It’s the perfect temperature outside, not too hot. But as I pass by Steel and Oak I’m suddenly parched. And look at that — there’s just enough time to pop in for some refreshments before it gets dark.

Steel and Oak is our mini version of the awesome brewery row you’ll find in Port Moody. There’s great beer and decent burgers in the food truck parked out front.

I do lean towards a beer with fruit in it during the warmer weather, and tonight I decided on the Fruit Salad Sour.

Dragon fruit, passion fruit, prickly pear and lime form the base of this light, refreshing beer. It’s just tart enough to offset the sweetness. Perfect to quench the thirst I built up over the last 30 minutes.

Now only 4,000 steps back home.

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It’s date night and it’s summer. That means some patio time.

El Santo has a patio but it’s right on Columbia.

Same with Piva.

On the other end of Columbia you’ll find Bruncheria, but their patio is still just a few steps from the street.

The Terminal has a patio on Columbia as well. Right next to a busy truck route.

The Grey Fox’s patio is actually good. But you’re looking into private backyards of the townhouse complex surrounding the building.

You’ll find a few patios sprinkled around uptown too.

But one thing all these patios share is the view. Or rather the lack of one. And unless you like looking at, listening to, and breathing in the exhaust fumes of all those cars going by while you’re eating you don’t have very many options.

The new Tiki Bar, where the Paddlewheeler used to be, does have something of a view, but I don’t particularly like the place. Nothing in that particular location has ever been great, though I know some of you will say the Paddlewheeler was good (I disagree) but the one time we visited the Tiki Bar the drinks were unbalanced and the place had a cheap, kitschy feel about it.

The other option, and the only option with a nice view in New Westminster is the Boathouse.

In our experience The Boathouse hasn’t been perfect either. But I will say of late it’s been better.

I’m starting with the Lobster Bisque. I’m hoping it will be good here. Since the Keg took it off the menu I have not had the opportunity to have my favorite soup much.

So I was extremely happy to discover it’s actually a very good lobster bisque. Rich lobster flavor with a smooth creamy base that had a bit of a kick. The only way I think you could improve this is to put some chunks of lobster in. I may be visiting more often this summer just for a bowl of soup.

Sticking with the seafood theme, we decided we’re going to try the seafood platter, for two.

Shrimp, lobster, mussels, oysters, crab and tuna poke.

So let’s just call it a platter as they had to put it on a metal stand to elevate it rather than the traditional two-tier serving tray. But whatever, it was pretty good, other than the oysters, which neither of us loved.

The poke has nice flavour. The lobster was perfectly cooked. The mussels were to die for. The prawns were subtly sweet and tender. And the pièce de résistance, the crab truly was the star of the show. And to my delight the biggest portion.

At $65 it’s not cheap, and I could quite easily polish that off myself. But with the soup it worked out pretty well for the two of us.

Now the next question was, could I resist dessert? And I will tell you I put up a pretty good fight. But then somebody walked by with a creme brulee and my willpower crumbled like a stage made from toothpicks at a Lizzo concert.

Not the best creme brulee I’ve ever had. The sugar was well burnt, and while the custard underneath tasted right, it was just a little bit too firm. Not quite panna cotta firm but pretty close. It made me think there might have been gelatin in that and there certainly shouldn’t be. That’s exactly why I don’t care for panna cotta. I didn’t hate it though.

Merilynn had a cocktail, a summary version of a Moscow Mule.

So other than the slight miss on the creme brulee, this was a really lovely evening. It was a great patio and the food was very good.
We will definitely be back this summer to spend some more time enjoying the view.

If I missed a good patio in New Westminster please let me know and I’ll go check it out.

9/10

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It’s beef short ribs on cornbread.

Though I see they’ve changed it since I last had it. Before it was served in its own little cast iron pan. Now it comes with two round, biscuit-like pieces of cornbread. It certainly looks a little more traditional now, though not sure that’s a good thing.

The eggs were done very well and the hollandaise was nice. The cornbread was fantastic too, with a nice jalapeno kick to it.

If anything was wrong with it, there was a touch too much short rib — it’s already a very rich dish, and while I shouldn’t really complain about too much protein, it did upset the balance slightly.

