Yum
Well, after two weeks of relative ho-hummery, I finally had some interesting culinary experiences.
This past weekend, my uncle Martin from Switzerland visited. In accordance with tradition, Jenn and I obliged by showing him (and my accompanying parents) a great time. This resulted in many culinary adventures and I think that it is appropriate that I share them.
There are so many, however, that I think a two-part series is in order. The first part, today's, focuses on the restaurants we patronized this weekend: some old, some new. Next week's (assuming moving doesn't kill me) will concern itself with the traditional fare that my uncle and I whipped-up during the weekend. It was a lot of fun cooking with my chef uncle, and I learned some great recipes.
I think that I'll start off with the old. We visited three restaurants in the region that I've visited before, and they were all spectacular. I've written about two of them before, so those will (hopefully) be more updates than reviews.
First off, we had to take Martin to The Works during our Ottawa shopping marathon. True to form, it did not disappoint. Jenn decided to play it safe and go for the Spartacat Special once again. However, this time she tried the Spicy Die-Cut Chips. They were great: freshly made thick-cut potato chips with a spicy dressing. These chips are definitely a must have and a perfect substitution for French fries if you're not feeling the vibe. My father and Martin took my sage advise and had the Hamburger Mary. They both loved it. They also both took my further advice (along with my mother) and had the Bold Slaw side, which I also had. I think that it was even better this time. They all appreciated the contrasting clean crunch of the slaw against the meatiness of the burger. I have to try to figure out this slaw for myself. See future articles for my attempts. My mother had the Down Under. It was a unique creation consisting of a burger with glazed pineapple, beet, caramelized onions, gouda and a fried egg. Although a little bit out-there for my burger tastes, it was very good and my mother thoroughly enjoyed the brightness that the pineapple and beet brought. As I was in a meaty-mood, I had the dead-ringer. This manly burger consisted of a fresh all-beef burger with smoky BBQ sauce, jack cheese, an onion ring, and, if it wasn't manly enough already, it was topped with smoked beef brisket. It was good - really good. Prefect when one type of cow-meat just isn't enough.
If that wasn't enough, my father decided to try one of his all-time favourites: the root beer float. He said that the proportions were perfect and the ice cream was delicious. Being a connoisseur, he delighted in the changing texture and taste of the float as the ice cream slowly melted in the root beer. My mother also tried an interesting drink, the Kiwi crush. It was basically a fruit smoothie. I wasn't a huge fan, but Jenn and my mother really loved it.
If that wasn't enough, we all thought that it was pretty cool that the bill came to exactly $100. Hey, this was pretty reasonable for five people. Also, we felt like big shots because it meant my uncle could just plop down a hundred-large (plus tip). We thought it was so cool that we took a photo for prosperity.
On Sunday, after a scenic hike through Algonquin Park's Barron Canyon Trail, we were all a little hungry, and the preferred choice was The Granary in Eganville. Now, those of you who are dedicated fans (and I know you all are) will recall my previous review of this establishment, and the "concerns" that I voiced at the time. I am happy to report that, at this visit at least, The Granary was vindicated. The service was great (even with my very specific requests and the...how shall I say...unique crowd). My main concern last time revolved around the mushroom sauce. This time, most of us had the classic Wiener Schnitzel with spatzle and sauerkraut. With careful instruction for the spatzle to be lightly pan-fried in butter and a request for a side of German-style mustard, the meal was a big hit. We all left full and happy. In fact, it was so good, I didn't even mind having my German beer from a bottle (they had done away with the draught), at least once I got the right size of glass. So, I can say that with careful ordering, The Granary is a great place for Schnitzel. Now, if they could only change the décor...
So, 800 words in and I'm finally ready to talk about the new restaurant.
We've wanted to try the relatively new Nook Craperie in Pembroke for some time. Jenn had the opportunity to dine there on Thursday and gave it such a glowing review that I took my parents are Martin there for lunch on Friday.
I'll first get the requisite service and décor description. The decor was appropriate for a bistro style restaurant like this and with non-intrusive French music in the background and top notch service at the table, it made for a very comfortable dining experience.
Now, on to the food. Probably not surprising, we all had a savory crape. The menu is split between savory and sweet, but we all decided that savory was where it would be at for lunch.
