Sou' Wester Restaurant and Gift Shop

Sou' Wester Restaurant and Gift Shop

At such a beautiful spot as Peggy's Cove, one shouldn't expect too much by way of food. Especially a place that bills itself as both a restaurant AND a gift shop. But here at the Sou' Wester, the actually had a quite nice menu.

I gravitated to the Haddock Burger (though there were a number of other items that also caught my fancy. And a good choice it was. I also opted out of the fries (or, that other popular Nova Scotian dish, sweet potato fries) in favor of a really good (and by good I mean wet and creamy) cole slaw.

Good food, great view.

Meal: Lunch
Date Visited: 21 August 2010
Rating: *** 1/2
Address: 178 Peggy's Point Road, Peggy's Cove, NS. B3Z 3S2
Website: http://www.peggys-cove.com/

Gazebo Cafe

Gazebo Cafe

After an hour drive from Halifax to our waterside resort, we needed a quick little lunch. Not wanting to eat at one of the resort properties quite yet, we took the fifteen minute drive to the picturesque town of Mahone Bay. At the visitors' center, they recommended a spot just down the street. Sadly, it was out of business, but nearby was the Gazebo Cafe. It was a bit tricky getting a table for nine, but after a short wait, we were able to get a table.

I wasn't that hungry, so I passed on the tasty looking mussels and seafood chowder. Not being a fan of crustaceans (as loyal readers know), I also passed on the lobster roll. Others in my party had all of the previous and came back with great review.

I, however, went with the BLT sandwich. Not bad, but served rather plain (no chips, fries, salad or even a pickle).

So, rating on the BLT, it's a bit low, so I recommend sticking with the seafood options.

Meal: Lunch
Date Visited: 17 August 2010
Rating: ***
Address: South Main Street, Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, B0J 2E0, Canada
Website: N/A

Salt Shaker Deli: Shake a tail feather down to ...

Salt Shaker Deli: Shake a tail feather down to ...

One needs to always be a bit wary when in tourist spots, you never know quite what to expect. So, when we stopped in the UNESCO World Heritage city of Lunenbert (Nova Scotia) I wasn't certain what would come up on the meal-0-matic. Stopping in one of the
souvenir shops, we were pointed in the direction of the Salt Shaker Deli.

A few minutes walk brought us there and luckily, there was a table for seven available!

Well, in looking over the menu, there were local Indian Point mussels, so I had to have some. Especially when saw there was a special, "Pint and a Pound" - pint of draft beer and a pound of mussels. The only trouble was there were so many options:

• Provenqal
• Steamed in White Wine
• Propeller Honey Wheat Beer
• Propeller Porter Beer
• Roasted Garlic & Cream
• Thai Coconut Curry
• Spicy Tomato & Harissa
• Portugese Style with Sausage
• Creamy Madras Curry

Many of the options were tempting, but I stuck with the basic white wine option. Excellent mussels and just the right amount. Highly recommended.

A feew days later, on a boat cruise, I got to see the mussel beds in Mahone Bay:



Meal: Lunch
Date Visited: 18 August 2010
Rating: ****
Address: 124 Montague Street, Lunenburg, NS B0J 2C0
Website: http://www.saltshakerdeli.com/

Salty's, a savory taste of Halifax

2010-08-14-IMG_9003
Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Salty's

One couldn't ask for a nicer spot and day. Right on the waterfront at the Halifax boardwalk and a beautiful, clear and sunny day.

We had an outside table with a water view and stayed mostly with a seafood meal for lunch.

I went with the fish and chips (not something I usually get, so it would be a change). Haddock seems to be THE fish here in Halifax and that's what they were battering up at Salty's. The batter was nicely textured and the chips nice and crispy.

The fish and chips were served with tartar sauce, but was brought malt vinegar on request.

The other entries at the table, maple salmon, tuna sandwich, seafood chowder, all received good reviews.

Meal: Lunch
Date Visited: 14 August 2010
Rating: *** 1/2
Address: 1869 Upper Water Street, Halifax, NS B3J 1S9, Canada
Website: http://www.saltys.ca/

Something fishy in Rochester, MN

Pescara

I was invited to join the official dinner of the meeting I was speaking at, but my host found the room to chilly and suggested we go elsewhere. We'd seen Pescara across the street from Michael's, so off we went.

Located in the trendiest Doubletree I'd ever seen (I would have guessed it was a W Hotel), we had a wait a bit for a seating for our group of five, but were soon at a table.

