Long Live Longview, Alberta

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Mounir Berrah and his wife run the lovely Rustic Artisan coffeehouse in Longview, Alberta

Mounir Berrah and his wife, Yasmine, run the lovely Rustic Artisan coffeehouse in Longview, Alberta

Longview, a whistle-stop community along Highway 22 southwest of Calgary, used to be known as Little New York during an oil boom of the 1930s. These days, it might well be called Little Morocco, at least from a culinary perspective.

Longview is in the heart of southwest Alberta’s cattle country, so a steakhouse makes perfect sense. But one owned and lovingly operated by a Moroccan family? It doesn’t matter. Just go. As one online reviewer notes, if it’s a choice between a popular beef chain close to his Calgary house and a one-hour drive through the gorgeous foothills to the *Longview Steakhouse, it’s a no brainer. He’s getting in his car. Yes, it’s that good.

My $16 open-face steak sandwich might be the best lunch money I’ve spent this year. The locally sourced steak is a huge strip loin—with a red wine and pepper sauce—that flops over a hapless piece of bread, whose main function is to soak up all those juices. “My God, that’s huge,” I say. “You’re a hungry guy,” replies my friendly, lanky server, Samir Belmoufid.

Massive, tender steak sandwich and amazing apple-rutabaga soup at Longview Steakhouse

Massive, tender steak sandwich and amazing apple-rutabaga soup at Longview Steakhouse

Tender and flavourful as this slab of meat is, the real highlight might be the accompanying bowl of apple-rutabaga soup. There’s some magic going on in this unusual medley of flavours and underlying stock. Well-priced sirloin burgers, a Monte Christo sandwich and a Moroccan lamb sandwich round out the day’s lunch offerings, with tenderloin and New York steaks heading the pricier evening line-up (dinner reservations recommended, especially on weekends).

The Belmoufid family brought a long culinary history when they moved from Calgary to Longview in 1995. They’ve since run this high-end steakhouse in an unpretentious ranch house-style building, though they’ll soon be moving to a new, close-by building. A couple of brothers, their parents and a cousin are involved, and it shows in the close attention to quality, food preparation and personable service. You’re not likely to find a better steakhouse in the big  city.

Longview Steakhouse
102 Morrison Road (Highway 22) Longview, Alberta. 403-558-2000 for reservations
Lunch Tuesday to Friday 11:30 am-1:30 pm, dinner Tuesday to Thursday 5 pm-8 pm, Friday-Saturday 5 pm-9 pm, Sunday 5 pm-8 pm. Closed Monday
Longview Steakhouse on Urbanspoon

The family reach in Longview doesn’t stop at the steakhouse. A short walk down the road, sister Yasmine Belmoufid and husband Mounir Berrah have taken over the old Navajo Mug and turned it into *The Rustic Artisan, a great, cozy little coffeehouse. It features Phil and Sebastian beans that, strangely, seem to taste better here than at P & S outlets in Calgary—at least the double-shot Americano (hold most of the water) that Mounir expertly prepares for me. Maybe, it’s the mountain air. While there isn’t a proper kitchen, the owners scratch make the breakfast paninis, sandwiches, chile and chicken pot pies. “My wife is a trained pastry chef, so why wouldn’t we make our own pies?” Mounir says as he slides a big slab of apple-cranberry pie into a takeout container for me.

Could you resist a slice of this apple-cranberry pie at the Rustic Artisan?

Could you resist a slice of this apple-cranberry pie at the Rustic Artisan?

The Rustic Artisan
140 Morrison Road, Longview
Opens 8:30 am Tuesday to Sunday, closes 6 pm Tuesday, 7 pm Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, 8 pm Friday and Saturday. Closed Monday. Note: Closed most of December 2013 and January 2014
The Rustic Artisan Longview Coffee Shop on Urbanspoon

How Do You Spell Portland’s Best Coffee Shop?

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Portland could well challenge Seattle for the title of Coffeetown, USA

Portland could well challenge Seattle for the title of Coffeetown, USA

It’s hard throwing a pound of fair-trade, organic beans in Portland without hitting a coffeehouse. In many parts of town, they’re on every street corner, often with a few more squeezed in between. For all I know, Portland might rival Seattle as Coffeetown, U.S.A.

Stumptown Coffee Roasters is the local heavyweight, with a vast bean empire and some half dozen cafes in town, closely followed by Ristretto Roasters. There are too many independent, often one-off, places to mention. Suffice to say, the expectation levels are such that many food carts offer pots of French-press coffee, sourced from local micro roasters.

