becfin "Congenial friends and good food, what more can you ask for?"

One wintry day recently II stopped to pick up some sushi for lunch.  Sushi Day, the small restaurant at Cannon and James Street North, was almost full.  The “All you can eat’ buffet seems to be the lure – lots of food.I don’t enjoy buffets and I didn’t really enjoy my takeout lunch .  The sushi combo I chose included dashi stock (with a sliver of tofu floating in it), no miso or anything else. A soggy side salad of iceberg lettuce and julienned carrot was drowned in a tasteless watery vineagrette.  I ordered sushi combination No.50, "Special Sushi”:  The sushi were carelessly rolled in their ‘nori overcoats’.  The sushi rice was okay but not the best rendition. Filllings that needed chopping were cut and diced properly but the overall taste was average.  No. 50 was a combination of tuna, salmon, shrimp, red snapper, surf clam and the ever present California rolls.  California rolls aren’t my favourite but these were the best of the sushi.  The fish was fresh and cut okay but the taste was disappointing.
There is delivery available and I MIGHT give the takeout menu one more chance but I wouldn’t recommend the cramped quarters for a ‘buffet’ meal.The young woman who was on cash and also waiteressed was pleasant and courteous.  The slap-dash prep of the sushi showed.  Sushi Day would be advised to hire a more experienced sushi chef who has an interest  in delivering a fine product.

One of your first teenage dates might have included a hotdog and fries at Easterbrooks. Today you can take your grandkids and the family dog there for a Stoney Creek Dairy cone and a ‘dog’.

This white clapboard building, formerly a post office has a quirky atmosphere that’s unique. Seating is one one of soda fountain stools, in one of the three wooden planked booths or, weather permitting at one of the picnic tables off the gravel parking lot in the rear or on the outside deck where folks enjoy an icecream cone or sundae served from the serving hatch.

One of the signs of spring in our neighbourhood is the first visit to Easterbrooks to enjoy a hotdog outside. The hotdogs are ‘12"-ers’ with a bun that’s just the right squishy consistency. Have one plain with your favourite fixings or order a Coney Island (saerkraut and mustard) or a Whistle dog with cheese and bacon. There are about a dozen and a half combos, some with unmelted slices of real Cheddar cheese that I personally wish were melted under the broiler – if they have one …

A little known fact is is that Easterbrooks serves a dynamite bowl of chili with lots of ground beef, red kidney beans, tomatoes and onion. It delivers a mild to medium kick on the spice scale. It’s served with toast but the bowl of chili is very filling alone. Try it if you’re lucky enough to be in the neighbourhood.

Easterbrooks has a pinball machine, a Wurlitzer record player and individual 1950’s record players in the booths. While your munch your lunch you can read the thousand plus business cards thumbtacked to the walls. I’ve added my own card to one crowded wall. I’ve even used some of the home services I found advertised on these cards.

Easterbrooks is a real ‘blast from the past’ that serves outstanding munchies. I hope there’s an Easterbrooks in your neighbourhood. Every neighbourhood needs one!

I love pho, the national soup dish of Vietnam.. I’ve been searching for my favourite bowl of this superb soup that is chock-a-block with rice noodles, basil, lemongrass, bean sprouts and almost endless selections of protein, e.g,. beef, pork, solely vegetables, tofu, etc.

My visit to COM TAM LAC TIEN VIEN (NOT CON TAM….as I titled it), was my first and I think I made a poor choice choosing beef and pork pho. I’m Caucasian and not familiar with many of the items that Asians put in their recipes, e.g., gristly meat bits, much fat. This is a cultural perspective as a Westerner. I certainly honour Asian palates.

That said, my medium bowl of pho (enough for two) had lovely rare beef as ordered and lots of tasty rice noodle ribbons but the large piece of pork in it was off-putting. Frankly it looked like a mutant of pork and chicken with rays of tendon and gristle that looked winglike. For me, it was visually unappetizing.

The taste if the broth was delicious. The accompanying Thai basil and sprouts were tired and looked like they’d sat in the kitchen for a a bit.

