Food-Cation Restaurant Reviews
This year our fam took a little road trip "food-cation" inspired by watching the Food Network over the winter. We are all such foodies and love to give reviews at each place, so it was fun to do a little research and enjoy some delicious meals and treats! Here are some of our pit stops and restaurant reviews for you! Seems like so many people are hitting up the same areas we visited, so hopefully this is helpful or inspiring to you also!
First stop: Kingston
"Harper"s Burger Bar"
https://www.harpersburgerbar.com/
This place was featured on "You Gotta Eat Here", so we decided to give it a try!
⁃ good burger choices; vegan friendly (offered the Beyond Meat Burger, chickpea patty, and a grilled portabello; they also had vegan cheese and faux bacon)- gluten free bun available or a lettuce wrap
⁃ J ordered the Bullseye burger; he said it is really good; it came with a fried egg on it. It was a little heavy on the jalapeños, even after removing the jalapeños it was still spicy.⁃ They make Waffle fries here! They were really great!
- Arugula mayo was great to dip the fries and burger in. ⁃ D liked the homemade chicken strips and fresh cut fries too.
- You can get your burger on two grilled cheeses instead if a bun!! Wowza! We opted not to - lol
Next stop: Ottawa
"3 Brewers"
This place is a chain, which we are not usually a fan of, however, it was new to us and the kids were starving, so we stopped in.
https://les3brasseurs.ca/locations/3-brewers-sparks
It had a great little patio that we sat out on, which was so nice.
⁃ Great kids meals; go on a Tuesday it’s only $2 and the portions are huge! ⁃ Kids loved the giant pretzel and popcorn shrimp as an appetizer. ⁃ This place was not overly gluten friendly, but our waitress was fairly helpful and I ended up ordering the Cote d’Azure salad and it was pretty fantastic! Romain, egg, shredded chicken, prosciutto crisps, radish, and with balsamic vinaigrette!
⁃ The Pizza that the kids got was a super thin crispy crust. Lots of pepperoni. It came iwth a Ceasar salad. Kids were not fans of the salad as it did not have enough dressing.
⁃ Good mocktails for kids and lots of beer choices for Big D.
The next day we biked all down the canal and stopped in Little Italy for lunch:
“Dreamland Cafe”
https://www.dreamlandcafe.ca/
⁃ By the time we got here we were all starving, so we were so happy that they also had food for mommy (me): gluten free pasta and a vegan option! AND, they are licensed!!
- I tried the 0 sugar, no sweetener added cider! It was pretty good; tart. My GF penne was also great! And the pesto was vegan (no dairy for me!)⁃ Also good to note that the Meatballs are gluten free!!
⁃ The boys all ordered meatball subs and they were huge! The bread was a little thick and crusty; Hard to take a bite; but very delicious.
⁃ Good Italian Sodas for kids. Lemon lime is the best; Citrusy and refreshing. Raspberry lemon tastes like jam.
⁃ They also had GF chocolate chip cookies to finish off the meal!
This place was a win!
A 6-7 hour bike ride down the Rideau Canal definitely deserved a "Beaver Tail" in the Byward Market:
That night we decided to stay close to the hotel and walked down to "Whalesbone"; again, another chain, but came recommended by my sis and friend.
https://thewhalesbone.com/pages/elgin-street-menu
⁃ great oyster bar from a variety of regions and waters in Canada
⁃ There is no official kids menu here, but they were very accommodating and offered a fish meal or pasta. D ordered the kids fish and fries, It was excellent! He loved the crispy skin on the fish. The kids meal was $25 and does not include a drink or dessert like other places.
⁃ Big D and I ordered the Miso Sabblefish and scallops! The Sabblefish was excellent and the scallops were seared well.
- J ordered the Lobster tail; he wasn't a fan of it; it was just ok to be honest.
- Your sides are ordered separate from your protein; we opted for fingerling potatoes roasted in duck fat ... OMG, delicious! ⁃ Overall, this restaurant was very good, but warning it was quite expensive.
Just down the street from Whalesbone was a gelato place, not sure of the name, but it had quite a few vegan options, including a silky chocolate gelato that was amazing!
Our next leg of our 'food-cation': Montreal
"La Banquise "
https://labanquise.com/
⁃ The poutine was really good, but we've had really good poutine in Ontario too. Too many selections on the menu to know what to pick, so we all went with classic.
⁃ Vegan and gluten free options too: I had a poutine with gf/vegan gravy and vegan cheese! It was pretty good. I was curious to try one with Italian style meat sauce ... next time.
