Yet another update. Reserved Pintxo for monday night, but cancelled it and snagged a table at le trois petit bouchon! Thanks again for everyone's help. My wife and I are going to dine like superstars for a week (and then back to reality).

Thanks again everyone . . . had to juggle a few things since my original post. Believe it or not, my wife freaked out (big time) about the menu at La Salle a Manger because it had horse tartare on it. Also, I threw (finacial) caution to the wind and booked a table for two at Le Club Chasse et Peche for Thursday night (had to cancel Les 400 Coups - but given the glowing feedback "CPC" has it seems like a solid upgrade). That leaves me with a Monday night open slot. To re-cap . . . I've got L'Express late night Sunday, bubkis on Monday, Milos on Tuesday, Garde Manger on Wednesday and Chasse et Peche as the finale on Thursday. Any help with ideas for Monday night would be much appreciated. We'd prefer to stay within the a 10-minute cab ride of the downtown area (actually we might walk 30 minutes from the Marriott Chateau to the Plateau/Outremont area). We like "hip" places and killer food (no need for places that are super dressy). Any type of food - but we love quebecois, french, sushi, spanish, indian . . . you name it.

Thanks everyone for your wonderful suggestions. I managed to get an 8pm reservation for la salle a manger on Monday night and their menu looks a-ma-zing! Will definitely swap out Boustan for another late night Sunday option (the cab ride to l'express seems like a solid option). My wife and I are SO excited to visit Montreal! We'll definitely report back when we get back from our trip.

Dear Montreal Chowhounders,

My wife and I are traveling from San Diego to your lovely city June 18th-23rd. This is my second visit, my wife's first. We're both ardent foodies (but my wife sadly shys away from the "scary" stuff like organ meats and whatnot).

We arrive late Sunday evening and are staying at the Marriott Chateau downtown. We'll likely check into our hotel (hungry) around 11:30pm Sunday night (and I've got an all-day long business function starting early the next morning). Because of all that, we were thinking something tasty, quick and easy (within walking distance of our hotel) would be best suited for Sunday night . . . and Boustan seems to cover all the bases. I went to L'Express last year and thought it was really charming (I know it gets dismissed on this board as being dated but San Diego has nothing like this and I'm a sucker for classic frech fare) and it's opened very late - making it another option, but it's pretty far from our hotel and it's a proper sit down meal, thus not very quick.

We've yet to make reservations for Monday night's meal - but if we can get a table La Salle Manger looks incredible. L'Express might be a back up option here given that many places are closed on Monday night.

Tuesday night we're being taken out to dinner by a friend that lives in Montreal to Milos. The flagship Montreal location looks amazing (I had their $20.12 lunch special at their Las Vegas outpostearlier this year and has some incredible grilled octopus).

Wednesday night I managed to snag a table for two at Garde Manger (that was tricky - had to call exactly 30 days before).

Thursday night we have reservations at Les 400 Coups.

The obvious omissions to this dinner itinerary are APDC and Joe Beef. I dined solo at both places last year. I know it sounds like heresy to say it, but APDC did not blow me away. I ordered pickled tongue and the buckwheat pancakes covered with fois gras and maple syrup. The entree was too rich and too sweet for my tastes and the pickled tongue was too much (I definitely think I ordered the wrong stuff and all the talk of APDC's summer seafood menu is enticing). The ambience at APDC was awesome (I dined at the kitchen bar and chatted with folks sitting next to me as we watched all this amazing food getting prepped) and I know my wife would enjoy the scene - but she would perhaps struggle to find something to eat that's not covered in foie gras. Joe Beef was really good (massive portions), but with Garde Manger booked Joe Beef seems a little redundant.

Le Chasse et Peche (apologies for mangling the spelling) looks phenomenal but it's insanely pricey (and I doubt we could book a table at this late date). Le Filet also looks really cool as does Lemeac. Brasserie T's menu does not appeal to my wife so that one's out.

Do you think we should try for APDC on Thursday and drop Les 400 Coups? How would you rate our dinner options?

For breakfast, we'd like to try the local patisseries and bakeries. I'm on a mission to find the best almond croissants. Kouign Amann is a no-brainer and Patisserie Guillame (spelling?) also looks fantastic. We'd like to do walking tours each morning up and down streets like Rue St. Denis and I'm hoping we can eat our breakfasts and lunches during that time.

For lunch, Romado's is a must-try as is some picnic goodies from Marche Jean Talon. I'm torn about Schwartz's. Frankly, we've eaten a lifetime's worth of amazing pastrami and corn beef on rye. I know Montreal's smoked meat is unique in and of itself, but we may pass on Schwartz's if we can find other options. An Indian lunch might be good (but we can get amazing indian food when we visit family in Los Angeles). My wife blanched at the thought of Poutine (sounds good to me - I may bust out the lobster poutine at Garde Manger). Do any of the proper sit down restaurants offer good lunch deals?