It was a poor choice. The steamed rice and rice paper roll with shrimp were good, although, again the vegetables in the roll were not crisply fresh.

My guest enjoyed a rice and sparerib plate that he enjoyed mightily. I may try it on my next visit. The menu is extensive and the service, although friendly, is not too helpful as the staff’s English is minimal. and my Vietnamese nil. This is a family restaurant and so far it appears draws, understandably, Asian diners. Perhaps it wants to cater to that sector most.

Com Tam was previously a karoke bar and it still looks like one. It’s very kitschy – a plaster water feature stretches across one wall complete with water-wheel. It’s shabby and rather dusty – does nil for the decor.

The resto is downstairs so lighting isn’t the best although window seats at noon were well-lit by sunshine. The tables are adequate and well set and the high backed chairs are comfy. The dining room hygiene appears excellent..

Two other pho places have opened in the last month or so on York Boulevard and I intend to visit them too and to order some barbeque from the Chinese BBQ shop accross from the Vietnamese supermarket. This is a wonderful area to explore if you’re a fan and/or cook of Asian cuisine. There’s a scrupulously clean and well-stocked Korean-Japanese market just before you reach the restaurant.

So far, Little Vietnam on Mall Road on the Mountain wins hands down as serving the best pho. My succulent research continues…..

This location used to house a Lebanese restaurant that had mediocre food but a great belly dancer on the weekend.  (Really).  Today it’s a fine Vietnamese restaurant.  It’s very clean, comfortable seating with tables well spaced. 

I admittedly have a ‘thing’ about crowded tables.  I like privacy when I eat indoors.  LOVE a crowded outdoor cafe patio – they’re FOR socializing and eating.

My companion and I enjoyed dishes from the lunch specials which included green tea, brittle-crisp spring rolls, a cup of moderately spiced chicken and veg soup,  fried rice and your selection..  Mine was shrimp with onion and peppers.  Six medium sized shrimp.  Shells were on which is good because the shrimps stay juicy.  The green and sweet red peppers were plentiful and fresh and lots of white onion.  My friend enjoyed pork and vegetables prepared in a wok.I also ordered rare beef pho as recommended by another Menuism reviewer.  It was outstanding and just the right comfort food for a cold winter day – delicately fragrant with lemongrass, accompanied by a dish of  standard condiments: holy basil, mint, bird’s eye pepper, crisp bean sprouts, and fresh lime slices.  It could replace your mother’s chicken soup as a cure for what ever ails you!  I’ll return just for a bowl of rare beef pho.  Service is prompt, friendly and helpful. 

The restaurant is allergy-conscious and catered cheerfully to my gluten-free diet.  The printed menu mentions a willingness to accommodate special diets.  I had emailed ahead anyway and was impressed by return emails outlining which dishes were gluten-free.  The whole menu had been researched from item 1 through 146.  It’s a BIG menu.  I was most grateful for the time and effort taken.  Aside from special diet considerations, I would heartily recommend Little Saigon as an outstanding Vietnamese restaurant.  I suspect I’ll become a regular….

Give yourself (and a friend) a treat, and go to My Dog Joe, a great coffee cafe in Westdale.  I’m sure that My Dog Joe has established a group of regular patrons since its opening. 
I love the atmosphere here: most of the equipment is used and all of the furniture is recycled.  The effect is a spontanteous ‘shabby chic’ – it reminds me of early ’70’s natural food stores (before most of them became ‘big box’).  There is ‘soul’ here and genuine interest in recycling,free trade and respect for our environment.  The waitstaff are interested and helpful.  The coffee is Fair Trade coffee and the menu that is chalked on the blackboard, is varied and its ingredients local and/or organic where possible.  Here’s a taste of that menu: coffee, teas (both of all kinds), salads, panini, savoury and sweet muffins, cookies (even a gluten-free macaroon, very considerate addition), soups, lemon cake, brownies, frittata, sandwiches, local beer and wines and more.  At a recent lunch, I enjoyed the vegetarian chili’s combination of beans so much that I was inspired to go home and try to replicate it.  The sweet offerings are generous in size and sing with taste.There is local artwork on the walls and tables are arranged so that there is seating for conversation provided by a sofa and a coffee table.  In one corner of the cafe is a high 2-person bistro table with chairs for either a ‘tete-a-tete’ or a business lunch.  The tables at the back are good for studying or quiet reading. In fine weather a table and chairs are brought out onto the pavement,  Brave souls were seated outside on a visit on a sunny late winter day.
I hope that My Dog Joe is around for a long time.  It’s a refreshing alternative to corporate cups of coffee and lacklustre baked goods and lunch offerings.  Incidentally, the ’Joe’of My Dog Joe is the owners’ German shepherd.  He’s not on premises but there’s a small photo of him tucked into the corner of the glass pastry showcase.  In it naturalness and lack of pretension, My Dog Joe is one ‘classy’ coffeehouse.

