Follow Me Foodie to National Peanut Butter Day!

It’s Everything and Anything Peanut Butter!

What? Are you serious? There’s a National Peanut Butter Day? Um, you mean you didn’t know? Just kidding! I actually just discovered the news yesterday, since yesterday was National Pie Day. What? Don’t tell me you didn’t know it was National Pie Day!? (*Ahem* Sh*t Foodies Say) But yes, yesterday was National Pie Day and today is National Peanut Butter Day, and tomorrow is what I thought was Wednesday… but now that I think, I think it’s National Pretzel Day. Oh no, sorry, that’s actually April 26. Geez, how could I mess that one up! Forgive me.

So how am I celebrating National Peanut Butter Day? Well actually how is anybody celebrating National Peanut Butter Day? I feel like it’s banned from almost every school nowadays. It’s funny because in China peanut allergies are extremely rare. Everything is cooked in peanut oil and peanuts are so common that people are likely immune to the allergy there. It’s almost like how Japanese women still eat raw fish when they’re pregnant and French women still each unpasteurized cheese. Anyways there are your “anti-peanutters” and then there are your peanut butter lovers! This post caters to the latter.

Personally, I’m not particularly crazy about peanut butter although I do like it! I eat it, I buy it and I order stuff with it, but I’m not a “must find the best peanut butter cookie ever” person… oh my gosh… *insert clip art for light bulb here*… I must find the best peanut butter cookie ever! Okay, so I’d still be up for the challenge and I think I’m just obsessed with food in general. It could be an obsessive compulsive thing, but that’s what makes this Follow Me Foodie! So here we go!

Note: These aren’t necessarily “the best”, but they’re good enough to remember and I’d gladly purchase them all over again!

Follow Me Foodie to Everything and Anything Peanut Butter!

Monkey Butter

Oh gosh. If you don’t like peanut butter, you will now! It’s homemade gourmet peanut butter that started in Vancouver by two sisters Kathleen and Gillian Gook. It’s a home business and you can only order online or through e-mail at the moment.

I discovered Monkey Butter at the One of a Kind Show in Vancouver over the holidays. I ended up sampling their six flavours: White Chocolate Raspberry peanut butter, Dark Chocolate Cherry peanut butter, White Chocolate Pretzel peanut butter, Dark Chocolate Banana peanut butter, Salted Caramel peanut butter and Maple Bacon peanut butter and ended up buying them all.

Personally my favourites were the White Chocolate Pretzel peanut butter which actually has little bits of crispy pretzels in it, the Salted Caramel peanut butter which is as good as it sounds, and the Maple Bacon peanut butter which has little bits of bacon in it. All of them have a great salty and sweet balance and they’re good enough to say goodbye to jam. Actually I didn’t even need the bread… a spoon was enough.

Follow Me Foodie Tasty Twist: Try heating some up and pouring it over ice cream.

Peanut Butter Hedgehog

The Peanut Butter Hedgehog cake ($7 slice, Whole cake $34-39) from Giovane Cafe + Bakery + Deli is pretty much what peanut butter and chocolate dreams are made of. This is Giovane’s most popular cake and it’s a Reece’s Pieces Peanut Butter Cup in gourmet cake form. It’s super thick, rich, creamy, moussey and indulgent cake. It’s almost a one biter, but it’s possibly one of the best peanut butter and chocolate bites you’ll ever have.

The Peanut Butter Sandwich

So I mentioned that peanut butter cookie search in my introduction, and not that I’ve started it, but this Peanut Butter Sandwich would be a serious contender! Butter Bakery is responsible for this over sized traditional peanut butter cookie that tastes “just like Grandma’s”. (If you think your grandma’s peanut butter cookie can compete, I’d like to meet her). “It’s two big soft peanut butter cookies with a creamy peanut butter filling… for serious peanut butter lovers” $2.75. They offer it in chocolate as well.

Follow Me Foodie Tasty Twist: I actually buy both, twist it like an Oreo and then swap the cookies so I have half chocolate and half peanut butter. Warm it up and eat it with banana ice cream or vanilla ice cream

Peanut Polvoron

I recently professed my love for Polvoron. They’re Filipino shortbread cookies made from toasted flour, milk, butter, and sugar cooked and then molded. The most famous ones are the house made ones from Goldilocks. Although Pinipig (Crispy Rice) Polovrons are my favourite, the peanut kind is also great! They taste like peanut butter shortbread cookies, but drier, softer, nuttier and much creamier.

PB&J Bon Bons

Deep fried peanut butter anyone? PB&J Bon Bons is a heavy dessert I had the pleasure on trying at Local 360 in Seattle. They’re super indulgent and more than one was enough for me. Thank goodness it was served with a shot glass of milk because I felt like Mr. Ed the talking horse. They’re good if I stop at one.

Peanut Butter Crunch Bar

This Peanut Butter Crunch Bar is actually from Cactus Club Cafe. It’s one of my favourite desserts and it used to be served with sour cream ice cream when they first introduced the Rob Feenie menu. It’s now served with traditional vanilla ice cream which saddens me, but it’s still good of course. C’mon people! Try something new!

Follow Me Foodie Tasty Twist: I go ahead and sprinkle a little table salt in the caramel. It’s that salted caramel and chocolate combination and of course fleur de sel is ideal, but I take what I can get. Use only a little bit because table salt is saltier and sharper than fleur de sel.

Chicken Karekare

Bet you weren’t expecting this? Chicken Karekare is a traditional Filipino dish and it tastes like a melted peanut butter stew. It’s chicken and vegetables in a rich and creamy peanut sauce and the one above is from Kumare Restaurant.

Peanut Butter

I had to save this one for last because it’s the best peanut butter dessert I’ve had to date. This peanut butter masterpiece was from Redd in Napa Valley, California. It was a milk chocolate gianduja bar, peanut honeycomb parfait milkshake, and chocolate hazelnut mousse on a bed of candied roasted peanuts sprinkled with a touch of fleur de sel. OMG. I’m jealous of myself right now! It’s been almost 2 years and I still remember it like yesterday.

Restaurant: Phnom Penh – Post 3
Cuisine: Vietnamese/Cambodian
Last visited: December 28, 2011
Location: Vancouver, BC (Chinatown)
Address: 244 E Georgia Street
Train: Main Skytrain
Price Range: $10-20

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: FMF Must Try!

Food: 5 (6 for the famous items)
Service: 3 (Is what it is, but it’s fast)
Ambiance: 2
Overall: 5
Additional comments:

• Family owned
• Vietnamese & Cambodian fusion
• Some Chinese dishes
• Extensive menu
• English/Chinese/Vietnamese menu
• Busy at all hours/line-ups
• Local/tourist favourite
• Famous for chicken wings
• Hole in the wall
• Quick/Casual
• Moderately priced
• Award winning restaurant
• Dine In/Take Out
• Reservations for 8+
• Mon-Thurs 10am – 9pm
• Fri-Sun 10am – 10pm

**Recommendations: Most famous: Phnom Penh Deep Fried Chicken Wings/Squid/Prawns, Marinated Butter Beef, Filet Beef Luc Lac on Rice with Egg (ask to get the rice replaced with fried rice) and Mango Moo Shake! People also like the Phnom Penh Two Kinds of Noodle, Steamed Rice Rolls, Phnom Penh Hot & Sour Soup and Trieu Chau Fried Oyster Cake.

Kicking off the New Year with something most of us already know and love! I’ve already blogged about it twice (see here and here), but it’s a place that never gets old. It’s Vancouver’s most beloved hole in the wall serving Vietnamese-Cambodian cuisine. If you haven’t tried it yet, you’re either out of the loop or severely deprived. I actually named it as one of the dives Guy Fieri missed when he came to Vancouver to film Food Network’s Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives – see here.

Over the holidays I brought almost every out of towner here, either upon request because they’ve tried it, or my suggestion if they haven’t. I get the same orgasmic response every time and it never fails to disappoint. However part of the reason is because I never venture too far away from the signature menu items. I’ve tried some of their not so popular items, and they’re either okay or better elsewhere, so it’s only a guaranteed experience if you know what to order.

It doesn’t matter what time you come, along with your guaranteed experience will be your guaranteed line up. As a local, it’s one of the few places I’ll wait 20 minutes for. They recently had renovations, but you can’t even tell, and to be honest if they ever renovated to a “nice restaurant” with new tables and chairs etc., it just wouldn’t be the same.

If you’re a table for 2-3 it’s likely you’ll have to share a big round communal table, so it’s really not a place for socializing. Mind you, I suggest coming with a group of at least 3-4 because the portions are pretty big and you can’t miss any of the “must try” items. It’s really only famous for a handful of items, but those handful of items have become iconic to the restaurant and in Vancouver.

On the table:
**Phnom Penh Deep Fried Chicken Wing - 6/6 (FMF Must Try!)

• 1/2 order (4 wings) $7.95 Full order (8 wings) $12.50
• This is the claim to fame.
• They’re not “just chicken wings”. So far, nobody has made better ones than these and the dipping sauce is really what makes it.
• I actually prefer the deep fried squid or prawns, which are made the same way as the chicken wings, but it’s all about personal preference.

• They’re lightly battered, crispy, juicy and seasoned with rock salt, white pepper, a little sugar and what I think is MSG.
• They’re salty, peppery, very slightly sweet form the sugar or MSG. (MSG is actually sweet and salty, not just salty.)
• They come with lots of sauteed garlic and green onions too. I wish it had some deep fried crispy garlic as well.
• They’re very garlicky and it’s like a Greek meal after you finish. Pah!
• If you like chicken wings I’d also recommend Wo Fung Dessert House for their famous chicken wings – see here.

• This is what makes all the difference. The dipping sauce for the chicken wings. It makes it that much more addicting.
• It’s basically lemon juice with white and black pepper. It’s not spicy but white pepper is always so aromatic and with the lemon it’s an intense combo.
• It’s super tangy and the citrus brightens up the wings and helps cut through the grease.
• The combination of salt, lemon, garlic and pepper is undeniably delicious and flavourful!
• Eating meat dipped in white pepper and lemon/lime juice is something some Vietnamese people will do at home, especially with beef. The lemon pepper sauce is actually a condiment used for many dishes, like hot sauce, so the idea isn’t necessarily that new.

**Marinated Butter Beef - 6/6 (FMF Must Try!)

• Thin sliced specially prepared (medium rare) beef on a bed of brown garlic, cilantro, served with our special sauce $12.85
• I love this dish and it’s my favourite thing here. It’s a must every time I come.
• This dish does not exist in Vietnam, so it is unique to the restaurant. It is a take on Phnom Penh’s Bo Tai Chanh though! (Thanks to @wisemonkeysblog!)
• It’s like the Vietnamese version of beef carpaccio or Japanese beef tataki.
• It’s super tender like the texture of butter, and it’s almost raw slices of beef. The slices are a bit thicker, but they don’t require much chewing.
• It’s quite a large plate and I can eat it alone, but I do recommend ordering it with rice to soak up the sauce or the sauce can be a bit overwhelming, salty and tangy.

• The tender beef is intensely covered with nutty crispy garlic, perhaps some ginger and loads of fresh cilantro. It’s almost like a cilantro raw beef garlic salad.
• It’s a super aromatic and saucy dish and I love the texture of soft raw beef, crunchy fresh cilantro, nutty garlic chips and the savoury tangy soy based vinaigrette.
• The special sauce is a very sharp and bold vinaigrette and they just pour it onto the beef and let it absorb.
• I think it’s made with soy sauce, fish sauce, and lemon juice with perhaps some sugar. It’s definitely predominantly tangy and salty though.
• I could drink the sauce, although I’d be coughing from the acid and dying of thirst afterward.

**Filet Beef Luc Lac on Rice with Egg - 5/6 (Excellent)

• $9.50
• Another famous Phnom Penh phenomenon. It’s their most popular rice dish and it’s Vietnamese comfort food.
• I’ve ordered it once at another Vietnamese restaurant before so I don’t have much to compare it to, although this one was much better than the one I had.
• Don’t even think about ordering the version without the egg… unless you’re allergic.
• It’s a traditional Vietnamese beef stir fry dish and it actually tastes really Chinese to me.
• There’s a popular Chinese dish called “Minced Beef with Raw Egg on Rice” and it’s very similar and I actually like them equally. It also reminds me of a sauteed version of Korean Bulgogi beef.
• The beef is generously coated with a thick sauce and it’s savoury, sweet and nutty from sesame oil.
• The beef is tender and has probably been marinating for a long time, and they give you a lot of slices.

• From what I could taste I think the sauce is soy sauce with Oyster sauce, sesame oil, fish sauce, garlic and maybe some honey or sugar. It’s not sticky, but it’s almost creamy and very flavourful.
• It is very good, but I’m pretty used to this flavour so it wasn’t anything spectacular for me. It’s simply well marinated, savoury and sweet, tender beef stir fry.
• You have to break the egg yolk into the beef. It’s the traditional way any Asian person would eat it.
• The raw egg yolk just blends in with the meat and it adds a richness and creaminess to the overall dish. It’s like a”natural sauce” and I only wish the fried egg was even more raw.
• For the Chinese version they literally crack a raw egg on top of the minced meat before serving it. The heat of the meat is supposed to “cook” the egg, but it doesn’t… and no one cares. It’s delicious.

**Filet Beef Luc Lac on Rice with Egg (With Fried Rice upgrade) – 6/6 (FMF Must Try!)

• $9.50 + $3 (Fried rice upgrade) $12.50
• If you think the Filet Beef Luc Lac on Rice with Egg is excellent, try upgrading the rice to fried rice and it’s trés excellent!
• The dish as a whole is 6/6.
• The fried rice is their “Trieu Chau fried rice” with finely chopped Chinese sausages, carrots, egg and green onion.
• The rice is fried really well here and it’s not clumpy, dry or wet. It’s moist and full of ingredients and I got that earthy smoky “wok aroma”.
• The Chinese sausages are a bit chewy and sweet like jerky so they make for great flavour and it’s also sauteed with some soy sauce or fish sauce.

Phnom Penh Hot & Sour Soup with Prawn – 3.5/6 (Good-Very Good)

• Small $12.25 Large $24.50
• This is a Vietnamese-Cambodian style of Hot & Sour Soup, and I prefer the Chinese or Szechuan kind which is almost incomparable.
• This is popular in Southern Vietnam and Cambodia and it’s the most popular soup at Phnom Penh.
• It’s a huge pot served boiling hot.
• The broth is lighter and more clear than most Chinese versions and it has more acidity to it too.
• It’s savoury from the fish sauce, sweet from some sugar, and sour from the lemon/lime/tamarind (?), acidic from some tomato stock and it has a good kick of chili spice.
• It had chunks of tomatoes, taro stems, pineapples, some peeled shrimp, bean sprouts, basil leaves, onions, cilantro and dried/fried brown garlic so it was full of ingredients.
• The soup had depth, great flavour and balance, but I couldn’t taste the prawns infused in it. I liked it, but it’s not something I’d have to order again.

Trieu Chau Steamed Dumplings - 3.5/6 (Good-Very Good)

• Clear dumpling stuffed with Jicama nut & pork $8.25
• They take 15-20 minutes to make. They were huge and each one is a 2-3 biter.
• I usually order these at dim sum (aka Chiu Chow Fun Guo), but for a non dim sum restaurant these are pretty good. I still prefer dim sum ones, but the style of these are different.
• It is served with a tangy malted vinegar for dipping and topped with cilantro and dried/fried brown garlic.
• They’re made fresh upon order and I’ve had several versions of these before, including Trieu Chau ones, but never with these ingredients.

