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.

Royal Pho

We've found a new favourite place to eat: Royal Pho at the Meadowlands in Ancaster. I hadn't really tried pho before I ate it at this place a few weeks ago, but once I had rare beef pho here, I was hooked. We went again this week (we're almost regulars lately!), and it was delicious again. This food takes such good pictures that I decided to share. Yes, I know, another food blog, which has been the main topic on my mind lately and I just got a new camera, so of course I'm going to post about our meal outings.

Appetizers: crab & cheese wontons and salad rolls

Beautiful basil and sprouts to stir into your pho

Forgot to take the pic until the soup was half-gone; this is a small of the rare beef pho

Veggies and tofu, such fresh and colourful veggies!

My love affair with noodles knows no bounds, and finding a new place like this just feeds my addiction. I actually almost made a package of ramen this morning for breakfast. I even found a movie about noodles: Ramen Girl, which I highly recommend (except for the ending, but it is a Hollywood flick).
Today we tried the new Mr. Dumpling Express at the Dundurn Plaza, but it was very disappointing. High marks for the decor and the friendly service, and the sesame chicken, but the dumplings were sub-par (they didn't have the steamed Thai dumplings advertised on their menu, so I opted for steamed chicken), the spring rolls had a weird taste, and the excessive packaging for an eat-in meal was depressing. I don't know if we'll go back, but the prices are okay, and it's nearby, and the Szechuan Vegetables and Tofu were also okay. For a place called Mr. Dumpling, that part of the menu was supremely disappointing, mostly just the basics, and one item not even available in their first week of business. And let me tell you something, Mr. Dumpling, even if you put a pound of filling in each dumpling, if it doesn't have good flavour, then it still won't be successful. Darn, I had such high hopes for a place like that opening in my neighbourhood. I would recommend Dragon Court in Westdale over Mr. Dumpling any day of the week. There, two restaurant reviews in one blog. Whew!

Munch

The only thing that keeps me sane when I have the respiratory flu is to eat as often as I feel like it. Some people, such as my D. who gave me this virus (thanks, D.!), lose all appetite when they are sick; I am the opposite: I am positively ravenous, every three hours. I cannot eat giant portions (luckily), but all I can think about besides the coughing and the headache and the chills is what I am going to eat next. I mean, my body is craving so I'm listening. I don't need to add self-restraint to the agony of dealing with influenza, therefore I just give in. Luckily my D. was feeling up to a quick car ride to the grocery store yesterday in the late afternoon, because I had devoured almost everything in the house in two days. He returned with pizza, sushi, cookies, orange juice, a dream! Thanks, D., you rock!
My being home and eating all the time is driving the poor dog bonkers. She is restless from few walkies and drooling all the time from the excess food flying through the house. Poor thing, I felt so bad for her today that I bundled up and trudged to the park. She blasted around in the snow as though she had never seen the stuff before, poor housebound pupster!
But after that exertion, you guessed it, I'm hungry again. This blog post was meant to be longer, and yet my stomach is assailing me, gotta go eat. Thanks for tuning in, and stay well; I wouldn't wish this flu on my worst enemy.