OUT A THYME

We were in town on one of the beautiful late summer days so we took the boys for a walk through city park to stroll by the water and enjoy the day. We had the intention to have some lunch and what happened to be sitting in the park? The food truck! For the couple of you that follow my blog may recognize the name from when we were on the Island and visited the original location and had our minds blown!

We were very hungry and extremely excited. I have to admit expectations were high and the line up was long! We had to have the famous fish tacos, an avo taco and the daily special was a pulled pork taco. So let me start off by saying that there was a customer ahead of us that has now returned the tacos twice because of a sogginess issue. the chef ended up telling her to just throw them in the trash but I admit, that donkey was being rude about the whole thing though. Hee -hawwww! We placed our order and went to find a place to si……WTF!?!?!?! Giant ass green space and there are like two picnic tables for 73sq. km’s of park space. One of the most beautiful summer locations in the world and no place to sit and eat!?!? What a steamy pile of ogopogo shit this is! So in the grass we go. Our order is called up and it is time to dig in!

The fish tacos are truly amazing. So fresh and light. The fish and salsa are so well balanced topped with the spicy mayo and cabbage. It is one of the best things i have had ever. I could eat 12 and then still eat more. Crazy.

The ava taco has this brilliant panko crusted avocado with the same toppings as the fish taco so yeah, it dominated too! The fried avocado was perfectly crispy with nearly zero greasy side effects.

The surprise for me was the pulled pork taco. The pork was done very well. The sauce could have used a bit more zip to it, a little heat and a bit more flavour from some honey or bourbon perhaps? But what made up for that was the addition of pineapple to the mix. I do not usually enjoy pineapple. I do love all things pineapple flavored but the actual unit itself, mmmmmm not so much. The sweetness brought everything together and was quite masterfully thought out.

We all enjoyed our delicious tacos. The boys were loving the messy eats on the grass and we loved watching them love it. There was a lot of love going on……in the grass……..with the tacos. Maybe the city could use the license fees from the food trucks to install some picnic tables in the park, that would be nice. But now we have to ride our taco time machine back up to donkeyville. She did have a slightly valid argument. The tacos do get a bit soggy. My guess would be the juices from the fish and the fresh salsa leaking tomato guts as well. Doesn’t really bother me but if you are one of those people that doesn’t like soggy things touching their body well……….stuff it and eat the damn tacos!!! This is how street food should be. Messy and damn delicious so deal with it or cash in a two can dine coupon somewhere else.

Hello all. We were lucky enough to take a 2+ weeks of vacation in the middle of August. We loaded up the travel trailer and the boys and went through the mountains to visit our good friends that recently moved there. We were treated by Wifey’s work for a dinner for ourselves. So after some research online we decide upon Normand’s, a restaurant that specializes in wild game and exotic meat. We took an early shift because it would be easier for our babysitters so dinner was at 5:30 today, wooo! After some frantic driving, due to an unforeseen detour, we arrived only slightly late. The place was pretty average upon first glance. There was nothing special about it visually. Boring decor, boring tables, boring layout, you get the picture. We were seated at a table that had dirty dishes at it and it took to people to finally notice them. Not cool but we’ll let it slide for now. Our server guy was kind of rough around the edges, just something about him was not inviting. There were some crazy specials offered so lets get to it!

This was an appy from the menu. Escargots with tomato concasse and butter sauce. They were scrumptious. Very good classic French dish. We both liked it a lot. Well balanced with the fresh herbs and tomatoes cutting through the butter sauce to highlight the escargots and mushrooms.

This was a special. Bison carpaccio presented in the strangest way I have ever seen. This gnarly waved bowl and then spread out over 7.2 sq.kms. It tasted nice. It had the smokey salty curing to it and the little pickles were a nice compliment but it was so weird to look at. You know, kind of like someone’s funny looking child. You don’t want to stare but you can’t help it and then still try to love the little bugger. Yeah, just like that….

I have to apologize. I can’t quite remember what the protein is. Either bison or elk and tenderloin I think. Hey, it was semi-stressful plus wine consumption divided by length of time since trip equals why the hell do you even read my stuff anyways? And it was very good! The meat was cooked perfectly for her…..medium rare. The potato pave type side was fantastic. The veggies were…….the usual but cooked well. We really enjoyed this and could not get over how tender and juicy the meat was. Good job there.

