"One-Eyed Jack" - PEI Burger Love - 2018 - Part 6

The Pilot House is one of our favourite restaurants in Charlottetown. The food and atmosphere are great, it's 3 restaurants in one; formal restaurant, pub/bar and the "Queue" which normally houses private functions.

Normally we'd make a reservation but since it was a last minute decision to head to Charlottetown we decided to just sit on the bar side since there was a wait for a table in the restaurant.

The "One-Eyed Jack" is made up of a 6 oz Island Beef Patty, Tomato, Spring Mix, House-made BBQ Braised Beef, Housemade Panko-crusted Deep Fried Monterey Jack Cheese Slice, Garlic Aioli, Housemade Candied Banana Pepper Jam on a Warmed Steak Spiced Bun.

Many of the burgers go over the top with different ingredients and toppings, but this one wasn't super complicated. I was a little hesitant because of the potential "heat" in the banana pepper jam, but it was more sweet, similar to a sweet chili sauce, versus hot. The deep fried cheese slice was delicious and paired well with the BBQ's beef and burger patty.

Suspect that this one may end up taking home the title this year, one of the best I had this year.

Rating - 9.5/10 

The "One-Eyed Jack" from The Pilot House. Heard great things about it all month, didn't disappoint. Taking @PEIBurgerLove right down to the wire. #PEIBURGERLOVE pic.twitter.com/XdkzwouLwj

— Rod Gallant (@Rod_Gallant) April 28, 2018

"PiggyBack" - PEI Burger Love - 2017 - Part 11

Stop #11 of the 2017 Burger Love tour.

As we've done the past couple of years, my wife and I spend the last Saturday of PEI Burger Love doing a little tour, one last chance to try a few burgers. We always set out on this day with great intentions and a list of "several" we want to try but even though we split the burgers and don't order any sides we are usually pretty full after a couple. With that in mind, we try to make sure that the first two are ones we really don't want to miss and go from there.

We both wanted to try the "PiggyBack" from Gahan House so we decided to start there. Their burger consisted of 7 oz Island Beef Patty, Aged White Cheddar, Bacon, Crispy Onions, Sweet Sriracha Slaw, Granny Smith Apple Chutney on a lightly grilled Iron Bridge Brown Molasses Bun topped with a Molasses Bun & Maple Stout Pulled Pork Slider and a Gherkin.

I'm glad we started with this one. The sweetness of the apple chutney and the molasses added balance and a great flavour to the burger. The pork slider on top was a nice bonus. I put this one right at the top of the list with O'Shea's "Wingin It" as my favourite for this year. 

Rating 9.5/10

Great start to the @PEIBurgerLove tour. "PiggyBack" from @GahanPub. One of those ones I wish we weren't splitting, so good. #peiburgerlove pic.twitter.com/NYUxyBlqpT

— Rod Gallant (@Rod_Gallant) April 29, 2017

"Ol' Smokey" - PEI Burger Love 2017 - Part 8

Stop #8 of the 2017 Burger Love tour.

The journey continued with "Ol' Smokey" from Montana's. As a fan of ribs, lets just say I wasn't disappointed when our daughter decided that she wanted to go there for lunch.

Their entry comprised of 6 oz Island Beef Patty, 12-hr Smoked Pulled Pork, Bacon, Cajun Dusters Onions, Leaf Lettuce, shredded Smoked Cheddar, Mayo, Honey Chipotle Glaze on a grilled house-made Bun topped with an in-house Chipotle Honey Smoked Pork Back Rib.

It was like they snuck into my head and picked out the combination of ingredients that make me do this......

My only (small) criticism would be the bun, it was pretty plain. If it had a bit more flavour or if it had been toasted I'd be hard pressed not to give this one a Nadia Comaneci. I really like BBQ, and this bad boy had me licking my fingers and wanting more. 

