Comments on: Canadian restaurants or bars in the United States?

Question: Canadian restaurants or bars in the United States?

stst399 — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 19:35:22 -0800

I'm looking for bars or restaurants in the United States that serve Canadian food.

Can anyone recommend any American bars or restaurants that serve Canadian cuisine like poutine, beaver tail, moose stroganoff, Molson beer, donuts, etc.? It'd be nice if it was decorated with Canadian stuff too, but, really, the food's the important thing. [And, yes, I'm familiar already with the book So You Want to be Canadian, but it didn't have any help in this department, unfortunately. Are there other resources that I should consider?]

If these places are anywhere near Los Angeles or San Francisco, all the better, but my girlfriend (the Canadian) and I (the American) go on frequent roadtrips, so anywhere is okay. Any suggestions, eh? Thank you.

By: furtive

furtive — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 19:44:40 -0800

cuisine eh?

Google found me this:

Canadian Café (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Pea bacon & eggs, Canadian style Rotisserie Chicken, Poutine Fries – covered w/ Gravy & melted Cheese Curds)
125 E. Colorado Blvd. (Take Myrtle north of the 210 Fry then right on Colorado)
Monrovia, CA
(626) 303-2303

By: ROU_Xenophobe

ROU_Xenophobe — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 19:57:49 -0800

There are Tim Horton'ses in border / Great Lakes states. The farthest south I remember seeing one is Columbus OH.

By: caddis

caddis — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 20:01:03 -0800

Explain Canadian food please.

By: loquax

loquax — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 20:20:59 -0800

Explain Canadian food please.

Yes, please. I've lived in Canada my whole life and never had poutine, beaver tails, or moose, let alone moose stroganoff. Not sure the donut is Canadian either.

By: jdl

jdl — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 20:25:51 -0800

I've had poutine in Madawaska, Maine... if you ever find yourself on the East Coast and looking for a long road trip. A lot of the border towns had diners/restaurants with poutine.

By: edgeways

edgeways — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 20:48:52 -0800

Donuts may not be precisely Canadian per se, but Canadians eat more donuts then any other nation, or so I have read recently.

Man, I forgot about the fries and gravy dish.. shows how long it has been

By: acoutu

acoutu — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 20:52:32 -0800

Are those the only Canadian foods? I've lived in Canada my whole life and I only ran into those foods when I lived in Ontario for a short while. No sign of them on the West Coast. And I've never even heard of moose stroganoff. Seriously?

By: duck

duck — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 21:00:11 -0800

Bugaboo Creek calls itself a Canadian restaurant, but they're really just a a steakhouse with a gimmick. And buy do they ham up the gimmick!

By: sourwookie

sourwookie — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 21:16:28 -0800

"Donuts? I told you, I don't like ethnic food!

--Mr. Burns, to Homer Simpson

By: Jairus

Jairus — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 21:18:10 -0800

Are those the only Canadian foods?

I'm in Ontario, and I see all those foods regularly. I can't imagine a life without poutine or Beavertails.

I'm also a fan of Tourtiere and Nanaimo Bars.

By: Jairus

Jairus — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 21:18:55 -0800

HOW COULD I FORGET MONTREAL SMOKED MEAT

By: Goofyy

Goofyy — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 21:29:27 -0800

Canada: Because it's too cold for evil to take root!

Certainly corridor between Buffalo and Port Huron is lined with donut shops. Never saw the like. Yet equally, never heard of most of the rest.

I didn't know there were enough beaver for eating it to be popular. I've only seen beaver once in the wild.

By: Jairus

Jairus — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 21:44:44 -0800

Beavertails aren't actually made of beaver.

By: maledictory

maledictory — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 22:02:45 -0800

Beavertails are silly, and tend to be sold to tourists as far as I can tell (but then I'm from Toronto.) I'd never seen one until I was in Winnipeg during the Pan Am games, although I'd heard of them being sold in Ottawa.

In Toronto you're lucky if you can find decent poutine. Peameal bacon is surprisingly common (given I don't remember it from my childhood at all,) and vinegar is often available for fries, though often not at the types of places you'd want it most.

"Canadian food" is such a silly genre. Within Canada, it's really just standard North American food with peameal or maple syrup somehow added to the recipe. And why is "Canadian" pizza pepperoni, mushroom, and bacon? We're supposedly known for a particular kind of bacon, not just bacon in general!

By: Manhasset

Manhasset — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 22:03:52 -0800

I thought Peameal Bacon (aka Back Bacon) was the only real Canadian food.

