Bob E Eats OTR

NYC - Manhattan

2010-06-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

New York City - June 3-7, 2010.

Start Spreadin' the News...

Day 1 - June 3

A random draw contest and brilliant stroke of pure luck gifted me a choice of destinations from Toronto Island Billy Bishop Airport to anywhere Porter Airlines flys - gratis! ... and gracias to Porter for that. This happened to coincide perfectly with a 10yr. wedding anniversary getaway promise and New York became the chosen spot for this kid-free adventure with the Mrs.
The outbound journey aboard a stylish Q400 aircraft into Newark Liberty Int'l Airport was fuelled by a box-lunch turkey sandwich, pasta salad and shortbread cookies completed

by a tall cool can of Steamwhistle Pilsner / Missus had a glass of JackTrig white wine - no complaints. Refined flying indeed.

Price: $0.00
Rating: Air Food: B +
Experience: A

http://www.flyporter.com/

Shuttle ride from NJ to the famed Waldorf=Astoria hotel on Park Ave. lent opportunity to catch our first live glimpses of locales that had previously only been vicariously experienced through our favourite video and print mediums - it was our first time to NYC.
Through the Holland Tunnel, Tribeca, pushing onward into Manhattan we captured mind shots of recognizable landmarks, like the UN compound.

The classy gang at the W=A voluntarlily upgraded us to a suite and created a moment to enjoy by providing chilled 'Champaign on ice' with personalized welome note waiting for us in the suite - nice touch.

After the bubbles kicked into high gear, we extracted ourselves from the posh surroundings and ventured North on 5th Ave. toward Central Park
(Minor stop at Tffany's along the way to allow my Bride to identify anything her special heart desires - - and then take a photograph of it... Stunning choice Hun! Audrey Go lightly would be proud).

The park was an awesome site and definately worth all the hype. Managed to avoid the omni-present street food temptations along the way and we made our hungry, hungry way into the heart of the cultivated wilderness to one of the only full service restaurants located within Central Park, perched on The Lake.

The Boat House...

We requested a table in the shade overlooking the water and all the lovebug rowing and gondola-ing going on there - I made a foolish promise to exert valuable energy into paddling my honey around after dinner like the poor saps currently adrift on the picturesque scape.
Our dining spot was was light and breezy with a compforting richness about it all.

The menu was simple and the serving staff courteous and professional. We selected tomato & feta salad, crabcakes and the special bone-in rib steak with sizzle butter; all to share - a plate of french fries was called in post initial order and the bakery tray made a few touch downs at our table.

Just like the atmosphere, the dinner was light, breezy and rich all at the same time, no need for dessert - It was fantastically satisfying. The sun set over the tips of surrounding trees backdropped by impressive skyscrapers and the water took on a sparkle quality that seemingly chased away the simple love boats heading ashore to the closing rental stand - ha ! dodged one there... I mean, ahh too bad honey ;)

Price: Pricey, approx $120
Rating: A-

http://www.thecentralparkboathouse.com/

- - Similar uptown recomendations from Julie: Artisnal Bistro and Esca
- - Also, Sara recommends Cafe' Luxembourg

Exited the park at the SW corner and strolled at no particular pace down Broadway as dusk bolstered the building shadows toward looming darkness. No matter, the manic lights of Times Square rendered said darkness benign.

- - TIMES SQUARE - -

The flashing gamma ray boards and spinning / swirling luminesence became a necessary factor in navigating the mighty throngs of people that surely never leave these well trodden blocks. Quick pop-in to Euro Cafe somewhere in the whole mess for a double espresso for 'he' and an ice coffee for 'she' and together we shot off in a yellow taxi bound for West Greenwich Village.

- - eh' FrankieBLUEeyees. take it easy!

Arriba Muchacos!...

Around the intersection of Hudson St. & Charles St. we were aimlessly drawn into a simple little purple cantina called Mexcicana Mama and were rewarded with 2 frosty margritas on the rocks ($20 / B+) while we pondered our situation. We had no clue what all to do over the coming days, but we liked our intro hours thus far and we were loving our margaritas. After some dialogue with the personable waitress who, along with her serving duties, actually took on survey duties and checked in with other patrons at the tiny establishment to gain insight for us - helpful local input (..waitress actually lived in 'Jersey' herself).

It was pointlessly decided to build on the Margarita highpoints and retain an element of "tropical" themed urban vacation (which essentially means cool boozy cocktails are good...). The proper night vibe overook the area and after a quick jaunt through Soho to check out hotels and such, we took another yellow taxi back uptown, loaded up on juice and sundries at the 24 hr. buffet & mini-mart on the corner - and then crashed.

- - Other suggestions in the area offerred by Suzi F: Dos Caminos Soho

Day 2 - June 4

Morning light was allowed in later on (10AM), Starbucks off the W=A lobby on Lexington Ave. was all the breakfast required to make tracks on the subway tracks toward Chelsea. Purchased some Momo hats at a small shop in the neighbourhood and I became stalled when the Mrs. got hung up talking shoes with the shoe guy.

