Friday’s Station Steak & Seafood Grill, Harrah's Lake Tahoe Hotel and Casino Stateline, NV

So we were staying in a suite at Harrah's Hotel and Casino at Lake Tahoe for a few days and decided to try their showcase restaurant on the 18th floor--they have two up there, one a buffet family style restaurant, and the other fine dining venue, Friday's Station Steak and Seafood Grill. Friday's features large panoramic windows facing Lake Tahoe and surrounding mountains.

The restaurant boasts of  a  "1,000-bottle display wine cellar. The restaurant is the proud recipient of the Wine Spectator Excellence Award." Mark selected a bottle of the Schramsberg 2014, but as he pointed out, the wine steward brought a 2015. It was all they had. 

To start, he selected the Escargot Burgundy Snails Baked with Fresh Basil and Roasted Garlic Pesto Butter. (Did you know that most snails served in restaurants are farm raised?  Also, in case you wonder, they are usually not sea snails, but freshwater or forest type snails. I've also been told that snails love fennel.)  The snails at Friday's were well presented.

I chose the FRIDAY’S HOUSE SALAD Fresh Mixed Greens, Carrots, Oranges, Hearts of palms with Creamy Tarragon Dressing, which was a perfect light salad with an unobtrusive dressing for a hot summer evening.
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 For an entree, Mark selected the COLD WATER LOBSTER TAIL One 12oz Cold Water Lobster Tail, Baked and served with Lemon and Drawn Butter, served with Seasonal Vegetables and Rice Pilaf. A pleasing presentation, but, if you're a big guy, you might need two of these.

I chose the APPLE WOOD SMOKED FREE RANGE CHICKEN Apple Wood Smoked Chicken with Pappardelle Pasta tossed in White Wine, Cream, Morel Mushrooms, Fennel and Asparagus. The smokey flavor was strong, as was the morel mushroom.  Portion was more than ample--enough for 3.  Wide pasta noodles may have been home made? 

The restaurant website specifies average entree price $50, but let's not forget that salads, appetizers, sides, desserts and drinks come with a price too, and the two of you probably won't get out of this restaurant for less than $300--$400, if you do it right.

But, money aside, it's always lovely to drink Schramberg and watch the sun slide behind the mountains.

 

Artemis Lakefront Cafe, Lake Tahoe NV

As  expected, a beautiful July morning, sunshine, no humidity, perfect for breakfast on the terrace.

The cafe features spacious indoor seating too--reminiscent of a New England seaside tea room,  as you might find at Watch Hill, RI.

We sat under an umbrella table facing the brilliant indigo blue lake. The Pear Bellini--a sparkling white wine with fresh muddled pear--light, pleasant and fruity--the perfect complement to the crystalline morning.

Mark chose the Baklava French Toast,  described on the menu as "Thick slices of Texas toast dipped in a cinnamon vanilla egg batter and crusted with walnuts, almonds and pistachios, fried golden brown and topped with orange honey syrup. Served with choice of bacon or sausage."

Wonderful, but if I hadn't read the name, wouldn't have associated it with baklava.

I chose the Greek breakfast, describes as "Gyro slices sautéed with peppers and onions topped with feta. Served with 2 eggs, herb roasted potatoes and pita bread." Potatoes were unavailable, as a major golf extravaganza had consumed every spud over sporting weekend,  the waiter ( a bronzed, lion haired godlike youth)  explained. But, his  substitute of fresh berries--raspberries and blackberries was much preferred by a weight conscious, ageing beauty.



My lightly poached eggs melded with sauteed crisp and flavorful peppers and onions as contemplated the sparkling rich blue lake dove blue mountains and azure sky. Sometimes life is too beautiful and good. 

Moshulu Restaurant Philadelphia PA

On a fine summer evening we strolled over to Penn's Landing to dine at Moshulu, the largest and oldest square rigged sailing vessel that has been beautifully refurbished, docked at the landing, and converted to a fine dining establishment.

We always like to order raw oysters and were not disappointed here.

Mark chose the  black tiger shrimp, Rice Cake, Thai Vegetable Slaw, Toasted Peanuts, Chilli Lime, Red Curry Coconut Jus, and I chose the Chorizo Crusted  Swordfish,  Crab, Asparagus, Fork Mashed Potatoes, Bearnaise Aioli.

A beautiful dinner, as we watched the sun descend issuing a myriad of  rosy gold tones in the clouds.We hope to return to this glorious ship someday!

Moshulu, Philadelphia

Penn's Landing · 401 S. Columbus Blvd · Philadelphia, PA 19106 · 

Within walking distance slightly southeast of the old city on Penn's Landing is docked Moshulu, the world's largest four masted sailing ship still afloat. She has been transformed into an AAA four diamond restaurant.



