Was in town for a team gig. I remember coming to the area in years past and my friend setting up crab feasts for his birthday at the Olympic club. A very exclusive event but man was the food good. I wanted to see if there was another venue we could have a more open event for my work folks. The Crab House at Pier 39 fit the bill. Reasonably priced, nice location and best of all good food. I would say the garlic marinade was a little much but overall really good.

Here I am in Bangor ME a couple days left in the year still trying to close business to make 2011 a great year. While here you have to indulge in lobster so given the time of day I am free the best option according to the locals is captain nicks. On the menu for me tonight is an app of mussels in a white wine sauce and then a lazy lobster already de shelled and ready to eat.

For those more adventurous here are the instructions to crack your own meat.

The verdict, hmmm I have had better on Portland but maybe I didn't order the right dish here. I was a little underwhelmed at the amount d lobster that came with my meal. Should have been mounding above the bowl, it looks like the were a little skimpy on the main attraction.

Have to try somewhere else, problem is they are not open very late for dinner! See what happens tomorrow, stand by.

Finished up monster week in Chicago only to head to NYC. More walking, more eating although I really behaved in Chicago all week. Might as well splurge a little, since I will be spin doubles tomorrow at the gym.

My sister recommended The Food Hall at the Plaza Hotel. The menu looks crazy good, everything you can imagine literally like a Food Hall. Still waiting for a table hope to be seated soon.

Table was worth the 35 min wait, not bad on a Friday night. Check out the menu:

http://theplazafoodhall.com/pdf/fh_menu_compl.pdf

We munched down the baked oysters, sweet potato bisque, the ravioli and pastrami burger. My fav, the burger, man that was good.

I could have eaten at this place all night , raw bar, sushi, pizza, Asian flavors you name it they had it.

Well done Mr. English!

I recently visited the wonderful state of Wisconsin, home of the cheese heads and home of my beloved employer. Our head office is based in a city just 8 Miles outside of Milwaukee. I get here every once in a while and have had a chance to dabble at a few eateries, nothing earth shattering but this small little city has some nice pockets of urban renewal that give it as a close an experience to big city life. Obviously those who are looking for that will venture down interstate 94 to Chicago!

Upon checking into my hotel I asked the front desk staff where I could go that was in walking distance. There were two option each providing similar menus; The Chophouse and then Butch's. I was in the mood for something casual and frankly not too pricey as it was late and wanted a quick bite. My colleague was joining me as well who had already eaten and was going to just hang out and provide table side company while I chowed down. Butch's was the favored venue offering a laid back environment without the stuffiness of some of the more conventional old school steak houses and at bargain prices.

http://www.butchssteakhouse.com/

Walking up to the place you start to reconsider your selection! It appears run down and worn out with cheesy big writing on the outside of the building proclaiming it's world famous steaks and seafood. At this point I am committed. We get in and it definitely has character, rich wood bar, tables, and staff that look like they have been working here since the place was founded greet you. The bar is loaded with blue collar patrons that argue about the Brewers and Packers and know the staff well.

The waitress looks mean but is very sweet and walk you through the simple menu. The appetizer of choice is the cheese with marinara. They make their own cheese and roll it in house. The marinara is also made from scratch and is a house specialty.

The entree recommended by the staff is their steer filet. I did not know the difference between a filet and steer filet. It was defined to me by the waitress as corn fed, dry aged, organic beef. Well sure I guess is my first response, for the extra 10 bucks why not go all out! I ordered the 6 oz steer filet that came out topped with sauteed mushrooms and a baked potato with the fixings. The meat is pretty good, steak is tender and cooked to order.


Understanding that this is not a fancy joint and on the blue collar side it may not be for everyone. But if you want to mingle with locals, and have decent meal for a relatively cheap price, this is the place!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

I always like to travel to unsuspecting little college towns. Despite being in the States now for many years I am still learning about the fascination of college sports and life here in the South East. Growing up in Canada we didn't have frats, or college sports so it is interesting traveling into the college towns.

When I got to Roanoke, I discovered that Virginia Tech is located in the neighboring Montgomery County. It has opened a higher education center in downtown Roanoke in cooperation with other colleges and universities, and the Virginia Tech Foundation owns the Hotel Roanoke. Virginia Tech is also opening a new medical school in South Roanoke in cooperation with Carilion Clinic, the regional non-profit health care organization based in Roanoke.

What does is all mean? A lot of cheap eats that are pretty darn cool! The downtown area of this city is very nice and lined with restaurants and bars. Everything is within walking distance and I was able to easily cruise the scene to find a place to eat that met my needs for the night. Many of the places offer live music as well, so there is sure to be something to meet everyone's taste.

