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Rusty Spoons: 5 quick reviews
Pizza, seafood, tacos, Indian food and breakfast at 5 local restaurants: Mikes Bar and Grill, Chez Raymond, Boston Pizza, Namaste Bistro and The Rodd Miramichi. Some winners, some losers.
(1 of 5) Breakfast at the Rodd
I used to make the 1809 Restaurant at the Rodd Miramichi my go-to spot for breakfast. Then they changed their killer recipe for Eggs Benedict (it was the best anywhere!) and I got spiteful and never went back for a long time. Here are a few pics from breakfast with some friends a few weeks ago. I ordered the omelette with red onions, ham and cherry tomatoes. The fresh sweetness of the tomatoes made it a great dish and I recommend it highly. The breakfast sandwich also comes with high praise from a friend who ordered it as does the Dungarvon Whooper, a skillet of delicious breakfast foods topped with a poached egg and hollandaise sauce. We dined at 10 am and the service was speedy and friendly. Rumour has it the Sunday crowd arrives in full force after church gets out, so sometimes you need a reservation.
Omelette with side of sausage: $16
Dungarvon Whooper with a side of toast: $16
(2 of 5) Chez Raymond in Neguac
On an unreasonably warm day for November, we went to play some golf in Tabusintac and stopped for lunch on the way home. We arrived at Chez Raymond in the middle of the afternoon and it was not busy. I heard the Chinese food was good there, so I talked our foursome into trying it out. I confess that once I got there I got a hankering for some seafood, but one of my friends ordered the featured combo platter ($18) and thought it was great. It is pictured below.
I ordered the seafood casserole ($21). The casserole tasted very good with lots of seafood and a delicious creamy texture. As you can see by the picture below, the casserole is a little on the small side when compared to the soup adjacent to it. It was also served with a plate of mashed potatoes and vegetables, also very good. I know it sounds like a weird thing to complain about, but in a booth with three other people, having that extra plate of food made it a little tricky to eat. Not sure why I thought it would be served on the same platter. We were seated right away by a friendly waitress who gave us the menus. The drink waitress took a long time to take our orders and a long time to bring the drinks. The food was fast though, and the place is spotless and stylish.
(3 of 5) Namaste Bistro
This is my second review of the new Indian restaurant in downtown Chatham located near the corner of Henderson and Water Streets. The first review (HERE) was on a take-out meal because we did not have a reservation. This time we made a reservation and got to enjoy the whole package.
The owners of this chic restaurant left no detail unattended. The furniture is comfortable and elegant, and the serving dishes and cutlery are beautifully matched in copper cladding. Even the menus have a classy design and the noise level in the restaurant is perfect even when it is bustling and it has a good wine list. The first time around we had an appetizer and Beef Vindaloo and Mango Curry Chicken. Both are meat dishes in a spicy sauce and vegetables. This time we had Beef Madras ($18) and Tandoori Chicken ($20). I admit I am a novice at Indian food, but I found all four dishes we tried to be very similar thus far. Tender, spicy, and eaten on rice of with naan bread. The Tandoori Chicken this time around was mushy, and I found the texture off-putting, though the person with me had no such objection. We also had Curry Chicken Nachos ($14) which were a nice departure from nachos at other restaurants with that sweet curry heat delivered in every bite. I’m going to go back again, and see if there is something on the menu a little different, something that I’d need a knife to eat.
(4 of 5) Boston Pizza – Viva Italia pizza
I like Boston Pizza and there’s not much on their menu I haven’t tried or that I don’t like. But I found something tonight: Viva Italia Pizza.
When you’re promised Italian food, you brace yourself for something subtle yet delightful and unforgettable. At least that’s my experience after visiting there a few times. And I can understand how some restaurants try to capitalize on the mystique of the Italian cuisine by luring folks with enticing photos and colorful names like “Mama Mia’s Alfredo Magnifico”. (I made that up, but you get the drift.) I should have known that a pizza named Viva Italia, that listed so many ingredients on the menu, was going to be a disappointment but I couldn’t resist. The small pizza cost $17.49 and had peperoni, sausage, banana peppers, roasted red peppers, mozzarella, feta cheese and pesto splashed on top for good measure. Whoever came up with this mess was definitely trying too hard, and it tastes as confusing as it looks. The service at Boston Pizza is wonderful, and always is, and is the measure by which other Miramichi restaurants should compare themselves.
(5 of 5) Mike’s Bar and Grill – fish tacos
One of my favourite things to eat on the King George Highway are fish tacos at Quesada. I’ll do an official review there someday, but I wanted to mention them as the standard by which I compare the fish tacos I had at Mike’s Bar and Grill recently. I stopped there for lunch with a friend when we didn’t have a lot of time to spare. Service at Mike’s is always fast and friendly, and the burgers are second to none, and that’s what I usually have there, unless it’s Friday and the seafood chowder is awesome while it lasts.
Last time at Mike’s I tried the tacos, and they were good. There are a deep fried piece of fish topped with a spicy sauce on a bed of veggies in a soft shell tortilla. Very tasty, and a little tricky to eat. If I remember correctly they cost around $12 which includes a side of fries. They are not quite as good as the fish tacos at Quesadas that come in a hard shell with fired fish, but as a lunch special they might be a better value because they come with a side.
Rusty Spoons reviews Miramichi eating establishments. Leave a comment and let her know if you agree. Also let her know what restaurant you'd like her to review next.
