text: Adrian Brijbassi 2014-11-26T19:39:43-05:00 Adrian Brijbassi http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/author/index.php?author=adrian-brijbassi Copyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Adrian Brijbassi Good old fashioned elbow grease. Actress Lisa Ray Explains Her Passion for Travel tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.6130572 2014-11-10T12:09:08-05:00 2014-11-10T12:59:02-05:00 Adrian Brijbassi http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adrian-brijbassi/ Lisa Ray tells me over a conversation at Sula, a Vancouver restaurant on the east side of the city. It's the end of summer and the model and actor has come to town with the intention of enticing British Columbians to voyage in her footsteps to her adopted country and one with a far warmer climate, India. Ray has managed to turn her passion for travel into a pretty cool gig -- she's the global brand ambassador for Insight Vacations, which has numerous high-end properties in India and elsewhere -- and that's not by accident. Born and raised in Toronto, she has wanted to explore the world for as long as she can remember. With a Polish mother and Indian father, she has plenty of. "My primary objective right from the time I was a child was to travel, or to collect travel experiences," Ray says. She has accomplished just that, with sojourns and lengthy stays around the world. Her background and interest in India's culture drew her to that country more than two decades ago. Not only did India prove to be a catalyst for her career, it also captured her heart. "It is a magical place. The people, the food, the culture, and it is such a diverse place. I don't think a lot of people realize how different it is from north to south, east to west," she points out. At the turn of the century, the Times of India named Ray one of the "10 Most Beautiful Women in the World." She started as a model and transitioned into acting. Her role in "Water," a film by Canadian Deepa Mehta, is a highlight of her achievements on screen. These days, Canadians know her best as the co-host of "Top Chef Canada," a show that ran from 2011-14 and showcased a marvellous array of young culinary talent. Ray co-hosted Seasons 2 and 3 with celebrity chef Mark McEwan, and got acquainted with many of the nation's finer restaurants. "What's fantastic is the re-emergence of Canadian pride. We're taking pride in our ingredients and our bounty," says Ray, who names Vancouver's Fable -- created by Trevor Bird, a runner-up during Season 2 of Top Chef Canada -- and Vij's among her recommended spots. Visit Vacay.ca for More Celebrity Travel Videos While it's India that holds much of her interest, Ray has been able to see much of her homeland, thanks to "Top Chef Canada," and relishes many of the nation's attractions. Her favourite place is the Kootenays in eastern British Columbia. The region includes spectacular Rocky Mountain scenery and an arts scene that is considered one of the most eclectic in Canada. Each summer, it also hosts Shambhala, an electronic dance music festival that attracts thousands of revellers from around the world. The Kootenays' most notable city is Nelson, where Ray has a home. She describes it "as a bit artsy and kooky." When she's not in India, it's a place she revels in inhabiting. Perhaps that's not a surprise, given that Nelson, like many parts of India, can feel isolated and serene. As Ray notes, "You've got all of these creative souls gathering in this beautiful scenic town, which is so pure."]]> Where to Enjoy Fine Dining On Montreal's Main Street tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.6009566 2014-10-19T13:43:38-04:00 2014-10-19T13:59:01-04:00 Adrian Brijbassi http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adrian-brijbassi/ It's quiet at the back of Hotel Herman, though, and subdued too. The two-year-old restaurant feels like a neighbourhood hangout but the buzz has made it a place to seek out. It is among the most talked about spots in the city and the reason why is Mercier. He has emerged at the head of the class of Montreal's next generation of great chefs. With him running the kitchen, Hotel Herman has earned tremendous reviews and ranked No. 15 on the 2014 Vacay.ca Top 50 Restaurants in Canada Guide. Mercier previously worked at La Salle a Manger, one of Montreal's celebrated establishments, and his talent was spotted by his co-workers. "I've been working on and off with Marc for a few years and I could see he would be able illustrate himself outside of La Salle a Manger," says Dominic Goyet, co-owner of Hotel Herman. "He has a more delicate and sensitive approach to food." Goyet, Mercier and their business partner Ariane Lacombe ventured out to start an inn in the city with a strong culinary component. The "hotel" part of the operation hasn't emerged as envisioned, but they kept the name and the desire to one day branch out (although Goyet says they would likely need to be at another location in order to offer accommodations). They may not have a big house, but they have a packed one. The restaurant matches Mercier's vision for a small place -- Hotel Herman has about 40 seats, many of them attractively wrapped around a U-shaped bar -- with menu items that come in small doses. Visit Vacay.ca to See Photos of Hotel Herman One of the favourite dishes I enjoyed was a single white asparagus spear beautifully topped with hazelnut butter and dashes of breadcrumbs ($8). It was attractive and elegant, a dish I would expect to come out of a kitchen full of chefs in embroidered white coats and sharp, creased toques. There's no formality here, however. Mercier is as laid back at the helm of the kitchen as he was on the picnic table when I spoke with him. Not surprisingly, though, there is a clear vision and passion for his art. The razor clams ($18) were served with diced cucumber and coriander, atop a salad of milkweed flowers. The ingredients are set on a bed of black bread crumbs that appear like top soil in a garden. It's a sight to see in front of you and the taste that excites when it hits your tongue. That blend of creativity and technical brilliance is why Hotel Herman has rapidly become a star in not only Montreal's dining scene, but the nation's as well. Dining on Saint-Laurent Boulevard, aka Montreal's Main Street, is evolving from its ethnic cuisine and late-night, low-cost fare for concert- and club-goers. There are several superb choices that range from classic to eclectic, fancy and elegant to barebones and utilitarian. Here are three other outstanding restaurants in the area to put on your list. PASTAGA (2014 Vacay.ca Rank: 60; No. 11 in 2013): Chef Martin Juneau is one of Canada's most talented culinary talents and the menu at his stylish bistro features contemporary Quebec cuisine. At Pastaga, you'll find inventive seafood dishes such as grilled halibut cooked with bacon and some exotic Quebecois dishes like guineafowl prepared with mushrooms and celeriac. Juneau's dishes are delicate and the ambience in Pastaga is delightful, with professional but unfussy service. It's what a great French bistro is supposed to be -- relaxed, unpretentious and tremendously tasty. BRAMA: Billed as a modern trattoria, this large, elegant restaurant in a converted bank building serves up Italian dishes created by chef Marco Bertoldoni. Brama, whose name in Italian means to desire or crave, is also on a stretch of Saint-Laurent Boulevard that few tourists visit. The restaurant is in Montreal's Little Italy, an interesting neighbourhood to stroll around and one that is becoming a more significant culinary location as businesses seek cheaper rent north of the Plateau and Mile End areas. At Brama, you'll enjoy gnocchi stuffed with squash and served with zucchini and chestnuts ($21) and tagliatelle in a sauce thick with local mushrooms ($25), as well as seasonal fish and meat choices. The salads are large and delicious, while the cannoli ($6) for dessert shouldn't be passed up. It's prepared with chocolate and mascarpone. IMPASTO (2014 Vacay.ca Rank: 30): A newer restaurant in Little Italy, Impasto (named after a painting technique) and chef Michele Forgione impressed Vacay.ca judges enough that in made it into the 2014 edition of the Top 50 Restaurants in Canada Guide. I have yet to dine there, but this is what two judges said: "The chef of the decade. Forgione is staggeringly amazing and deft at so much in his realm. This guy enjoys food and Impasto shows this in so many ways." -- chef Ross Munro of PEI Culinary Adventures "Easily, the BEST Italian restaurant in Montreal. No nonsense, unpretentious, and down-right delicious." -- food writer Dustin Gilman More Food & Drink Reviews on Vacay.ca]]> Beloved Tacofino Plans to Expand Outside of B.C. tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.5760282 2014-09-03T17:30:23-04:00 2014-11-03T05:59:01-05:00 Adrian Brijbassi http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adrian-brijbassi/ Tacofino to Vancouver because "it's so good, I wanted to be able to eat that food here." Spong was working on a construction project in Tofino when he came to know and love the popular food truck that is revered for its Baja-style fish tacos. He teamed with his childhood buddy Matt MacIsaac, a hedge-fund manager who had partnered with original owners Kaeli Robinsong and Jason Sussman, and expanded Tacofino's presence in British Columbia. The food truck debuted in Vancouver in 2010 and a restaurant, Commissary, followed in 2012. There are also trucks in Victoria and Kelowna. Now, Spong and MacIsaac are planning to bring the Tacofino brand beyond British Columbia. They've hired Gino di Domenico, a talented industry veteran with experience in Montreal and Vancouver (he helped launch the outstanding Nicli Antica Pizzeria), to be the operations manager and are pondering options for trucks and restaurants in Calgary and Montreal. "Some of it just happened by accident," Spong says. "We had no idea it would be this popular but we look at it now and clearly Tacofino is a brand and people really love that brand." The next big project, though, will be close to home. And this one will be the most dramatic Tacofino enterprise yet. The owners have purchased a 3,000-square-foot property in Gastown and are anticipating the opening of a second restaurant by year's end. Most intriguingly, they are aiming for a large rooftop patio. There are very few rooftop patio restaurants in Vancouver and none in Gastown. It's a feature that is lacking in a city where you would think there would be plenty of elevated dining areas offering vistas of the mountains and ocean. "In Toronto, there are rooftop patios all over, but we don't have anything like that here," says MacIsaac, who was among the judges for the 2014 Vacay.ca Top 50 Restaurants in Canada Guide. Whether those rooftop plans are developed will be largely dependent on City Hall officials. What is known is the new restaurant will have an entrance off of Cordova Street as well as a door facing Blood Alley, which could be home to a Tacofino taco stand. It would be the latest food business to set up shop in the laneway that was once so seedy you were certain to see drug users injecting themselves with a needle or walking around in the daze of hallucination. Restaurateur Sean Heather opened Salt Tasting Room in 2006 and other gentrification efforts have slowly turned Blood Alley into a less tortured place. Gringo, another restaurant with a Mexican twist, opened there last year in a 391-square-foot space. L'Abattoir is planning a project in the alley also. The concept for the new Tacofino place has yet to be defined but MacIsaac was hoping the restaurant would be similar to Big Star, the large, bustling Chicago establishment with southwest flavours that dubs itself "a whiskey, tequila, cocktail, and beer-focused venue." Whatever the owners decide, it is certain to be a hit with visitors and residents -- just like everything else Tacofino. The food trucks each do thousands of dollars of business each day during the summer. At Commissary, it's not unusual to wait 30 minutes or more for a table. Keep in mind this restaurant is far from the busy neighbourhoods of Gastown, Yaletown, Mount Pleasant and Kitsilano. It's seven blocks east of Commercial Drive, the main thoroughfare in East Vancouver, and wouldn't be considered part of that trendy street's activity either. Once you visit Commissary, you'll know why it's absolutely worth the trek and the wait. The room itself is beautiful. Vancouver architect/designer Omer Arbel, a friend of the owners, created the space, adorning it with hand-blown glass lights that are attached by copper wires and strung like ornate patio lanterns across the ceiling. The design is so unique and inventive that Commissary was the only restaurant in Canada nominated in 2013 for best restaurant interior design at the INSIDE Awards at the World Architecture Festival. The space is inviting, with long communal tables and a bar stocked with top-notch spirits and brews from the Tofino Brewing Co. Then there's the food. Visit Vacay.ca now to read about it and how much a bargain it is and to see photos of Commissary.]]