Thanks in advance for any feedback and opinions you can provide!

Thanks to everyone for their feedback and suggestions!

I'll be traveling to Edmotnon later this week for business, staying in a hotel a few blocks from West Edmonton Mall. I won't have a car, but I'm OK with taking a taxi within a 5-or-so mile radius for a good meal. I'll be dining solo and my budget is about $40-$50. I like all types of cuisines from home cooking to sushi etc but am hoping to find a meal that's a little more specific to the Edmonton area (no chains for sure and somewhere like a nice steakhouse where I can dine at the bar might be great given I'm solo that night). Any help with suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thx

Fellow Hounds,

I'll be in Toronto tonight (Tuesday) and tomorrow night on busiiness. I'll arrive at my hotel (the Intercontinental on Front St) pretty late - around 10:30pm - and was hoping to grab a "foodie" quality late night meal at a cool pub or restaurant where I can dine at the bar given that I'll be dining solo on Tuesday. Wednesday I might be able to corral a dining partner and would love to explore more adventurous or eclectic cuisine (indian, chinese, sushi etc are all great).

My budget is around $50 for meal, tip and tax each night and I'm totally open to all types of cuisines. I'd prefer to be able to walk from my hotel on Front St. if possible, but short cab rides are OK too.

Thanks!

Great tip - I'll look into it. Thanks!

Thanks for the note . . . I'll make sure to check their hours if we go.

I'll be in Toronto (near the airport) for a few night on business. Will be traveling with (male) co-workers that are sadly not foodies. We're also limited to $50 per day. We do have a rental car and I think I'll be able to convince my co-workers to eat somewhere other than the hotel restaurant or a chain (ugh) for dinner (including city center etc). Also need to know of any places with late night hours. Given those parameters, what are some good options to get some tasty food?
Thanks!

My wife, 8 year old daughter and 18 month old son will be in Vegas for 1 day and 2 nights as part of the back end of a 6 day road trip right after X-Mas. My wife and I are both foodies - but understand loud and clear that sophisticated places like Bradley Ogden are strictly a no-go. We'd like to roll the dice and try one good place perhaps for lunch, but the ambiance will need to be loud and casual (perhaps Bouchon would fit the bill). Otherwise, I'm thinking Jean Phillipe Patisserie would be fun for the kids for a sweet treat (and affordable) and perhaps Metro Pizza (is it any good?).

Any other suggestions for places where we can go for (hopefully) great food in a casual atmosphere would be much appreciated! We're staying on the strip, but will have a car - so we can drive somewhere (but ideally, we'd like to stay around the Strip).

Thanks!

-----
Bouchon
3355 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109

Bradley Ogden
3570 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109

Kaito is very good sushi (not much ambience - but the sushi is top quality). Bring your wallet.

If you can make it down to Solana Beach (five minutes from Encinitas) - pick up a carne asada burrito from Rudy's Taco Shop. Get it to go and head down to Fletcher's Cove (little beach cliff park 2 minutes away) to enjoy the ocean views and much on some awesome carne asada.

Also in Cardiff, (which borders Encinitas) check out VG's Bakery - everyone recommends their donuts (which are very good), but they have the BEST blueberry loaf in the world!

Thanks DiningDiva! I'm off to go find my chiles.

Fellow Hounds,
I'm trying to put together a nice mexican dinner for my wife Saturday night. I'd like to make pork shoulder braised in Guajillo Sauce w/black beans for an entree but I'm scratching my head as to where to find dried guajillo peppers. Any suggestions for where to find them near Encinitas or Carlsbad?

Thanks!