My needs were casual, seafood, and an environment with some televisions to catch the game. The stand out was Awful Arthurs Seafood Company.

There seems to be a special every night of the week. I chose the 2 for 1 on Bayside Oysters. They were okay, but do not expect the big, beautiful Gulf Oysters. These were smaller but still pretty good. I don't think I would order them again, rather I'd opt for the crab cakes next time. I think I was a little jaded having been in New Orleans the week before (good oysters there, despite what's on the news courtesy of BP).

Following the appetizer, I reviewed the dinner menu. Don't be afraid to look - this blog entry and their pictures are calorie free. Tell me the menu does not sound just delicious?!

It was such a tough choice - everything on that menu sounds amazing. In the end I settled for the Chicken Arturo –Claw crabmeat and brie cheese stuffed in a baked chicken breast, topped with a mushroom and sherry cream sauce.




It was pretty good. The hush puppies are fried to perfection and moist inside making them a nice little side to the meal. The seasoned snap peas tasted good but were a little soggy. They lack the crispness that I would have enjoyed a little more. The main event? Chicken or crab? It was a tough choice and I think I would have enjoyed a little more crab with the dish but nevertheless it was decent. The only other issue was the amount of mashed potatoes, very nice but too much relative to the portions of the other items on the dish.

I think I would go back. A cheap eat in a cool town where you can grab a beer and decent meal while watching the game. No white table cloth or sommelier here folks!

Red Fish Grill

I'll just say it - I'm not a big fan of the Quarter. However, my hotel last week was nearby so it drew me in. I didn't feel like driving anywhere for food so I took a walk and headed into a restaurant that I have heard good things about.

Red Fish Grill has a good reputation and offers a nice bar area for casual dining and for the more refined a more polished seating area with white table cloths. Being solo on the road, I opted for the bar to watch a little of the college world series and grab some grub.

I started with an interesting dish called Dueling Red Meats. It is an amazing array of sashimi tuna and filet. The filet is sliced thin and wrapped around the sashimi creating a nice combo of layers I wouldn't imagine together. Here is a picture:



The accompanying sauces were a horseradish blend that was not very spicy, and the green sauce seemed to be a diluted purée of fresh herbs. It was a good start to the experience.

For the main entree I tried the Blackened Red Fish. It was on a bed of parsnip purée that looked and tasted like creamy mashed potato with a side of fresh green beans and potato crisps on top. They called them fries, however they aren't what I think of as French Fries. Here is a picture:


The dish was awesome and cooked perfectly. The blackened crust adds a little bit of crunch and is seasoned to perfection to compliment the other flavors on the dish.

Red Fish is light and flaky and to me ranks right up there with the halibut, and haddock. I am not sure if this is their signature dish but it's the most ordered entree according to the staff. I recommend the bbq'd oysters as well. They would make for a great appetizer for a group of people.

When in New Orleans, bread pudding is a must. Such a classic dish and they have perfected it in New Orleans. The Red Fish Grill has their own great spin on this dish - The Double Chocolate Bread Pudding. It takes a little while to prep so order it early - it comes out piping hot. The bread is chocolate goodness. Then it comes equipped with two toppings of chocolate sauce, white and dark. Drizzle on both and enjoy! It is fantastic and I could easily have it for breakfast lunch and dinner.



If you are in the area, stop by and at the very least eat the bread pudding, my fav dish!

Hi there,

Sorry for the absence the last few days. With the close of my fiscal quarter I needed to take care of some business to ensure we have great places to eat at coming up here in Q3.

Last week I happened to be in an amazing city when it comes to food. New Orleans is such a diverse and resilient city. It overcame adversity of all kinds with Hurricane Katrina and now the oil spill. Yet the people fight on and welcome tourists by the droves to enjoy the Cajun and Creole cooking, boasting some of the best restaurants in the USA.

Gulf oysters are just amazing. They have a certain taste that is distinct, not too salty and just sweet enough. Because of the spill many restaurants have had to add a surcharge to their dishes to support the inflated costs of procuring these delights now that the waters have become very limited for the fishing industry.

In the face of adversity, one place that has the best is Drago's. Not only can you enjoy them in the raw but this place was the first to char grill the oysters. Have a look.




I didn't think there was another way to eat these other then raw, with a little horseradish and shrimp cocktail sauce. Man, was I wrong! This is a little piece of heaven on a plate. The seasonings and creamy cheese all get rolled up into the smoky charred flavors of the grill. I could easily eat a few dozen of these without blinking. The menu is actually pretty big and has a lot of seafood offerings that are very tempting. Regardless, the oysters take the starring role. Put this on your list of places to visit!