For dinner we strolled down beautiful Old Montreal and stopped at a Mexican place:
"La Cantrina"
https://www.restaurantlacatrina.ca/
⁃ Authentic tacos made with Gluten-free tortillas and good choices of fillings.
⁃ Boys loved the fried fish taco and rib eye taco.
⁃ Soft shell corn tortilla was amazing!
⁃ Guacamole is sensational, Served with house made chips.
⁃ Tacos are not over filled. Simple, which made them so delicious. We really liked this little stop!
*Cool decor here also, like the large mural behind me above.
The next morning we drove around looking for the best bagels around:
"St Viateur Bagel"
https://www.stviateurbagel.com/
⁃ sesame seed bagels were amazing! The boys definitely approve! Eating them in the car is not the best idea, but it was raining and there is no eat-in space here, so .... we need to vacuum the car.
⁃ Just to note that this place is Cash only. I made the mistake of waiting in line (that went all the way out the door) and found out it was cash only when I finally made it to ordering. Sigh. Luckily there was an ATM in the shop. Phew.
⁃ The bagels are straight out of the wood burning oven and served warm. Oh, the smell is amazing! Too bad that there is no Gluten Free option. BOO!
⁃ Thick and tons of sesame seeds. With cream cheese it’s delicious. But super good alone also.
* We also drove around looking for GF bakeries; we found one only to be fooled that the bakery sells pre-packaged GF items and does not actually bake any. :( The options were limited and not very good to be honest.
For lunch we made our way to the famous "Schwart’s Smoke Meat Deli"
https://www.schwartzsdeli.com/
⁃ This is the best smoked meat of life! I am not a vegan because of food like this! LOL
- Juicy, tender, and delicious. Not overly brine-y.
⁃ Typically served on rye with mustard, but a GF option (as shown above) is just a pile of meat in parchment paper! Still so amazing! No bread needed.
- The boys loved their sandwiches! They are seriously huge! Each sandwich is about $11 each
That's it for our food-cation! Thank goodness for the walking and biking that helped balance all of our food choices! It was a great experience and we are already brainstorming where to go to next!
First stop: Kingston
"Harper"s Burger Bar"
https://www.harpersburgerbar.com/
This place was featured on "You Gotta Eat Here", so we decided to give it a try!
⁃ good burger choices; vegan friendly (offered the Beyond Meat Burger, chickpea patty, and a grilled portabello; they also had vegan cheese and faux bacon)- gluten free bun available or a lettuce wrap
⁃ J ordered the Bullseye burger; he said it is really good; it came with a fried egg on it. It was a little heavy on the jalapeños, even after removing the jalapeños it was still spicy.⁃ They make Waffle fries here! They were really great!
- Arugula mayo was great to dip the fries and burger in. ⁃ D liked the homemade chicken strips and fresh cut fries too.
- You can get your burger on two grilled cheeses instead if a bun!! Wowza! We opted not to - lol
Next stop: Ottawa
"3 Brewers"
This place is a chain, which we are not usually a fan of, however, it was new to us and the kids were starving, so we stopped in.
https://les3brasseurs.ca/locations/3-brewers-sparks
It had a great little patio that we sat out on, which was so nice.
⁃ Great kids meals; go on a Tuesday it’s only $2 and the portions are huge! ⁃ Kids loved the giant pretzel and popcorn shrimp as an appetizer. ⁃ This place was not overly gluten friendly, but our waitress was fairly helpful and I ended up ordering the Cote d’Azure salad and it was pretty fantastic! Romain, egg, shredded chicken, prosciutto crisps, radish, and with balsamic vinaigrette!
⁃ The Pizza that the kids got was a super thin crispy crust. Lots of pepperoni. It came iwth a Ceasar salad. Kids were not fans of the salad as it did not have enough dressing.
⁃ Good mocktails for kids and lots of beer choices for Big D.
The next day we biked all down the canal and stopped in Little Italy for lunch:
“Dreamland Cafe”
https://www.dreamlandcafe.ca/
⁃ By the time we got here we were all starving, so we were so happy that they also had food for mommy (me): gluten free pasta and a vegan option! AND, they are licensed!!
- I tried the 0 sugar, no sweetener added cider! It was pretty good; tart. My GF penne was also great! And the pesto was vegan (no dairy for me!)⁃ Also good to note that the Meatballs are gluten free!!
⁃ The boys all ordered meatball subs and they were huge! The bread was a little thick and crusty; Hard to take a bite; but very delicious.
⁃ Good Italian Sodas for kids. Lemon lime is the best; Citrusy and refreshing. Raspberry lemon tastes like jam.