As you might guess from the name, fish is the speciality. There was a great selection of market fresh fish (though I hesitate to get fish in the Midwest!). I decided to start off with an apple salad (though the oyster option looked good). For a main course, I went with one of the recommendations, paella. And a good choice it was. Not an overwhelming serving, there were just enough treats (mussels, shrimp) and a tasty, though not too spicy sauce.

I wish I could catalog the four other meals my colleagues had, but there was only one: Mushroom risotto! Yes, our table had one paella and four risotto (to be honest, it was my second choice). The risotto received good reviews as did the other sides and appetizers at the table (grilled asparagus, ahi tuna).

The decor was very 21st century, glass, chrome, basic greenery, ambient lighting. Quiet a change from Michael's. So, I'm sure in thirty years, if Pescara is still there and I were to return, and if it doesn't change, it will be that, oh so 2010 kinda place!

Meal: Dinner
Rating: ****
Date: 28 April 2010
Address: 150 S. Broadway Ave., Rochester, MN 55904
Website: http://www.pescarafresh.com/

Catch 35, toss it back

2009-07-09-IMG_3095
Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Catch 35, throw back the salmon!

I got in kind of late to Chicago and was meeting a colleague (or was it two or three? Sometimes even with cellphones making arrangements can be tricky!) for dinner. Our first couple of choices were either inconvenient or booked, next up on our list was Catch 35. Looked good from the website and the front desk gave it a thumbs up.

Located on Wacker by the Chicago River, it had to have great seafood, right?

Well, the appetizers were pretty good, Point Judith Calamari (lightly fried with a really good tofu satay & tartar sauce). But I cast in the wrong direction for my entree. I went with the Scottish Salmon with horseradish & Parmesan Crust, Shimaji mushroom, asparagus, roasted garlic gnocchi & brandy cream. Properly prepared, this might not have been bad, but the fish was dry and overcooked; the crust a tasteless texture and the horseradish sauce too mild to make an impression.

Service was adequate, though on the slow side (for a restaurant that wasn't all that full). Our server seemed to be trying, but the wait time between ordering, drink arrival, and food arrival was far too long.

Maybe on a different night with a different selection Catch 35 would be a better catch. But not on this night.





More photos.

Meal: Dinner
Rating: **
Date Visited: 9 July 2009
Address: 35 W. Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60601
Website: http://www.catch35.com/

Tattoo Me! Rose Tattoo Cafe

2009-04-20-IMG_1531
Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Rose Tattoo Cafe

A little off my usual Philadelphia eatery path, I was glad when our group of eight chose the Rose Tattoo Cafe for our after meeting dinner.

Located near the Academy of Natural Sciences and the Free Library of Philadelphia, the restaurant is located in what appears to be an interesting little (perhaps transitional) neighborhood.

Our group was given a long table in a room just off the bar. Seats were comfortable (though those sitting on the bench along the wall said that they felt they were being propelled a little too much towards their food by the angle of the seat).

So, what might the menu be at the Rose Tattoo? You might think Italian (linking into the Tennessee Williams' play of the same name), but no, seemed pretty much a basic American menu, heavy on the seafood with a good selection of pasta and meats.

We had appetizer for the table of Lobster Quesadilla I added a mushroom bisque to my startFor entrees, those around the table chose the fillet mignon, a nice looking salmon, and a generous portion of delicious looking pan-seared scallops. I was having a hard time deciding between the pork chop (mostly because of the side of mashed yams and fried spinach) and the jambalaya. I went with the jambalaya.

An excellent mix of seafood (shrimp, mussels, clams), chicken, ham, and andouille sausage is a spicy sauce served over rice. Topping it off was a broiled chili that made for an excellent addition.

The sauce was perfectly spicy and had just enough zip to keep the rice interesting. The serving of mussels was generous, but there were only two clams. That said, it was an overall generous portion!

I'm not usually a dessert eater, but the table was ordering, so I went with the banana bread pudding (with caramel swirls); others got the Raspberry Sorbet with chocolate mousse pyramid, and the Crème Brûlée. The bread pudding was tasty, but as is often the case, it was heavy and a too big serving.

Service was excellent (thank you Stephanie!) with good suggestions and food pairings.

Highly recommended.

Meal: Dinner
Rating: ****
Date: 20 April 2009
Address: 19th and Callowhill St. Philadelphia, PA 19130
Website: http://www.rosetattoocafe.com/