Canada in October- Vancouver Gluttony

One of the highlights of our stay at the Holiday inn Downtown Vancouver, was the wonderful barman, Tim. He was an expert on local restaurants and clearly loved giving out recommendations. i felt a kindred spirit. Out of his many suggestions, we picked two that were within walking distance of our hotel.

The first was a seafood restaurant, specializing in oysters called Rodney's Oyster House.

Oysters on a rainy October night in Vancouver

There were too many great menu choices

i'm not sure if it was due to the popularity of the restaurants or that the culture in Vancouver is to eat early, but both of the restaurants were completely full by five-thirty. Rodney's has several tables on an upper deck, but most of the action takes place at the bar, where you can watch the oyster dishes being prepared. We had a table on the upper deck, over looking the bar, so we like we were part of the action. Rodney's is casual, getting a heavy after work happy hour crowd of business people. It's loud.

The menu was filled with loads of great options and as often the case, our eyes were bigger than our stomachs. i'm not even a huge fan of oysters, but i wanted to embrace the experience and taste a bit of everything. We were stuffed before we got to our main courses and even then, we ordered dessert. The only justification was that we had walked.

Mousse for dessert. A delicious end!

i have no idea what this is, it was something that we ordered as an appetizer and can best be described as fish jerky. it was like chewy -smoky-fishy- candy. We tried it, but couldn't eat it.

Deep fried oysters with a cream sauce. The best oysters that I have ever eaten. I am still craving the amazing sauce.

My main- halibut with a potato crust, served with asparagus. Tim recommended this dish to me and it was fantastic.

Dan's main - scallops in a pasta dish.

i highly recommend Rodney's. The food is amazing and reasonably priced. We had many meals that broke the bank on our trip and this was not one of them. I also liked the vibe of the place, nice (and abnormally good looking) waitstaff and fun decor. Check out their website for more details.

Rodney's Official Website

The second restaurant that we tried was a little place called the Twisted Fork Bistro.

Twisted Fork Website

The Twisted Fork is a true hole in the wall, we would have walked right by it, if we had not been consulting our GPS. We arrived about ten minutes early and not realizing that we were early, walked in, as the restaurant looked open. We were curtly told to wait outside. We ran into another couple who was in the same predicament. We understood having to wait, but could have done without the attitude. It turns out, the snotty attitude came with the dinner. I think that it might be that the Twisted Fork is a current hot spot and they know it, but this was the only place in Canada that we experienced unfriendly service. Admittedly, the our server did warm up a bit, when we ordered an expensive bottle of wine, but to us, the damage had been done.

What the Twisted Fork Bistro lacked in service, it more than made up for in fabulous food. i get why this is a popular restaurant, i was wowed by my meal. We each went with the three course special menu, where we had a handful of selections for each course. It was a great way to sample the food and far less expensive than ordering each separately.

Unfortunately, most of our pictures didn't turn out at all. We both started with a salad that had goat cheese crumbles. I've recently discovered the joys of salads that utilize goat cheese. it adds a yummy creamy texture. Vancouver is a seafood town, so i went with a grilled trout for my main, grilled with a salty seasoning.

Dan went with the roasted lamb for his main and i tried it. There are very few foods that I won't eat and lamb is on that list. i've tried it and have always had a gut wrenching reaction to it. My mom said that lamb was the only baby food that I would spit out. I always figured that since I am not a picky eater, that it was okay to dislike lamb. However, Dan's lamb dish looked good and in the spirit of adventure, I tried the smallest bite possible. Oh my goodness, heaven. It was tender and melted into my mouth. This is how I know that the Twisted Fork Bistro is a rock star restaurant, it got me to love a meat, that I have spent my entire life ardently opposing. It was better than my trout.

We picked two desserts that we both would like and split them. One was a chocolate mousse torte and the other was a sorbet between two wafer thin cookies. Both were outstanding, like the entire meal.

Dessert, the one picture that turned out.

i highly recommend visiting The Twisted Fork bistro based on the quality and inventiveness of the food and the general atmosphere of the restaurant. The prices are moderate to high. We splurged on the wine and our meal was around two-hundred with tip and worth every penny. Arrive early, as it was completely full within minutes opening for dinner and expect attitude from the staff, which hopefully will not be the case and you will have a stellar dining experience.

Getting Out of L.A. with Dan's Parents - Gluttony Revisited

Our second weekend away proved to be just as gluttonous as our first. This weekend, I was determined to enjoy, but not overindulged, as my lesson learned at the Stratosphere was still fresh in my mind. We made Waffle Works in Lake Arrowhead Village our first stop. When we went in July, I ordered a Monte Cristo Waffle Sandwich, which was okay, but just can't compare to the simplicity of their fruit waffles. This time, i went with a peach melba waffle.

Peach Melba Waffle.

The peach melba waffle was the right choice all of the way. It's like having pie for breakfast! In my book, pie is an anytime food. I also love how Waffle Works offers a variety of flavored creamers. I can drink coffee with vanilla cream all day long. I probably shouldn't, but I could.

