nsequitur

This was the best so far this year by far. Menu: APPETIZER choice of Lobster Bisque With Maine Scallop and Rosemary Ravioli Wild Mushroom Cassolette Grilled Bacon, Creamy Spinach and Poached Quail Egg [we both went with bisque, which had great tableside presentation] ENTRÉE choice of Maine Halibut Filet “Aux Aromates”, Mousseline Potato Provencal Herbs Chicken Jus; or Seared Bufalo Tenderloin, Crushed Potato Leek Confit and Green Peppercorn Sauce [both were great, but my preference was for the buffalo - the fish was not large, but perfect for my wife] DESSERT choice of Warm Chocolate Fondant with Sweet Orange Consomme Mixed Berries Compote Basil Lime Sorbet and Strawberry Infusion Pistachio Mascarpone Mousseline [both could have been a little larger, but were good palette cleansers]

Checked out so far for Miami Spice 2007: Escopazzo: always a favorite, during the promotion or not. Lots of choices (I think as many as 6 mains!). I went with the risotto of the day and was not disappointed. Bouley: wanted to try given the ordinary high prices. The limited choices (2 app, 2 main, 1 dessert) were not very inspired. Bottom line: glad I tried it at the $35 price tag. Highlight: truffle bread rolls. Biggest disappointment: wines by the glass priced as high as wines by the bottle anywhere else (and forget buying wine by the bottle altogether). The $35 corkage fee, if I'd opted to exploit it, would have been a bargain. Tomorrow: Palme D'or at the Biltmore Later: Chef Allen's. It's fallen from grace the last few visits, but on the last wed this month they are doing the $35 menu, WITH WINE PAIRINGS. A rare good deal at Allen's (the last one was a mango dinner with pairings and a martini he did years ago when the book was released, which I think was $45).

Nobody needs to spend time in Dade County (those of us who live here never seem to want to go to South Beach's gridlock). But Chef Allen's would be an easy place to go to from South Broward. The event is pretty well-publicized this year, even though its the 6th year. I actually saw a tv commercial yesterday morning.

The Cedar House was also recommended by someone I met in Sydney, NS (as a place you could take kids, was good, and affordable), so I can second that recommendation by proxy. The same person said the place I was staying at (Gowrie House) was a 'top table' in Sydney. Unfortunately, at $55 pp (price fixe), plus HST plus tip, and no high chairs (not that I'd want to bring kids anyway), I never got to find out for myself. I decided to wait until returning to miami for fine dining (since miami has $35 dinners at all the best places in August/September).

I googled "lobster pound" and I think that is exactly what I was looking for. Island Sunset has 2 locations, and it's the kind of no-frills picnic table thing I think I need. I've noted the others as well. I'll let you know how it goes! ← I've returned from my trip, and the best meal I had was at the Lobster Pound at Island Sunset. It was as easy as 1. pick lobster, 2. wait 20 minutes for them to cook it, and 3. sit at picnic table with supplied nutcrackers and eat. Excellent crab legs as well. I didn't find the place at the bottom of the ski hill near Ingonish, and I was really looking. Runner up best meal was at the Chowder House in Neil's harbour, where I had the best seafood chowder ever, and excellent haddock & chips. I went in not that hungry, and still thought it was amazing. After that, most of the trip was gastronomic denoument: Sydney was a wasteland, but the guy next to Mac's selling cooked lobster was a godsend (just wish there was someplace to eat it). In Halifax I was disappointed by the much-recommended Piccolo Mondo (italian), where my sole was not completely deboned. Better bet was the widely available donairs - why aren't these sold throughout the US and Canada? It's like a gyro (mystery meat cooked on a rotating spit), served with a few sauteed veggies and a sweet white sauce - incredibly tasty. I found a place selling bubble tea a few doors down from the Alexander Keith's brewery (1/2 price after 5pm!), called Mulan. And the Garrison Brewery was excellent (no tours, but good tasting and $2 bottles of raspberry and blueberry wheat ales - didn't like the sound of it but loved the taste). I learned you will never find bluefin served nearby the waters from where they are fished - just too expensive not to fly them immediately to Japan and elsewhere.

