Monday, February 25, 2019

A & W

A & W

45801 1st Avenue
Chilliwack, BC V2P 1R3
Canada

As an American, I thought I had eaten in most of the fast food places around, and had never thought much of A&W in the states. The rootbeer in the U.S. was not particularly exciting or memorable to drink anymore.

What a difference!

This A&W has become my favorite fast food restaurant in Chilliwack.
Let's start with cleanliness. The place is clean enough to eat off the floors, though I wouldn't recommend it!

Their burgers are amazing, and cooked to order. Actually, everything there is cooked to order and comes to you piping hot. 

Then there is the rootbeer. Nothing like what is served in the states. This is the rootbeer I remember having as a child - served in a frozen mug it is outstanding. Even the diet version is excellent.

While they also serve breakfast, I had yet another burger for breakfast.  They also now have a vegetarian (vegan) burger that is just as wonderful as their beef burger.

Best of all, they raise their own beef, grow their own veggies, and are wonderful people to deal with.

Right on the edge of getting 5 stars, I can only give 4 to a fast food place.

Ricky's All Day Grill

Ricky's All Day Grill

45389 Luckakuck Way
Unit 100
Chilliwack, BC V2R 3S9
Canada


Companion and I at breakfast at this location. We were seated immediately and were given our menus.

Companion ordered a Brekkie Bowl, which contained potatoes with peppers and onions, scrambled eggs, tomatoes and green onions, with toast on the side. Companion opted not to have the sauce on top, and there was no problem having it that way.

I opted to have an omelet, and selected the Mega Mushroom and 3 cheese. It was a lovely omelet, properly cooked and served. All this was accompanied by some excellent coffee.

The place was clean, service was good, and the food was properly prepared.

3 stars

Almost Home Restaurant and Steakhouse

Almost Home Restaurant and Steakhouse
3310 Market ST NE
Salem, Oregon 97301

Companion and I were traveling from Canada to the lower U.S. and stopped in for dinner.

I will preface this review by saying that anytime I am in this area I will make it my business to come here for my meals!

This is a small diner with a big heart. No matter what you want to eat, if it is on the menu it will be beautifully made and served hot and perfect. I felt like I was eating at home the food was of such character.\

Companion ordered the turkey dinner at regular price. Our server informed us that there was a special on for the turkey dinner and our bill would be reduced if it was ordered. The dinner included even more food as well as dessert for a lower price!

I ordered the apple-cranberry pork, and was amazed at how wonderful the flavor was as well as the more than adequate portion size.

For dessert, even though we were both stuffed, we had homemade pie which was absolutely delicious.

Probably best of all was our waiter. Not only was he knowledgeable, but was so wonderful in his service. He was working multiple jobs at once, yet showed no sign of being tired or of being lazy.

Because of his excellent service, I left him a very big tip. He not only helped make our meal with his service, but he is such a terrific asset to the restaurant.

4 stars for cleanliness, excellent food, and terrific service.

Voila French Bistro and Wine Bar


10135 E Via Linda
Ste C120
Scottsdale, AZ 85258


Companion and I went to this Bistro for dinner. Personally, I felt that I was at a small Bistro in Paris near the Champs Elysees.

I started with a dish of piping hot escargot. They were loaded with lots of garlic and parsley and were wonderful. Some have complained that the snails are on the small side, but the small ones are much more tender and flavorful than the giants. I used some of the wonderful hot bread they brought to soak up the liquid in each divot and washed it all down with a lovely glass of Beaujolais. Companion enjoyed a big bowl of onion soup with croutons on top as well as a goodly amount of melted cheese.

For my main course I had assorted seafood and fish in choucroute. For those who don't know, choucroute is actually of German origin and comes from the Alsace-Lorraine region. It is characterized by serving your order with sauerkraut.  Unlike typical American sauerkraut, this is much more delicate and compliments the food well.

Companion had a nice plate of boeuf bourguignon, which was a special of the day. Companion stated that the meat was so tender than no knife was needed.