> 'Ole' and Other Montreal Jazz Fest Highlights tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.5553798 2014-07-03T12:21:01-04:00 2014-09-02T05:59:05-04:00 Adrian Brijbassi http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adrian-brijbassi/ Trombone Shorty stepped on stage for his encore on Monday night, he had a look that appeared to say, "WTF?" From the front of the stage to the back row of the balcony section, fans at Metropolis were chanting, "Ole, Ole!" Confronted with this impromptu ovation, Shorty did what any sharp musician would -- he snatched his trumpet, cued his band and picked up the beat to join in the chorus. His few chords of "Ole" -- a Bouncing Souls' song from 1999 -- caused even more of a frenzy. [Click on the Vine video below to hear a snippet.] What the New Orleans-based troubadour didn't know was the spontaneous chant -- sung by hockey fans in Montreal during Canadiens games -- is a serenade for victors. In this city with the world's largest French-speaking population outside of Paris, it is a Spanish ode that rallies citizens. And Shorty, his backing band and the wicked opening act made everyone in the house feel like a champion for being a part of the night. Hence, "Ole, Ole!" and this singular moment that for me ranked at the top of a six-day visit to the 35th anniversary edition of the Montreal Jazz Festival. Shorty, whose real name is Troy Andrews, tore through a nearly two-hour set with a variety of songs and crowd-pleasing antics. The night ended with Shorty and his five-member band, Orleans Avenue, smashing on the drum kit and cymbals for more minutes than you'd think they could sustain. Shorty also played instrumental versions of Green Day's "Brain Stew" and "When the Saints Go Marching In." If you missed this show, he's also performing at Festival d'Ete in Quebec City (July 7) and the Ottawa Bluesfest (July 9). Last year, Woodkid's show at Metropolis on the early days of the festival was the talk of the festival. It earned him a spot on the main stage as the headlining act on opening night. Shorty deserves another invite and hopefully for one of the free outdoor shows too. Other highlights from the opening half of the 11-day Montreal Jazz Fest. Cody ChesnuTT: Best known for his collaboration with The Roots on "Seed 2.0," ChesnuTT is a soulful singer and hard-working front man. His honesty about his challenge to keep his marriage and family together following his infidelity is dealt with during his set with humour and heart. It's one reason the audience at Club Soda was very appreciative. Diana Krall and Elvis Costello: The superstar couple's raucous version of "Subterranean Homesick Blues" got the massive crowd at Quartier des Spectacles hopping on Sunday night. Ester Rada: The Israeli singer with Ethiopian roots has a voice that's classic soul. Her lyrics, though, have the sensibilities of today. A refreshing mix that keeps you listening and grooving. She played two free shows on Monday. Hypnotic Brass Ensemble: This outfit from Chicago opened for Trombone Shorty. They're wild, brash, funny and clearly looking for an underwear company to sponsor them as half the members struggle throughout the show to keep their pants above the waist. Hypnotic Brass lacks some polish but they have tons of showmanship and energy to make up for it. They're also a family act. The eight-piece band are the sons of jazz trumpeter Phil Cohran. Click here to read more about the Montreal Jazz Fest -- including who to see this weekend -- on Vacay.ca.]]> Why Diana Krall Adores the Montreal Jazz Festival tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.5543160 2014-06-30T11:31:21-04:00 2014-08-30T05:59:05-04:00 Adrian Brijbassi http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adrian-brijbassi/ Diana Krall says she doesn't know where she would be without the Montreal Jazz Festival. It's a comment that underscores an aspect of this enduring and endearing annual event that can get overlooked amid the dizzying amount of free music, street performers, beer and wine drinking, visitors, and money exchanges that make it one of the most notable events in Canada. For Krall and many other musicians, however, the festival means work, exposure and potentially a career-making experience. "For so many reasons, it's the most important jazz festival in the world. If it wasn't for the Montreal Jazz Festival, I honestly don't know what I would be doing," says Krall, who spoke at a press conference on Saturday and then on Sunday night performed her first outdoor show at the festival -- one of her very few open-air shows anywhere. In 1995, Krall debuted at the jazz festival with a tribute to Nat King Cole. She so impressed the festival-goers that Tony Bennett invited her on stage to play the piano. Her career exploded and now she is the one who lavishes praise on the premier event in a city full of amazing festival after amazing festival. "You gave me a springboard," Krall, a British Columbian from Vancouver Island, told festival co-founder and music promoter André Ménard during the conference. "Musicians around the world know what this festival means and how important it is." Significant moments in Krall's career that occurred at previous editions of the Montreal Jazz Festival include her first solo performances, which took place in 2011. She also had a 10-night run of club performances and played at the cavernous Bell Centre in 2004, a show that was recorded and released as an album. "For the 35th year, we were wondering what could we do with her that we haven't done yet," Ménard told me. "We said, maybe she should headline her own show on the main stage. Normally for the big outdoor shows we look for something that shakes a bit more than the Diana Krall style. But people will listen and she is up to the challenge. I'm quite elated with this actually." In some ways the Montreal Jazz Festival embodies the music it celebrates, shifting and improvising and redefining itself, keeping everyone on their toes from year to year. It challenges artists like Krall and surprises audiences. The formula equates to 800 concerts during the 11-day festival that accounts for a whopping $125 million in economic activity for the city. Click Here for Photos of the 2014 Montreal Jazz Fest Throngs of fans, many of whom lined up for hours, watched Krall's performance that featured an appearance by her husband, Elvis Costello. It topped off an opening weekend that had the one thing every festival wishes for: great weather. The sunshine and temperatures in the low-30s Celsius brought out massive crowds, even for the shows on smaller stages. Woodkid opened the festival on a hot and humid Friday night with an orchestra and giant screen that showed images matching the epic nature of the songs from his debut album called "The Golden Age." It was a curious choice for a main-stage opener. Woodkid, aka Yoann Lemoine, is a French film director and graphic artist as well as a musician. His appeal skews much younger than the jazz crowd. Woodkid's 2013 Montreal Jazz Fest performance at Metropolis was one of the most talked about shows of the 34th edition (you can read my report of it here) and helped convince Ménard that he was ready for the outdoors. "I saw him in London two years ago and felt that this was a tremendously elaborate concept, with the visuals and other elements," Ménard says of Lemoine's eye-catching show. "And it's very intelligent music, very ambitious music. It starts out melancholic and builds to this loud drumbeat and it's theatrical with all of the orchestration and the number of performers. I thought it would go over well as an opening show." It's also no coincidence that Lemoine's fans are more used to YouTube than MTV. "The average age of the festival attendee is 40 so we do have a preoccupation to bring younger people in," Ménard notes. Serving the next generation of music fans, whether they be jazz lovers or not, is crucial for an event that employs 2,500 people and attracts more than 2 million visitors each year, roughly one-third of them from outside of the Montreal area. Want to learn about the money-saving Jazz Passport? Click here to read the rest of the article on Vacay.ca. MORE ON HUFFPOST: ]]> The Best Food Trucks in Vancouver tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.5523087 2014-06-23T17:17:15-04:00 2014-08-23T05:59:05-04:00 Adrian Brijbassi http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adrian-brijbassi/ "We don't have any food trucks in Sydney. There's not enough room on the footpaths for them," Gerry Healy said, lamenting the tight streets Down Under. "We looked online at what people were saying about the tour and it seemed like a good way to see the city." The Healys joined three other couples on a tour of five food trucks, gnoshing on each of them. While food trucks have been hit and miss as far as profitability goes in other parts of Canada, they are thriving in Vancouver. The city provides 130 food vendor licenses, including for hot dog carts. Increasingly, a number of those licenses are used by elite chefs who spin off their cuisine into low-cost menu items that feed the lunch crowds who pour out of office buildings for something tastier -- and often healthier -- than the typical fast-food options. Among them are: Vij's Railway, serving mostly vegetarian cuisine inspired by recipes from Vikram Vij and his wife, Meeru Dhalwala; Le Tigre, run by former Top Chef Canada contestants; and Tacofino, a wildly popular mobile taco stand that takes its name from its hometown of Tofino. What Are the 5 Best Vancouver Food Trucks? Click Here to Find Out Visitors who sign up for the Vancouver Foodie Tours will taste a handful of the 16 food trucks that's on the company's roster. The trucks visited rotate daily. On the tour I took, Japadog was the first stop. It has a brick-and-mortar eatery on Robson Street as well as two food trucks. Japadog was founded in 2006 by a Japanese salesman who saw an opportunity to import Kurobuta pork (made from black Berkshire pigs) and serve it as hot dogs that are topped with a variety of condiments, including wasabi mustard. The Kurobuta sausages come in combinations such as Terimayo (with mayo and seaweed) and Okonomi (topped with spicy bonito flakes). Prices range from $6.95 and up. I've tried other items on the Japadog menu and none come close to the flavour (or value) of the grilled Kurobuta. The other spots visited on the tour included EAT Chicken Wraps, which is more adventurous than it sounds. It serves a range of wraps seasoned with spices that cover the gamut of Vancouver's ethnic makeup. I tried the Hoisin Wrap ($7), which featured five spices and was served on a crispy Chinese pancake. Mom's Grilled Cheese serves up the beloved sandwich in a silvery truck that resembles an American diner. Tacofino and Le Tigre were the final two spots we visited. Dubbed the World's Best Food Truck Tour, the two-hour gastronomic spin has been named a Canadian Signature Experience by the Canadian Tourism Commission. The food truck tour starts at 11 am daily and covers less than two kilometres on foot. Between stops, the tour guides recount stories about the city's architecture, history and landscape. "We're real foodies, so we were looking forward to doing this," said