Minimalism is in at Ristretto Roasters in Portland

Minimalism is in at Ristretto Roasters in Portland

But I might just have to side with the mighty New York Times in naming tiny downtown *Spella Caffè as the top espresso puller in Portland. I walk into this jewel—no bigger than an oversized closet—and am greeted by three uniformed people. Now, this is what I call service. While waiting for the barista to prepare my macchiato, another guy describes their affogato, a gelato drenched in two shots of espresso. I also talk to owner Andrea Spella, who moved to this shoehorn location after the usual burst pipes and overheating persuaded him to abandon his coffee cart. The batches at his southeast Portland roastery are equally tiny, weighing in at 11 pounds.

Don't let the small size fool you. Spella Caffe's espresso packs a heavyweight punch

Don’t let the small size fool you. Spella Caffe’s espresso packs a heavyweight punch

My macchiato to go or to stand (really, there’s no place to sit) is served in a tiny cardboard cup. But boy, does it pack a punch. None of that thinly roasted, sour-tasting stuff here. The thick, full-bodied taste lingers on my tongue long after I’ve taken a pound of roasted beans to go.

Spella Caffe
520 SW 5 Avenue, Portland
Weekdays 7:30 am-3:30 pm. Closed Saturday and Sunday
Spella Caffe on Urbanspoon

Seattle’s Finest Coffee?

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Espresso Vivace may be the top hipster pick for coffee in Seattle

Espresso Vivace may be the top hipster pick for coffee in Seattle

It’s Seattle, folks, where Starbucks got started more than 40 years ago and many a novel and email has been read. It’s the place that really put cafe society on the map in North America. So not surprisingly, there are lots and lots of coffee shops around, many of them micro roasters and just as many devoted to the art of making precise cups of java of any style imaginable.

Espresso Vivace pulls a fine, smooth espresso at two cafes and one sidewalk stand, while Victrola Coffee Roaster also has three shops, serving nice pour-overs, some soaring into the price stratosphere depending on the chosen bean. A nice discovery for me is Caffe Ladro, a roaster/scratch bakery with a dozen area cafes and single cups done three ways: Clover, Aeropress or, my choice, Clever (think French press without the sediment).

Much less heralded but a place I thoroughly enjoy is Moore Coffee Shop, in the downtown Moore Hotel. Parking’s a bitch, but the small cafe is a haven of serenity, where I sink into a nice leather chair to savour a strong, double-shot Americano (believe they use local Caffe D’arte beans).

Enjoying a fabulous Americano at Moore Coffee Shop in downtown Seattle

Enjoying a fabulous Americano at Moore Coffee Shop in downtown Seattle

Owner Lupe has included some nice touches such as slices of, say, apple, in a complementary jug of cold water and a little square of good chocolate placed on the saucer. He’s also added some good, $6 sandwiches, like a caprese with fresh mozza, to the menu. Let’s hope the cognoscenti don’t discover this sanctuary.

Moore covers all the nice touches like this jug of fruit-infused water

Moore covers all the nice touches like this jug of fruit-infused water

Moore Coffee Shop
1930 2 Avenue, Seattle
Weekdays 6:30 am-5 pm, Saturday 8 am-3 pm. Closed Sunday

Bend and Breakfast

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The best omelette I had on a month-long road trip was at Chow in Bend, Oregon

The best omelette I had on a month-long road trip was at Chow in Bend, Oregon. Note the bottles of house-made sauce in the background

The breakfast specials alone at *Chow—a fittingly elegant eatery in beautiful Bend, Oregon—are almost bewildering in their number and complexity. My server has to read, off a pad, all the ingredients in the French toast, eggs Benedict and omelette specials. I opt for the daily locovore omelette ($12), which today features chicken-apple sausage, caramelized onions, local chanterelle mushrooms and cheese and a slightly spicy sauce I don’t catch the name of. It’s arguably the best breakfast I’ve had on a month-long road trip—light, fresh and perfectly balanced flavours—and comes with a choice of herbed potatoes, cornmeal-crusted tomatoes or creamy polenta. Indeed, every plate that passes, from pancakes to poached eggs, looks like something I’d like to devour.

