Tide & Boar Gastropub, Moncton, New Brunswick

Love!! this place. Great open and yet intimate atmosphere, fabulous food and wonderful drinks, (the best martini olives). So this pub is on Main Street, in the beautiful city of Moncton. Tide & Boar really helps to brighten up the sort of quiet that lingers through this town. Always busy, and welcoming, its perfect for everyone. They also have a nice big patio.

So what have we eaten, well number one i would say is the Chowder, Atlantic Tide Chowder, with smoked Haddock, salmon, mussels, shrimp, fennel and dill. So creamy and hot every time i get it, its so fresh.

Polenta Fries, so they mix polenta and Asiago bake it then cut the polenta into fry shapes then fry them and serve it with a basil, salsa verde aioli. Very unique, and simple tasting. 

They have OMG oysters, yup that's what they are called, Parmesan, bacon, salsa Verde and crispy capers, all melted on top of each oyster. Very yummy, but perhaps a bit better with larger oysters.

Hmm what else, stuffed chicken wings, Chorizo sausage, smoked Gouda, and apple cider buffalo sauce served with a Belgium blue cheese dip. These are very tasty, just need a bit more stuffing, but the wings are so crispy and fresh, and the cider buffalo sauce is yummy.

Roasted cauliflower with kimchi puree and walnut salt. Great combination, roasted cauliflower gets a nutty flavor, and then the sweet kimchi and salt just create a wonderful flavor combination, I would prefer a larger portion af cauliflower though, i mean come on its cauliflower tehee.

Great free-range beef burgers, not too big, just the right size. Grilled fresh, topped with white cheddar, balsamic onion, dill pickle and their homemade Tide ketchup. There salad is great to have with the burger, artisan lettuce, shallot dressing, roasted root vegetables and toasted granola.

The Boar Poutine! haha what a fun thing to have for your meal, well it was for Joe, he really enjoyed it. Chicken and boar gravy, hand cut fries, caramelized onions and of course cheese curds. So good, creamy toppings and fresh homemade fries, so delish!

Rolling Rock Battered Haddock, fresh and crispy, not greasy at all, served with lemon tartar sauce and fennel slaw.

We had a couple other things but im tired of writing...haha, just go, its good everytime. Service was always done with smiles.....we will be back......

Natasha:)

http://www.tideandboar.com/

Blackfin Pub, Comox, BC

Cozy, welcoming and home style meals. Nice place to come when you want a night off from cooking, which even Chefs need once in a while:)
So while living in Comox for a month, this became our regular spot. Yummy french onion soup made with caramelized onions, roasted garlic, Guiness, Parmesan, Swiss and garlic Focaccia.
 Unique appetizers like fresh kettle fried Fanny Bay Oysters, and crispy Phyllo wrapped Asian Shrimp bundles with Wasabi mayo and sweet chili dip.
We also had their AAA Sirloin Burgers on whole wheat buns with roast red pepper Aioli, and big crispy fries. Also the Seafood Pubhouse, toasted triple decker, snow crab, shrimp, bacon, lettuce, tomato and dill mayo. The menu is a bit overwhelming from too many yummy choices, i do not like huge menus because its too hard to make a choice. I had the bacon wrapped scallops and they were not very nice, highly unlikely that they were made in-house, they were dried up and not very fresh.
We unforgivably did not order any desserts, but they looked wonderful.
Did i mention the view? Mountains and ocean, too bad it wasn't a bit warmer we would have sat on their balcony right over the marina.
Great beverage selection, and very nice service. Blackfin helped us feel at home......

Natasha:)

http://www.blackfinpub.com/

RView Lounge, Seattle, Washington

Fabulous! Located downtown Seattle on the 28th floor of the Renaissance hotel.
Go on up and grab a seat by the window and enjoy the views of downtown Seattle and Elliot Bay.
 Have a cocktail, we enjoyed a couple martinis which were delish! I had a Cucumber Gin Martini - Hendricks Gin, fresh squeezed lemon juice and cucumber, so fresh and yummy:)
 Joe had a Classic 1950s Martini - Belvedere Vodka, dry vermouth and olives, very good.
We simply shared their Bruschetta, grilled sourdough, fennel, tomato, white beans & capers. It was the most unique bruschetta i have tried, the main ingredient was white beans instead of classic tomatoes and the capers really finish it off.
Such an enjoyable and romantic spot, a must if you are in Seattle, we went back the next night for another round of martinis!! If only they were open a bit later, 11pm doesn't do it for me....We will be back.....

