2007-10-27

Surf Side Inn

Spent last night at the Surfside Inn in Queensland (right across from Queensland beach). We got a good deal by subscribing to their last minute deals newsletter. We got a room, a three course meal, continental breakfast (which didn't make it down to but looked good), a bottle of champagne (Tott's brut, not so good but included and cold), and a room with a large corner tub and queen bed.

The room was really nice as was the tub. The bed left a little to be desired but wasn't any worse than the bed I had before my current one. The meal was phenomenal... very tasty. Considering the value of the meal, sparkling wine, and so on, we pretty much stayed for free. I'd consider going back for the food.

Our meals:

  • Apps - I had a bowl of mussels steamed in beer and garlic, she had a ceaser salad. Both were very tasty and generous. The mussel broth was wonderful when sopped up with the crusty rolls that accompanied our dinner.
  • Mains - I had a pasta (fettucini with a roasted vegetable cream sauce and some chicken tossed in). The pasta wasn't anything special but it was well made, cooked properly, and seasoned perfectly. Best of all it arrived at the perfect temperature (I have frequently had cold pastas served to me). She had a striploin with a nice red wine reduction sauce, roasted potatoes, and veggies. The steak was cooked perfectly as ordered and the sauce was really well done. Nice reduction, I think finished with a bit of butter (maybe? I didn't eat more than a sliver to taste). I am not a big steak fan unless we are talking rib eye but it was tasty.
  • Dessert - I had a really tasty bread pudding presented nicely with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and she had cranberry crumble with more delicious ice cream. Both were as good enough to make us ooh and ahh a couple times. :)
  • We had a glass of house red as well.
  • Everything but the wine was included in our package. The menu we chose from is the same offered in the dining room.

I wouldn't spend too many nights in a row here because we found the bed a little uncomfortable but in general it was an excellent stay and the area is really picturesque.

We slept in and missed the continental breakfast but ate a full breakfast at The Trellis Cafe, just down the road. I loved it all (they use this amazing whole grain bread for the toast and french toast) except my scrambled were made with water (I think) instead of cream. I was a breakfast cook in hotels for a while at different times and having made a million scrambled eggs, I think they are best on their own, finished with a dab of butter, a little salt, and white pepper. When you use water I find it makes the eggs light and fluffy but also bland tasting. To each his own, though. I know many people like them this way and it is a little healthier, I suppose.

2007-10-25

Back to normal

OK, I was sick and now I am not. :) Well, I still have Crohn's but, hey, doesn't everyone these days?

What's new:

  • Had another spectacularly good meal at Hamachi House last night (in Dartmouth). I had the Calamari, because you would need to be insane not to, and followed it up with "Tofu Steak" (basically pieces of flat-grilled tofu served on a mound of delicious spinach and dressed with a delicious sesame vinagrette; this is accompanied by their standard veggies and a choice of starch: I chose the fresh cut fries and was very happy with them).
  • One of our dogs has been on a diet because he was getting a little hefty (too many calories as opposed to not enough exercise). He's slimming down now and is more active than ever if that is even possible.
  • CD: I felt REALLY good for a while after my cold cleared up but the last couple days have been rough. More exhaustion than pain although I am getting pain now in my back, etc. I was sort of enjoying being sick with the cold because for some reason all my aches and pains abated for a while. :) Go figure.
  • Health food: I started taking Greens+ detox. It seems to treat me right and I think the extra nutrients are beneficial. I am sure a study showing this product damages various internal organs is right around the corner but that's life.

Oh, also, I was in no way involved in a Hummer that accidentally rammed into a house in my city nor was I involved in the 18-car police chase in that same city days later. No, I am a peaceable, law-abiding citizen. I have been involved in the sense that I am forced to ask myself what kind of city I am living in. It certainly doesn't feel like the one I grew up in although Dartmouth has always been a little rough around the edges (which I like).

I guess the level of violent crime seems to be going up but it could simply be a function of growing population. And the increasingly bad driving could be a symptom of people being busier and more preoccupied with their own lives instead of trying to watch out for the people around them.

Do I have any hope that our city will wise up and start behaving more responsibly? Good question! Not sure I know the answer yet.

2007-10-15

Cold

Nothing much to report. I've been laid low by a cold I caught on a camping expedition to the Cabot Trail... I fell asleep by the fire and the fire went out (I was sitting up in a chair looking at the night sky). Rookie mistake. Anyway, that's life. Been pretty sick for a week, missed a day of work, etc. Feeling 75% better now so I should be OK by next week.