Now this was something we were both anxious for. One of the neatest sounding and intriguing dishes I’ve seen in a long time. The exotic sampler. We have elk tenderloin, kangaroo tenderloin and a crocodile skewer! WTF!?!?! I had to do it. And this was excellent. The elk tenderloin was full of flavor with a berry jus and cooked to perfection. The kangaroo was also very nice. Almost pork-like in consistency and chicken-ish in taste. But the big surprise of the night was that damned crocodile skewer! It was so good. It too was chicken-ish in texture but had almost a sweet mild gaminess to it that was very unique. I really savored this and stretched out the tasting to explore the subtle flavours. The veg were whatever…

Because we were wild and crazy and definitely not hungry we attempted two desserts. I ordered this chocolate tri-nut pie. It tasted great but it was sodamn rich it was like eating a log covered in chocolate salamanders. Is that weird? The nuts cooked in chocolate drizzled with chocolate and ice cream and whip cream. Frickin’ hell I was so full I almost lost it right there. she had a blueberry, saskatoon, strawberry, rhubarb, apple crisp. Shit one more fruit and they cooked the whole damned orchard up in there! It was the nicer dessert to finish the meal. Should have shared that one but I was greedy.

This was a strange one for me. I left full and satisfied but not thrilled or felt like we shared a life moment together which is waste because there were some great ingredients there to work with. If you are in the area and are interested in wild game and even wilder specials I would check it out but with minimal expectations. I think you could find a more quaint and romantic place serving higher quality food for the same price. Some great food moments were not enough to make up for some of the other shortcomings. Service and atmosphere were uninspired and the food was so close to something magical but lacked some refinement and updating.

Now that I am home and not working we get to do a lot more family activities on the weekends because I always used to work on Saturdays. This was my first time attending the Block Party. It was decent. Lots to see and do, fun stuff for the kids – you know, the usual. Although she said in previous years there were more vendors out in the street instead of them just being open regularly at the store. I wish it was a pedestrian only corridor that took full advantage of the summer weather and products grown in the valley offering people a unique and local experience. It wast super toasty outside that day and after a trip up and down the street we were just past lunch time. We looked at a few food carts – $4 bucks for a Dollar Store burger with a Heinz trio = NOPE! We were actually quite indecisive about what we wanted and now we are all getting hungry and grumpy so she suggested this Molly’s place that she has been to a few times and that some of our friends frequent regularly.

It is inside the little mall, Town Centre Mall I believe it is called. When you first see this place you would think of something along the lines of the old K-mart restaurant (but a little better, hehe). Very generic, no style, nothing kind of place. But the menu was huge and everything sounded delicious. So what the hell, why not. And it was actually starting to fill up quickly.

One sandwich I have never tried is a Monte Cristo. So I went for it. After I took the first bite I actually had the muscle twitch to punch myself in the face and say “Jesus Cristo, why the hell have I never eaten one of these before!!?!?” The turkey, ham and swiss was like this warm bundle of layered perfection slathered in the perfectly tangy honey dijon mayo. But what makes this sandwich is the grilled egg batter that it is fried with. See the charred bits of delicious on that gnarly unit! Yeah, you look and then you nibble that! So freakin’ good. In the back of the picture there you see The Man harpooning a Traditional Clubhouse like a nearly extinct sea mammal. That too was great. The turkey and bacon were extra good. The one complaint she had was the excess of mayo. I don’t mind lots of sauce, to an extent mind you. But I thought it was a decent showing for a clubhouse.

Overall I feel our Molly’s experience was very good. Don’t go there for a romantic lunch rendezvous or you’ll end up roasting your own turkey if you know what I’m s…….of course you do you bunch of pervs! It is a get your food and enjoy and hit the road kind of establishment. Food did come quickly but we did beat the rush. Personally I would like to see a little more higher end choice on the bread. The regular sandwich bread is so lame but it does work with the style of food. What would have made this a prefect sandwich for me……3 pieces of bread and double the ingredients. Godzilla should struggle to one-bite that thing but hey, that’s just my opinion.

This meal was from when the festival was on (shows you how far behind I am). After taking in all the activities at the festival, well, we were hungry damn it! We did NOT want to dish out 6 bucks for a rot dog or 5 dollars for soggy fries so we made our way to Ave. to see if something their sparked some interest. Pub food, ice cream, bread – wait – HELLO!!! What is this magical portal of awesome which has shone its light upon us. Charcuterie by the name of Brick House. We have heard few but amazing stories of this place so we headed in. This is a nicely done place. Sleek and clean with the handmade product on display. Friendly staff right away and of course, some patio seating making it kid friendly. This kind of food is right at home for us because we eat similar dishes at home on a regular basis. We were very excited to see how the pros do it.

