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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Eating on the road: Alberta beef at Caesar's Steakhouse & Lounge in Calgary

 After a brisket sandwich the day before, the next night I continued my quest for a beefy Alberta visit and my Internet research brought me to an old school Calgary steakhouse: Caesar's Steakhouse & Lounge.

The restaurant certainly looks the part, and seems a big place in modern downtown Calgary as a largely windowless block on a city street. Inside it continues that old school steakhouse vibe with a red carpet, red upholstered chairs and booths, and white linen tablecloths.

There's also a flame grill inside the restaurant where a chef will come out and grill steaks, imbuing the dining room with a beefy, smokey smell. That may not be some people's vibe but if you're at a steakhouse I assume it's yours, and I enjoyed it.

Speaking of, they also had a tableside Caesar salad service where they make it in front of you. I would totally have gone for that but, sadly, it's a two-person minimum and I was a solo dinner. Still, I got to see it prepared at nearby tables and it's a cool show. And I did enjoy a kitchen-prepared Caesar salad for one as m starter. Garlicky and tasty.

On the disappointing side was the garlic cheese bread. While it was a nice portion kept warm in a foil-lined basket, the cheese was apparently parmesan which was not what I was expecting in this context and was not particularly cheesy. Not worth the $1 upcharge over the garlic toast. And not the best use of a carb cheat for me.

But that was the one minor note of disappointment with this meal. For my main I ordered the 10.5oz New York Strip, medium-rare. Avoiding carbs as mentioned, I opted for tomatoes and cucumbers as the accompaniment and added an order of button mushrooms sauteed with butter as, on my opinion, mushrooms are a mandatory side with steak.

A delicious main course, well-prepared. Rich and beefy, cooked as I ordered it. A nice rare treat and a fitting dinner for a visit to Alberta. The veg was a nice light side that gave me an illusion of eating healthy but did make it a less heavy meal (and allowed me to save room for desert).

Speaking of which, I had some ice cream for a simple and tasty desert. 

Overall, a nice treat meal that felt sufficiently Calgary. Hope to be back on a future visit.

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