September is a great time to visit Arrowhead, as we didn't encounter waits for anything. The last time we visited Waffle Works, this patio was jammed with people waiting to be seated and we had to wait an hour.

Waffle Ghost Town.

In addition to Waffle Works, we also went back to Bin 189, the steakhouse located in our hotel, the Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa. It was another quiet dining experience. There was a crying baby at an adjacent table, but the family was finishing their dinner and left before we placed our order. Both our server and the manager offered to move us away from the baby. Great staff at Bin.

I should have written down specifics of the meal to tag the picture, but I was in vacation mode and not thinking ahead. I will do my best to be specific. All of the food was excellent though and we all left, full and happy.

Here is my spinach salad. On the menu, it was listed as a side-salad, but it is clearly meal sized. It was so completely delicious, that next time, I will go with this salad and the rare tuna appetizer as my meal. The best part of the salad was hunks of brie cheese.

My enormous and delicious side salad.

The tuna appetizer that Dan ordered.

Ahi starter.

Dan's mom had humus with pita bread.

Hummus starter.

Dan's dad had the daily soup starter. I think that it may have been lobster bisque.

Lobster Bisque starter.

I'm not sure how I missed it, but I have pictures of all the main courses, except mine. I had a spicy grilled salmon, that was very good, although I think that I prefered the steak that I had on the last visit. Dan and his dad both had the steak.

Filet.

Dan's mom is vegetarian.

Vegetarian dish

Just like he did last time, Dan went with the cheese platter for dessert.

Fruit and cheese plate.

Knowing that I would burst if I ordered more food, I stuck with an alcoholic coffee beverage. It was a twist on Irish Coffee and probably had more calories than if I had just ordered dessert. Totally worth it though!

Irish coffee

The next morning, we committed a three-peat and went back to the Old Country Coffee Shop that Dan and I went to on our last drive to Big Bear.

A must stop for breakfast.

I don't know how anyone could see it and not stop. It's a great hole-in-the-wall experience that feels very americana. Plus, they have these cool coffee cups.

Local coffee cups

In Big Bear, we stopped for a mid-afternoon coffee and snack at a local recommended (and highly praised on Yelp) spot called The Copper Q.

A must stop for a snack in Big Bear.

The Copper Q was so yummy and completely adorable, that I actually said that if I worked there, I probably be happy all of the time. It was just such a unique coffee-house. In the back, they had a giant kitchen with bar stools around the stove island and a chef gives cooking demonstrations. Did I mention that my lemon bar was amazing? The Copper Q is a must do when visiting Big Bear. There is no reason to go to a Starbucks, if a place like this is right in Big Bear Village. Go. Now.

Our first night dinner in Palm Springs was at a Cheesecake Factory, which was walking distance from the Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa. There is not much to report, as I think that most people have eaten at the mega chain. I used to not like the Cheesecake Factory ( except for dessert), but I've come around and in the last few years have found menu items that I have enjoyed.

Our stay at Rancho Las Palmas included breakfast at the Blue Ember Restaurant, located on the property.

BluEmber

Going with the theme, they have a blue fire pit at the entrance.

BluEmber firepit.

The restaurant is very pretty and would probably have been nice for dinner. The breakfast was okay. We went with the buffet, that had both hot and cold choices. It didn't have a huge selection, but included most things that a person might want at breakfast. Overall, it wasn't a very memorable dining experience.

If you see a giant pig statue, you have to stop. You just have to. Or maybe I just have to stop. In any case, we stopped to take a picture of the pig in front of Babe's in Palm Springs (located at The Lakes complex, near Cheesecake Factory) and wound up eating there.

Inside, they had more pig statues, lots of them.

Babe, it's what's for dinner.

The name Babe's is sadistic enough, but all of the pig statues really drive it home that this is the place to eat some pork. Babe's is very clearly a Texas BBQ place and the server was very detailed when explaining the offerings. In addition to the pigs, they have the following decor on the wall.

Texas stuff.

I love good BBQ. Babe's is a chain restaurant, although I am not sure how big and they have their own award-winning sauce that the server was very proud to explain. I stuck with something that I know I always like, a BBQ pulled pork sandwich washed down with sweet tea. Sweet Tea is a must get everytime I see it on the menu.

It was good, but I have had much better in local BBQ dives. The Sweet tea had a chemical taste, like it was mass manufactured and came out of a fountain. The BBQ sauce was more smoky than sweet and although it was good, my preference is sweet. I also didn't care for the lack of healthy options for side dishes. If I am going to eat fatty BBQ, I like to pair it with veggies or a salad. Dan's mom had a vegetarian entrée salad that looked absolutely delicious. I would give them another try, but would probably steer clear of the pulled pork and go with a salad.

As amazing as it was to have two weekends of great food, I was kind of glad to get back to simplier meals. I even managed to luck out and hardly put on any weight. I have no idea how I escaped packing on the pounds!

