JW Marriott The Rosseau – a perfect Muskoka retreat MINETT, ONTARIO – Gorgeous lake views from a beautiful lodge high on a hill. Boating and swimming activities galore. Muskoka might be the best place on earth to spend a summer’s day. And JW Marriott The Rosseau is one of the best places to enjoy Ontario’s Muskoka region. You’ll find a lovely, breezy lobby upon your arrival at the resort, located north of Port Carling near the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it hamlet of Minett. There are tons of spaces to sit and sink into a comfy sofa and enjoy the warm summer air, or you can walk out onto the patio for killer views of Lake Rosseau shimmering in the sun. Our room had a nice balcony with a partial view of the lake, as well as a sitting room with a full kitchen, plus a sofa, big-screen TV and a fireplace. There was a huge bathroom with a separate tub and shower and plenty of room to spread out. The room was done in tasteful shades of peaceful, mossy green; a nice change from the bronze and brown decor so many hotels seem to feature these days.

One of the big changes at the property is the recent opening of Chophouse. It’s a fantastic steak and chops place featuring local meats such as Northern Ontario venison, Ontario beef and organic Ontario chicken. There are no steroids, no hormones and no additives in the meat and the Ahi tuna is sushi grade, line caught and sustainable. I was lucky enough to try the Chophouse Wedge salad with heirloom tomatoes, a light helping of blue cheese, thinly sliced onion and crumbled bacon. I’m not a big blue cheese guy but it was a hugely tasty salad, as was the Caesar. They also make truly magnificent crab cakes, with zero filler: just packed bits of crab seared nicely with just enough crispy bits to set off the soft meat inside. The veal chop was perhaps the best I’ve ever tried; succulent and sweet and cooked perfectly. The steaks also were great as were the sautéed mushrooms. Whatever you order as your main, DO NOT MISS the Truffle Boursin scalloped potatoes, which are creamy and crispy and gooey and go down far too easily.

Try the crème brulee or pistachio cheesecake or go wild with the Baked Alaska for dessert, and be sure to ask the knowledgeable sommelier for wine advice. They have some lovely offerings. There’s no kids menu, but children can of course dine at the Chophouse. More child-friendly would be their Italian dining spot, Teca, which features a wood-burning pizza oven. The Deck is a great spot near one of the swimming pools with fish tacos and other treats, while Lakes is a casual dining spot with a wonderful breakfast buffet that includes various types of salami and cheeses, as well as French Toast with bananas and raisins, a nice fruit selection, granola, gluten free breads and regular breads. The dining is great. But most folks come up this way for a taste of the great Ontario outdoors. The hotel has tons of that on offer. You’ll find a couple small beaches on Lake Rosseau, one that’s meant for reading or quiet contemplation and the other with an inflatable slide and plenty of shallow water for the kids to play in or to build sand castles between bouts with the latest video game.

You can rent kayaks or canoes or also pick up a stand-up paddleboard if you want to exercise your abs. They also have bikes you can tour around on, volleyball and lovely waterfront walking/hiking trails. You also can wander across the road and check out The Rock, a fun and challenging and beautiful Nick Faldo golf course. On top of all that, there’s also a small touring ship you can take if you want to learn more about the lake and about Muskoka in general. The property has several pools, including a kids’ pool and a larger one that’s better for laps. where to buy sushi grade fish in rosevilleThere’s also a hot tub, which is especially nice for early or later in the season. jiro dreams of sushi critiqueBe sure to check out the spa for lovely treatments, as well as a steam room and plunge pools.sushi conveyor belt alibaba

They do weddings, of course, and it’s hard to think of a more romantic spot than this; with views of the lake and the sun glancing off the water and thick forests of trees all around. If you’re the sort of person who loves the outdoors but also craves fine dining and a sleek, comfortable hotel with all the amenities, you simply can’t go wrong here. On top of that, it’s less than three hours from downtown Toronto. Next post: A northern (mostly) Ontario blog in time for Simcoe Dayjiro dreams of sushi bristol Previous post: Jasper, Banff, Calgary and more: my cross-Canada tour hits Albertajiro dreams of sushi tom bradyI've traveled to Japan an average of a couple times a year for the last decade and been to sushi restaurants from Sapporo to Fukuoka and everything in between, from major cities to small towns in Kanazawa, Matsuyama, and Wakayama. jiro dreams of sushi irvine

It's possible to get similar quality to casual Japanese sushi restaurants in the US, thought obviously with much lower variety of section and much higher cost.So, in my opinion the three biggest differences are:1. No strange maki (rolls) ie "dynamite roll", "Philadelphia roll", "dragon roll", insert Chinese sounding roll, etc in Japan.2. In Japan sushi can be much cheaper. (The higher end isn't much more expensive than some high end restaurants in CA, NY, etc). 3. Selection of fish and chef's preparation technique is what matters, not how "fresh" the fish is. If freshness was all that mattered then making sushi would be a simple task. Make a restaurant near the ocean and cut and serve fish. Instead what I saw at the tsukiji market (last pics) were buyers examining frozen tuna and the higher end restaurants get prime choices. For me, Japanese food hits a point of diminishing return as price increases and I personally do not like high end Japanese cuisine. I've been to some expensive Japanese restaurants and half the time I end up going to a burger place or similar place afterwards.

The only exception to this has been Steak restaurants in Kobe. What I really love are some of the kaiten sushi (conveyor belt) sushi places such as Katsu midori in Meguro. This place is super popular however. This place opens at 11:00 usually (special occasions 10:30) and even when we arrive there before 11:00, there is always a long line outside. http://katumidori.co.jp/ In addition to Katsumidori, the following are from my two other kaiten sushi places (Hama sushi and Sushiro). On weekdays, Hama sushi has a 90 yen special for two sushi pieces. And they are excellent. I'm going back to Tokyo in a couple of months and we plan to go to this place at least a couple of times. There are some high end (and expensive) places that I also like but salmon nigiri is my and my wife's favorite, and salmon is absent in higher end places so that's why those places are not our favorite. Which works best for us!Hama sushi - 90 Yen (75 cents) for two pieces of sushiKatsumidori Three toro set bottom right (o-toro, chu-toro, bin-toro, 500 yen)My favorite!

Salmon nigiriRoast beef sushi?!Typical amount of sushi devoured ! And one of the most interesting for me, prosciutto sushi !!Tsukiji fish market The difference is night and day. Sushi is an art form in Japan, whereas in the West it is either treated as a fast meal or a evening out meal. This reflects in the quality of the sushi; many parts of the west are not privy to direct ocean access (Calgary, where I am, is one of those places) but in Japan fresh fish is often easy to come by. Also, since sushi originated in Japan, many of the itamae (sushi chefs) there are well trained and have experience. In the west, unless the itamae is from Japan, it is unlikely that the chef has the same level of skill or experience. And even if said itamae is from Japan, s/he would still be constrained by what they can obtain as ingredients, which is usually frozen fish ("sushi grade" fish is always frozen to kill/subdue any nasties.) So yeah, the difference IS night and day. When traveling in Japan, I found that sushi was more simple than in the USA.