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Portage House crafts riverside heartland cuisine

Posted on November 24, 2017February 25, 2018 by Pat and David

Chef Paul Skulas may not hail from Southern Indiana, but he grew up close enough in northwest Ohio. Post-Marine Corps, he honed his Southern chops by training at Johnson & Wales in Charlotte, North Carolina, and working with “Big Bad Chef” John Currence in Oxford, Mississippi. Further stints in Louisville led him to join restaurateur Alex Tinker in launching Portage House (117 East Riverside Drive, Jeffersonville, IN, 812-725-0435, eatportagehouse.com). We don't usually pry so much into a chef's background, but Skulas has a palate and an approach to Midwestern fare that seems very much his own. Southern Indiana and north central Kentucky both have rich farm country, so it's not surprising that so many restaurants in the area draw on local sources for their provender....Read More

Breaking bread over bourbon with Michael Veach

Posted on November 3, 2017February 25, 2018 by Pat and David

While we were in Louisville, we met historian Michael R. Veach for dinner one night at Decca (812 E. Market St., 502-749-8128, deccarestaurant.com). It was a felicitous convergence of Kentucky food and spirits. Veach, pictured above, is the author of Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey: An American Heritage (University Press of Kentucky, $24.95). And under chef Annie Pettry, the farm-to-table restaurant is one of the city's best. Veach absorbed bourbon history as archivist for United Distillers and later for the Filson Historical Society. He has also worked closely with the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History in Bardstown, Kentucky. While at United Distillers, he sharpened his palate by joining the quality control sampling of barrels in the warehouse. “We did ten a day,” he recalled, describing what...Read More

Ontario food rivals the view at Elements on the Falls

Posted on August 7, 2017June 6, 2020 by Pat and David

A big “CANADA 150” sculpture celebrating the country's 150th anniversary of Confederation had just been installed when we settled into a window table at Elements on the Falls Restaurant (niagaraparks.com/visit/culinary/elements-on-the-falls-restaurant/). People were having so much fun climbing on the sculpture and posing for photos that we were almost distracted from the glorious view of Horseshoe Falls. The restaurant is one of five owned and managed by Niagara Parks. The agency was established in 1885 to preserve and protect the natural resources of Niagara Falls and the Niagara River. Niagara Parks also ensures a good time for all in this legendary natural setting. They oversee everything from cruises and zipline tours of the falls to gardens, golf courses, historic sites, and the Niagara River Recreation Trail....Read More

On a hot day, good Vouvray lifts a salade Niçoise

Posted on July 13, 2017June 6, 2020 by Pat and David

The mercury was pushing 95°F (35°C) and the dew point was well into the sticky zone. When we brought a chilled bottle of Vouvray to checkout at the wine shop the clerk sighed. “Hooray for Vouvray!” she said. To which we could only add, “Amen.” Chenin Blanc doesn't get a lot of respect in the wine world. It makes naturally sweet, loosey-goosey wines that go well in picnic baskets. But a good Vouvray, like the 2015 Marie de Beauregard from Saget La Perrière, shows how polished Chenin Blanc can become. The chalk and flint of the soils from the vineyards in La Roche Corbon outside Vouvray city come through quickly on the nose. Pears and acacia honey dominate the first tastes, followed by a hint...Read More

77° West establishes New World flavors at Atlantis

Posted on February 20, 2017June 9, 2020 by Pat

Patti and I had barely sat down at 77° West when a server delivered a bowl of tortilla chips and four salsas to sample while we studied the menu. The combination of pico de gallo, roasted tomatoes, roasted tomatillos, and guacamole telegraphed the kitchen's culinary bent. The chefs at 77° West, the newest fine dining option at Atlantis (atlantisbahamas.com), work in an open kitchen to create dishes that fuse South American and Caribbean flavors and cuisines. My meal felt like a whirlwind tour through South America. For example, I couldn't resist the empanadas starters. The flaky turnovers are among my fast-food standbys when I'm in Spanish-speaking countries. The chefs at 77° West elevated this staple of hand-held cuisine by filling the flaky crust with duck,...Read More

