Penguins, Pot & Other Stuff

As you may have noticed, quite a few of my recent posts have been about food.  Food is an item that is always close to my heart (and my mouth!).  What makes food even better is when you can share it with pleasant company.  My earlier post about the Wild Orchid is a perfect example.

 

Had another one today when I shared lunch with the lovely Liz.  For those of you who don’t know, she is the better half (the much much better half) to Dickhead.  Hard to believe that combination.  Brings another Seinfeld episode to mind: any guesses?

 

Anyway, the two of us had lunch today at the Indian Buffet on Main Street.  Once inside we quickly checked out the available buffet items.  I won’t try to name them all because I’m not good with things like that but I will swear on a Bible that they were all delicious!  Lots of chicken, some lamb and even delicious tasting vegetables.

 

Gave us a chance to catch up on things.  Liz was the one who got me my job with the government as a vocational rehab counselor.  That’s how I first met Dickhead, although I won’t hold that against her!  It’s amazing how quickly the time went by and Liz had to get back to work.  We meant to stop and buy some 649 tickets but we both forgot.  Fortunately, Liz did remember and pick some up for us on her way home.  Sure hope we get lucky!

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of enjoying one of the best meals put before me in a long long time.  Every couple of months some of us head out to different restaurants in the city; call it a culinary exploration!  On Saturday we went to the Wild Orchid, a Portuguese restaurant on James Street North.

 

Now the fact that my good buddy Paulo’s mother works there may have helped (she cooks in the kitchen).  And the fact that his cousin owns the bar may have also been a contributing factor.  Regardless, the food was fantastic!  I was there with a group of about 12 which included Paulo and his woman Jeannine, Trish the Dish and a few others.

 

Started out with a lovely Portuguese salad.  It had a lot of greens including cucumber, banana peppers (hot & spicy), lettuce and other things I can’t name.  The appetizer was a delicious skillet of shrimp sautéed in a combination lemon/tomato sauce.  Simply superb.  Then the main course; rabbit oven baked in a lovely Portuguese sauce.  This dish also included rice & potatoes: gastronomic greatness!  Yes, there was room for dessert: a combination of pudding/chocolate/caramel/crushed Graham wafers.  Glad there was room!  All of this was washed down with some delicious house wine (red).

 

Then came the bill.  It’s like that Seinfeld episode (you Seinfeld junkies know which one I’m talking about).  You look at the bill and go "I wasn’t really that hungry" or "did I really order that".  However, once the shock wore off the smile came back on my face.  Five stars for the Wild Orchid!