Sean Hinson, a world traveller from Little Rock, Arkansas who was visiting Vancouver for the first time with his wife, Kristen. "We're open to trying anything, which is what I think the definition of a foodie is, and a tour like this is great for that because you have so many flavours and different types of cuisine that you're trying." How much does the World's Best Food Truck Tour cost? Click here to find out and to see photos of the trucks. MORE ON HUFFPOST: ]]> Vikram Vij Debuts New Restaurant in the Suburbs tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.5497281 2014-06-16T08:29:25-04:00 2014-08-16T05:59:04-04:00 Adrian Brijbassi http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adrian-brijbassi/ Vij's is two hours long. Those at the back of the queue may not know it but they could hop in a car and drive 45 minutes to find food prepared by the same cooks as the famous Vancouver Indian restaurant. Not only that, these days they'll also find Vikram Vij at My Shanti. The celebrity chef's newest enterprise opened on June 2 and for the time being it needs its owner's attention. "It's like a baby," he says of the 130-seat restaurant with an exterior so eye-catching you'll think it belongs in Times Square, not a suburban strip mall. For 20 years, Vij has spent most of his evenings working the room at Vij's, making it a destination restaurant unlike any other in Canada. With My Shanti, he sees an opportunity to elevate the food choices in the suburbs. He also indulges in showcasing more of his recipe book, filling the menu at My Shanti with regional dishes from India. Anyone who has been to Vij's knows the cuisine is a blend of European technique and Indian flavours. My Shanti is more traditionally Indian. "These are the dishes I've wanted to share with people for a while. They are from different regions of India, from places I've visited many times over the years," says Vij, who juggles his time between the restaurants, his packaged food product line and numerous TV appearances, including as an upcoming member of CBC's "Dragons' Den." Click Here for Photos of My Shanti Though the cuisine at My Shanti isn't the same as Vij's or Rangoli -- the small eatery next door to Vij's on Granville Street that's also often packed with diners -- some of the experience is unmistakeable. The spices that are so sublimely blended together you don't realize there are dozens of them in each bite, the texture of perfectly prepared basmati rice, the heat that hits the back of your throat after you've enjoyed the other flavours first. Those are all hallmarks of Vij's food and it's what you'll discover in the Indian dishes at My Shanti. "This really is just like Calcutta fish," Mariellen Ward, my dining companion, said with both joy and surprise when she bit into the steamed tilapia ($19.50), served with mustard gravy reminiscent of dishes from the capital city of the state of West Bengal. "This is really is like being back in India." Ward is an excellent person to gauge the authenticity of My Shanti's recipes. Her website, BreatheDreamGo.com, has been recognized as a leading authority on travel to India and she has visited the country several times in the past decade. She assured that the menu accomplished Vij's aim of giving diners a culinary tour of his homeland. Dishes evoke the diverse tastes of the Asian nation. The names on the menu tell diners the origin of the appetizers and entrees. Mysorian vegetable thoran ($15) is a curry mixed with delicious grated coconut; Hydrabadi chicken biryani ($22) is served with Vij's "3 Mistresses" -- spicy sauces that include tamarind and chili concoctions; and Goan Oyster Pakoras ($11.25) are tasty morsels breaded in chickpea flour and served with a tangy green chili creme fraiche. There are also Bollywood references and colloquial Hindi phrases used on the food and cocktail menu (try the rum-based Dawa Daru, $11). The standout, though, is a flavourful appetizer inspired by South America. The Peruvian/Indian ceviche of fish and shrimp features the seafood dropped into a gol gappa (a thin, crisp, hollow, bite-size bread bowl) and served atop a non-alcoholic shot of tamarind juice. Pop the seafood-stuffed gol gappa into your mouth and throw back the tamarind shot. Unique and incredibly tasty. As good as the food is, the decor is a match -- starting with that shimmering exterior. It is made of 4,000 sequins, affixed by hand to tiny hooks attached to a brick wall. The wind ripples through the sequins, causing a lovely wave of silver to streak above your head. When Vij first told me about My Shanti a few months ago, he was excited about the cuisine he was going to serve. Last week, it was the decor he was eager to discuss. The imported bamboo rods that decorate the interior are woven by hand. Draped high above on the ceiling are fabrics from Varanasi used to make silk saris. A hand-painted mural of an Indian village will soon blanket one of the walls. Whether diners will actually make the drive to South Surrey is to be seen -- although the wait staff reports that some guests have already come from Vancouver and Burnaby. The restaurant isn't quite up to the standard of Vij's. The kitchen is slow and Vij admits the employees need to become more knowledgeable about Indian food. For now, the dishes are prepared in Vancouver by Vij's brigade of female chefs from Punjab who follow recipes developed by Vij and his wife, Meeru Dhalwala. My Shanti's kitchen staff plates the dishes and makes the naan that accompanies the entrees. "Vij's is more modern. Here, it is really going to feel like India. You will be surrounded by India," Vij said with his usual mix of pride and passion, "it will engulf you." Click here to read more about My Shanti and see photos on Vacay.ca VIDEO: Vikram Vij Cooks in Niagara]]> Canada's Top 10 Best Restaurants tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.5353902 2014-05-19T18:45:53-04:00 2014-07-19T05:59:03-04:00 Adrian Brijbassi http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adrian-brijbassi/ Black Hoof has elevated his cuisine remarkably since I first dined at Hopgood's Foodliner shortly after it opened. It was outstanding then, it's beyond sensational now. My meal at Hopgood's Foodliner was so good that it surpassed his Hoof alumni operating Bar Isabel and stands above every other restaurant in the city in my mind. The snow crab, brought in from Cape Breton Island in Hopgood's native Nova Scotia, comes dotted with leeks to bring an aromatic flavour to the light, fleshy seafood. The Halifax-inspired donairs are ridiculously perfect. They're spicy, loaded with thick slices of beef, and wrapped in a naan-like bread. Messy, fun, delicious. And then there is the black pudding. It is cakey soft, eye-popping in flavour. Served atop a slightly elevated puff pastry slice, the dish, playfully named Puff Daddy and the Notorious P.I.G., is a must-try. It's rare that a restaurant can make every dish outstanding. Usually there's one weakling in the bunch. Not on this night, at this restaurant. As Vacay.ca prepares to release its third-annual Top 50 Restaurants in Canada Dining Guide this week, I thought I would list my choices for the 20 best places I've enjoyed in the past year. These aren't necessarily the restaurants that ended up on my ballot for the Top 50, because judges can stretch their selections back to January 2012, but they are ones you should endeavour to visit as you travel through the country. Hopgood's did earn top marks from me this year. 1. Hopgood's Foodliner, Toronto, Ontario A two-year-old restaurant on Roncesvalles Avenue in the city's west end, Hopgood's Foodliner is what a casual fine-dining experience should be about. It has a jovial atmosphere and a kitchen that turns out plates that would cost much more if served at a place with fancier decor and finer tablecloths and glassware. If you care about good food first and foremost, this unpretentious spot should be where you next make a reservation. [Read more about Hopgood's Foodliner] 2. Ayden Kitchen & Bar, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Top Chef Canada winner Dale MacKay has opened a spectacularly wonderful restaurant in his hometown. Ayden creates in-house sausages and charcuterie as well as one of the best burgers you'll ever taste. [Read more about Ayden] 3. Vij's, Vancouver, British Columbia The good times never stop at this enduring favourite in Vancouver's South Granville area. Vikram Vij and his wife, Meeru Dhalwala, continue to create Indian cuisine that stands up to any other dining experience in the country. [Read more about Vij's and see a video of Vikram Vij at work] 4. Araxi, Whistler, British Columbia Chef James Walt is a master of French and Italian cooking and his creations are even more enjoyable because of his dedication to local ingredients from the Pemberton Valley. [Read more about Araxi] 5. Farmer's Apprentice, Vancouver, British Columbia There may be no more ethically conscious chef in Canada than Dave Gunawan. What he's managed to do at Farmer's Apprentice, a new 17-seat restaurant in Vancouver's Kitsilano neighbourhood, is serve vegetarian-forward cuisine that's crowd pleasing and true to its sense of place. 6. CHARCUT Roast House, Calgary, Alberta The best poutine I've ever had and so much deliciously flavoured Alberta beef and pork that I think about it still! Connie Desousa and John Jackson have a restaurant that both connoisseurs and everyday diners will appreciate. [See CHARCUT's Connie Desousa in action] 7. Le Laurie Raphael, Quebec City Microgastronomy that's not too clever for its own good. This elegant establishment in Quebec City's Lower Town manages to serve satisfying French dishes with the right amount of playfulness. [Read more about Le Laurie Raphael] 8. Hawksworth, Vancouver, British Columbia Not only is the food immaculate, Hawksworth is also home to quite likely the best service in Canada and one of the best wine lists as well. A treat is the inventive Asian-inspired dishes that continue to populate the menu. 9. Sonora Resort, Discovery Islands, British Columbia Chef Terry Pichor spoils his diners with a bounty of great dishes with ingredients sourced from British Columbia's lakes, rivers and oceans. And he's brilliantly added a "pre-dessert" dessert to the menu. [Read more about Sonora Resort] 10. Bearfoot Bistro, Whistler, British Columbia Great plates, loads of fun, and a delightful atmosphere in this favourite in Whistler that serves Pacific Northwest fare. The Champagne sabering in the subterranean wine room may be gimmicky but it's not something you'll soon forget doing. [Read more about the Bearfoot Bistro] Click here to read the rest of Adrian Brijbassi's top picks for best restaurants in Canada on Vacay.ca. The 2014 Vacay.ca Top 50 Restaurants in Canada Dining Guide comes out on Thursday, May 22. The judges this year included some of the nation's finest chefs, including Vikram Vij, Connie Desousa, David Hawksworth, Patrice Demers and Dale MacKay. Follow the hashtag #Vacay50 on Twitter for the big reveal.]]