As I drove south on St. Mary’s Rd., I saw a number of restaurants that are either new (or new to me) and it occurred to me that we really do stay put in either our residential or workplace neighbourhoods.  I have been to Santa Anna Pizzeria & Bistro previously, but not because I was familiar with it, but as a result of being invited to lunch by a friend.

On this day, I arrived at about half past noon on a Tuesday and the place was hopping, with not an empty seat in the place.  As I surveyed the room, I saw mostly women and only one gentleman.  There was a large group of women in fact, and another assembling in the foyer.

I am ga-ga over seafood pizza, especially in countries where the seafood is freshly caught like Mexico and Italy.  The “Pacific” is topped with shrimp and fresh garlic which works very well together and then celery and sun-dried tomato are added.  The celery provides a fresh crispness and works hard to bring out the delicate flavour of the shrimp but the sun-dried tomatoes were a wee bit overpowering.  Next time I order it (and I will be), I will request that they go easy on the tomatoes.  I know that this will be easily accommodated because there is a list at the bottom of their pizza page with an abundance of fresh and somewhat exotic ingredients, to customize your personal pizza tastes.

The second choice was the “Tropicana” which was a unique twist on a ham and pineapple pizza with the inclusion of pulled pork, bacon, red onion, pineapple and hickory barbeque sauce.  I pulled off the jalapeños but I am sure many palates would enjoy the heat.

The pastas look stellar, even though I have not yet had a chance to sample them.  The black-walled dining room makes you forget that you are in a suburban strip mall.  The kitchen is open to the reception area which means that you can watch the fresh ingredients being assembled and can see the flames of the wood burning oven in the corner.  Service was very cordial and accommodating, in spite of how busy the restaurant was.

Kath’s quote: “Salt is the policeman of taste: it keeps the various flavors of a dish in order and restrains the stronger from tyrannizing over the weaker.”
Margaret Visser

Love-that is all.

Here is an article that I was reminded of today.  I originally wrote it for Dish Magazine. 

What is your criteria for a child-friendly restaurant? The answer will be different depending upon the age of your child (or children).  My husband and I met in the restaurant business and we always knew that dining with our children would be a part of our lives

 Here are some guidelines that helped us over the years:

Since deep-fried options weren’t our first choice for our children, we became experts at scoping out the affordable places with grilled cheese sandwiches (Kay’s Deli, Star Grill), mac and cheese (Bistro 7 ¼, Saucer’s), falafels (Falafel Place-Caution: cash only) and spaghetti (Bellisimo, Old Spaghetti Factory).  Of course pizza was always a good option too (Mona Lisa, Santa Lucia).

Many kids, including our own, like to experiment and create food of their own and so ethnic restaurants where they can choose their own items to have grilled (Mongos Classic Grill, Palatal) or stuff into a fajita (Don Pedros, Los Chicos) are a great choice.  Vietnamese was often a favourite choice for our youngsters.  We taught them at home how to handle rice & lettuce wraps before we ventured out (Little Saigon, Viva).  Moo shi was another favourite and one order could feed three kids quite nicely (Spicy Noodle House).  Let your kids have messy fun.  Why not?  You don’t have to clean up after them for a change.

Dim sum always did the trick for us because the food could be delivered quickly (Dim Sum Garden, Kum Koon Garden).  We would often let the kid’s have a turn making a selection for all of us and the parade of carts circling around was fascinating to them. 

Buffets also empower kids when they can make their own decisions (East India Company, Buffet Square).  They are more likely to eat what you’ve paid for, if they decided to select it in the first place. 

Of course it is always a bonus, if a restaurant has crayons or an activity sheet (Kegs, Olive Garden).  We always considered it our responsibility though to engage our own kids so we would play games of 20 questions or eye spy.   

Milk, real fruit juices and smoothies (The Don, Smoothie Bar at the Forks) are always welcome items on a menu too.  If the restaurant is able to provide a top for a toddler’s glass, that is a bonus.  It is difficult for a child to grasp the concept of not “crying over spilt milk”.

High chairs and booster seats make sense as well as wide spaces in between tables where you can wheel in a stroller (Stella’s, The Grove).  The offer by a staff member to heat up a bottle is a nice gesture.  Disposable bibs and wet-naps are always a welcoming sight; as well as the knowledge that there is a change table or a family bathroom available.   

A bright, clean, cheerful, casual décor with easy to clean surfaces is always appreciated.  Lots of visual stimulation is a plus as well.  The Old Spaghetti Factory does a great job of providing this.  We used to take the kids for a stroll to see the fish in the huge fish tank that they once had.

If you haven’t done your research and you arrive at a place with low lights, a hushed atmosphere and worried looks on the hostess’s face, you’ve likely shown up at the wrong place.  A noisier atmosphere (Hermano’s), where you will not be stared down if your infant has a cry or your toddler a temper tantrum is a better choice.  Hey, even the best behaved child has a bad day.

One last point, it is always a good idea to choose a restaurant close to home (Jonnie’s Sticky Buns, Baraka Bakery).  Walking to and from will help work up an appetite.  A short drive time will ensure that you have not used up your child’s good behaviour on the car-ride over.  A spacious parking lot (Confusion Corner, Clay Oven) where you can load and unload the rinky-dinks safely, is a key point too.