The Beaver Club Montreal

If you are staying at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth in downtown Montreal, you will probably want to dine at least once at the Beaver Club Restaurant on the main floor of the hotel. The restaurant has earned its five diamond reputation by offering an extensive wine list, with bottles ranging from $50 to $2000. The selection is excellent. We chose a red bordeaux

The restaurant offers a fixed price menu, "menus plaisirs" but you may order a la carte as well.  24 hour advance notice must be given if you would like to order the Beaver Club Classics-- Chateaubriand or the Beef Wellington.

I chose the grilled filet of tuna with herbs from our garden. This was served with some lightly sauteed vegetables.
Mark chose the Pot au feu Magdelan Island lobster enhanced with seasonings.

The selections on the dessert wagon were outstanding and tempting. It was probably the best looking wagon of desserts that I have yet seen.

With the wine we were served a small palate starter of thinly shaved lobster, lightly seasoned with herbs--"gourmandine of lobster with fennel and citrus fruit."

Note

Too often these days, fine restaurants waive their dress regulations due to marketplace necessities.

 It is disappointing to those seeking fine dining experiences, and who dress appropriately for the occasion, to be seated next to the ball-cap, T shirt--sports--shorts crowd that commonly frequent fast food eateries.

 It is pleasing to see that the dress code--business casual--is honored by patrons of the Beaver Club, the majority of the men wore jackets and ties, and the women dressed well, if not elegantly.

Marcel's French Restaurant Toronto, Ontario

If looking for an intimate old style French restaurant in Toronto, you might try Marcel's. It's reminds me of New Orleans--that is, you walk up a steep set of steps, with imaginatively painted walls to find yourself in a softly lit dining room with long windows with geranium boxes looking down on the bustling King Street below. The building has the soft patina of age, like a well-made old American cotton quilt. It's an understated kind of place, where you might expect to find an Ernest Hemingway drinking at the bar.

They offer a fun selection of Kir---a sparkling wine with flavored liqueurs. Mark tried the Kir Zazou, a sparkling wine with crème de griotte (wild cherry) liqueur.   I tried one with raspberry (Kir St-Tropez--Sparkling wine with raspberry liqueur), very dry, not sweet, but with an evanescent hint of raspberry, perfect for hot spring evenings-- heat that is followed by a cold front, the weather fluctuating like a nervous old woman.


Considering the heat, we chose salade mesclun, vinaigrette à la moutarde à l’ancienne et balsamique--mixed spring greens in a whole grain Dijon balsamic vinaigrette). We also chose escargots sautés à la crème d’ail et vin blanc sur julienne de légumes étuvées--Snails sautéed in garlic cream and white wine served over a julienne of steamed vegetables, to go with the kir. As a rule, you should always have sparkling wines and champagnes to wash down raw oysters, escargot or to cleanse the palate after caviar.

The decision was whether to aim at the poitrie de pintade et sa mousse aux champignons, sauce suprême au chardonnay et ragoût d’haricots blancs--guinea fowl breast with mushroom mousse, chardonnay sauce suprême and white bean ragout) or the pavé de renne rôti, sauce aux canneberges, purée de pommes de terre et légumes de saison--roasted venison steak with cranberry reduction, mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables). I triggered the venison anticipating a sanguinary evening exploring downtown Toronto and other activities... We selected the coquilles Saint Jacques poêlées, velouté au safran, légumes de saison (Seared sea scallops in a saffron velouté served with seasonal vegetables), a good choice, though I have always held small bay scallops to be sweeter than the large sea brethren. But if you add a seasoned sauce, like the saffron veloute, perhaps it is wiser to use a mild sea scallop.

For dessert we chose the poire pochée tiède au vin rouge épicé, glace vanille et sablé (Pear poached in spiced red wine served warm with vanilla ice cream and shortbead) and profiterole au Chocolat
With French vanilla ice cream & hot chocolate sauce. The chocolate was outstanding, but I award first place to the pears.

 

Marcel's: 315 King St W, Toronto, Ontario M5V 1J5, Canada

Pierre du Calvert restaurant Old Montreal

The charm of the hostelry Pierre du Calvert is hard to surpass. The restaurant in the old city of Montreal (vieux Montreal) 405 Bonsecours, is situated in a charming, 300 year old building. The hostelry Pierre du Calvet, built in 1725, is an ancestral family mansion. With its exquisite decor, antique furnishings, family heirlooms and European character, it is known also as a Hotel-Chateau.The restaurant is also an inn that has nine rooms for guests, (it is the oldest historic house open for public accommodation in Montreal)  and houses an art gallery of very pricey modern art.


