BISTRO SIX ONE 

61-63 Queen Street, Niagara on the Lake, On., (905) 468-2532, Lunch and Dinner 7 days a week

On a cool, but sunny March afternoon my wife and I decided to take a drive to one of our favourite tourist places, Niagara on the Lake.  It is a quaint and historic village that has the famous Shaw theatre, along with a variety of boutiques and restaurants.  Being the off season for tourists, some shops were closed, but the restaurants were all open.  We decided to try Bistro Six One after reading their menu posted near the front door.

The inside has a variety of booth seating which we like.

Located in the centre of Ontario's wine region, restaurants here tend to feature the local wineries in their wine lists.  We chose our favourite local wine from Jackson Triggs, their Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc blend VQA, a full bodied red with a rich flavour.

The menu has a nice variety to choose from including wood oven pizza, sandwiches, salads and mains.  

Since it was late afternoon, we decided on a salad and sandwich.  We both chose the Caesar salad.  The romaine was fresh and crisp, the bacon was real and the parmesan cheese and croutons were delicious.

For her sandwich, my wife chose the ham and brie melt on multigrain bread.  It had thin layers of smoked ham, soft brie cheese and a wonderful pepper jelly that was very tasty.  It was accompanied by a mound of french fries.

I decided on the grilled chicken ciabatta.  It had tender grilled chicken, lettuce, bacon and cheese.  The bread was crisp and fresh and the sandwich was excellent.  It too, was served with fries.

It was a wonderful meal in a peaceful restaurant with nice music and good wine.  We will definitely be back again.

  

http://www.bistrosixone.com/index.htm

MON AMI GABI 

Paris Las Vegas, 3655 Las Vegas Boulevard, (702) 944-4224 Mon - Thurs and Sun 7:00 -11:00, Sat 7:00 - 12:00 

Went to Mon Ami Gabi a couple of times during our stay in Vegas - not just for the ambiance (pure Paris) but also their excellent breakfast.

It is a beautiful space inside - but even more alluring on the great patio on the strip.

We began with a nice cold Mimosa.

 We both ordered the same breakfast, bacon and scrambled eggs.

The bacon pieces were large and on the thick side with a sweetness like brown sugar, they were delicious.  The three scrambled eggs were buttery and had a hint of thyme and were heavenly.  The bread was crisp and light yet thick.  The hashed potatoes were crispy and were a great complement.
Definitely worth a visit if you come to Vegas!



http://www.monamigabi.com/home/?loc=vegas

BROWNSTONE BISTRO AND BAR 

601 Yonge Street, Toronto, On, M4Y1K9, (416) 920-6288 Gluten-free friendly, Happy Hour

On a blustery Saturday night after doing some frantic Christmas shopping we decided to try Brownstone.  I had been here a number of years before with my son and found it to be a pretty good bistro.  I came with my wife, my son and his girlfriend and we did not make a reservation.  We arrived around 6:30 to find only a few tables occupied, however well into our meal a large group arrived and the bistro was full.

We began by ordering a nice California wine.

The waiter brought us a nice basket of bread with an olive oil and balsamic dip.

While we were trying to decide on what appetizers to order and share, the waiter suggested a sampling platter for two that would have a nice selection of appetizers.  He was right - it was outstanding.  It contained chicken tenders, fried calamari, spring rolls and a small salad.  It included a variety of dipping sauces.

While we savoured our appetizers, the waiter brought us another basket of bread - without our asking!  We carefully examined the menu (everything sounded good) and finally decided to order our mains.
One of us ordered the chicken marsala which was a grilled chicken breast topped with a wild mushroom marsala sauce.  The chicken was very tender and the sauce was lightly spiced.  It came with a portion of corn on the cob, potato and cauliflower.

One of us ordered the stuffed chicken breast filled with roasted peppers and mozzarella topped with a sun dried tomato cream sauce and tiger shrimp.  It was absolutely delicious.

My wife and I tried the grilled Atlantic salmon with maple miso glaze, topped with a sweet apple onion slaw it was one of the best salmon dishes I have ever eaten.  The salmon was perfectly done, the sauce was not overbearing and the cold flavour filled slaw matched very well.

Even though we were rather full, we decided to share a couple of deserts.  We decided to try the panna cotta.  It was light and delicious.

We even had room for an irish coffee.  

We all had the same opinion about the Brownstone.  The meals were very good and not bloating.  The menu is very well done, with a good variety of choices.  They have a full bar of martinis etc.. We all thoroughly enjoyed the meal and will definitely come back to try more of their menu.  Voted best bistro in Toronto 2012.  Well done.  
http://www.brownstonebistro.ca/dinner