The menu is fantastic. Short and sweet with something that should suit everyone. Plus whatever the special may be for that day, which the server informed us was changed daily. It was very difficult to decide but I opted for the special which was the brisket sandwich and wifey ordered the Ploughman’s Lunch.

This was the sandwich. It is hard to tell from the picture but there is like an inch of meat stacked on that bad boy. The salad was just a mix greens with a vinaigrette which was very nice. But that damn brisket piece of perfection was out of control. This was by far the best sandwich I have ever eaten. By far. Nothing comes close. The bread was amazing. The crust was like granite but the middle was dense but fluffy and delicious. The hard crust was prefect because from the moment you pick that thing up to the moment you are done there are liters of fatty fat juices running down your appendages. It was unbelievable. The rich smoky flavor oozing out of that brisket was probably one of the best prepared meats I have ever eaten. And that crust held up to all of it. The sandwich was never soggy. Nope, not once. And all that was on there was a light smear of mustard. Fack!!!

This magnificent masterpiece was the Ploughman’s Lunch. Just look at it and then give yourself a slap because yeah, it is real. Ok here we go – 4 meats, andouille, a farmer sausage, a spicy one and a bacon, slightly different bread, eggs, grainy mustard, a rhubarb mustard if I remember correctly, figs, a bleu cheese which for me was really quite good, olives, peppers and onions. For 9 fackin dollars!!! You should be paying double for this!

We were blown away by this meal. It was the perfect lunch. The only problem was I could have eaten double because it was so good. Our little gourmet man was just inhaling everything in sight and saying how much he loved the sausage and bacon and dip it in the mustard and on and on and on. The 3 of us had a perma-smile for the rest of the day. Little little man was just cranky…..the usual baby gig. But he did like the bread! We could not fault this meal. We even bought some sausage and bleu cheese to take home and it was amazing as well.

I was invited out for a bachelor party dinner and was informed that we were going to Keg. Strangely enough I have never been to a Keg before. Being a lover of great steaks and meat this may come to a shock to some people. I always hear great things about and I was actually looking forward to what may come. Well holy ffffffiretruck what an absolute disappointment that was. Just terrible. I was actually shocked at the food that was dropped on my plate. Let me fill you in since you are so eager to know.

There it is. It’s rubbish. Alright, lets do this. Now take your bulging eyeballs and stuff them back where they belong because this masterpiece will hoof you in the back if your not careful. I love ribeye. It is the best cut for a steak. And as the three of you know(regular readers of the blog…..three…soo sad) I like my steak bleu. Yep, that thing was still gnawing grass when it arrived. I like my meat rare but hot damn that was sashimi beef! Not quite cooked enough so it actually lacked some of that delicious flavour from the marbelling of fat. And it was wrapped in applewood bacon with a bleu cheese and garlic sauce. The bacon was brutally undercooked as well. Topped with a soggy cheese thing it was quite difficult to eat. Have you ever seen a more dismal display of vegetables in your life? When I open my compost lid I see crusty shit at the bottom that out performs that sadness. The extremely average caesar salad was the only edible part of the plate.

I’m not sure if I’m trying to find excuses or what but the place was absolutely slammed when we showed up. Had to wait at least 20 minutes for our table. Service was decent considering. It felt like the place had as about as much atmosphere as the moon. It just seemed so dated and uninviting. Are all Kegs’ like this? Some of the other guys ordered a crab and steak special which they seemed to really enjoy. It looked nice. I mean there was freakin’ crab all over the plate but I never tried it. I was too depressed to. This happened back in May and recently driving through town noticed a board where a new steakhouse was being built. I hope the old one is being demolished and rises out of the ashes to redeem themselves but I fear it will be quite sometime before I go back.

A couple of weekends ago we ventured out to the county again. Wifey loves most of it. He is still scared of the large climbing area. As with our usual family outing for the weekend we try to sneak in a good lunch and try something different. Wifey Urban Spooned something close by because we actually are not that familiar with the Rutty area. We were hoping to find some sort of small bistro or cafe deli kind of place and shaka-boom!!! The Spoon spits out some random Mediterranean deli place.

Awesome lets roll. Well turns out that place was closed down. But we saw a crazy looking place on the corner not far away so we U-turned the EQ and ripped over to this cool looking building with old bricks and contemporary elements. Jankies! Located on the corner of Side Rd, this building is super cool. Old brick look on the outside and hip and contemporary on the inside. The staff also have the rock star persona. We were diggin’ it! It is actually a very large space but could use some more tables I think. Perhaps they will come soon enough. The menu is totally gnarly. The dogs looked amazing in the featured ads on the walls. Very cool. We loved the concept. Make a hot dog gourmet and it is that simple.