My growling belly pulled me one shop over to a Latino-ish kind of place called "Big Booty" advertising freshly baked empanadas on a street board ~~ Tropic Thunder Hunger Growl ~~ enter - pass along a narrow entranceway off the street, shoulder bordered by a tall looming Bakers' counter holding back sharp peppery wafts woven with pastry bake and succulent meat scents chinooking over the peak of the countertop. On recommendation from the apron cook / attendant guy, I grabbed a chicken empanada with 'homemade hotsauce' to go - found a box or something out on the street to lean into and just chomped down that empanada. Toasty, steaming pouch of chicken savour chili heat veggie eggy bits and herb-love.
O-SNAP! that was a freakin' delicious and mood altering food pill Man - love it! Love all empanada like things, from all nations / cultures, they can be magical -
- still talking shoes next door? - WTF?

Big Booty Bread Co.

Price: $3 per empanada
Rating: B++

261 West 23rd St.
http://www.bigbootybreadco.com/

Take a moment to peek around in Hotel Chelsea if you're ever in the area - different.

A couple blocks away is the start of "The Highline" - a recent Project by Friends of the Highline to restore and re-create an old iron bridge network above industrious neighbourhoods comprising the Meat Packing District. We walked the length and took in the clever spaces around - no one was showing off in the hotel windows along the way. What a cool thing to have in one's city - thumbs up.

http://www.thehighline.org/

Settin' the Standard...

At the end of the line, around the corner, tucked into the iron, I spied "The Standard Grill" and a recommendation from both Chris L and Steve twigged. Wifey was overstarved and her feet were now rebelling against her new shoes - Me? I could've still eaten a big booty load of anything, Let's go there...

Once in, we were accomodated to a wall side table with window vistas and natural light - it was busy. A specialty Mojito for her, a Pimm's Lemonsquash for I and we studied the lunch menu over some dips and munchies. The order was placed; 'the Standard Burger', Smoked Trout Sandwich with salads, also some Oysters (which were an unfortunate no show* but we were full enough to just let it go). All was good, it was one of the rare times when I preferred to taste the burger patty itself (as opposed to the sum of all bits post condiment application). The staff were proficient enough and fun - our waitress, Erica, just came to NY from Arizona and will be a film and/or stage Actor someday - Bravo for that.

Price: Not bad - approx $40
Rating: B

848 Washington St.
http://www.thestandardgrill.com/

Strolled about until we ran into the entrance of Chelsea Market and entered for a pass through. Actually picked up some new shirts, skirts & shirts - stopped to admire a continuous gallery theme throughout the market -

dedicated to hounouring facial hair - it caused me to introspect as to whether I could actually pull that look off...

                ...More street wandering,
                          attempted shopping
                          and photo ops

- Stopped for coffees and a break at a great place on the edge of the MP Dist. called "Pastis" (~$10 with tips / B+ / recommended by Tim and co. via Ryan).

http://www.pastisny.com/

We strolled a very jolly path south along the Hudson River. Into Battery Park, around Ground Zero construction and through the Financial District to see the NYSE -

$$ Money $ money $ money $ mon_ey $, Money! $$

## Feet Fading Fast ##

Meandered our way down toward the East River to fill the missus' heart song for the Brooklyn Bridge -

We then took the unintentional / unofficial 'Law & Order Tour' through One Police Plaza to Metro Correctional Center (MCC) , up the Emmy Award winning Courthouse steps and down into the subway to calm our 'barking dogs' with a train ride back up to the hotel.

Room Service...

Too exhausted to venture out as a supper team, we ordered room service to the suite - while waiting for the Waldorf=Astoria to prepare a SouthWestern Chicken Wrap and of course, signature Waldorf Salad, I was dispached outside again onto the unforgiving uptown sore feets, uh... I mean, streets, for a bottle of wine. Found a store called "Ed's Liquor" on 7th Ave and 42nd St. The $15 bottle of Pinot Grigio was opened and recorked for me at the store when I confessed to Shopkeeper Ed that I wasn't sure if I was in possession of a corkscrew - that was alright of Ed.

Arrived back to the room just as the RS cart was gingerly parked into eating position in the suite's sweet spot. Although there was nothing more than a mound of shredded apples walnuts celery and creme' fresh dressing, the Waldorf salad was as authentic as it now comes - creamy, zingy, textured. The SW chicken wrap was very average but required no more trapsing about town to obtain it - so we ate it down and rested - with T.V. - - oh yeah - - sweet, suite life.