> Could This Top Chef's Saskatoon Restaurant Be Canada's Best? tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.5030938 2014-03-26T12:17:36-04:00 2014-05-26T05:59:01-04:00 Adrian Brijbassi http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adrian-brijbassi/ Top Chef Canada, he had established himself among Daniel Boulud's successful brigade of proteges, and he was living in Vancouver, a city in proximity to many of the exceptional products coveted by cooks. A chef with MacKay's achievements would have no shortage of choices, in Vancouver or anywhere else. MacKay, though, opted for Saskatoon. Not only that, he managed to convince some of his closest and most talented friends to join him. Nathan Guggenheimer, a British Columbian who was chef de cuisine at Boulud's DB Bistro in Vancouver while MacKay was heading up Lumiere, helps run the kitchen as executive chef. Christopher Cho, who has teamed with MacKay in the past and was previously at CHARCUT in Calgary, is the general manager and mixologist. Another kitchen crew member from Vancouver, Jesse Zuber, is the head chef. Desserts are divine and prepared by Zuber and Stacey Coates, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. It all adds up to one of the best restaurants in Canada -- and there are many reasons why you could make a case that it is No. 1. Ayden Kitchen & Bar is that good. Housed in a converted diner, Ayden is a huge 3,100-square-foot restaurant, with an equally sized kitchen beneath its wood floors. It is in the subterranean space that MacKay and Guggenheimer work their magic for the Ayden menu. "This is even bigger than Daniel's kitchens," MacKay says, recalling time spent at his mentor's enterprises. When he speaks about his own kitchen, MacKay beams. Chefs, sous chefs and pastry chefs have stations where they can spread out and concoct. A tall meat grinder churns out the hamburgers that have already become a thing of legend in Saskatoon, even though Ayden is less than six months old. The Classic Butcher Burger is thick with Canadian prime ribeye beef, aged for more than 14 days, and blended with some fresh beef brisket to add plumpness before it's grounded with garlic and rosemary. The chefs then sprinkle in pieces of bone marrow (yes, bone marrow) and top it with a fried egg. It is ridiculous and ridiculously good. "We cook it medium rare, or not past medium. We know it's completely safe at medium rare because we know exactly where the beef comes from. You cook it passed medium, it starts to come apart. So if someone wants it cooked any more than that, we recommend they order something else," MacKay says with an artist's zeal for perfection. With a grin and chuckle that's a touch diabolical, he adds: "It's not a burger for the faint of heart, that's for sure. If you're watching your weight or are concerned about your cholesterol, you should stay completely clear of it." The eight-ounce burger is an indulgence of protein and calories. It is also a symbol, in a way, of today's Saskatoon. This is comfort food, but created with the exuberance of youth and the confidence of craftsmen who know financial opportunity is in front of them. In recent years, Saskatoon has been one of the nation's fastest-growing cities. Sparked by a boom in agriculture and natural resources, the city is flush with cash. Citizens are eager for flavours and experiences that can match their level of discretionary spending. When they're on the menu, the butcher burgers go fast. How much does the Classic Butcher Burger at Ayden cost? Read the rest of this article on Vacay.ca to find out! The 2014 Vacay.ca Top Restaurants in Canada is coming soon. In the meantime, here is the 2013 list to feast on! ALSO ON HUFFPOST: ]]> Chef Takes This Toronto Pizza Parlour to New Heights tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.4988827 2014-03-19T12:33:31-04:00 2014-05-19T05:59:01-04:00 Adrian Brijbassi http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adrian-brijbassi/ But Gushue chose something radically different and it's a departure that could seriously shake up the Toronto dining scene. Here's why. Gushue, one of Canada's most exceptional chefs, has joined forces with the owners of Queen Margherita Pizza and in so doing he is democratizing fine dining, bringing the brilliant fare he so often perfected at Langdon Hall to tables where meals are half the price. Chefs in Canada have done leaner versions of their cuisine. Vij's in Vancouver has Rangoli beside it. Joe Beef has both Liverpool House and Le Vin Papillon. Quebec City's Panache has Panache Mobile near a vineyard on Île d'Orléans. Martin Picard has spun off his Au Pied de Cochon in Montreal with great success at his Cabane a Sucre in the Laurentian hills. But what Gushue is attempting is a massive offering of extraordinary food at lower-than-expected prices. "By the end of 2014 we should have six restaurants," says Gushue. Four of them will be QMP locations, a fifth will be a burger shack opening on Queen Street West within weeks, and the sixth is the only fine-dining option in the bunch: Gushue's own restaurant at 111 Richmond Street that is scheduled to open next door to the Google offices in the fall. It is a corporate undertaking, but one with a clear culinary conscience and that is why it is different than what other elite chefs have attempted when partnering with larger businesses. Even Rob Feenie's rapidly expanding Cactus Club kitchens aren't as rigorous in their commitment to organic food as Gushue's QMP endeavour. "We are creating ethical food. Not just quality food or local food, but ethically produced food, because that means something," says Gushue, who appeared invigorated by the challenge of his newest project. At Langdon Hall, there was pressure to stand alongside the best restaurants in the world. With Queen Margherita Pizza, there is the task of teaching both the diners and the staff about this kind of cuisine. "What Jonathan is doing is educating people," says Queen Margherita Pizza owner John Chetti. "The level of training the staff has been able to receive in the past five or six months has been incredible for them. You see how enthused they are to learn these techniques." The friendly server who attended to my table concurred, saying that the learning curve since Gushue took over late in 2013 has been incredibly steep. He had never heard of Langdon Hall ("I'm a student, I wouldn't have any reason to," he joked), but was suddenly serving patrons who were coming to QMP because of their affinity for Gushue's food. From a Vacay.ca Top 50 Restaurant to a Pizza Parlour Gushue, though, is a perfectionist and admits the enterprise isn't yet where he wants it. He is recruiting his former kitchen colleagues at Langdon Hall to help him staff the QMP locations and he's working on improving the product he serves. "We're still spending time milling the flour to make sure it's right," he says. I had the fortune of dining at Langdon Hall a few times in recent years and to witness Gushue's commitment to detail and passion for sourcing the right ingredients for each dish. His achievements won him accolades and devotees. In September, Gushue announced his departure from the No. 2-ranked restaurant in the country, according to the Vacay.ca Top 50 Restaurants in Canada Guide. Nine months earlier, Gushue made national news when he disappeared for days, leaving his family and employer in a lurch. After that situation, the end of his time at Langdon Hall wasn't a surprise. His shift to casual food is. Chetti was one of Gushue's fans and approached him about joining QMP. Gushue is serving leek ash on his pizzas, spiking his dishes with ingredients sourced from the same suppliers he used at Langdon Hall, introducing charcuterie and pickling to a pizza parlour, albeit a lovely one. Gushue says he will feature grass-fed beef burgers at one of his new restaurants this year. "We're going to serve 100 per-cent grass-fed beef burgers and the truth is some places say they're doing that, but they're not, not 100 per cent. So if we have to go to Nebraska and maybe even New Zealand to get that quality, we will. People may not want to hear that," he says, referring to the local-food movement that has dominated North American menus in the past decade. I knew what I would have at QMP would be excellent, I didn't expect to find dishes that were so similar to what I had enjoyed at Langdon Hall during Gushue's tenure as executive chef. A radish and fig dish, paired with ricotta cheese, was sublime. A palate-cleansing apple ganache came with three types of Ontario apples. Salt cod, from Gushue's native Newfoundland, was buried like treasure below circles of golden yellow potatoes, aged a year. There isn't a pizza joint in North America that serves this kind of cuisine. In fact, the pizzas aren't the highlight. The pies are very good, but I've had better (including at Nicli Antica Pizzeria in Vancouver, still my choice for the best in the country). It's the other inventions -- the salads, small plates, desserts and breads prepared by Sarah Villamere, who worked with Gushue at Langdon Hall -- that stand out. "He has upped the level of our cuisine," says Chetti, who now has a clear line of demarcation for his business; life "before and after Jonathan." "Introducing this food at a lower price point means it's more accessible for much more people and I think that's a very good thing." ALSO ON HUFFPOST: ]]> Why Charlottetown Is the No. 1 Place to See in 2014 tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.4684801 2014-01-29T11:56:02-05:00 2014-03-31T05:59:01-04:00 Adrian Brijbassi http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adrian-brijbassi/ Prince Edward Island Brewing Company is a top hat. It's drawn a touch off-kilter and with a silhouette of a beer bottle above its brim. Students of Canadian politics will instantly connect the image to the father of the nation, who could look dapper or dishevelled, depending on his level of sobriety. In 2014, Canadian political history will be unmistakeable to all PEI visitors -- even if they're simply pulling up to a bar for a cold brew. While Sir John A. Macdonald's legacy stretches across the country, it could be argued that what he accomplished in Charlottetown in 1864 stands right behind the formation of a national railway as the greatest achievement of his career. In a nine-day period in late summer, Macdonald and a coterie of 22 other politicians -- who at one point all posed in top hats for a photograph -- gathered in Prince Edward Island to forge the terms for a union of colonies that would create an independent Canada. They debated "unreservedly," as Macdonald put it, and came to an agreement on how to proceed. It was an achievement unthinkable today, when politics plods and rancour reigns. What occurred in Charlottetown 150 years ago can't be understated -- and in 2014 it won't be. The sesquicentennial of the Charlottetown Conference, the pivotal event that led to the 1867 constitution, will include a year-long celebration that revs up on Canada Day and continues through September 6, the height of Founders' Week when the likes of Macdonald, George Brown and George-Étienne Cartier gathered in Province House to muscle out a deal. "We will have a Celebration Zone that includes free family activities, concerts, cooking demonstrations. The island's chefs will be involved. There will be interactive entertainment. It's going to be one giant party," says Patti Devine, director of communications for PEI 2014, the organization that has invested $1.4 million into planning the festivities in Charlottetown's pretty downtown core. History will be a significant part of the celebrations -- right down to the festive atmosphere itself. Turns out there was a circus in town during the 1864 conference and Macdonald and other delegates had to stay onboard a ship because the hotel rooms were all booked out. SEE PHOTOS OF ALL OF THE VACAY.CA 20 BEST PLACES TO VISIT A similar level of enthusiasm for visiting Charlottetown is expected this summer. PEI, which hosts more than 1 million travellers annually, is poised to set a record for tourism activity in 2014. It will be the most festive spot in the country -- and one of the most festive in North America -- and for that reason Charlottetown has topped the list of the Vacay.ca 20 Best Places to Travel in Canada in 2014. In its third year, the list has emerged as a great forecaster and influencer of Canadian travel. For 2013, Fortress Louisbourg in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia was the No. 1 destination and it saw a 37 per cent increase in visitation from its 2012 levels. In 2012, Calgary topped the list and witnessed record numbers of travellers, many of whom arrived for the 100th Calgary Stampede. Voters, including myself, named destinations for their significance in 2014, including notable anniversaries, events and festivals. Some entries were also recognized for their unheralded or emerging tourism infrastructure, and their uniqueness as a travel offering. Charlottetown and its surrounding area best matches the criteria. Businesses and residents are gearing up for a show that isn't going to be repeated on this island. The PEI Brewing Company -- formerly Gahan Brewery -- is opening a massive entertainment space on its premises that will fit 700 people. Local celebrities, including chef Michael Smith, are ready to jump into the festival. A $24.3-million convention centre opened this summer and hosts a New Year's Eve extravaganza to kick-off the 150th celebrations. And the communities are set to show that PEI has more than Anne of Green Gables and outstanding shellfish to offer tourists. I've visited PEI in each of the past two years and discovered splendid red-sand shores, bucolic scenery and challenging golf courses, as well as some attractions you wouldn't expect to find. Basin Head Provincial Park is home to Canada's No. 1 beach, which includes a pier that kids and adults revel in leaping from. Restaurants such as Lot 30, Inn at Bay Fortune, Terre Rouge Bistro Marche and the Pearl Cafe serve cuisine that will make you crave a return visit. Meanwhile, Annie's Table presents a unique culinary experience where you can cook up dishes using local ingredients while under the tutorship of chef Norm Zeledon. You can take Tranquility Cove Adventure's fascinating and fun clam-digging tour that includes a clam bake on the shore of mostly deserted Boughton Island. In 2014, people will come for the sesquicentenary parties, but it's more likely they will depart having discovered the authentic and captivating experiences of Canada's smallest province, a little place where something mighty big was born 150 years ago.]]