The weather was rainy and the wine sucked, but at least the tour guide was hot

How ironic. I visited a well-known winery in Niagara-on-the-lake over the weekend with a buddy of mine. The wine tour was fun, the winery staff were pleasant and the food was awesome. So how come the wine sucked?

(If you're wondering, we tried a variety of white wines, and the only one I can recommend is the Hillebrand Estates 2004 Reisling. Everything else was pretty flat and boring. Perhaps we tried the wine from a mediocre year?)

I'm by no means a wine expert, and since I lack a good sense of smell, I can never be. With that said, even with my unrefined tastes, I can still appreciate a good glass of wine. Which is why I found Hillebrand Estates a bit disappointing. This winery has a good reputation but I'm wondering if it's for the right reasons. The staff was definately hired based on looks, unless they happened to hired a whole series of young blonde bombshell sommeliers by accident.

But otherwise, it was fine. I'm definately willing to give them another try since the restaurant is well worth another trip. Their cornmeal-crusted halibut was impressive, and it wasn't overpriced either.

Bottom line: Go for the food. Was disappointed with the whites - such as the 2004 Guwerztraminer.

I'll have that with a Diet Coke, please

I ran into this article in the Guardian newspaper the other day. It introduced me to the monstrosity otherwise known as the "Quad Stacker" at Burger King. This monstrosity, ladies and gentlemen, is made of four beef patties, four slices of cheese and four pieces of bacon all served on a tasty sesame bun. I was shocked, yet became somewhat peckish, at seeing such a thing.

For laughs, I decided to check BK's 'nutritional' brochure. (I find the term 'nutritional' rather optimistic in this case). Now, the Whopper itself is pretty bad at 650 calories and 39 grams of fat. For your reference, a typical chocolate bar is only between 100-150 calories. [Aug 25: Correction - make that 200-300 calories]

But if you try BK's 'Build a meal' tool on their website, you'll see this info for the Quad Stacker:


Yum! This baby is packed with 1000 calories and 68 grams of fat. Oh yeah, and it meets your daily fat intake allowance for one and a half days. So... who wants to try one with me? We can get some fries and a milkshake with that too. (Yes, I'm serious)

But let's say you're in the mood for breakfast. We don't have this in Canada, but in the US, McDonald's carries the Deluxe Breakfast. It's basically like a regular Big Breakfast, except, well, bigger. I've actually eaten one of these, and they're pretty good... if you're planning to hike up a freaking mountain (right, G?). This puppy is packed with 1200 calories of wholesome processed goodness. And on top of that, it has a mere 160% of your daily recommended cholesterol intake.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against McDonald's and BK serving these meals. I think it's a matter of personal responsiblity to monitor what you eat.

But wow... that burger is INSANE. I'm sure your arteries will appreciate it.

And on that note, it's time for dinner. Sigh. Rice and asparagus again.

Vegetarian's Nightmare

This weekend, I had the opportunity to try out a Brazillian Churrascaria in Montreal. Le Milsa is located just off Rue Ste. Catherine and Rue Bishop. This Brazillian-style steakhouse offered us an all-you-can-eat array 10 grilled meats, including various types of beef (sirloin, filet mignon, etc), pork, lamb and turkey. These were served on swords right at the table and were carved right onto our plates. The Brazillian way of grilling meat only involves using good beef and rock/sea salt, and its simplicity allows the flavour of the meat to come out. For those who live on 'meat-lovers' pizzas, 'meat-lovers' pastas and 'meat-lovers' salads (yes, there's such a thing!), I strongly recommend you try this. And no... there is no vegetarian menu. :)

I really have to say, Montreal is a great place to eat. It has a fantastic restaurant and cafe culture and I have yet to be disappointed with my meals there. Le Milsa is yet another restaurant on my list of recommended places to eat. For me, a restaurant excursion on a Friday night is well worth the 2 hours of driving required to get there!