All of the savory crepes come with a choice of side salad. Lucky for me, all three were ordered so I got to try to whole line. The Caesar salad was delicious with big homemade croutons, big pieces of real bacon, and a creamy dressing that packed the requisite garlic wallop. The house special, the "Nook Salad" was a pleasing combination of greens with a pear and herbs de provence (a classic French combination dominated by thyme but including savory, basil, fennel and lavender among others). For added textual complexity, the salad was tossed with honey roasted walnuts. A hint of salt came from a bit of crumbled feta. I tried the classic Salade Francais. It was, in my mind, the best of three. The acidity of the white wine vinaigrette accompanied by the crisp cleaness of the green leaf lettuce went perfectly with the richness of the crepe.
Onwards, to the crepes! Again being lucky, we all tried different crepes, so I'm able to give a wider review! However, rather than blindly going through the ingredients and saying "delicious", and "tasty" and "textual contrast", I figure that you'll all able to go to the website yourselves and look it up (http://nookcreperie.ca/). I'll concentrate on generalities. However, I will tell you what we had, in case you're wondering. My father had the Classique, my mother had the Michaelangelo, Martin had the Popeye and I had the Provencale. They were all delicious.
Contrary to what you might think, a crepe is not just a thin pancake. The batter must be thin, true, but the crepe must also have the correct texture: somewhere between rubbery, fluffy light and chewy. However, there is more. The crepe is lightly flavoured so that it can accentuate the favours contained within. It takes a delicate hand and flawless technique (well, probably not flawless...but it's hard!). These were pretty close to perfect; as my uncle said, "A 5.9 out of 6" (in Switzerland, reviews are generally out of 6, like their report cards from school). He qualified it by saving that a good review never give a 6, but really, these were a 6. Who knew that such simple heaven could be found in downtown Pembroke? Hopefully the local "rabble" doesn't scare them away. Although, I doubt that there is much chance; the place was busy the whole time we were there.
Well, there I go rambling on straight through to 1300+ words. It's just that, really, it was all sooo good! My peanut butter and strawberry-rhubarb jam sandwich at lunch, supplemented by a stale and chemically tinged orange-cranberry cafeteria muffin just couldn't compare. Oh, the horror...
This past weekend, my uncle Martin from Switzerland visited. In accordance with tradition, Jenn and I obliged by showing him (and my accompanying parents) a great time. This resulted in many culinary adventures and I think that it is appropriate that I share them.
There are so many, however, that I think a two-part series is in order. The first part, today's, focuses on the restaurants we patronized this weekend: some old, some new. Next week's (assuming moving doesn't kill me) will concern itself with the traditional fare that my uncle and I whipped-up during the weekend. It was a lot of fun cooking with my chef uncle, and I learned some great recipes.
I think that I'll start off with the old. We visited three restaurants in the region that I've visited before, and they were all spectacular. I've written about two of them before, so those will (hopefully) be more updates than reviews.
First off, we had to take Martin to The Works during our Ottawa shopping marathon. True to form, it did not disappoint. Jenn decided to play it safe and go for the Spartacat Special once again. However, this time she tried the Spicy Die-Cut Chips. They were great: freshly made thick-cut potato chips with a spicy dressing. These chips are definitely a must have and a perfect substitution for French fries if you're not feeling the vibe. My father and Martin took my sage advise and had the Hamburger Mary. They both loved it. They also both took my further advice (along with my mother) and had the Bold Slaw side, which I also had. I think that it was even better this time. They all appreciated the contrasting clean crunch of the slaw against the meatiness of the burger. I have to try to figure out this slaw for myself. See future articles for my attempts. My mother had the Down Under. It was a unique creation consisting of a burger with glazed pineapple, beet, caramelized onions, gouda and a fried egg. Although a little bit out-there for my burger tastes, it was very good and my mother thoroughly enjoyed the brightness that the pineapple and beet brought. As I was in a meaty-mood, I had the dead-ringer. This manly burger consisted of a fresh all-beef burger with smoky BBQ sauce, jack cheese, an onion ring, and, if it wasn't manly enough already, it was topped with smoked beef brisket. It was good - really good. Prefect when one type of cow-meat just isn't enough.
If that wasn't enough, my father decided to try one of his all-time favourites: the root beer float. He said that the proportions were perfect and the ice cream was delicious. Being a connoisseur, he delighted in the changing texture and taste of the float as the ice cream slowly melted in the root beer. My mother also tried an interesting drink, the Kiwi crush. It was basically a fruit smoothie. I wasn't a huge fan, but Jenn and my mother really loved it.
