Eating on the Hill: Ending the session with lunch at the Parliamentary Restaurant

I do miss the old Parliamentary Restaurant on the top floor of Centre Block. It was such an elegant space steeped in history. 

And the highlight as a staffer was the Friday buffets where, for around $20, they would have a great selection of all you can eat hot and hold dishes. Often, there was a theme. They did each of the provinces one year, with regional specialties. You always had to make a reservation to get a seat, as it was a popular ticket.

With Centre Block closed, the buffets sadly are no more. They have a very nice, if lacking in natural light, spot in the basement of West Block, but unfortunately it's not large enough to recreate the buffet.

Still, it's a nice space, the restaurant staff are still great, and they tend to have tasty Canadian food on offer, albeit at a premium over the cafeteria down the hall. And seeing that that seem to have recently refreshed the menu, the team dropped in for lunch before the House rose for the summer.

I started with the special, which was a very tasty seafood chowder. It was hearty and flavourful. And it was a full bowl, it was just too delicious I was well into it before I remembered to snap a photo.

I have often had the seafood entrees here as they do a good job. I remember one time having a very tasty Ontario pickerel in a beurre blanc that was on special. While there was a fish dish and a shrimp and scallop dish that were tempting options, I ended up going for the beef striploin.

It was served with cheddar and chives croquette balls with broccolini and mushrooms in a jus. I think that tipped it from seafood to beef for me were the potatoes, and they delicious -- crispy outside, creamy inside. The veg was also good, but the beef was both overcooked (more medium-well than the medium-rare I ordered) and lukewarm, like it had been sitting there for awhile.

Looking at my colleagues perfectly cooked scallops, I definitely had order envy.

Thankfully, desert ended the meal on a high note.

I love chocolate and raspberry together, and so the salted chocolate cream tart with coconut raspberry whip and raspberry splash was the easy choice. A tasty sweet treat to end the meal, and not too large a portion.

Next time I'll stick with the seafood.

Recommend this Post on Progressive Bloggers

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.

Recommend this Post on Progressive Bloggers

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.

Recommend this Post on Progressive Bloggers

Eating on the road: Birthday dinner at CopaCabana Brazilian Steakhouse

 I haven't gotten to experience it much -- only twice on work trips in my last career to San Francisco and Las Vegas -- but I'm a big fan of Brazilian-style steak, aka rodizio.

Basically, it's a fixed price (excluding drinks) for all of the meat and other sides (to tempt you away from the meat) and the highlight being they bring around the meat on giant swords and carve off what you want at your table.

Rodizio requires careful strategy. First of all, come hungry. Skip lunch for sure. Also, don't be tempted by the cheap, empty sides like bread -- these are just designed to fill you up with cheap carbs and keep you away from the pricy, delicious, expensive meat. The first round through I try a little bit of all the meats. After that I get selective, only opting for my favourites until I'm full.

I'd never gotten to try it in Canada before, but the stars aligned last February when I was in Toronto for my birthday and I secured a reservation at CopaCabana Brazilian Steakhouse, on Eglinton just East of Yonge Street. 

It was a Saturday night and it was busy, but as mentioned I did have a reservation. That still meant a 30 minute wait standing in a crowded restaurant after our reserved time. It was rather stressful, not what you want on your birthday, as there was no lighty thing or text when your table was ready. They would call you but it was impossible to hear. When parties of the same size who arrived after be began to be seated, I inquired again and was seated immediately in an unspoken sheepish admission they had forgotten me.

We were seated, reminded of the time limit, and sat. And sat. And sat. Swords of meat being served all around us but consciously bypassing our table. After about 20 minutes of increasing frustration, we were asked if we wanted some sides and sauces. 

They had a variety of interesting sides. from salads to roasted vegetables to sauces like chimichurri. However, what we ordered and what we actually got seemed to be hit or miss -- many orders just never materialized.

Finally, we were added as a meat sword stop and we could begin with the mains. Some of my favourites were the prime rib with cheddar, parmesan filet mignon, and garlic sirloin steal. The roasted pineapple was also a nice pallet cleanser.

Also throughout the evening there would be entertainment with singers and fire dancers. For a Saturday night dinner, the total before taxes, tip and drinks was $85/person. 

How does that compare to simply going out to a steakhouse for dinner? Well, you get more variety and a show. But it was also crowded and hectic, and a much more stressful experience than a typical classy steakhouse. It felt like people were hovering over you all night waiting for table. I still like the rodizio experience I had in the US, but next birthday in Canada I think I will go traditional steakhouse. Or at least not back to Copa.

Recommend this Post on Progressive Bloggers

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.

Recommend this Post on Progressive Bloggers

Eating on the road: Steak in Saskatoon

My last meal in Saskatoon was on a Monday night, which is not a great night for many fancier restaurants as they tend to be closed Sunday/Monday to give the staff some time off. So a few of the prospects on my list had to drop. I was left though with a very nice steakhouse just a block from my hotel, Cut Casual Steak and Tap.

