Black Dog Pub - Scarborough, Ontario (Way up north)
The Black Dog Pub is one of the best pubs that I've been to in North America. I've been there 3 times over the past 3 years. The most recent trip was in July 2005. Yes, I've only been there a few times, but the food and beverage quality has was consistantly good each time that I was there.Here is their web site: http://blackdogpub.com/index.html
The selection of beers is excellent. The Smithwicks beer had a much better taste in Canada than in the US. I'm not sure why. Of course, it can't compare to the Smithwicks in Ireland. The same goes for the Guinness. Their imported ON TAP selection is vast... Bass Ales, Guinness, Smithwicks, Boddingtons, Tetleys, etc. They also have a fine selection of single malt scotch whiskeys.
They have some of the best fish & chips that I've had outside of the UK. Quite often when you order fish & chip, there is a slimey layer between the fish and the crisp fried coating. At the Black Dog Pub, the coating is crispy all the way through. It is well seasoned and tastey. The fish taste like fresh fish. The fried coating is crisp, drained of excess oil, and is well seasoned. My brother in law ordered the fried calamari. It was served hot, well seasoned, crisp and fresh tasting. I tried the bangers and mash the last time. The mashed potatoes were appropriately creamy with a good proportions of cream, butter and seasonings. The bangers were the real thing. I know that a lot of people dislike English sausages, but I've developed a real affinity for them. The accompanying baked beans were tasty, but were not the same as I've tasted in England. They were actually better.One of the people in our party had the Shepherds Pie and were very satisfied with it.
The service was excellent. The staff is very knowledgeable of the menu and the beverage selection. While they have a lot of parking spaces, we had to hunt for an available space because the place was busy.
They offer live entertainment at times, but not while we there there so I can't comment on it.I would be interested in hearing about your experiences here.

Patsy's Pizza at 206 E 60th (between 2nd & 3rd Avenues), NY
Patsy's has the best pizza that I've eaten in NY. I've tried quite a few places including Lombardy's in Little Italy, but Patsy's has the edge.
We had lunch at Patsy's this past Friday (9/9/05). There were 7 of us in the group so we were able to try a wider selection of items. We started off with the Fried Calamari and the Fried Eggplant and Zucchini with Garlic Yogurt appetizers. The calamari was very good, but the eggplant was really great. The eggplant and zucchini were thinly sliced and deep fried like potato chips.
Our next course consisted of two salads, the Mista salad and the Siciliana salad. Both were fresh, well seasoned and dressed with enough dressing to add flavor but not enough to make the salads soggy. The mista salad is basically a mixed green salad with tomatoes, carrots, olives and a red wine vinaigrette. The Siciliana is a mixed green salad with mozzarella cheese, roasted peppers, black olive, artichoke hearts, anchovies, tomatoes, carrots and and Italian dressing. We've had the Sicilian before without the anchovies, but they really help to make this salad.
Along with the salads we had a family size portion of penne alla vodka. The portion was more than enough to feed all of us even if we didn't order other items. The pasta was prepared al dente and the generously dressed with the vodka sauce.
Finally we had a large pizza with prosciutto. Everyone was able to have a large slice, with one left over. We usually order the pizza with prosciutto, but this time it was sliced a little thicker than usual which made is more difficult to eat. The taste was still very good, but it wasn't up to the same quality that we had during our past 7 or 8 visits.
The service is pretty good, but could be a little more attentive.
Our biggest complaint is the noise from outside. Patsy's has doors along the front side of the restaurant that can be slid open during days when the weather is nice. Unfortunately, it is located on a very busy street with lots and lots of large trucks travelling on it. At times we couldn't carry on a normal conversation because of the noise from outside.
It is well worth the trip, but I recommend the place when it is too chilly outside to have the doors left open.

The offer a wide selection of good wine and have Bass Ale on tap.

Their telephone number is (212) 688-9707.

Serendipity 3 is located on 60th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenue. Part of its popularity is due to a movie named "Serendipity" in which the restaurant was featured. The other part of its popularity, I believe, is that it seems to be a place for rich young children (elementary aged children). We attempted to eat their twice before we were able to get in. The place get completely packed at lunch time. We managed to arrive about 11:45 for lunch and were promptly seated. The people arriving at 12:00 for lunch had to wait.

We skipped on the most popular item there, which is a frozen hot chocolate. We saw a several people order the drink, but it was too large when you want to eat a whole meal with real food. I ordered "Chicken Char Char" and my spouse ordered a chili burger with fries. The chicken dish consisted of pieces of grilled chicken breast served over a slice of bread with a salad and pineapple on the side. The chicken was dry and tasteless. The bread really seemed to serve no purpose other than to support the chicken. The salad greens were ok, not wilted and semi-fresh looking. The spouse's burger was overcooked, even though she ordered it medium. It was better tasting than the chicken. The table next to us ordered breakfast dishes, including french toast. They only ate about half of the food on their plates, although the serving sizes were normal portions.

We ordered a "Forbidden Broadway" ($12.00) , an ice cream sundae with a brownie and chocolate fudge. It was great and more than enough for 2 people.

My better half described the decor as whimsical. One “cute” item on the shelves that caught my eye was the “Trailor Trash” doll.

The service was prompt, knew the menu, and was courteous.

Overall, it is a fun place to take your family for expensive (but worth the price) desserts. If you want to eat a regular meal, go elsewhere.

http://www.serendipity3.com/

This is going to be my food critic blog!
Let's start out with my favorite restaurant in Croton on Hudson, NY... Justin Thyme. Justin Thyme is a great place to gather and to have food that is consistent in quality and quantity. The point about consistency is that I would prefer to go to a restaurant that had consistently good food than a restaurant that has great food one day and disappointing food the next day. The great thing about Justin Thyme is that the food that is served is consistently very good.
The daily specials are really worth checking out, and are almost always great. The mussel specials with a tomato/redwine/garlic sauce is a great appetizer. Ask for a side of plain pasta and you have a fantastic entree.
They offer six beers on tap, Guinness Stout, Brooklyn Penant 55 Ale, Blue Moon wheat, Brooklyn Pilsner, Newcastle, and Smuttynose IPA.
The martini selection is extensive and most customers seem to like them. I'm not a martini drinker so I really can't give my opinion.
My wife really loves their sweet potato fries.
Dinner prices run from $9 per entree to about $25 per entree. Portions are very generous.
171 Grand Street, Croton on Hudson, NY 10520
Telephone: 914-271-0022
Closed Mondays.
http://www.justinthymecafe.com