⁃ They also had GF chocolate chip cookies to finish off the meal!
This place was a win!
A 6-7 hour bike ride down the Rideau Canal definitely deserved a "Beaver Tail" in the Byward Market:
That night we decided to stay close to the hotel and walked down to "Whalesbone"; again, another chain, but came recommended by my sis and friend.
https://thewhalesbone.com/pages/elgin-street-menu
⁃ great oyster bar from a variety of regions and waters in Canada
⁃ There is no official kids menu here, but they were very accommodating and offered a fish meal or pasta. D ordered the kids fish and fries, It was excellent! He loved the crispy skin on the fish. The kids meal was $25 and does not include a drink or dessert like other places.
⁃ Big D and I ordered the Miso Sabblefish and scallops! The Sabblefish was excellent and the scallops were seared well.
- J ordered the Lobster tail; he wasn't a fan of it; it was just ok to be honest.
- Your sides are ordered separate from your protein; we opted for fingerling potatoes roasted in duck fat ... OMG, delicious! ⁃ Overall, this restaurant was very good, but warning it was quite expensive.
Just down the street from Whalesbone was a gelato place, not sure of the name, but it had quite a few vegan options, including a silky chocolate gelato that was amazing!
Our next leg of our 'food-cation': Montreal
"La Banquise "
https://labanquise.com/
⁃ The poutine was really good, but we've had really good poutine in Ontario too. Too many selections on the menu to know what to pick, so we all went with classic.
⁃ Vegan and gluten free options too: I had a poutine with gf/vegan gravy and vegan cheese! It was pretty good. I was curious to try one with Italian style meat sauce ... next time.
For dinner we strolled down beautiful Old Montreal and stopped at a Mexican place:
"La Cantrina"
https://www.restaurantlacatrina.ca/
⁃ Authentic tacos made with Gluten-free tortillas and good choices of fillings.
⁃ Boys loved the fried fish taco and rib eye taco.
⁃ Soft shell corn tortilla was amazing!
⁃ Guacamole is sensational, Served with house made chips.
⁃ Tacos are not over filled. Simple, which made them so delicious. We really liked this little stop!
*Cool decor here also, like the large mural behind me above.
The next morning we drove around looking for the best bagels around:
"St Viateur Bagel"
https://www.stviateurbagel.com/
⁃ sesame seed bagels were amazing! The boys definitely approve! Eating them in the car is not the best idea, but it was raining and there is no eat-in space here, so .... we need to vacuum the car.
⁃ Just to note that this place is Cash only. I made the mistake of waiting in line (that went all the way out the door) and found out it was cash only when I finally made it to ordering. Sigh. Luckily there was an ATM in the shop. Phew.
⁃ The bagels are straight out of the wood burning oven and served warm. Oh, the smell is amazing! Too bad that there is no Gluten Free option. BOO!
⁃ Thick and tons of sesame seeds. With cream cheese it’s delicious. But super good alone also.
* We also drove around looking for GF bakeries; we found one only to be fooled that the bakery sells pre-packaged GF items and does not actually bake any. :( The options were limited and not very good to be honest.
For lunch we made our way to the famous "Schwart’s Smoke Meat Deli"
https://www.schwartzsdeli.com/
⁃ This is the best smoked meat of life! I am not a vegan because of food like this! LOL
- Juicy, tender, and delicious. Not overly brine-y.
⁃ Typically served on rye with mustard, but a GF option (as shown above) is just a pile of meat in parchment paper! Still so amazing! No bread needed.
- The boys loved their sandwiches! They are seriously huge! Each sandwich is about $11 each
That's it for our food-cation! Thank goodness for the walking and biking that helped balance all of our food choices! It was a great experience and we are already brainstorming where to go to next!
We do this too! Everytime we travel we visit the food Network site and plan our restaurants. I like that your reviews included gluten free options as we often eat out with a family member with celiac disease.
ReplyDeleteWow, you've embarked on quite the culinary adventure! It's fantastic how you explored various eateries, from burger joints with vegan options to quaint cafes offering gluten-free pasta and vegan choices. And biking down the Rideau Canal sounds like quite the journey, topped off with delicious pit stops, including gelato and poutine, in Ottawa and Montreal. Your detailed experiences and restaurants in milton visits truly paint a delectable picture!
ReplyDeleteThose warm sesame seed bagels sound incredible! It's a shame they don't have a gluten-free option. Finding GF bakeries can be tricky, huh? It's disappointing when they don't live up to expectations. But those bagels with cream cheese? That's the stuff! Vacuuming the car might be worth it for those tasty treats! and who wants Veg food near me
ReplyDelete