Natashaaaaa:)

http://www.wix.com/rviewseattle/rview#!about

Mad Rona's Coffee Bar, Gabriola Island, B.C.

Fresh, new, zen vibe. Open every day of the week from 7am-9pm. This place is an island gem. Organic, fair trade coffee purchased from Cobble Hill south of the island, fresh made sandwiches, soups, and daily baked yummies!!
Choose your order at the counter and take a seat.
I had the Greek Goddess sandwich, house made Tzatziki, cucumber, tomato, lettuce, red onion and black olive Tapenade, all served on soft delicious fresh bread. Such a zesty and tasty combination. Mum and Joe both got the Tsunami, with seared Ahi Tuna, house pickled red onion, lettuce and Chipotle Aioli served on a Portuguese bun.
Coffee was as good as you would hope for, fresh and hot. Made with their fancy La Marzzoco FB 80 Espresso machine and swift grinder.
We got a bunch of desserts to go as well, a few cookies, peanut butter which was crispy on the edges and chewy on the inside, a Compost cookie which had espresso, choc chips, pretzels and maybe a few more bits in it. Ginger cookie needed a bit more ginger. A pecan square which was "to die for", yes that's a cliche thing to say, but precise.
Worth checking out if you happen to be visiting the island, or if you live there go check it out, i guarantee you cant just go once....

Natasha:)

 http://www.madronascoffeebar.ca/

Honey Dip Doughnuts and Goodies, North Vancouver, B.C.

Love this place! Located in the sweet little town of Deep Cove, they are busy with customers lining up for more yummy food and coffee.
I was in the mood for a nice fresh breakfast after a long night of traveling, and thanks to Joe i got that and more.
Just tell them your order and take a seat, i chose an omelet with tomato, onion, spinach and mushrooms, plus an Americano. Joe had bacon, eggs and hash. Everything was so good, simple and freshly prepared. The coffee was very robust and delicious.
We sat at the window and watched what others were ordering, massive cinnamon buns, and beautiful latte's, truly works of art.
We got a couple doughnuts and a muffin for later, i love the maple one its my fave, very thick and chewy with just enough maple glaze on top.
Every town needs a place like this. There was lots of seating too, in doors and outdoors.
We will be stopping on our way back for some road snacks!......

Natasha:)

http://www.honeydoughnuts.com

MRKT, Edmonton, Alberta

Created by the previous co-founder of Soul Soup, which was a part of Edmonton for four years, and was closed so that Carla Alexander could open MRKT with partner Sal Di Maio who co-owns Red Star pub and Halo lounge which are located on the lower level of the same building.
Let me share this place with you, its perfect for sharing small plates and a bottle of wine. The atmosphere is small and inviting, surrounded with wood, its almost like being in a barrel.
I had such a delicious drink i had to have two..hehe, vodka, strawberry basil syrup and Prosecco, so fresh and light, very yummy.
We shared a few plates,spiced olives, roasted tomatoes, feta cheese and crostinis this was one plate, very simple, but so good if you like that Mediterranean style. We had a slow braised Spring Creek Ranch (Vegreville Alberta)boneless beef rib served with coleslaw and soft polenta. It was melt in your mouth heavenly. Also we had Sauteed prawns on sweet potato mash, tomato butter, white wine and miso-chimichurri. Very good, large fresh prawns not over cooked!, yummy potato mash:)
This place has a great charm, if  we didnt have other plans that night we would have stayed longer for sure.
With daily fresh organic specials and a small menu to choose from its not overwhelming to choose your plate or plates to share with someone who will share back;)
I will definitely go back for a romantic evening or a nice lunch...

Natasha

http://mrktcafeteria.com/

Dumplings, Edmonton, Alberta

Fresh and healthy Asian Fusion.
Love this place, they welcome you with open arms. We wanted to order some food to take home, so the lady gave us some menus and told us to have a seat and brought us some water, so after a difficult choice because everything sounds so good, we got a Wonton soup,  Dan Dan Noodle soup, some ginger beef and some spicy crispy pork. They packed it up nicely for us, with chop sticks too!
So the soups were both delicious and very savory, we chose our spiciness level, joe got spicy i got medium to be safe.
You can taste ginger and maybe some lemon grass and garnished with cashews. I personally dont like nuts in my soup, but joe loved it. The meat dishes were good as well, made fresh to order. However i just found the spices a bit bitter for my taste. We also got some crispy fried wontons which were very good.
They do bubble tea as well, which i have yet to try!
We must go back and try their hand made dumplings that can be steamed, grilled or deep fried...

Natasha:)

http://www.dumplingstherestaurant.com/