Chez Edgar - Gatinaeu, Québec, Canada
Mind blowing brunch amid cold, cold, slippery, icy, cold Canada last February. Can’t wait to go back.
With the first snow just landing on the ground here in Kingston in mid November, I’m reminded of this trip Regina and I took to Canada last February.
Why would we go to Canada in the middle of winter, you might ask?
I don’t know, maybe we were a little off our rockers.
Bein’ touristy
Or maybe we had Hyatt hotel points and Ottawa was the most fun sounding place in driving distance.
Regina got suckered into this “Obama cookie”. I knew it would be flavorless, but I put aside my snobbery for a moment and got into the spirit.
It.
Was.
Cold.
Cold like we’d never been. But - there’s a fabulous outdoor spa that is now etched into my memory as the ultimate winter destination, and I’m dying to go back.
Yes, that’s all ice on the ground.
On the morning of our trip up to the spa we drove from Ottawa into Gatinaeu and stopped to have brunch at this little joint I came across on Foursquare, as I do. A photo of the dutch baby is all it took for me to be completely certain this was a must-visit spot.
Regina and I were really shocked when we got down into the quiet neighborhood where Chez Edgar was located, only to find that apparently they don’t salt the roads over here, and we didn’t have tire chains, which surely people use - because the roads were entirely slick ice. Parking the car was… a challenge.
But oh boy, was it ever worth it. The food here is phenomenal.
And, while we waited for the food to come, I decided to play around a bit with my tilt-shift lens and do some wild perspective control, which I never really do with it when shooting architecture. We had fun.
Also, I’m sure as soon as Regina sees this post she’s going to start drooling and asking “when are we going back?”
The next day, we drove to Montreal in a whiteout blizzard. We made it.
Oh, Canada.
Zazie
Zazie
Cole Valley, San Francisco
$$
★★★★★
Brunch places can be a dime a dozen, and still lines will be out the door. I was pleasantly surprised with the amazing quality of the food at Zazie. Though the line is often an hour long, there's a helpful little guide by the door to let you know very accurately what your wait will be. You can also grab one of the first-come-first-served tables out front, but I prefer the garden in the back. Get there early to get the Miracle (ricotta) pancakes before they sell out. Also try the Poached Eggs La Mer (dungeness crab eggs benedict, basically). Fun Fact - Zazie pays its staff full wages and benefits, so tipping is not required. More restaurants should follow suit.