[sonick]

Summary (from what I remembered) of all the places I went to on my trip out east last week:

WVRST (Toronto) - 8.5/10
Terribly stupid line-up policy set up like a club since it is all communal tables (like a beer festival). When the restaurant is full, there is a bouncer telling people to line up. They wait until about half of the people leave then they let a whole bunch of people in. I was a single and first in line, was quite excruciating seeing through the door a nearly empty restaurant, yet the bouncer would not let just ONE person in. Any how, in the end the food was worth the ~30min wait.

I got the duck wurst (with maple and foie) with duck fat fries with Dieu du Ciel Morality IPA; absolutely delicious.

The Caledonian (Toronto) - 8/10
A Scottish public house/whiskey bar. Not your typical Donnolley "Public House" but a quieter restaurant more authentic type pub style with older clientele. Food was great, I had the roast dinner which was extremely tender and my brother had the haggis which was spot on with flavour and spices. Friendly waitress who I think was the owner.

416 Snack Bar (Toronto) - 7/10
Hip trendy tapas bar with shared tables, food was decent but pricey.

Bahn Mi Boys (Toronto) - 8/10
Momofuku-style pork belly bao's. So tasty, would be awesome late night after a few drinks. Bigger than I expected, tastes similar to a Bahn Mi but with more concentrated flavours and a nice sweetness from the hoisin.

Sneaky Dee's (Toronto) - 6.5/10
Dive rock bar but not sketchy; a wide range of customers. Cheap drinks and tex mex food, great music.

Play (Ottawa) - 7/10
A higher-end modern bistro style tapas place not too common in Ottawa. Food was good but nothing too memorable and neither was the decor or ambience.

Au Pied de Cochon (Montreal) - 9/10
Pretty much a big reason for this trip was a chance to come here. I was dining alone so was only able to get two dishes unfortunately since the portions were so huge, but food lived up to the hype. Started with the duck pie, shredded duck and cheeses baked into pie pastry with a creamy foie/mushroom sauce on top.

Then had the boudin & foie tart; my taste buds were in overdrive after the first dish that the flavour was just too much on the second one (it felt like I burned my tongue on something hot, but I didn't). The carmelized onions and the cured foie was so flavourful, but I'd be lying if I didn't say it was tough to finish everything at the end.

Dieu du Ciel (Montreal) - 9/10
The #1 rated beer-related place in Montreal on Ratebeer.com, a microbrew with a brewpub. Amazing beer with a wide range of styles and selection. Cool ambiance with a nice patio.

La Banquise (Montreal) - 8.5/10
Went for a basic poutine to load up my stomach before the beers. Very tasty; gravy was sweet and flavourful not salty at all, fries were crisp even with the gravy, and with real cheese curds.

Brasserie T! (Montreal) - 9.5/10
Possibly better than my Au Pied de Cochon experience due to the fact I was not struggling by the end of the meal, but the food in and of itself was just as good if not slightly better. Flavours were more refined and less a sledgehammer to the palate and gut that APdC was.

Started with sauteed wild mushrooms drizzled with a nice balsamic; simple, early and elegant. Second was the foie gras terrine, since I only had a few slices of cured foie from APdC I needed my fix. A generous brick of terrine; creamy and rich. Totally hit my foie spot. Ended with beef tartare with a simple green salad. Possibly the best tartare I've had. the perfect balance of tenderness and texture, very nicely spiced and seasoned. Went well with a basic salad of greens, good olive oil and mustard. Would highly recommend.

St. Viateur's Bagels (Montreal) - 2/10
I don't understand the hype but perhaps I ate it wrong. I thought they would have options of serving it with cream cheese or lox but nope, just plain bagels. Bit into them plain, just tastes like any other bagel. Maybe better texture but that's it.

Schwartz's (Montreal) - 8.5/10
Was afraid I would be let down with all the hype, but definitely not. The meat looks like it would be dry, but it was tender and moist (but not overly juicy). Seasoned perfectly not too salty, great bread and a bit of mustard. Definitely great.

Tavern Square Dominion (Montreal) - 8/10
Super cool but old school supper-club style restaurant with old school menu; fish and chips, braised beef shortrib, etc. I had the 'ploughman's lunch' which is a cold meat platter with pork terrine, duck prosciutto, salami, some fruit and veg. Solid food.

3 Brasseurs (Montreal) - 7/10
Just a big brew pub similar to Craft Beer Market or Yaletown Brewing Co. but with their own beers. Neither ambiance nor the beers were anything memorable.

Reuben's (Montreal) - 7.5/10
Old school chain diner. Just got a burger and poutine. Cool ambience, super old school service and food.

St. Hubert's (Montreal) - 6.5/10
Quebec version of Swiss Chalet basically. Nothing great, nothing terrible, chicken was moist and gravy was tasty.