Roadfoodjunkie Christmas Get Together

Our annual Christmas get together was held at David’s a beautiful restaurant situated on a cliff overlooking Lake Erie just east of Port Dover, Ontario.

It had been in the works for months, voted on by the wives and agreed to by the husbands. Roadfoodjunkies would try another stab at a fine dining restaurant after having a couple of other disappointments. We opted for something a little more special. We had eaten previously at David’s, for Mother’s Day, and had an exceptionally excellent Prime Rib dinner.

David’s is a wonderful place to go to in the day-time; to have a drink, and sit in the beautiful lounge. Choose a table by the window, taking in the millionaire’s view of the lake. Night time is nothing special, still great ambiance but it is too dark to see anything. We had an evening sitting by the window and a dark view. I would rather have been by a fireplace. The room was too cool for dining and not at all comfortable.
What was nice, eight of us had our own room and privacy. We could enjoy conversation.

The specials of the night were a mixed grill of pork tenderloin, veal and shrimp served with grilled vegetables. $34. Mahi-Mahi was the seafood special of the night. $38.
I chose the mixed grill special and my wife had beef tenderloin from the menu.

We shared an appetizer of Brochette bread. 1 glass of wine (for her), 2 bottles of Ricker’s Red (for me) and one serving of key lime pie, for a bill totaling $127.50 minus tip.

The beer was good; I find beer chef’s usually consistent.




Our friend Gerry had a surf and turf. Steak and 2 pcs of perch.
It came with Fritos, which is not the usual fine dining gourmet fare, especially frozen fries. But Hey! What do you want for $35 or $40 bucks?




Fine dining means; exorbitant prices, gourmet food, exceptional service and ambiance. It means special; a night to remember. It was a great night with friends so it will be remembered, in fact, we will reminisce about the night many times over but it will not all be positive.

The wine was a half glass of Pinot Grigio for $9.00. Talk about a rip!
2 beer reasonable at $9.50 (or so I tell the wife).
The appetizer was wafer thin rounds of French bread. It was very good but way over priced at $10.00. Strike 1.

The mixed grill was an abomination reserved for amateur cooks. Grilled vegetables, peppers, snow peas, mushrooms. and purple potatoes. Lost amongst the vegetables were a couple of medallions about the size of a silver dollar, of pork and veal, on the side maybe 3 shrimp. There were no flavor bursts, no special sauce, nothing that stood out as different or should I say special. Not much of a bargain at $34 for an average dinner. Strike 2.

Unfortunately, even my camera was shaking.




My wife enjoyed her beef tenderloin ($39) although, she couldn’t eat the mashed potatoes. She wasn’t alone, a couple others felt the same way. They tasted as if vinegar had been added plus some unknown seasoning. I tasted them and they were definitely different. The women found them uneatable.
A consensus among others in the group was one of a less than a satisfying meal. Not one happy camper. The steaks were small, or they were not tender, the fish was just alright, or the vegetables were cool.
The Caesar salads were terrible, very little dressing and wilted lettuce. Strike 3.

Deserts were fine. Key lime pie


or a pecan tart with a very small scoop of vanilla ice cream were more of a bargain at $8.50.


And there was a lemon square that was supposedly very tasty.


A small cup of coffee($2.50) topped off the meal. There were no complaints with the service, in fact, what we were really paying for was ambiance and service; the food was below average for fine dining and way over priced.

There was perhaps, two other tables being served. The restaurant was not busy. Not hard to fathom, why?

That’s it for me and fine dining.
I have vowed to never again venture out fine dining and putting on the Ritz with over inflated prices. Hell, I will fill my own water glass, grind my own pepper or buy a whole bottle of wine if that is what it takes to classify an eating out experience, as Fine Dining. Maybe even have some Fine Dining Poutine.

Don’t expect Roadfood at Ged’s Restaurant & Cocktail Lounge

It is fine dining at its best. Forget about Roadfood for one night, this is a special occasion and special occasion’s demand special attention. The Roadfood junkie gathered with family at Ged’s Restaurant & Cocktail Lounge in Brantford,On. to celebrate a 50th birthday. My! how time flies.