• The skins are the chewy clear glutinous rice flour skins you see on prawn dumplings, but these were thicker.
• They are stuffed with jicama, ground pork, Shiitake mushrooms, Chinese sausage, baby shrimps, I think some dried shrimps, and the most unusual was the hard boiled eggs. Everything else is quite standard, but the hard boiled eggs are different.
• Each one had a 1/4 of a hard boiled egg, and I liked it, but I just wished it was mixed up with the mixture so it wasn’t so random.
• The outside is soft and chewy and the inside is crunchy and meaty with tons of ingredients, but without the dipping sauce they are on the bland side.
• Texturally I liked them, but here are a few other versions of them that I prefer: 5 Spice Swatow Style Dumpling with more of a gravy, Steamed Diced Pork & Vegetable Dumpling “Chiu Chow Fun Guo”, and Steamed Pork Dumplings with Peanuts.

Phnom Penh Dry Rice Noodle (No broth) - 3.5/6 (Good-Very good)

• Rice noodles with seafood, pork, ground pork, dried shrimp, and special sauces, served with bean sprouts (soup on the side upon request) $6
• This is pretty good and enjoyable, but also not that special.
• It could have been better if the meat wasn’t so dry too. The pork slices were really hard to chew, and since it was a dry noodle dish, it didn’t help.
• The only liquid is some dark soy sauce and I think they add a little oil so it’s not so dry.
• The noodles are just the standard Vietnamese rice noodles they serve in pho. Here, they are served luke warm and they’re nice and chewy.
• I liked the freshness of the cilantro with the addition of steamed bean sprouts which were served on the side.
• The heat just brings out the nuttiness of the fried garlic which I wish had been crispy. I could have used some more salty dried shrimp as well.
• The “special sauces” it’s served with is the standard Vietnamese spring roll dipping sauce (Nuoc Cham) and a chili bean paste. Mixed in with the noodles it’s all sweet, tangy, spicy and savoury especially with the already added soy sauce.

Pork Soup - 2.5/6 (Okay-Good)

• This is their signature soup that comes as a side. It’s usually served with a pork bone in it, but they probably ran out since it was late in the evening.
• It tastes like chicken soup to me and it was light, but flavourful, and I didn’t find it anything special.

Phnom Penh Special Jumbo Rice B (with Fried Rice upgrade) – 4/6 (Very good)

• BBQ Lemon grass pork chop, shredded pork, ham and egg on rice $10.50 + $3 (Fried rice upgrade) $13.50
• This is definitely shareable and well worth it.
• It comes with a side of orange Nuoc Cham vinaigrette which you pour over top and mix everything together.
• It comes with a few slices of Vietnamese ham, a fried egg, a generous amount of pork chops, a dry fried pork rind (which tasted like vermicelli noodles) with chopped Vietnamese ham and browned garlic, and a salad.
• The garlicky pork rinds kind of tasted like something you would use to fill vermicelli noodle spring rolls with.
• They seem like they’re coated in bread crumbs, which are dried/fried brown garlic flakes, so it has that crumbly texture and they’re not crispy and intentionally not saucy.
• The pork is tender and juicy, but I could have used more lemongrass on the rub.
• It has a nice sweet glaze on them and the quality of the meat is a bit higher than a lot of Vietnamese places. It isn’t just all gelatinous fat or wimpy chewy pork cutlets.
• I enjoyed the variety in the dish and you get some of everything.

Beef Fillet Anchois - 4/6 (Very good)

• Very rare beef specially prepared with smashed fillets of Anchovies, fresh lemon juice, sliced lettuce, green peppers & onions $16.50
• I was hoping this was going to be a Butter Beef 2.0. I was hoping it was an undiscovered item just waiting to be ordered.
• I did enjoy it, but I wouldn’t want an entire plate. This is good for groups of 4. It’s a very crunchy and a refreshing salad.
• And you thought the Butter Beef was rare!!? Take a look at this one! It’s almost still bleeding! There’s a lot of super rare and pretty much raw beef pieces tossed throughout this salad. It’s almost like ceviche. They’re incredibly tender and each piece only took a few chews. It doesn’t taste fatty or tendonous.
• The beef fillets are so pounded and tenderized. It’s probably marinated overnight in anchovy lemon juice as well as maybe some ginger that comes unnoticed.
• Each piece was incredibly flavourful with juicy tangy savoury marinade, however it was to the point of loosing that natural beef flavour. For that one reason, it’s not really for hardcore carnivores who love meaty flavours. I still enjoyed it though. I’m not a major carnivore nor am I vegetarian.
• The salad itself reminded me of Subway sandwich toppings. I wanted way more herbs in it, like mint, cilantro and basil etc.
• It was generously dressed with a very tangy and sweet lemon vinaigrette that’s slightly spicy. The sharp dressing is required to “cook” and kill all the germs in that beef! I couldn’t see or really taste any anchovies, but it’s in the marinade giving it sharp savoury flavour.
• All the veggies were also tenderized with the vinaigrette so the onions weren’t spicy, but the sauce kind of has a slight kick.

Green Papaya Salad – 3/6 (Good)

• $14.50
• This is a huge papaya salad, but I prefer the Thai papaya salads.
• Usually this is an appetizer, but with the added prawns and beef it would be considered a main.
• It comes with lots of shrimp, freshly shredded crunchy green papaya, mint leaves, some shredded carrots, toasted peanuts, crumbled beef jerky, and chilies.
• It’s a very refreshing and crunchy salad with lots of different textures.
• The papaya is green papaya so it’s not your typical orangey yellow one. It’s tart, not sweet and almost like crunchy daikon.
• It’s sweet from the sugar, tart and citrusy from the papaya and vinaigrette, savoury with the beef and very aromatic overall.
• It comes with a side of orange Nuoc Cham vinaigrette which just brings everything together and gives it more salty, sweet and sour flavours.

Vietnamese Crepe or Bánh Xèo - 3/6 (Good)

• Crisp bean pancake wrapped with bean-sprout, shrimp, ground pork, pan-fried to perfection $12.95
• This takes a while to prepare. It’s actually a French inspired Vietnamese dish popular in Saigon.
• I had the honour of trying a homemade one from a good friend. I won’t compare them, but I learned that traditionally the crepe is used as the filling for lettuce wraps. You fill romaine leaves with the crepe and top it off with a variety of fresh herbs. It’s then wrapped and rolled and dipped into Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese spring roll dipping sauce) before eating. It’s so much better that way!
• This crepe was MASSIVE. It’s actually pretty good, but just very bland and I do wish they would serve it authentically. There’s not many places making this though.
• It was a super crispy thin crepe and similar to a chip. It was almost deep fried and pretty oily.
• It’s nice and crunchy and the batter has some sliced garlic pieces, chives and frozen baby shrimp cooked into it. Fresh prawns would obviously be better, but I understand.
• It’s yellow from Tumeric, but it’s still bland.

• It was well stuffed, but I wish the variety of stuffing was more spread out. It was almost like clumps of toppings rather than an incorporated mixture.
• There was a lot of steamed bean sprouts, which is actually quite standard for this crepe. But since these were previously steamed they tasted a bit watery and lost their flavour. It didn’t help since everything else was already bland.
• It’s also stuffed with bland ground pork, and some yellow starchy bits that tasted like hard boiled duck egg yolks, but not salty. They were almost like coarse lentils and they were bland as well.
• The orange stuff is the shrimp and it was the only decently salty part. I wanted way more of it. It was a combination of dried and cooked shrimp and it had the texture and slight taste of sweet pumpkin, salty shrimp flavour followed by a slightly spicy note. It sounds gross, but I liked it. It’s a bit mushy and bitty.
• Eaten together it’s all crispy, crunchy and almost like a salad filled with bean like starchy textures.
• Texture was interesting, but it was very bland without the orange Nuoc Cham vinaigrette dipping sauce they served on the side. It also needed more fresh herbs.

**Mango Moo Shake – 6/6 (FMF Must Try!)

• $4.25 (Mango flavour is seasonal)
• It’s found in the “desserts” section and it’s almost like a bubble tea, but better.
• The Moo Shakes aren’t as well known, but people who know about them will always order them. They’re amazing.
• It’s not a milkshake, but there is a tiny bit of milk in it. It tastes like it’s made with fresh mango sorbet and it’s like a frozen mango slushy.
• It’s very naturally sweet with a little bit of added sugar syrup and it’s made with 100% real mangoes! They’re probably frozen but you can tell it’s real.
• It’s like a frozen fresh fruit puree of mango and it’s super thick and better than any fresh fruit mango bubble tea type drink I’ve tried to date.

Lychee Moo Shake – 5/6 (Excellent)

• $4.25
• I’m assuming the lychee is canned because they have it available all year.
• It’s full of lychee flavour and again it’s better than most bubble tea places making lychee bubble tea.
• It’s thick, refreshing and blended with ice like a slushy. There could be a splash of milk too.
• I find it a bit sweet, and I still prefer the mango, but I still liked this.

Assorted Handmade Chocolates – not from Phnom Penh, but it was dessert after dinner.

Restaurant: Blue Hill
Cuisine: French/American/Fine Dining/Local
Last visited: September 12, 2011
Location: Manhattan, NY (Greenwich Village)
Address: 75 Washington Place
Nearby subway stops: W 4th Street
Price Range: $50+

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5.5-6
Service: 5
Ambiance: 5
Overall: 5.5
Additional comments:

• Farm inspired fine dining
• Local ingredients/Seasonal menus
• Family owned
• 2 locations
• Elegant/Sophisticated
• Executive Chef/Co-Owner Dan Barber
• 1 Michelin Star
• Top 10 Best Lists
• Multiple award winning
• Hidden gem/Local favourite
• Wine list
• Reservations highly recommended
• Monday thru Saturday, 5:30 pm – 11:00 pm
• Sunday, 5:30 pm – 10:00 pm

**Recommendations: Try to visit the Blue Hill Stone Barns location. Reservations must be made months in advance. Chilled Corn Soup, Berkshire Pig, Stone Barns “Freedom Ranger” Chicken, or the Farmer’s Feast (Tasting Menu).

It’s fine dining in New York, but away from New York. It would have been even more so if I made reservations at their other location in Stone Barns. Blue Hill has 2 locations in New York, one in Manhattan and one 30 miles north of New York City in Stone Barns. It’s an all year working farm, education centre and on site restaurant which features no formal menu, but a list of 100 seasonal farm ingredients to choose from. I still plan to visit it one day because the experience is completely different from the Blue Hill in Manhattan, but you need to make reservations months in advance.

Blue Hill was another restaurant that didn’t show up on my original Follow Me Foodie to New York itinerary. Once again I got the recommendation from the head chef at Jean-Georges, who had already given me amazing recommendations for Peasant and Dessert Club, ChikaLicious, both of which I loved. Well actually I got the recommendation from him and Jean-Georges’ brother, Phillipe Vongerichten, who had recently celebrated his birthday at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. So, it was quite the recommendation that needed little convincing to take up.

It was my last dinner in New York and I wanted something memorable. I already had 11 days of gastronomical magic, so this was supposed to be the icing on the cake. Blue Hill is a hidden gem that experienced foodie locals know about and tourists have yet to discover. I wanted my trip to end with passionate food, wrapped around a great experience, topped with exceptional service, and garnished with something uniquely New York, and that’s more or less what I got here.

Tucked away on a rather quiet residential area of Manhattan and away from the noise is Blue Hill. It’s a 1 Michelin Star restaurant and it’s not as hyped as many of the other fine dining restaurants in Manhattan, which is kind of part of its charm. (I took this photo at the end of the night, but otherwise the restaurant was fully booked).

Blue Hill was definitely one of my better fine dining experiences globally. However the concept of “farm to table” dining is really nothing new to me being from Vancouver, BC. Even the idea of dining on farmland isn’t particularly foreign, and quite often our local restaurants will have dinners where you can even meet and greet the local farmers and artisans. With Market Mondays at Raincity Grill, Gumboot Dinners at Seasonal 56, and even places like Krause Berry Farms, where you’re actually picking the fruits and vegetables on the farm, I must say we often don’t know how good we have it until it’s taken away. I must mention La Traite and  Au Goût d’Autrefois in Quebec too since those are the best farm to table experiences I’ve had on the East Coast to date.

Of course I appreciate, value and support the philosophy of farm to table and the restaurants embracing it, but it has to mean something when they do it. Almost every restaurant is “farm to table” or “100 Mile Diet” these days and at times it can feel like a whole marketing “thing”. Personally when I dine “farm to table” I like it casual, on big long wooden communal tables, with big portions served family style, and fresh flowers over candlelight… and sometimes outdoors (I say sometimes because I hate bugs and I get cold easily).

Blue Hill in Manhattan was certainly still a rewarding choice, but Blue Hill at Stone Farms is the real experience. I haven’t been there yet myself, but I’ve researched, read and spoke with others about it and already I felt the difference. I think I would have felt the heart and passion of the restaurant at Stone Farms even more, and here I saw and tasted it in the food, but I didn’t absorb it in the ambiance. I probably would have even tasted it more at Stone Farms since the ingredients have less of a distance to travel and are probably picked when ripe. Regardless, in the end it really depends on what you’re looking for and by no means was I disappointed in what I got here.

On the table:

Complimentary Bread & Butter

• These warm mini house made baguettes were so good they almost had me full before the amuse bouche even started.
• They are super crunchy and crusty on the outside and soft, fluffy and chewy inside.
• They weren’t tough to chew and they had great flavour and a bit of salt.
• Even the butter was better. It was freshly churned and it was sharper, saltier, grassier and likely from a grass fed cow.

• The baguettes came with 3 other condiments: whipped lardo with paprika, homemade butter, and dehydrated tomato powder with salt.
• They had me at the bread, but the butter was even better. I was just impressed with the attention and care to detail.
• Whipped lardo with paprika – this was really greasy and it just tastes like pork rinds, but it was too rich for me and I needed more paprika. It was what it was though.
• Homemade butter – This butter was different than the one they served once I sat down. This one was sweeter and almost less sharp, but still grassy.
• Dehydrated tomato powder with salt – It was tangy like sun dried tomato and smoky from paprika and maybe chipotle and the spice lingered. I could eat it by the spoonful and it wouldn’t be salty, so it was light with the salt. I could use it on popcorn and I liked it!

Amuse Bouche – Summer Vegetables

• Romaine, Baby Summer Squash, Baby Cucumber, Heirloom Cherry Tomato, Gooseberry
• Apparently they do this at Blue Hill at Stone Barns too.
• It really set the tone for dinner and it was the perfect amuse bouche to represent the restaurant.
• It might seem crazy to go in detail about each vegetable, but each one was treated differently.
• Romaine – It was a crisp romaine heart seasoned with salt and pepper which had already dissolved, but it was nice.
• Baby Summer Squash – It was crunchy and raw, but also treated.
• Baby Cucumber – It was crunchy, salted and tangy, but not really pickled and there was a mild heat of paprika.
• Heirloom Cherry Tomato – It was juicy, very acidic and also seasoned.
• Gooseberry – It was very sweet and almost like honey and it was great to end with.

Amuse Bouche – Tomato Ricotta & Almond Cheeseburgers

• Cute! The entire meal was very good, but this little amuse bouche was one of my highlights.
• The buns tasted like a moist, ground almond marzipan cake. It was sweet like cornbread, but definitely almond in flavour.
• They were filled with fresh tomato sauce, fluffy, soft and creamy ricotta, and a bit of frisee.
• They were delicious! It was nutty, sweet, salty, tangy and just full of flavour and fresh good quality ingredients.
• Some slivered almonds would have made for great crunch and texture, but I’m not complaining.

