Unless you’re out for a fine-dining splurge, duck and lamb can be hard to chase down in this beef and pork-focused city. But I found good takes on both during a recent visit to P.F. Chang’s China Bistro.

The VIP duck ($19.95) elegantly presents a boneless breast of duck fanned out alongside a thigh portion and a simple garnish of fresh cucumbers and scallions. As is common with the white Pekin breed, the breast yielded pleasing tenderness, but little by way of flavor; the darker meat, however, had it in spades. Both portions benefited greatly from their deeply flavored, intriguingly sweet soy marinade, brightened with ginger.

While I enjoyed the duck, the wok-seared lamb ($15.95) was even better. F

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For residents of Arvada, the often quiet Denver West metro suburb, Olde Town Arvada is slowly becoming a stop for eats and shopping for family. As this downtown revitalizes, new Arvada bars, like Cheapskates Sports Bar, are popping up to keep locals and visitors staying into the night. Located on the busy Grandview, since its opening in May, Cheapskates is building on the popularity of the growing action-sports scene in Colorado, even sporting a nostalgic ski poster with “Keep Tips Up” over the kitchen entrance.

Owners Ryan Galbraith and Chris Stinson aren’t your stereotypical bar owners. Still

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It’s hard to believe that County Clare and its Irish pub fare were once a bit of a novelty here. Now Irish restaurants with names like Mo’s, Mulligan’s and Brocach seem to be everywhere in Milwaukee. More continue to open. One of the more recent is the Blackthorn Pub & Grill, just a block off of Cathedral Square. For an Irish pub the interior is spare, with booths along the window afforded a bit of Irish privacy thanks to the clever use of mirrors. There is not a single shamrock, leprechaun or even a framed print of the Cliffs of Moher. The only adornment is the leaded glass hanging light fixtures—in other words the Restoration Hardware look.

The menu has the expected Irish pub fare plus some surprises. T Full Post…

La Pizza House, 1013 S.E. 14th St., is now serving lunch. Owner Bob Etzel II said the pizzas, pastas and sandwiches sold at lunchtime are half off the dinner prices. Lunch is served 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Etzel said he’s been busy trying to modernize the restaurant without changing it. He learned that lesson, he said, when he tried for a brief time to lighten the restaurant’s popular orange onion rings to a golden color. All that was changed was the color, not the flavor, he said, but customers wanted the familiar bright orange, so he brought it back.

One key change is the addition of a sports bar near the entry of the restaurant.

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Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada is a city just begging to be explored.  This big, bad city is a delight–and as you walk its very clean and open streets, you’ll find there is quite a bit for you and your family to enjoy.

But while it’s all too easy to limit your adventures to a carriage ride in Stanley Park or a day hike in Whistler, Vancouver is a place that should be explored with all five senses.  And yes, I’m talking taste.  Because Vancouver is a place where you can find some of the finest food around.  I’d like to say you have to explore and dig out the nuggets–but, the truth is, there is good food just about everywhere.

But one of the hottest new restaurants in the city is Goldfish Kitchen.  Owned and operated by the same folks who brought Vancouverites the famous and favored Joe Forte’s, Goldfish Kitchen is just as remarkable.  The food, the decor, the service–well, let’s just say there is nothing to complain about here.  It’s absolutely brilliant.

But, as I said, there’s lots of good food in Vancouver.  What’s amazing about Goldfish Kitchen is its simplicity.  This is a joint that uses only the freshest ingredients and puts those natural tastes together in amazing ways.  After trying a dozen different canapes, I want to say the tastes are simple.  And they are–but I don’t think that gets the brilliance of the flavor across correctly.  Those incredible ingredients, mixed together in novel ways offer up a type of pizazz that is hard to find elsewhere.  I could have eaten nothing but those canapes happily.  But then I might have missed the main courses…

A short while back, Chili Lili’s Chili Bar (525 E. Menomonee St.) offered a special called “Menomonee Street magma.” The dish featured chili prepared with beef tips, pork shoulder, habañero and molasses. It was slightly sweet, with overtones of habañero fire—in other words, it was a bold, tasty chili. So, during a recent visit, it was a pleasure to see that the restaurant’s menu now features Menomonee Street magma as an everyday item. The menu has a few other changes as well. Chili now may be ordered as a cup or an entrée-sized serving. Also, the chili may be served over garlic bread, corn bread or mac ‘n’ cheese. Milwaukee’s best place for chili just got a little better.
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