Price: High $65
Rating: C+

Learn more about the Waldorf Salad

-- If there's enough energy to actually go out, Kate recommends: Ilbuco

The remainder of the evening encompassed ; 1) revival from surface ailments and adventure fatigue of the day, 2) primp up and then out on the town for the night.
First stop, Grammercy Park ; a whiskey & water highball for Moi while the Mrs stayed true to our theme and had a frozen Margarita at Pete's Tavern - self billed as "the oldest continuous pub in NY - est 1665"

--Also close by, Laurence recommends Gramercy Tavern

- we took in most of Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals (Chicago won) and headed out afterwards to be fancy at a club called "280 5th" at 280 5th street to dance and lounge at the rooftop swank on the 20th floor.

- - Fun night spot - healthy cheesey - mmm cheese -

- Appetite Alert!! My measly shared dinner had long ago burned off into the urban night sky - so, a 20 storey trip down the elevator to the nearest 'Street Treat' wagon was in order.

Random Street Wagon yahoo food...

One 'Chicken Gyros' - hot, tasty and messy was enjoyed on a stone bench while watching probably THE largest man in Manhattan demand the truck staff to make him "... fish on rice, fish on rice , and make sure it's brown rice ma'Man!!" - odd indeed, but he did get that exact order packaged up to go - good for that guy at 2AM!

- the wagon was either yellow, or parked under a yellowish street lamp.
Price: for Gyros and water $5
Rating: A

Similar experiences all over town are recommended/ encouraged by Matt (Big Daddy Lew)

Day 3 - Sat June 5

Up at 10:30 ish - Starbucks - Check out.

Mobilize baggage along route to next hotel, Four Points Midtown - through Lexington Ave. Saturday Open Air Market - I struggled with the load after a spectacular blow-out of a suitcase tire in the middle of the market - - nobody cared at all.

Past Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Ctr.

and Check in to temporary home number 2.

Back out to street market for $8 burritos and Sprite from one of the Mexican stands (back on theme) then shop and wander... Caffeinate at a puny but flash Espresso Bar up LexAv, load up on deli, cheese, breads and cold libations at a mini market next door and into the heart of Central Park for a lounge out and picnic type rest-up.

Now, some may consider the practice of sipping a cold can of beer under paper bag veil as "ghetto" (and it is) - however, it is also a true delight at certain moments - like when sipped over a good hour or two on a shaded park bench just ajacent to Sheep's Meadow on a glorious Saturday afternoon. The scene was coloured by random squirtgun battles between strangers, NYPD / EMS assistance to an over exerted park goer, ever running stream of excerciseness and best of all; a bewildered, lost hollering homey with a silent side-kick and a wheelie cooler receiving the worst directions to a nearby picnic over a cellphone -"... Yo man, its called The Great Lawn, there ai'nt no such thing as the GREEN Lawn, they ALL green Man!!" - too much - nobody else seemed to care.
A quick scamper out of the west side of the park to 72nd St. and subway back to hotel to change up for the night.

Hecho en Dumbo - East Village

A small blurb in The Village Voice caught our eye earlier and led us on a $9 cab adventure to the corner of Bowery & 4th St. in East Greenwich Village. As we entered Hecho en Dumbo, a modern Mexican eatery, there was a great energy and vibe cutting right through the air and into our muscular / skeletal systems. The music and the space was definately alive, all made a uniquely positive impression - we hadn't even ordered yet - or sat down. After some initial scoping out of the kitchen view seats, we backtracked to a table for 2 in the cozycramped dining area. The chairs were all mismatched, yet the place still seemed hip - - that's how it goes in these parts.

Start with Margaritas!! - these were the best one's yet. Got the appetite revving with some tortilla chips and home made salsa dips. Ordered up some Halibut Ceviche', Chorizo Burros and Fish tacos (there was another no show* on a guacamole order that we didn't notice until our neighbour pointed out the same no show* on his guacamole order - Eh Oh? is this a NY thing??).

Scrumptious rating across the board - the food was good, the surroundings lively'd up the rest. We actually chatted an appropriate while with the patrons at adjacent tables (we were all sitting close enough to perform dentistry on each other) - all neighbourhood locals, friendly people.

H en D don't take reservations but process quickly and stay open late.

Price: Fair - approx $60
Rating: A-

354 Bowery St.
http://hechoendumbo.com/

Had to keep the good vibes going so we explored the lively streetscape around East Village,

through Little Italy (which becomes a street fair on Sat nights), slipped along the outskirts of Chinatown and back to East Village to wet whistles further.

Popped into the Bowery Hotel for a look around and overpriced drinks - cool place.

Enough of that, more aimless rubberneck trekking and a few pop-ins to interesting looking places.

Best one of note was Cafe Orlin...

O - CafeOrlin -O!

Tucked just off the crazy drag of St. Marks Street, we scrambled into Cafe' Orlin as a bit of refuge from the building party madness on the street and the heated humidity. Funky enough place with a relaxing patio and steps leading down into the dining area(s). We first sat inside to cool down. Mama was making merry and obliviously ordered "vodka, tonic, cranberry, sprite and a mango sherbert.." after some consultation with the perplexed looking waitress she got it sorted - I chose right off the menu ..