Amuse Bouche – Dark Chocolate Glass Brûlée Shell Sandwiches with Paté

• The amuse bouche was gradually getting better and I didn’t even expect anything more after the mini “cheeseburgers”.
• I love paté and I’ve had it in many forms, but this was one of the most memorable!
• Again the sweet and salty was so well played.
• It was fatty, buttery and creamy pork paté and the paté wasn’t particularly the highlight, but the whole thing overall was brilliant.
• The flavours complemented so well with contrasting flavours and textures.
• It was almost like dessert, but almost like a savoury appetizer and I’ve never had anything like it.
• The crisp dark chocolate brûlée was almost like crackling on a suckling pig.
• The chocolate brûlée was sweet initially followed by bitter charcoal flavours. It gave an earthy and smoky tone to the rich salty pork.
• It was the savoury version of an ice cream sandwich ideal for any carnivore.
• If you’ve never tried pork and chocolate it’s delicious. Try chocolate covered bacon strips, cocoa rubbed pork tenderloin or chicken and mole sauce. The idea is already there, but this interpretation was the best I’ve tasted for it.

Amuse Bouche – Chilled Corn Soup – 6/6

• Chanterelle mushrooms, pancetta ($15 a la carte)
• ‘hnakl;dnlgkna OMG. Delicious! Things were just getting better and better and I didn’t even think it was possible.
• I’ve had chilled corn soup before, and we get amazing corn on the West Coast, but this was the best chilled corn soup I’ve ever had.
• It tasted like pure corn juice.
• It was refreshing and clear, not like a creamy chowder, and almost like a watered down smoothie and very slightly starchy.
• It tasted like they had taken the corn right from the backyard and hand squeezed each kernel after cooking it.
• The soup was incredibly sweet and juicy and sweeter than eating corn off the cob. It was naturally sweet too though.
• I could taste a hint of white pepper that was almost unnoticeable and it was absolutely delightful.
• I was drinking this like my last sip of water.
• This was one of the highlights from my whole New York trip and it was an amuse bouche!

String Beans, Peaches and Nectarines – 5/6

• Homemade Lardo, Fennel and Cucumber $18
• I rarely order salads, but this was recommended and at a restaurant emphasizing farm vegetables, it’s usually a sure bet and something to try.
• It was fresh and well dressed with thick and fruity quality olive oil, a minty dill vinaigrette and some balsamic vinegar.
• The salad was incredibly aromatic and herby and the greens were interesting, which is what I look for in a salad at a fine dining restaurant.
• There were various types of snow peas, different kinds of skinny green beans, strong dill and parsley.
• The cucumbers were perfectly cut in rounds and they were super crunchy and pickled with a mild licorice flavour from the fennel or anise.
• The tender and juicy nectarines and peaches were also perfectly char grilled with criss cross marks, but only on one side which I found unusual.
• The only thing is that the fruits were a bit tart so I’m not sure if they were vine ripened, but at last they weren’t mushy.
• The peaches and nectarines were infused with spices like coriander and cumin and the vinaigrette had a lemony tang so it was a nice refresher.
• The lardo was basically the bacon bits, but there weren’t many. I would have loved some nice cubes of pork cheek croutons!
• There were good crunchy textures and summer flavours, and I did like it, but I wanted a bit more to this salad.
• It was very herby and tangy, so perhaps some candied nuts, crumbled goat’s cheese or blue cheese with a touch of wildflower honey would have done it.

Grilled Mackerel – 5/6

• Cherry Tomatoes, Preserved Lemon and Hazelnuts $18
• The presentation was beautiful! The portion was larger than expected too.
• I was ready to get lost in this random yet organized maze of perfectly cut and grilled mackerel.
• The herbs included chervil, parsley, tarragon, and chives and it was another herby appetizer. I liked it being herby though and it enhanced the farm to table theme.
• Mackerel is such a strong tasting fish with a prominent fish flavour, so it always works well with lots of herbs. However, this mackerel wasn’t fishy tasting and it was actually clean and mild in flavour.

• The skin was chargrilled, crispy and almost puffy and the fish was pretty much sashimi rare. It was almost Western style aburi (seared sashimi) and it tasted like ahi tuna.
• I could taste the burnt charcoal that gave the appetizer such an earthy tone. The tangy preserved lemon and acidic burst of cherry tomatoes balanced out that earthiness.
• In between the pieces of fish were dollops of fruity olive oil with crunchy toasted hazelnuts and dressed micro herbs.
• The hazelnuts made for great texture and it was interesting eating them with the mackerel.
• It was almost like a deconstructed interpretation of a pesto, and I loved all the flavours, but it was missing a sweetness again.
• I like to taste salty, tangy, and sweet in my dishes so I just wanted that missing note, but I still loved it.

**Stone Barns “Freedom Ranger” Chicken – 5/6

• Cannellini Beans, Zucchini, Corn and Pancetta $36
• The “Freedom Ranger” chicken is a breed of chicken which started in France and it’s known for its premium taste and quality since it is raised in a free range and slow growth environment. The bird is naturally inclined to go outside.
• I know chicken can be such a sleeper on the menu, but I’m telling you, it’s making a come back! People are making them shine and if you’re served a good quality chicken, it has a ton of flavour.
• This chicken was not just a sous vide chicken, but this was treated a bit differently and it was made interesting.
• The thigh and breast were executed differently.
• The thigh was poached in olive oil and the breast in buttermilk so both were incredibly tender and soft.
• The chicken skin on the thigh was crispy and it kind of reminded me of Chinese style “Crispy Chicken” and it was infused with herbs and I think some thyme because it was a bit fruity, lemony and tangy.
• The breast was poached in buttermilk and it was a bit smaller which is typical of Freedom Ranger chickens.
• The breast was drizzled with a sauce that tasted like a bacon caramel sauce. It was viscous and gelatinous chicken au jus and it was thick, syrupy and well reduced.
• The chicken breast was silky smooth and almost like tofu it was so tender, but the flavour of the thigh was just superior (probably because it was dark meat too).
• It was served with a succotash made with firm cannellini beans, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, sweet pops of corn and crispy salty pancetta served over a creamy bed of velouté, which is my favourite type of sauce.
• Velouté is basically a béchamel like cream and butter sauce and it was silky smooth like velvety rich and creamy pommes puree.
• The succotash was another highlight and I could have eaten 10 bowls of it. They should offer it as a side dish.
• There’s just something about corn, bacon and velouté that will have you at your knees.

**Berkshire Pig - 6/6

• Peaches, Sweet Corn, Tomatoes and Shiitake Mushrooms $36
• This was probably the best version of a Berkshire Pig I’ve had. It was definitely worth it.
• It featured various cuts of the pig and it was almost like an individual serving of a Whole Hog Dinner.
• Being Asian, I’m used to eating all parts of the animal, but I still really enjoyed this dish on a Western level. They did a great job!
• Clockwise from 12 o’clock: Jowl, snout, tenderloin, shoulder
• I’m pretty sure all of it was sous vide again at one point and it was served with a salty and sweet pork jus reduced with some wine.
• It was served with a side of chargrilled sweet corn, peaches, tomatoes and Shiitake mushrooms
• The jowl was my favourite and it tasted like Chinese roasted pork or suckling pig. It was better than the toriniku (pork cheeks) at Ramen Santouka.
• It was creamy, buttery, juicy and almost 70% fat, but the whole thing just melted and it wasn’t gelatinous or chewy at all! I could have spread it on bread like butter.
• The pork skin was crunchy like candy and well caramelized and the meat was silky smooth and it was literally melting oils on the plate.
• It was served on top of a stewed peach salsa which was really tangy and herby and a bit sweet so it was a nice contrast.
• The snout is naturally a bit more gelatinous and sticky so the texture is perhaps more acquired.
• It was a bit too salty and chewy for me, but it was made really well for what it was.
• Personally I prefer the snout all chopped up and in a terrine (see here) or served the Filipino way like in Sisig – see Sizzling Pork Sisig.
• The tenderloin medallions were the most traditional and ordinary, but it was still amazing for being a pork tenderloin.
• It was perfectly cooked with a pinkish middle and it was still tender although not necessarily juicy.
• It was infused with rosemary and garlic flavour and it was the only cut where that flavour was obvious. I’m not sure if anything else was infused with it.
• Last was the shoulder, which tends to be one of my favourite parts due to texture and flavour after it is braised.
• This one was smoky in flavour and a bit resistant and chewy which was unusual. It didn’t seem like shoulder to me.
• It was pretty fatty and well seasoned, but there was no dry rub or anything.
• The side of corn and veggies was simple, fresh and light. It was acidic and herby and a great accompaniment to the more indulgent pork.

White Eggplant Puree – 2/6

•  $8
• This reminded me of baba ganoush (Middle Eastern roasted eggplant dip).
• I love eggplant, but I was really not digging this, but eating it more because it was there.
• It was just unexpected and it seemed more like a dip than a side. It was like a cold creamy mayo spread and I couldn’t eat it alone.
• It was very rich and very heavy on the mayo and was almost all I could taste.
• There was eggplant texture more so than flavour, and it was pureed with what tasted like a lemony yogurt sauce with some mint and parsley.
• It was a bit spicy, but it really didn’t seem like a side and I also thought the eggplant took a back seat.

Raspberries – 5/6

• Passion Fruit Souffle, Lemon Thyme $12
• It was quite small, but I enjoyed it as a summer dessert and it was well executed and representable of the restaurant’s theme.
• I question the passion fruit though, unless they really manage to grow it at Stone Barns or source it locally.
• I prefer a deep and tall souffle over a shallow one, but this was very well made.

• It was a very soft, tender and fluffy cloud of passion fruit souffle, but I could taste more lemon than passion fruit. The thyme I couldn’t taste though.
• The souffle was airy, light and whipped and almost like a lightly baked marshmallow with a very fluid and custard like centre that just melted in your mouth.
• It actually sat on a thin sponge like tart shell which gave it nice contrasting texture, but it wasn’t crispy or crunchy.
• The souffle was placed on top of a tart raspberry coulis, with lots of fresh raspberries, and a vanilla creme l’anglais, which needed more vanilla beans.
• I could taste a hint of liquer, but I’m not sure if it was from the raspberry or the souffle.
• There was a nice tangy and sweet balance and I did love it, but I also wanted a bit more from it.
• It wasn’t necessarily memorable, although I enjoyed it in the moment. I just expected something perhaps a bit more intricate, detailed, or with more components.

Complimentary Chocolates & Candies

• There were caramelized flax seed clusters, chocolate raspberry truffles, and candied hazelnuts.
• The flax seed clusters were something new! They were super crunchy and like kettle corn, but a bit bitter from the flax. It was like chocolatey rice krispies.
• The raspberry truffles were creamy and full of bittersweet chocolate, but the ganache was faint with raspberry flavour.
• The candied hazelnuts were large crunchy candied hazelnuts dusted with cocoa powder. In France they’re known as Grignotine – a snack.
• It was all served on top of cocoa nibs which I could have eaten spoonfuls of and all the chocolate used was great quality.
• I love chocolate, but personally it would be nice if this summer meal ended with some fresh fruits. It would just add to the charm and theme of the “farm to table” restaurant.

Restaurant: Point G
Cuisine: French/Bakery/Desserts
Last visited: November 10, 2011
Location: Montreal, Quebec (Plateau Mont-Royal)
Address: 1266, Ave Mont-Royal est
Subway stop: Plateau Mont-Royal
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 6
Service: 2
Ambiance: 2
Overall: 5
Additional comments:

• Specializes in macarons
• 22 flavours
• Traditional & creative flavours
• Take-out macaron shop
• Award winning
• House made
• Premium ingredients
• Small selection of ice cream/sorbet
• Coffee/tea
• Great for gifts
• Sunday to Thursday: 10am-12am
• Friday & Saturday: 10am-3pm

**Recommendations: Macarons

Taxi! To the Notre-Dame please! Actually wait! Can we make a pit stop to Point G? Thank goodness I made that last minute decision!

I had it on my dessert itinerary for Montreal and it was recommended by Montreal locals and Vancouver’s own macaron pastry chef Carly from Kitchening with Carly. It was where she experienced her first Parisian Macaron, and if that’s what inspired her to start her own macaron business, I had to try them!

I wasn’t set on looking for the best Parisian Macaron in Montreal, and I wasn’t even thinking of trying macarons while I was there. I was actually indulging more on almond croissants which are one of my favourites, but I had just come from a three course lunch at L’Express, so dessert #2 had to be a bit lighter. I thought macarons were literally and figuratively fitting!

It looked more like an American frozen yogurt shop than it did a macaron boutique, but Point G does specialize in Parisian Macarons. I had it romanticized as some European macaron pastry shop, but from the looks, I already questioned its authenticity and it looked so “mass produced”.

Don’t judge a book by its cover though, this place is brought to Montreal by two highly skilled and experienced French pastry chefs. One of the guys has even worked with world renowned chef Paul Bocuse. Although they’re both capable of making much more than macarons, I admire them for really mastering the art of one thing and perfecting it.

And there they were! The display case of pastel coloured Parisian macarons in 22 flavours ranging from traditional to creative. I’m not sure if this is the best place for macarons in Montreal, but it’s what I got from research and I was satisfied. The only one “better” or just as good, was the gorumet macaron I had at Lady Kookie in Quebec City. Personally, I found Point G better than Ladurée macarons I had in New York, which is the mecca of macarons along with Pierre Hermes.

I’m a bit jealous of Montreal right now and I regret not trying more macarons at Point G to see if they were consistent. However macarons are best eaten 2 days after they’re made. I’m not sure when they’re put out for sale here, and I’m not sure how long they last, but I ate mine the day of and they were perfect.

Just to put things into perspective to show where I’m coming from, I’m going to reiterate my blog post The Perfect Parisian Macarons. Here’s a quick recap of what I personally look for in a macaron.

What I look for in a Parisian Macaron:

1) Smooth shells with no cracks or bumps
2) Macarons that hold their shape and don’t fall apart when you pick them up
3) Feet (the rim or edges of a macaron)
4) A gap between the shell and the inside of the cookie (if no gap, should be still crisp)
5) A crisp thin shell that cracks like an egg shell
6) Moist, soft, tender and smooth inside
7) Sweetness (flavour of ground almonds and not just sugar)
8 ) Filling (ratio, chocolate/buttercream/jam)
9) Quality of ingredients (natural, local, fresh or extracts)
10) Freshness/shelf life (best eaten 1.5-3 days after it’s made, not fresh or stale)
11) Size (authentic ones are bite sized, but I’m not picky about this)

On the table:

I went for the house favourite and it was not surprisingly the Fleur de Sel Caramel Macaron. Everything else was in French and my cab was waiting, so naturally I just asked for pistachio. Having a longer minute to take a look at the Point G online menu now, I wish I ordered Blueberry Lavender, Chocolate-Sesame, Lime-Basil and Apricot Black Tea. *Sigh*, next time!

**Parisian Macarons - 6/6

• $1.50 each, 6 for $9, 10 for $15, 20 for $28, 40 for $52, macaron pyramid (must pre-order) $62
• I found them very affordable at $1.50 and they’re a good size.
• It’s not the authentic small Parisian size, but maybe slightly smaller than an Oreo.
• These little “bastards” take forever to make so I actually don’t mind paying for them, and this is the best value I’ve seen.
• The shells were completely smooth and not broken which is more than I can say for the ones I had at Ladurée.
• The feet were perfect, rising up and not out, and they looked almost too perfect!
• I could pick them up without them falling apart and at this point my expectations were just growing!
• And yes! They tasted as good as they looked!
• It had a crisp shell, ground almond flavour, softness that wasn’t cakey or overly sugary, and chewy moistness which still melted away.
• They weren’t too sweet at all or overly dyed with colour.
• Ladurée maybe had a one up on its filling, but the filling was still great here!

