The Ladies Who Lunch (Part 1)

[robirdstx]

This month, my GF and I got together twice for lunch. Both places are repeats and have become favorites.

Early in the month we returned to the TopWater Grill in San Leon. It had been over six months since our last visit.

My GF had the Three Reef Pasta - Crab, Shrimp, and Scallops with Pasta tossed with Asparagus, Spinach, Broccoli, and Mushrooms in a Garlic Butter Sauce and Garlic Bread. She said all of it was delicious!

And I had the Grilled Shrimp Salad with honey-mustard dressing.

And just last week, we returned to the Cheesecake Factory.

My GF had a bowl of New England Clam Chowder and

The Club with Sweet Potato Fries.

I had the Fried Calamari!

[maydd]

You all sure have a way with the picto-commentary. Is this a 'thing' on the interwebs these days? I don't know why, but I really like it...

[Anna N]

robirdstx,

Everything looks so appetising.

On Wednesday Kerry and I got together for our usual escape from the real world to do some errands, check out some thrift shops and have lunch. Not often do I come out with an unequivocal answer when Kerry asks "Where should we have lunch?" But on Wednesday I said Bahn Thai so we could have really good calamari to keep rotuts happy!

Kerry ordered ginger tea and I just had water.

The soup and appetizer which were part of the lunch special that I ordered.

THE CALAMARI!

Kerry's Tom Kha Gai

Basil chicken (my lunch special)

Kerry's Chicken Laarb

[rotuts]

Yum. I need to find some calamari locally. Toot Sweet. Id gobble up pretty much everything there, Xcept the Green Bell

[Anna N]

Yum. I need to find some calamari locally. Toot Sweet. Id gobble up pretty much everything there, Xcept the Green Bell

Yeah. Really, really bugs me to find green bell peppers in anything but especially in huge, ungainly chunks! First thing I did was move them off to the side.

[rotuts]

I usually ask for No Green Bell Pepper. Just saying ....

usually after politely asking for an Ice Cold Beer.

Edited September 27, 2013 by rotuts (log)

[robirdstx]

I'll take the green bell pepper, thanks. Although I do prefer it raw!

[Anna N]

On Tuesday Kerry and I met up for lunch and a nose around the thrift stores (you will have to wait a while to see Kerry's amazing thrift store find).

Lunch was comfort food again:

While Kerry enjoyed the ubiquitous Vietnamese green tea, I had an iced coffee with condensed milk.

We shared a plate of four summer rolls with peanut dipping sauce.

And finally we each had our favourite pho-- rare and well-done beef for me and beef and chicken for Kerry.

[rotuts]

guess they were out of calamari. Sad. really Sad. rest looks good though.

Edited October 6, 2013 by rotuts (log)

[suzilightning]

I love the iced coffee and pho...have to get the husband to go with me to Lemongrass..........

[Kerry Beal]

Suzi - do you live closeby?

Speaking of Lemongrass - went for lunch there with my friend Rob this week. Not exactly a lady - but hey!

We ordered from the lunch specials -

A really yummy soup.

Chicken curry for Rob.

Crispy chicken with peanut sauce for me.

[rotuts]

looks delicious

in the crispy CK snap: what's in the upper L bowl ?

sauce? different soup?

[Kerry Beal]

That would be the peanut sauce.

[suzilightning]

Suzi - do you live closeby?

No...I am in northwestern New Jersey and we have a Vietnamese restaurant named Lemongrass near by...along with Viet Ai.

[Anna N]

My small Rickard's red

Kerry's chicken caesar

My 1/4 chicken, dark meat with fries

OK not our greatest moment but we were hungry and Swiss Chalet was the best of a bad bunch in the area of Mississauga/Brampton that we found ourselves. The beer was good.

[rotuts]

like the frosty glass.

[Tri2Cook]

OK not our greatest moment but we were hungry and Swiss Chalet was the best of a bad bunch in the area of Mississauga/Brampton that we found ourselves. The beer was good.

I've only been to a Swiss Chalet once (several years ago). My gf (who's been there many times) likes the chicken pot pie so we went while on a trip. I ordered a burger in the place that specializes in chicken. That was a bad decision.

Edited October 28, 2013 by Tri2Cook (log)

[rotuts]

I'm very sorry the Lunch Ladies missed an opportunity for some Calamari.