Bruchetta with a bottle of beer, $9 - interesting line item, "...make it a Brooklyn Lager". - - We moved out to the patio to warm back up, enjoy our order and check out the action

Bruchetta was good, mango sorbet was good, mood was good, service was good (I think)

Cafe' Orlin = Good

Price: $25
Rating: B

http://www.cafeorlin.com/

Day 4 - Sun June 6

Up at 11ish , clear head of cobwebs - want to fill it with culture and such. Unfortunately, the previous evenings festivities left us without the fortitude to take on The Metropolitan so we opted to take in The Frick Collection instead (we also learned that it is 'pay what you want' on Sundays between 11am-1pm).

Bagels and coffees at Dean & DeLuca, walk a couple blocks over to Grand Central Terminal and subway uptown to 72nd street E. The Frick Collection was a really nice experience - beautiful works of art in a very elegant, refined setting. It was a decent injection of culture but we were still craving a little top-up of some kind of brainfood.

Sache'd up 5th Ave, paused at 'The Met' but decided to file it in the 'next trip' folder

We did however grab a hotdog from cart right outside ($3 / C- / Toronto's got NYC beat on the hotdog front).

The Guggenheim was passed by and also put in the same folder (we want to give these legendary establishments a proper viewing).

We did however give a thorough run-through of the Museum of the City of New York after enjoying iced coffees at the stand in front - it was OK - interesting enough and not overwhelming.
With full heads of culture, and ominous weather forming , we took our last jaunt through beloved Central Park entering at the North Eastern section by the

Conservatory and made our way along the path that goes around the man-made pond called The Harlem Mirror. Exited at the top of the park, 110 St. and then cut back through to 5th Ave. Just then the skies let out all the moisture it had been holding back for days and we went hunting for any shelter from the elements.

That shelter came in the form of a big blue southbound bus - we jumped on, unsure of our ultimate destination.

At least it wasn't a boring ol' bus ride; we passed by some interesting spots like Union Square and Flatiron District which made for good fleeting viewage and window pane-photo ops. Onboard, a myriad of characters kept the interest level humming (like these 2 Artsy-Fartsies sitting next to a wanna-be Japan party girl with a blue wig, they drew random shapes on their art pads then swapped pads with each other to finish the sketch however their talent dictated - they were really good, it was a fascinating distraction)

- stopped raining-

Just before our bus reached Washington Square, an urgent 'body alarm' (that we are all familiar with) was activated in a most urgent fashion!!! I had to get off that bus PRONTO! - out the doors and headed briskly to the first place that seemed to have plumbing...

Whoa!,
Close call,
... relieved

- wife is already seated, might as well stay for an early dinner.

Le Pain Quotidien - Organic

Given the fortuatous circumstances of our arrival, we wanted to give this location a fair shot. We shared a large cold bowl of Guspacco soup to cool off. I selected the sandwich special, Turkey Breast Chibatta with fixins and chorizo chips, Missus went for Egg Salad sandwich with anchovies (she passed the salty fish to me and ordered herself a mimosa).

I was impressed with the food quality. The place was earthy and open, splashes of art work were well placed - I also enjoyed the tableside grindable seasonings and the service.
WC Facilities are nothing special but have excellent timing...

Price: not bad - approx $40 with tip
Rating : B

10 Fifth Ave.
http://http/;//www.lepainquotidien.com

Washinton Square was a happening place to frolic on this day, paused for a moment then continued on into the charming streets of Greenwich Village and did some shoe shopping.

Also made time to watch tidbits of some competetive street Basketball and hear some live neighbourly soul-train. .

While waiting for a light to change, I was 'called in' to settle an absolutely hillarious conversation between 2 hefty old time befuddled New Yorkers as to whether the 'beauty-ful big building' seen kissing the sky was the Emipre State Bldg.? or the Chrysler Bldg.? - it was like an episode of Archie Bunker (take a look at a map if you want the answer, it's obvious...) - I thought those 2 guys were awesome - nobody else cared

A little more wear n' tear on the soles a little bit of people watching and it was time for Happy Hour.

Down Bleecker St. to Thompson St. and we found one of the only Cuban joints in NYC, "Cubana" - stopped in for 2 delicious Mojitos each at the groovy basement bar ($12 per mojito / B- rating, only because these poor brave Americans can't legally get authentic Cuban rum, beer or cigars). There always comes a time in every tropical vacation when you witness the stark reality of local hardship - it really hits you in the heart when you think about how the 'have-nots' cope.

Cubana Cafe
110 Thompson St.

The earlier rainfall had severely cooled things off and as dusk settled over the city, across the way we spied a place that offerred 2 elements we had been seeking in NY from the outset; live Jazz & Pizza...

Arturo's Coal Oven Pizza...