Non-locals monitoring this board should make note of August/September "Miami Spice" event in Miami-Dade county. Every year, more restaurants participate, and this year there is 80 restaurants (up from 70 last year). Also up this year is the price of the 3-course prix fixe lunches and dinner: lunch was $20.06 last year, $22 this year; Dinner was $30.06 last year, $35 this year. A list of all participating restaurants, including their event menus, are at "ilovemiamispice.com" (for some reason, the website describing the event also changes every year - guess someone in the tourism bureau is too cheap or lazy to renew the prior year's domain name). I'd like other locals to comment on where they will be heading, particularly those who have experienced miami spice in prior years (this is the 6th year of operation). My tentative 'sure thing' picks are: Bouley (because I've always wanted to go, and now can afford to) Escopazzo (because it's good, and a 'special occasion' spot for my wife and I) Chef Allen's (because it's close to where I live) Then I'm kind of torn. I can't go out an unlimited number of times, since I have 2 kids and babysitter money negates the value of Miami Spice! The next tier of choices are: Mark's South Beach (which I enjoyed before, but was hard to get to) Blue Door at the Delano (enjoyed very much before - food and setting) Vix (no nothing about it) Table 8 (again, don't know anything about it) The link to all participating restaurants is: http://www.ilovemiamispice.com/participants.htm Recommendations?

I googled "lobster pound" and I think that is exactly what I was looking for. Island Sunset has 2 locations, and it's the kind of no-frills picnic table thing I think I need. I've noted the others as well. I'll let you know how it goes!

Peter: I'm headed to Mabou (SW CBI), then up to Cheticamp, around the trail to Neils Harbour, and down to Sydney. I have that guide, but no festivals fall on my dates. I'm looking for no-frills seafood. Ambiance need not apply; rather, I want butter and lobster dripping down my face. Put away the candelabra and pass the clawcrackers. That's what I'm looking for.

freddychef: as noted in the title, I'm looking specifically at Cape Breton Island (Cabot Trail: yes!) Specifically: Mabou, then up to Cheticamp, around the trail to Neils Harbour, and down to Sydney. Coveted bluefin tuna is caught in these parts, but maybe it is too valuable to remain locally (sent instead to NYC, Japan, etc)?!

The only good discussion thread I found after searching was at: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=64495&hl=

Although the board is very MTL-centric, I'm hoping some members may have some tips for me as I head to Nova Scotia July 17-24. Specifically, I'm looking for everything dragged out of the water: halibut, bluefin tuna, crab, scallops and of course lobster: where best to eat it, and find it.

My hidden gem contribution is INDIA HOUSE on Oakland Park Blvd, a block or 2 east of I-95 (563 W. Oakland pk). It is zagat rated, and my family drives up from Miami every 2nd weekend for the lunch buffet, which is a rediculous bargain. I understand from my frequent visits that their lease may be up in the near future (landlord looking to double rent), so I don't know where they'll move, but I hope its further South. For BBQ, I think Tom Jenkins (on US1 in Ft. Lauderdale) is generally regarded as the tri-county favorite. I recommend everything but, surprisingly, the ribs (which others rave about, but which I found dry and chewy - not fall off the bone). Collard greens, chopped pork and beef are all excellent.

Love Lick's - miss them terribly in my new home down south, and in my summer stay this year I've already gone twice (Pickering Location) and very satisfied on both visits. Let's face it: a mom-and-pop will always be our individual faves, but on the larger scale Licks is the goods. Big reason why is in the toppings: nice sour pickle strips (not pickle nickels), and that marvelous Guk - mmm. As for one-offs, not impressed at all with perennial favorite Johnnies. Master Steak in Missassaugua (401/Dixie) is my pick, especially for the inner-tube onion rings on the side.

No. The preface indicates that the dollar figure is supposed to reflect, "in Canadian dollars, the price of dinner for one with a drink and tip"

For closure on the issue, there was pairings available on my visit (they appeared on the bill priced by the glass), and the wait was not agonizing, proving that my earlier visit must have had a fluke (I had ordered the 6- or 7-course menu, while at the first seating, which must have done it). I also bought a Henry of Pelham cuvee catherine for $60 (retail price $30), which is in keeping with restaurant mark-ups generally. I also saw a $50 bottle of 2000 bordeaux, and given the vintage that is a decent buy as well.

