ottawa foodies

I've spent the last ten days in upstate New York in search of diner food and local fundraising dinners etc. and thought it would be fun to start a thread of "Roadfood Porn". Here is a breakfast of country fried steak, eggs and biscuits at Nana's Kitchen in Massena Center.

Prime Rib Melt at Nancy's Village Cafe in Malone New York. A generous slice of rare prime rib on grilled home made bread with mozzarella, peppers and onions. Wish I had taken a picture of her incredible banana cream pie.

Glazier dog and mac salad at the Cascade Inn, Canton NY. Great view of the river and I love the crunchy whatever-it-is casing on those bright red dogs. They are a local specialty made just up the road. Don't let the neon color scare you off.

Wendy's Diner on North Main in Massena has a Friday night special that includes a large serving of perfectly fried Halibut with mac n cheese, coleslaw and a nice big warm and squishy white bread roll for $9.95. They also have an amazing chocolate layer cake with peanut butter frosting, but it is almost always sold out by Friday dinner, so go for lunch.

The Village Inn is between Massena and Louisville and has been run by the same family for over 50 years. Really an old fashioned place. When is the last time your dinner was preceded by a lazy susan with home made pickled beets, great coleslaw, full fat cottage cheese and freshly made rhubarb relish? Didn't get a pic of the white chocolate layer cake which I hope they still have on the menu next time.

Oh, my god. I both hate you and want to be you right now.

Cheryl's Diner on Route 11B between Potsdam and Malone NY. I swear it does look this bad from the outside. Inside slightly better, but the BEST Patty melt you can find. Freshly house made beef patty with grilled onions, American cheese and Russian Dressing on grilled rye bread. As close to perfect as it gets and served with pickles and potato chips for $4.50. Mac n Cheese was good but I prefer a creamier/cheesier baked style and this was, I believe, a stove top version. Had a huge piece of good peanut butter cream pie for dessert. Sorry no pics of the food as my battery died. Will definitely be hitting this place again. It's also about 5 minutes from an Amish farm stand with fresh veggies, jams, soaps and some baking.

Fundraising BBQ at the Massena NY Firehall. This is an annual event, where the firemen cook up chicken and sides right at the station. They serve from 4pm "till it's gone" and my suggestion would be to get it "to go" whether you're eating it there or not, because the containers hold more and you are then set for the leftovers.

There is a place in Ogdensburg called Little Italy that we stumbled across. They have tremendous Pizza Subs for all of $5. Next time we go I'll take and post a picture. It has everything on it a fully loaded pizza has.

For those who crave clams...this is the fried seafood platter at the restaurant at KC's motel on route 20 between Richfield Springs and Cherry Valley NY. Clams, shrimp, scallops, whole oysters and a generous piece of fresh haddock, all served tender and crisply fried. With sides shown and a huge honkin' piece of homemade white bread - $12. They apparently do a buffet on Sunday afternoons...

This morning we bought fresh cinnamon rolls, bread, and an elderberry pie out of an Amish wagon on Ostrander road in Richfield Springs NY.

Lunch today on the 9th tee at the Leatherstocking golf course of the Otesaga Resort in Cooperstown NY. Million Dollar view, but the lobster roll on a grilled bun with sides and brewed iced tea was ten bucks.

Yesterday was my annual visit to Chesterfield's Tuscan Oven in Oneida NY. They have a genuine coal-fired oven and I look forward to pizza here every year. This one was good, but it was not as spectacular as usual, because it was just slightly undercooked. Worth the trip, but for the genuine coal oven experience I may have to return later in the week and ask for one well done.

I trust that coal oven pizza DOES NOT leave burning coal fumes in the pizza.

My grandparents (both sides) burned coal .... and it stinks ! I certainly would not want my food tinged with it's aromas.

Maybe the coal provides a real hot oven. great for cooking pizza.

blu, i hate you so hard right now for this thread.