Old school spot - perfect! The place was busy, the atmosphere was throwback and solid. There was no messing around at this stage of the journey...

1/2 litre of house red wine and a regular sized pizza pie with crispy bacon, mushrooms and olives - (my usual custom order). We enjoyed the live soft 'skittadattle' jazz in the background and struck a conversation with an old dude and his companion about New York, Mississauga and movies - he opened by telling me that I look like a "low level mob hitman from Jersey" in my Momo hat which I took as a compliment because this guy looked like he knows more about films then he does about the actual mob, or New Jersey for that matter.

Pizza arrived - hot and delicious! The crust was unedible because of a black scorching on the outer rim from the coal oven (I scanned the dining room to discover all pies were indeed the same). No need for outer crusts when the inner goodness is so satisfying. We lingered over the last drops of vino and last bars of jazz tune then prepared to head out into the cold for a ride on the Staten Island Ferry - a tip from our film buff dining neighbour (and Johnny F).

Price: good - approx $30
Rating: B+

106 West Houston St.

The ferry ride to Staten Island and back is an interesting use of time to catch nifty views of the Statue of Liberty, Manhattan, Brooklyn and New Jersey from the water - it runs 24hrs and it's free!

That's pretty much it for our trip - we retired exhausted that evening and slept in to the max, forcing us to hastily check out and rush through Midtown to Penn Station for the train ride back to the airport - breakfast was Porter box lunchs and tall can of steamwhistle / JT Red - no complaints, none a'tall - that classic T-shirt with the heart, says it all.

On the Road for Eats

2010-03-08T18:48:00.000-08:00

Bob hit the road and was in search of culinary inspiration internationally.
Between February 21-27, 2010 I covered what I deem the 4 pillars of Euro-continental cuisine in the heart of where the tastiest action is...

1) Mediterranean / Middle Eastern ---> Beirut
2) Eastern Block ---> Berlin / Prague
3) Italian ---> Rome
4) French ---> Luxembourg / Paris

Here below is the account...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tasty Take Off.....

Sunday Feb 20, 2010:

The international food journey begins aboard a Paris bound Air France A340, with a great window view a rung or two down from the stratosphere - I was lucky enough to get a seat up front where the menu is a little choicer. This was my first time dining on Air France and I must say, it is one of the better offerings in the often mocked genre of "air food". You gotta give it to the French when it comes to taking food seriously. It was an evening reservation and I enjoyed a glass of 2003 Chateau Tour Seran Madoc whilst nibbling on Fauchon mini crepes filled with cheddar to prime the appetite - delightful. An appetizer of smoked & cooked salmon was served with a fresh mini baguette and asperagus - this could have been a meal on its own if you're some kind of a light weight, but we press on... I found the choice of mains was a difficult one to make between pan-seared tournedos of beef with balsamic reduction and pan-seared halibut with olives and basil. Since I'd just reloaded my vin rouge glass with 2004 Chateau de Rully, I went for the beef. It was a flavourful piece accompanied by mash potatoe, carrots, stone ground moutarde and was cooked to a perfect medium colour.

Dessert was a roasted pear custard tart and a fresh brewed.... Espresso! Yes, real espresso in a little espresso cup and saucer - a mile high first for myself.

Keeping in mind the "genre" at hand, this meal was one of the best available. Gotta love it when you get to turn left at the end of the boarding skywalk.

Vive le mange' de Air France!

Price : approx $4600
Rating: A

Find similar Eats in Etobicoke: at Vibo (Bloor & Royal York)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Habibis (Friends) Like to Dine in Beirut

Mon Feb 22 - Beirut: After finding my way into the Verdun section of Beirut, a good appetite had been worked up and needed to be quelled by some quality Lebanese chow. I stepped out to a popular shopping district and into an oddly named spot called "Mandarine". It was quite stylish and modern with backlit orange stone and wood that cast a pleasing atmosphere across the dining area. I had a street window seat - People watchers would be in their glory here; very attractive, animated yet subdued Beiruters were all about. Inside Manadarine, groups of friends picked and sipped, a birthday celebration and a fairly steady take out business kept the place humming along.

I met up with a mid sized group of 8, so we had some ordering power behind us. One of our party was a colourful, outspoken, returning Lebanese National who likes to talk, loves to eat and is very proud of his former homeland - he took the lead in ordering. A seemingly endless stream of small dishes started to come across our table; dips (hummus, Babaganoush) and salads (taboleh, fatoush) were enjoyed wrapped in ultra thin fresh pita bread that always seems to come enclosed in a plastic wrap and served in a basket - ? Anyway, more wrappable things rolled on through; grilled meats (lamb and beef kabaps), mini arabic sausages (mecanic) and little fried treats like bits of cheese and chicken - not to overlook the kubbeh (meatball +).

