The Salty Pig - Boston

In out trip to Boston, our friend's job was to look up some places for us to visit for food to try out something that we can't get as much here at home.  He found a place called The Salty Pig.  This place serves a wide variety of salted and cured pig, on a personalized charcuterie board.  Sounded interesting, so we went to check it out.

The restaurant was located still in downtown Boston, so we were able to walk there with no problem.  The decor was very modern, factory, metallic like.  Very trendy, dark, and what was cool was that it had an open kitchen for us to look in and see how the chefs were working.

Ordering the food was simple, order a meat, then a cheese, then a spread.  We all tried different things.  I went with a pork paté, while the Boss went with a more smoked pig slices.  The side I had, which you can see in the picture is honeycomb.  Everything was served with a side of a very strong mustard, and crostini.

When the food arrived, it  looked great!  There was a healthy portion of each.  The flavours in the meats were excellent, well balanced, not too salty.  The paté was a big hit.  The honeycomb was new to me, and it was a very good experience.  I was expecting sweeter, but was very pleased with what it actually tasted like.  What was also a nice touch was the fact they use local seasonal ingredients.  There is something different quite often when you visit!

We were there until 8ish, and the place was still packed, including the patio.  The service was excellent, and prompt.  The food was not cheap, but the quality was very good.  For all my pork loving friends, this is a place that is worth the visit when you get a chance to visit Boston!

Review (out of 5):

Food: * * * *
Value: * * * 1/2
Atmosphere: * * * *
Service: * * * *
Price (dinner): $7 - $20
Website: http://www.thesaltypig.com/

Uno - New Hampshire

On our trip down to Boston, we visited a place that was at the New Hampshire outlet mall we were shopping at.  Hungry after a good haul shopping, we wanted to find someplace decent, but close for lunch.  In the parking lot was the place called Uno.  I had never heard of it, but some further research shows that this is a pretty decent size chain across the US.

We walk in, and for us, it felt like a combination of Kelsey's, crossed with a Chicago version of East Side's.  It was bright and had a buzz from the large number of people there eating.  We got seated pretty quick and took a look at the menu.  The menu has a huge selection, maybe a little too much, but I guess they want to cater to a larger audience.  The boss ordered the veggie black bean burger with the skinless bake on the side.  The veggie burger was actually quite flavourful.  I am not one who usually likes veggie burgers, but there was a good mix of spices and flavour in it.  The side was quite good, but I think because of how bad it is for you.  It is one of those guilty pleasure things.  Our friends ordered the steak and the avocado eggrolls.  Both of which were also very good.  The steak was cooked well, and marinated for extra flavour.  Since this restaurant is from Chicago, I had to have their deep dish pizza.  The pizza was good, the sauce had a good combination of spices, but I felt that it was lacking....cheese for a deep dish pizza.  The one other time I had a deep dish pizza was in Chicago, and that pizza was loaded, heavy and delicious.  I could only eat two slices.  This pizza, was good, but it just did not seem like a deep dish pizza.

The server we had was excellent.  She dropped by often to make sure we were happy with our food, and she had a huge smile on her face the entire time.  To be honest, it felt like she was too happy, and it was a little creepy.  I would still rather deal with that then a down-trodden server.

Overall, we had a good time there, the food was pretty good, the prices were reasonable, and the service was great.  I would have to classify this place as being better than Kelsey's on the quality and selection of food level in the "family sit down restaurant" chain category.  We were happy with the place and we would go back.

Review (out of 5):

Food: * * * 1/2
Value: * * * *  (we went for lunch)
Atmosphere: * * * *
Service: * * * *
Price (dinner): $7 - $20
Website: http://unos.com/

Play Food and Wine - Ottawa

We were in the market in the afternoon when we realized that, we had not gotten a chance to eat down here in a while.  Trying to think of where to go, I realized that one of the places I have been meaning to go and check out was the second restaurant opened by Chef Moffatt and Stephen Beckta called "Play Food and Wine".  The idea behind this local is to have some fun with food, serving tapas style courses.  It was later in the afternoon so getting a seat on a weekday was not to bad.  The decor was modern, bright and very colourful.  This suits well the idea behind the theme.