Rating 9/10
 

If you're a fan of BBQ sauce like me you'll enjoy "Ol' Smokey" from @MontanasBBQ for @PEIBurgerLove. Highly recommend. #peiburgerlove pic.twitter.com/3bxwpKUzEQ

— Rod Gallant (@Rod_Gallant) April 17, 2017

Three Little Pigs - Porktoberfest 2016 - Part 3

* Stop #3 of the 2016 Porktoberfest adventure.

The PEI Marathon was this past weekend, unfortunately I opted not to run this year but my wife was doing the 10 km race. A trip to Charlottetown to get her race kit meant an excuse to make another Porktoberfest stop.

When checking out the listing on October 1st the "Three Little Pigs" sliders from the Quality Inn on the Hill jumped out as one she wanted to try, and of course I wasn't going to say no to pulled pork. It certainly isn't a spot we'd even considered going for a meal before, neither of us had actually been there before, but during Porktoberfest (and Burger Love) we go by the description and if it's something we want to try, we go; regardless of the location.

The sliders are comprised of 6 oz of PEI Pulled Pork and homemade BBQ sauce:

PIGGY #1 - Pulled pork with homemade apple sauce and topped with a cinnamon apple chip.
PIGGY #2 - Pulled pork with hickory sticks and topped with a deep fried mac ’n cheese wedge.
PIGGY #3 - Pulled pork with our sweet chili mayo, fiesta onion rings and topped with a bacon wrapped scallop.

Also included in the $15.95 price tag is homemade coleslaw, and maple bacon seasoned PEI potato skins fully loaded with cheese, bacon, sour cream, green onion topped with pulled pork. 

The sliders were so damn good, the homemade BBQ sauce was delicious and the pulled pork was smothered in it. The addition of the potato skins covered in BBQ sauce and pulled pork were a welcome addition and really completed the meal.

If you are in the hunt to add to your Porktoberfest count I'd highly recommend checking out the Quality Inn. The Three Little Pigs are certainly worth stopping in for.

Rating - 8.5/10

Some @Porktoberfest action for lunch today, the Three Little Pigs sliders from @Innonthehill were really, really good. #PEIPorktoberfest pic.twitter.com/kNqciv1FAd

— Rod Gallant (@Rod_Gallant) October 15, 2016

"HOLY SCHNITZEL" - Porktoberfest 2016 - Part 1

* Stop #1 of my 2016 Porktoberfest adventure. 

I was in Ottawa last week and was flying home Saturday so of course with it being October 1st we had to begin our 2016 Porktoberfest consumption as soon as I landed.

We'd both checked out the website and both agreed to start at The Old Triangle and tackle the "Holy Schnitzel."

Comprised of a 5 spice seasoned 5oz. pork tenderloin, hand breaded then fried to crispy schnitzel perfection. Topped with Maple glazed PEI bacon, vinaigrette style cabbage slaw, artisan greens, chipotle-apple-red pepper mayo and a balsamic-cranberry BBQ sauce all on a toasted ciabatta bun.

So with deep fried pork plus bacon, I knew I was in for a treat. It didn't disappoint.

The tenderloin was lightly breaded and very tender, the maple bacon was a treat and went very well with the BBQ sauce which was sweet and tangy. My only disappointment was the fact that my wife and I were splitting it so I only got 1/2, well close to 2/3's.

If you are in the Charlottetown area and looking to try out a Porktoberfest creation I'd highly recommend the Old Triangle. At $15.50 including a side it is a great deal and an awesome sammich.

Rating 9/10

First victim of @Porktoberfest went down earlier today. "Holy Schnitzel" from @OldTrianglePEI. Pretty good start. #PEIPorktoberfest pic.twitter.com/42aJ3Jtq9U

— Rod Gallant (@Rod_Gallant) October 1, 2016

PEI Porktoberfest 2016

Every fall the smell of bacony goodness spreads across PEI, "Porktoberfest" runs during the month of October. This year 20 chef have come up with a unique pork based menu item for Islanders to enjoy. Although not nearly as big as April's PEI Burger Love, for fans of pork (like me) it's a special month.

Islanders wait with bated breath for the website to go live and salivate over the pictures as they plan out their month, or maybe that's just me!