My favouite was lahm be ajeen, a spiced up ground lamb paste smeared on a flatbread disk - hit it with a shot of lemon and you'll taste a little hint of Phoenician heaven in your mouth. Dinner "wrapped up" with chockAblock full bellys all around. My Lebanese friend and I took an after dinner stroll around the downtown, near the parliament (seems everyone in Beirut does a lot of casual strolling along - - I like)

we stopped at a central cafe with arabic music to digest our massive meal with some hubbly bubbly (apple and rose sheesha - waterpipe) and a sweet tamarind /pine nut drink called jellab - very pleasing.
He pointed toward the Mediterranean, "tomorrow, we will dine on the gifts of the sea...".
"Hey, I'm a fish lover - That's great!" I thought, hoping I'd find some room in my gut by then...

Price: reasonable
Rating: B

Find similar Eats in Etobicoke: I have no idea, maybe in Rexdale? - Etobicoke is seriously lacking in good Lebanese, let me know please....
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The "Medi" Gives the Love.....

Tues Feb 23 - Beirut: Sayad (the hunter) / Le Pesheur (the fisherman) - This was the hybrid name of our upscale seaside dining establishment in the Ayn El Mreisseh section of Beirut. It was a great experience! A glimpse of the available fresh catch on display as you enter the restaurant, it seems to pride itself as a feasting destination of local Liban celebrities.

Perched over the Medi-sea the locale is a reminder of the former home of our pending dinner that greeted us at the door. An array of dips and nibbles similar to the previous day was presented to the table along with tantalizing pickle platters and a few fried sea food baskets. Le Pesheur made an effort to pizzaz up the presentation with some fire garnish - ooo, ahh, ooh!

The main attractions were the communal plates piled high with whole fish & fillets that were grilled and fried - their head's and tails attached to make sure you had access to the "best parts" should you choose - lemon squirted on everything. In true mediterrean style, I accompanied my meal with some Arabic Arak - an anise based liquor similar to pernod or ouzo, mixed with ice and water - perfect. The sea was good to us my friends... learn to love the sea

Price: Not sure (Someone else picked up the bill)
Rating: A-

Find similar in Etobicoke: Just Greek (Bloor / Royal York)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Falafel and Shawarma Paydirt....

Wed Feb 24 - Beirut: Finally in the waning hours before "wheels up" out of Beyrouth, a pilgrammage to the mecca of falafel - Barbar. The Barbar complex is one of the most popular and famous fast food gathering spots.

Open 24hrs, Barbar expands around a city block and is more of a market place of cooking stalls with everything the middle east and beyond has to offer. An armada of delivery scooters lines one whole side to distribute tasty piping hot take out to the masses. Busy, bustling, cheap and delicious - this is a must try for street meat enthusists and vegetarians on the run alike.

Save some belly space for a stop at Le Gout Parfait Baklawa shop (just across the street) for a morsel or two of the classic sweet delicacy.

Yalla Habibis!!

Price: Very Cheap
Rating: A-

Find Similar in Etobicoke: Nowhere, but maybe if we levelled Honeydale Mall... or Arcadia Furniture...
-----------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Olympic Breakfast in Praha......

Thurs Feb 25 - Prague: Tried to sleep through the lousy seating arrangement on the Czech Airlines flight into Prague - gave a pass on whatever was reeking up the galley of the A320. I did however work up a roaring hunger as I passed through the assorted check points, lengthy line ups and drama at Passport Control - - yay tho I walked through the shadow of the fallen Iron Curtain...Through bleary eyed vision, while riding the moving terminal sidewalk, I spotted a chalk board scribble outside of a friendly looking pub that read: "Goulash - Bread - Baked Sausage - Pilsner Urquell". That was enough for me - I leapt right over the side of the moving handrail as if I were Jaromir Jager in mid shift trying to catch his own mullet - skated on up to the bartender and pointed toward the chalk board that lured me in; I was seated with a view of the Winter Olympics playing on the TV and a very nice Czech waitress brought me

...Goulash - Bread - Baked Sausage (I switched up the "Pilly" for fresh squeezed OJ when I spied the juice machine and oranges behind the bar - it was 6AM afterall...)

The bread was a dense rye and I used it for sopping up the goulash soup which was awefully tasty although not as piping hot as I would have preferred (about as hot as Thomas Kaberle's pre olympic runup performance on ice - tepid) but pretty good otherwise.
The baked sausage worked best when I broke the skin and spread the soft meaty innerds on the rye bread with a little horseradish and mustard to zing it up - not bad actually.
Washed it all down with the satisfying FSOJ - Hit the spot.
I let it all digest while watching the poor Czech hockey team struggle with the Fins. As Canada had just completely trounced the Russians a while earlier to advance toward Gold I wondered why my deserved smugness had been replaced with a strange sense of "Agita" ... Then I figured it out... please see above...
How does one say antacid in Czech?

Price: $20 USD
Rating: C+
Find similar in Etobicoke: Dimpflemier's Bakery (Advance rd and Kipling Ave)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Baltic Style Brunching....