> Best of Canadian Travel in 2013 tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.4516634 2013-12-30T04:42:45-05:00 2014-02-28T05:59:01-05:00 Adrian Brijbassi http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adrian-brijbassi/ This experience that was fit for a cinema took place in the Discovery Islands, a place all travellers should endeavour to find themselves one day. That morning and afternoon were captured in an article and photo slideshow published this fall. Except for a couple of sojourns to the Caribbean, I spent the entire year's travels within Canada, exploring its abundance of wonders. Although my trip to Sonora Resort stands at the top, it was far from a singular highlight. DINING Best dinner: I can never name just one, so here are three: Le Laurie Raphaël in Quebec City presented a happy mix of elegance, playfulness and culinary creativity; Araxi in Whistler showcased chef James Walt's brilliance and passion for local food; at Sonora Resort, a Relais & Chateaux property, chef Terry Pichor treats diners to a course called "pre-dessert" -- one reason why its tasting menu is a must for culinary travellers. Best dinner enjoyed at a bar: I pulled up a stool at Bar Isabel in Toronto and was wowed by a handful of zesty Spanish dishes that would fit suitably in Iberia. Oh, and the drinks are great, too. Best dinner enjoyed with a sabre: At Bearfoot Bistro in Whistler, the Champagne sabering ritual is something you have to do -- read why. Best lunch: At Annie's Table in Prince Edward Island, chef Norm Zeledon taught me to shuck oysters (and how to douse them with a shot of the province's moonshine) and introduced me to the wonders of black garlic. He then cooked up some delicious mussels that we enjoyed in the lovely property that is a converted church. (Runner-up: The Lobster Pound in Sydney, Nova Scotia, where chef Richard Moore isn't stingy with the portion sizes.) Best liquid lunch: I had a few of those at Chase, which has one of the premier patios in Toronto and a terrific rum selection. Best lunch that turned into an afternoon of drinking: At Acadia in Toronto, a mid-May event that featured a launch of Beaujolais wines in Ontario offered plate after plate of delicious dishes from chef Patrick Kriss -- before he departed. With Kriss at the helm of the kitchen, Acadia ranked first in Toronto, according to the Vacay.ca Top 50 Restaurants in Canada Guide. Best breakfast or brunch item: Crab Benedict ($20) at Raincity Grill in Vancouver. Food item I can't wait to try again: Kale and Nori Beignets from deer + almond in Winnipeg -- a truly interesting dish from free-spirited chef Mandel Hitzer. Most fun at a restaurant: That night at the Bearfoot, with some journalism colleagues from Mexico, as well as at Muse in Calgary, where the staff pours on the charm, and genuinely so. Also, chef Scott Bagshaw has created a lively and merry atmosphere at Deseo Bistro in Winnipeg. Best pizza: For the third year in a row, Nicli Antica Pizzeria in Vancouver's Gastown. Will Jonathan Gushue, formerly of Langdon Hall, make Queen Margherita Pizza in Toronto next year's top choice? I'll find out soon! Best sandwich: The one, the only, the extraordinary Banh Mi Chicken Sandwich ($10.95) at David Hawksworth's Bel Cafe at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia in Vancouver. Favourite cocktail: Whatever Shaun Layton of L'Abattoir mixed up the last time I was in. It had Venezuelan rum, Puerto Rican rum and chocolate bitters. Best chef interview in person: Rene Redzepi of Noma in Denmark, who visited Toronto during the Terroir Symposium and displayed huge amounts of generosity to his fellow chefs and attendees. [See the video of the interview -- including Redzepi's restaurant picks] Best chef interview by phone: Much thanks to David McMillan for being a good sport while our telephone conversation was videotaped. I rang him with the news that Joe Beef was named the No. 1 restaurant in Canada by Vacay.ca back in May. [See the video here] ACCOMMODATIONS Best hotel stay: Le Germain-Dominion in Quebec City -- all the right touches in one fantastic city. Best hotel deal I found: The $800-per-night, 1,900-square-foot Katharine Hepburn Suite at Rosellen Suites near Stanley Park in Vancouver. Read about it. Biggest hotel surprise: Both the charcuterie platter-and-champagne plate waiting for me at the InterContinental Toronto Centre and that property's proof that five-star service can be achieved in a four-star hotel. Best view at a hotel: The renovated Oak Bay Beach Hotel in Victoria has a spectacular panoramic vista of the ocean. It's no wonder that producers have recently chosen it as one of the settings for a new series starring Doctor Who actor David Tennant. [Click here to see the view] ACTIVITIES Best tour: Tranquility Cove Adventures' Big Clam Dig in Prince Edward Island, which features a bit of adventure, some culinary flair with an on-shore clam bake, and loads of unique island culture. [See photos and read more about this experience] Best tour given by the great-grandson of a Canadian legend: Being shown Beinn Bhreagh, the estate of Alexander Graham Bell, by Hugh Muller was a privilege and an honour that sticks in my mind. The private tour is chronicled in a National Post article here. Best tour of an attraction that's not yet open: The Canadian Museum for Human Rights, which will be the leading tourist-focused building in Canada when it opens. It's designed by Antoine Predock and is a wonder -- read more. Most fun at a major music event: Wow, the Montreal Jazz Fest is great -- and so well organized. Read about why you have to go to this iconic event. Scenic spot I won't forget: On the Cabot Trail, the Skyline Trail leads to a stunning view of the ocean and shoreline of Cape Breton. Proof I need golf lessons: My embarrassing performance at the very difficult Crowbush Golf Course in PEI. Best First Nations experience: Touring Wendake, a Huron-Wendat community near Quebec City that offers culture, a boutique hotel stay and fine aboriginal cuisine. I finally ...: Went downhill skiing and I loved it -- thanks to outstanding instructor Dave Bader of Blue Mountain Ski School in Ontario. [See the video of my lesson] I finally II ...: Went white-water rafting and didn't fall in. It was a ride on the less-treacherous parts of the Cheakamus River in Squamish, British Columbia. [See photos and read about the experience] I finally III ...: Received a men's facial -- and contend that more men would get one if it was re-branded as an "above the shoulders" massage. It was so revitalizing it cured a hangover! I can't wait to go back to: Gros Morne National Park -- in the summer. And Calgary, any time. I won't be back on: The Capilano Suspension Bridge -- waaaaay too rocky for me! Two places I can't wait to visit for the first time in 2014: St. Andrews By-the-Sea in New Brunswick to see the newly renovated Algonquin Resort (read more) and Churchill, Manitoba. Be sure to share your own favourite travels and photos. Happy 2014!]]> New Museum Makes Winnipeg the No. 5 Place to Visit in Canada in 2014 tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.4504961 2013-12-27T11:52:15-05:00 2014-02-26T05:59:01-05:00 Adrian Brijbassi http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adrian-brijbassi/ Canadian Museum for Human Rights earlier this month. It is immediately the most outstanding tourist-focused building in Canada -- and right now there's nothing in it but construction material. When it is filled with innovative and interactive displays -- many of which will showcase the evolution of humanity under the rule of law -- the CMHR will herald a new era for a city overdue for a tourism reboot. Winnipeg's reputation has languished for too long. Lambasted for its frigid temperatures in winter and buggy conditions in summer, the Manitoba capital has had to work hard to earn back some good PR. It has built momentum in recent years, thanks to an under-the-radar dining scene and the return of the city's beloved NHL team, the Jets, who have stoked Winnipeg with more confidence and pride. Now, this. The CMHR. The name is boring, the building is astonishing. Designed by New Mexico-based Antoine Predock, the CMHR is 260,123 square feet of whoa. It explodes out of the landscape to grab your eye and break any prejudice you have held toward the city. What is a building like this doing in Winnipeg? That, I'm sure, will be a question many will ask. Once a visitor gains some knowledge about the $351-million facility's home, the location will make sense. Truth is, Winnipeg has a history of grandeur that's largely been forgotten outside of Manitoba. A century ago, it was home to 19 millionaires, more per capita than any other city in Canada, or even New York. Its Main Street is lined with former bank buildings constructed to be palaces of money. Twenty of them were positioned in a row like opulent dominoes. In their prime, they offered a spectacle of gild that would rival modern-day Bay Street in Toronto. Today, those buildings that remain have been converted into offices and restaurants. CMHR Vaults Winnipeg to Tourism Prominence The city's other architecture gem, however, is still serving its original purpose. The province's capital building, the Manitoba Legislature, was constructed between 1913-20 and was the opus of Masonic devotee Frank Worthington Simon, educated in Paris and fanatical about creating a monument that adhered to the principles of an ancient temple. And it would be no mere millennia-old place of worship either; Simon interjected his version of the Holy of the Holies -- with a hidden Ark of the Covenant and all -- in the design. The building is perfectly proportioned, the clues to its true purpose deciphered in the book The Hermetic Code by academic Frank Albo. It's also a fun attraction. A feature in this homage to King Solomon's Temple is called the "Pool of the Black Star" and it allows whoever stands on its tiles to throw his or her voice toward the heavens with a god-like burst. [Read all about the Manitoba Legislature in Vacay.ca] "Once you get inside the mind of the architect, you really understand what a genius he was and you never look at a building the same again," says Don Finkbeiner, a knowledgeable guide and owner of Heartland International Travel and Tours. "Since I've been in here, I now find myself always looking for the hidden meaning of things, especially for things in plain sight, in other buildings." There are no secrets you need to know about the CMHR, though. It joins the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City, the Parliament buildings in Ottawa, and Toronto's CN Tower as the notable architectural landmarks in a country whose cities have been far too focused on building pricey hotel/condo towers than fantastic public spaces. When the Art Gallery of Ontario unveiled its Frank Gehry upgrades in 2008, hundreds in Toronto lined up for hours to enter. That was for a renovation. The CMHR does for Winnipeg what the I.M. Pei's Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame did for Cleveland -- create a reason to go. So much so, in fact, that Winnipeg earns the distinction as the No. 5 Place to Visit in Canada in 2014, according to Vacay.ca's team of travel experts. It is the first national museum constructed since 1967 and will be the only one built outside of the Ottawa region. In August, the world's travel media will arrive in Winnipeg to glimpse the city's new star attraction a month before it opens. The annual Go Media conference (of which I am helping to coordinate) will launch a series of promotions to raise awareness of this one-of-a-kind museum whose stated purpose is to promote reflection and action about human-rights issues around the planet, including those related to First Nations in Canada. A statue of Gandhi is outside the building. You can be sure Nelson Mandela will feature prominently in the 47,000 square feet of exhibit space. Interactive displays will allow visitors the chance to debate human-rights cases and consider different positions on particular topics. Those interactions will take place in a building flooded with light and constructed with basalt and alabaster, climbing more than 100 metres to the peak of the Tower of Hope, from which you can peer down on the staggeringly beautiful structure while standing atop a small platform and holding your breath and thinking to yourself, Ok, I'm really glad I came to Winnipeg.]]