By: zadcat

zadcat — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 22:11:59 -0800

It's too regional to pin down. A Montreal "all dressed" pizza is pepperoni, mushrooms and green peppers. You can get bacon in some places but it's not a basic element, and then it's ordinary bacon, not back bacon.

I live in Quebec and I've only had moose once, when I was visiting Alberta a long time ago, and I've never seen pea bacon.

Talk to a Newfie sometime about food and you'll hear about lots of things you've never had elsewhere in Canada.

By: Jairus

Jairus — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 22:13:07 -0800

and vinegar is often available for fries

...there are places where it isn't? I had no idea.

By: loquax

loquax — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 22:20:44 -0800

...there are places where it isn't? I had no idea.

Try asking for it in the states. They look at you funny and bring out the litre jar of cooking vinegar from the kitchen. Crazy bastards.

By: acoutu

acoutu — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 23:15:22 -0800

Nanaimo Bars rock. But you can't get Beavertails on the West Coast and poutine is pretty rare.

By: Kololo

Kololo — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 23:25:06 -0800

The moose thing was a joke, right?

And calling that random grouping of foods 'canadian cuisine' was also a joke, right? Because seriously, if thats canadian cuisine, then that's just embarrasing.

Another canadian-ism when it comes to food, is my favourite bar-rail cocktail, the Rye and Ginger. That's whisky to you americans, and ginger ale. Its fabulous. But if you ask for it in the states, you get one of those liter-jar-of-vinegar type looks in response.

By: Manhasset

Manhasset — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 00:09:06 -0800

Not to nitpick, Kololo, but my understanding is that Canadian Rye and American Whiskey are wholly different drinks, not just two words for the same liquor.

By: Zendogg

Zendogg — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 05:40:22 -0800

Still trying to figure out what the hell a beavertail is. Is that a scone-ish type item? Do 'All-dressed' chips count? I've never seen them stateside.

By: fish tick

fish tick — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 06:28:06 -0800

Beavertails are sticky greasy sweet pastryish things generally sold in areas where tourists are likely to be found. Not at all like seal flipper pie or cod cheeks.

By: raedyn

raedyn — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 06:31:28 -0800

A beavertail is essentially the same as an elephant ear (big 'pastry' thing served at fairs etc), just with different toppings available*. I've only ever seen them in Winnipeg at the Forks market.

* toppings like maple syrup, chocolate and other options

By: furtive

furtive — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 06:51:17 -0800

Canadian foods that I eat regularly (e.g. more than once a year): tourtière, poutine, paté chinois, soup au pois, baked beans, tarte au sucre and of course maple syrup.

I can also think of a few more that I don't eat regularly but have had more than once in my lifetime: we used to make and eat la tire St-Catherine every November 25th as children, I can't think of a Canadian kid who's gone camping and not made bannock at least once, and I've made pemmican a few times too. Oh, and although you can find pork rinds outside of Quebec, here we call them oreilles de criss which translates literally to "Christ's Ears", and a trip to the cabane a sucre wouldn't be complete without them.

I've had beaver tails dozens of times and even worked at one, but I wouldn't consider it a Canadian food per se...more of a tasty gimmick. I've also had moose burgers a few times but I wouldn't really consider that Canadian cuisine any more than rainbow trout or les les petit poissons des chenaux. As for drinks, there's Canadian Rye, and of course Caribou which is a sort of mulled port with sherry and brandy mixed in. I'm not sure if ice wine is considered Canadian or German, but we are known for it.

By: bonehead

bonehead — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 06:51:45 -0800

Ceasar's are Canadian too. Americans generally think clam-based coctails are weird. More for us!

Also, beavertails (with cinnamon sugar and lemon) are an important part of the the whole skating on the canal experience in Ottawa.

By: bonehead

bonehead — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 06:54:08 -0800

Oreilles de criss are specifically hog cheeks are they not? That's what I've always been told. Very rural Quebecois.

By: jon_kill

jon_kill — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 06:55:38 -0800

Martin Picard, the chef at Pieds du Cochon in Montreal, has been doing what he calls a Quebec take on standard French food. This is the first step into Canadian cuisine that I have ever seen taken.

By: furtive

furtive — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 07:06:29 -0800

Thank you jon_kill, I couldn't remember the name of the restaurant. Yeah, Au Pied de Cauchon does French Cuisine but with Canadian meats and berries. It's good but I wouldn't consider that Canadian food either.

By: terrapin

terrapin — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 07:37:40 -0800

Try asking for it in the states. They look at you funny and bring out the litre jar of cooking vinegar from the kitchen. Crazy bastards.