Nevertheless, it was still tasty and we were sharing it so we were able to finish. Not sure I could eat the whole thing myself.

The potatoes are really good too, and that’s saying something coming from me.

If you’re an Eggs Benedict fan, this is definitely one to try.

9/10

The post El Santo appeared first on Gregs Food Blog.

I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with El Santo.

I’ve had some really fantastic food here. I’ve also had the complete opposite.

I love the tacos.

I hate the Chile Relleño.

I love the mango guacamole.

I hate the salsas.

I love the Eggs Benedict.

Regardless, you can always count on good service, the atmosphere here is nice, the Tequila selection is fantastic and there is something for everyone to eat, and drink, here.

As always, I like to try something I haven’t had here before, so I’m going to try the corn fritters.

Frituras de Maize

A more traditional doughy fritter than the modern, crispy, tempura style corn fritter you regularly see these days, the sweet corn flavor was complemented well by a spicy habanero apple jam.

Taco Flight

A mix and match choice of three tacos. Merilynn got two fish, one for me, and one pork. I don’t know how they expect you to pick that fish taco up and eat it. Look at the size of the thing. One surely cannot complain about portion size. The flavor is nothing to complain about either. Served on the very traditional two corn tortillas, the ling cod was beautifully fried and was garnished with an avocado lime crema and red cabbage. That’s a great fish taco.

Pan de Elote

One of my favorites, a good corn bread is just a thing of beauty. Too often dry and crumbly, this cornbread was moist and subtly sweet. I’ve had Eggs Benedict served on it here, and while I’m normally a traditionalist when it comes to Eggs Benny, El Santo’s take on it is fantastic, thanks to this corn bread. Bueno!

El Raspada

I learned something tonight. El Raspada is a shaved ice treat and this one is particularly good. Condesa Gin, elderflower liqueur, hibiscus tea, and lavender agave syrup come together to a yummy, adult slushee.

Margarita Guey

As near as I can figure this is a standard margarita, dude. That appears to be the literal translation. Any Tequileños want to correct me on that please do. As for the drink. It’s Tequila and lime, in other words, awesome.

El Santo, I want to love you, but you make it hard sometimes. The highs are genuinely high — that fish taco, that corn bread, that ridiculous grown-up slushee — and when things are clicking, this is a really fun place to eat. Just maybe skip the Chile Relleno and don’t ask me about the salsas. If you can live with the inconsistency, and I apparently can because I keep coming back, there’s enough good stuff happening here to make it worth your while. The service, the tequila, and the atmosphere never let you down. See you next time, El Santo. Probably.

The post El Santo appeared first on Gregs Food Blog.

I thought the special sounded good. A lobster/crab ravioli.

Served with a Limoncello sauce, fennel, arugula and paprika oil.The sauce was light and creamy with the fennel adding a nice subtle, licorice flavour. The filling was a bit on the rich side with the crab overpowering the lobster. The balance in the fillimg was just a bit off.

Merilynn had the Spaghetti Bolognese.

We’ve had this before, and always enjoyed it. I just wish we could get it without the fungus. The Ragu is a rich, meaty sauce with lots of Italian sausage, veal and beef, (and the shrooms) with tons of flavour. You can tell this is a proper Ragu.

Two very good pasta dishes, though both could be improved slightly. Still, I won’t complain. I didn’t have to cook today.

The post Piva Modern Italian appeared first on Gregs Food Blog.

Well it’s pizza night and Merilynn wants something different than the usual Pepperoni or Hawaiian that I love.

Honestly when it comes to pizza we are not a good match. She doesn’t like pepperoni, I won’t eat mushrooms. Two of the most commonly found pizza toppings there are.

So it was with some despair I hopped online to look at delivery options, knowing I was unlikely to find anything that w.e both would like.

Consider some of these options that I found.

I saw one with a white sauce, Italian sausage and broccoli. You read that right. Broccoli. Vile weed. Quick, pass me the honey mustard.

Another shop offers a white sauce pizza with brisket, pickles and mustard seeds. Do I look pregnant or something?

