John "Whiter Than Sour Cream" M.'s Profile

Hi All!

The wife & I are back in Canada to visit friends & family, and found this very neat "Beer Garden" restaurant nestled in the West End of King Street.  The beer hall atmosphere and the range of pleasing sausages, and amazing duck fat fries really hit the mark!  The portions of food are good and are more than enough to fill.  The view of the kitchen is clear with no obstruction so you can see your food prepared.  I like that kind of transparency in my food preparation.  The place is clean.

I love the bench style seating which only further greases the social connectivity.  There is no over bearing music, nor the constant din of 4,000 TV screens tuned to a myriad of sports events - just awesome beers - awesome food - and an awesome atmosphere.  You can catch the Leafs though, when they are at home - and there is even a raffle for Leafs Tickets for that home game. It is also a slight departure from normal dining, where like a beer garden, you walk up, place your order then shimmy on over to the next seat on the bench...  Suds delivered almost immediately, and the food not too long afterwards.  They have their processes on lock - so you can focus on what next interesting beer or sausage you want to try.

If you want a large menu with pasta & steaks, this is not the place.  If you want a wide range of flavourful beer, some awesome fries and an amazing range of sausage & brats, get here now!

Best Friends Pet Care at Walt Disney World

We have a dog we like to bring with us on vacation.  Princess (I did not name her - no flames please!) is a Shiba-Inu/German Sheppard mix, and not a small dog, nor easy to always handle.  It is difficult to vacation well with a pet, and sometimes it is great to take your loved furry family member somewhere you can trust to look after them for a period so you can enjoy part of your vacation.  We happen to be visiting Disney, and we cannot bring her into the park (for obvious reasons).

Best Friends has been around for quite a while, but this place opened late last year (September 1, 2010).  It offers quite a few services for pets (dogs, cats, fish... and other small furry mamals as well!), of which we took advantage of the "Doggie Day Care".  We got to leave Princess with them for the day (instead of locking her up in a hotel room) where she got to have an inside/outside room, with 1 walk and some play time.

They have many other services, and special V.I.P. rooms as well - yes, you can completely give your pet a vacation during your vacation!  The V.I.P. rooms have TV, bed, personal concierge, and a "night-time story" to boot.  Pampering is something they will do!  I don't think your pet needs that, but if you feel guilty for leaving your pet somewhere while you have fun at a park, well, okay then - Fill your boots!  There are even web-camera services as well so you can watch your loved one from your favorite smart phone/tablet device!

There is even a fenced in area in the back with a small water park for you to run your dog around without a leash.  It is a great opportunity for your pup to burn off some energy doing what they do best - playing around.

The staff is friendly, they are dedicated, and they know what they are doing.  Their #1 priority is your pet, nothing else matters.  We dealt with Taylor, Kim, Melissa and all of the staff there treated us (and Princess) great.

I highly recommend this pet care center to anyone that has a loved pet that needs to be looked after while they are down here in Florida.  Good job Best Friends!  I gave them 5 stars, and will definitely use them again.

We found a fabulous B&B in a small Illinois town called Galena.  It was like finding "home".  We love the Felt Manor!  The views from the Felt are wonderful, the ambiance is fantastic as the rooms are all decorated in 1870's decor - ornate and posh - you can almost see the ladies and gentlemen of the era sitting in the front parlor enjoying an afternoon tea - or a cool refreshing mint julep on the front porch!  The Felt Manor is situated high up on the town, and overlooks the main street(s) of the town.  The steps leading up to The Felt Manor are charming, but you can access the Manor from High Street in the back - which will be easier.

The Felt Manor provides wonderful service in the evening with a tour of the rooms and a good history lesson of the house and the Galena area.  Dan (the owner) leads you on your tour, and also cooks a magnificent breakfast for you in the morning at the time of your choosing - we had Eggs Benedict - which was cooked to perfection!  The Felt Manor has a seating area for breakfast, much like a restaurant, which is different for a B&B.  It was actually nice to have a dedicated seating area, and breakfast that fit your schedule.

The quarters are very "in the era" but the amenities are all modern.  Almost every room has it's own en suite bathroom and air conditioning.  The beds are extremely comfortable!  The rooms are of different themes - we stayed in the "Susan" room - with beautiful colors and appointments. The views from the Susan room were fantastic, especially at sunrise.  