**Fleur de Sel Caramel Macaron - 6/6

• $1.50
• Salted caramel is almost always the most popular flavour nowadays.
• I couldn’t taste the texture of salt, which I can in some Fleur de Sel flavoured stuff, but it was undeniably salted caramel.
• I could here the “pop” of the crisp shell when I bit down on it and the inside was slightly chewy and moist with a strong ground almond flavour.
• The filling was creamy with a great sweet and salty balance and the caramel was almost like melted Whether’s Originals.
• It was obviously salted caramel and I loved it!

**Roasted Pistachio Parisian Macaron – 6/6

• $1.50
• I honestly don’t think I’ve had a Pistachio Macaron better than this one.
• Just look at the filling! I can actually see little bits of real ground pistachio nuts! It’s not extract or ready made pistachio paste (which I actually don’t mind), but it was real roasted pistachios!
• Again, I bit down on the shell, heard and felt the crisp, and the inside was just as moist, soft, and smooth with that ground almond flavour I look for in the cookie part.
• The pistachio filling was maybe mixed with some white chocolate ganache, but it wasn’t too sweet and still obviously pistachio.
• The pistachio filling was comparable to the the texture and intensity of peanut butter, but of course with pistachio nuts.
• The darker colour of the filling was convincing of natural ingredients although they still use dyes here, but I enjoyed them enough not to care.

Follow Me Foodie to l’île-d’Orléans, Quebec!

Corking cider, eating cheese, dining at the duck farm and sipping on Cassis!

If you’re in Quebec City, and you want a culinary tour that’s off the beaten track, then you should consider visiting l’île-d’Orléans! It almost felt like touring Kelowna and it was a real treat to meet some of the local artisans in the area. It’s only 5km away from Quebec City and it’s the largest historical district of Quebec. I’m no history buff, but when you throw food into the equation, sign me up!

I was invited to explore the culinary side of Quebec City and I must say that this was one of the most exciting things on the itinerary. “A country side tour of l’île-d’Orléans”? What? We’re going to New Orleans?! No, not quite. I didn’t even know what or where l’île-d’Orléans was, but it sounded like something different, and it was!

It is kinda of a “touristy” thing to do, but it’s also a very “foodie” thing to do, and the places you visit are one of a kind. The area is full of local artisans and family owned farms and we planned to visit four. A lot of them close for the Winter too, so it’s best to put this on the summer itinerary. For more details on l’île-d’Orléans or their tours – see here.

I started the morning corking cider at the apple farm! Actually, I was just having fun, but the apple farm was our first stop. The Cidrerie Verger Bilodeau is the first cider house on l’île-d’Orléans and apparently they’re known for the best apples. Of course that’s what every farm would claim, but to be honest, these apples did come up often even outside of this tour context.

I got to sample a few apple products including their apple ciders, apple chutney, apple jam and apple butter and they also offer apple pies. Everything was very pure and simple to showcase the quality and natural flavours of their apples. It was interesting because it was here when I learned that apple pies in Quebec City don’t use cinnamon, but instead maple syrup. I saw cinnamon being used in apple pies in Montreal though.

The second stop was at Les Fromages de l’isle d’Orléans frommagerie. The costumes are exactly that, costumes, and not their everyday wear. Yes, it was the country side, but also 2011. The lovely couple Jocelyn and Diane specialize in Le Paillasson, which is a 3-4 day old cheese that is grilled upon serving. Grilled cheese for breakfast? Yes please!

It was a delicious cheese! It doesn’t have to be grilled, but it’s how it’s meant to be eaten which is a bit rare for an artisan cheese. It’s a pasteurized raw cow’s milk cheese and it was squeaky like a fresh cheese curd, and almost tasted like one too. It was somewhat comparable to mozzarella, but saltier.

This was my third stop, which was also my lunch stop! It was one of my highlights from my whole trip and maybe my whole year. Keep reading, I’ll get back to it!

The last stop was a visit to Cassis Monna et Filles, which is famous for their internationally recognized blackcurrant liqueur. They offer everything black currant, but the Crème de Cassis was the highlight. It’s a family owned winery, gift shop and small cafe that is now operated by the two sisters, Catherine and Anne.

Restaurant: Au Goût d’Autrefois
Cuisine: French/Canadian
Last visited: November 10, 2011
Location: Ste-Famille, Quebec City (l’île-d’Orléans)
Address: 4311 Chemin Royal
Price Range: $50+ ($45-75 for 3-4 courses, $95 for 5 courses)

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5
Service: n/a
Ambiance: 6
Overall: 6
Additional comments:

• Organic, free range meats
• Famous for duck/foie gras
• Dining on the farm
• Eco-friendly
• Sustainable
• All natural
• No spices/seasonings
• Home style cooking
• Small gift shop
• Very casual
• Bring your own wine
• Limited/Set menus
• Dinner service only from 6:30pm

**Recommendations: Trio of Rillettes (especially the wild turkey one), Duck anything, Foie Gras

Tada! See, I told you I’d get back to stop 3! I’m not going to say I was saving the best for last because all of the artisans were unique in their own way, but this was my personal favourite! Of course it was the lunch stop too! The restaurant was literally on the farm.

Old McDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O! And on his farm he had some organic free range all natural chickens, E-I-E-I-O! The site was covered with well taken care of feathery friends… which were also for consumption. So who was the king of this farm?

No not him! Although he seemed like it with his head up high… but where is he… ?

Ah, there he is! Bonjour! I introduced to you Monsieur Jacques!

Forget Mother Goose, this was a real life Father Goose!

Owner, chef and host Jacques and his wife organically breed geese, ducks, pheasants, guinea fowl and wild turkeys on their small farm. They sell them locally, at their gift shop and use them at their restaurant. These animals are his babies. It may sound wrong to eat your babies, but as a farmer doing this for a living, I don’t think I’ve met anyone so in tune with his animals. Honestly. Watching Jacques interact with his animals was like watching a Fido commercial. I’ve met many passionate people, but he took it to a whole other level that I could only admire.

Of course, what’s a farmer without a side vegetable garden too?

Mmm foie gras. Okay, stop. I know it’s a touchy subject, but these are sustainable foie gras. They are not force fed or living in poor conditions. If anything, the ducks probably eat better than the owner! He treats them like people. They were happy ducks and he loved/loves (?) them to death… uhhh or is that too literal?

Since Jacques naturally feeds his geese (wheat, barley, oat, corn) it takes up to 8 months before he can sell his foie gras, whereas non-organic or non-sustainable places take only 2 weeks to meet the demand. I 110% believed him when he said he would rather shut down his farm than force feed his ducks just to make a bigger profit.

This is really farm to table. More than 90% of what they serve is organic and sustainable and prepared on the farm. It’s also eco-friendly because he uses no motors. Don’t expect anything fancy besides the classy French music. The recipes are simple with very minimal ingredients and no spices, but that’s the style. Au Goût d’Autrefois is really about the high quality of the pure ingredients and showcasing the natural flavours.

Sure the whole experience and story probably made for an ultra-orgasmic meal, but the farming techniques and quality of the ingredients speak for themselves. Even if they didn’t, we had Jacques at the table explaining every little detail of how he raises each animal and prepares each dish. He almost sounded like me! Lol! He loves what he does and it shows. It wasn’t just a business, but his life, and it was a place that had heart.

On the table:

It’s a “Bring Your Own Wine” restaurant which is always nice. We had a William 2010 Vin Blanc, Quebec to start, a Domaine les Brome Reserve Baco, 2008, Quebec and a Isle de Bacchus Réserve Alexandre, 2009, Quebec to follow.

**Trio of Rillettes & Crostini – 6/6

• Goose, wild turkey, duck with Ste-Famille croutons. $55 for 3 courses.
• Omg. If god wanted us to eat rillettes, it would be like this. Heaven on Earth!
• I thought the duck or goose would be my favourite, but surprisingly it was the wild turkey that I loved! It was almost the same for the whole table too.
• The rillettes are cooked in their own fat for 12 hours at a low temperature.
• Duck and goose fat is actually healthy for you, and he adds no other animal oils or grease to make his rillettes.
• He uses only a pinch of salt and it’s all really natural to showcase the high quality and flavour of his birds.
• Goose – He uses the legs of the goose. It was creamy, oily and tender fine shreds of meat and the flavour was very mild.
• Turkey – It was oily and moist and tasted saltier and just had a bit more flavour than the rest. It was surprising, but back to back it was obvious that this had the most flavour and it was the best for me.
• Duck – This one was super buttery, oily and creamy. It was probably the oiliest, but it didn’t have as much flavour as the turkey still. I’m not sure if the turkey just had more salt because usually duck would have more flavour.
• All 3 of his rillettes were available at his small gift shop at the restaurant.

Farm Style Goose Breast - 5/6

• Farm style breast of goose marinated in Island maple syrup and apples gently smoked with applewood, served with seasonal organic vegetables from our garden $55 for 3 courses.
• See, it’s really simple food and presentation.
• The quality of ingredients are premium, but it’s very homestyle cooking with basic recipes and flavours.
• The potatoes were super creamy and cooked in duck fat and infused with flavours of garlic and celery to the point of almost tasting like celery root. They were delicious!
• The broccoli and carrots were almost unseasoned and a bit overcooked, but you almost forgive that kind of stuff at a place like this. It was part of the charm.

• It was marinated for 12 hours in maple syrup and apple cider from The Cidrerie Verger Bilodeau, which was also the cider house we visited on the tour.
• He slowly smoked it for 12-14 hours over applewood and it had a natural sweetness and a slight smokiness, but it was mild.
• You had to really breathe it in to taste the syrup and smoke, and if he didn’t say, I’m not sure if I could tell there was maple or apple in it.
• It didn’t have much of a fat layer and the skin was chewy and not crispy or tender, but the meat itself was very tender.
• Mine was a bit overcooked and I prefer medium rare, but it was still tender and moist with good flavour.
• The meat itself is likely one of the best tasting, but overall the dish is very simple with no jus and little spices and seasonings.
• The quality of ingredients is undeniable, and I appreciate it for what it was, but it was a bit simple for my tastes.

Maple Syrup Mousse with Jellied Cranberries – 1.5/6

• $55 for 3 courses
• This is the standard and only dessert, but I can’t say I loved it.
• The cranberries were just frozen and it was made with duck eggs which followed the theme.

• It was an airy light foam instead of a mousse and it just tasted like maple flavoured whipped egg whites.
• It was like a warm foamy marshmallow bubble bath in my mouth.
• I expected it to be creamy like a real mousse and it just seemed like an unfinished dessert that was missing a step or ingredient.

Restaurant: Peasant
Cuisine: Italian
Last visited: September 9, 2011
Location: Manhattan, NY (Nolita)
Address: 194 Elizabeth St
Nearby subway stops: Spring Street
Price Range: $30-50+

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5.5
Service: 4
Ambiance: 4
Overall: 5.5
Additional comments:

• Since 2000
• Authentic Italian cuisine
• Homestyle, yet gourmet
• Rustic/family style
• Local favourite
• Hidden gem
• Wood fired brick ovens
• Great for seafood
• Good for groups
• Good portions
• Sophisticated/lively
• Moderately priced
• Wine list/bar
• Reservations recommended
• Sun 6-10pm
• Tue-Thurs 6-11pm
• Fri-Sat 6-11:30pm
• Closed Monday

**Recommendations: Everything I ordered, but especially the Cannolichi (Razor clams), Polpi in Purgatorio (Baby Octopus), Sweet breads, Suckling Pig

As a tourist with food always on the mind, New York may seem easy to maneuver since it’s a foodie capital. But to avoid tourist traps and discover the local favourites and hidden gems in the city is surprisingly difficult. I really lucked out with Peasant, and unless I did my research, I would have never discovered it on my own. Unless you’re Italian or heavily invested in the New York food scene, I don’t even think many locals even know about this place. But what an incredible find it was!

I was actually given this recommendation from the executive chef at Jean-Georges in New York. Needless to say, it’s quite a reliable source for a restaurant rec. We got into a major food discussion and Peasant came up as a favourite of his. Of course I put it on my itinerary and moved it up as priority, I’d highly recommend you to do the same.

Almost all the amazing restaurants I went to I would never find on my own or without doing intense foodie research. So many places in New York have discrete signage and locations, but if a place is packed without the advertisement, chances are it’s doing something right.

Peasant was only a dive from the outside. The inside was quite welcoming, classy and sophisticated without being pretentious. It is a hot spot for a hip, young and energetic crowd, but it offers much more than its ambiance. I was feeling it right away and just knew I hit gold with this restaurant choice.

It’s an open kitchen with wood fired brick ovens and everything about it felt authentic and rustic without being gimmicky. It’s a place where you actually go to eat! And well too! The portions aren’t “Americanized”, but they’re “Italianized”, and generous, but not gross.

For a minute I actually felt like I was in Italy and this is a place Italians flock to as well. Situated just outside Little Italy in New York, it is far from a tourist trap and I would no doubt revisit Peasant on my next trip back to New York. That’s a pretty bold statement coming from a food blogger who’s always eager to try something she hasn’t tried before.

Coming from Vancouver, BC where the Italian food scene isn’t as strong as New York, I was incredibly impressed and satisfied. But even for New York wine and food scholars, this is considered excellent. It’s not a Mario Batali Italian restaurant, one featured on Food Network, or even “the best Italian in New York”, but it’s truly the “local hidden gem” in the most honest sense of that overused term. Peasant looked, felt and tasted like the real Italian deal. I tried over 50+ restaurants in two weeks in New York, and this was one of my favourites, so I’d definitely say it’s a must try.

On the table:

Complimentary Bread & Ricotta

• Voila! Already we were off to a great start!
• Who serves complimentary house made bread with fresh ricotta cheese!? Peasant does!
• Forget the olive oil and balsamic, this is how they do it in Italy!
• It was cold bread with a crusty nutty exterior and a fluffy soft centre that wasn’t very chewy, but it was great bread.
• The bread didn’t have much flavour, but it went with the fluffy fresh ricotta cheese and the super fruity olive oil you drizzle on top upon eating.
• This and my glass of white wine, it was love at first sight!

**Cannolichi – 6/6

• Razor clams $14
• Holy bejeezus! I was laughing as I ate this it was so good! It was one of the best things of my whole trip!
• First off, it was razor clams. Razor clams! I rarely see these guys being offered at restaurants, so it was another bonus!
• It was super tender clams with a soft Parmesan and panko bread crumb topping in a lemony, garlicky, white wine and olive oil sauce.
• I thought the topping would be crispy, but it wasn’t, but I didn’t care either because it was so cheesy and delicious!
• There was a good amount of thyme and a bit of oregano and everything was just fresh and well prepared.
• I know it sounds simple, and it was, but it was better than just those listed ingredients combined.
• It was really savoury, but not too salty, nutty and aromatic and I was just scooping that sauce up with my shells and dipping my bread into it too.
• I’ve had “lemon garlic white wine seafood” before, and I know it sounds “been there, done that”, but trust me, these are likely better than any you’ve had.

Seppie in Terracotta (Cuttlefish) – 4.5/6

• Cuttlefish, cherry tomatoes, white wine $14
• This was probably the only dish that fell short of excellent, and by no means was it not good. It was still very good!
• The cuttle fish was almost prepared the same way as the razor clams, but for some reason it wasn’t as good as the clams. It’s not because it was cuttlefish either, because I like both.
• The cuttlefish was tender, but just not as flavourful as the clams and it didn’t pick up the sauce as well or benefit from the Parmesan panko topping as much.
• It was still very buttery, but it kind of tasted like something you may have had before.
• The sauce was still the basic garlic, lemon, white wine and herb infused sauce, but it’s likely one of the best versions of that sauce you’ll have. I don’t know if it’s the wine or what.
• Although it was very good, I always like seeing Italian squid prepared with the squid ink, so I was a bit biased.
• If I didn’t have the razor clams, this would have been excellent, but because I had the razor clams, I would rather have seconds and thirds of that.

