Spencer's at the Waterfront

1340 Lakeshore 
Burlington, Ontario

905-633-7494

In her opinion:
We decided to celebrate the last day of March Break in Burlington...a family day spent shopping and eating good food (that doesn't apply to the picky 8 year old that was more excited about McDonalds then anywhere else).

We decided on Spencer's at the Waterfront. We didn't have a reservation but that was no problem as we were shown to a booth right away. After checking out the menu, our waiter Craig came to find out what we wanted to drink. I decided that I wanted to try a Spentini (Strawberry vodka, lillet blanc, POM juice and fresh raspberries).

This was a beautiful cocktail served in a gorgeous vintage glass. It was lovely, you couldn't really taste the alcohol which was fine with me. It was just a lovely mix of flavour.

We decided to share an appetizer. After reviewing the menu...we decided on the Crisp Calamari (chorizo, cilantro and salsa verde). 

I kept saying the word fresh as I ate it. The calamari was perfectly cooked. The chorizo was the perfect accompaniment. But the kicker was the cilantro/salsa verde sauce at the bottom of the plate. A wonderful burst of flavour...freshness which reminded me of spring.

For my main, I decided on the Heritage Chicken (sweet corn risotto, cippoline, leek, chanterelle).

This was served on a gorgeous black stone plate. The chicken was flavourful and perfectly cooked. The cippoline, leek slices and chanterelles were wonderfully executed. But the show stopper was definitely the sweet corn risotto. This was just perfection. So delicious.

Overall, this was a gorgeous meal with wonderful food and service. Craig was a greater server who bent over backwards to make our meal fabulous. When I asked for some bread for our son, he brought over the most beautiful bread platter I have seen in a while with gorgeous Bread Bar bread, tapenade, hummas, olives, honey mustard and butter.

I love this place...after all, this is where I picked to have my 40th birthday...that speaks volumes. Enjoy!



In his opinion:
There are few restaurants in Ontario with a location, view and ambience like Spencer's on the Waterfront. It's an ideal spot...lakeside, near the park and surrounded by the tranquility of the artificial pool and the beautifully landscaped hills.

It has for a while been a favourite of ours but having the Cambridge Mill (same owners and similar menus) 5 min away from our residence makes it that we don't visit Burlington as often as we used to.

When we arrrived, we were led to our booth on the Lakeshore Ave. side of the restaurant but then again there are no bad seats in this restaurant. Our waiter was prompt in greeting us and offered some water while we browsed the menu. After some consideration I picked my drink to start. I ordered the appropriately named "Waterfront" Cocktail: Alize, blueberry vodka, lemonade and fresh blueberries. Tasted as good as it looked, believe me....hardest thing was keeping my 8 year old son away from the vodka infused blueberries.

For starters, we picked the Crisp Calamari (chorizo, cilantro and salsa verde) The calamari was perfectly done and the batter managed not to fall of the squid rings, always a good sign of well done calamari. The chorizo was a punch of flavour even if not too well done (I love it charred). The amazing taste of cilantro and a bit of salsa verde topped off this great appetizer. The bagged lime squeeze was perfect.

The choice for entree was not a hard one...I seldom pass on the opportunity of eating a good French dish, so when I realized they had Duck Confit, it was a no brainer. The confit was very good with the skin not as crispy as I'm used to but inside the duck leg was moist and full of flavour. The polenta was not done in the traditional way, more resembling the Madeira style dish of "Milho" but with sage instead of kale.

Not sure if it was the day or how I was feeling but I ended up missing dessert. There really was no room for it and I felt quite satisfied by meals end.

The Good: Stunning setting, great food and great service.
The Bad: Just a little slow on the kitchen on a not too busy day but nothing too worrisome.
The Verdict: A great place to dine but also amazing for their champagne brunch. Worth the drive to Burlington if you are not already there. The service is great and the food is top notch. The perfect setting and ambiance will round out this amazing experience. Just go...

I give it 4 out of 5 Olives as rating

Riverbend Inn

16104 Niagara Parkway
Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON

905-468-8866

In her opinion:
To top off our Fabulicious Saturday in Niagara-on-the-Lake; Edgar, Liz, Jacob and I had dinner at the Riverbend Inn and Vineyard. This is beautiful property that I have admired for a very long time but had never had the privilege of eating here. Fabulicious was the perfect opportunity. 