It was a well-appointed and high-end looking steakhouse. And it being a steakhouse I, of course, went with the steak -- NY strip being my go-to for steaks.

Being steak it, of course, came with potatoes. I'm trying to avoid starchy carbs so I said please hold the potatoes but I'd like compensatory vegetables to make ip for it. As you can see, I don't think they did this at all.

The mushrooms were an at-cost add-on as I believe you shouldn't have steak without mushrooms. Given the fact that I did pay an extra $8 for these mushrooms I was disappointed both in quantity and quality -- it seemed like they had been sitting for awhile rather than being made fresh.

The steak itself, at least, was excellent, cooked to order, tasty and tender. I'd expect nothing less on the prairie.

Recommend this Post on Progressive Bloggers

Eating up the Hill: Garden Party food round-up

Tonight marked the return of the annual Garden Party for Liberal MPs and assistants on the grounds of 24 Sussex Drive after a two-year pandemic hiatus. Without the recently COVID-positive Prime Minister, sadly, disapointing a generation of post-pandemic young staffers who won't be able to update their Facebook profiles tomorrow with a picture of themselves with Justin Trudeau.

Also missing were the amazing tandori lambchops which in my view were the standout of the last pre-pandemic garden party -- sorry JT. Though I am told Coconut Lagoon will be reopening soon. There were a number of local vendors with tasty small plate nibbles though, and your humble blogger sampled most of them for you.

Crispy chicken taquito

It was crispy, it was chicken, there was queso and guac -- what's not to love? I could certainly have eaten more.

Summer salad with flank steak

A little radish-heavy, but I enjoyed the pea pods. Steak was medium-rare and tender. Maybe needed a little pepper. But very tasty.

Charred haloumi lettuce wrap

This was delish. They were grilling the haloumi on site, which was cool. I make haloumi a lot at home when BBQing and I love it, but it can be a little one note. I like the lettuce wrap idea and will do this at  home.

Not pictured: oysters, because I don't like them.

And ice cream bars from Moo-Shu, because it was really hot and I ate it really quickly. There were a menu of choices, but I went with the chocoloate-covered strawberry sprinkles and had no regrets.

Next year, open up the pool.

Happy summer, y'all!

Recommend this Post on Progressive Bloggers

Eating OFF the Hill: Perkins Bakery & Reasturant not worth the trip

When my famly moved back to Canada from a posting in Germany in 1990, we picked up the vehicle in Trenton and drove accoss the continent, through the U.S., to our new home in Comox. Staying in hotels for a week was good fun for a kid, as was having every meal in reasturants. I remember one of those stops was Perkins Bakery & Reasturant, as the cooler mug stayed in the kitchen cabinet for a decade or more. So last weekend, learning there was one accross from the St. Laurent Centre, I decided to check it our for dinner.

It's an American family-style dinner, with all-day breakfast and the usual sabdwiches, burgers and entrees. During my menu pre-scouting I was drawn to the country fried steak, an unhealthy southern classic. Basically, it's a steak, battered and breaded like fried chicken, with a country gravy. Sounds crazy, I know, but I've had it in the U.S. before and it's really quite delish.

So, 45 minutes on the bus later and I'm there, and looking over the menu as a mere formality. Except, what the what, I don't see the country fried steak. Asking the waiter if they have it, he looks at me incredulously, like he cannot imagine such a thing could possibly exist. Disapointed, I settle on the steak medallions with mushrooms, corn and tater tots.

Let me start with the good. The tater tots were crispy and delicious. After previously blogging about pitching tater tot poutine to Parliamentary Food Services, I had been craving tater tots and htis ticked the box. And the corn was good, with the light application of peper adding a certain something.

But those are two sides that are hard to screw up. You don't order a steak dinner for the sides -- you order it for the steak. And this steak simply sucked. I ordered it medium, it was well done -- no pink in evidence. And it was clearly just the lowest possible grade of steak they could buy. Not saying it was tough or grizzly, it just didn't taste good at all. I'm not expecting The Keg here, but they could have done signifigantly better.

So, left with a poor taste in my mouth, I decided to give them a chance for redemption with desert, ordering the Peanut Butter Silk cake.

It was OK, but nothing to write home about. The peanut butter portion of the cake was tasty and so was the choclate base, and I enjoyed it much. But the crust was industrial and bland, detracting from my enjoyment of the rest of the cake.

The reasturant was semi-busy with mainly senior citizen couples, and probably hadn't been renovated since the last time I was at a Perkins in 1990. Despite not being busy, service was spotty -- waiting far too long for a drink refill, with my empty glass perched on the edge of the table, before finally having to flag someone down.

Not worth the price or the trek; won't be back.

Recommend this Post on Progressive Bloggers