Two of the best pizzas I have ever eaten have come from coal fired ovens. One at Chesterfield's and one in New York. Last year I asked about coal fired ovens and why there aren't any in Ontario. They are THAT good. Sorry can't remember who, but someone told me that they are illegal now.

This is the lauded "beef on a weck" at the cafe inside Wegman's grocery store, DeWitt NY location. Hand carved to order roast beef on a kimmelweck bun. The roll is baked in store, crusty and with a coating of kosher salt and caraway. Do like the locals and have the cut surface of the bun "dipped" in au jus before they assemble it, and ask for the creamy horseradish too. I am going back for another one today.

Chicken and Riggies at Stella's dinerin Syracuse . Crispy breaded chicken under rigatoni, marinara, mozzarella and pepperoni. Don't try to eat it all yourself. Share it with a few friends.

And BTW in this part of new york you can buy little bags of pepperoni in the produce section, because they call it "salad meat" and sprinkle it liberally on garden salads.

I'm so jealous. We took a trip to Montreal and on the way back stopped at Smokemeat Pete for lunch in L'Ile Perrot. Tasty sandwich. Hope you don't mind the post.

That looks tasty Ken and I hope others will post road food here!

Fried artichoke hearts at the Wagon Wheel in Oneida NY. Marinated artichoke hearts, battered and fried. Really nice just with a sprinkling of salt. We thought the creamy garlic dip was overkill and they were much better without. I might ask for sour cream next time.

The Wagon Wheel is great for the prime rib special on Monday and Tuesday, but the rest of the time I recommend you stick to the dishes featuring pasta and house made tomato sauce. Other dishes have been disappointing.

Some pretty amazing poutine at Smokemeat Peat as well. Great gravy! Can't get poutine like this in Ottawa.

i hate this thread.

...and i'm SO hungry now, so very very hungry.

@OSM - I agree. I may have to IGNORE THIS TOPIC.
Unfortunately, this is how I live vicariously now ... through the tastebuds of others.

Still, it is a bit torturous.

Breakfast in Sicily: coffee and almond granita with cream and brioche.

Charcuterie and cheese assortment at farmhouse grill in burlington, Vermont. Ate most of it before I thought to take a pic. Rillettes and terrines made in house ,cheeses were all local. Was really impressed with the food and craft beer scene in this town.

IN san francisco for Americas Cup races. At the kiwi ran waiheke Island Yacht Club at Pier 29 and had 2 wonderful NZ sampling plates with 3 Coromandel oysters from NZ with citrus marinated salmon and a superb venison tartate. It came with NZ MOA pilsner but I preferred their St Joseph (Belgian tripel) and their Imperial Stout. The fried nori that came with the tartare were excellent too

The famous Schwartz Deli in Montreal. I went at 10:00 pm and got it "to-go". I've never had Schwartz's before, and I was really impressed. It was nice and warm and had an amazing flavour. I had the "medium" level of fat, instead of lean. I couldn't finish it, which surprised me! It's clearly famous for a reason!

Don't know what to say theup... I was at Schwartz's two weeks ago and for the first time ever was very disappointed by my medium smoked meat sandwich, quite dry and lacking in the usual mouthwatering, spice laden flavour. I naturally attributed the decline in quality to last year's sale of the deli to Celine Dion's husband. Curious: have you eaten at Schwartz's regularly over the years or was this your first time?

Ken V: can you offer any comparison between Smoke Meat Pete and Schwartz's? Or Nate's or Dunn's for that matter?

I always order the fatty version at Schwartz's and it seems consistent to me...

It was my first visit, so I can't make any comparison to previous quality. I found the meat to have lots of spice and fatty flavour, but really I must say that I have nothing to compare it to.

Grumman 78 food truck was hosting a special Japanese theme night at their HQ in Montreal. Had dumplings/Tartare and Horse tataki which was amazing!

@ Johanna, I have not been to Schwartz since the change so I can not give any up to date information. I always order the fatty though. It was my first time at Smoke Meat Pete and I liked it better than the pre sale Schwartz. The fries were better at Pete and we did'nt have to fight for a seat. The places serving up smoked meat in Ottawa, I have nothing good to say on that subject.