If that wasn't enough, we all thought that it was pretty cool that the bill came to exactly $100. Hey, this was pretty reasonable for five people. Also, we felt like big shots because it meant my uncle could just plop down a hundred-large (plus tip). We thought it was so cool that we took a photo for prosperity.
On Sunday, after a scenic hike through Algonquin Park's Barron Canyon Trail, we were all a little hungry, and the preferred choice was The Granary in Eganville. Now, those of you who are dedicated fans (and I know you all are) will recall my previous review of this establishment, and the "concerns" that I voiced at the time. I am happy to report that, at this visit at least, The Granary was vindicated. The service was great (even with my very specific requests and the...how shall I say...unique crowd). My main concern last time revolved around the mushroom sauce. This time, most of us had the classic Wiener Schnitzel with spatzle and sauerkraut. With careful instruction for the spatzle to be lightly pan-fried in butter and a request for a side of German-style mustard, the meal was a big hit. We all left full and happy. In fact, it was so good, I didn't even mind having my German beer from a bottle (they had done away with the draught), at least once I got the right size of glass. So, I can say that with careful ordering, The Granary is a great place for Schnitzel. Now, if they could only change the décor...
So, 800 words in and I'm finally ready to talk about the new restaurant.
We've wanted to try the relatively new Nook Craperie in Pembroke for some time. Jenn had the opportunity to dine there on Thursday and gave it such a glowing review that I took my parents are Martin there for lunch on Friday.
I'll first get the requisite service and décor description. The decor was appropriate for a bistro style restaurant like this and with non-intrusive French music in the background and top notch service at the table, it made for a very comfortable dining experience.
Now, on to the food. Probably not surprising, we all had a savory crape. The menu is split between savory and sweet, but we all decided that savory was where it would be at for lunch.
All of the savory crepes come with a choice of side salad. Lucky for me, all three were ordered so I got to try to whole line. The Caesar salad was delicious with big homemade croutons, big pieces of real bacon, and a creamy dressing that packed the requisite garlic wallop. The house special, the "Nook Salad" was a pleasing combination of greens with a pear and herbs de provence (a classic French combination dominated by thyme but including savory, basil, fennel and lavender among others). For added textual complexity, the salad was tossed with honey roasted walnuts. A hint of salt came from a bit of crumbled feta. I tried the classic Salade Francais. It was, in my mind, the best of three. The acidity of the white wine vinaigrette accompanied by the crisp cleaness of the green leaf lettuce went perfectly with the richness of the crepe.
Onwards, to the crepes! Again being lucky, we all tried different crepes, so I'm able to give a wider review! However, rather than blindly going through the ingredients and saying "delicious", and "tasty" and "textual contrast", I figure that you'll all able to go to the website yourselves and look it up (http://nookcreperie.ca/). I'll concentrate on generalities. However, I will tell you what we had, in case you're wondering. My father had the Classique, my mother had the Michaelangelo, Martin had the Popeye and I had the Provencale. They were all delicious.
Contrary to what you might think, a crepe is not just a thin pancake. The batter must be thin, true, but the crepe must also have the correct texture: somewhere between rubbery, fluffy light and chewy. However, there is more. The crepe is lightly flavoured so that it can accentuate the favours contained within. It takes a delicate hand and flawless technique (well, probably not flawless...but it's hard!). These were pretty close to perfect; as my uncle said, "A 5.9 out of 6" (in Switzerland, reviews are generally out of 6, like their report cards from school). He qualified it by saving that a good review never give a 6, but really, these were a 6. Who knew that such simple heaven could be found in downtown Pembroke? Hopefully the local "rabble" doesn't scare them away. Although, I doubt that there is much chance; the place was busy the whole time we were there.
Well, there I go rambling on straight through to 1300+ words. It's just that, really, it was all sooo good! My peanut butter and strawberry-rhubarb jam sandwich at lunch, supplemented by a stale and chemically tinged orange-cranberry cafeteria muffin just couldn't compare. Oh, the horror...
Martin says Hello and he had a great time with you Guys. He thinks you could also have a courier in being a Reataurant critic. Martin had great fun cooking with you and he is very proud of his nephew. He is lookin forward of many moore coking hours together in the future the next one hopefully coming this Christmas in Switzerland. He says you rally now where the good food is and you have exellent feel for good food. Martin says he had many students he taught the art of cooking, and if they would have been all as good as you he still would be cooking professanally.
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