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: The Barrington Steakhouse in Halifax

 My first trip to Halifax was in 2018 for a Liberal Party convention and after a day of conventioneering I enjoyed a great steak dinner at The Barrington Steakhouse and Oyster Bar. So a return trip was definitely in order for my trip to Canada's second best coast in late 2023.

I made a reservation for a Saturday night and did some walking to ensure I was hungry for a great steakhouse experience. While the service was great and most of the food did not disappoint unfortunately what should have been the centrepiece -- the steak -- wasn't great.

 The ambience was nice as befits a fancy steakhouse but it was dark, so apologies for the photos. I began with the house salad which was good. It was also huge, I took half of it back to my hotel for later so I didn't completely spoil myself for the main event. And I may not have completely worked off the chowder from lunch.

You don't win friends with salad; on to the main event. With a glass of a nice malbec, it was tasty. So was the lobster risotto. Tasty, creamy, and big chunks of lobster. An excellent, decedent side. And the chimichurri sauce was a delicious complement to the steak.

But the steak, I'm sad to say, disappointed. It was lukewarm at best, and cold by the time I finished. I don't know if they rested it too long or what. It seemed to be a systemic problem, at least that night, as I overheard similar complaints in the dining room.

When they came to check on me I had eaten almost half already. They offered to make me a fresh one but I knew I didn't have the stomach space. They also offered a free desert but again I had nowhere to put it. If I was in my hometown I would have taken them up on it, but I was in a hotel and flying out the next day so it didn't really work.

I appreciated that they offered some fixes, but sadly they just didn't work for me and it left a sour note it what was supposed to be one of the highlights of my visit -- and what was certainly my priciest meal of the trip.

Speaking of which, fine if you want to charge me for still water but maybe tell me before you bring it.

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Eating up the Hill: Possible Cinnamon pasta at likely my last Hill reception for awhile

Didn't realize it at the time, but the Women Entrepreneurs on the Hill reception last Wednesday was, with a possible extended recess looming, likely my last Hill reception for a little while. So thankfully, I got some pictures.

The catering at this reception was actually pretty on point. Right upon entry, the smell of garlic and pasta greeted me and led be to a table where two pasta dishes were being prepared and plated (bowled?) After an explanation from the chef, I took one of each.

The veggie risotto was well-cooked and hearty, with nice flavour. Mushrooms, carrots, herbs, all good. But the penne, omg it was so good. Rich flavour, shaved cheese, tasty tasty, but there was a secret unexpected ingredient -- pretty sure it was cinnamon -- that made it so good. Reminds me of when, in my youth, I did potatoes on the bbq with cinamon (cooked in foil with butter). Fam was skeptical until they tasted it - delish. I may need to try to replicate this pasta myself at home. A light touch will be key. But well done and a nice treat.

Some pass appies came by, including a shrimp spring roll and beef on a bun.

On my second trip to the food table, I passed on the poutine being assembled on site but talked the chef into putting some curds on a mini-bratwurst for me -- and got agreement without hesitation. Some of the millenials will call it a food hack but that's stupid -- hacking is for computers. This isn't just putting cheese on a brat. Chicago has been doing that for generations. It was good. And a quality bun too with some chew, which was a pleasant surprise.

I stopped by the Canadian Foodgrains Bank Reception but didn't get any shots of the pass appies. And the Canadian Cattleman were down the street at SJAM for their annual beefy reception, but alas, I had filled up already.

Here's hoping everyone listens to the medical professionals and we're all back to normal again soon. I still have some past meals to blog, and then I guess it will be more home cooking reviews. Be well, my foodie friends.

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Eating off the Hill: Wild Pacific sockeye salmon at Avenue Bistro in Comox

I mentioned in my last review that the last time I had risotto, it wasn't that great. However, the salmon was excellent, which brings me to my post-Christmas dinner at Avenue Bistro in Comox, when I was back in British Columbia for the holidays.

Formerly the Jolly Giant convenience store, the space on Comox Avenue has been renovated and remodelled to house this reasturant, which spcializes in locally-sourced ingredients. Love the concept, but they didn't execute it as well with ingredient explinations on the meny as they did at 10 Acres.

Anyeay, there have been a lot of cool new reasturants popping up in the Comox Valley since my younger days, and I try to visit one each time I'm back.

I'm all about the seafood when I'm back in BC -- nearer the source, after all -- and while they probably don't buy their fish at the wharf, Avenue Bistro is just a few blocks down from where the fisherman sell their catch  in Comox. So, seafood was on the menu for me.

I began with the seafood chowder, which was generously stocked with house-smoked wild sockeye salmon, shrimp, cod, mussels with freshly-baked focaccia bread. Mmm, delish. A flavourful broth with sooo much delicious seafood. I hate when they serve you a thin broth where you have to search for the seafood and they use potato as filler. Definitely not the case here, so good.

Sadly, I can't be as effusive with my praise of the entree. I ordered the Wild Pacific sockeye salmon with risotto verde, roasted veggies fennel tomato relish and beet straw garnish.

First, the good. The salmon was delicious and cooked perfectly. Wild really does taste better, and Pacific salmon is the best salmon. The roasted veggies were tasty. But I did not care for the fennel tomato relish, just not to my taste.

And the risotto verde? Never again. There was a very strong taste -- maybe cilantro? -- that just did not agree with me. I love risotto, but whatever this overpowering ingredient was just ruined it for me.When I had my leftovers for lunch the next day, I added a generous helping of cheese to the risotto to cover the taste.

A welcome addition to the Comox Valley dining scene, but if you don't like cilantro, or whatever it was, avoid the risotto verde.

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