**Polpi in Purgatorio - 5.5/6

• Baby octopus, chile peppers $14
• It was super tender octopus and it was served like the sea was in the kitchen! I loved it!
• It was wasn’t chewy and it was cooked perfectly and every bite had flavour.
• It was in a similar garlic and white wine sauce, but with added chili so there was a nice kick to it and the spiciness lingered.
• There was an apparent smokiness from roasted chilies and the actual seeds were also fried and infused into the sauce so it was quite spicy, but not hot.
• The 8 legged friend was just loving its bath and it’s really hard to serve octopus whole like this and have it so flavourful and tender, so I was really impressed!

Maltagliati Con Coniglio – 5/6

• With braised rabbit and fava beans $24
• I love rabbit and anything braised, so I was excited about this dish.
• Maltagliati is a very “peasant”, rustic and home style pasta. It was fresh made, and it’s basically random shapes of flat pasta likely made from leftover pasta dough.
• As “rustic” as it was supposed to be, the pasta was still perfectly cut and refined, so it was still “rustic” done gourmet.
• The pasta was well salted, firm with an al dente bite and it held on to the sauce well.
• It was a very juicy pasta and it was reminiscent of a hearty chicken noodle stew or soup in pasta form.
• There were some nice carrots, onions, garlic and fresh herbs to give it aromatics and depth.
• The garlic were whole cloves of sweet caramelized garlic and it just gave so much natural flavour to the dish.
• The sauce was olive oil and white wine based and the natural juices of the braised rabbit just played right into it.
• The rabbit was tender, juicy and shredded (tastes like chicken if you’ve never had it), and it was really quite stew like without the broth.
• The fava beans added texture and the absence of a heavy sauce really showcased the rabbit and quality of the food here.

Fettucine Con Ragu Di Vitello – 4.5/6

• With veal sauce $26
• The fettucine was again hand made in house, thick, well salted, chewy and still firm.
• It was well coated in a rich red wine and tomato ragu developed with carrots, garlic and the natural juices of the veal.
• It was slightly gamey, which I’m sensitive too, but I still didn’t mind the subtle gaminess.
• The tomatoes were not really acidic, but a bit sweet and the sauce was buttery and oily and it just coated each noodle like paint.
• There was a creaminess to it, and it was slightly cheesy too, and the chunks of veal were super juicy and melted in my mouth as well.
• This probably wasn’t special of this restaurant, and it’s not particularly memorable, but it was still excellent and I did love it.
• Personally, I’ve enjoyed other ragu sauces in Vancouver better before, and I do prefer a short rib ragu as opposed to veal.
• I just like the shredded strands of meat rather than the cubes of veal in a pasta.

**Spaghetti Con Scampi – 5.5/6

• With langoustine $26
• Love it! Langoustine! I mean just reading the menu, you know you’ve hit a good spot!
• Hardly any places offer langoustine let alone razor clams and rabbit all under one roof!
• They do a great job with seafood and this was the star pasta of the night. Although competition was very marginal!
• Langoustine is a large shrimp meets a baby lobster, but it’s in the lobster family, although I find it tastes more like shrimp.
• It was a more broth based pasta and the spaghetti was fresh and somewhat thicker than most spaghetti noodles. It was well salted and al dente again.
• The broth was infused with the flavours of the langoustine shells and likely the heads, but it wasn’t creamy or rich and still somewhat light.
• There were whole cloves of caramelized garlic and a bit of chili in the broth as well so the flavour was well developed with a mild heat.
• It was a rather light sauce that held so much flavour and the plump juicy cherry tomatoes were sweet more than sour.
• The langoustine was slightly mushy (tends to be), but overall it was an excellent seafood pasta with tons of flavour .
• It’s nothing fancy, despite being langoustine, but it was well delivered and served home style like they would in Italy.
• I wouldn’t have minded some olives or a few more ingredients, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless.

**Animelle Con Funghi - 5.5/6

• Sauteed sweetbreads, asparagus & seasonal mushrooms $29
• This is a very rich, hearty and indulgent main and it is best shared or it’s a bit too much, but it’s so worth ordering.
• The sweetbreads were almost double or triple the size as normal sweet breads and it was a bit intimidating.
• Surprisingly they were really light and pillowy and not too chewy or “giblety” like some can feel in your mouth.
• I usually prefer them crispy on the outside, but these were soaked in gravy so I almost couldn’t tell I was eating sweetbreads.
• The dish was very rustic and home style Italian, but made for “special occasions” in the execution.
• It was swimming in a rich creamy well reduced red wine gravy that was possibly made with veal stock and of course some garlic again.
• The wild mushrooms were great and their juices just seeped into the velvety gravy and the touch of cream just made you want to roll over and scratch your belly.
• The fresh basil leaves were great and there was some minty flavour in there too, but it was very mild.
• It was a fresh herby flavour for the heavy meat dish, and as good as it was, I wouldn’t want just this for dinner.
• However, this was a hearty, indulgent Italian main that the French would tip their hats off too!

**Porchetta Arrosto (Suckling Pig) – 6/6

• Rotisserie suckling pig with fingerling potatoes $29
• Oh god! DROOL! This was either my first of second favourite dish of the night and one of my favourites from my whole 2 weeks in New York. It’s a must try!
• Christmas comes early with this and I swear there’s an Italian grandma in the kitchen!
• It’s a dish that calls for a celebration!
• This is again really rich and hearty and probably best shared since it’s so substantial.
• It was Italian comfort food and likely one of the best porchettas I’ve had. Period.
• It was a big strip of crispy fatty suckling pig that was well seasoned and salted with meat that was so juicy and tender that it required no knife.
• The skin was so crispy and there was some Rosemary and a great dry rub that was reminiscent of dry ribs.
• It was super moist and oily with flavour and not just oil, and it wasn’t one bit chewy or gelatinous.
• It was better than any pulled pork I’ve had, and the meat was that soft and buttery in texture.
• The suckling pig sat on top of a warm smashed potato salad made with buttery fingerling potatoes with the skins on.
• The potatoes were super saucy in a rich creamy gravy with fresh herbs. It was actually more like a roughly mashed potato in cream sauce than a potato salad.
• This is one of the best versions of “meat and potatoes” I’ve had.

Budino Di Pane E Cioccolato Bianco – 4.5/6

• White chocolate bread pudding with almonds, figs and white chocolate gelato $9
• I’m a fan of hot and cold desserts and anything served with ice cream so I had my eyes on this.
• The bread was homemade and baked in their wood fired brick oven so it was more special than typical “bread pudding”.
• This was a substantial dessert, so prepare yourself.
• It was a very eggy custardy bread with a crispy caramelized exterior and super moist spongy inside.
• There were slivered almonds and dried figs in the bread, but not enough of either.
• I almost wanted more of a nuttiness and fruitiness rather than a block of bread, although the block was still delicious.
• The white chocolate gelato wasn’t overly sweet and nice and creamy, but overall the dessert was quite sweet especially with the added drizzle of caramel sauce on top.
• This was very good, but the bread pudding was a bit dense although not dry. I just prefer mine creamier and lighter, but I still devoured this.
• Another excellent bread pudding is the Torrija y Helado from Boqueria also in New York. It’s kind of the Spanish version of this and both are satisfying to the end of any meal, if you have space. But dessert is a second stomach anyways…

Restaurant: Hawksworth Restaurant
Cuisine: Pacific Northwest/West Coast/Pacific Rim/Euro-Asian/Fine Dining
Last visited: October 3, 2011
Location: Vancouver, BC (Downtown)
Address: 801 West Georgia Street (Inside Rosewood Hotel Georgia)
Price Range: $30-50, $50+

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5-5.5
Service: 5
Ambiance: 6
Overall: 5
Additional comments:

• Chef David Hawksworth
• Fine dining
• West Coast/Pacific Northwest cuisine
• Popular to locals & hotel guests
• Organic local ingredients
• Sustainable/Ocean Wise
• Seasonal menus
• Daily features/tasting menus
• Incredible dining room
• Large private room
• Stellar wine room/list
• Hawksworth Restaurant – Dinner post

Restaurant Hours:

• Bar/Lounge area 11:00am – 12:45am (12:00am Sunday)
• Mon-Fri Breakfast 6:30am – 10:30am
• Mon-Fri Lunch 11:30am – 2pm
• Mon-Fri Dinner 5pm – 11pm
• Sat-Sun Breakfast 7am – 10:30am
• Sat-Sun Brunch 10:30am – 2:30pm
• Sat-Sun Dinner 5pm – 11pm

**Recommendations: Hotel Georgia Cocktail, Yellowfin Tuna Carpaccio, 48 hr Beef Shortrib, Foie Gras Parfait, Heirloom Tomato Salad, Confit Pork Shoulder, Kalamanzi Cream

South African wines. Uh oh. It’s not something I know too much about since there’s such a limited selection available in Vancouver. That’s partly why it was even more exciting when I was invited to the Marquis Wine Cellars‘ South African Wine Luncheon at Hawksworth. I needed to change that “uh oh” to an “oh oh!“. These wines are now exclusively available at Marquis Wine Cellar and they’re brand new to the Vancouver market. Wine lovers, get ready for something different as the majority of these wines were quite easy to warm up to.

There is currently a limited selection of South African wines at liquor stores, but I’m not even sure which ones are worth celebrating or even mentioning. I spoke with Kevin from Marquis Wine Cellar and I was surprised to learn that one of the trends of South African wines was reducing alcohol percentages while maximizing flavour. There’s also respect to the land, so I’m happy that all the wines featured were sustainable.

Upon arrival I was given a book full of wines from South Africa, and honestly I didn’t even know where to start, and I hadn’t even started drinking yet. Luckily, the wines were previously arranged, however it wasn’t necessarily paired best with the food. I had to separate the two, which was difficult since they go hand in hand. There were six wines featured, and I don’t know how they compare to other ones, but the winners for me were the Mooiplaas Chenin Blanc 2010, and the Mooiplaas Rosiland 2006. All the wines I tried were relatively affordable, and although I appreciate our local wines, it was a nice change to try boutique wines from another country outside of North America and Europe.

Marquis Wine Cellars will be hosting some in store wine tastings as well as ticketed wine dinners featuring these South African wines in my post, so you’ll have opportunities to check them out. See their event listings here.

IMAGES OF THE RESTAURANT ARE TAKEN FROM THE HAWKSWORTH RESTAURANT WEBSITE – SEE GALLERY.

On the table:

**Tuna Tartar – 5/6

• Charred avocado, cucumber, asian pear, yuzu, puffed rice $17
• Wine pairing: Mooiplaas Sauvignon Blanc 2010, Mooiplaas Chenin Blanc 2010
• I remembered this course from my first time at Hawksworth – see Tuna Tartar for dinner here. I was pleased to be reunited.
• This one was a slightly different version and a bit more simplified, but the flavours still delivered. I think it was their lunch portion for the dish.
• I actually liked the presentation better this time around although the tuna did look kind of like a rare beef patty.
• The tartar was very creamy and almost mashed into a puree with some onions or shallots.
• It was quite buttery and oily and the avocado was actually less buttery because there was so much lime juice in it. I couldn’t get that charred flavour though.
• The yuzu foam brightened up the the fish without soaking it and the crispy puffed rice made for great texture.
• There were lots of citrus notes from the orange yuzu, and the lime infused avocado, and I could have used some sweetness, but it was still delicious.
• I think the sweetness was supposed to come from the Asian pear, but I couldn’t really tell it was there because it was so minced up and covered by all the other flavours and textures. I think it was mixed with the minced cucumber as well.
• There was a little heat I think coming from the seasoned puffed rice, but it’s not a spicy dish. I think tuna tartar requires a little spice or wasabi anyways to open up the palate.

The Mooiplaas Sauvignon Blanc ($19.90) was a better match for the dish, although the Chenin Blanc was more memorable and better overall. The Sauvignon Blanc was a bit citrusy and it was an easy drinking wine or crisp starting wine, but not particularly memorable. There was some melon, grass and litchi, but I didn’t find it grassy. For some reason it smelt like apples to me.

The Mooiplaas Chenin Blanc ($19.90) was buttery smooth and sweet with honey notes, but it just overpowered the tartar a bit. It had a sweetness, but a strong acidity and the tuna tartar was quite acidic already so it was a bit strong. As a drinking wine, it’s certainly worth it though and this was one of my favourites out of the bunch. It’s great alone and the flavour lingers.

**Heirloom Tomato Salad – 6/6

• Speck, burrata, green olive $18
• Almost anything with burrata is an automatic win, but this salad was reliant on fresh high quality ingredients, which they were (hence the price).
• I could smell the fresh ingredients as soon as it hit the table.
• This was possibly one of the best heirloom tomato salads I’ve had, and it helped that the wine was well paired.
• The creamy clouds of melting burrata was a nice upgrade from a traditional buffalo mozzarella or fior di latte.

• The Speck on the left (dark red) had a firmer bite and it’s cold smoked with a juniper berry seasoning, and the prosciutto on the right was more fatty, oily, soft and salty.
• There were a few varieties of tomatoes and some of them were sweet while others were more acidic, so there was a nice balance.
• I liked the thick beef steak slices of tomatoes contrasting the pops of plump round cherry tomatoes.
• The bursts of fruity tomato juice almost acted as a natural dressing for the salad and the salt came from the buttery prosciutto, speck, and the aioli.
• The creamy aioli was made with green olives as well as capers so it was sharp and savoury and strong enough to stand up to the cured meats.
• I think there was supposed to be some deep fried capers, but I didn’t get any, although I can imagine it being amazing with them.
• The little pieces of scattered fresh burrata was good quality Italian burrata and the inside was filled with buttery rich cream. I think the best burrata I’ve had is still from Federico’s Supper Club though – see here.
• The acidic tomatoes just helped ease the richness of the dish and the bits of freshly cracked black pepper was all that was needed to play into the Rosiland wine.
• It was topped with some arugula and I would have preferred a traditional basil since it was so Italian, but regardless it was a very well prepared salad.
• It was a very simple salad, but the ingredients were showcased from excellent suppliers. Some fresh figs or cantaloupe would have been a lovely addition.

The Bean “Coffee” Pinotage ($18.90) is one of their best sellers, but it was hard for me to take seriously. I’ve never had anything like it. It smelled like coffee and espresso, but it tasted like wine with a hint of chocolate and coffee. It was almost playing tricks on me and it’s a fun and playful rookie wine that offers something different, but it wouldn’t really go with anything, but maybe a sundried tomato dish. It could maybe go with chocolate, but I’m not keen on red wine and chocolate for dessert.

The Mooiplaas Rosiland red wine ($34.90) was my favourite next to the Chenin Blanc. I think it helped that it paired with the dish so well though. It’s a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It was quite bold, without being too oaky and it’s really ideal with tomatoes and I loved it with the dish.

**Confit Pork Shoulder – 6/6

• Braised lentils, apple, walnut $20
• I want to marry this dish, and if not, at least have it on every rainy day. When I see “confit”, I melt.
• Being in Vancouver (where it rains often), I actually wouldn’t be able to have it every day though since it’s so incredibly decadent and rich, but once every other week would be no problem.
• It was a classic combination of comfort food ingredients executed with fine dining technique and class.
• I literally ditched my knife and used my fork for the whole piece of pork. It was so tender I probably could have used a spoon.