Vegas With Dan's Parents - Gluttony

Next to the lazy river, my favorite Vegas activity has to be eating. We ate a lot during this most recent trip. To kick it off, we hit Peggy Sue's in Yermo, which seems to be about the half way point to Vegas. Dan and I had eaten there before and didn't love it, but it seemed like such the quintessential American diner experience for his parents. Breakfast was great. We even ended up stopping at Peggy Sue's for dinner on the way home from Vegas. A tip, they stop serving waffles and pancakes at eleven in the morning and make sure to take your receipt inside the store for free Tootsie Rolls or gum. Also, make sure to check out the ducks and turtles in the little dino park in the back.

I like this one with the crazy feathers!

Dinner our first night in Vegas was at Cafe Society in the Wynn. We didn't plan it, but found Cafe Society after wandering around the hotel and reading the menu. The entire restaurant is done in black and white. It's whimsical like everything else at the Wynn, with large vases and oversized furniture. It almost felt like eating in a gothic garden. I had huge burger, thick with mushrooms and swiss cheese. Dan and his mom both had veggie dishes. Steve Wynn is a Vegan and all of his properties have plenty of Vegan and Vegetarian options. Dan's dad had fish and chips. We all left very happy with our dinners and would go back.

On Saturday, we ate a late lunch at the Aria buffet. The Aria Buffet has joined the Wynn Buffet as favorites of mine in Vegas. Aria's has a great selection with already cracked crab legs. I love crab when I don't have to do the work! For an extra ten dollars, you can add bottomless champagne or bloody marys, and our server always kept our glasses filled. One of my favorite things about the Aria Buffet is it has large windows and tons of natural light. My only small complaint is that I wish the buffet served the shrimp out in large quantities, rather than two with cocktail sauce in a little cup. The presentation is lovely, but I would rather have easy access to my favorite buffet item! I unfortunately didn't take any pictures of the buffet, but here is a cute picture of bird benches right outside of the hotel.

We stayed stuffed from the buffet until after seeing Love at the Mirage. We wanted a quick bite and ended up at Stack. Stack is a restaurant that just looks cool. It has thick, curved wood giving it a simultaneous modern and rustic feel. By the time we got there, about nine-thirty on a Saturday, it was in partial nightclub mode, with loud music at the bar. We found a quite spot on the edge of the bar, close to the casino and ordered drinks and small plates. I had a trio of skewered meats with lettuce cups.

The food and drinks were delicious, but small and really expensive.

On Sunday morning, we headed to the Luxor for lunch. The only reason that we went to the Luxor, was so that Dan's parents could see the Titanic Exhibit. They had been quite resistant to going to the exhibit, so we used a bit of trickery by getting them over to the hotel for lunch first. The buffet at the Luxor was awful, especially on the heels of having the Aria buffet. I felt like Randy Quaid in Vegas Vacation, "I'll have some of the blue stuff." This place is bad and was definitely the low point of the trip.

Dinner on Sunday was at The Top of the World restaurant in the Stratosphere.

I've been biased about the Stratosphere from ten minutes that I spent in the hotel lobby about six years ago. Until this past weekend, those ten minutes were the only time I had been in the hotel and I let it shape my entire opinion of it. I had gone with my now ex husband to pick up his cousin who had been staying at the Stratosphere. We parked and walked into the hotel, which seemed completely run down and dingy. Here is what killed it for me, we noticed posted on every doorway a sign to remind visitors that weapons are not allowed on the premises. My imagination ran wild with what must have happened to make the hotel felt the need to post that sign. I wanted out of there ASAP.

Fast forward to this last weekend...the first thing that I did was look for those posted signs to show Dan and his parents. The signs are gone. Not only that, the hotel didn't seem that bad. Sure, it's old, but that's okay. It looks like it may have had an update. I'm sure that I will never stay there, but it was completely fine to go for dinner and the dinner was a hundred percent first class.

However we did need to go through security on the way to the elevators...

It was worth it for this amazing view from our table by the window.

The view changed as this was a revolving restaurant. It took approximately eighty minutes to make a complete circle. We even had the potential to see thrill seeking skyjumpers go off the top of the building. I missed it though!

The food and wine were fantastic, as was the service. I, along with Dan and his dad, had the four course tasting menu. My first course was a Caesar Salad and the second was crab cakes. I was absolutely stuffed by the first two courses, which were enormous and then my steak came out.

It was so good and I could only manage to eat half of it. Here is a picture of the interior.

Dan's mom is a vegetarian and here is a picture of her main course.

And finally the dessert course.

I nearly cried when the dessert was placed in front of me, as I had zero room to eat it. I actually was feeling ill from stuffing myself. Unless you're Joey Chestnut, don't attempt the tasting menu. It is more food than a mere mortal can handle.

After my amazing dining experience, my negative impression of the Stratosphere has been lifted. This is a restaurant that every foodie should experience. Here is a cool shot of the front of the hotel that Dan took as we were waiting for the valet.