I've been a few times since the sale and haven't noticed any fall in quality.

If you are as big a fan of roadfood as I am, you have probably tasted many "fails". It sometimes seems that you really do have to suffer through some really scary things to find the gems. This was one of those times. I love biscuits with sausage gravy, but this version from one of my favorite places in Northern New York state didn't hit the mark. I usually go to this particular diner for excellent patty melts, but had to send this breakfast back unfortunately. Gravy was cold, had separated into greasy puddles and the biscuit underneath it all was tough as cardboard. You win some, you lose some. Opted for Hash n eggs as a replacement, and it was fine, but the hash was definitely from a can.

Montreal Food truck goodness...duck poutine, cheeseburger grilled cheese, deep fried cheese curds (OMG!)

Where and which food truck? - I NEED TO KNOW!

lol I probably tried around 8 food truck last friday night. It was the ``First Firday event`` where food trucks in mtl gather at the Olympic Stadium every first friday of each month. Not sure if this was the last month for the season or maybe October will have a last event. There`s a DJ and you can also purchase beer and wine.

The Duck poutine and deepfried cheese curds are from Lucky`s truck. The cheeseburger grilled cheese with Mac & cheese is from the Le Cheese truck.

I also sample the Grumman 78 taco truck where I ordered the ASian style burrito which was amazing. The Marché 27 Tartare truck was amazing with steak tartare sliders. lots of deserts and beer.

Oh and Le Pied de Cochon truck was also there with a lineup of 100 people all night only serving Foie Gras poutine and Duck drumpstick.

This is the lineup for the Annual "Fall Feast" at a campground we visit often in Massena NY. Campers reserve more than a year in advance, and it took us 3 years to move up the waiting list to even be able to reserve a spot. 300 people pay $12 a head for pineapple glazed ham, pot roast, roast turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, white squishy dinner rolls, pickled beets, pea and cheese casserole and three kinds of ice cream. It's an end of season treat for those of us who like this "buffet in a barn" kind of thing.

Tuesday night special at Wendy's Diner, Massena NY. about two pounds of excellent meatloaf, mashed, corn, dinner roll and iced tea for $7.50. Also got a piece of "HOHO" cake to go, which is an homage to hoho's: Chocolate layer cake with marshmallow cream between the layers and fudge frosting over the works. Ate it before I took the pic - sorry!

Yesterday's lunch at the Cascade Inn, Canton NY, overlooking the falls on the Raquette River. Glazier Footlong with Michigan sauce. Michigan sauce is peculiar to upstate NY and is definitely not chili, but is a meat sauce. Best with onions and mustard.

This is the chicken sandwich at Lad's dairy bar in Windsor Ontario. Simple and cheap but so good. Brined, house roasted chicken, tons of iceberg and mayo on toast.

Pegasus Taverna, Greektown, Detroit. Greektown has changed since back in the day when the Grecian Gardens was everyone's favorite mob hangout. There are only a few Greek restaurants left in the 3 block stretch of Monroe that is Greektown. This is the Halloumi Saganaki - wonderfully salty and highly recommended. You can choose from four kinds of cheese for your saganaki at Pegasus. All the typical dishes are there, but the standout for me was the appetizer of grilled octopus which was simply prepared and SO tender.

Hawaiian plate lunch at ONO Hawaiian BBQ on Harbour St. in Costa Mesa. Delicious Char Siu chicken, rice and Mac Salad. $7. Will also post a pic of the Chicken Katsu.

Chicken Katsu plate lunch at ONO Hawaiian BBQ. The plate lunches are HUGE and could easily be shared between two people.

Justly famous truffle burger at Umami Burger. Locations all around LA and now in New York as well.

I loved this burger.

Fresh beef ground daily, house made cheese toppings and soft/slightly sweet buns. This one is a medium rare burger, so crispy outside and tender and juicy inside. truffle glaze on the burger and a creamy truffle and cheese topping. The burger was 13 bucks without sides and worth every penny. Partner had "the original" which was also amazing and featured parmesan crisps and fresh tomatoes in the stack.

