Rave about what you ate recently

[JBear]

Every time I have an amazing meal I lament that this thread doesn't exist, so I'm finally going to just make it. Whenever I eat yummy food, I find myself wanting to rave about it, and the only thread we have for that is food that we've made ourselves, and my cooking sucks! Anyway, I am blessed to live in a city with an amazing variety of delicious restaurants, and Johnny and I have made it our mission to try all of them (and we're > 90% of the way there after several years), so I should have lots to post here going forward!

[JBear]

Last night was our first time patronizing a relatively new vegan/vegetarian cafe/gallery/micobrewery (we didn't partake of the latter because I'm watching my calories and Johnny doesn't drink), and it was delicious. I don't know if Fredericton is just lucky or what, but every vegetarian/vegan restaurant I eat at is amazing.

Anyway, I had a pleasingly modest serving of a panini and the soup of the day, which was a chili. The chili was fine, but the star of the show was that delicious panini, which was the Spicy Tofu panini, consisting of red peppers, spinach, avacado, sundried-tomato mayo, vegan cashew cheese, and tofu. Absolutely stellar.

[Teaspoon]

oven chips n' fish

I am a simple person.

[ArugulaZ]

This could just as easily go into the fast food thread, but what the heck. I had a Carls Jr. Super Star with Cheese today. It's essentially the restaurant's answer to the Whopper, but it's so far ahead of the genuine article that it's like comparing Skippy from the local T-ball team to a powerhouse like Sammy Sosa. They technically do the same thing, but one's in a whole other league.

[JBear]

Dine Around Freddy recently began, which is a weeks-long local promotional event where restaurants around town offer fixed 3-course meal menus (usually 2 choices for each course) with a small portion of the proceeds going to local food-providing charities. Johnny and I partake every year, and we're off to a strong start this year, as The Palate offered pork banh mi sliders as an appetizer (sweet & spicy pulled pork, house slaw, pickled cucumber, miso aioli, and cilantro on ciabatta), atlantic salmon w/ a scallop mousse as the main, and a sticky toffee cake with a caramel rum sauce as dessert. It was all delicious!

[Torzelbaum]

Originally Posted by JBear

pork banh mi sliders as an appetizer (sweet & spicy pulled pork, house slaw, pickled cucumber

Or as some people call them - pickles.

[JBear]

Next up was Maxwell's, and they fucking killed it. The appetizer was polenta fries topped with poblano jam on a bed of pimento cheese, and they were completely goddamned delicious. Easily one of the tastiest things that I've ever eaten, and all 3 flavours complemented each other perfectly.

My main was haddock topped with tomato jam served on a chorizo corn succotash and white bean purée, and it too was very good, although I found myself afterwards wishing that I'd opted for the Aloo Gobi instead, since it came with a fig chutney that I'm sure I'd have loved.

Dessert was a vegan chocolate mousse, which was good, I guess, but dessert is always kind of an uphill climb for me; I am rarely impressed. I appreciated the tiny serving size, at least!

[JBear]

Catch Urban Grill is one of my favourite restaurants in town, and their event menu did not disappoint. I had the provencal bibb to start, which was chunked vegetables, feta, oregano, and a sundried tomato tapenade on a bed of lettuce. My main was skewered halibut bites wrapped in double smoked bacon and topped with a lemon buerre blanc, served on a bed of sweet potato mash with a side of wilted kale and dried cranberries. Dessert was a nice small berry shortcake, with strawberry sorbet and a mixed berry compote on tiny disc of vanilla spongecake.

All told, all very good, but nothing amazing. I suspect I would have preferred Johnny's main of chipotle pork cavatappi, but I wanted something lighter.

The event ends today, so I'm afraid that's all the places we're going to be able to sample this year, but coming up next is the burger battle! Last year I had what was literally the most delicious burger I've ever eaten (it had a blueberry ketchup which I didn't think would work by absolutely did), so I'm looking forward to it!

[Johnny Unusual]

Me and JBear ate at Wolastoq Wharf last night. The first two courses were good but that Raspberry Sour Pie was delicious. JBear liked it more than I did. I really liked it but a little more tartness would have been nice (or at least more sauce.)