The inn is inviting and gorgeous. We were shown to our lovely table for four and our water glasses were filled right away. After reviewing the wine menu, I realized that I preferred a cocktail...so I ordered my current go to cocktail...a sidecar. This one was tart and delicious.

Our waitress brought over some lovely Ace baguette and olive loaf for us to nibble on while we looked over the menu. 

After some consideration and debate...I choose the following: 
To start - PEI Steamed Mussels
(White Wine Tia Curry Cream Sauce, Fresh Cilantro)

These mussels were really really good. The Indian flavours were a treat. I love mussels and I love Indian but had never had them together...this was excellent.

For my entree, I had Truffle Brine Chicken
(Apple Pear Chutney, Roasted Fingerlings, Cauliflower Puree)

Flavourful and delicious. The truffle brine made this chicken so moist and delectable. The skin was crisp and succulent. I really enjoyed my main.

For dessert, I had Chocolate Cheesecake
(Fresh Berries)

This was a very good cheesecake. The chocolate flavour was not too overpowering and the cheesecake itself was moist and delicious. I just wished I wasn't so full from our lunch at the Charles Inn because I couldn't even finish this gorgeous dessert.

Overall, I had a really nice dinner at the Riverbend Inn. This is a lovely dining room. The service was attentive and friendly. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this restaurant to anyone.

In his opinion:
A visit to this 4 diamond award winning restaurant had been long overdue. We often dine next door at Peller Estates but seem to always miss its smaller next door neighbour. This was the perfect time to give it a try, especially since it was during Niagara-on-the-Lake's Fabulicious event. 

The inn's old world charm, architecture and ambiance are extremely inviting for the discerning public. Its majestic front columns are the perfect facade for this well appointed building that includes the obvious inn, a vineyard, conference rooms and of course, the award winning restaurant.

The dining room is well decorated with an elegant feel and wonderful view of the nearby vineyards. In the summer the patio is open and helps you get even closer to the grapes. We were seated and given some water and home made bread to start our night. Since I was the designated driver that day, no cocktail or alcohol was consumed. The servers were very attentive and polite.

For my appetizer, I picked the Arugula and Spinach Salad (Ice Wine Butternut Squash, Woolwich Goat Cheese, Honey Roasted Pecans and Beet Dressing) the salad was surprisingly light and very fresh. The roasted pecans shared the spotlight with the goat cheese that provided creaminess and texture to the spinach. The beet juice worked well as a dressing and it was a great start to the meal.

For my main, I selected the Peppercorn Strip Loin (7 oz. Grilled Strip Loin, Saffron Potato Puree, Crispy Fried Leeks and Red Wine Jus). I rarely ever order steak in any fine dining restaurant that I visit so this was a surprise, even to myself. The steak came out medium as I requested and was extremely tender to the bite. The saffron potato puree was delicious and the crispy fried leeks were a good surprise as a steak topper. The vegetables felt a bit overwhelming as mandatory greens instead of a compliment to the meat but were well displayed.

For dessert and not to vary too far off the usual, I picked the Classic Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee. This was a very traditional vanilla creme brulee and I don't say this as a problem but actually as a refreshing way to have it. As so many attempts of variations of this dessert emerge, it's nice to see a very good example of the original dish. A highlight of the meal.

The Good: Good country cuisine and attentive service. Great location and views.
The Bad: The steak dish lacked a certain refinement...felt displaced.
The Verdict: Beautiful location, great amenities and very high standards make the Riverbend Inn a must visit. The restaurant's accolades speak for themselves but the food and service back the awards won and its reputation. A must visit when looking for a great meal in a great setting when in Niagara-on-the-lake.

I give it 3 1/2 out of 5 Olives as rating

Charles Inn

209 Queen Street
Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON  

905-468-4588

In her opinion:
Winter can be a total drag and that has definitely been the case this winter. So any opportunity to break it up and enjoy amazing food at the same time...well we're all over it. We have taken full advantage of been many foodie events this year including Winterlicious and now Fabulicious. This is Niagara-on-the-Lakes' prix-fix event with $25 3-course lunches and $35 3-course dinners. So we gathered our troops from last year to join us...just Liz and Jacob and made a dash to wine country! 

We started with a lunch at the beautiful Charles Inn and Restaurant which is a part of Niagara's Finest Inns. This is a stately inn which is both beautiful on the inside and out. Their Fabulicious lunch menu was also lovely. We were shown to our table right away and our server, Lloyd came to bring us warm bread and butter and fill our water glass.