Our stay was definitely enjoyable, and we would come here again.  We give The Felt Manor 5 stars!  If you are going for a drive through Illinois, make a point to stay at The Felt Manor.

Be prepared to wait.

We were staying at the Renaissance Marriott at London Heathrow which I wrote about in a previous review.  Duo is the restaurant inside the hotel.

It started out okay'ish, but it went downhill pretty fast.  Thankfully the company was great, and we were always engaged in conversation which made the 3 hour dinner go by pretty quick.

The drinks were good.  Okay, now for the worst of the review! :-)

The amount of time it took to get the food, the excuses made, and the quality of the food was a problem.  We were continually told that there was a problem with the oven, however this excuse should not have applied to the cold pecan tart I was served for dessert.  Somehow, it was, and we did wait an hour alone for those cold desserts!  I ordered the lamb steak.. which it was "Lamb", but thinner than the sole of my shoe.  It was well done (not per order), but I doubt on something that thin you could even determine "rare, medium or well done".  The other food ordered was of similar calibre, nothing to really write about, just generally bad.  The waitress did give us two free bottles of water, I wonder when giving away water as a remedy for bad food and service became a standard, usually they comp a meal or something.  Oh well, just another example why it was not a good restaurant.

Oh, and it was expensive.

It was a good room, but the hotel needs updating!

We stayed at this hotel as we had an early flight out, and did not feel like driving from Hare Hatch at 5:00am.  We also had to return the car, and we had quite a few bags of Cadbury's chocolate (my wife stocks up... hehe) from Waitrose, the chocolate is so much better in England.

... it was 1970, modular construction was at its height!  Everything was a square box.  That best explains this hotel.  Unfortunately this hotel could use some updating.  It was a nice room (bed was good) but a little small.  The AAA rate was good at 69 GBP, we could not really argue.  The rate for the room is stated at 229 GBP, so they have some discounts for certain periods.

The previous reviewer seemed to have a bit worse of a room, and that could be they experienced the low level rooms.  As I do travel a lot, and stay at Marriott's a lot, I get a room upgrade when I book.  I did book a regular room, and got upgraded to the Concierge level.

The staff is knowledgeable and friendly, we had no problems with them at all.  We did eat at "Duo", which is the restaurant inside... more on that later (too bad you can't give 1/2 a star).

If you keep your expectation low, you will not be disappointed.

Neat place. Good Food! FREE Wireless!

I have been coming to Hare Hatch Sheeplands farm shop for a few years, and I have finally had the time to write a review about them.  I get over to England from time-to-time to visit my wife's family, which is always a joy.

One of the problems in England is always finding an Internet connection, which Hare Hatch Sheeplands Garden Center & Farm Shop actually has - yes, I am writing a review amid Wellies, Coffee, Scones, Cows, Plants, Wheelbarrows, Greenhouses and many friendly English accents!  ...oh, and there are no farm smells either! ;-)

There are several sub-stores within Hare Hatch Sheeplands, all of which are pleasant, stocked well, and priced attractively.  The coffee shop is where I come each morning for a recharge and link up... as well as breakfast.  The staff are very pleasant, and go out of their way to make sure you get whatever you need.  They have even strung an extension power cord for me so that my laptop did not die.  Very thoughtful!  :-)  The Internet speed is fast, no drops and well serviced.  The food is also fast, no drops and well serviced!  Oh, and it is good too!  I have the "Hare Hatch Breakfast" which comes with two sausage links, beans, English bacon, one egg and two slices of toast.  It is not the cheapest breakfast you can get in England, however it is good food.  The coffee size is North American which is rare, so going back for seconds is usually not needed.  They have all of the other foodstuff you need for breakfast, and a lunch menu to boot.  I have tried the lunch, had the fish & chips, and it was "good stuff".  The facilities are clean and well lit, plenty of seating, and a couple of corner nooks with sofas and chairs with ample plugs so you can plug in, link up and surf.

I really like this place, set in the country side of England, it is a special and typically "English" place.

Next time you are far west on the M4, get off the exit towards Reading and stop into Hare Hatch Sheeplands for a quick "breakie".

Cheers!

Quite a nouveau Greek place!

We are in London visiting friends and family and my friend Nick arranged a nice "meet up" at "The Real Greek" in Spitalfields Market, London.