[JBear]

Right, yes. So one of the participating restaurants that we'd not been able to make it to extended their event menu by one week, much to my delight. My appetizer was a spinach salad with blueberries, feta, candy pecans and grilled pear served with a honey balsamic vinaigrette, which is just about my ideal salad (replace the feta with goat cheese and you're pretty much there), and it was delicious. My main was pork tenderloin stuffed with smoked gouda, spinach and crab meat, topped
with a maple walnut brown sauce, and served with rosemary parmesan roasted potatoes grilled asparagus. It too was very good, although honestly I think the potatoes were my favourite part of the dish, as they were prepared to perfection. I come from a literal potato farming background, so I've eaten my share of potatoes, and these were divine. Finally, as Johnny mentions, dessert was a raspberry sour pie, and it may well be, without hyperbole, the most delicious dessert I have ever eaten. I certainly can't think of another that I've liked more. I thought it had the perfect level of tartness, and the soft flaky pie crust was amazing. God, I want more right now.

[JBear]

Sampled three different pizzas, all of which were delicious:

• Honey, prosciutto, and goat cheese
• Sour cream, potatoes, and parmesan
• Jalapenos and cream cheese

[Lady]

Originally Posted by Torzelbaum

Or as some people call them - pickles.

you're thinking of dưa chuột ngâm, but he's talking about dưa muối

[Torzelbaum]

I always get those two mixed up...

[JBear]

The YFC Burger Battle has begun!

The first burger we had was fine but unremarkable, but last night we had what is thus far easily the favourite to beat: the Smoky Blackebean Burger, which was a veggie burger made of smoked sweet potatoes and blackbeans, topped with roasted red pepper sauce, tomato chow chow, and dijonaise. It was completely fucking delicious. It also came with a very good coleslaw and perfectly spiced/crisped rosemary potato wedges.

Looking forward to the next entry this weekend! (The battle runs for about 3 weeks.)

[John]

We're extremely tired of the restaurants in our small town, so went over to the small town next door to try out their Asian restaurant. First impressions were great, they had a giant tea wall, indoor koi pond, great carved statues and some swords in the corner. I asked for whatever was the best thing they can make, and the waitress recommended an off-menu green bean w/beef dish, and some crab rangoons. My wife ordered a pretty standard beef w/broccoli.

The crab rangoons were the best I've ever had. Fresh wontons, filled and fried to order. The edges of the dough were crispy, the interior a little chewy, and the filling wasn't too sweet.

My green bean dish was similarly awesome. The green beans were the size of asparagus stalks, and were cooked just the right amount. My wife called them "al dente", because they still had a good amount of crunch, but not fibrous. The beef in them was a little bit of an afterthought, and wasn't really necessary.

The only downer for the meal was the beef w/broccoli, but that was just because it was just good, not great. Unfortunately, we've gone back to the restaurant since, and they were out of green beans for this special dish, and the other items we've tried have been the same OK american Chinese quality (think pei-wei or PF Changs). I don't know if the beans are out of season, or if they only were stocking that for themselves. Next time we go I'll ask for them to make that a menu item.

[Vega]

I think upscale junk food has replaced heavy metal albums as the new popular source of creative graphic design. And as we know from Mad Max: Fury Road, eventually these designs will inspire great movies. Who wouldn't want to see an IMAX screening of Dapper Cat-Man Stuffed in a Beer Keg?

Oh, the chips? They have a nice mild tang with some other flavors. I got it at The Fresh Market.

[Vega]

It's harder to see here, but there's also a Deer and Fox variety. Dunno how they taste.

[Vega]

Originally Posted by JBear

Last night was our first time patronizing a relatively new vegan/vegetarian cafe/gallery/micobrewery (we didn't partake of the latter because I'm watching my calories and Johnny doesn't drink), and it was delicious. I don't know if Fredericton is just lucky or what, but every vegetarian/vegan restaurant I eat at is amazing.

