bsilver111's Profile
Camellia Sinensis Teahouse
Incredible dedication to the search for flavor in tea. Talk to them, try some suggestions, be inspired! CS makes other tea specialty shops in the US and Canada I've frequented look like clueless re-sellers. I never miss an opportunity to visit when I travel to Montreal.
Great new BYO in Lancaster - Moved from Mid-Atlantic board
How happy we were to find Ma(i)son. Very creative and refined foodie-worthy cooking, based on the farm-to-table concept in an area which has, after all, the farms for the job. I went all-pork, starting with a memorable "tartine" built on grilled bread with a layer of a trotters/tongue, comte cheese and frisee with a nice sauce and a smokiness from the bread. Loved the "slow-roasted pork" entree too. The owner/chef and enthusiastic servers give the place an energy I enjoy in many of the best of this genre restaurant in larger, more expensive cities (and generally farther from the farms). Desserts were very well worth it also. They tell me the menu changes frequently, and I can't wait to go back!
foodie stops along La Route Verte
In Sherbrooke it's La Table du Chef for dinner. Chef Alain Labrie is the real deal with a history of delighting a fiercely loyal following, including me. You will achieve "favorite cousin" status by coming up with this one.
Suggestions for Summit County, Colorado (Breckenridge, Keystone, Frisco, etc)?
Gave South Ridge Seafood a try after a few years' absence based on the positive comment here. Sadly, I can't second the motion. Our fish was virtually unseasoned, tasting only of the grill itself. (Plus we had to chuckle at the menu which featured broccolini as a side on I think seven different items.)
Concur with the high marks for Modis, still #1 and by more than a little. Service excellent, food interesting flavorful and well prepared and presented. Plus the space is wonderful. My only quibble is the menu - it's very unfocused, like the Chef doesn't know if he wants to be "New American" or "Asian Fusion" or "Colorado Locavore" or what.
Have had 3 good meals this year at Ember. Also excellent service, and could give South Ridge some lessons on how to cook fish properly. Escolar special was really great. Not everything on the menu is as successful, but this place stays near the top of our rotation.
Have much affection for Petit Paris. It's a quirky experience but we enjoy the food and have been welcomed there like part of the family for years.
Tried Food Hedz in Frisco, which was surprisingly an out-and-out awful experience. I guess we could have excused the uncomfortable concept, sort of a confusion between a cafeteria and a sit-down restaurant, and the amateur-hour service had the food been special. To the contrary, my fish was sauced into inedible acidity and my son described his soup as "pasta sauce". Very surprising considering the positive notices on this site. Couldn't wait to get out of there.
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Modis
113 S. Main Street, Breckenridge, CO 80424
Pleasant surprise + another couple of good Breckenridge dinners
My smoldering disappointment at the closing of Cafe Alpine (my favorite Breckstaurant) was replaced by a spark of new love when we ate at Ember, the new place operating in the old CA building. I'm told the owner/chef was the sous chef at CA. It was a terrific meal from the get-go, with friendly and attentive service. Price point is high-end Breck but not highest. Good wine by the glass selection. Started with grilled stuffed calamari with chorizo. Served with roasted red peppers over rice, it was tasty and for once I got calamari that was not breaded and fried. Family gave two different fancy-pants salads high grades. Went on to the lamb osso bucco with a bacon/avocado side and a mole sauce. Daughter's beef shoulder was delicious and well-cooked. Desserts sounded good enough to violate our normal skip-dessert policy, so I went for "sticky pudding cake" with killer house-made macadamia nut ice cream. Nice.
Also happy to try Modis for the first time. Another winner, but with a much louder urban vibe. Food + service great - will be back soon.
Always enjoy the somewhat wacky Pettit Paris bistro experience. This time I thought the food was somehow better executed than previously, a nice bonus for a place to which we have staunch loyalty. The colorful characters who run the place make us feel like family, in a good way. Don't change a thing, other than the wine selection please!
Boycotted Relish on this year's trip, which has disappointed us more than once before. Hearthstone was reliably good without being memorable or exciting - just how I remembered it from last winter.
Plus, it snowed every day for a week.
Cantina Dos Segundos
Really good meal at Cantina Dos Segundos in Northern Liberties on Friday.