Apologies for the belated follow-up. My family (wife, two kids and pooch) had a wonderful trip visiting SLO, Paso Robles and Hearst Castle. We managed to eat dinner at Atari-Ya in Santa Maria (thanks for the rec toodie jane!). We got there after a long day of driving right around 5pm, in time for their winter holiday sushi special (everything was about 45% off). The trick is you have to eat at the sushi bar to get the discount - no exceptions, even with a baby in a high chair. Thus, baby made his way on to Mommy and Daddy's lap and we proceeded to scarf down about 20 pieces of Nigiri and a few rolls. All of the nigiri was lovely, generous slabs of pristine fish highlighted by the yellow tail. The spider roll we ordered, however, was a disaster (gloppy, heavy breading dominated the entire thing - we left it mostly uneaten). Service was very accomodating and the bill was nice and light on the wallet! Next morning we ate at Creole Cafe Bon Temps. It was kind of dirty, but hole in the walls are sometimes the best places to eat. Service took forever (the lone waitress working explained that the other waitress called in sick). The place was mostly empty (Monday around 9:30am) - and we had to wait 20 minutes for water. Worse than that, the food was not very good. I ordered the Pain Perdue (spelling is likely butchered) and it was dry and swimming (drowning) in a cloying and far too sweet pool of maple syrup and pecans. I ate a few bites and stopped. My wife's eggs benedict was edible, but poorly executed (the muffins was mush and the egg yolk was cooked through). We hit a much better note in Paso Robles, stopping at DiRaimondo's to pick up cheese and salami (and some fresh baked baguettes from the bakery next door). The owner at DiRaimondo's let us sample nibbles of cheese and salami and olives and all sorts of other goodies. We bought a beautiful aged sharp cheddar and a semi-soft cheese (can't think of the name but similar to Port Salut). We picnicked at Fratelli Peralta winery a few miles from downtown Paso. We visited about five wineries that afternoon. The best, by far, was Linne Calodo . . . we bought 2 bottles of their '07 Outsider (super pricey for our pocketbooks at $52 per bottle but it was amazing stuff). Another big hit was Jada, we bought a bottle of their Mirror. The staff at both wineries were very nice and Jada comps the tasting if you buy a bottle. We had a terrible experience at Tablas Creek because of their service. I was literally ignored for 20 minutes until I halfway walked out of the place (someone actually acknowledged me at that point). Denner had some monster wines and a slightly pretentious staff (we passed on buying their wines). We called Booker, but they were closed that day. In general, most of the wines were big and powerful and priced at $50 or more with a $10 nonrefundable pouring fee (ouch). It was still fun, but boy is it expensive! We never had the chance to get to the Albertson's in Morro Bay to look for some of these bottles at more palatable prices - maybe next time. Our second dinner was at Shalimar in SLO (on Broad St.). I actually picked the food up so we could eat back at our hotel room (the family was pooped after a long day of driving). We ordered our typical combo that we try at any Indian place of lamb curry, baigan bharta (eggplant curry), naan, rice and veggie samosas. We avoid ordering tandoori chicken despite the fact that we love it because it's so consistently cooked till it's leathery and dry. ON a side note, the best Tandoori Chicken I;ve ever eaten is at Anarbargh on Ventura Blvd in Woodland Hills. Order the chicken breast, bone on and it will amaze you - I promise. Back to Shalimar - the whole shebang cost about $35 (a little pricey for Indian to go - but nothing crazy). The food was O.K. a few ups and a few downs. The lamb curry sauce tasted nice but the lamb chunks were chewy and tough instead of fall apart tender. The eggplant curry was fine - nothing amazing, but we ate it happily. Naan was nicely cooked. We were happy campers gobbling down our Indian grub in our hotel room watching the Hearst Castle movie (our hotel had a copy of it so we watched it the night before instead of hustling up to San Simeon an hour before our slotted tour time (worked like a charm). We had lunch in Cambria after touring Hearst Castle (of which was a lot of fun - we had perfect weather and the 1:45 beginner's tour was just the right amount of time for us). The scenery there was stunning - one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen . . . the mountains and the ocean made the castle seem secondary. In any case, we ate the French Corner Bakery in Cambria for lunch. Again, hit and miss. My meatball sub was satisfying but I was hoping for a better roll given it was ordered at a bakery (and the meatballs were about one step above Subway's - sort of "mystery meat" balls). My wife's turkey sandwich was a picture perfect rendition of a blase, boring turkey sandwich (slimy deli meat, TONS of yellow mustard, shredded iceberg lettuce on sourdough. We bought a very nice baguette and ended up transferring the turkey sandwich innards to half of the baguette and used the leftover cheese we stored in our cooler from DiRaimondo's to make some killer cheese baguette sandwiches that we scorfed down while driving back home on the 101. Thanks to everyone for their help and suggestions . . . though our eating experiences were a little bit up and down, we absolutely LOVED the entire area and can't wait to visit again.
Grant

I'll certainly provide a follow up report. Busy packing the car today . . . think we're going to try and stop at Renaud's bakery in Santa Barbara for a mid-day snack (almond croissants) on Sunday. The goal is to be in Santa Maria or Nipomo area around 5pm so we can get an early dinner. Totally torn between Atari Ya (especially with recession-friendly 45% off happy hour) and Jocko's. My wife and daughter love sushi and steak - they'll make the final call. Firestone Grill and Big Sky look like great options for Monday night dinner - somewhere two minutes from our SLO hotel will be needed given we're going to be driving to San Simeon in the morning and then to Paso Robles for some wineries in the afternoon. We might stop in Cambria at the French Corner Bakery on the way to or from Hearst Castle. Thanks again to everyone for all the tips and feedback!