Along comes that special event; Eating out enjoying good food around the country at some wonderful family restaurants, diners and dives like we normally travel to just isn’t good enough. You need something special.....a memory.
In this case, it was dining at its finest.....Ged’s! which is located in a century home smack in the middle of a residential area that was once home of some of Brantford’s wealthiest.



The hostess makes your visit warm and inviting and service is tops. Food is superb. I would rate Ged’s as Brantford’s finest dining experience. Prices are also fine dining expectations. This is not a cheap diner but a special occasion, special event, share the love, kind of place. At least, until I win the lottery and then I plan on eating at Ged’s every day. You go to Ged’s, because you enjoy fine dining at its finest and because the quality of food is second to none, right along side the service.

I have heard comments from people who have traveled to various countries and they say Ged’s tops the list. Well I don’t have to travel the world, I know where to go and even though I am use to roadfood diner prices, I can enjoy the extra pampering.

We started the night with cocktails. My cocktail of choice, just happened to be my favorite......a draft beer. There are some things in culture I am not prepared to change. I am a purist. Others, opted for wine and mixed drink cocktails.

My appetizer was Wasabi-peanut crusted Ahi tuna (served rare) with a warm salad of shiitake mushrooms, bean sprouts, carrots, broccoli and citrus chili soy (wasabi and soy served on the side) $16. I now know for a fact that Wasabi is not for me, but the tuna was so good I ate it all before remembering to take a picture.

On this night I opted for something lighter than beef and chose a “Shrimp Scampi”: linguini, jumbo shrimp, organic olive oil, white wine, lemon and oven cured tomatoes with fresh spinach and grated Reggiano. $29


It was an excellent choice. When the other dishes came out I was doing some oohing! and aahing! but still happy with my choice. By design, I am a red meat eater, my wife is a switcher, from beef to chicken. She chose chicken.
A pomegranate glazed chicken breast with roasted fingerling potatoes, cabernet poached pears and grilled seasonal vegetables. $27

More often than not my wife won’t manage a full meal, so I get clean-up detail. I can tell you from first hand knowledge the chicken is very good.



Another mouth watering selection was the Char broiled “Delft Blue” 14oz veal chop with organic honey braised cippolini onions, whipped potatoes and grainy mustard demi-glace. $40.



Seems funny, how kids mature as they age. My daughter would never eat seafood in her younger years and now always orders seafood when dining out. She chose a lightly crusted Basa fish fillet that she deemed as excellent.



The Birthday Boy is definitely a traditionalist and chose the strip loin of Beef w/fries(By special request) and a draft beer.



You got to love a guy with good taste.Happy Birthday Wayne.



Cheese cake complete with sparkler topped off Birthday Boy’s meal.
I was a little slow with the camera and had to ask him to put the fork down, so I could get a quick shot of a Raspberry Cheese cake.



Everyone enjoyed their meal and I got a big surprise when we went to pay our bill. My kids had picked up the tab. Dining out in high style doesn’t get any better than this, especially when it is spent with a loving family.

Ged’s Restaurant & Cocktail Lounge is located at 97 Brant Ave. in Brantford, On.

Keg Restaurant

Well eating out in upscale restaurants is getting to be a habit. Friends of ours are leaving to head south for the winter and we owed them a night out of dining without the dancing. They had taken us out for hotdogs, which I enjoyed immensely. My kind of comfort food, I am a cheap date.

We arrived at the Keg Steakhouse and told that it would be a 20 to 30 min wait for the dining room but tables were available in the lounge. We chose not to wait and hustled off to the lounge. One thing you can always depend on at the Keg is excellent friendly service.

The menu's are huge and lots of great mouth watering selections. My munchies endorphins were kicking in, but we had come for the Prime Rib and I fought the urge to break the bank with ordering one of every item on the menu.Never go dining hungry.