Sweet potato fries were offered with four house made dipping sauces: tangy ketchup, aoili(my least favorite), outstanding hot sauce and jalapeno mayo. This location is at the CAMP complex on Bristol in Costa Mesa. So worth a visit!

www.umami.com

Sprinkles ice cream in Newport Beach. Their cupcakes impress me, even though I am not a cupcake fan. Now they have some amazing flavors of ice cream and will make sandwiches with it out of those cupcakes. The ice cream is highly fatty, which gives it a luxurious mouth feel, and just sweet enough. Last night I had morello cherry in vanilla custard, and my new favorite, Cap n Crunch!. I think I am going to start adding cap n crunch to a lot of desserts.

Damn you! I am speechless.

This is a Balboa Bar. Balboa Island, Newport Beach, is supposedly the home of the frozen banana pop, and there are several places to get them, but I opted for the Balboa Bar which is made while you wait and to order. Mine was vanilla ice cream, dark chocolate, toffeed almonds and chocolate sprinkles.

How long has it been since you've seen jellied consomme on a menu? Musso & Frank is a red leather/ dark wood kind of place that has been a Grill Room in Hollywood since 1919. I enjoyed the consomme with an old fashioned made with wild turkey 101. Also had sauteed sweetbreads with capers and chicken pot pie, the Thursday special.

Chicken pot pie at Musso & Frank. Without exaggeration, the best I have ever had and they only make it Thursdays. Crisp and tender puff pastry, really tender chunks of chicken, herbed cream sauce, pearl onions. Sublime!

Spumoni at Musso & Frank Hollywood Grill. mussoandfrank.com/menu/

Mrs. Knott's chicken dinners is just outside the gates of Knott's Berry Farm in Anaheim, and has been doing family style fried chicken dinners since the 1930s. No reservations and people regularly line up for over an hour to dine here. This is the justly famous fried chicken, which I can say from experience is just as good served cold as a midnight snack. Potatoes with white pepper gravy on the side. For about sixteen bucks here's what you get:

Hot buttermilk biscuits - spend the extra buck and get a scoop of boysenberry butter (Knott's invented the boysenberry)

Soup or rhubarb and cherry compote. Don't consider anything but the rhubarb/cherry.

Half a chicken, fried to perfection.

choice of potato, choice of vegetable.

Choice of dessert: Again, go for the boysenberries, this time in pie.

This is one of those places that is a destination worth a detour if you're anywhere in the area. Take a break from disneyland and drive over here for dinner rather than pay high prices for really bad theme park food.

blubarry, the same way we gave Aisu Kurimu her own food porn site, we should give you your own road food porn site. I want to eat on the road with you!

Too funny! I was thinking the exact same thing this morning. :) Also? I want scratch-and-sniff internet..

404 - WISH NOT GRANTED

Thanks, but I appreciate when you guys also post pics of what you find in your travels. Just happens I'm traveling a lot these days. Hoping to hit Mexicantown in Detroit tonight, so there may be more pics later...

Just got back from NOLA and Texas with my friends. here's my highlights:

Jacques IMO's Cheesecake (Alligator & Shrimp)

Late night Jerk Chicken after lots of Bourbon ;)

Pastrami and Mac & Cheese from Butcher restaurant.

Mac & Cheese was the best ive ever had.

Franklin bbq in Austin texas...waited more than 2 hours for this and it was worth every second. The Beef Brisket goes way up in my list of the best things ive ever ate. also showed is smoked turkey, Spicey sausage, beans, mash and pullpork.

Chris Madrid's Burger joint in San Antonio...pretty amazing burger.

Late night Tacos from Torchy's food truck. Barbacoa tacos, Deep fried Avocado tacos

Paul Qui's (Top Chef Texas winner) famous food truck called East Side King's Pork belly steamed buns and beets fries

Wheresdafood

If you see Tripa Tacos in San Antonio, have it.

