MY MISSION is to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth From Where I Sit.

Simply stated I love food! And all things associated with making food GREAT: Menu, staff, atmosphere, service and the experience. In the absence of GREAT, I will settle for good, provided the experience is GREAT!

26 years later….I have learned through my recent repatriation to the East Coast is that there is a staggering gap in people’s perception of the word GREAT; mine and theirs, as it relates to great food, wine and service.

I’ve been lured in by the words GREAT restaurant way too many times here in the East to take it at face value anymore. I have also reduced my sense of urgency when thinking wow, I need to to run out and try that restaurant! This all leads to my perpetual personal mission to find and recommend the GREAT restaurants and alternatively, red flag the OVER-RATED restaurants, here in the East.

My List…I started with my friend Roberto who is obsessively passionate about food and asked him to furnish me with a list of his favorite restaurants in Saint John. Not only did Roberto provide me with a list of 14 restaurants, he passionately described each restaurant and their menu in detail (as an Italian would) with in the air hand gestures. Roberto in one of his past careers sold advertising to restaurateurs in Saint John and now prides himself on being somewhat of a Restaurant Sherpa.

My goal is to visit Roberto’s recommendations to write a From Where I Sit review. I’m excited!

1. Beauty & The Bistro
2. Blue Olive (Italian /Greek / Mediterranean)
3. Broiler Works (Bistro)
4. Churchill’s (Steakhouse)
5. Leo’s Supper Club (Canadian, Thai & Italian)
6. Opera Bistro (European)
7. Saint John Ale House (Pub)
8. Sampan Restaurant (Chinese)
9. Sebastians (Bistro)
10. Shuckers Restaurant (Delta Hotel)
11. Suwanna Restaurant (Thai)
12. Taco Pica (Mexican)
13. Thandis (Thai)
14. Vivaldis (Italian)

You may be asking what’s happening here. Good question. 

To be brief … Belle is rearranging the furniture so the place can be more functional, as well as entertaining and informative, and soon hope to be up and posting on a regular basis.  Continue Reading »

Weekly Rant & Rave is just that…A Rant or Rave that is worthy of public information.

We all have opinions right? How many of us share our opinions with restaurant proprietors in order to help them improve their food or service? All too often we leave without saying a word. But we are certainly not shy to share a bad experience with all our friends, neighbours, colleagues, insurance broker, banker, real estate salesperson, cleaning lady: Everyone. Everyone, except the person who really wants or needs to hear it.

I am hoping that by sharing my weekly Rants & Raves with each of you that you will learn two things:

1. Learn from my experience: Buyer beware
2. Learn to share you feedback with the restaurant owners in a constructive manner.

Now the choice is yours to do it in person, over the phone, in writing or through the manager. But at the very least share it!
Typically, if I have a poor experience at a restaurant for whatever the reason, I will always try to go back and give it a second chance. Not too many things will take me back to a restaurant if on the second visit and with the owners knowledge of my first poor experience, will I return. My money is good everywhere.

I think that it is safe to say that the majority of the people in my world either purchase something on a daily basis or get a service (face to face, phone, web, tv, or mail). And if you think about it, if you are purchasing a product you will always be getting service. Even if it via a vending machine.

f you are anything like me (and likely a woman) you will have an opinion. Men sharing opinions on service is another website: men are from mars, bla, bla bla stuff.

Ah, poor outsourced country.

If you are offering a product or service and no matter how small you think you are or how big you want to become, you are a business. And ask yourself the big Q: Why are you in business? What’s your vision.

A vision helps gives you the brick and mortar (so to speak) for your companies foundation. How you put that brick and mortar together is what makes your foundation. Without a clear vision, there is no strong foundation, which means there is no business.

Yes, there are those out there that in spite of themselves, they are successful. It kills me that they are.

If I had a buck every time I’ve heard much as people say they hate corporations, why not learn from them. From their mistakes and successes.

I read business books by some pretty smart people. Why do I enjoy reading?

Food ‘n Friends is one of my live for things.

Nothing says fun louder than sharing food and wine with friends. For me, it’s all about the experience, which overtime and with age becomes a contagious life staple.

Stay tuned on my happy hours, house parties and socials. At times, the names will be changed to protect the innocent (or not so innocent).

Reviews are my direct or indirect feedback on things From Where I Sit.

Reviews is largely based on my personal restaurant experience(s): Drive-thru’s to Fine Dining. Reviews is where I get to share my thoughts with each of you on my personal felt experiences at restaurants, retails store, on-line services, telephone and books.

Reviews from my WOW moments right through to you couldn’t pay me to come back! Ever had any of those experiences on this sliding scale?

Given that I eat out primarily with friends, colleagues and associates

You know it all starts the moment that I know that I am going to eat out. Not always planned…there are those impromptu

Yes, I have personally visited the restaurant that I am reviewing.

Reviews will cover (and not limited to) everything from the hello over the phone, the greeter at the door,

other things such as: overcoming objections, delivering bad new such as “sorry but we ran out of …”, to asking for my future business, telling me their name and inviting me back to sit in their section..typically I work bla, bla bla night. ve been there, I’ve experienced the things from making reservations to walking in the door I will also include hearsay.