A contingent of noisy Revellers kept our conversation at low levels of internal screaming and head shaking. We wanted to eat and get out into the world of sanity. Water for all, with a slice of lemon, was enough to rush our dinner along. We would stop for coffee and desert someplace quiet were we could talk without the scream.

Prime Rib meal came and it was lovely to say the least. The Keg has excellent food. Creamy garlic mashed potatoes were to die for, along with another of my favorites grilled vegetables. Colorful strips of peppers and green beans. The cut of meat was thinner than most prime rib of beef I have had there in the past(about 1/2")but deliciously cooked to perfection. There were no complaints, we all thoroughly enjoyed our meals. Dinner for 4 was just under $140 and that included the tip.

In hindsight,a Mom and Pop operation Brown's Country Restaurant would have saved a big bill. The atmosphere would have been normal chatting level. But what is a bill when your impressing friends?

Lunch in High Style

The Roadfood junkie put on a change of denim jeans, shaved, and combed his hair, he was about to experience a fine dining lunch.
We were invited out to lunch by a friend from the West Coast (Vancouver Island). She was flying east to Ottawa on business and we invited her to stop over for a couple of nights. As luck would have it, she was also meeting, a might have been sister-in-law, that is, if her friend had not passed away. They were meeting for the first time. The sister-in-law chose the eating place, a fine dining Country Bistro and our friend was treating. This was not the time to kick up my heals and cry, "I'm hungry, I want roadfood".

Devlin’s Country Bistro is located in Mount Pleasant, On.
704 Mount Pleasant Rd. (519)484-2258 Reservations are recommended.



The interior is charming. I was surprised at the size of the rooms and the number of people this place could potentially seat.



They even had a lounge side.



and a bar.



On the menu it promotes its self as Contemporary Italian Cuisine with a California Flair.
For starters (not appetizers but starters) they had some of the following delectable choices.
Caesar Salad $8.00
Smoked Salmon & Sweet Corn Chowder $8.50
Chinese Duck Pancake $14.50
Pumpernickel Toast w/Chevre & Mixed Mushrooms $14.50
Fried Soft Shell Crab Sandwich w/sweet potato fries $15.00
Nut Crusted Goat Cheese w/Fig Compote $11.00
3 BBQ Lamb Chops w/Gin & Mint Sauce $14.00

Pizza and Pasta
Thin Crust Pizza w/Glazed Onions, Olives & Gorgonzola $14.00
Zucchini Ribbons w/Marinara Sauce, Artichokes & Roast Garlic Toes $13.00(And you thought garlic was all fingers?)
Penne w/Smoked Chicken & Pesto Cream $15.00

We tossed around the Chef’s Surprise a 6 Course Dinner at $75 per person.
But there were so many main courses to choose, we decided a 6 course dinner might be a little over the top- for lunch. After all, we are watching our waist-lines grow fast enough and I figured, I might have to save room for a foot long hotdog depending on the portions.

So! It was on to the main course. (after the starter’s you must have the finisher’s) Well! Maybe not for lunch.

Black Cod w/Spring Onion Sauce $34.00
½ House Smoked Chicken w/Garlic Mashed $23.50
New Zealand Rack of Lamb w/fresh Rosemary Jus $34.00
Filet Mignon Stuffed w/Stilton $36.00

Or how about, bringing it down to a Roadfood level....how about a Burger?
Kobe Burger w/Grilled Vegetable Skewer $18.50
Double Pork Chop w/Root Beer Glaze $27.00

I was so pleased to get to go out to lunch and try something truly different, exotic and expensive, something from a small Country Bistro. I was even over-joyed that I was not paying the bill.

We had a lovely lunch, each of us choosing something different and declaring it has very good to excellent.

We started with Clams Casino. I did find the Clams Casino were not my favorites. I have had much better.



I moved on to my next choice.
A lovely light and tasty Smoked Salmon & Sweet Corn Chowder.



I was determined to finish this lunch with grace, flair and few calories, so my final'ly, was a simple Caesar salad wish I loved and could have ate several more but I was saving room for a hot dog and a beer.