Not true. In Maryland they are refered to as Boardwalk Fries after the boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland. Most pubs in the northeast carry malt vinegar on the table (along with catsup*) for fries.

* Ketchup is a trademarked product of Heinz. Anything else is catsup.

By: loquax

loquax — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 07:51:13 -0800

I'll take your word for it, but no establishment that I've been to in NY, MA, or CT has not been surprised by a request for vinegar, let alone provided it as a default.

By: SisterHavana

SisterHavana — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 09:05:20 -0800

Tim Horton's has locations in some states. The furthest west is Kentucky, though. (They need to open some in Illinois!)

By: methylsalicylate

methylsalicylate — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 10:19:54 -0800

furtive: as a matter of peripheral interest, though your link says bannock is Cree, I know it as a Scottish speciality, and the wheatflour-based Selkirk Bannock is one of the best mountaineering staples ever. (Bannock being not only a historically known variant of oatcake , but also a 14th century battle site.)

By: Radio7

Radio7 — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 11:01:14 -0800

Nanaimo Bars rock.
posted by acoutu at 11:15 PM PST on January 15 [!]
Oh man, do they ever!:)

By: Big Fat Tycoon

Big Fat Tycoon — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 11:12:35 -0800

Bloody Caesars! (Clamato, too)

By: Rash

Rash — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 11:13:55 -0800

Nanaimo Bars rock.

Well, I find them somewhat variable -- some okay, others revoltingly sweet. And what's this about American Cheese being labeled Canadian Cheese up north? I've looked in vain, found only Kraft Cheese slices, but never any labeled Canadian Cheese.

By: raedyn

raedyn — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 11:17:05 -0800

And what's this about American Cheese being labeled Canadian Cheese up north? - Rash

I've never heard of such a thing. Although I seem to remember once running into a recipe calling for American cheese and wondered what that is... are you saying it's just processed cheese slices? Yuck.

By: furtive

furtive — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 11:24:42 -0800

methylsalicylate, you're absolutely correct, bannock does comes from the scotts and was introduced to the natives. However the preparation and the end result are a bit different over here because we wrap the dough around a stick and cook it over a fire, rather than bake it in a pan.

By: deborah

deborah — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 12:03:13 -0800

Ahem.

- Beavertails are easily found at the Lonsdale Quay in NorthVan. They have sweet and savory tails (garlic is my favourite).

- Poutine is easily found at A&Ws and KFCs on the West Coast. A&W's poutine is better.

- Rye and whiskey are two different liquors.

- My "wedding cake" was a sheet of Nanaimo bars. Although I have a major sweet tooth (there's a reason I'm diabetic), I find them too sweet.

By: acoutu

acoutu — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 12:11:57 -0800

Terrapin, do you have a citation for the ketchup trademark? I just looked it up in both the US and Canadian trademark databases and found that it is only trademarked as Heinz Ketchup, not ketchup. There are other companies with trademarks on other ketchups. See CIPO and USPTO.

Once, I went to Seattle and ordered a Seabreeze. The bartender said we had to be from Vancouver. He said they don't have that drink in Seattle (well, they have the ingredients) and that only Canadians order it.

If you find Nanaimo Bars that suck, that's because the people making them aren't using the recipe from the back of the Bird's Eye Custard can. All Nanaimoites worth their salt use this recipe.

American cheese is some sort of orange cheese that looks like cheddar but isn't.

By: caddis

caddis — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 16:16:05 -0800

You mean American Cheese Food (the USDA doesn't allow them to use the term cheese alone on this stuff; it is "cheese food."

By: acoutu

acoutu — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 18:39:06 -0800

KFC and A&W have poutine? I must go.

Real Nanaimo bars don't come in sheets. I must insist that you did not have the real thing. :)

By: terrapin

terrapin — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 19:19:15 -0800

I think the word ketchup was invented by Heinz as a way to brand their product which had previously been refered to as "tomato catsup." I'm sorry, I may be wrong. I don't have a source other than hearing my father tell me (he refused to say "ketchup" if the product wasn't Heinz, and he didn't like Heinz's ketchup anyway. He also only would use Miracle Whip, and I would only eat real mayo, but that's neither here nor there). I believe it may also have been in a Heinz documentary I saw last year. *shrug*

By: deborah

deborah — Wed, 18 Jan 2006 23:45:47 -0800

Yes to KFC and A&W serving poutine. It almost makes up for not being able to find biscuits in BC fast-food outlets (McDonald's, why hast thou forsaken me?).

Does Safeway make real Nanaimo bars? Hm, prolly not. I've also had homemade and they're still too sweet for me.