A few days ago, I popped into a local restaurant for a quick bite and seeing as this was my first time at The General Muir, I thought I ought to share my experience with you all.
I was in a bit of a rush on this particular day so I hadn't bothered to research a good restaurant in the area, I sort of just scanned my surroundings and I noticed how busy The General Muir was and decided, well there's a line, so it must be good! And this seems to be the trend because whenever I've driven past (on any given day), no matter the time, they seem to always be packed. Whenever I see a line out the door I take that as a universal seal of approval, making me more inclined to dine in, and I only had a 10 (more like 5) minute wait, so why not?!
Brief breakdown of The General Muir- they are self-described as a modern American restaurant inspired by the classic New York Jewish deli, focusing on fresh ingredients and simple preparations (as stated on their website).
I am not well versed in Jewish deli foods by any means, but knowing their bagels were made in house was good enough to get me through the door.
Because this was just a quick little "pick-me-up" if you will, I only tried two dishes off of their brunch men (had I actually been famished, this would've been a completely different post)- the pastrami poutine and their "Avenue C" open faced bagel.
Poutine (sent straight from the high cholesterol heavens) is one of those dishes that should be impossible to get wrong, so I felt like it would be a safe and completely delicious option. And their Avenue C bagel was loaded with smoked trout salad, créme fraiche, pickled onions and a touch of parsley. I think this was the perfect order for me on this day because it satisfied my cravings and was the right amount of food for a quick brunch.
In terms of flavour, the pastrami poutine was divine- ample melted cheese, chips (fries) not too soggy, pastrami bits had a nice bite to them, though it was a touch too salty for my liking (with the pastrami bits already in the dish, I probably would not have added any extra salt to the fries, pero it's personal preference). But the open faced bagel was a pleasant contrast from the heaviness of the poutine. The bagel itself was light, not doughy or chewy like most store bought bagels, trout salad and créme fraiche paired beautifully, but my favourite was the bit of crunch from the pickled onions (I loved pickled anything!), I just wished there was more of it.
From both dishes, I certainly got a sense of their approach to simple preparation of dishes and utilising the freshest of ingredients. Sometimes simple is best and in this instance, it worked quite well.
Poutine (sent straight from the high cholesterol heavens) is one of those dishes that should be impossible to get wrong, so I felt like it would be a safe and completely delicious option. And their Avenue C bagel was loaded with smoked trout salad, créme fraiche, pickled onions and a touch of parsley. I think this was the perfect order for me on this day because it satisfied my cravings and was the right amount of food for a quick brunch.
In terms of flavour, the pastrami poutine was divine- ample melted cheese, chips (fries) not too soggy, pastrami bits had a nice bite to them, though it was a touch too salty for my liking (with the pastrami bits already in the dish, I probably would not have added any extra salt to the fries, pero it's personal preference). But the open faced bagel was a pleasant contrast from the heaviness of the poutine. The bagel itself was light, not doughy or chewy like most store bought bagels, trout salad and créme fraiche paired beautifully, but my favourite was the bit of crunch from the pickled onions (I loved pickled anything!), I just wished there was more of it.
From both dishes, I certainly got a sense of their approach to simple preparation of dishes and utilising the freshest of ingredients. Sometimes simple is best and in this instance, it worked quite well.
With that being said, would I dine here again? Sure, but I think The General Muir is a restaurant I will only be visiting to satisfy my brunch/lunch cravings. Because of their deli style menus, it wouldn't really be my first pick for dinner (unless I had a very specific craving), but never say never. I'm curious to know if any of you guys have ever dined here before and what were your favourites? Let me know what I should try next! :)
xoxo
xoxo
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