Our friend chose PEI Mussels w/Chorizo, Leeks and Pesto Cream



It is not as if a rowdy bunch had invaded the Bistro but this was the only table occupied on a beautiful luncheon day in the country.



It was kind of nice to have the place to ourselves and the waitress was friendly.

Those worthless money saving devices called a freezer

Are freezers really the money saving devices you believe them to be?
They are long lasting appliances that come in a couple of styles, upright, chest or a section of the refrigerator. You shop for those bargains from the supermarket, and store them away for another day.

A few months later, you root around the freezer like a possum on a garbage bag looking for that cut of meat, you know, just has to be there somewhere. Along the way, you find a few bargains that really need to be disposed of.

Just how long can you keep a bargain buy? Between hydro bills and disposal that good buy just may be costing you more than the trip to buy fresh ingredients.

A suggestion that we find helpful since there is only two of us.
We break most all meat purchases down into individual units. For instance a package 6 chicken breasts, would get laid onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and froze overnight. The frozen meat will be packaged into freezer bags, that have been identified and dated. Pre-freezing prevents sticking together. No more thawing out a package of six or more units for a two unit meal.

When Hunger Strikes a Roadfood junkie

I can’t always be running the roads in search of roadfood. There are days when work around the farm just has to get done.
‘Hungry as a horse’, ‘feed the masses’, ‘stomach is touching the back bone’, whatever justification I can use for eating out sometimes gives way to getting out the fry pan and cooking up a storm.

When the roadfood junkie cooks, it has to be fast and simple but tasty. I ignore calories. I also like to trial recipes that I pick up around the web. I have found that tastes differ dramatically from web cooks, or is it, that some recipes are just plain out to lunch? Did they forget a few ingredients? Also, does the recipe feed one hungry person, or an army of diners? I have wasted a few ingredients by not digesting the recipe first.

A person surfing the web late at night can be sure the munchies will take hold of ones inner-self like a claw hammer, and pound you into submission if you are not strong enough to resist temptation.

I came across a site talking about Spam. Suddenly! the lights of food from days gone by came on.....Spam! Wasn’t that what we sometimes ate as a kid? Next day the Roadfood Junkie's fat mobile made the trip to search for Spam. Never realizing, Spam, is still a popular food. I made the purchase and headed straight home to make my very own Spam sandwich.

Spam and Sauerkraut cooking

Sauerkraut and Spam, touch of mustard on White.
Top it off with some dill slices and a slice of cheese, and you have a sandwich fit for any roadfoodie. Hey! a fellows got to use what is on hand.

How to build a quality Spam sandwich

Finished product ready to enjoy. Maybe an Italian roll would make a difference but it was awfully good on fresh white bread.

Spam sandwich on white

Another recipe I was dying to try was Texas Hot Sauce. Hot dogs smothered in a sauce with mustard and chopped onion. Being the hot dog freak that I am, and being that the clock had not struck midnight and not afraid to turn into a pumpkin, I cranked up the heat and put a pot on the burner.

Cooking Texas Hot Sauce

The finish product was quite good. The recipe made enough to open my own hot dog stand. I put the left over sauce in ice cube trays and froze the remainder for another day.

Texas Hots

The finished product was grilled Schneider wieners with mustard, onions on steamed buns and smothered in Texas Hot sauce.

Infamous Roadfood, Diners, and Dives.

Places the Roadfood junkie will not be eating at.
Restaurants, diners and dives that will never measure up to roadfood standards. The names, say it all. What on earth were the owners thinking?

Some pictures of places, friends have sent me; their whereabouts remain unknown.

Think about it before you take your blind date here.
Imagine yourself asking her, “Would you like to go to The Big Wong”?

Have you ever felt like your a little bound up after eating at the Bung Hole?

Actually! I am a little hesitant about picking up the fork I dropped at ....

I have never tried them before. Don’t believe, I ever will.

Crabby Dicks should share their dip recipe with Chewy Balls.

They are Crabby, they are Chewy, and they are dirty. Not exactly a roadfood diner, I would visit.

Served hot or cold, I guess a required taste?

