Tag: foray

Joe Beef
Al McFarland

Joe Beef – Montreal – February 2020

Experience Rating
4.3/5

We had tried unsuccessfully for two years to get a reservation at Joe Beef, one of Montreal’s top-rated dining establishments and #2 on the Canada’s Top 100 list. Now, this said, it wasn’t like I was sitting by my tablet each month when the new reservation periods opened up. Rather, I would check fairly regularly just to see if something was available – even one or two months out. We had even decided that if something did come up, we would make a special trip just to have dinner. And this is exactly what we did – booking a hotel and making a two-hour trek to Montreal – just to experience this legendary restaurant.

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Bundok Sign
Al McFarland

Bündok – Edmonton – February 2020

Experience Rating
4.7/5

On a snowy February night a group of colleagues and I trekked through downtown Edmonton in search of Bündok – one of the cities top rated restaurants. Located only a stones throw from beautiful Rogers Arena in the newly created “Ice District“, Bündok has received a lot of great hype since opening it’s doors in 2017 and is ranked at #93 on Canada’s Top 100 list for 2019. As a result, we were excited to see what all the fuss was about.

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Boulevard Sign
Al McFarland

Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar – Vancouver – February 2020

Experience Rating
4.9/5

My recent trip to western Canada began with an on-board flight announcement congratulating Chef Roger Ma on his recent win at the Canadian Culinary Championships in Ottawa. Being a foodie, I was very excited just to be in the same general vicinity of such an accomplished chef, and was blown away when two days later I had the opportunity not only to dine at his amazing Boulevard Kitchen and Oyster Bar, but also to meet the man in person.

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St. Lawrence Sign
Al McFarland

St. Lawrence – Vancouver – February 2020

Experience Rating:
5/5

On a recent seven day trip to Western Canada, I had the opportunity to visit St. Lawrence restaurant in Vancouver, British Columbia. Located in the popular Gastown district, St. Lawrence currently holds the #5 ranking on the 2019 list of Canada’s Top 100 Restaurants and has received several other accolades since opening in 2017. The restaurant is a testament to the signature “haute country” cooking of Chef/Owner Jean-Christophe (J-C) Poirier and pays homage to his French-Canadian roots.

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Antique Dishes
,
Jennifer McFarland

Dishing on Dishes

Will someone please tell me why I have not been shopping for dishes in antique shops before?

Don’t get me wrong, I have spent many a rainy afternoon browsing the offerings of dusty, quaint, creaky floored antique stores. But for some strange reason I would always skip over the aisles or tables with the dishes, choosing instead to head straight for the dusty books, anything wood or worn, or things to hang on my walls. Yet I ignored the dishes…me who hosts dinner parties? Boy have I been missing out!

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Al McFarland

Welcome!

Welcome to Foodie Foray! This is for the friends and family that like to hang with us, and for all the foodies and forayers out there who are as passionate about great experiences as we are. This blog will focus on food, travel, and entertaining, and on both finding and creating memorable foodie experiences. Be sure to subscribe and check back often for exciting new updates. Cheers!

Ashford Castle
Al McFarland

10-Day Ireland Foodie Adventure

When my wife first approached me about taking a trip to Ireland to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary I thought, wow, that’s an expensive gift! However, after I got over the initial shock I said to myself, “hey, Ireland has Michelin-starred restaurants“, and I was all in. You see, although we have very high quality restaurants everywhere in Canada, we don’t get to enjoy the cool and prestigious rating system that almost every other place in world has. So, I was thrilled with the idea that I might get finally see what all the fuss was about.

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