Eating out in HamOnt

Sarcoa, 57 Discovery Drive in Hamilton, Ontario
This waterfront restaurant serves the kind of food that makes me want to be filthy rich (and I really almost never want to be rich!) so that I could eat there every week.

After I ate this appetizer plate of "Chicken and Waffles," I said, "Can we eat here every Friday for early supper and have the chicken and waffles?

Sarcoa Chicken & Waffles with herb gravy & pork belly.

The appetizer & salad parts of the Sarcoa menu were the most tempting to me, so we also ordered the poutine. A poutine like no other: thinly carved, tender beef brisket with authentic curds adorned hand-cut fries smothered in a jus as rich as any I've ever tasted, and my mother is the queen of gravy-making in my books! I don't think my description really does it justice, but brown food doesn't photograph well, so I'm not including that pic here. It was an enormous serving for an appetizer, so we shared it (I didn't share my chicken & waffles, not because there wasn't enough to share -- it is an ample serving too -- but because it was so delicious that I went into greed mode). I can still taste that brisket, when I cast my mind back to that evening.

I think it's probably best to let the photos tell the rest of the story about this amazing place, which sources as many ingredients as possible from local farms and producers.
Anyone who adores beets as I do must have this salad:

Roasted beet salad with pomegranate was simply divine.

The entree chicken dish arrived with the smoothest squash puree ever conceived by humans, and chicken so moist and tender that I couldn't believe it was real. I know I'm descending into hyperbole here, but this meal was seriously one of the best I've ever had in my life.

Most juicy, tender chicken breast ever, atop kale, squash, and spatzle.

Since we were there to celebrate my birthday, I had to try a dessert, and chocolate is the best way to dessert, right? The dish was delicious, of course, and spectacular to look at, but this is the one area where I was a teensy bit let down. For a chef who did a stint as "pastry chef at Vineland Estates Winery," the dessert menu is a little spare.

White chocolate & pistachio mousse (on left, my favourite!), macaron, & ice cream sandwich.

The servers treated us like special people, always a nice way to dine when you're splurging on a night out at a fancy place. The decor is modern and inviting, with surprising bursts of colour and wooden tabletops for a dash of eclecticism. Some of the best views of any restaurant in the city too, being right on the water down at the harbourfront.

View from our table at windowside at Sarcoa.

Overall, I would give Sarcoa an A+ and have been recommending the place to anyone who will listen and who wants to indulge.

Where's the kibble?

I love to eat. I adore patronizing restaurants. I even like cooking. Visiting farmers' markets to choose some delightful local produce makes for a perfect outing on a mild summer afternoon.
Some days, though, I wish I had the option of human "kibble," like the nutrition-complete pellets I give to my dog. Easy, convenient, portable, crunchy, fast, all requirements in one portion, simple portion control, don't need a fridge, and many other entries on the plus side.

Seriously, I think someone has missed the boat on this entrepreneurial opportunity. I would invest my hard-earned dollars in a company making palatable human kibble that didn't break my teeth. Really.

I guess cereal with milk can be a sort of "complete breakfast," but I want a certain type of pellet that is rounded, crunchy, a particular size, has good mouth feel, and doesn't require milk to make it palatable. 

Seems many other people wonder about this item that is lacking at the grocery store: Human Kibble article on io9

Re-watch, laughing makes you feel better

I've enjoyed many films over the years (and watched many stinkers too), but I find that few movies merit multiple viewings, and I usually choose comedies or sci fi if I want to re-watch something on a Sunday afternoon while I cook. I have a tiny stack of movies reserved for this purpose, comedies that I return to because I know they will make me feel happy.

Why do I laugh again and again at these comedic moments when I've already seen them several times, know they're coming, and how they will play out? Now that I examine this reaction, I only laugh out loud when I'm watching the film with someone else, but when I re-watch by myself, such as in the kitchen while cooking, I still smile often and feel a general happiness glow build during the film. That's a good enough reason to re-watch, getting a jolt of joy.

I think I return to these particular movies after being disappointed in so many comedies over the past decade. I know that the jokes, gags, prat falls, exaggerations, satires, parodies in this stable of flicks consistently appeal to my particular sense of humour. Although some people claim that attempts at humour often fail without the element of surprise, for my viewing pleasure the knowledge that the comedy fits me overrides any need for surprise. And I choose this certainty of pleasure every time over the doubt that a new film will entertain, the [very high] chance of disappointment in a new film is not worth the risk.

Here are some of my favourites to watch multiple times; the humour in these films never fails to lighten my day:

Evolution (2001), dir. Ivan Reitman, starring David Duchovny and Julianne Moore [today's choice while cooking for a couple hours]. This film fits squarely in my favourite sub-genre of sci fi-comedy [Another favourite is Galaxy Quest, 1999, and you know I went to see Men in Black 3 last year.]. So few movies are made in this vein, but I watch every one of them.

Sci fi comedy

Dick (1999, link goes to the TRAILER, yay!), dir. Andrew Fleming, starring Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams. In this spoofy romp about the Watergate robbery and the Nixon administration, the supporting cast supplies the majority of the guffaws. Kirsten and Michelle portray giggly naive teenage girls with great aplomb.

spoof

Nacho Libre (2006), dir. Jared Hess, starring Jack Black. I love to cheer for the underdog, and whoever gives this movie less than 8 stars on imdb.com must have a cynical outlook on life. [Another favourite is Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, 2004.] My partner and I quote lines from this film all the time, and I understand that Jack Black fails to win over every movie watcher, but the warm and generous heart at the centre of this wrestling movie makes me come back to it whenever I need to be uplifted.

underdog story

Others that I turn to for smiles include Office Space and The Princess Bride. Lest anyone think I am caught in a time warp and don't give new movies a chance, I enjoyed, rather irrationally and completely against my type, Get Him to the Greek (2010) with Russell Brand and Jonah Hill, and Goon (2012) with Sean William Scott and Liev Schreiber. The most recent comedies to tickle me were also nominated for multiple awards: Moonrise Kingdom (2012) and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012). I don't think I'll buy those last 4 films on DVD in order to watch again, but I highly recommend them and would definitely watch them again if the opportunity arose.