Brooklyn’s Bistro named their restaurant after their daughter.  There are images of her on the wall and the food is excellent.  I would put them on my family friendly list, if I were you.  So too, Bistro 7 ¼ where they make whatever a child would like to eat.  One time, the staff even ran to Safeway for chicken to make chicken fingers). Kids love to watch Chef Alex cook and I have seen his son help out in the restaurant with his own pair of chef’s whites on. If you bring a baby around, Danielle will carry him/her while you eat.  They will also let kids draw on their chalkboard.  Now they know how to welcome a new generation of food lovers!

Kath’s quote: “Ask your child what he wants for dinner only if he’s buying.”-Fran Lebowitz

Love-that is all.

D and J1 traveled to Minneapolis for the weekend for a Vikings game and the Bruce Springsteen concert and so our mandatory Sunday supper was going to have a couple of chairs unfilled. Instead, I decided to treat the rest of us to Sunday Brunch so that I could spend a quiet Sunday evening at home.  At this moment it is snowing (again) but I am in my jammies watching football and blogging and I am content with the way the day turned out.

It has been snowing since the middle of Friday night and 8 inches have accumulted.  Even though the main roads are clear, the side roads are a mess and cars are getting stuck all over te place.  We could have all stayed put today but we are a family who love to eat and be together so a little bit of shovelling wasn’t going to stop us.

The cafe was going to close early in honour of Remembrance Day but we were able to catch one of their last tables.  The staff (all female on this day) are an absolutely a delight.  Their smiling faces and kind gestures made us feel right at home.  I wasn’t planning on eating again that day so I had  lunch item- the homemade chicken fingers and Caesar salad.  They were as good as the chicken fingers that we used to enjoy at The Keg and that is high praise.

J2 also chose a lunch item-the Beef Dip and everyone else decided on Breakfast.

Strawberry Waffles and Eggs Benedict were also selected.

Daughter #2 enjoyed the latter but thinks that her Dad’s version is superior.  Of course, eggs bennie are all about the hollandaise and this version lacked either lemon juice or Dijon because it didn’t have the oomph that we enjoy.

There was hollandaise on the Frenchman’s choice as well but with all of the other flavourful ingredients in his Old Country Skillet, he was very pleased.  Along with potato, veggies and scrambled eggs were pieces of  ham along with links of sausage served alongside.  He needed to recoup his energy as he was the shoveller and driver on this snowy day.

Kath’s quote: “The first fall of snow is not just an event, it is a magical event.  You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enhancement then where is it to be found?”-J.B. Priestley

Love-that is all.

Daughter #2 and the Frenchman

When the weather is snowy and I want to get all cozied up, I think about beef stew.  I don’t just want something warm and slurpy, I want something warm and hearty-something that I am sure that I have eaten because I can feel its goodness in my tummy.  And even though I could easily make this recipe on the stove top, I like crock pot stews in the winter, so I can appreciate the aromas in my house all day long.  This recipe in particular is full of unusual spices (unusual for a stew at any rate) like cinnamon and ginger.

We have not seen the sun shine since the beginning of November in Winnipeg and so as I was searching for a new stew recipe to try, I came upon this one on the Canada Beef website.  If I can’t see and feel the sun right now, at least I can remember the feeling with “tropical” recipes.   I served this over a brown rice pilaf and it was a savoury and delicious one bowl supper.

Love that is all.

Do you recall the scene in Disney’s “Lady and the Tramp” when the canine couple set up behind an authentic Italian restaurant for a romantic feast of their own?  That is exactly what Casa Grande (at 984 Sargent Ave.) reminds me of.  There are red and white table cloths and white candles melting down the sides of old Chianti bottles.  I would not be surprised if an accordion player made the rounds some evening.   In the mean time, Luciano Pavarotti serenades over the stereo system.

We have been dining at Casa Grande for decades (they have been in business for over 35 years) and each time I arrive, the place is packed. Yet it is not one of those restaurants that you hear/see a lot about.  On this early weeknight, we got the last table in the little main floor area.  There have been times that we have dined on the second floor, which I believe is only open on weekends.  Everyone surrounding us seemed to be regulars and indeed one of the servers was hugging and kissing patrons upon their arrivals and departures.

My husband and I sometimes have a difficult time deciding what to order at a place like Casa Grande, so well known for their portion size.  We consider pasta a special treat and are concerned about filling up with too much of it.  But the perfect solution is cheerfully accommodated when we select their largest dinner salad and spaghetti with seafood and we share both.

La Giardiniera Salad is chock full of romaine tossed with onions, tomatoes, green pepper, olives, cucumber, grated mozzarella cheese and house dressing.  Thin slices of mild capicollo (a cross between salami and ham) adorn the top. 

We are thrilled when more slices arrive at the table with a fine dry salami, more olives and spicy marinated eggplant.  This little plate is our anti-pasta which comes with each noodle dish that is served.

When high quality seafood is simply and quickly sautéed, we prefer not to let an overpowering pasta sauce interfere with the delicate taste.   Casa Grande lets you choose the preparation style and I almost always opt for the oil and garlic.  This particular evening, the kitchen was very generous with the garlic.  This became the second reason that my husband and I were glad that we had shared the dish.

I would recommend that you make reservations as you will not want to miss out on this authentic treat.

Kath’s quote: “The strands of spaghetti were vital, almost alive in my mouth, and the olive oil was singing with flavor. It was hard to imagine that four simple ingredients [olive oil, pasta, garlic and cheese] could marry so perfectly.”-Ruth Reichl

Love-that is all.