Over the course of the month I'll be sampling several of the creations and posting my reactions here. I'd be curious to hear from others about their experiences and favourites.

Follow my adventures here or on twitter, also check out #PEIPorktoberfest for more mouth watering info.  

Charlottetown Tour - PEI Burger Love 2016 - Parts 15 - 17

* Stop #15 - 17 of my 2016 Burger Love adventure. 

During PEI Burger Love month my wife and I normally try to take a Saturday and go to Charlottetown and sample several burgers. It's a bit of a challenge but we order just the burger and split it plus we space them out over the course of the day.

The popularity of the burger love phenomenon makes getting into some spots difficult, many spots are completely booked each weekend during the month, it's been a great initiative and has bumped millions of dollars into the PEI economy.

Stop #1 - Rising Star - Outriders. We hadn't had the burger there in previous years but had heard really good reviews and liked how it looked so figured we'd give it a try. We were glad we did. The grilled cheese bun is easily the most flavourful bun I had so far and the garlic aioli was delicious. The onion rings had a great smokey taste and just added to the already delicious burger.

Rating - 8.5/10

Solid start to @PEIBurgerLove day. "Rising Star" at Outriders. Great flavours and one of the best tasting bun yet. pic.twitter.com/jo5BlGRyP8

— Rod Gallant (@Rod_Gallant) April 23, 2016

Stop #2 - The Southern Belle - Old Triangle. I've been to this bar many times and there are franchises all over the Maritimes, great spot to enjoy a beverage with friends and usually there is live music on the weekends.

This bad boy was full of flavour, three in particular made this burger for me. 1) Peach and Honey-Rubbed Hickory Smoked Bacon, 2) Chipotle Honey Mayo, and 3) Bourbon BBQ Sauce. If it had the bun from the burger at Outriders, man oh man, it would be battling for the title. Regardless it was a fantastic tasting burger and worth giving it a try if you are in downtown Charlottetown.

Rating - 9/10

Stop #2 of @PEIBurgerLove day, "Southern Belle" @OldTrianglePEI. Great bar, excellent burger. #peiburgerlove pic.twitter.com/uXrGzMeHxP

— Rod Gallant (@Rod_Gallant) April 23, 2016

Thanks @Rod_Gallant! So glad you enjoyed your visit. Have great weekend. @PEIBurgerLove

— Old Triangle PEI (@OldTrianglePEI) April 23, 2016

Stop #3 - The Poutinere - Hunter's Ale House. The burger here was our last stop on our Charlottetown tour last year, so seemed fitting that it be the last stop this year too.

If you put pulled pork on my burger there is a really good chance I'm going to like it.This one was pretty good but I didn't really like the gravy that they used, it tasted a little bland. I was left wishing that the gravy either had more flavour or that they'd used the pulled pork sauce instead.

Rating - 7/10

Last burger of the day @HuntersPEI "The Poutinere". Liked the pulled pork on the burger. @PEIBurgerLove pic.twitter.com/3KjKk8QxBb

— Rod Gallant (@Rod_Gallant) April 23, 2016

All in all a pretty successful day and splitting 3 burgers over the course of 6 or 7 hours was a great way to experience several burgers in a short time. If you are a fan of burger love I'd encourage you and a group of friends to do the same. 

Wear Red Run

A couple of weeks ago I decided to run in a race that I hadn't participated in before, the Wear Red Race in Charlottetown.

The race started in 2009 and is in support of military families in need and also to help promote Wear Red Fridays to show public support for our men and women in uniform, and their families.  It then became an obvious choice to name the event the Wear Red Road Races, hence: WR3 (half, 10k, 5k).

The founding objectives of WR3 are still valid today.  They are:

• to demonstrate public support for our servicemen and servicewomen;
• to raise discretionary funding for the work of the PEI Military Family Services Centre; and
• to help promote physical fitness in PEI.

WR3 has become an annual event in the spring running calendar for PEI and, in 2012, made history as the first established road race in PEI to include those with a physical disability.

