepper flakes to it or whatever you like - awesome!  Simple but wonderful.  That's what master chefs do so, so well.

Foodie inspiration

When was it?  When was your first inspiration about food?  The preparation, the neat ingredients, the experimenting....it was like a super cool lab where you can enjoy (most of the time) your creativity.  Like most foodies my first inspiration about food and cooking was my Mom.

Sure we ate well and she made it seem pretty easy.  Always food from scratch, prepared foods might have entered her kitchen much later in life but as a kid it was always from scratch....I remember chocolate puddings, her wicked tomato meat sauce, sweet and sour ribs, mac 'n cheese (still known as Grandma's mac 'n cheese) and who can forget my ground meat sandwiches in high school.  I could trade half of a sandwich for cake....yep, that good.  Left overs from Sunday roast hand ground with some mayo and pickle relish....killer.  Creativity with left overs was key, waste not - want not was lived and breathed in our home and I think it laid a solid foundation for the true appreciation for good food and the work and love that went into it.

Not sure what age I was however Mom asked me to help get dinner started as she had a bad headache and cold....directions were given and then down to the kitchen I went...step one complete and back up for further clues to these scrumptious experiments....chili was the first meal I ever made this way and I must say it tasted pretty damn good then and still does....same order, same recipe with a few creative additions.  And that was it, be creative my Mom said, I know she had recipes somewhere, she might have measured however I am not sure....to me this has been and always will be my creative outlet and a way to nurture others....something else I learned from my Mom.

Scaddabush - Mississauga

To be young again....not that being over fifty is old however gone are the days of being able to relax in a louder than normal music environment etc.  Yes, it's the etc that I continue to discover on this foodie journey we call life.

Ok enough about the aging process....second visit to Scaddabush in Mississauga.  I must say that the service has been super terrific, the music louder than I would like however manageable at my tender age and the food surprisingly consistent and well, surprising.  Surprising you say?  Their presentation has a bit of theatre to it - eclectic plates, their appetizers are called "sociables" and they are indeed a conversation starter (or continuer).  Large meatballs covered in "made in house" mozzarella and tomato gravy/their "sunday sauce" served on wooden boards - tuscan goat cheese dip served encased in an exploding flatbread...neat stuff.  Not the usual which is, let's face it - fun.

Handmade pizza combinations are unique and well presented....pastas are made in house and are ok, a tad overcooked.  They offer a large and small pasta portion which is considerate - the large could feed 3 I believe. Sauces not over salted - nice for all ages.

Back to the service -- solid.  Friendly, knowledgable, good with their timing and they know who ordered what....nothing more frustrating that having to air-traffic control incoming plates.  Scaddabush executes well.  We will be back.  Hopefully my sensitivity to louder music will work itself out.....the journey continues.

Wildcraft - Waterloo

As I reflect back on our dinner at Wildcraft I try to objectively wrestle with the fact that either I am just getting overly critical in my post fifty haze or I indeed have reasonable expectations as a diner that just aren't being met.....I vote for the latter perspective.

Wildcraft has all the makings of a great restaurant - super design, love the outdoor bar and patio area and a solid menu. Spotty execution is holding them back....food delivered vaguely warm - that is a real killer to the food quality as good at it might be, a beautiful fireplace in their main dining area that rarely works - don't they care about us I think as I look at it.....take away food left on your table before dessert in plastic containers - no bag.  Small details yes,,,yet the small details make the experience in great restaurants since they are so tough to consistently execute.  Wow, I am sounding serious here....sorry.

Reasonable expectations I think considering the prices and the higher expectations with which they market themselves.  Post fifty high maintenance needs?  I think not....sane and reasonable...that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Forage - Vancouver

Being new to the over-fifty demographic as you may or may not know does present it's challenges....nothing dramatic however watching sodium intakes becomes a bit of an ankle-pecker and being able to stay awake after 1200 calorie entrees becomes tough.

So to the food you say....Forage on Robson, adjacent to the Listel Hotel is fact becoming a favorite of mine.  They do small plates perfect for combing into a larger meal or sharing - a growing trend me thinks for even the under-fifty folks.  Small plates of very, very tasty local ingredients.  One night all I needed was a bowl of their wonderful shrimp, scallop and corn bisque - served with a crunchy piece of crackling - awesome.   Followed by a small plate of locally raised pork rib with a wonderful chimichuri sauce on top - simple however like most simple things - double awesome!!!  A chilled glass of super dry Riesling and BAM.

Breakfast the next morning was equally BAM - imagine root veg served with local turkey sausage - done up like a hash with two poached eggs....the sincere and efficient server asked me if I wanted my poached eggs - soft - medium or hard - don't go there I thought....medium ordered and perfectly medium served...magic.  Sourdough toast with a choice of blueberry-fennel or strawberry (and possibly ginger) jam -- BAM BAM.  No Riesling with the eggs - maybe next trip.

I can't wait to go back to Forage.

Killarney Lodge - Algonquin Park

After at least 20 meals at Killarney Lodge in Algonquin I thought I would catch them at least once with the old hip-waders down - not to be.

A late fall drive on highway 60 through Algonquin Park can be akin to a drive through the centre of Rome - ok folks I get it - the leaves are turning a different color - seriously.....but I digress.  The Lodge was busy - their beautiful 5 star cabins were at capacity and a couple of gents were working to discourage the hordes from pressing on to the dining cabin - could this be the day I would find them unable to cater to my insatiable desire for their home-cooked fare and wonderful service charm.  No.

They were busy as heck however unflustered and hospitable - damn these folks - they are solid.  Lunch was a treat on a cool and damp fall day -- tomato bisque with warm rolls, a "Great Killarney Burger" which as I my son said was likely one of the best in memory...not grilled, likely baked - perhaps a beef and pork mixture, perfectly moist and wonderfully seasoned.  A slice of smoked cheddar on top of some wonderfully caramelized onions...where were we again - surely not just off the highway in Algonquin Park - I think I have thought that every time for the past 19 hearty meals.  A side of Caprese salad - simply seasoned and clean - nice touch.

Finish off with a peach cobble - ice cream or whipped cream - a delight.

As we drove back south through the streets of Rome I contemplated my next visit to the Lodge....starting to get hungry again - damn them!!!!!