After perusing the menu, I ordered a glass of Megalomaniac's Riesling. My favourite white wine varietal and this one did not disappoint. It was a perfect reflection of Niagara region. 

As for my meal I decided on the following:

Caramelized Onion and Cherry Tomato Tart 
(Balsamic Dressed Baby Arugula, Woolwich Goat Cheese)

Crisp Skin Atlantic Salmon
(Buttered Lentils "Du Puy", Parsnip Puree, Mushroom Ragout, White Wine and Chive Cream)

Rich Chocolate Pate
(Raspberry Sorbet, Candied Orange Peel and Creme Anglais)

The whole meat was excellent. The carmelized onion and cherry tomato tart was flavourful and absolutely delicious. The crispy skinned salmon was perfectly cooked and succulent. But the piece de resistance on the plate was the mushroom ragout. So delectable...I could have had just a plate of mushrooms. Dessert was very nice as well. You needed to be a chocolate lover to appreciate the chocolate pate but I'm a chocolate lover. The tartness of the raspberry sorbet was the perfect accompaniment to this delicious pate.

Overall, an excellent experience from the wonderful service provided by our server Lloyd, to the delicious food and wine and of course the fabulous company. Another successful Fabulicious experience!

In his opinion:
There are so many great restaurants in Niagara-on-the-lake that it makes it very hard sometimes to decide where to eat. This was to case when deciding our Fabulicious restaurants this year...lots of choices, great menus and of course great wine.

We chose the Charles Inn because of our previous visit to their restaurant. It was a very pleasant one and we said we would surely return and we did. The Charles Inn also has a spa and inn facilities besides their award winning 4 Diamond Restaurant.

The room exudes  "old world" charm throughout and has a very inviting dining room with salmon red walls and period chandeliers. Even the chairs are a perfect match for the room decor.

I started my meal experience with a Pinot Noir 2010 from In Between the Lines Winery. This was a medium bodied red with some tannins but still a bit young.

For starters, I picked the Celeriac Risotto (Roasted Celeriac, Baby Spinach, Sauteed Mushrooms, Shaved Parmesan, Herb Oil). This dish was delightful and heavily complex in flavours and textures. The risotto was smooth and creamy but given that it was celeriac risotto that was expected. The mushrooms ended up being the gold mine of this dish, rounding out the texture of the risotto in a smooth creamy sauce. The shaved Parmesan was a nice touch to finish the plate but it felt not needed or a bit out of place. 

For my entree, I chose Oven Roasted Supreme of Grain Fed Chicken (Goat Cheese Polenta, Roasted Root Vegetables, Simple Jus). The chicken was cooked to perfection and the skin was properly crispy without coming out in one big piece as it so often does. The chicken was moist and full of flavour. The roasted root vegetables were delicious with just the right amount of doneness to them to give you that firm yet easy to chew bites. The polenta unfortunately didn't feel fresh or wasn't properly cooked. It felt spongy and bland but it would have been a great addition to this dish, had it been well done.

To finish the meal, I chose the obvious dessert of Creme Brulee. I say obvious because there usually has to be something very special as an option for me to pick it over creme brulee. The brulee presented as a ginger, orange and honey scented custard, topped with the usual burnt sugar and fresh berries. The sugar coating wasn't all the way caramelized but maybe because it was a bit thicker than usual. Overall, it was still a good dessert, even if not great.

The Good: great service and a fantastic atmosphere makes this place a gem. The food was presented well and flavours were good. 
The Bad: A few misses (mentioned above) in each one of the dishes can't be a true representation of this 4 Diamond award restaurant. Maybe an off day.
The Verdict: My last visit seemed much more perfect. Although the experience was good, it always seemed like it lacked something, just those little misses in the food. Otherwise, the experience was good. It may have been because it was Fabulicious, I will never know.

I give it 3 our of 5 Olives as rating 

Canoe - Winterlicious 2014

66 Wellington Street West
Toronto, Ontario

416-364-0054

In her opinion:
Winterlicious is a fabulous opportunity to enjoy some of Toronto's top restaurants at fraction of what they would normally cost you! This year we were lucky enough to get the golden ticket of Winterlicious - a lunch reservation at Canoe. You see Canoe doesn't normally offer lunch on the weekend and since I live in Cambridge and can't really make it down to Toronto to enjoy lunch Monday to Friday on the 54th floor of this pillar of the financial district - I was thrilled!