> Why Calgary Keeps On Impressing Me tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.4481978 2013-12-20T15:57:14-05:00 2014-02-19T05:59:01-05:00 Adrian Brijbassi http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adrian-brijbassi/ I've visited the city three times in the past 18 months and keep waiting for that moment when I can say, "A-ha, this town and it's people just aren't as appealing as they first seemed." Instead, this time, I explored further, investigated deeper, and returned with the same conclusion as I previously did: It is a city whose economic boom has led to a blossoming of culture that has created one of the most vibrant and enjoyable places to visit in North America. I laugh here. It is so easy to get along with Calgarians and easy, too, to become bemused by their spirit. At a concert featuring members of the Electric Light Orchestra, audience members eschewed the rules that forbid dancing in the aisles and boogied like it was 1979 at the Jubilee Auditorium. The band members, grey-haired and showing their age, grinned broadly and appeared stunned by the display from a crowd of people mostly from their generation. I was awed, remembering concerts at venues in Vancouver and Toronto where people of much younger age showed no rebelliousness when told to sit down at shows with more energetic music. At Muse, the enthusiasm continues. The decor at this Kensington Village restaurant is fun-loving even though the food prepared by chef JP Pedhirney is meticulously created and presented with artistic flair. It's a pricey place to eat, with entrees starting at $36 and tasting menus ranging from $85 for five courses to $110 for eight. But it's well loved and well trafficked, as Calgary's business success has led to a high amount of discretionary cash in the hands of residents, thus allowing culinary talent like Pedhirney's to flourish. [Read Vacay.ca's feature on Muse.] "Some people say there are more Americans living here than any other city outside of the U.S. and maybe that's why Calgary has such an entrepreneurial spirit," says Stephen Deere, who was raised in Calgary and is a co-owner of the restaurant. On the night I visited, Muse was packed, with jovial tables kicking back wine from a solid international selection and dining happily on Pedhirney's cuisine, a mix of French and Italian flavours invigorated with contemporary elegance. The team at Muse embodies Calgary's community-mindedness. They're sharp, hard-working, quick with a grin, talented and genuinely gracious. It's not at all a surprise that you will enjoy your meal here. Similarly, Model Milk will give you an experience you're not likely to find at most fine-dining restaurants. The Fish Tacos for Two ($52) feature a whole-roasted Chilean sea bass, served with a range of condiments -- including sriracha and pickled jalapeño peppers -- alongside house-made corn tortillas. I'm not a fan of build-your-own-food concepts because, well, that's what diners pay the kitchen staff for, but this was awesome -- and fun. Newly opened Market serves a deconstructed Chicken Pot Pie ($16) for lunch that shows comfort food can be whimsical, too, and Yellow Door Bistro at Hotel Arts is another fresh spot that joins this city's incredibly hot dining scene. See a Photo Gallery of Calgary After the Flood When you're done eating, trek to the Calgary Zoo, which was devastated from the June flooding of the Bow River. It re-opened last month with a sobering display of posters that show the facts of the disaster, including $50 million in damage. The zoo is relying on -- what else? -- Calgary's civic-mindedness to recover, calling for visitors and donations. Something tells me the people of this city will step up. [Read "7 Reasons to Visit Calgary After the Flood"] While the approximately 100,000 United States citizens in the metropolitan area of Calgary may be responsible for plenty of the city's enterprising mentality, it is the character emanating from rural Alberta that I suspect is the pillar of Western Hospitality. Volunteers wearing the city's famed white cowboy hats are on scene to greet you at the airport. They evoke the Stampede, but also the memory of how Calgary and southern Alberta rallied to support each other during the summer flood. The city is back, more confident than ever. None of what I write is to suggest Canada's third-largest municipality is without fault. As many frustrated Calgarians point out, the city of one million lacks great cultural festivals other than the annual Stampede, and while the culinary scene has emerged, Calgary is missing the quality of art and music to make it a rival to other metropolises. The mountain activities are farther away than they are in Vancouver and the nightlife is a distant trailer to what visitors will find in Montreal and Toronto. For a down-to-earth good time and small-town friendliness in a big and safe city, though, Calgary rides high and alone on this continent. My next visit will always be too far into the future. MORE VACAY.CA COVERAGE OF CALGARY Kensington Riverside Inn Earns Relais & Chateaux Status Calgary Gushes Over River Cafe's Rebound A Local's Perfect Weekend in Calgary ALSO ON HUFFPOST: ]]> Canada's Coolest Restaurant Is in Winnipeg tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.4463909 2013-12-18T12:25:31-05:00 2014-02-17T05:59:01-05:00 Adrian Brijbassi http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adrian-brijbassi/ RAW:almond pop-up restaurant and Mandel Hitzer is doing brisk sales. The project that started as a what-are-we-getting-ourselves-into experiment earlier this year enters its second go-round as the hottest table in a city that suddenly needs to be on every culinary travellers' itinerary. Hitzer, who runs the eclectic 28-seat deer + almond in Winnipeg's Exchange District, teamed with RAW:Gallery and the Warming Huts festival to erect a restaurant on ice. For three weeks last winter, bundled-up diners paid $85 to skate or trod in boots up to a communal table where Hitzer and other members of Winnipeg's brigade of talented young chefs would serve dishes in temperatures that often dropped below minus-20 Celsius degrees (minus-4 Fahrenheit). By all accounts, there were challenges as extreme as the cold. Alex Svenne, one of the participating chefs and owner of Bistro 7 1/4, recalls the trouble when hot food quickly turned cold after it hit plates exposed to the climate. "We had to bring in extra plate warmers," Svenne says, describing the pop-up as being as fun as it was crazy. "Then in the final few days, the ice began to melt, because the temperature was warming up and we had been doing all of this cooking, creating all of this heat on top of the ice." No one fell through. But many fell over their feet as they rushed to praise RAW:almond's collaborators for, among other things, going for it. "It sounded like a crazy idea and it probably was, but they got over the logistical problems, they sold out every night, and people can't wait to see what they're going to do this time around ," says Paul Jordan, the chief operating officer of The Forks Renewal Corporation, an architectural and urban planning organization that has supervised the development of Winnipeg's favourite gathering place. This year, the price is upped to $100 per person, the restaurant has expanded to 30 seats and added a 10-seat tasting lounge, and only members of RAW:Gallery can take part in pre-sales. Seeing that the pop-up restaurant features the most buzzed-about table in the city, the pre-sales are turning out to be a shrewd membership drive. So far, four of 21 nights have been sold out in less than 48 hours. The public sales don't begin until December 20. "I think this is happening because we finally decided to embrace winter in this city," says Svenne, who will lead the RAW:almond kitchen on January 26-27. "We realized, you know what, it's not going away. We're stuck with it, so why not make the best of it?" In winter, The Forks, named so because it is the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, turns into the world's longest ice-skating trail, twisting and turning for about 8.5 kilometres (5.2 miles) on a path that is routinely cleared by a Zamboni and features hockey and curling rinks alongside it. On previous opening nights of the ice trail, the Zamboni has played dance and rap music while revellers bust a move, following the machine in a northern version of a Carnival party line that would seem like it could only happen in a South Park episode. Since 2006, the skating trail has also been home to the Warming Huts for three weeks each year. The huts are created by architects. Which architects? Try Frank Gehry and Antoine Predock, a world-renowned New Mexico designer who has conceived the extraordinary Canadian Museum of Human Rights that opens in September 2014. Architecture Is the Main Course in Winnipeg The Warming Huts has an international competition to decide some of its annual exhibits. When the show starts on January 24, 81 huts will dot the ice trail. They will include favourites from years past and six new entries for 2014 -- including one full of mirrors and another installation that is an upside down pair of pants being held up by a dirigible in the shape of a voyageur hauling a canoe over his head; visitors enter the hut through the unzipped hole in the pants. (Winnipeg's Festival du Voyageur celebrates its 45th year in February 2014.) Music, fashion, art, and haute cuisine join in the architecturally focused Warming Huts fete, with RAW:almond attracting the culinary crowd. "The food scene here has evolved so much," says Hitzer, an affable, free-spirited guy who has a history of doing secret restaurants and pop-ups. "And the attitude of restaurants has changed. It used to be super competitive in the city, but now, with some of these guys, we are friends who've all worked together, we've all cooked together. We're happy to help each other out." Hitzer says the ice-bound restaurant "is like doing a stage with all your friends." Winnipeg chefs take turns overseeing the menu and this year Jason Barton-Browne, a sous chef at Calgary's Teatro, will join Hitzer's team for an evening. Also, because of demand, a tasting bar with capacity for 10 will be offered to guests who can't get into (or think it's too pricey) to pay $100 for the five-course dinner under the heated tent. Scott Bagshaw of Deseo Bistro, which ranked 37th on the 2013 Vacay.ca Top 50 Restaurants in Canada Guide, will be among those manning the tasting lounge that will serve three courses for $45. "We're just flying by the seat of our pants," he says, "and we're having fun doing it." ]]>


text:
Upcoming Events
There are no upcoming events right now.