Anyway, I had a pleasingly modest serving of a panini and the soup of the day, which was a chili. The chili was fine, but the star of the show was that delicious panini, which was the Spicy Tofu panini, consisting of red peppers, spinach, avacado, sundried-tomato mayo, vegan cashew cheese, and tofu. Absolutely stellar.

Vegan restaurants have more to prove than most kinds of restaurants so they tend to go the extra mile. That sounds like a fabulous meal.

[WisteriaHysteria]

Freshly baked anpan is so good

[JBear]

I have been lax in making important burger updates! I've had several more contest burgers since my last entry!

All in all, a lot of good burgers, but I think the veggie burger in my previous post is still the burger to beat for me. I'll have to place my vote on Saturday, but there's still time for me to try one more burger first!

• Chipotle Firecracker Burger - beef burger sauced with chipotle honey BBQ sauce, topped with bacon, crispy cajun onions, lettuce, cheddar cheese and crispy jalapenos. This one was really tasty, but I'm a sucker for jalapenos.
  
  
• Sweet & Smokey Chimichurri Burger - beef buger with smoked applewood seasoning and garlic and caramelized onion, bacon, jalapeno havarti cheese, and chimichurri sauce, served on a toasted pretzel bun. This one was... fine. A bit too big and messy for my tastes, but that's pretty much the standard with pub-style burgers.
  
  
• Sweet Chucky - burger calzone with seasoned ground chuck beef patties, spiced candied bacon, aged cheddar triple shred cheese and julienned green apple slices, paired with chipotle mayo dipping sauce. Absolutely delicious, and in the running for my second-favourite burger of the competition, followed closely by...
  
  
• The Happy Feeling Burger - Savory curry lamb burger with apple-fig chutney and roasted red peppers. Tasted very strongly of both curry and mustard, which is A+ in my books. Johnny liked this one even more than I did, and I liked it quite a bit!
  
  
• Regent Street Royale - beef topped with house-made Sumatra bacon jam, tangy dill pickle mayo, 2 slices of thick-cut Monterey Jack cheese, crispy onion frites, and fresh lettuce and tomato on a toasted brioche bun. Topped with a deep fried pickle. This one was very tasty, but ultimately nothing special. The mayo and onion frites were sure to please.
  
  
• Maxwell burger - Beef burger with truffle mayo, gorgonzola cheese, pear bacon compote, and pickled onion rings. We just had this one last night, and it was solidly middle of the pack for me, although I think Johnny liked it a little more than I did. I thought the pickled onion rings and pear bacon compote worked really well, but they were more around the outside of the burger, so my last few bites tasted very strongly of the blue cheese and not much else, and while I like blue cheese (and think it pairs well with pear), it made it feel less like a unified whole.

[Mightyblue]

Lamb/beef blends for hamburger meat are hands down the best meat to use for actual-meat-burgers imo. When I still lived in Minneapolis, there was this Mediterranean-American place that made these giant burgers out of a lamb/beef blend (Muslim run/operated, so no pork) which were completely amazing.

[JBear]

Lamb burgers are good, and blends are good, but for my money you can't do better than a moose burger.

[Torzelbaum]

Originally Posted by JBear

Lamb burgers are good, and blends are good, but for my money you can't do better than a moose burger.

Not all of us have moose readily available...

[Johnny Unusual]

Then what DO you have in your moose freezer? Not venison, I hope.

[Torzelbaum]

No. Mine is full of moose tracks ice cream.

[Nodal]

There's a grilled cheese place near me that makes a French Dip so good that I thought I just really liked French Dip sandwiches. Instead, it turns out I really like their French Dip sandwich (normal French Dip ok).

[Büge]

A møøse once bit my sister...

[Johnny Unusual]

Realli?

[JBear]

A charcuterie and cheese board from a new gastrolounge (with rosemary crackers and cut bread on the side). The three of us absolutely demolished it. Everything on it was absolutely delicious. Highlights include a duck pate, and pork and liver terrine topped with tomato jam, sausage on a bed of of a sweet and spicy ale mustard, candied walnuts, a nice mild blue cheese and some brie on fruit compote.