Tapestry Bistro is housed in the Staircase Theatre, Hamilton’s first live theatre with an in-house restaurant.  The building is a renovated Hydro sub-station with high ceilings and narrow, high windows through which sunshine streamed on a sunny day. 

I found lunch here chilly the two times I visited.  I was uncomfortable because of the lack of heat in this large, high, concrete walled space.

Food is good here but service, though pleasant, is slow and unprofessional.  The space wasn’t busy but the galley kitchen has only one lunch cook. (There wouldn’t be room for two persons. I trust they have prep cooks).  Dishes seem to be freshly assembled in this small kitchen but the lunches should have be delivered in a more timely fashion.  Not everyone is wants to while away the afternoon over the remnants of their meal.  I don’t know how the dinner menu is handled but, truthfully, I’m reluctant to try it because of the service and the small kitchen.The menu features organic, local produce in season which is a draw. Prices are steep because local and organic items aren’t cheap – both are still ‘niche’ markets and more so since the recently declared recession/depression.

I enjoyed a spicy squash soup and a green salad with cider vinegar dressing at one lunch and a turkey and vegetable soup  and salad on the second.  The first lunch was outstanding especially because of the additions of local goat cheese and candied pecans (unlocal) to the assorted greens mix.  These elements were missing from the green salad at the second meal; the salad was a plain, ho-hum affair with a scanty sprinkling of julienned beet and carrot curls.  The turkey soup broth was not robust and the solids were few.  All menu items are a la carte and it’s easy to run up a fairly hefty bill with just a light lunch.  My friend had a curried turkey burger on naan and dessert and I, daily soup and baby greens salad. No alcohol was ordered and no dessert for me. The bill was $33 for the second lunch and would be higher if coffee and two desserts had been included.

Menus are changed seasonally.  Evening offerings include venison stew, flank steak, tourtiere, trout and several vegetarian items: udon noodles, rice cakes, dal and rice, mac and cheese.  Vegetables are a la carte with mashed potatoes leading the list ($5), fall greens ($6).  Beaver tails with assorted sauces are $8 and cannoli $6. Service, for me, must be more prompt and professional and the a la carte vegetables make me question whether I’m go to take the financial plunge and have dinner here. Check for.hours open. It’s closed for lunch except for Friday and Saturday, Sunday is brunch.  The space is also used as an entertainment venue on specified evenings.  You do need a programme to know Tapestry hours – another aspect that doesn’t thrill me.  I tend to forget to patronize places with irregular hours unless they offer extraordinary food.  Tapestry Bistro’s food is good but far from extraordinary.  I hope that management is able to correct some of the weak areas I’ve identified because I want to like the place. It’s in my neighbourhood within easy walking distance of my home and I’m all for supporting local, funky, unfranchised establishments especially if local, seasonal and organic ingredients are included.

I’ve had two take-out meals from Mark’s.  One dinner I ordered myself and the second I politely ate as a guest at a friend’s home.

I know Mark has a considerable following but I found the food most unappetizing.  The vegetables were chunked in irregular sizes, the sauces were watery and the food generally unappetizing.  Even the rice was poorly cooked and no self-respecting Asian restaurant would serve lumpy, overly firm, cold rice.  I found nothing to recommend Mark’s Chinese Food and Tavern.