Getting there was easy - hop off the Central Line at Liverpool Station - walk a block down Bishopgate and you are there at Spitalfields.  The Real Greek is just a small walk inside the market.  I am told there is good parking around there, but we had already parked around Oxford Circus as we were doing a bit of a walk around earlier.

The ambiance of the restaurant was nice, chrome and mirrors, which made me think of "nouveau" Greek - meh - w/e.  :-)  We had some G&T and a Chilean Sauvingon Blanc which was dry, yet very smooth.  Price was excellent!

There was a good selection of food for us and the starters are reasonably priced, and quite good.  Portions were not North American (hehe), but all very good.  The humus and taramasalata was excellent as was the Greek flat bread and the sardines were great!  We had several other items as well, which were all good! My wife had the gambas (prawn) and she thoroughly enjoyed it.  I had the lamb soulvaki and thoroughly enjoyed it!

There are some group specials (like a meal for 2 for 20 GBP with drinks) which we did not try.  There were some "prix fixe" specials as well.  Since we were doing a lot of catch up - we focused on appetisers and light main meals.

As my iPhone was running low I asked if there was a spot to charge it.  The staff were very helpful, and they allowed me to bring my cumbersome UK - US power converter, flux capacitor, satellite locator, charger in and I fully charged it! :-)  

We finished off with some mint tea, coffee and baklava - all excellent.

I would certainly come here again!

Yep, I would eat here again!

We went to Forte for diner and we really ended up having a great time.  There is good parking in front and back, and although (as previous reviewer mentioned) a little confusing when you enter, it is a minor distraction.  It is a B.Y.O.B., which is great!  No issue on the alcohol front.  They ensure you get all you need with your drinks, no fuss about it.  We did not have any reservations, and there was no wait.  They were busy, but they have enough capacity for a busy evening.

The food is excellent.  I had the chicken francais, and the portion was definitely "ample".  I had it over angel hair pasta - I would recommend that to anyone.  I could have taken a doggie bag home, however it was just too good - I had to eat it all... :-) My wife had the potato chicken in demi-glace sauce and it was excellent!  The other guests had the specials - which are plentiful, and they did not experience any issues or problems with their meal.  That is what I liked - the specials are just that "special"!

The pizza section (casual area) is also very friendly and good.  The pizza is excellent, I am a simple pizza lover, and the pepperoni & cheese is great!  If you want to stop in for a quick bite, that area has you covered.  It has ample seating and never a wait.

The price range I mentioned in the review is for the formal dinning area, the price range for the casual/pizza are is "moderate".

Overall this is a good place to add into your regular rotation of eating out.  We would definitely eat here again!

... we love the Apple Store!

We have had some problems with synching an iTouch and iPhone on the same MacBook, which should not be a problem.  Made an appointment to see a Genius at the Apple Store in Rockaway, NJ.  This is a small store, but very good in service, training and an ok selection of goods (due to space).

The Genius' here are great!  So are the trainers!  We have found them very helpful and attentive (like all others).  Consistency is good!

The Genius has managed to get his sleeves rolled up and tackled our problems "tout suite".  The problem was not trivial, and involved a lot of technical mumbo jumbo, Apple Corporate dudes, chatting to an Apple Server guy (for the Apple Cloud), etc.  All in all - entertaining and interesting.  Got it solved!

I highly recommend the Apple Store in Rockaway Mall.  You won't be disappointed!

We went to Casa De Pasta last night, and it was A-OK.

First off, the parking is massive, you can park 10 - 18-wheelers there without issue.  It is almost formatted like a "Roadhouse".

The place was packed, hmm...  must be why they have such a large parking lot.   We waited for a bit (as they do not allow reservations), and then got a seat at the bar.  Tony (behind the bar) was super busy maintaining the patrons, and he did get our orders and drinks  quick enough, and we ended up having a good time just sitting at the bar.

The food is good, very home style, and they customize it how you want it.  I had the chicken francaise with angel hair pasta.  It was very good, and the portions large.  It was done just right.

I think the things that are not working for this place is that it is extremely full, and that business (although it does not take away from quality) adds to the wait time to get things.  Sometimes just getting the attention of staff is difficult - but don't take it personally - they are just very busy.

I would recommend this place again, and I give it 3 stars.