Foodtravel, I am no longer in SA :(

If you grew up anywhere near Detroit you know Sanders. I always bring back their legendary Milk Chocolate Hot Fudge Sauce, and when I'm driving I put a couple of these beauties in the cooler. It's called bumpy cake. It's a moist chocolate sheet cake with tubes of creamy white filling laid along the length. The whole thing is covered with a rich chocolate fudge ganache. Needs to be refrigerated, but I cut it into individual servings and freeze them. They survive pretty well.

As promised, here is some Detroit roadfood from Mexicantown. I find that a lot of the formerly popular spots in Mexicantown have been "gringo-ized" and they cater to people (Canadians on Mondays when a lot them take $can at par)who always request "nothing spicy". Los Galanes is my favorite and I have had chile rellenos, octopus, goat and many other tasty authentic items here, but this pic is of an enchilada plate from last week. They make their own tortillas and they are so popular that they limit the number you can purchase to go.
www.losgalanesdetroit.com

And although not really a foodie pic, here is where you want to go buy your tortillas when Los Galanes runs out. Definitely not a tourist spot.

Ok please forgive me if the photo is too big or upside down, first time posting since getting a new camera and computer :)

Was in Quebec City and had some wonderful meals in some great restaurants.
First up was lunch at Chez Victor on Rue Saint-Jean. Had the le classique burger with mozzarella, bacon, mayo, sautéed mushrooms, lettuce, and spicy mustard. Side of fries with pesto mayo. Was VERY happy with the meal, tasty burger with a fresh bun, well cooked fries with yummy dipping sauce. The pesto mayo was a little strong but easily remedied by just using a little with each bite :-)

Found out the next day that Chez Victors is considered one of the best burger place in Quebec City, so was glad I had an opportunity to try it

here are the sample beers we had with our lunch
One dark, one amber, one blonde, and one white

Next up was dinner at Le Cochon Dingue in Old Quebec City. All 6 of us enjoyed every part of the meal! The service was fabulous, food was excellent, and wine was had by all.

First Appetizer was a duck confit spring roll. Very moist duck with a nice crisp wrapper. I wanted more but knew that my main course and dessert would fill me up.

Dining companion had the crab cakes. I had a small bite and thought they were really tasty with very little filler. The only complaint from my friend was that they were too small lol

My main course was the seafood pot pie with a salad. The pot pie was very rich and tasty. The salad had a acidic dressing which perfectly cut the richness of pot pie. Nice big chunks lobster, scallops, and salmon and the perfect piece of pastry on top.

One dining companion had the ribs. She said they were delish. I am not much of a rib fan so I didn't try one but they looked really good

Another meal was the Pork Osso Bucco. From the noises she was making while she was eating it, I would say that it was really tasty

Mussels with two different sauces, salsa rosa and mariniere. The mussels were very fresh and the sauces were tasty without covering up the taste of the mussels

the dessert that everyone had was the Sugar Pie. They claim it is the best in town, and I have to say it was pretty darn good!

Had brunch at L'Echaude in Quebec City. I had the Egg Benedictine on Cheddar Cheese and Bacon Bread. It was served with nice buttery Hollandaise Sauce that was definitely homemade. Rich yet light. Ham was cooked perfectly and the potatoes were cooked on a flat top not deep fried. The side of fruit was fresh and a nice compliment to the richness of the rest of the meal

Partner had the Pancake Stuffed with Duck Confit, Asparagus and Crémeux de Bourgogne Cheese, Tomato Carpaccio. again it was served with potatoes and fresh fruit. Yum yum

Had to have dessert as I was on a mission to find the best sugar pie...
This pie was very good. The cream was sublime. It was not whipped but I actually liked it better than whipped cream. They amped it up with vanilla bean, I could have had a gallon of it

I 'suffered' though this meal of halibut, lobster claw, scallops and shrimp. One of the best ocean combos I have had the pleasure to eat.