And the worst yet, a pizza with whipped potatoes, prosciutto and black pepper. Whipped potatoes on a pizza? Seriously, I’m being Punk’d right? Is that Ashton Kutcher sitting at the other end of the bar…

I finally tossed the phone down, threw my hands in the air and suggested we just walk across the street to Piva. We have had a decent pizza there before. (Just don’t get the duck and fig one.) Merilynn will be making the decision, no fungus being my only stipulation.

She ended up going with the Modern Italian.

Roastd game hen, onions, garlic, capicollo, pesto sauce and topped with freshly grated parm.

I will start with the good. The crust was fantastic. Great undercarriage and a chew that would make any Napoletani proud. All the components ingredients were actually very good. My favorite ham, though could have been spicier. Nicely cooked poultry, whole garlic cloves with a mild, beautiful flavour. The onion basil pesto was delicious. Parm is Parm right? My favorite cheese.

So with a plethora of fantastic ingredients thus pizza should be a home run right? (I’m struggling to think of an appropriate Italian analogy. An easy slot in from the penalty spot maybe?).

Somehow though all those great ingredients didn’t coalesce into a fantastic pie.

The crust was the best part of the pizza. I even found myself picking up Merilynn’s uneaten crusts, that’s how much I loved that pizza dough.

Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t bad. Underwhelming is the word.

But it was different. And it didn’t have potatoes.

I’m already looking forward to my Hawaiian next pizza night.

One bite, everyone knows the rules…

6.5

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Located along the boardwalk at New Westminster Quay there is now a Tiki bar where the Paddlewheeler pub used to be. After the Paddlewheeler closed a restaurant called Italia Kitchen popped up. It was probably doomed from the start though, what with Piva essentially across the street. The city already has two good Italian restaurants, it doesn’t need a mediocre one.

So it being a Saturday night we decided to pop over and give it a try.

First impressions?

1.That sign is all wrong.

2. Looks like they decided to take the minimal amount of capital to make the place look different and called it a day. It appears they slapped some thatch around the room, put some bamboo along the walls and hung a few bamboo fronds from the existing lights. That’s the only difference I can tell from the previous decor.

3. At least they got some proper glasses though.

That first drink is the Typhoon Tiki. Orange liqueur, lemon juice, dark rum and an in-house made ginger syrup.

The second is a Gin Ginger Mai Tai. Gin, orange liqueur, lime juice, lemon juice, mint, bitters and the same in-house made ginger syrup.

While we both enjoyed the first few sips of our drinks, as we drink more and more we found the ginger syrup to be too much. It was actually causing me discomfort in my esophagus, almost like heartburn. Since both of us preferred the others choice we ended up switching drinks. And while I preferred the Gin Ginger Mai Tai’s flavour, by the time I was reaching the bottom of the glass I was struggling to finish. Merilynn had the same issue with the Typhoon Tiki. The ginger flavour was not as pronounced but still was overpowering.

What with the unbalanced drinks, the minimal redecorating effort and slow service, (it was pretty full but there were three tenders behind the bar) my first visit to the Tiki Bar wasn’t exactly fantastic.

We have heard some good things about the food and entertainment from other online, so to be fair I will come back for another try.

The Quayside Tiki Bar will have to be much more impressive next time around though.

4/10

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I’m preparing myself to embark on a journey making what is widely considered to be one of the most difficult pastries in the world to make.

I have been working tirelessly perfecting my croissant dough with some amazing results.

I have successfully made the Canalé from Bordeau on more than a few occasions.

I have even undertaken the precise and finicky French macaron successfully, though I do need to make some improvements. The macaronage is still my nemesis.

Even the daunting puff pastry is just another walk in the park for me now.

One pastry though scares me to the point of nah, it’s just easier to buy one. But if I hope to be an instructor in the art of baking when I retire from my current job I must improve my skills. I can do that with the challenge of the sfogliatelle.

This is a “lobster tail” from Gastromia Italia here in New Westminster.

It’s a great little shop selling Italian products. The selection isn’t as big or as varied as Ciofi’s or Bosa but it’s only a 5 minute walk down the street for me so I go there when I know they have something I need.