Its my understanding, What's Missed, is Missed for An Eternity.

no big deal :

the next time you are in the Calamari Emporium, order 2 - 3 X

Done.

Just my View.

[Anna N]

This morning I woke with the thought that Kerry and I had fallen into a bit of a rut and that our loyal followers deserved better. When Kerry mentioned that a friend had tried out a new vegan restaurant and found the food to be "good", I should have jumped at the chance to check it out. But.... Eventually I came around to the idea that vegan could be "good" and that my reluctance to even give it a chance smacked of prejudice. I needed to approach this with an open mind and after some self-talk I felt prepared to do just that. After some difficulty finding the place due to a misread web page on my part and a strange vehicular encounter involving far too may cops, we made our way to the restaurant. I will not name it out of a sense of fairness.

We were greeted by a young lady who personified good health, good wealth (this is Oakville after all, once the highest per capita income town in Canada for year after year) and treated us to a break down of the menu. It consisted of salads, sandwiches, soups, bowls and various other offerings. She assured us that the Buddha bowl and the Green goddess bowl were extremely popular. We ordered one of each.

To put things in context both of us are fond of "bowl meals". Bibimbap is comfort food. Big bowls generously filled with attractively arranged and seasoned ingredients on a bed of almost anything from rice to salad is our idea of manna from heaven.

You can imagine our chagrin when we were served with

Buddha bowl

And

Green goddess bowl.

AND EACH COST ABOUT $14!!!

Kerry managed to finish hers, I could not even come close. And trust me, had I done so I would still have been ravenously hungry so little did the bowl contain.

While we ate we observed that the clientele all seemed to have emerged from the same mold, carbon copies of one another except for hair colour and clothing. Extremely trim, 20-30 years in age, smelling not of Chanel but of that kind of wealth that most of us can only dream about.

I'll leave it there. If this is truly how vegans eat I can only say we need far more beatification ceremonies. Sainthood looks mighty easy compared to veganism.

[Plantes Vertes]

You hadn't heard? - a food group, + $10.

[MelissaH]

Anna, when you and Kerry find a raw food restaurant, I'd like to read what you say about eating there. The above bowls remind me (visually) of what friends feed their dogs. I wonder if they focused too much on the "vegan" and not enough on the "food" part of what a restaurant is supposed to do?

[Anna N]

Anna, when you and Kerry find a raw food restaurant, I'd like to read what you say about eating there. The above bowls remind me (visually) of what friends feed their dogs. I wonder if they focused too much on the "vegan" and not enough on the "food" part of what a restaurant is supposed to do?

OK--much as I would like to say I remain open-minded about where we might eat, it won't be a raw restaurant! You might be right on their failure to focus. It's got to be hard to make sweet potatoes completely tasteless but this place succeeded. Also the combination of icy cold (the tomatoes) and barely lukewarm (the sweet potatoes) was just jarring in a dish like this. OK enough. I am sure I've clearly established that a return visit is most unlikely.

[chefmd]

I once accidentally ate in a "living food restaurant" (my husband's friend suggested a place in San Francisco). Nothing was heated above however few degrees Fahrenheit, don't remember exactly how few. The food was vile, repulsive, heavily laced with raw garlic. And I happen to love garlic but it was toooooo much. I will tell you that "living food" was no exaggeration. It tried to stay alive in my GI tract. There were a couple of toddlers in our group and I came close to asking their parents if I can share froot loops with their kids.

[Anna N]

Vegan be damned. Today's lunch:

One pound of Chinese roasted pork and an order of salt and pepper shrimp! No vegetables were harmed in the making thereof.

We returned to Nations in Jackson Square, Hamilton for some Asian ingredients and an opportunity to cruise the food court. Both before and after lunch we investigated everything on offer. Some things we could identify and some require the help of Society members. These for instance

They look like they would make great wrappers.

And this labelled Acacia

We found this "skinny sushi" interesting and inspiring:

And this had us practically rolling in the aisle:

Another shopper noticing our reaction offered that she was vegan and even she wouldn't tough it.

Then we wandered into another part of the store and this is where I REALLY LOST IT when Kerry said, " This must be the Parts Department."

There were other photos but i can't seem to post them but you get the idea?

[rotuts]

How come You Two have all the fun ..............

what are the non-feet parts?