• My fork just sunk right into the meat and it would shred away pieces of melt in your mouth pork.
• Each layer and shred of pork was well infused with flavour and a marinade I couldn’t even deconstruct.
• It wasn’t obvious with mustard, garlic or anything distinct, but I’m sure it was used and the flavours just absorbed into the pork.
• The pork had the perfect amount of fat content without being overly oily or greasy and parts of it were juicy, while others were tender, but not quite juicy.
• The whole thing was no doubt tender and it seemed sous vide, but it was confit.
• I would have loved some sort of crispy crust or crispy layer on the pork because there just wasn’t enough crunchy walnuts for textural contrast.
• The perfectly cooked lentils were soaking in a rich savoury pork au jus formed with the basic aromatics of onions, celery, carrots, and likely a bit of wine.
• There was also some kale in the lentils making it almost like a hearty stew.
• The kale seemed braised in some apple cider vinegar because it was a bit acidic.
• The lentils were surrounded by a pool of rich, creamy, velvety and smooth puree.
• I thought it was celeriac, but I think it was apple and celeriac puree.
• The puree was almost like a pommes puree which is one of my favourites and it just soaked up all the pork au jus and sauce.
• It almost had a chestnutty texture and was ultra creamy and sweet from the apples and tangy from what I’m sure was celeriac.
• The sweet toasted walnuts just topped the dish off, but I wanted more of them and that was the only thing it was short of.
• I loved how the apples were interpreted and overall the dish was sweet, savoury, and tangy with attention to various textures and detail.
• This was comfort food for the queen.
• It kind of reminded me a duck confit dish I had at Redd in Napa Valley too – see Crisp Duck Confit.

The Mooiplaas Shiraz Watershed 2008 ($27.90) was still a bit raw for me. I found it quite tart, spicy and bold and it wasn’t my favourite. It was a big jump from the Rosiland.

The Post House Missing Virgin 2008 ($29.90) is a blend of 70% Pinotage and 30% Petit Verdot and I’m not familiar with this kind of wine. I can’t say I was a fan of either of these reds and they were just a bit young for me. They needed more time and I just found them a bit underdeveloped. It’s definitely a wine for game.

Flat Iron Steak – n/a

• I tried a piece of the beef, and it was good, but just more normal and I definitely made the right choice with the confit pork shoulder.

Restaurant: Jean-Georges
Cuisine: Fine Dining/French/Fusion/Euro-Asian/Global
Last visited: September 8, 2011
Location: Manhattan, NY (Upper West Side)
Address: 1 Central Park West (Inside Trump Tower)
Nearby subway stops: 59 St – Columbus Circle
Price Range: $50+

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 6
Service: n/a
Ambiance: 5
Overall: 6
Additional comments:

• World renowned Chef Jean-Georges
• Jean-Georges’ flagship restaurant
• 3 Michelin Stars
• AAA – 5 Diamond Award
• Mobile Travel guide – 5 stars
• Multiple award winning
• Lunch Mon-Sat 12pm-2:30pm
• Dinner Mon-Thur 5:30pm-11pm
• Dinner Fri-Sat 5:15pm-11pm
• Closed Sunday

**Recommendations: Tasting menu.

The name really needs no introduction.

It is the one and only Jean-Georges. He’s trained some of the best chefs and is undoubtedly one of the best chefs in the world. Jean-Georges is one of the meccas for fine dining in New York and this is his flagship restaurant. To be invited to dine at his restaurant was an honour, and definitely a major highlight of my culinary tour in New York.

I wanted to save it as my last post, but I just couldn’t wait any longer. It was one of those meals where I held the food in my mouth for as long as possible just to savour the moment. It could have been due to the fact that it was in New York and it was a whole experience entirely, but honestly, some of the dishes were so smart and unforgettable.

This is New York, not Vancouver, and fine dining is not only for special occasions but easily part of the daily routine. It’s the hub for fine dining and with world renowned chefs and restaurants all over the city, you can expect only the best at any establishment of this caliber. This is definitely worth trying once in a life time. I know that sounds cliché, but just wait until you see this tasting menu.

I have dined at Market by Jean-Georges in Vancouver, BC, but it’s almost incomparable to the experience you’ll get here. This is the seed of the Jean-Georges empire. The ingredients, chef, menu, and style are different, and although it all stems from one man, it blossoms with a dedicated team.

From the kitchen to the floor, I could observe the room and see that each table and every guest was well attended to. The timing was impeccable, from the minute your plate touched your table to the minute you set aside your utensils for it to be taken away. It felt like you were the only table. Even better was that this kind of care translated back into the food and it felt personal.

I was presented with the summer tasting menu with wine pairings. Honestly, along with Spring, it’s the best season to dine at his restaurants because his style takes on a lighter flare. Some dishes are not necessarily new to the palate, but they embrace the use of vegetables, fruits, and herbs with an appreciation for natural and aromatic flavours. The presentation was clean, the ingredients were well treated, the details exquisite, and Jean Georges quirky liking for a hint of spice in everything was still there. The menus are seasonal, but his style is consistent.

Also to top things off, one of the wine critics from the New York Times was celebrating his anniversary with his wife at the table across from me. I’ll leave him unnamed, but if such an established wine critic will come here on his day off to celebrate a big occasion, it really speaks for the restaurant, and definitely the wine.

Note: This dining experience was compliments of Jean-Georges and there are no expectations for the outcome of my post. Photos are compliments of photographer Ernest Hon and a few of them are mine (you’ll be able to tell).

On the table:

Doyard Brut Blanc de Blancs 1er Cru Cuvée Vendémlaire NV

Complimentary House Made Bread & Butter

• Sourdough Rye, Swedish Rye, Ciabatta
• Sourdough Rye – It was a very rustic and earthy bread with large holes, a great chew and subtle sourness. It kind of stuck to your teeth due to the moisture of a great sourdough, but it didn’t have a crispy crust.
• Swedish Rye – It was a moist spiced bread with a sweet licorice flavour from perhaps star anise and it had a nice nuttiness.
• Ciabatta – It had a crusty and powdery exterior and a moist, chewy, and stretchy centre and the flavour was distinctly salty.
• The breads were more country style and I would love to see even one of them being served at Market by Jean-Georges in Vancouver.

Egg Caviar - 6/6

• What a way to start off a tasting menu.
• This was one of my highlights. A classic way of presenting fine caviar. Eggs on egg.
• The sustainable California-American sturgeon caviar was accompanied with a lemon vodka whipped cream, which is another classic pairing.
• Vodka and caviar is traditional and the hint of citrus helped brighten the dish up while keeping things light and fresh since the rest was so decadent.
• The caviar was soft and rolled smoothly in the mouth and it had no pops or crunch (high quality caviar shouldn’t pop/crunch).
• The fishiness was not sharp, but clean with a briny finish.

• The creamy eggs were loosely scrambled and very soft and it was the perfect cloud for the caviar to sit on.
• It was a warm, rich, liquid egg with a silky melt in your mouth quality and it was almost like curdled cream, but in a good way.
• The little bits of egg had a nice yolk flavour that was rich but not overpowering.
• The caviar played as the salt and the egg was spiced with some chili powder for heat, but not for spiciness.
• Even for caviar, he couldn’t resist his like for spice and found some way to incorporate his signature kick.
• Sometimes egg caviar is served with a little brioche or crostini, but I enjoy it either way.
• The best version I’ve had of this was at C Restaurant featuring sustainable Northern Divine Caviar – see here.

Scallop Sashimi & Santa Barbara Sea Urchin – 5/6

• It was sashimi showcased in 2 ways.
• On the left: Scallop Sashimi, Chipotle Mayo, Crispy Rice – I actually tried this at Market by Jean-Georges – see here.
• Although it’s likely the same recipe, it still tasted different because of the ingredients, interpretation and execution from the chef.
• For one, this scallop was from Maine, while the other one was from BC. I liked that it kept to local ingredients.
• It was a creamy sweet scallop on deep fried sushi rice that was warm and well seasoned with a tang, so there was great contrast in texture and flavour.
• The sushi rice was lightly crusted in what seemed like finely ground rice crackers, or it could have just been potato or rice flour.
• There was a sweet soy sauce glaze, but I found the chipotle mayo quite spicy for the scallop sashimi, although it was sweet initially.
• A little spice is good to open the palate for sashimi, but this one was a bit much.
• Traditionally it would be wasabi and I would be very curious to see a wasabi emulsion, although this was still great.
• The slight crunch of raw spring onion helped cut through the richness, but in this case it also added to the spice.

Santa Barbara Sea Urchin – 5/6

• Santa Barbara Sea Urchin, Black Bread, Jalapeno and Yuzu
• Sea urchin (uni) goes great with toast, and unfortunately I didn’t see this version in Vancouver.
• I loved that I could see the whole piece of uni and it was very healthy, plump, and fresh.
• It was super buttery as expected, but the flavour was different and much cleaner than most uni.
• It was actually quite mild, not fishy, and easy on the palate.
• It was bubbly and it almost had the texture of sous vide egg white.
• The supplier of this sea urchin was fantastic.
• The richness was enhanced by a thick and creamy crème fraîche, but because it was tangy, it wasn’t overpowering.
• The crunch of toast and crispy bite of jalapeno made for great texture and the citrus yuzu kept the flavours fresh while the heat of jalapeno followed.

Yellowfin Tuna Ribbons – 4/6

• Yellowfin Tuna Ribbons, Avocado, Spicy Radish, Ginger Marinade
• Wine pairing: Weingut von Hövel Rieslin Spätlese Oberemmeler Hütter, Mosel, Germany 2004
• This was another East meets West dish, which is a common theme from Jean-Georges.
• The combination of ingredients weren’t new, but the execution and presentation was.

• In simplest terms, it was raw meat in a marinade.
• It was my first time seeing tuna executed in this manner and I’m not sure how I felt about it, although it could have been a fusion of cooking styles.
• Sashimi cutting is such a technique, and although the ribbons allowed for more surface area and absorption of marinade, the marinade ended up outshining it.
• The marinade was excellent though. It was a fresh puree of ginger juice that wasn’t bitter or too spicy and it had a good amount of lime juice to keep it bright.
• There was also some soy sauce for salt and I think ponzu for more acidity in the marinade.
• It was reminiscent of the traditional apple, onion and ginger Japanese salad dressing, but interpreted in a new way.
• The creamy avocado was a roughly mashed semi-puree and it acted as a thickener that easily melted into the ginger juice.
• It was all drizzled with chili oil for an extra kick that is different from what ginger can do.
• There was enough spice and flavours going on, but I could only get the creamy buttery texture of the tuna, but not so much its flavour.
• It was a very saucy and delicious dish, but with such a vibrant sauce, a little less is more.
• I almost wanted some crispy millet or rice for more texture as well.

Charred Corn Ravioli – 6/6

• Charred Corn Ravioli, Cherry Tomato Salad and Basil Fondue
• Wine pairing: Weingut von Hövel Rieslin Spätlese Oberemmeler Hütter, Mosel, Germany 2004
• Oh gosh… if this is what they serve every summer, I look forward to coming back next year. This was amazing.
• It was savoury, sweet and tangy and also a bit smoky and everything just came together so well. Summer had arrived.
• I could smell the basil immediately and the basil fondue was almost like a thin pesto sauce, but it wasn’t nutty or thin in flavour.
• It was a very delicate and savoury sauce enhanced with basil oil and it was aromatic enough to stand up to the charred corn ravioli.
• There were sweet corn kernels in the sauce and fresh cherry tomatoes for acidity.

• The tiny pieces of charred corn ravioli had paper thin skins and I was surprised none of them broke.
• They were also cooked to al dente and kept their shape and texture.
• Each ravioli was filled with whole charred corn kernels and a filling that seemed almost like a super creamy polenta.
• The filling was mashed corn mixed with pops of corn which gave the ravioli dynamic corn flavours and textures.
• I could actually taste the charred smokiness and see the grill marks on the kernels too.
• The corn was very well showcased and it was almost depressing eating each ravioli because I knew it was one step closer to being a done dish.
• The only thing I wanted was maybe some mint for the tomato salad instead of micro herbs, but really, anyone could appreciate this course… even carnivores.

Seared Shrimp – 3.5/6

• Seared Shrimp, Cucumber, Chili-Garlic Emulsion
• Wine pairing: Weingut von Hövel Rieslin Spätlese Oberemmeler Hütter, Mosel, Germany 2004
• This was very good, but it was a bit forgetful, although I did enjoy it and could smell every layer of the dish.
• I think I’m too spoiled by Asian cuisine and its interpretations for shrimp that this just felt a bit common. I was looking for the shrimp heads…
• It was Florida shrimp, which isn’t as local as I would like, and it wasn’t dry, but also not juicy so it didn’t seem as sweet.
• It was a lemony prawn grilled with fresh thyme and there was a sweet orange peel flavour reminiscent of orange jelly candies coming from the emulsion.
• The chili-garlic foam was also infused with shrimp shells and there were some mild citrus notes keeping it bright and summery.

• There were crunchy warm slippery cucumber strands that made it like a salad and it almost reminded me of refreshing soba noodles.
• In Asian cooking I would expect to see julienne cucumber or a shredded daikon salad, so the cucumber noodles were a fresh idea.
• I loved the warm lemon poached avocado balls and they played into the chili-garlic sauce well.
• There was a mild heat, but the sweet orange flavour really played its part in keeping the dish balanced and unique.
• I would have loved to see more fruit in this dish whether it was actual orange segments or even some compressed cantaloupe.

Black Sea Bass – 6/6

• Black Sea Bass Crusted with Nuts and Seeds, Sweet and Sour Jus
• Wine pairing: Weingut von Hövel Rieslin Spätlese Oberemmeler Hütter, Mosel, Germany 2004
• Oh my, I never thought I could enjoy sweet and sour coming from a non-Chinese establishment.
• This was a very smart dish and so very Jean-Georges in many aspects.
• It smelt sweet, nutty and citrusy and the spices were on the fish and not infused into the broth.
• At first I thought they removed the skin, but thankfully it was only hidden by a unique crust.
• As if fish skin didn’t have enough flavour already, now it was literally packed with an added layer of ingredients and I couldn’t be more excited.

• Say good bye to the over done breadcrumb, panko or brioche crust and say hello to the new nut and seed crust!
• The crust was made from freshly ground coriander, sesame seeds and other ingredients that gave it salty flavour, a nutty and earthy aroma, and a hint of spice. It almost reminded me of cornmeal and there may have been some in it.
• It wasn’t as heavily spiced as Indian cuisine, but it reminded me of it and I loved the fusion of cooking techniques.
• The fish was very buttery, moist and flaky and the sweet and sour broth was incredibly intense with layered flavours.
• The broth was a representation of East (sweet and sour), and West (brown butter sauce), yet it didn’t have the heaviness of butter.
• Instead of relying only on butter, the broth was enhanced by the aromatics of citrus fruits and sweet and acidic vegetables.
• The sour vinegar was replaced with what I think was tomato juice or lemon, or maybe even apple cider vinegar.
• There may have been some acidic wine, and fresh thyme which kept the broth bright and fresh.
• The sweetness wasn’t just from sugar, although there’s probably some cane sugar in it, but it was enhanced by the sweating of sweet onions and perhaps some fruit juices.
• The broth was almost like a lobster bisque, but thickened and flavoured with vegetables and a bit of butter rather than cream or flour.
• I could smell brown butter in the broth, which gave it a bit of creaminess and it was incredibly rich in flavour, but not in weight.
• The vegetables included sweet creamy onions, juicy bursts of the most perfectly round cherry tomatoes, buttery fingerling potatoes, pops of pearl onions and for some Asian influence, some edamame.
• The broth was amazing and it had more flavour than a heavy butter sauce which is impressive because it probably had a lot less fat.

All the dishes came out with lids and even the timing of lifting the lids was to a tee.