For lunch, they have an excellent price where you can get any two non-sharing plates for $20.  So, the boss and I got that deal each while also getting a sharing plate.  We are not down here enough, so we had a chance to splurge.  The menu has a very good selection of many different things, but at the same time showing some of the simplicity behind the plates.  Simple is good!  It was also a nice added touch where each of the savory and sweet plates also included a recommended wine paring.  We started with a mixed charcuterie plate.  I then ordered the hanger steak followed by the Pure's gelato.  The boss ordered the gnocchi followed by a cheese selection.  We were offered a plate of toasted bread with oil and balsamic vinegar to much on.  The bread was very nice, very airy with a nice crunch to it.  The bread was not heavy at all.  The charcuterie plate arrived with a nice big selection of different meats, spreads and pickled veggies.  Everything on the plate went well together.  The pickled cauliflower was better than expected.  I really enjoyed the thin slices of cow tongue, but the boss was not a big fan of the texture.  The mains arrived next, with the gnocchi and the hanger steak.  My steak was good almost perfectly, I think it was a little over cooked, but it was not by much.  The steak was still very tender, and marinated in a very delicious sauce while the fries were very fresh.  The gnocchi was something very exceptional for the boss.  Gnocchi is one of her favorite plates, and this dish became her new favorite version of gnocchi.  The pasta was cooked to perfection, and the mix of the mushrooms, pasta and greens together really worked well together.  She could not stop raving about this plate for the rest of the lunch.  We did order the wine paring that went with our courses, and the sommelier did an excellent job at selecting the wines for these plates.  Last came the last plates of cheeses and my gelato.  The cheese plate came with a generous portion of  breads and of the three cheese the boss chose.  There was a very good selection from the menu to choose from, and of the three the boss chose, they were all excellent.  My gelato came, and it was plated beautifully.  There was bright colours and the mixed fruit really brought out a the restaurant theme more.  The three different type of berry gelatos, with the associated fruits on top was excellent!  The flavours were not to over powering, and the gelato was not too sweet.

The service we had while we ate was excellent.  He was friendly, knowledgeable, yet not intrusive.  Plus, he smiled which if you read my previous posts, was a nice change to have again!

The only thing that I did notice, was the dust on the window sill.  We were sitting by the window, getting a nice view of the market, but all along the sill was a layer of dust, and what looked like dusty cob webs.  Everything else in the restaurant was clean, the bathrooms, the bar, but sadly, the window was dirty, and it was noticeable.

Overall, the service was great, the food was excellent, the place was bright, warm and welcoming.  Great job again Chef Moffatt and Stephen Beckta, we do plan on being back.

Review (out of 5):

Food: * * * * 1/2
Value: * * * * * (we went for lunch)
Atmosphere: * * * *
Service: * * * *
Price (dinner): $7 - $19
Website: http://www.playfood.ca/

 

 

Mill Street Brewery Part Deux - Ottawa

With the great weather we are having, we felt like visiting one of our favourite micro-breweries and enjoy the patio with some good friends.  This time, we had more to eat than drink, which suits this blog a little more.

Since I have already reviewed Mill Street already, I will not go into detail about the facilities part.  The beers are still tasty and this time, I was able to take a picture of the pulled pork nachos.  So tasty!  The service was once again great, and we were checked in with a few times to make sure the food was good and the beers were full.

For meals, around the table, we had the chicken club, the turkey cobb salad, fish and chips and I had the tortiere. The cobb salad was very tasty.  The chicken club was huge!  The boss only ate half of it, which meant I got the other half for lunch!  Yum!  I felt that it was a good combination of all the toppings, and extra bit of roasted garlic added that extra touch.  The fish and chips was battered perfectly, with a good balance of batter and fish and with plenty of flavour.  Lastly the tourtiere was spiced very well.  I know it is a dish best eaten over the winter, but I had a craving for some baked meat pie.  The tourtiere was served with green peas, which sadly was over cooked.  The fries that everyone else had were very fresh and tasty. 

Overall, the beers and the food was great.  We still will be going back :)

Review (out of 5):

Food: * * * *
Value: * * * *
Atmosphere: * * * *
Service: * * * *
Price (dinner): $8 - $26
Website: http://ottawa.millstreetbrewpub.ca/frontpage

Commerce Gate Dynasty Cuisine - Toronto

Finally, our last stop in Toronto or to be more specific, Richmond Hill, is to have some good dim sum.  Mom usually goes here on her way home as she loves the quality of food they serve here.  On top of that, if you come early, before the big dim sum rush, all items on the menu are marked the same low price.

The place is a little hard to get to and find the parking lot.  We had to take a few turns around before dad was able to give me the correct directions.  It does not help that Hwy 7 is under construction.  The restaurant is located on the second floor on the corner of the building.  All along the side are big giant windows that look out on Hwy 7 and the surrounding area.  The view is actually quite nice and helps make the place much brighter and open.  The dim sum is ordered by marking them off on a paper and they bring out the food for us.  They had all the standard fare dim sum food.  Of note, the steamed ground beef balls were much better than in Ottawa.  Better flavour and texture.  The BBQ pork buns were also extra tasty.  Sadly, they did not have any egg tarts!  Very disappointed about that.  The service here was pretty good.  They did smile and we did get prompt service.  They do need to clean up their restrooms more. 

Overall, the mix of the open restaurant, decent service, good food and cheap prices, this place is a great place to visit for dim sum.  Make sure you do come early, or you will not get that discount.  We will be back!

Review (out of 5):

Food: * * *1/2

Value: * * * * 

Atmosphere: * * * 1/2

Service: * * * *
Price Range: $ 7- $12 (Dim sum)
Website: http://www.dynastycuisine.ca/index.html