Thurs Feb 25 - Berlin: My quest to test authentic Eastern Block Euro-Fare necessitated a luncheon at a Croatian restaurant in Berlin. The Adria Grill, in a tucked away locale on Riedemannweg Street in the Tegel area of Berlin seemed to suit that need.

An unassuming spot, the Adria Grill prides itself on offering an array of traditional Baltic and German dishes but those in the know swear by proprietors, the Babic Family's daily specials. Highlighted on this day were Schnitzel Florentine (rolls of breaded veal dressed with spinach saute'), Paprika Schnitzel (thin panfried veal with spiced tomatoe puree) and a Big Salad (WTF is this? a Seinfeld rerun??) - I opted for selection #2.

The paprika schnitzel was served with pommes frites (fries) and a side salad that you got to dress yourself - I like that, it's fun to get involved as an eater...

The schnitzel was a good lunch sized portion and very well textured, blending effortlessly with the sauce. There was just enough fries available to fill the necessary gaps in the stomach. It was a working lunch so the meal was accompanied by a glass of good ol' Coca Cola to keep it all processing. I saved myself for a tall pull of Berliner Weizen von fass (draught Beer) for the late afternoon wind down before heading out toward the "French" part of this journey...

Honest, simple, satisfying - I love it when a lunch comes together

Price: Reasonable

Rating: B

Find similar in Etobicoke: at The Izba (the Queensway, West of Royal York rd.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Better Lux Next Time...

Friday Feb 26 - Luxembourg: semi-sophisticated banking enclave of the Franco-Prussian nobility nestled amongst lush farming landscape. I used my best efforts to communicate in the tiny city state's official languages of German, French and Luxembourgish to determine the preferred breakfast choice of the locals - the answers came back in perfect English, "have a coffee and a croissant". So I grabbed a latte' and croissant at an unnamed cafe. That is all.

Special Mention to lovely presentation of the snack served aboard the Luxair flight to Rome ----------------------------------->

Coffee and Croissant
Price: 6.5 euros
Rating: C-

Find similar in Etobicoke: at Hot Oven Bakery (Bloor and Royal York)

PS - just so you don't think I'm totally boring... on my last visit to Luxembourg, I pigged out on the local version of Belgian style waffles for brekkie and had Horse Steak for lunch. Those were damn good meals indeed but best of all was that for dinner on that evening a friend and I shared a pitcher of Margarita and a platter of fajitas at Chi Chi's!! (Downtown LUX) -- that was a great day for eating (A+) ... Ole'
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finding "Firsts" in Fumicino- Pizza Roma

Fri Feb 26 - Rome (Fumicino): Well, this is a first...
The first time I ever went to Italy was to celebrate when the missus officially became "The Missus" (our Honeymoon). We had spent a week in the Cote d'Azur area of France just before we arrived. I avoided eating any Frenchie pizza there because I wanted to save myself for Italy. Great move because while we explored the northern part of Italy I had various pizzas every single day and it was the best I've ever had (except my own homemade version of course...).
On Feb 26, 2010 I arrived in Rome looking so forward to tasting real Italian pizza again and had lunch at the one of the largest places for typical Italian workers - The Alitalia Employee Cafeteria. It was the tail end of the lunch hour and I had picked one of the large corner pieces of the simple traditional margherita pie at the pizza counter. What I received was a cold, listliss coagulated slab on a flimsy plastic plate - the crust had turned stale (but was still cooked perfectly thin).
In any review that I personally* have written on food using the EtobicokeEats.com classroom marking scale, I have never before assigned the lowest letter possible. Yes - today is a day of firsts...
Hey Alitalia! - Get up in the air and Stay out of the kitchen!

Price: subsidized to near nothing
Rating: D

Find similar in Etobicoke: No Name Yellow Brand frozen pizza on sale at No Frills (Islington and Norseman)

<------------ BTW: The first beer I tried in Italy was OK - Frosty and Refreshing

PS - My Italian lunch mates apologetically commented on the poor quality of the pizza. Yet, as we all examined our empty plastic plates I quipped the old adage ... " Pizza is like sex, even when it's bad, it's still good to have". They all erupted with genuine laughter as they'd actually never heard that one before - ha, still funny.

*does not include guest submissions from "Jeff the Dream Crusher"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Empire Strikes Back...

