Spaghetti and Meatballs

I was out for a drink last weekend and a friend of mine ordered the spaghetti and meatballs. I've been craving it since. So my husband fixed me up. Only mine was way better.

BBQ Burgers and Baby Arugula Salad

I love it when the sun comes out because when it does, i'm guaranteed a bbq. Tonight we had all dressed bbq burgers, flame grilled tomatoes and baby arugula salad with a blue cheese dressing. I am stuffed!

Maple BBQ Salmon with Lemon Butter Green Beans

Ah yes, another fabulous and healthy meal. Tonight we had maple bbq salmon, lemon butter green beans with carrot slivers and beets.

The Hungry Trout – Wilmington

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My friend and I had dinner here after a day of mountain biking and shopping in Lake Placid. We were tired and hungry and very excited to eat. The ambiance the minute you walk in is very warm and comforting. The restaurant is part of the Hungry Trout Resort, which reminds me a lot of the Château Montebello. They have pretty white lights up the posts in the restaurant that let off a really nice feel. Half of the dining room is made up of large windows overlooking the waterfalls of the Ausable River. When we first arrived there was a large table next to ours that had many noisy children at it. Luckily they had just finished their meal and left about 15 minutes later. 

I started off with the Roasted Duck Ravioli in port wine and lingonberry glaze. It was delicious, and not too filling, which I was a bit worried it might be. For my main I had the special, Crab stuffed Trout with risotto and asparagus. The trout pretty much took up the entire plate, it was massive and cooked to perfection. We finished our bottle of red wine and before I knew it I was ordering the apple crisp. I was so full and so tired that I was actually relieved when our server came back and said they were all out of the apple crisp. So I finished off with a glass of port instead. 

The service was wonderful and i'm pretty certain i'll be going back the next time i'm in the area. I really want to try their Smoked Rainbow Trout. 

www.hungrytrout.com

The Cottage – Lake Placid

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I was attracted to this restaurant because of the great patio they have overlooking Mirror Lake. Although it had been raining off and on that day we still took a chance and sat on the patio. It didn't last long. By the time my first course had arrived we had to make our way inside. The rain wins again.

I started off with a glass of Chardonnay and the Shrimp à la Cottage. They were jumbo steamed shrimp topped with artichoke hearts, bacon and melted cheddar soaking in garlic oil. It was ok, but way too much butter. I wouldn't order it again. Then I had the Cottage Blue Salad. That on the other hand, I would order again. It had fresh mixed greens with red grapes, pecans and blue cheese crumbles and a mango vinaigrette. I ate every last bit that was on my plate – YUMM.

I finished off my lunch with a glass of port. But this was not your normal port. It was a chocolate port, which I've never heard of. She let me try it first. It tasted a lot like a regular tawny port but once you swallowed it you could taste the chocolate. It was really good. The service was also impeccable.

www.mirrorlakeinn.com/dining-cottage.cfm

Lake Placid Pub & Brewery – Lake Placid

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I was in Lake Placid this past weekend and ended up at the Lake Placid Pub & Brewery the night we arrived. If you're ever in the area you definitely have to make a stop here. I started off with their popular Ubu Ale. It's a strong English ale that's named after a legendary chocolate lab. It also won a gold medal at the World Beer Championships. I enjoyed it so much I brought a case of it home with me. They also have a sampler tray which gives you an opportunity to try all their beers.

The Ubu Ale was the perfect accompaniment to the Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwich I ordered. This slow cooked roasted pork sandwich is topped with their own homemade BBQ sauce that is absolutely delicious. I didn't find they had enough BBQ sauce on the sandwich tho so I got some extra on the side. The sandwich came with apple sauce and baked beans. Comforting and filling.

The service was absolutely amazing. They were very accommodating and friendly. Unfortunately a couple of days later when I came to buy the beer to bring home they weren't as friendly, but still a really great place that I will go to again when I visit Lake Placid.

www.ubuale.com

Robin des Bois – Montreal

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So far i've only written about Ottawa area restaurants, but we often travel so I decided I will also review the restaurants I go to outside the city. Especially ones that are worth trying out.

I have been wanting to try this restaurant for quite a while now. They are quite unique in that a lot of their staff are volunteers. They are a not for profit restaurant and all their profits from their food and product sales are given to local charities in the community, if you go to their website you can see the list of charities.

They have a wonderful lunch time table d'hôte with prices varying from $12.50 to $18.50. I started off with a celery salad (similar to coleslaw) and my husband had the gaspacho. Both were very good – the salad was nice and light whereas the gaspacho was very spicy and flavourful. For my main I had scallops and shrimp in an orange saffron sauce with couscous and fennel. The flavours were delectable and the portions were perfect. I also tried my husbands cod cakes, they weren't to die for but they too were very good. The meal also came with your choice of tea or coffee. If you'd rather not have the table d'hôte you can get your main course only for $2 less.

The service was wonderful and they made you feel very welcome. They are on Saint Laurent so there's a lot of noisy traffic, but the inside is warm and relaxing. They were a bit slow at the end when they got really busy and took a long time to bring our bill. But I wasn't in a rush so that was fine. I will definitely go again. I'm excited to try their dinner. If you go I strongly recommend a reservation. I'd tried to make one for dinner one time and they were booked solid.

www.robindesbois.ca

Von’s Bistro

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Last Friday I had the afternoon off so I decided to go into the glebe and have lunch at Von's. Quite often we'll go for breakfast and I always get the same thing, Potato Pancakes with Smoked Salmon and Poached Eggs. I love it. And I love the fact they bring yummy banana bread to the table while you wait. I'm usually famished in the morning so this pre-breakfast treat is exactly what I need.

I grabbed a seat on their patio and ordered a glass of the Bouchard Aine et Fils Bourgogne Pinot Noir. It was my first time ordering a Pinot Noir. I find I get stuffed up with wines that have higher levels of tannins and the Pinot Noir's and Beaujolais' are usually pretty low. It was fruity and very good. For lunch I had the Smoked Salmon Naan Pizza for $8.75. It was made with a roasted garlic spread, tomatoes, red onions and Quebec goat cheese. It was slightly greasier than I expected, I think mostly because the wetness of the tomatoes made it seem that way. But still delicious none the less. It was served with choice of salad or fries, I went with half and half. I love it when a restaurant lets you do that. I can never eat all the fries, and health-wise I do prefer the salad. But I always want a few fries, just to get the taste in my mouth. And Von's has the best fries. I find they are similar to Deluxe's fries but not as greasy - perfect. Deluxe Fish and Chips is a fast food chain out East.

This spot is a regular so I'll definitely be back. The service is also always really good, you automatically feel comfortable there. The atmosphere and people watching makes it a great spot to relax and eat good food.

Vons