Slowly Cooked Arctic Char – 5.5/6

• Slowly Cooked Arctic Char with Basil, Crushed Tomatoes and Olive Oil
• Wine pairing: Brooks Pinot Noir Janus, Willamette Valley, Oregon 2008
• The flavour of the fish intensified moving from sea bass to arctic char.
• I was pleased that this one also included the skin, but instead of having it presented skin side up, it was skin side down.
• Upon serving this fish, they also sprinkled it with another crust like topping of what was “house made opal and sourdough bread crumbs”.
• This topping made for excellent texture and almost mimicked a topping for fruit crumbles.
• It was likely made with the complimentary sourdough rye bread, which I think is fantastic when chefs don’t waste.
• This topping could have used a bit more seasoning or ingredients, but it did make for added crispy and crunchy texture and nutty flavour.
• I think it was dehydrated rather than baked, and it was great having them absorb the broth and I just wanted more of these croutons.
• The opal (micro greens) was just used fresh and they carry a basil like flavour.
• It would be interesting to try this topping with crispy rice, crispy arctic char skin and toasted sesame seeds too.

• The fish was steamed in a low temperature oven, and I almost guarantee that you won’t experience anything overcooked here.
• It was flaky, moist and infused with a bit of jalapeño giving it a gentle heat, and some chili oil gave it a pinch of spice.
• The fish had a great oil content which kept it buttery and it was stuffed with lots of fresh basil which was a nice surprise.
• On the other hand the flavour of the basil was a bit muted and it almost seemed like spinach.
• I expected the basil flavours to really infuse into the fish, but it was very subtle and I don’t know if it was strong enough to stand up to it.
• The sauce was more like a broth again, which is Jean-Georges in style.
• This dish embraced the heirloom tomatoes of the summer and it was incredibly juicy.
• Every bite was a burst of juice and the tomatoes were so well showcased that it made me want to go to the market to buy some. Kudos to their supplier.
• The skin was removed from the cherry tomato and it was so sweet and salty that I savoured the moment it burst in my mouth.
• The other beef like steaks of heirloom tomatoes were sweet and acidic and of full of juicy flavours and their pulp just added to the broth.
• The broth seemed like tomato juice infused with lime zest, fresh chili peppers, and a sprinkle of chili oil.
• It was light, bright and tangy, but it carried heat and it was more flavourful than it appeared.
• The heat and acidity was everywhere in this dish, but the spice never dominated the fish although there were various levels of spice in it.
• I could have used a sweet aspect (other than the tomatoes) to this dish and that was the only thing missing.

Gently Smoked Squab - 4.5/6

• Gently Smoked Squab with Butter Summer Squash and Peppermint
• Wine pairing: Elvio Cogno Barolo Vigna Elena, Italy 2004
• I was guessing it was going to be lamb for some reason, but the squab was a great surprise.
• At the table they sprinkled it with a pepper infused grape seed oil.
• This smelled like a Christmas ham and the salty aroma was just lifting off the plate.
• I usually prefer rich and heavy meat au jus to accompany a game meat, but since it’s not Jean-Georges style I was expecting something to this degree.

• As you can see, the squab was perfectly cooked and the meat was, buttery, silky, and moist and it’s actually very similar to duck but not as fatty.
• The meat was well seasoned, sweet, and very tender and I almost thought it was sous vide.
• It was as silky as the finest quality filet mignon, and the way it was executed made it taste like a hybrid of duck, bacon and a slowly smoked ham.
• It had a smoky thin layer of fat, but it was very chewy instead of crispy or buttery and that part was the only part I wasn’t liking.
• The squash was warm, very tender, juicy and sweet, with bursts of natural juice that leaked into the sauce.
• There was a drizzle of minty puree which reminded me of something that would be served with lamb.
• It was almost like a mint chutney and it was a good contrast to the meat.
• Some crispy mint leaves would have been great or even some toasted pine nuts and I just wanted some crispy or crunchy textures.
• The sauce was oily, buttery and fruity with a hint of citrus, and due to the pepper infused grape seed oil, it was peppery, but not spicy.
• The squab didn’t have a dry rub or pepper crust, so the hint of pepper from the oil was appreciated.
• The dish didn’t have a heavy sauce, but it was still very rich and I’m glad the squab was smoked which intensified its flavours so that it didn’t require a bold sauce.
• It was a different interpretation for squab and if it had a crispy skin, like how it’s prepared in Asian cuisine, I would have eaten every scrap of it.

Foie Gras Brulee – 5/6

• Foie Gras Brulee, Slow-Roased Strawberries And Aged Balsamic Vinegar
• Wine pairing: Marceno Brachetto d’Acqui Pineto, Italy 2009
• What a way to come down from a meal. Magnifique! A beautiful dish to slowly approach dessert with.
• Foie gras and strawberries is a classic pairing, and on top of brioche… it was as traditional as it gets.
• Of course it was very rich, but it was well balanced by sweet, savoury, and tangy flavours and condiments.
• There was a thick and syrupy aged balsamic vinegar reduction and a sweet local strawberry coulis. These sauces would have been great drizzled over salad, ice cream and of course foie gras.

• The foie gras was actually foie gras pâté and it was served chilled.
• The top had a thin crispy caramelized brûlée crust and it was sprinkled with freshly cracked black pepper and fleur de sel.
• The salt and pepper really made a difference and it enhanced the flavour of the foie gras so much more.
• The salt and black pepper gave it that savoury flavour and the strawberry preserves it was stuffed with was tart, sweet, and a bit salty.
• It was almost like jam, but much thicker and I could bite into the strawberry seeds.
• This rich and hearty bite of deliciousness did need some moisture and that’s where the balsamic reduction and coulis came in.
• The brioche was charred so that it had smoky flavours and overall it was fantastic. Some toasted spiced or candied pecans would have topped it off.
• Another great foie gras I’d recommend in Vancouver is the Foie Gras Parfait from Hawksworth Restaurant and the Seared Foie Gras with Apple Tart Tatin from La Belle Auberge.

Okay. I think this was the highlight of my trip. This is Phillipe Vongerichten who is the manager of Jean-Georges restaurant and also his younger brother. He was preparing the pineapple for my pre-dessert course… hello? Are you still there? I almost fainted too. This was definitely the French way of carving a pineapple. I’m so used to the street vendors in Asia shaving it within seconds, but the way he did it, he made it seem like a lost art. This was definitely a show stopper.

“Ananas au Kirsch” – 5.5/6

• This was the pre dessert following the pre dessert of foie gras. I almost died.
• It was so simple, but so detailed and the source of ingredients were very precise and chosen for a specific reason.
• The pineapple was from Costa Rica and it was sweeter than a regular pineapple and there were hardly any fibres.
• It was so unusual and the pineapple didn’t make your throat scratchy like it sometimes can.
• Every bite was incredibly juicy and it was drizzled with a bit of Kirsch (cherry infused brandy) and sprinkled with crystallized mint and crispy bits of rose petal crumbs. The sprinkle gave it aromatic and floral notes.
• Forget the cinnamon and sugar, this was naturally sweet and bright with flavour and colour.

• It was topped with a Kirsch infused New Mexico cherry and they even seeded it.
• I could have gotten drunk off of this cherry and it must have been soaking in the Kirsch for a while.
• It was a sweet and plump black cherry with a thin skin and a bit of a crunch.
• The details were exquisite to this dish.
• Although the fruits were not locally sourced, I could still appreciate it because it was chosen for texture and flavour that can’t be found in locally sourced fruits.
• Yes, it was a pretentious fruit dessert, but this is Jean-Georges, not Swiss Chalet.

Desserts

Finally, it was time for dessert, which is always one of my most anticipated courses. I was even more excited that the pastry chef at Jean-Georges was celebrity chef Johnny Luzzini, who is the head judge for Food Network’s Top Chef Just Desserts.

Dessert Tasting: Best of Desserts Platter

• This was a special tasting platter featuring the “Best of Desserts” at Jean-Georges.
• Oh god. Ladies (and gentlemen who aren’t afraid to admit they like desserts)… control yourselves… or don’t, because I could barely retain myself.
• I had tried the marzipan layer cake and the chocolate lava cake before, so I was very pleased to be reunited.

Cherry Sorbet & Ricotta Cheese Ice Cream – 5/6

• I started with what I considered the palate cleanser.
• Yes, please make my fruit and cheese plate into an ice cream.
• The ice cream was smooth and creamy and the sorbet was icy and it was the perfect combination of tart and sweet.
• The ricotta cheese ice cream almost tasted like a yogurt with a hint of lemon zest and it was mild with cheese flavour since ricotta is a light cheese.
• It was rich, but also light from the raspberry sorbet and I’m not sure if my palate was cleansed or just eager to continue to the next best thing!

Stonefruit - 6/6

• Almond Shortcrust, Poached Peach, Crème Fraîche, Blueberry Hibiscus ($8 a la carte)
• It was a soft, tender and nutty tart full of crispy and crunchy toasted almonds and it was also quite loose and crumbly like a crumble.
• It was layered with poached peach slices that were naturally sweet and almost stringy from being so tender. They were caramelized and cooked with perhaps some alcohol and they still carried a bit of a tartness.
• The crème fraîche was generous and it was very fluffy like a mousse and it gave the dessert a nice tartness but I would have loved if it was whipped with vanilla bean seeds for added flavour.
• There was a sprinkle of fleur de sel and sugar and it just enhanced the flavours of every layer.
• The blueberry hibiscus was potent and strong with blueberry and it was quite tart and a nice accompaniment to the overall dessert.
• It was a country style peaches and cream like dessert with sophisticated presentation.

Marzipan Layer Cake – 6/6

• Marzipan Layer Cake, Fresh Strawberry Jam ($8 a la carte)
• I had this at Market by Jean-Georges in Vancouver and I fell in love with it.
• I’m a huge fan of marzipan (ground almond meal and sugar) and anything almond, so naturally, it sweetened up to me nicely.
• It was a very creamy cake and almost like a tiramisu because of the cream and it had a melt in your mouth quality.
• There were lots of almond textures and flavours and the cake part was made with marzipan, ground almonds and crunchy slivered almonds.
• It was equal layers of cake and cream, and I could have used more cake, but the cream was very good.
• The cream wasn’t even really a cream though and it was almost a bit mousse like and very light and airy.
• Lastly the cake was wrapped with a thin layer of fresh marzipan which gave it flavour while keeping the cake insulated and moist like fondant would.
• The marzipan wasn’t stiff, dried out, or grainy, and it was the sweeter aspect of the cake.
• The fresh strawberry jam was the tart aspect to the cake, which was needed for contrast and balance.
• I didn’t find the cake too sweet, and I loved all the textures and layers and it was ideal for any almond lover.
• I almost love it as much as my favourite cake which is the Blueberry & Pistachio Cake from Patisserie Nouveau.

Jean-Georges’ Valhorona Chocolate Lava Cake – 5/6

• Jean-Georges’ Valhorona Chocolate Lava Cake, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream ($8 a la carte)
• I had to eat the other desserts quickly before the ice cream melted and the cake got cold.
• Chocolate is always my dessert after dessert, so I had it last.
• It’s another level of sweetness that can’t be achieved through anything else.
• On the other hand I can always finish chocolate with ice cream… and then I’ll just go back and forth until I burst.
• I had this dessert from his Summer Love Tasting Menu at his restaurant Market in Vancouver.
• It’s funny because reading my notes on this one, and re-reading my post on the Vancouver one, I wrote the exact same stuff. Nice to know they’re consistent!
• This molten chocolate cake is the Jean-Georges signature that he apparently invented.
• It was a classic chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and as unoriginal as that sounds, it was probably the best versions of those components.
• Any warm dessert served with ice cream is usually a solid bet for me, and as simple and predictable as it was, it was perfectly executed and delicious!
• It was a rich dessert, but light in texture and not too sweet.
• The house made vanilla ice cream was bursting with vanilla bean seeds and the flavour was incredibly floral and almost like a custard.
• The ice cream wasn’t as creamy as expected though, but it wasn’t hard either. It was a bit thin, but the flavour was intense.
• The only difference was that in Vancouver they served the scoop on top of crumbled almond cookies, and this time it was on dark chocolate cookie crumbs. Either way it gave a nice crispy texture.
• This one also didn’t have the brulee crisp, but the full size version probably does.
• It was actually featured on Food Network’s The Best Thing I Ever Ate (chocolate episode) and celebrity chef Aaron Sanchez highlighted the chocolate tasting plate here as his best chocolate dish. It included this cake.

Lavender Macarons followed the platter… and just as I thought it was done…

… it wasn’t. It was followed by assorted hand made chocolates (peanut butter and jelly chocolate, cherry chocolate, praline, cinnamon chocolate, banana chocolate, mint chocolate, and chocolate orange straws)

Madagascar Vanilla Bean Marshmallows

• This was served to every table as the last last course.
• Each marshmallow was bursting with real vanilla bean seeds and they were super soft and fluffy.
• They were airy light, floral, and almost foamy and sponge like they were so moist.
• I was brought back to memories of the delicious foie gras marshmallows from Chef Hamid at The Apron.
• And when I thought it would never end, it did, but at least I can relive it all on here.

Restaurant: Traif
Cuisine: Modern Tapas/International/Eclectic
Last visited: September 10, 2011
Location: Brooklyn, NY (Williamsburg)
Address: 229 S 4th St
Nearby subway stops: Marcy Ave
Price Range: $20-30

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5-5.5
Service: 3 (friendly, but just so busy)
Ambiance: 3.5 (lively, but noisy)
Overall: 5
Additional comments:

• Since 2010
• Globally inspired tapas
• Very creative menu
• Seasonal menu
• Local favourite
• Hidden gem
• Good for sharing
• Good for groups
• A bit hipster
• Very loud/lively atmosphere
• Wine bar/cocktails
• Reservations recommended
• Dinner Tues-Sun 6pm-2am
• Sat-Sun brunch 11:30am-3:30pm

**Recommendations: Pink Figs or whatever seasonal fruit salad they have with bacon and hazelnuts, Crispy Pork Belly, Baby Back Pork Ribs, and Bacon Doughnuts. Basically anything with pork… order it.

And that is the only signage you’ll see. Right there. On the door. In thin font. On glass. Traif. It’s easily missed, but this style of very discrete signage is so common of many hip and happening restaurants in New York. The city is so bombarded with advertising and signs that a lot of restaurants do the opposite to stand out. As odd as that sounds, it actually works and the place was packed with locals. People will find you if you’re good, so if you miss the signage, you’ll see the crowd waiting to get in.

Traif. The name did nothing for me and I wasn’t even curious to look it up, but when I did, I discovered that it was a Yiddish word meaning ”anything that is considered vile and non-kosher in the hebrew faith”. Ahhh, and now it all makes sense! Or did it really? Let me explain.

So there’s a story behind this somewhat of a hidden gem that only opened last year. The owner is actually Jewish… and the restaurant is known for pork. Yup! He opened Traif which specializes in pork and seafood, but his heart is with the oinker. He actually wanted to celebrate the delicious qualities of pork and bacon so even the logo is a pig. Although the rabbis would disapprove, there is a market of “rebellious” Jews and regular diners that relish in the idea and the menu. Like me! But I’m in the “regular diner” category.

I actually found the background quirky and endearing, and even better was that the restaurant delivered beyond its story. I must say I fell in love with it, and I would 100% revisit this restaurant on my next trip back to New York. That’s how much I liked it. I have to really LOVE a restaurant to revisit it because as a food blogger I always like to try new places especially when traveling… but this one had me at pork… and later at belly.

The menu and food was right up my alley. Creative, seasonal and globally inspired modern tapas. It’s pretty much one of my favourite styles of dining and types of cuisine. Not only was the food interesting, but it was well executed and presented with reasonable portions and prices. It has no Michelin Stars, or big fancy awards yet, but it was one of my top meals in New York. It may not have scored with the rabbis, but it scored with me on pretty much every level.

The only thing was that it was incredibly busy, packed, and so loud that you almost had to shout to have a conversation. Thank god (I think it’s appropriate to use “god” in this post), but thank god the food was so good that the only words out of my mouth were “mmmmmm”. No conversation required.