Dessert was also special. I had a Grand Marnier souffle that was so light as to be considered to be ethereal.  You took some to your mouth, and it just disappeared. Companion had a apple crumble with ice cream.

I don't know what kind of coffee they use, but it was delicious and was a finishing glory to this wonderful meal.

Service is unrushed and everything is clean. Needless To Say, the food was outstanding.

I give out very few 5 stars, but this was definitely one of them.

C-Lovers


C-Lovers
7670 Vedder Road
Chilliwack, BC

I have had the pleasure of eating here numerous times. It is a smallish restaurant that serves an assortment of fried items.

Their special of $14.99 for all you can eat fish and chips runs all day every day, and cannot be beat! If you prefer a different type of fish other than white fish, they have Cod, Haddock, Halibut, Salmon, Prawns, Oysters, and Chicken. I’m pretty sure this will satisfy just about any fish lover.

Also on the menu are Onion Rings (a huge plate of them) Zucchini Sticks, Battered Mushrooms, and my favorite, Deep Fried Pickles. Available sides are a creamy coleslaw, mushy peas, chowder, and for the young crowd a deep fried hot dog.

The all you can eat includes all the pop you can drink, or for a few dollars extra you can have a sleeve of beer with your meal. Also available are assorted beers both domestic and imported.\

I like my fish with malt vinegar, and it was no problem for them to provide it to me.

The place is clean, service is excellent, and food is hot and excellent value.

4 stars

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Rock Springs Cafe

35900 Old Black Canyon Hwy
 Black Canyon City, AZ 85324

This did not hold up to all the hoopla that others have said about it. After I and the others I had with me ate a fair sampling of pies, we all had the same conclusion, which was that the pies which may have been different in past times were just not worth the money now.

The crust on the apple pie was fair at best, the apples were over cooked, the pie had far too much lemon in it, and the seasonings we're off. At almost $25 a pie, save your gas and money and go to a local Village Inn.

3 stars

Saturday, August 11, 2018

Salmon House on the Hill

2229 Folkestone Way
West Vancouver, BC V7S 2Y6
Canada


Companion and I arrived for dinner @7:30 and were seated immediately at Table #1 at the glass windows in front. Our bus person arrived quickly and provided glasses of water with ice. Our waiter arrived a bit later.

I started with a Caesar salad which contained fried capers, grana padano  cheese, a nice dressing and very crispy bread rounds.  Companion had spring rolls which were nicely cooked to a golden brown, but the dipping sauce seemed a bit odd . It contained a lot of chopped chilies and had an odd flavor instead of the usual sweet chili that is usually served.

For the main course, I had smoked sable fish. It was served with roasted Jerusalem artichokes, baby squash, baby carrots, all of which were perfectly cooked. In particular the Jerusalem artichokes were beautifully roasted. The dish had nice flavor and a good sauce. Companion ordered a Salmon trio consisting of Chinook, Sockeye, and Coho. It was served with baby carrots, baby squash, slices of pepper, and small cut potatoes. Of interest is that each type of salmon was seasoned with a different seasoning and was served over a maple glaze.

My dessert was problematic. It was described as being a green tea Panna Cota with Chantilly Cream, Matcha green tea, and fresh berries. Most of the dish was not as described on the menu. The "Panna Cota" was nothing like any Panna Cota I have ever had. It had an odd texture, and had a lack of Matcha flavor. The Chantilly Cream was nicely created, but the berries, while pretty, were so thinly sliced as to contribute no flavor to the creation, though visually, they were very nice. The cut up blackberries were disturbingly ugly and took away from the harmony of the dish. Topping the dish was a bent tuille, which had nice flavor, but did not have the crispness that a tuille should have. Companion had a Maple Walnut Tart with Caramel and Walnut gelato, topped with spun sugar, walnuts and a sliced strawberry. Companion enjoyed the dessert.

Cudo's to our bus person for excellent service. Cudo's also to the chef who cooked the fish to perfection.

Dings for the salad being cut into too large pieces to be easily eaten.
Dings for the waiter who took almost 15 minutes for our check.
Dings for no toilet paper in the ladies room.

4 stars for excellent fish, and great table busser.