Appys were a selectionof swamp food.

shrimp po' boy at Nauti Nancy's - fantastic little dive bar in a residential neighbourhood in Clearwater, Florida

agree with Early Riser re: coal fired oven pizza - this pie from Cristino's in Clearwater, Florida was absolutely phenomenal! great textured/flavoured crust from the oven.

blackened grouper sandwich from Keegan's in Indian Rocks Beach, Florida - a regional speciality in these parts.

I love Keegans. Also loved Columbia and suggest you try that place if you can. They have absolutely THE BEST Cuban sandwiches.

nice sushi in DTW and great service to boot! apologies if the pic does not show up

Sushi Dai - Tsukiji fish market Tokyo

@Felinefan re "There is a place in Ogdensburg called Little Italy that we stumbled across. They have tremendous Pizza Subs for all of $5. Next time we go I'll take and post a picture. It has everything on it a fully loaded pizza has."

...was there last week, and yes, they're HUGE and also quite good. What's even sicker - in a good way - is the $5 version is 8"... for another dollar you get a 12".

I won't say either the meatball sub nor the chicken parm sub were 'the best i've ever had', but for $6, and $2 for a Sam Adams Winter Brew.... damn it was good.

@OSoloMeal, glad you liked it. Just stay away from the chicken wings there.

Yeah, pretty much everything else that landed on a neighboring table looked unimpressive... the pizza looked 'ok'... but those subs, those were a treat.

I LOVE Little Italy in Ogdensburg! We were there 2 days ago, we always stop there for lunch when we pick up packages. We always get a white garlic pizza with extra tomatoes and onions to go for our dinner back home with a side of marinara sauce for dipping. I think a large (very large) is 13$ with those extra ingredients! I have tried the pasta Alferdo, very creamy and rich, the Calzones and Stromboli are massive and very good. Also, they take CND at par, and if you spend more then 30$ you get a toll pass. Can't go wrong with that place.

Rib eye at Cattleman's Steak house in Oklahoma City. Comes with salad with this awesome cheese sauce on the side and baked potato. The cheese sauce went great on top of the potato so save some if you can. $24 a good value since these are dry aged and cut in house.

Ken V, I remember seeing Cattleman's on Man Vs. Food! I am so jealous! Was it very flavourful?

NB. I shouldn't be browsing the forum while dinner is in the oven.

Ken V - I went to a place called cattleman's in Kansas City that was great too. I especially remember the black and white photo that covered the wall above a bank of urinals that featured hundreds of burned steer carcasses after a fire in the stockyards. Not so appetizing. Not sure if the two places are related.

@ theup the steak had a slightly peppery seasoning that was terrific. On our way back we will be stopping again. @blubarry not sure if they are related but in the main dining room there was a giant backlit mural of cowboys on horseback and cattle that took up a full wall. On another note stopped in at Chipotle Grill in Chandler AZ and had a burrito. It had to weigh 2.5 lbs.

Grocery store fried chicken. The place is called Albertsons. 12 pieces of chicken $9. You get four massive breasts, four thighs and two legs and two wings. Pic is a juicy breast with a corn coating. Doing the reheat on day two. No anorexic chickens down south.

Was it wrong to eat a half pound of meat for lunch? I am pretty sure a pound would not be over the top either. Where is a ciggy when I virtually need it.

Krusty,
Founding member of PETA
People Eating Tastey Animals

Chicken and Waffles at the State Diner in Ithaca New York. Sorry, I only remembered to take the photo after eating the first piece of that delicious fried chicken.

I hate you more for the bite, actually, because it means that plate was as awesome as it looks.

Stopped at the American Diner in Liverpool NY on our way out of Syracuse this morning. This is the half fretta with cheese. I liken this to an omelet hash that contains home fries, peppers, sausage, pepperoni, onions, ham and broccoli. I dare anyone to try and finish a whole fretta. The plate across the way is the better half's two eggs and bacon.

Challenge accepted.

The American Diner has its own challenge shown on its menu if you are so inclined ...

www.americandinerny.com

Is there a senior special? I can't eat all that!