[show past events]
Recent Team Logs
Sunday, 1/6/13 1:00 pm - Captain
Prototyping day!
Wednesday, 12/19/12 7:07 pm - Captain
Parent's night tonight at 7:00 P.M.
Tuesday, 8/28/12 7:46 pm - Captain
New meeting time is set for Wednesday's at 6:15 excluding August the 29th
Tuesday, 8/14/12 6:45 pm - Captain
Robot has been delivered to the state fair. Heading back on the 31st to play some Rebound Rumble!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Success at the Yorkshire Life Food & Drink Awards 2011
19th September, 2011
Swinton Park success at the Yorkshire Life Food & Drink Awards 2011
Download this press release as a PDF
Swinton Park is celebrating its success at the recent Yorkshire Life Food & Drink Awards 2011 with a "brace" of accolades. The luxury castle hotel won Hotel of the Year and their Executive Chef, Simon Crannage, also won Chef of the Year.
The hotel was commended for its quality of service, superb setting and outstanding reviews, and Simon Crannage was singled out for the quality of his food and for being one of the most highly regarded chefs in Yorkshire.
Swinton Park opened as a hotel in 2001 and has been celebrating its 10th birthday this year. With 30 bedrooms, a cookery school (with resident celebrity chef Rosemary Shrager), spa with treatment rooms and Bird of Prey Centre, the hotel is now one of the leading hotels in the region.
"We can't think of a better way to celebrate the hotel's 10th birthday than winning these two awards" commented proprietor Felicity Cunliffe-Lister "We are very honoured to have been recognised as the best hotel in Yorkshire and I know that for Simon to win the Chef of the Year is something he is very proud of. Our General Manager, Peter Llewellyn, and his team at the hotel have worked exceptionally hard to achieve these standards, and they deserve every credit for them."
Notes for the Editor :
- Recent awards include Good Hotel Guide Family Hotel of the Year 2011; TripAdvisor Award of Excellence 2011; Hotel of the Year 2009, White Rose Awards ; Sustainable Tourism Award 2009, Highly Commended, White Rose Awards; The Green Tourism Business Scheme award 2009; Green Business Award 2009 Yorkshire Rural Awards.
- The hotel is the ancestral seat of the Earl of Swinton and is owned by the Cunliffe-Lister family.
- The hotel is surrounded by 200 acres of landscaped parkland and the 20,000 acre Swinton Estate, which offers guests unrivalled access to the great outdoors and Yorkshire landscape
Latest News
We are delighted to have received planning approval for our Country Club and Spa, which will include an indoor swimming pool together with full spa and fitness facilities, as well as a 40-seat conservatory restaurant, coffee shop and Swinton Estate shop. Please see our latest press release for more information.
In the meantime, the weather is still perfect for walking, cycling and riding on the Swinton Estate and it's also a great time to enjoy replenishing spa treats and tempting gourmet indulgences at the hotel, such as our Estate Lunch Menu – currently featuring partridge and pheasant - or our inspiring range of seasonal cookery courses.


text:
From camelback sofas to oversized floral prints, Lynda Reeves and Suzanne Dimma share their opinions on the top decorating themes of 2012. Michael Angus of Angus & Company offers ideas for lush mantel and doorway displays, DIY urns and tabletop looks. Plus, see two Christmas tree styles: one natural with magnolia leaves, cedar and birch ornaments, the other classic with vintage-style decorations and a burlap garland. And because nothing says holiday like poinsettia, wreath, holly and Christmas tree cupcakes, Sarah Bell and Allyson Bobbitt of Bobette & Belle bakery demonstrate how to make them. With buttercream icing, silver dragées and fondant details, these seasonal treats look as beautiful as they are delicious.
All decorations, urns and candleholders, Angus & Company.


text:
When art exhibits open, it is with much fanfare and circumstance. The receptions are packed with people checking out the art and excitedly discussing the show. Yet when an exhibit closes, the scene is often much different — the works come down, the lights go out, and life continues. The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (3750 Washington Boulevard; 314-535-4660 or www.contemporarystl.org) would like for its current exhibit to go out with more than a whimper, so the museum is offering a free Last Chance Tour at noon today with assistant curator Laura Fried. She will discuss the works on display by Aïda Ruilova and Lutz Bacher, and you will have the pleasure of learning a little something before the show's over (it ends on Sunday, January 4). Sounds like a good deal to us.
Sat., Jan. 3, 2009


text:
November 27, 2014
Brush fire in Stead is contained at 5 acres after a rollover accident set the bottom of Peavine ablaze off of Old N. Virginia.
According to Sierra Fire the fire began around 10:30 a.m. when a truck caught fire after rolling Thursday morning. It is contained at five acres and one victim has been sent to the hospital by ground ambulance.
No word yet on the extent of the victim's injuries.
Planes are attacking the fire along with six engines.
No businesses or homes are threatened at this time.
Stay with KOLO 8 News Now as we will be reporting from the scene and are live-streaming the fie on our web channel.
Click Here to access the online Public Inspection File
Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Dana DriensleyShinsei executive chef Jason CzajaOn Wednesday, we gave you the goods on Jason Czaja, executive chef at Shinsei. Today, we asked Czaja to finish a few sentences for us. Tomorrow, he shares one of his recipes. I was raised in...Born on the Indiana side of Chicago. Mom, Dad, litt ... More >>
Two follow-ups in this particular radio round-up. First, I exchanged a few messages with Alan Ayo via Facebook, and the long and short of it is, he's not at all upset that Clear Channel gave him his walking papers yesterday. Writes the former midday host and music director at KDGE-FM:I'm feeling rat ... More >>
IAMX/The Hourly Radio November 6, 2007 Club Dada Better Than: Watching election results filter in. While Dallas was going to hell in a hand basket last night, the stars were aligned for the IAMX/Hourly Radio show at Club Dada. On a Tuesday night, the club exemplified what Deep Ellum could be rat ... More >>
Still more sad stuff, plus the good news that the Longhorn will host a show
Vulnerable Brown (Punk/Sanctuary)
The Terror Couple try to launch a revolution from the 'burbs


text:
First Trip to Vegas: Critique my restaurant choices
I'll be in LV for the first time in late July for 3 days/nights. The person I'm going with is coming for a conference and this is her 4th time in LV over the last couple of years. So there are times when I'll be eating by myself, breakfast and one lunch bc of her conference responsibilities.. The budget for breakfast is $25, lunch is $25 and dinner is $45 ex taxes and tips.
Would love to try LOS but we will not have a vehicle. I can take a taxi but I'm all thai'd out after having thai locally and in LA in April of 2012 and Yum Yum Too Thai NYC in late 2011.
My flight arrives on a Thursday at 7:45am and hers at 10:45am.
Day 1:
Breakfast at Bouchon - A lot of people on this board recommend it and we're staying at the Palazzo. I'll be eating by myself.
Lunch at Burger Bar - I orginally had BLT Burger based on recs from the board but I saw some posts about Burger Bar and I looked at the menu and I like what I see. It'll be the two of us. Didn't know the Hubert Keller owns the place.
Dinner - Right now I'm leaning towards Italian and I have Valentino at the Venetian down for now. It'll be the two of us. However, Scarpetta at the Cosmopolitan was brought up by someone here so I've been looking at that. For reference, we ate at RPM Italian in Chicago in Oct and we loved the food and atmosphere there. So a rec that is similar or better would be appreciated.
Day 2 Friday: I'm heading to the Grand Canyon.