Whitby’s Magpie Cafe famed for fish and chips

Posted on January 27, 2017June 9, 2020 by Pat

Back in November we wrote about John Long's Fish & Chips, the eatery that's almost an institution in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It's been around since 1914 and does a bang-up job with the United Kingdom's signature fast food. Much as we relished the Belfast version, nothing beats eating fish and chips by the sea. One of the best places we've discovered is the Magpie Cafe (14 Pier Road, +44 1947.602.058, www.magpiecafe.co.uk) in the seaside town of Whitby. It's in North Yorkshire about 250 miles from London. Whitby's long, sandy beach makes it a favorite destination for British vacationers. The ruins of a medieval abbey and an ancient graveyard perch high on a bluff and add atmosphere to the tidy town. A busy fishing fleet lends...Read More

Hadskis hits sweet spot of great casual bistro fare

Posted on December 6, 2016December 1, 2016 by Pat and David

Chef and restaurateur Niall McKenna bet on Belfast's revival and won. After opening the posh James Street South in 2003, he got hammered with the economic downturn of 2008. So he transformed the upscale dining venue into a great-value steakhouse, The Bar and Grill. As Belfast began to climb out of the economic doldrums, he followed up in October 2014 with Hadskis (33 Donegall St., 28 9032 5444, hadskis.co.uk) in the suddenly desirable Cathedral Quarter. Once again, he hit the sweet spot of serving the kind of food people want to eat at a price they're happy to pay. You might have to do a little looking to find Hadskis. It's off Donegall Street in Commercial Court, one of those alleyway cul-de-sacs in the Cathedral...Read More

John Long’s serves apotheosis of fish and chips

Posted on November 28, 2016June 9, 2020 by Pat and David

Owner John Copeland is fond of calling John Long's Fish & Chips (39 Athol Street, 028 9032 1848, www.johnlongs.com) one of the “seven wonders of Belfast.” That puts his modest eatery right up there with Titanic Belfast (which relates the tale of the doomed ship built in the local shipyards) and the Crown Liquor Saloon (the 1820s bar known for its ornate decoration). But Copeland is onto something. John Long's is a Belfast institution. Founded in 1914 by its namesake to serve fish and chips to the workers in the city's thriving linen mills, it's the city's longest established fish and chips shop. Located five blocks due west from City Hall, John Long's is a little off the beaten path. But we knew we had...Read More

St. George’s Market in Belfast shows what’s fresh

Posted on November 21, 2016June 9, 2020 by Pat and David

We always advise friends who want to eat well while traveling to spend some time in the local fresh food market. It's the best way to see first-hand what's in season and fresh so that you can make good choices when perusing a restaurant menu. In Belfast, Northern Ireland, the best place to head is St. George's Market at 12-20 East Bridge Street. It's open Fridays from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The handsome red brick market building opened in 1890 to sell butter, chicken, and eggs. Its offerings have multiplied since then and recent refurbishments have made it one of the leading fresh food markets in the United Kingdom. You'll find freshly dug potatoes, beets, and carrots...Read More

Little Italy simmers with many new tastes

Posted on October 21, 2016October 13, 2016 by Pat and David

There are certainly fancier coffee shops than Café Diplomatico (594 College St., 416-534-4637, cafediplomatico.ca), but few that so consistently screen European soccer matches on the TVs. Since 1968, it's been one of the principal landmarks of Toronto's Little Italy. Ironically, that's just about the time that the neighborhood was beginning to lose its accent. We met Kevin Dupree, owner of the Culinary Adventure Co. (647-955-8357, www.culinaryadventureco.com), in front of “The Dip” for a walk around the neighborhood along College Street between Euclid Avenue and Shaw Street. Dupree's company offers a full menu of neighborhood sampling tours and a number of other gastronomic activities—including a summertime canoe trip to the Toronto islands with a master chef who prepares a picnic. But this particular evening, we concentrated...Read More