Those of you who are following my #dailylunches project may be interested to know that I photographed my 500th lunch yesterday. Here it is:
I chose to go to Petit Bill’s Bistro… for a few different reasons.
1) I wanted to keep it local for this milestone lunch.
2) I happened to have a gift card.
3) I knew it was going to be good.
Sidebar: I have no issues dining alone. Do you? I used to go out alone a lot when the girls were little, which was borne out of desperation to get out of the house as much as it was about issues with logistics. Hiring a babysitter required advance planning and extra cash. Mark and I would offhandedly plan to catch a movie but by the time we did the math we’d throw up our hands and just not bother going together. SO. That meant I went to see movies at the Bytowne alone. After a few times I got the hang of it and didn’t feel like such a big deal.
ANYWAY. Yes. I am more than equipped to dine alone, but as I was tweeting out my lunch (as I do every day using the #dailylunches hashtag) my tweet was answered by my virtual lunch companion: @NancyfromCanada. So she joined me, which was lovely. (YAY Twitter!)
It took me awhile to figure out what I was going to order – everything looked fabulous – but I eventually settled on the sandwich of the day, which was crisply battered cod – piping hot – on a lightly toasted bun with homemade tartar sauce and dollop of coleslaw tucked in for good measure. I couldn’t decide between fries and salad so the server kindly suggested I go with FRALAD, that is, a bit of both. This was an okay decision. The fries could have been hotter but it almost feels bad to complain when everything else was so fresh and flavourful.
Petit Bill’s is a pleasant setting for lunch. It’s nice without being too fancy, a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere that encourages diners to linger. The service is stellar; genuine and friendly without being overbearing. It strikes me as a really great neighbourhood meeting place too.
Good news for me: I still have enough on my gift card for one more lunch. So I will be back! Maybe I’ll try their famous lobster poutine next time. :)
Want to see my 500 lunches? You can do so right here.