I don’t think so! there is something about your shrimp dishes I don’t like.

Smile and the whole world will smile with you. Show crack and all your friends will come.

I know Miss Tandoori, but I do have standards.

I can remember, when I was put on a pedestal.

Some girls thought I was Hot.

I was just a young roadfood junkie back then.

I never ate out when shorts were required apparel.

It is not nice to call a fellow roadfood diner, names.

What was in that rice?

Say What?

You keep eating at the wrong diners,

And you will soon be fat.

Cleanse your soul with a Golden Shower as you eat.

THE PERFECT BREAKFAST...AS A MAN SEES IT.....
YOU'RE SITTING AT THE TABLE AND YOUR SON IS ON THE COVER OF WHEATIES........
YOUR MISTRESS IS ON THE COVER OF PLAYBOY........
AND YOUR WIFE IS ON THE BACK OF THE MILK CARTON.

This is why you are Fat

I have decided it is time to trim a few pounds. Eating out has its downside, eating at home can be a challenge also. Decisions, decisions, what to have for breakfast, lunch and dinner means plans have to be made in advance, grocery shopping will be a must if you are following a recipe. There is rarely everything in the house to whip up a recipe.Well! you could cheat and adapt, use what you have on hand but then will the recipe be the same.
I am a firm believer in stick to the recipe.
So I searched the web and came up with a excellent site that will help me achieve my goal. It is my ambition to try each one of these recipes. What do you think I should make first? Check out my choices
My thanks to tiwyf for providing me with a meal plan.

Roadfood Junkie on Fine Dining

Fine Dining is for those special occasions, so is it any wonder a roadfood junkie would expect it to be special? What are the differences separating fine dining from roadfood or family dining? Is it the food? Specially prepared with the freshest of ingredients, giving it that unique blend of flavors not normally found in family dining, or could it be the atmosphere, the special attention to service? As far as service, I couldn’t give a rats.... if they grind my pepper or spread the napkin on my lap. I do expect friendly, and I do expect food taste to be a step beyond a Mom and Pop family diner.
It certainly can’t be the prices, unless putting out the bucks jerks your chain and makes you feel special.

It was our anniversary and the whole family got together for upscale dining at a fine dining restaurant in Port Dover,Ont. Hemming’s Broken Plate. Yes! Sometimes I upscale from roadfood eateries. It was wonderful to be with family and I looked forward to a new adventure in dining out. It was my choice where to go; I enjoy new adventures in dining. We had never eaten at this particular restaurant before and I had heard some mixed reviews.

The restaurant is a beautiful remodeled century home, they have maintained the charm and with the subdued lighting it had that romantic feeling. Our service was great.



The food was so, so. There were no rave reviews.
The meal started with a Caesar salad, which was very good.
My wife ordered beef tenderloin 8oz., garlic mashed potatoes and vegetable.
Tenderloin was an inch to inch and a quarter thick like a fillet’, vegetables equaled about a tablespoon. The plate did look lonely in my eyes...bring on the parsley decorations.
I had a 14oz rib eye steak with same sides. Daughter and son-in-law also had the rib eye steak, we all shared same comments.
The comments -
The rib eye- was a few ounces short 14 oz.The consensus was that if the wife’s beef tenderloin was sliced in half; both halves would equal one rib eye. Which was no more than ½ inch thick with a bone attached or.... was that gristle? It was doubtful, if it was a 10oz steak. It needed salt and lacked that fine dining special taste. Anyone can do steaks the same at home.
Beef tenderloin- wife enjoyed her steak, very tender. The vegetables she didn’t eat. Garlic potatoes were very good.

The vegetables bordered on uneatable, taste like they had been seasoned with Chili seasoning or Cumin and came from a can. Did I mention the sparse serving of vegetables which didn’t matter in this case?
Good serving of Garlic mashed potatoes which were very good.

The restaurant has all the ingredients for fine dining. Good atmosphere, good service, but not with a $34 meal that shouldn’t venture above 20 bucks and that is being generous. I was feeling less than satisfied and could have gone for a hot dog.