The image alone is what sold me on my choice of dog. Named the Benny’s Big Boy and for good reason. This dog was loaded and I mean facking loaded with ham, chili, cheddar, mustard, bacon, hot peppers and a fried egg. If that doesn’t get your dog wagging its tail then you must be last weeks road kill! The masterpiece of wiener arrived sagging the tray it was carried on. The topping were spewing out of everywhere…………it needed one of those cone of shame things animals get after a visit to the vet. A perfectly fried egg lay on top barely holding the situation together. Upon the first bite I was absolutely blown away. The first thing I noticed actually was the bun. Perfectly toasted and just slightly larger than the regular fluff buns you get from the supermarkets. And the dog itself was meaty and juicy and tasted amazing. The whole package together was damn near perfection. I actually had to restrain myself from inhaling it. Amazing!

Wifey was torn but ended up with my second choice of the Master Perog. Yep. A perogy hot dog. Much like BP’s perogy pizza, this SOB was piled high with cheddar potato perogy filling, sauteed onions, bacon, sour cream and chives. It too was winning top breed in the hot dog field. Wow…..I’m just rollin’ with the dog lines tonight! Kiddo had the kiddie dog which is just a regular hot dog with some add ons if you like. He to enjoyed immensely and kept saying how good it was too.

The one thing we both commented on right away was the quality of the product as well as the preparation. Nothing was greasy or soggy but rather quite fresh and well presented. Both choices were packed full of flavor and each element seemed to have care and finesse to make a complete and well balanced hot dog. The last time I had a hot dog I had upset stomach and instantly regretted eating one. Today all I wanted to do was order another to see what kind of crazy they were going to present me. Service was great, the guys working seemed to really enjoy what they were doing. I happened to take notice to the large number of high school kids lined up for lunch. And the guys at the counter were joking with them and seemed to really appreciate the business no matter who was paying. It was nice to see.

The Bakery is a place in town that everyone knows. But for some strange reason in the nearly eleven years we’ve been here I have never been. So after our first visit to the place we needed some kick ass lunch. So off we went for some wicked food. I was very excited to see what kind of German style dishes they had to offer. She has actually been before and she has always reminded about how good it is.
I love the traditional feel on the inside. Rustic wood decor everywhere including a gnarly wood and chalkboard menu board. They are in the process of doing some updates including flooring and contemporary bathrooms but none of it takes away from the charm pouring out of the main area. One thing we thought was a little odd was the amount of staff willing to take your order. There was one dude at the till taking your order, then the next person asks what you ordered and then gives that order to someone else that goes and relays that order to the people making the food. It seemed a little excessive. We took our seats and waited impatiently.

I ordered the Bavarian veal. It is one of my favorite dishes when we travel to Germany. she tells me it is the equivalent to our hot dog but in loaf form. But this is so much better than a hooves and forehead packed rot dog. It has a delicious addicting flavor that goes perfectly with what it was paired with. Perfectly caramelized onions with a semi sweet grainy mustard. The kaiser bun was very good for a white bun and was smeared with a herb butter. The one thing I didn’t care for was the sauerkraut. I’ve never liked it and this definitely will not change my mind. I did have a few scoops of it but…………nope! Still no good. It is hard to tell from the picture but that meat is close to 3″ thick. So I halved it and made an amazing sandwich with the onions and mustard. I inhaled that freakin’ thing! Kiddo had a couple bites and then wanted a one too. So I stole wifey’s bun and made another!.

She had basically the same thing except she had the bratwurst lunch. She claimed the brat to be nothing special but I happened to find quite scrumptious. It had a subtle depth of spice that I found quite good. Cooked perfectly, it was moist and juicy just the way I like my sausage…….oh yeah. And yes you guys are perverts for thinking it but I won’t judge. Eli had a large percentage of the bratwurst before annihilating most of one of my sandwiches.

I definitely was impressed with the Bakery. It was an excellent lunch after a fun morning of activities. It nice to have some expectations met for once. I have to admit I had high hopes which I usually try not to do. I think anyone can go here and enjoy and large fulfilling lunch. The portion size was excellently large and the price was bang on! In true Deutsche style though I did not see much for a “healthy” option. Don’t come here looking for a cucumber salad is all I’m trying to say. I strongly recommend you trying this place. It is great fun and casual and easy. You get what you should expect and you won’t be let down.