There were a total of 196 runners spread across the 5k, 10k and half marathon distances. This year I decided to do the 10k as I hadn't been doing enough longer runs to feel ready to take on the half, but next year I'll be trying it. I finished the 10k in 47:27, not my best time but in my defense there was a pretty strong head wind for about 3 of the last 4 kilometres (I know, excuses, excuses). Official website.

After the race there was a BBQ and pasta meal served, all of the food was excellent (I had to sample everything). I'd highly recommend this race, it's a great race with a variety of distances to choose from and a good way to kick off your racing season. 

Me receiving a 3rd place prize

Group photo after the race

My Running Journey

Last year I took up running, pretty much on a whim, when my wife and a group of her friends decided that they were going to train for a half marathon. We all started training about 12 weeks before the race day, getting in our own runs during the weeks and running as a group for our longer runs on the weekend.

We arrived in Halifax, nervous as hell, but excited at the same time to compete in the Bluenose Half Marathon. I couldn't believe the amount of people running and more surprising was the amount of spectators. The gun sounded and we were off. It was an amazing feeling, people lined the streets to cheer all the runners on, kids giving out hi-5's along the way. When I crossed the finish line in 1 hr 53 min, just under my 2 hr goal, I was hooked and I knew I'd be back. I ended up running about a dozen races during the year ranging from 5 km to 25 km and averaging 50-55 minutes/10k.

This year I decided that I was going to kick my own ass at running. I wanted to run every single race I completed during 2011 (and more) and try and beat my own time in each race. First step was to add some additional workouts to my running routine. My wife and I joined a local gym and we added some weight training and metabolic class training to our regular running. I ended up dropping 20+ lbs in about 3 months and was feeling good about the upcoming running season.

Source 10K - April 2012 44:25

My first race of the 2012 season was the Source for Sports 10k in Charlottetown. I hadn't run it in 2011 but I wanted to get in as many runs as possible before the Bluenose. My training pace had been pretty good leading up to race day and I was hoping that I'd be able to finish in under 50 minutes, something I hadn't been able to do the previous year. I started out at a pretty good pace and maintained it through the run and finished in 44:30, a new PB.

I was feeling good heading into the 1/2 marathon in Halifax and was hoping to be able to finish in under 1:45, I had a great run and finished in 1:39:49. Throughout the summer I've been able to improve my times in every race compared to last year by about 45 seconds to a minute per kilometre. All of my 10k races have been in the 44-46 min range, I was able to better my time in the 25k Harvest Festival race by about 15 minutes, finishing this years race in 2:08:57, and my 10 mile Farmers Helping Farmers race time by 15 minutes as well, from 1:29 last year to 1:14 this year.

Kent 7k - August 2012 31:00

Going into this years half PEI Marathon I was hoping to be under 1:45 for the 21.1k course. It was a cold morning on race day this past Saturday (October 14). The temperature gauge in the car during most of the drive to Charlottetown was 0 degrees, but it rose to a balmy 4 degrees by race time, luckily the wind was light and the rain held off. Three big hills in the last 6k take up a lot of energy but running down University Ave with large groups cheering you gives that extra push you need at the end. I was able to cross in 1:42:02, 17 minutes off last years time.

Running has become part of my regular routine and I'm glad it did. We are very fortunate on PEI to have a large network of organized races via the PEI Roadrunners throughout the year and having an upcoming race motivated me to continue running on a regular basis. I've met some great people and made a lot of new friends through this group. Everyone encourages and motivates each other and makes running fun.

BMO 1/2 Marathon - October 2012 1:42:02

Me, Teresa & Mike - wearing the foil post race

I've got a great support network motivating me, starting with my amazing wife Teresa. She's been posting personal bests in all her races this summer too. Plus we've got an incredible group of friends, including our trainer Lindsay Santos (she rocks), who've traveled to many races to cheer us on and be waiting for us at the finish.

Henry Ford once said  "Whether you believe you can or believe you can't, you're probably right." I prefer to believe that I can or will. I don't expect to win any races but I sure like beating my main competitor every chance I get, me. I'm hoping I'll be able to continue to beat him on a regular basis moving forward.