Friday Feb 26: Rome - It took about 8 hrs to erase the Alitalia lunch experience from my stomach and my taste buds' memory system. A concious effort was made to cultivate an impossibly ravishing hunger to allow the entire country of Italy to redeem itself. A bus ride into the heart of the ancient city and an ambitious walking tour was the most approriate roadmap to this goal. So, armed with a hotel tourista roadmap I set out at 8PM knowing that the trattorias of the great Empire would still be in full swing for hours. The 1 hour shuttle ride to the drop zone only turned the dial to "peckish". A strided march to the famed Colliseum started the appetite juices flowing. Onward past the Imperial Fort, duck and weave through narrow streets - dodging scooters and Alfa Romeos, leaping through piazza's in a single bound and a half. The flashing pizzaria signs reminded me that actual hunger had now set in - sidewalk displays of gorgeous looking gelato were not helping at all. Normally, I appreciate the gaggles of leather clad fashionistas smoking long cigarettes and speaking fiery sing song Italian, hands waving so you you what's being said - but not while completely starving. The sight of the Trevi fountain just made me thirsty. By the time I reached the Spanish Steps I was far too famished to climb them.

So instead, I tucked just around the corner of Piazza Mignanelli and saw a green glow that read "Ristorante Alla Rampa". This was to be the shot at redemption for the Azzurri. I grabbed a table solo mio and studied the menu of glorious options. It didn't take long to settle on; Carciofi alla Romana (roasted artichokes), Bresaola della Valtellina (beef carpacio), Spaghetti con Vongole veraci e Fiori di Zucchine (spaghetti with clams and zucchini flowers), Insalata Mista (an unnecessary salad), 2008 Valpolicella Classico Bolla (a necessary 1/2 litre of red wine).

I will spare you the pages of details and cut right to the chase - DeLiciOuS!! And proper!! Frickin Italians! It's like with the soccer... Just when you think they "dinked it" completly they deliver a victory in style. Unfortunately, my ethnic allegiances prevent me from cheering the Azzuri during the World Cup - but I can say with confidence and pride "Viva Bocce - Viva Bocce big time!"

Arivaderce' Roma, next stop is Paris and some big ass designer shoes to fill.

Price: who cares
Rating: A
Find similar eats in Etobicoke: at Pinocchio (Dundas W. And Islington)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Paris Premiere....

Saturday Feb 27: Paris - This was my first visit to the "City of Lights" and I took the occasion to act as real everyday Parisians do and take pictures of myself around town with the Eiffel Tower in the background. The purchase of a 1 day metro pass (9 €) allowed me to use the efficient transit system to seek out eating establishments. There was nothing to be readily found at the Arc de Triumphe. A brief stroll along Champs des E'lysee required too much rubber necking, taking in perspectives of the wide street, elegant buildings, zooming traffic and fancy designer fashion shops - Louis V was putting on a show in front of his pad.

After detouring for a wander, I returned to "the Champs" a little further along by Grande Palais. There I spied a little crepe & sandwich stand (Crepes Sarrasin)

Decided to stop for a "food pill" in order to gain enough strength to combat the cold windy drizzle that had snuck up.
Opted for the Oeuf et Jambon (egg and ham) crepe and a can of Heineken.

I plopped my deriere on one of the benchs near by and munched it down - very nice.

Hunger quelled - yes, but my body temperature was dropping as the daylight was sucked from the sky straight into the trimmings of the city.
The beautifully illuminated buildings majically transformed the mise en scene of the moment and the city began glowing to show off the origin of this impressive metropolis' nickname -

But these charming lights give no warmth, so back into the Metro I went.
I emerged from the subterrania at Musee' du Louvre and couldn't resist shutterbugging on the abundance of photo ops.

More wandering yielded a proper appetite and a little Brasserie near Pont Neuf, just across the river from Mona's house seemed to beckon - Cafe' des Beaux Arts. It put out all the vibes of classic French charm without trying to - - entree moi. Well it was warm, cozy and not raining or blowing cold air inside so I was happy to settle in and practice my French with the uni-lingual staff ;
Garcon, Menu! - - c,Vu,pL'eh?

Not a lick of English on the page or the speciale du jour black boards - except 2 words "Milk Shakes".

On recommendation from Yves the server I went with the Confit du canard avec pommes persilles (duck confit and potatoes with parsley) accompanied by a glass of Bordelais Medoc aoc chateau du perier (red wine).

It was all good stuff - I lingered over this meal, a small coffee and a local beer that I have no idea the name cause the tap didn't identify and Yves spoke too fast.

This was not a high end place.

Infact, it had tell tale signs of old world penny pinching - the newspapers on lend were attached to long wooden spines and the staff handed anyone heading down to des toilettes a 0,20€ piece if you wanted stall access - the urinal didn't even have a door. Still, the whole establishment was tidy, clean and sickeningly charming.

It was a nice intro to Paris - I will however return with The Missus to really get the most out of the experience here because this city is probably romantic and she has a way of chasing away the fridgid windy drizzle and bringing the sunny spring-shine in, the way that Paris was meant to be.
At least I know my way around now.

Crepes Sarrasin
Price: 4,5€
Rating:B

Cafe' des Beaux Arts
Price: 26€
Rating: B

Find similar in Etobicoke: La Petite France (Bloor and Islington)

C'est tu - C'est ca (that's it -that's all) for this culinary voyage of inspiration. See you all round the 'choke.