Eating off the Hill: Hugo Taco in Ottawa

Hugo Taco is a taco food truck attached to Social Thai, on Waverly Street just off of Bank Street in Ottawa's Centretown neighborhood. There is a picnic table if you can't wait to get your tacos home, but that's definitely a better option in the summer.

I've been a few times as it's just a few blocks from my home and it's definitely and enjoyable and seemingly authentic, albeit quite pricy, Mexican taco experience.

At the heart of their menu are corn flour tortillas starting at $6 in seven varieties:

• Al Pastor (grilled pork)
• Chorizo (Mexican sausage)
• Asada (grilled steak)
• Barbacoa (braised beef)
• Camaron (grilled shrimp)
• Pollo (pulled chicken)
• Vegano (grilled tofu)

Where it starts to get expensive is they're small, so you need 2-3. Another $1 each if you want guacamole and another $1 each if you want queso (cheese), and suddenly you're looking at $24 for a food truck meal before drink, taxes and tip.

You can get chips with guac or salsa as a side, and they also have auga fresca, Mexican cola, beer and soft drinks. There are also a variety of free hot sauces to spice up your taco, as well as lime wedges to add a little acid.

I've tried most of the tacos except for the veggie and the shrimp, because I'm not brave enough to risk taco truck shrimp. They are tasty and fresh. The meat is well seasoned and the pickled onions very tasty. It's a nice treat, but I wish they were more affordable.

I'd definitely take them over El Camino, down the street on Elgin.

But how are they not open on Taco Tuesdays?!

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Eating on the road: Lounge at Sheraton Centre Toronto

 I recently had the opportunity to stay for two nights at the Sheraton Centre Toronto in the heart of downtown across from City Hall, and I picked this location for one  reason in particular: it's reputed to have the best Marriott lounge in the city.

In recent years I have focused my stays at Marriott properties because I like them, and in order to build points and status with their Bonvoy frequent guest program. This year I've peaked at Titanium, the highest I am likely to ever hit in the program (thanks to promos and a credit card bonus). And amongst the various perks is access to the Concierge or Club Lounge if the property has one.

Amenities can vary widely, but in general it's an access-controlled area to get breakfast in the morning, appies in the evening, and to drop in for snacks and soft drinks and a quiet place to work throughout the day.

The Club Lounge at the Sheraton Centre Toronto takes up half of the 43rd floor of the property and is a sleek and modern space offering a spectacular North-facing view of the City of Toronto.

The evening appies were a very impressive spread and I could have made a meal of it, were my next stop that evening not the Blue Jays game where I needed to take full advantage of it being Loonie hot dog night. 

But there was quite the spread with olives, crudités, cheese -- the usual charcuterie stuff -- plus salads, sliders and samosas, as well as cake and fruit for desert. The next night, they even had roast beef and potatoes. The only downside was that the bar was hotel prices -- the red wine was too rich for my blood -- but soft drinks, juices, tea and coffee were inclusive.

The breakfast buffet was equally, if not more, impressive. Mango lassi for breakfast? Yes, please! The usual cereals, granola and yogurt, cheese and meats, eggs, congee, potatoes, pastries and muffins, 

And breakfast is even better with a view. The veg sausage was OK but I would have liked some bacon... Still, very much did not go hungry.

All things being equal, if you're Platinum or better with Mariott (you can also get access by booking on the Club level) this lounge is definitely a reason to stay at the Sheraton Centre Toronto if the price is comparable. 

And so is the CN Tower view from your room...

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Eating on the road: Blackhorn Steakhouse in Scarborough

Scarborough is a community that is often the first stop for new residents and citizens on their Canadian journeys. As such, the face of Scarborough is often changing and so is its food. Today, you don't have to go too far to find quality biryani, kebab and shawarma. But scratch beneath the surface and you can also still find the tastes of an earlier Scarborough tucked into unassuming strip malls and industrial areas. German deli, Scottish fish and chips and, as I tried on my last visit, a steakhouse also specializing in seafood and Greek delicacies.