I came at 10pm and there was still a line up, so we opted for the bar, which is actually my favourite spot in a restaurant anyways. That is especially if there’s an open kitchen and I can watch them in action. It’s entertaining for me and the service is probably even better since there’s always someone there. My advice is to go for the bar if you’re 1-2 people, or make an early reservation. My other advice is to put this on your dining list for New York, it’s not to be missed!

On the table:

Caesar – It was pretty spicy and made with Clamato and it wasn’t too tomatoey. It’s also fizzy because it was made with beer. It is quite a bold Caesar, but I’m not huge on beer so I’m biased. It worked in the cocktail though.

Amuse Bouche – Warm Moroccan Lentil Soup

• I wasn’t expecting an amuse bouche from a place like this, so it was a nice surprise and much appreciated.
• The first thing I tried and I was already on board! I’d pay for this.
• It was rich, creamy and thick with the texture of pureed lentils and cream with perhaps some carrots and onions in the background to build flavour.
• It was savoury with a bit of acidity from tomatoes in the base and it was aromatic with mild spices, but not spicy.
• The flavour actually reminded me of a beef barley meets a tomato lentil soup, but completely smooth.

**Pink Figs – 6/6

• Pink figs, bacon, blue cheese, hazelnuts, greens, sherry-truffle vin $7
• This would convince non-salad lovers to love salads.
• This is possibly one of the best salads I’ve had, however I rarely order salads because often I find them too “make at home”. This one sounded creative enough and I also love figs.
• I think this salad is always on the menu, but the fruit changes since it’s seasonal.
• It was a super juicy salad. Yes, juicy! It was very well dressed and bursting with dynamic flavours, ingredients and lots of various textures.

• It was nutty, crispy and crunchy.
• There were sweet bursts of ripe figs, salty bites of creamy blue cheese, crispy bits of smoky bacon and crunchy toasted hazelnuts.
• I could smell and taste the accent of the truffle oil and the tangy vinaigrette kept things light.
• The natural flavours of the good quality ingredients were not masked by the dressing, but just enhanced.
• The balance of sweet, salty and tangy were incredibly well played and I could taste every ingredient used.
• It reminded me of an amazing fig salad I’ve had at Gudrun Tasting Room in Richmond, BC – see “Salad A” here.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts – 4.5/6

• Roasted brussels sprouts, grapes, puffed rice, tomatoes, herbs, chile vin $9
• The chile vin really made this salad (or side vegetable dish) pop.
• It was tangy and spicy with citrus orange and lemon notes and it was also a bit sweet. It wasn’t hot, but well balanced with perhaps some soy sauce to give it savoury flavour. It was almost like a ponzu sauce meets a spicy vinaigrette.
• I do wish the brussels sprout leaves had been crispy, but they were still good.
• The salad was full of bright and fruity flavours and great textures with the crispy puffed rice, crunch of cucumbers, and juicy bursts of sweet grapes which interchanged with tangy explosions of cherry tomatoes.
• There was also some chopped mint for aromatics and it reminded me of a modern day version of a Greek Salad with some Asian influence.
• The puffed rice was creative, although I’ve enjoyed it in Shanghainese cuisine, however it was the first time I’ve seen it used in a salad and it was a great idea.
• Everything was well dressed with tons of flavour, but the chile vin dressing was the highlight for me.

**Crispy Pork Belly – 6/6

• Crispy pork belly, cantaloupe, feta, marconas, mint, orange $9
• Holy crap! Seriously. I’ve had delicious pork belly before, and pork belly is almost always good if it’s done right, and this one was no exception.
• Not only did the description sound amazing to me, but it delivered beyond what it promised.
• Do not leave without trying this. It’s the king of their tapas.

This was so good it deserves a picture that’s a bit closer. It just loves the camera.

**Baby Back Pork Ribs – 5.5/6

Risotto of Escargot – 4.5/6

• Risotto of escargot, smoked pork belly, leeks, vialone nano, & asiago $13
• Vialone Nano is one of the higher qualities of Italian rice to use for risotto and it is ideal with snails, or escargot.
• Not only is this a rare dish to come across, but it’s a rare dish to come across even at Italian restaurants. I’ve never seen it offered on a menu. I’ll take one!
• If you just read the menu description… it’s well thought out.
• Pork belly and leeks are great flavours for soups, and together with the risotto of escargot, it was the perfect match.
• I just wanted better execution and it may have been a bit rushed. Risotto needs TLC.
• There were some additional mushrooms which just made it better and the flavours were smoky and salty however the smoked pork belly was a bit chewy. The flavour of it was infused throughout, but I was hoping for a better texture.
• The flavours were cheesy and smoky and it was creamy and rich, but also a bit soupy like congee, although this type of risotto is lighter.
• The risotto grains were a bit smaller, and not overcooked, but a bit less distinct than I wanted.
• I did love the stringy caramelized leeks and the bacon was the strongest in flavour and it did come across as a bacon and leek cream soup.
• The escargot was tender and not chewy at all and it would even have the French impressed.
• I could have used more of a snail flavour, and it was still a good dish, but it could have gotten better unlike some of the previous dishes.

Seared Foie – 4/6

• Seared foie, fingerlings, ham chips, sunny egg, maple, hot sauce $17
• This was highly recommended, but I find it a controversial dish, much like the restaurant itself. No wonder it’s a house favourite.
• It was almost a bastardization of foie gras if you’re a purists, but if you’re not, then it could possibly be the answer to an exquisite breakfast for dinner.
• It would be so right and so wrong had that sunny side up egg been a duck egg too… maybe for their next menu? I wouldn’t hesitate to see it on there.
• It was actually a very big piece of foie gras and it was seared with a ham chip crust so it almost tasted like it was crusted with bacon. It wasn’t really crusted though and it seemed more like bacon confetti. Bacon and foie gras? Omg yes please, take me to the stairway to heaven.
• Wait and now top it with a fried egg that has a runny yolk so I can use it as a sauce? As if it wasn’t rich enough already! Drool. I have an obsession with runny eggs. See my Tribute to the Egg Yolk Series.
• The foie was obviously buttery, melting and very healthy… and by that I mean big and fatty with a ton of flavour.
• The bacon and the maple combination was a shout out to home (Canada for me) and it gave the dish a perfect amount of sweetness to balance out the savoury. Foie gras requires sweetness.
• The hot sauce was almost a shout out to the South and I found it unnecessary. That was the “bastardization” part for me, but because it was on the side, I just avoided it.
• The fingerling potatoes were tender and slightly crispy, but I would have traded them for a toasted brioche to soak up all the sauces.
• Regardless it was a delicious foie gras dish, but if you’re a gourmet it might make you want to cry… and if you’re not, it still might make you want to cry, but with bloody joy.

**Bacon Doughnuts – 4/6

• Bacon doughnuts, dulche de leche, coffee ice cream $6
• Oh look! And there it is! I knew it was coming. I called it “old news” in the “Crispy Baby Back Pork Ribs” section of this post. I meant it, but it doesn’t mean I still don’t enjoy it.
• It’s the most popular dessert, but I’ve had better bacon doughnuts before.
• The apparent creator of this sweet and savoury dessert was Voodoo Doughnut in Portland – my post here, and now it just seems to be everywhere, hence my recent post on Bacon in Desserts.
• I just wasn’t a fan of the doughnuts here and they tasted like those savoury Chinese donuts you would eat with congee.
• It was just a very basic doughnut batter that wasn’t cakey or dense, nor was it light and fluffy either.
• The doughnuts were coated in dulche de leche and tossed in cinnamon and brown sugar, but I would prefer the carnival donuts to these ones. Those carnival donuts are actually great though!
• It wasn’t too sweet, but sweeter than normal because of the dulche de leche.
• I could taste the salty crispy bacon and it was good, but there are better versions of the bacon doughnut.
• I love the addition of the creamy home made espresso ice cream and I always like hot and cold combinations in desserts anyways.
• The coffee and donut theme was great! The espresso just enhanced the smokiness in the bacon and a little bit of chocolate espresso beans in the ice cream would have been nice too.

Brown Sugar-Rum Budino – 3/6

• Brown sugar-rum budino, brandied cherries, chocolate bark, peanut brittle, heering caramel $6
• Although it’s not as popular as the bacon doughnuts, it’s well liked by the staff.
• It was almost a parfait of custard. Budino is an Italian pudding, but it’s a bit thicker and denser especially since this one was brown sugar based.
• It reminded me of dulche de leche and it was thick, rich, creamy and sweet and the rum was nicely cooked out and quite mild.

• It was like eating spoonfuls of buttery caramel but not sticky or chewy and it’s not as thick as peanut butter or anything like that, but still thick.
• There was some texture from the peanut brittle, but I wanted more of it.
• The brandied cherries were few, but they helped break things up and they weren’t overly boozy.
• The whipped cream on top wasn’t sweetened which helped lighten the pudding making it more like a mousse, but barely.
• It ended up being like a caramelized pudding meets a mousse and it was just too much of one thing for me.
• I enjoyed the chocolate bark most, and for what it was, it was good, but just over indulgent.
• It kind of reminded me of the Dulche De Leche dessert from Cobre Nuevo Latino in Vancouver, BC.

Complimentary Watermelon with Pomegranate Molasses & Lime Zest

• Chef just thought of everything didn’t he?! As unexpected as the amuse bouche, this was the palate cleanser to finish off the meal that I wasn’t going to forget!
• Better than any oranges or frozen grapes was this!
• There’s nothing like the refreshing crunch of a ripe watermelon after dinner, but this one was lightly glazed with tangy pomegranate syrup.
• It introduced me to a whole new level of flavour and enjoyment for this fruit.
• It was almost sweet, tangy and also savoury with the combination working together.
• The accent of lime zest just topped it off with that extra bit of brightness.
• It was very creative, yet so simple and I’ll take this over a mint too. Ohhh mint! Actually a fresh mint leaf on top of the watermelon would have literally topped this off!

Restaurant: Shake Shack (Madison Square Park)
Cuisine: American/Burgers
Last visited: September 12, 2011
Location: 4 locations in Manhattan, NY 
Address: 11 Madison Ave (Gramercy/Flatiron) (Original location)
Nearby subway stop: 23rd Street
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5.5
Service: 3
Ambiance: 5
Overall: 6
Additional comments:

• Since 2004
• New York’s most famous burger joint
• Multiple award winning
• “Best Burger in the City”
• Local & tourist favourite
• Long lines at peak hours
• Basic old fashioned menu
• Limited beer & wine
• Cheap eats/budget friendly
• Outdoor seating/Take-out
• Daily 11am-11pm

**Recommendations: ShackBurger, Frozen Custard, Milkshakes

And there it was. In the middle of the park. A must try destination for any foodie who visits New York. Shake Shack or Love Shack? It was both! It’s a sacred shack where burger lovers unite, and although I wasn’t first in line, I was there to join hands with its loyal followers.

It only started in 2004 and it’s already grown with 4 locations throughout Manhattan. A sign of a successful burger joint whose line-up hasn’t died in any of its locations since day 1.

I visited the original location at Madison Square Garden and I got there at about 11:30am. Although there’s a guaranteed line up, I waited in total 30 minutes from the point of lining up to the point of getting my order. The half and hour wait wasn’t bad at all and it was worth it. I’d do it again.

Sure there are other fantastic burgers in the city that require no line ups, but Shake Shack is a New York tradition.

It’s the “In-N-Out Burger” of New York, and I bet eventually the East Coast. Everything from the food to the style was reminiscent of California’s famous In-N-Out Burger. And just like In-N-Out, and Katz’s Deli, Shake Shack is another institution that is a must try for tourists. It’s frequented by celebrities, locals and tourists alike and has been voted and named “New York’s Best Burger” numerous times.

ShackBurger & Fries. Just like In-N-Out Burger and Five Guys Burgers & Fries, the outcome was as simple as the menu.

The burger scene is intense and I must have walked by at least fifty burger joints in Manhattan. It doesn’t really surprise me though, as Vancouver jumped on the burger frenzy as well just over a year ago. From $1 burgers to $175 burgers, there is something for every budget in New York. I enjoy gourmet burgers on another level, but I don’t think it’s an item that has to be fancy to be enjoyed, and sometimes they’re best from a good ‘ol Shack.

The “best burger in New York” could be forever debated, but when it comes down to a solid burger at an excellent value, I’m confident that Shake Shack is a strong contender. With fresh, local, and quality ingredients, it’s more than acceptable for fast food and even much appreciated. In a nutshell, you can add me to the list of Shake Shack fans!

On the table:

**ShackBurger – 6/6

• American cheese, lettuce, tomato and ShackSauce. Single $4.50 Double $7
• Our Black Angus burgers are 100% all natural. No hormones and no antibiotics ever. We grind our proprietary Shack blend fresh daily. Our burgers are cooked to medium and served plain unless otherwise requested. Let us know if you would like lettuce, tomato, pickle or onion.
• I didn’t even notice until now I could order it with pickles and onions, I would have done it if I knew. Boo.
• It’s a pretty small and plain burger, similar to the $2.75 one at In-N-Out Burger, and at $4.50 it was well worth it!
• For sure the patty was good, but the bun was actually a huge supporting factor to what made it memorable.
• It was a super soft, light and squishy potato bun that’s on the sweeter side of bread. It was the perfect ratio of bun to meat.
• The bottom bun ends up getting a bit wet from absorbing all the meat juices and drippy sauces… which I think makes it yummy.

• I could have used more whole leaf lettuce and more crunch, and I prefer the In-N-Out American cheese to this Velveeta like runny cheese, but it was still a delicious burger.
• The cheese seemed more like the sauce and I actually didn’t even know there was an added ShakeSauce because I couldn’t taste it. If anything I tasted a sauce that I thought was just mayo.
• The patty was actually cooked to medium which is almost unheard of coming from a fast food burger joint. I loved it! Medium rare would be even better for me!
• The patty was fatty, tender and moist and it was super saucy, but I wish the meat juices were a bit more sealed inside the patty.
• It had a meaty bite and beefy flavour, and no apparent seasoning.
• The meat is hand formed and somewhat loosely packed together. They do seem thicker than the In-N-Out burger patties.
• I’ve had juicier burgers like the one from Capital Grille (which was gourmet – see here).
• For an under $5 burger I think I’m leaning more towards the In-N-Out burger, although the bun at Shake Shack was better.
• Both are solid burgers and I wouldn’t complain about having either… hopefully one day even stacked upon each other.

Fries - 3.5/6

• $2.65
• 100% free of artificial trans fats and made from Yukon Gold Potatoes. 25% less fat than average fries.
• I’ve never been overly enthusiastic about crinkle cut fries. These were good and seasoned, but not a highlight.
• The fries were light and crispy with smooth and creamy insides being made from Yukon Gold Potatoes, but I’m not sure I would have guessed it was a Yukon Gold Potato because they didn’t seem as sweet.
• Personally I’ll always like McDonald’s french fries when it comes to fast food fries. I don’t really care that they’re more filler than potato, because they still taste great!

**Peach Compote Frozen Custard – 6/6

• What happens when soft serve shacks up with premium ice cream! $3.25
• Oh god… I haven’t had frozen custard since last year in Texas. I love this stuff! It’s more of a Southern treat, and I love it!
• The Peach Compote was a seasonal special and it was amazing! I wanted another one.
• The frozen custard I would say is a must try here. They couldn’t describe it any better.
• It’s like McDonald’s soft serve ice cream, but custard flavoured and a bit icier. I liked it better than the Big Gay Ice Cream if I’m going to compare.
• It has a sweet custard flavour and it’s sweeter than McDonald’s soft serve, but almost more refreshing too.
• It has a bit of a grainy texture and it was topped with big chunks of stewed local sweet peaches. It was tender with the skins on and simply delectable!