What made this Winterlicious lunch at Canoe even more exciting was that were were bring Canoe virgins with us. Our friends the Normores hadn't ever tried Canoe so it was a special treat to introduce them to the fine cuisine of Chef John Horne. 

We arrived early for our reservation and were shown to the bar...all I can say is what a view. I've sat in that exact spot a few times and it never gets boring. I decided to start our wonderful lunch with a cocktail. I chose a Sidecar. This is a classic cocktail of Courvoisier, Triple Sec, Lemon and Vanilla Simple Syrup. Just absolutely delicious. A cheery start to a fabulous meal.

We were shown to our seat in the middle of the dining room and that is were the magic began. I decided to order a glass of my favourite red wine...Biff's Juicy Red this is a Cave Spring Cellar's creation for Oliver and Bonicini restaurants and it's heaven in a glass.

The following is a list of what I ate:
Maple Mustard Pork Rillette
(Kozlik's Mustard, Hen's Egg and Gherkin)

I was treated to - Organic Buckwheat Pasta
(Cured Rainbow Trout, Bean Sprouts and Dashi Pear Broth)

Ontario Strip Loin
(Northern Woods Mushrooms, Layered Potatoes and Birch Onion Marmalade)

I was treated to - Wild Rice Pudding
(Poached Apricot, Rose Vanilla Sauce and Pistachio)

Heirloom Carrot Cake
(Cream Cheese Mousse and Red Bean Orange Sauce)

I've had many magical meals at Canoe and we've written about them many times. So I won't go into too much detail about each course other then to say that everything was executed perfectly. The flavours were complex and unbelievably delicious. The service was impeccable.

What made this meal really special was the fact that we got to introduce our friends to this restaurant. Chef Horne, although absent from the kitchen still managed to make it unforgettable for all of us. I would not hesitate to say that this was a superb meal from start to finish.


In his opinion:
Going to Canoe for a meal never gets old, boring or out of fashion. Many times I had tried to dissect my experiences at this restaurant but I come up empty when trying to find something to pick on. It is that good.

When I was first introduced to Canoe a few years back, I was told that it was a cold, Bay Street suit place with a great view. What they failed to mention was the consistency, attention to detail, great customer service and warm inviting room that catered to these same Bay Street suits, not to mention the stellar food.

Arriving at Canoe early is always a great experience as we get to sit by the bar or in adjacent window seating facing the lake with a cocktail waiting for your seats. We did just that. I ordered a Canuck to start. It is sort of a Sangria but much more subtle.

The warm bread came out with the red pepper chickpea spread to get us started as we browsed the menu. The choices were simple but everything sounded so good that made it a hard choice.

I started my meal with the Butternut Squash and Ginger Soup
(Roasted Squash, Tarragon Cream and Leavened Bread Croutons). It was creamy with a thick consistency and the hint of ginger in the after taste made this soup very delectable. The croutons added good texture to the velvety soup. 

I then had the Organic Buckwheat Pasta (Cured Rainbow Trout, Bean Sprouts and Dashi Pear Broth) This is not a dish that I would usually order but it was a great surprise. The pasta was done al dente and the flavours were intense. I must make a mental note to have buckwheat pasta more often. The cured rainbow trout was outstanding and worked very well with the delightful Dashi Pear broth.

My next course was the Aurora Chicken (Seared Leek, Rye Berries and Muskoka Cranberries) This was my favourite dish of the meal. The chicken was done perfectly, very moist on the inside and with a just perfectly crisp skin. The seared leek was also very tasty, still crunchy but very soft.

Our dessert treat was Wild Rice Pudding (Poached Apricot, Rose Vanilla Sauce and Pistachio) I must admit that I'm not the biggest rice pudding fan in the world but the mix of flavours, textures, fruit and the fact that it was wild rice made it very enjoyable.

My actual chosen dessert was Niagara Walnut Tart (Apple Caramel, Roasted Apple and Creme Fraiche). The tart was very soft with a hard crust and very flavourful. The roasted apple was soft and a great contrast to the crust of the tart, and which worked very well together. Topping the textures and flavour were the creme fraiche that "cushioned" the burst of flavours very well with every bite.

I ended my meal with an espresso which was surprisingly good, given its track record. I'm very picky with my espressos and rarely find one I enjoy but this one was good.

I give it 4 1/2 Olives out of 5 as rating