The kicker, for my meal, is three tall bottles of house-made sauce of varying intensity, so good that I order a mason jar full to take home. I’m not sure why they need to put a squeeze bottle of ketchup on the table; it isn’t worthy of this company.

Owned by David Touvell, the “mad genius chef”, and Shawn Harvey, Chow is located in a restored old Bend house and surrounded by a lovely patio garden. The inside rooms are separated by parted curtains, decorated with local art and furnished with deep, comfy ottomans. It’s the kind of place you want to linger over your meal.

Restaurant designers of the world take note of the lovely, stuffed ottomans

Restaurant designers of the world take note of the lovely, stuffed ottomans

You pay a bit of a premium for breakfast here, but with food this creative and good, it’s still a bargain. I don’t even miss the toast.

Chow
1100 NW Newport Avenue, Bend, Oregon
Daily, 7 am-close
Chow on Urbanspoon

There’s More to Thai Food Than Pad Thai

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I’m braced for a substantial lineup at *Pok Pok, Andy Ricker’s legendary, James Beard Foundation-award-winning Portland restaurant. But when I arrive on a sultry mid-afternoon, there are lots of empty tables, and I’m whisked straight into the air-conditioned bar. There’s not a lot of character here. The emphasis is squarely on the amazing food.

Pok Pok Thai restaurant in Portland, Oregon. T...

Pok Pok Thai restaurant in Portland, Oregon. The Oregonian restaurant of the year 2007. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Pok Pok features innovative, northern and northeastern Thailand dishes such as smoky charcoal grilled eggplant salad, sweet pork belly curry and lemongrass-stuffed game hen, with an average price of around $14. But I take a more conventional route with the signature Vietnamese-style hot wings, marinated in fish sauce and sugar, deep fried and tossed with garlic, more fish sauce and my choice of spicy chile flakes. To say they’re the best chicken wings I’ve ever had would do them an injustice. They’re enormous (who knew chickens had such big wings?)—sweet and spicy, meaty and messy. I go through nearly a napkin for each of the six wings, then mop up with a couple of wet naps. A spoon and a fork are recommended for this style of Thai food, but in this case I’m all hands.

Fantastic, monster chicken wings with an Asian twist at Pok Pok

Fantastic, monster chicken wings with an Asian twist at Pok Pok

On a side note, a look at Pok Pok’s menu opens up an unfamiliar, fantastic world of Thai cuisine. You won’t find pad thai, green curry or tom kha soup here. That’s because those dishes are all part of the southern Thai offerings that dominate Thai menus pandering to the North American masses. Pok Pok and its offshoots are Andy Ricker’s attempts to bring authentic northern and northeastern Thai cuisine to U.S. palates.

Here’s hoping it becomes a more widespread trend. Because there is more to Thai than pad thai.

Pok Pok
3226 SE Division Street, Portland, Oregon
Daily 11:30 am-10 pm
Pok Pok on Urbanspoon

Why I Hate Brunch

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Nothing spells brunch like eggs Benedict

Nothing spells brunch like eggs Benedict

I hate weekend brunches. It’s when restaurants dust off their smoked salmon eggs Benedict, banana-stuffed brioche French toast and lavender lattes. It’s when the server tries to upsell you on mimosas or Bloody Marys. If you’re not careful, your breakfast bill can easily double.

Or fancy pancakes

Or fancy pancakes

I also hate seeing something on the restaurant’s online menu that I’d really like to try when I’m passing through on a weekday but discover is only available during weekend brunches.

Mostly, I hate the hours. I understand the appeal of a 10 am weekend opening for folks who have worked hard all week, want to sleep in and maybe read the paper before meeting friends for a leisurely brunch. When I’m on the road, I’d rather be eating breakfast at 7, or earlier, and then be on my way.

But with that 10 am brunch opening, there’s no early getaway, no avoiding the crowds and lineups that are inevitable at any popular breakfast joint. And the thing is with brunch, people want to linger over their food and chat. Staring a hole in the back of their heads while they slowly sip their third coffee refill, amidst empty plates, and ignore the bill—and you shuffle from foot to foot in a sweaty winter coat—rarely does anything other than raise your blood pressure.

So if you see someone with an anguished look in the weekend brunch lineup, that would be me.

The irreverent Urban Dictionary has several definitions of brunch, including “Typically reserved for snobs and biddies who like tea and jam” and “It’s not quite breakfast, it’s not quite lunch, but it comes with a slice of cantaloupe at the end.” I can’t repeat the rest.