I totally agree - wines are too expensive. On my visit, we bought a bottle anyway, only to watch it warm in the agonizing waits between courses (which I'm told were a fluke). I called the restaurant just now and confirmed that there IS wine pairings, from about $65-75pp. Still pretty rich, but I think I'd rather do that than attempt to pair one bottle with the vastly different courses. As noted in an earlier post, the restaurant IS in fact closed in August, and I'll be checking it out this Friday, the second last day of service until September!

I was going to say something along the same lines, but not as charitably as you put it. Something like "given that I once waited 1hr20 between one of the courses, I don't think a 60 minute battle is his forte". I'll be dining there again later this month, so we'll see if that's improved.

Notably absent from the book: Via Allegro (no mention of it at all).

The Zagat review (see separate thread) indicates that dinner for one with one drink (doesn't apply here I guess) and tip is $166. That's not right, is it? Isn't it more like $250? If it really was $166, I think I'd drag the kids to the B&B after all!

Oro is: ororestauraunt.com (Elm st. between Bay and Yonge). Celestin has no web address, but is at 623 Mt. Pleasant Rd (at Manor Rd E). I hadn't heard of them either.

Zagat has problems, true (one is that reviewers have to score food, service and decor on a scale of 0-3, which doesn't give much flexibility), but the flaw you point out relates to the number of reviews submitted, and probably sales. Because not enough people submit reviews, the book is small and incomplete, and because of this it doesn't sell well. You see where this is going: less sales means the 2006 book (which has no date on the cover) sits on shelves long after new openings and closings, making it more unappealing which perpetuates the cycle. If there were more reviews submitted, the book would be larger, and might come out yearly as it does in most other cities where it is compiled and sold. Then it would sell and generate more reviews. I guess the point is: become a reviewer at zagat.com.

So in today's mail I got the (undated) 2006 book (anyone who participates in the voting gets mailed a copy free). For those not familiar, zagat is a rectangular red book that is 'the bible' in many US cities (the american equivalent of the michelin guide in europe). The last Toronto edition was woefully outdated (pre-susur, to give a clue), so after much prodding from me, they finally opened the polls for diners like me to cast votes for their faves. The unfortunate result was a very small edition - about 20% the size of my local Miami guide, and maybe 15% the size of New York City. So scaled down that it's not even rectangular for god's sake! I guess this is the result of not enough input from the public (from whose votes the guide is compiled). As such, I'd encourage all to sign up for free at zagat.com, and vote when (and if) they ever do Toronto again. And now, more importantly, here are the top ranked restaurants (top score is 30): 29 Sushi Kaji 28 Scaramouche Chiado/Antonio 27 North 44 Hiro Sushi Susur Lai Wah Heen Lee Splendido Oro Bistro Thuet Perigee Celestin Scaramouche pasta 26 George Truffles Canoe Starfish Oyster Boba Opus Il Mulino 25 Harbour Sixty Mistura Jamie Kennedy Bymark JOV Bistro Mildred Pierce Terra Blowfish Pangaea [Eigensinn Farm, mentioned in the one page 'outlying areas' page, also got a 29] Other interesting notes: Top Decor (all received 26): Canoe, Rain, Scaramouche, Truffles, Auberge du Pommier and Luce Top Service 27 Scaramouche/Scaramouche Pasta, and Matignon 26 Truffles and Oro Most popular (by number of votes submitted, not score): 1. Canoe 2. North 44 3. Scaramouche 4. Susur 5. Jamie Kennedy To type much more would be copyright infringement. Given that we are prone to gripe about bias in the only other real comprehensive examination (Toronto Life), Zagat is supposed to avoid this flaw by being a user rating. That being the case, do you agree with the guide?

Don't know if this belongs in this thread, but I had a question: LCBO controls what people buy and for how much. The internet is undeniably opening up opportunities south of the border. But cannucks can't ship wine (reliably) from a US-based internet seller and import it without getting whacked. So the question is: has anyone had experience buying online and shipping to a storage facility in Buffalo or Rochester? Could that be a business opportunity?

Did you end up dining at Hillebrand? If so, how was it? I was thinking of stopping in at 2 or 3 icewine producers (recommendations welcomed), and doing lunch at Hillebrand, and would be interested in feedback.