Prices are affordable, portions very large, room VERY loud. My son helpfully pointed out that his mother and I were the oldest people there. Service was extremely helpful and friendly.
Mrs. bsilver111 said "best Mexican I've ever had". I won't go that far, but I will go back to CDS. Love the "ceviches of the day" concept. My crab ceviche was delightful, and the best part was the nuts providing a crunchy texture. Also loved my turkey mole - not the usual dry slab of poultry with sauce, but moist and tasty roulade slices with a balanced mole and terrific vegetable side. Tasted my wife's pork shoulder (not a special) which was a knock-out! Son ordered an extra snack up front of popcorn tossed with truffle oil and chipotle - wish I had a tubful today for the football.
This place tries to do something creative and different, and succeeds quite a lot!
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Cantina Dos Segundos
931 N 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA
L'Utopie closed
Sorry to hear this one, which is in my Q C top-4 (L'Initiale, Panache, L'U, and with reservations Laurie Raphael) is off-line. Anyone know the story? Coming back?
Help-1st trip to Montreal & Quebec City
Just got back myself. We did these dinners:
Quebec: Initiale, Panache (try the duck for 2 and order some extra sides for fun), L'Utopie.
Montreal: Chronique and Toque plus Club Chasse et Peche
Given another trip I would do the same 6. As much as each of these is a stunning experience in its own right, they are so different one from the other. Initiale is perfection in every way. Panache is aptly named, with homage to home cooking traditions. L'Utopie is full of youthful energy, with many small intriguing bites on the plate, an adventure. Chronique is a place to be in love with food and wine. Try the tasting menu and enjoy the enthusiasm of the servers for the product. Toque is the temple of creative cuisine - again, you must do the tasitng menu. Club C&P is the most fun atmosphere, bordering on the decadent if you let it.
And I agree,with rcianci - lunch at Schwarz's is mandatory.
Good Eats in Sherbrooke?
La Table du chef is terrific. It's the 3-month old restaurant of chef Alain Labrie, formerly of the incomparable Auberge Hatley. His wife runs the front of the house and there are a number of Hatley hands on the staff. It's casual in atmosphere but sophisticated in cuisine. Will be at the high end of your budget, but not way over. "Interesting menu inspired by local ingredients" is a pretty good description.
A low-key gem.
Anyone know about La Table du chef, in Sherbrooke?
All I know is it's the project of Alain Labrie, chef from the late beloved Auberge Hatley. I gather it's just opening now. Any info or impressions would be most welcome, as we'll be in the area in a few weeks.
Restaurants in the Laurentians
That's easy! L'Eau a la Bouche is absolutely outstanding, and is right there in Sainte-Adele. If I were there for a week I'd go twice.
Where to eat on Isle d'Orleans?
Le Canard Huppé is what you are looking for. Simple but pleasant accomodations and an excellent restaurant. http://www.canard-huppe.com
Also stop by the Chocolaterie de l'Île d'Orléans in Sainte-Pétronille for ice cream and chocolates.
Good restaurant in Granby/Bromont?
We had a nice meal at Faucheux in Granby, but it was a couple of years ago. It did not reach the "memorable" level, but it was very close to where we were staying and all were happy with the choice. http://www.restaurantfaucheux.com/
"Initiale" in Quebec City - Thumbs Up?
My family would say you made the right choice. It's our top favorite QC spot, with Panache a close second after five food-oriented trips. (Going back again this August) We've never had any difficulty ordering there without French skills and have found the service very welcoming. It's a little on the formal side but not in an off-putting way as you will often find in NY. (Panache is a little less formal, L.R. is hit-or-miss and you can find yourself ignored for half hours at a time) They have at least one set menu but you can order a la carte also, which is usually what we do. We have also been able to pull an item off a set menu to order a la carte. Last time I had a suckling pig entree which was outstanding after the foie gras appetizer. Would do that again in a heartbeat. But truthfully this is a chef who I would trust blindly with anything on the menu.
Thought better of it...
I went to post a reply and then decided: "The less said the better."
But my only choice was a button to post. How about a button marked "Never Mind" that pops you back to reading the thread without posting?
Just a suggestion.