As you walk in the door of this quaint chateaux you are struck by the solid looking stone and exposed beam ceiling of the bright foyer. An array of tropical birds squawk and chatter amidst plants in a bright atrium behind the concierge desk. Off to the sides are some quietly elegant smaller dining rooms.

Our host led us down some stone steps to the main dining room. An ancient room with a high ceiling and tall windows draped in heavy gold fringed raw silk curtains. The painted panel rooms with massive hand carved antique buffets and silver antique decanters suggested Old World elegance. Before dinner we descended a set of steps to  the art gallery, more like a museum of avante garde bronzes and large colorful painting, as large in price as in size.

Dinner at Pierre du Calvert Montreal

To start, we tried slivers of apple with smoked sturgeon. Then we chose the fixed price menu with a cold tomato soup with crisp Canadian bacon. Next a deer parfait--and walnuts--a sweet, pate with this toast and walnuts, followed by a light berry sorbet, slightly icy. Mark had the smoked duck, thinly sliced, on a bed of endives with bleu cheese. All very nice, and well presented.

Main course: We tried the Pheasant supreme with cranberries, fiddle-heads and red cabbage, and the veal bavette, red onions gratins with Brussels sprouts and some asparagus, in the dining room gazing at old black and white photographs of ancestors formally dressed and posed in early twentieth century style. I loved gazing at the historic photos and the lacquered paneled walls in earth tones as we drank a fine Montrachet.

Dessert: a bread pudding with chocolate to go with the coffee, steaming hot, as a send off into the cool Canadian twilight. Out into the starlit night of the Old City of Montreal, we heard the lonely sound of street musicans. I heard someone playing a "like a bridge over troubled waters" plaintively on an alto saxophone, coins tossed by couples strolling from the myriad of dining establishments of the old city back to the hotels. We passed a movie team working on a set in the China town section, lit by large lights, and policemen.


Would very much like to stay at the Pierre Calvert next time we are in Montreal. Pricing seemed reasonable, considering the atmosphere of ancient respectability, and the dining.

Le Mont Pittsburgh

Adorning Mount Washington's lofty ledge, west side of Pittsburgh along Grandview Avenue, gleams a strand of restaurants. Notably, Monterey Bay at one end, the Tin Angel (boasting of famous guests like Bill Clinton), the Georgetown Inn, and my favorite, Le Mont.

 Appropriate for major events demanding significant expressions and outlay, Le Mont is regally arrayed in chandeliers, immaculate linens, tuxedo clad waiters bearing swaddled bottles of rare vintage.  Floor to ceiling windows perfectly frame the city of Pittsburgh below. You can watch the tour boats round Point State Park drifting from the Monongahela around the point and up the Allegheny, and back again. If your eyes are really sharp and a game is on, you can see the big screen at PNC Park. You can see the stands at Heinz field behind the Carnegie Science Center and may see people strolling the Rivers Casino walks edging the Ohio River on a clear day. One rainy night Mark and I polished off a bottle of champagne, snuggly by the window at Le Mont watching the waters of the rivers slowly rise and cover, one by one, the lights that stud the contour of Pittsburgh's Point State Park: Nature writing life' story.

seafood appetizer, flake pastry

For starters, Mark likes to order a bottle of champagne--this time we tried the Schramsberg, which pairs well with escargot. The escargot al' olio at LeMont is made just right--tender, but not undercooked. I especially like the hint of garlic--enough to season, not overpowering. Portions are sufficient but not extravagant. I tried the seafood in a flake pastry appetizer--shrimp, crab, scallops and cream sauce baked in a flaky crust and worth trying again.
Le Mont Restaurant staff deftly creates the tableside Caesar salad, though if you have an appetizer and the salad, you may not be able to finish the course, especially if you plan a thorough meal with a pasta course as well as a main dish. The Le Mont salad of fresh greens is light and palatable.

For the robust appetite, particularly if there are two of you, the Chateaubriand for two is hard to surpass, though the Steak Diane Tableside is fun. At my LeMont birthday party, the chef let Angela help with the Diane, and she did well, regardless of the cocktails.

If you are trying to cut back on calories, try the filet mignon, or even the petit filet, which is ample for a ladies' portion. The vegetables are well cooked al dente.

Mark seldom passes up lobster, and wasn't disappointed by the twin lobster tails. The difficulty was choosing the right wine, but we settled for a red Cabernet. We watched the darkening sky, the lights of the city with the dessert souffle, we tried the Nutty Irish Coffee made with Frangelico and Tuaca. It's hard not to feel romantic sitting by the window at Le Mont. My niece tells me her husband proposed to her there last year...