Day 3 Saturday: Breakfast at the Bacchanal Buffet. Two of us. Read good things about this buffet and also Wicked Spoon. Anyone have any insight in Bacchanal? I originally had Central down but thought that I should try a buffet on this trip.
Lunch at the Secret pizza place in the Cosmopolitan. She will be with me.
At 7:30pm we're going to Zumanity at New York New York. Would like to do meal after the show but she doesn't want to eat then. So I may end up having a late meal by myself.
Can someone recommend a good late night meal for after the show?
You should definitely hit up a buffet since this is your visit trip to Vegas. Better to make it a lunch or dinner for the full experience. Bacchanal and Wicked Spoon are the latest modern style buffets, along with Bellagio and Wynn are still some of the best. Be prepared for hour long lines on weekends.
Nothing special about any of the burger places on the strip. Recommend Milos or Comme Ca for lunch.
Skip Cosmo secret pizza, go to Grimaldi's at Palazzo where you are staying.
Valentino will be closed permanently by July. Scarpetta is solid pick for Italian.
Jaleo and Julian Serrano are great for Spanish/tapas.
Check out this happy hr list:
re: playboy
FWIW -- I thought BLT Burger blew Burger Bar out of the water.
Fab milkshakes, too.
re: linguafood
Really? Which place has the better fries including sweet potato fries?
re: playboy
I don't remember the fries at either place. The burger and shake at BLT were too memorable, and I only have limited space in my brains :-D
Also, this was 4 years ago....
re: pinehurst
Thanks for the welcome. I lurked Chow for all of my previous trips but this is my first thread. I'm not going to do In-n-Out Burger. I ate there enough while I lived in Phoenix.
The menu at Puck's looks good. I did that Secret pizza place is open late. I'll have to think about bc I didn't want anything to heavy after the show.
re: pinehurst
What is this fascination with In-N-out? I just don't understand how average fast food burgers, and horrid fries get so much press.
re: BIGGUNDOCTOR
Believe me I agree with you. I thought that it was average at best.
re: BIGGUNDOCTOR
It's a nice thing to try for those of us who live east of the Mississippi, like Krispy Kreme donuts in many respects. Certainly not a fascination. Hadn't realized playboy was a westcoast (AZ) guy. My 4X4 animal style was pretty good. Didn't try the fries.
re: pinehurst
I now live in FLA but I'm a west coast guy deep down inside after having lived in PHX.
Um - you're "all Thai'd out" after eating Thai over a year ago but you're eager to get a burger and a slice of pizza. My critique is that you're not serious about food if you'll pass up the best Thai food in the country for burgers and pizza
re: kagemusha49
Maybe all thai'd out isn't the right word. I'm serious about food and I do want to try LOS as both of us love Thai. We could go there on Thursday or Sat for lunch.
re: playboy
You won't regret going there. The lunch menu is the same as the dinner menu.
re: playboy
If you make it to LOS, I think you'll be glad you did. :)
re: inaplasticcup
If you fail to go to LOS, you will regret it for life. Food adventure is knocking on your door.
re: playboy
FYI Lotus only open for dinner on weekends.
re: zack
So I just spoke with my sister and she is ok with going to Lotus for lunch on our first day. I'm looking forward to it. However, she will not be joining me for breakfast on Sat bc of her conference but we'll have lunch and she wants to have dinner around 6:00pm before the show.
I'm thinking Delmonico's for lunch on Sat (she love's bread pudding) and something for dinner (not sure).
A couple of things to mention here. Early July is when the monsoon season starts around here , high humidity + triple digits = ugh!
Rental cars are very inexpensive, check with AVIS at the airport rental corral. I rented a car for 2 days with unlimited mileage for $56 while my vehicle was in the shop.
If you are on your own, and rent a car, get off the Strip and explore the area. Even in Downtown LV there are some good eats.
I would suggest going to Bouchon for brunch instead of breakfast. They only do brunch on weekends though, so that would require some switching around. I am not a fan of buffet breakfasts, so Bacchanal doesn't excite me and I'd nix it from the itinerary if it were mine. I've also heard rumblings that the food quality, selection, and service at Bacchanal have slid downhill considerably since they opened. Avoid Central at all costs.
re: fledflew
I should clarify why I prefer brunch over breakfast at Bouchon. They have chicken and waffles at brunch and their seafood bar is open. If that's not a concern, then a weekday breakfast there should fit your needs just fine. It is likely that the wait to get seated (if any) on a Thursday morning will be significantly shorter than weekend brunch.
re: fledflew
After reading what you said about Bacchanal I'll nix it. I like chicken and waffles. I had it for the first time last year at Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles in Inglewood, CA. Is Bouchon's chicken and waffles similar or do they put a different spin on it?
re: playboy
I love chicken and waffles in all forms. Bouchon's definitely has a spin on theirs. The entree consists of a half young chicken, perfectly roasted. Easily some of the best roast chicken I've ever had. Also comes with a bacon and chive waffle and house made vanilla butter. Also has a sauceboat on the side which is slightly sweet and savory with lardons swimming in it.
I've had it probably a dozen times and unless I end up ordering a huge seafood platter/tower, the chicken and waffles is my go-to selection there.
I know this ain't food related but I read that on day 2 you are going to the Grand Canyon.
Please be advised is you are doing the bus trip to the Sky Walk be prepared for a miseralble trip. It is a long ride through the desert on washboard roads. The Sky Walk is very nice and the view is amazing but the long bumpy road on a miserable bus is not worth it. The only way I would go back there is on a helicopter. The lunch provided at the Sky Walk is nothing special so I won't comment about it.
Please tell us how Zumanity is. I know it is an adult show but has some scenes that I cannot come to grips with. As far as late night eats all of the casinos should have a late night place to eat.
re: ilikeNOLA
Not to mention, the Sky Walk (and for that matter, the helicopter tours) go to the _west_ Grand Canyon, which is OK, but nothing like the famous South Rim. Same canyon, very different part, inferior view.
re: Steve Green
Just a quick request to keep things focused on food! Thanks!
I have a random recommendation for dim sum, if you're so inclined. Orchids Garden- they serve dim sum every day, and we had one of the best experiences of our trip there. It was lovely.
re: playboy
They don't take lunch reservations. If you show up at 11:30 you'll be fine. Be sure to tell them you'll be ordering off the menu, not buffet.
re: playboy
On a recent trip to Las Vegas, I ate at Lotus six times, and the crowd pattern was totally unpredictable. There were a few periods on Saturday night where there were some empty tables (albeit reserved ones, with little or no waiting line), and then on a Monday afternoon at almost one, there was a 45-minute wait. I think Steve is right that the safest thing to do is arrive early.
re: Dave Feldman
Solid Dave..
re: Dave Feldman
That's what we'll do.
re: playboy
If you want to save some $$$, you can take the monorail out to the last stop and walk 10-15 min the rest of the way to LOS. It is not the best part of town, but we (2 women) did it for lunch twice with no problem. The only other concern in July would be whether it is too hot to walk there mid-day.
re: cobpdx
Trying to kill our beloved playboy. ; )
10-15 minute walk from the monorail to LOS in July in the heat of the day at around 115 degrees is not something I would recommend for my worst enemy.
$20+ a day for midsize car rentals are so cheap and with free parking at all the casinos and he is going to GC, would be perfect vs. the bus/tour scene.
hotwire.com has great car rental deals
re: Beach Chick
Ha. Yeah, I don't plan on walking in that far in July.
Country Club
LOS menu not buffet
Oyster Bar at Palace Station
Charlie Palmer Cut of the Week
Country Club Wynn
Bouchon bar dining.
Happy hours..
Todd English PUB
Drinks at Chandelier Bar at the Cosmo
Couple of slices at Secret pizza..
re: Beach Chick
Thank you Beach Chick for the suggestions. It seems like a comprehensive list.
I gotta tell you, I appreciate your input and the input of the other folks. When I was lurking back in Nov looking for suggestions for my San Diego trip, I saw a number of your posts in the SD forum and your recommendations were spot on in terms of food and atmosphere. So thank you for that and for this current post.
re: playboy
Thanks playboy for your kind words!
Regards to LOS, get there right when it opens for lunch and I always get an extra Pad Thai with Tofu spicy with extra peanut sauce to go for later in the evening when I've had a couple of cocktails and I'm jonesing for something good before hitting the pillows.
Also, car rentals are super cheap and with free self parking or valet for a buck or two as tip, drive yourself to GC vs some funky bus with funky cold medina player's..
; )
re: Beach Chick
Pad Thai is my favorite.
Hi.....a couple of thoughts for you.....
Working backwards: After Zumanity, stay at NY/NY and either fun/light at Gonzalez y Gonzalez (worth a trip for the salsa alone!) or Nine Fine Irishmen for good food and Guiness...they serve more Guiness than any pub in the world...really!! Both places can offer a good after-the-show bite to eat and drink. If you want more "dining,"...Gallagher's is a solid steakhouse with a good "feel" to it. The beauty of NY/NY, is that it is a very small hotel/casino and the restaurants are a 2-minute (at most) walk from the Zumanity show.
Italian?.....Go off the Strip (only a few minutes...on Paradise, across from the Hard Rock) to Ferraro's. Start off sharing the entrée portion of mushroom risotto as your app, then move into the amazing Osso Buco, prepared with a reduced Barolo sauce and with faro on the side....very special. An excellent wine list....may I suggest an Amarone for the Osso Buco. :-)
Buffets?....Not a big fan...I find them more about EATING than DINING...breakfast, lunch, dinner...doesn't matter. If you're in this forum, you can do better than a buffet for breakfast/brunch....Perhaps The Four Seasons at Mandalay Bay?....
re: VegasGourmet
Forgot to mention.......From 11pm to closing, Ferraro's has a 50% off "Happy Hour"....they close, usually, at 2am....for the entire menu! Their Happy Hour prices are in the bar/lounge/outside area....totally worth the cab ride. If you can talk your friend into going, she can have the wonderful, fresh, thin-crust margherita pizza to herself (light, flavorful), and you can have a great late meal at Olive Garden prices!!