The Blackhorn Steakhouse is at Ellesmere and Warden, not far from a Costco whose $1.50 hot dogs still call my name. This night, though, I had my culinary sites set higher.

As mentioned, they do have a lot of Greek specialties developed to cater to what was once a very large Greek community in Scarborough, from Greek salad and a Greek variation of bruschetta to saganaki and slouvaki. At it's heart though, it's a steakhouse and I was there for the steak.

After a perfectly reasonable Caesar salad to start (I was trying to behave myself a bit or I would have gone with the cheesy, sinful goodness of saganaki), I went with the NY strip, medium-rare with garden veg (hold the potatoes) and a side of mushrooms (because it's not steak without mushrooms).

A delicious meal cooked perfectly, and I was more than filled up without carby potatoes. The steak was flavourful and juicy, and the mushrooms well-seasoned. And while prices are going up everywhere, it still beats The Keg.

Glad there are still places like this in Scarborough for when I need a break from the biryani.

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Eating on the road: Novita Italian Cuisine in Markham

 When work brings me to Scarborough I often stay in a hotel just over the Steeles border in Markham and, on a recent stay at the Delta near Highway 404 and Highway 7, I walked down the road to try dinner at Novita Italian Cuisine.

It kind of gives the vibe of a chain without being a chain; maybe this is inevitable when you're in a new build in a new strip mall in a suburban area. But it was upscale Italian with a lot of seafood options so I gave it a chance and went with the Lobster risotto. 

It's described on the menu as half a lobster sautéed with scallops, shrimp, smoked salmon on a bed of rosé sauce risotto.Sounds delicious, and I came hungry.

It was delicious, tasty and flavourful and I has happy with the portion. But here's the thing -- it was messy. Very messy. The lobster meat was still in the shell which was buried in the saucy risotto and there was no way to elegantly extract it. I had to use my hands and the provided tools to extract the lobster meat (at which I am no expert) leaving my hands a saucy mess and needing all the provided napkins -- if anyone was watching I must have been quite the sight.

As I said it was a tasty meal but this did sour me on the experience. For a $40 entree, they could have served it without the shell.

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Eating on the Road: McKiernan in Montreal

On past trips to Montreal I've had the pleasure of dining at Joe Beef and their sister restaurant, Liverpool House, and on a day trip this summer I had the opportunity to knock the third location in this mine-restaurant empire off my list: McKiernan Rôtisserie.

It's in a converted old industrial building in a more suburban area of Montreal, so it was a trip I saved until I had a car. And I'm unlikely to drive to Montreal again, not because of the restaurant but because driving in the city was not a fun day for me. I'm not a city driver.

But I digress. While still offering some bougie options, McKiernan was a more laid-back vibe than Liverpool House and Joe Beef, giving more the feel of a lunch counter for people working in the area. And while not working nearby we were, indeed, there for lunch.

There's a small list of menu offerings but with quite the price range. It starts with bread and butter for $6 (Mom was surprised to see this charged for but they must have been very fancy bread and butter) all the way up to evening prime rib roast for $98.

Going in I was tempted by the schnitzel bomba or the rotisserie chicken, but we would go in another direction when he heard the daily specials.

But first, for an appy we shared the three piece chicken croquetas. They came with a slice of pickets on top which we discarded, because neither of us like pickles. There was a little sauce but not much. They were filled with finely ground were dry and one note -- I deemed them OK, Mom said I was more than welcome to the second declining an offer to split. They were missing something, more sauce and flavour. Maybe it just really needed the discarded pickles. Anyway, just meh.

Anyway, for our mains we both got the prime rib sandwich. A tasty and accessible way to get at that $98 evening prime rib without paying near that price -- I think the sandwich was around $15 which was solid value for the amount of beef, topped with carmelized onions on a sesame seed bun. We both enjoyed it muchly.

Added a side of fries to share. They were fries. What can I tell you?

All in all, I'm glad I finally made it here but I don't think I'll go out of my way to make the suburban trek on future, non-car journeys to Montreal. 

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