Thanks sbgirl . . . we've got Tablas Creek marked down - plus Denner, Dover Canyon and Jada all sound good. L'Aventure, Booker and Fratelli Peralta also sound tempting. Too many wineries, too little time! Would I be correct in assuming ALL of these places charge $10 tastings and price their wine around $40+ per bottle?

Wow! Thanks for all this feedback - definitely will make adjustments to incorporate your info (we love sushi so Atari Ya sounds perfect)! Thanks for the dog park tip - our dog Ida loves to run around dog parks.

Fellow Chowhounds,

My wife, 7 yr old daughter, 9 month old son and 70 lb yellow lab are heading up to the Hearst Castle area for a family road trip just after X-Mas . . . yes, it'll be insane - but, good insane.

In any case, we're hoping to be able to eat as well as possible given our parameters ( no need for dog friendly places - she'll be sleeping in the hotel room or chilling on her pillow in the car). We'll be staying in the SLO area, but driving up to San Simeon for the castle and (hopefully) to Paso Robles for a few wineries.

Our goal is to find some casual, locally-owned foodie type places for breakfast & lunch (shouldn't be too tough - looking for places in SLO-ish area plus Santa Barbara on the way back home), a few options for dinner with two young kids that actually serves good food (I'm assuming tough) and some Paso Robles wineries that might be able to keep our 7 yr old daughter entertained for 20 minutes at a time but still make killer wine.

Our family is very open-minded when it comes to food - doesn't matter if it's BBQ, french bistro, sushi, mexican, home-style cooking or Indian . . . you name it, as long as it's delicious we're happy (except for Thai food). Also, we have to avoid any "fine" dining given our 9 month old boy's table side manner is somewhere between the Tasmanian Devil and an English bulldog (more drool than you care to imagine).

I've actually plotted our our food stops (yes, my wife makes fun of me about this type of behavior) and done a little research for options - but we need help with feedback and I'm sure to be missing some ideal spots. Please see list below - and any help is GREATLY appreciated!

1. Lunch on Sunday around Santa Barbara (or perhaps in LA)
Options: La Super Rica in SB?

2. Dinner on Sunday in SLO area
Or perhaps in Nipomo at Jocko's around 5pm? are we crazy to even attempt to go here with a baby?
Perhaps Mama's Meatball?

3. Breakfast on Monday in SLO (or anywhere on the way up to San Simeon)
Perhaps Utopia Bakery or Creole Cafe Bon Temps?

4. Lunch on Monday in Paso Robles (or anywhere on route from Hearst Castle to Paso Robles wineries)
Please help! Any place to maybe pick up a few picnic type goodies (crunchy baguettes, stinky camembert and garlicky salami?). Any little french country style bistro places that serve lunch where kids wouldn't ruffle too many diners feathers (perhaps a killer french onion soup on a cold day)?

5. Dinner on Monday (somewhere in SLO area - would prefer not to drive far after a long day for the kids)
Buona Tavola (too nice? too far? too pricey?)
Shalimar (is it in SLO? Is it killer good or just "above average"? Can they cook a juicy and flavorful tandoori chicken breast?)
Yangi Goshi
Bayside Cafe

6. Breakfast on Tuesday (either in SLO or anywhere heading south for an 30-60 minutes)

7. Lunch on Tuesday (in Santa Barbara ideally)

We're also thinking of taking our daughter for ice cream at Doc Bernstein's.

In regards to Paso Robles wineries, we'll be there on a Monday afternoon (12/28), roughly between 12pm and 4pm. From the strings I've read on Chowhound - the most intriguing wineries in Paso Robles (we love big reds and would prefer to avoid the overly commercial, big wineries)) are Tablas Creek, Jada, Zin Alley, Denner, Fratelli Peralta and Linne Calado. Assuming we have time to visit perhaps no more than two or three wineries - which would you suggest are must hits when taking into consideration:

a) quality of the wine

b) value (in a tip of the hat to the recession, we've got a budget of around $100 to buy hopefully around 4 bottles - looking to avoid places with $10-$15 tasting fees with the cheapest wine being $45 - though I've heard Linne Calado is worth burning a hole in your wallet)

c) atmosphere - we'd love to find the small, homey, picturesque, family-driven wineries that might allow us to tour the vineyards, eat a picnic (though it might be too cold?) or check out the caves . . . we think our daughter would get a kick out of that (heck, she'd be happy to pet a friendly dog hanging around the tasting room).

d) proximity - we want to limit our tasting time to no more than 1-2 hours to keep the kids from going crazy . . . best situation would be to find a "must visit" winery to anchor and then a few intriguing ones nearby.

Apologies in advance for this rambling dirge. Thanks again!