It’s a good opportunity to start my research before I attempt to make sfogliatelle myself. I’ll be in Italy in a few weeks and will do lots more research there.

I’m not sure if they make them here from scratch. But based on the crispiness of the layers I am pretty sure they bake them here. They put different fillings in, today it’s a chocolate cream. It sure was tasty.

However that’s not the traditional filling you’ll find in Italy. That’s a semolina/ricotta filling flavored with citrus. I’ll have an opportunity to try that in Italy I’m sure.

And then when we return I’m going to give making them a go.

Unitl I am more familiar with the Sfogliatelle though I am sure happy with this version.

Hopefully the ones in Italy don’t spoil it for me.

8/10

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The Ariccia, with fresh focaccia bread, porchetta, arugula, caramelized onions, and balsamic vinegar is a delightful celebration of Italian flavors.

The soft, airy focaccia provides a perfect base, while the succulent porchetta offers rich, savory notes that are enhanced by the subtle herbs and spices.

Fresh arugula adds a peppery freshness and crisp texture, balancing the richness of the porchetta. Caramelized onions bring a sweet and savory element, their tender texture and deep flavour adding complexity to the sandwich.

The balsamic vinegar ties everything together with its tangy, slightly sweet profile, lifting the overall taste experience. Each bite offers a harmonious blend of flavors and textures, making this sandwich both satisfying and sophisticated.

It’s a perfect balance of traditional Italian ingredients, presented with simplicity and elegance. Whether you’re a food enthusiast or a casual diner, this sandwich is a must-try culinary experience that will leave you wanting more.

8/10

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I’ve come close to ordering take out from Wild Thyme a few times over the last couple years but when perusing the menu I did not find myself all that excited about what I saw.

Don’t get me wrong. I really like middle eastern food. It is full of bold and aromatic flavours and is as varied as the people that make it. But whenever I considered it it I had some other ethnic cuisine on my mind.

But as we were returning from a Costco run in Bellingham Sunday Merilynn mentioned she wanted to try it this weekend as she had heard good things. And as it happened they are open for lunch so we decided today was the day.

Unfortunately I did not realize she had no idea this was Lebanese food.

The restaurant has an interesting atmosphere. Spread over three units in an older building, the interior is terraced over three levels. Its larger than it looks, according more privacy than if it were one big room.

As neither of us are huge eaters, we often share an appetizer and a meal and that does us nicely.

Well whoops. We ordered way too much food.

Merilymn ordered Kaaek and dips.

The top 4 dishes on the left, hummus, baba ghanouj, house made yogurt and garlic.

The hummus was very good. The baba ghanouj I didn’t care for, but thats my dislike of eggplant, nothing to do with the quality I’m sure. The homemade yogurt was a bit funny, but had great flavour. The garlic was my favourite. Great garlic flavour with lots of wonderful EVOO.

The Kaaek, or Lebanese purse bread, is a common street food that is crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. This version has sumac and sesame seeds on the exterior and is hollow on the inside. That’s why it looks so big. It was the perfect vessel to scoop up those delicious dips with.

The other condiments you see on the table were to compliment my Lebanese style fried eggs with Sujuk sausage.

The sausage is made in house and is very fragrant. There’s a lot going on here, the flavours were complex. They were delicious. I did inquire as to what spices make up the flavors in this beef sausage and the answer I got was there’s too many to list. The eggs were done really well, soft,fried in olive oil for even more flavour. My breakfast also included a Kaaek, so we had three total.

I decided to give Lebanese coffee a try. It’s similar to Turkish, but infused with Cardamom.

The coffee was very strong, with the Cardamom flavour very present. Thus was the first time I’ve tried a coffee like this and I loved it.

As for the service, it did seem a bit slow. Other patrons who sat down after us were getting there food before us. I might have to chalk that up to them having to make the bread fresh for us though. The servers were certainly pleasant and attentive enough. They even moved us from our original two person table to a four-person table to accommodate all the dishes we were getting.

So yes, that’s way too much food for us.

And while I certainly enjoyed it, once was enough for Merilynn.

8/10

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