This establishment has fried fish at this location for 25 years and prior to this,at Connaught and King East. The building is a piece of East End history and has been a barber shop, hairdresser’s and The Whistlestop cafe – it’s next to the railway tracks. The side of the building has a colourful trompe d’oeuil of the self-same side of the building. and in spring and summer there’s an ‘urban guerilla’ garden blooming alongside the tracks, planted by mystery gardeners.Connaught Fish and Chips is a bit of urban beautification in itself as well as a good ‘old time’ fish and chip place.

The restaurant does a steady take-out trade and has a dining room upstairs. (Connaught is not accessible because of these stairs and those down to the washrooms). The dining area is clean and tidy and decorated with the owners’ wide collection of radios and framed folk-art drawn by his father. This art is for sale and the artist donates proceeds to a Christian ministry.
Photos of previous establishments run at the same location, also hang on the walls and are being added to periodically as more are discovered by the owner. Patrons also donate pics for the collection.

The food: good, hot, traditional fish and chip selections, a good place to eat if you’re on a lunch hour because service is prompt.

If a diner wants a lighter fish plate, an unbattered, non-fried fillet with a generous green salad can be ordered. Fries are separately fried so a person with gluten intolerance could have fries and the unbattered fish as a meal. The menu includes amongst other items,clam strips, shrimps, scallops and salads.

The staff are friendly, efficient and welcome old customers and new warmly. This is a comfortable restaurant with good, simple fare at competitive, reasonable prices.

Go for the food, go for the artwork both inside and outside. Go also in the growing season to see the attractive ‘guerilla’ garden that lines the railway tracks. You’ll enjoy your visit, both inside and outside.

This restaurant is a popular one in Hamilton. The food is tasty, reliable and service, although sometimes ‘backed up’ when busy is usually very efficient.

I always enjoy a pot of green tea that is shareable with your guest. Good starts I have enjoyed are rice wrappers with fresh salad and shrimps – chock full of very fresh crisp mint, bean sprouts and two large succulent shrimp wrapped at either end.

The chicken skewers with peanut sauce are listed under starters but I enjoy them as a light lunch with a refreshing bowl of their ‘super-duper’ Bangkok soup a la carte. This is a hot and sour soup that is filled with unctuous bits of what I think is tofu, leek and chicken. Hard to tell, as these items are very tiny. What the composition, the soup is an outstanding one.

Since lunch is invariably the meal I eat here, I always look at the lunch specials. There are stir fries, curries, crispy chicken and crispy duck items. All are well prepared but I do find the crispy entrees rather greasy for my taste.

I prefer to order from the extensive a la carte menu – more expensive, of course than specials but more adventurous for the taste buds.

The restaurant is usually very busy at lunch – I suggest arriving between 11:30 a.m., opening time, and noon, if feasible.

There are interesting ice creams, e.g., mango and green tea and strong Vietanmese coffee with condensed milk for those who don’t fill up on entrees as I always do.

Lemon Grass is small, clean with a low ceiling that increases noise levels. Not your place for a meal a deux or serious business meeting but an ideal venue for reasonably priced Vietnamese and Thai offerings. There are vegetarian items and some dishes that would fit into a Gluten-Free regimen.

La Luna used to be a few blocks east of its present location and was a popular bar and entertainment spot for local bands and also had a Lebanese restaurant on the opposite side of the room.  I enjoyed eating there during the day and spent time in the evenings enjoying the local musical colour along with other fellow enthusiasts.That was quite a few years ago and now La

Luna has moved westward on the street to the corner of Queen and King Street West.  It still has a bar, music and a much larger dining area.  The dining room is large and comfortable, with carpeting, banquettes and some free-standing tables and chairs.  The restaurant is clean and its decor understated – stuccoed walls and the occasional Middle Eastern/Grecian (dare I say both in the same breath?) sculpture and potted plant. Service is friendly, skilled and reasonably prompt and best of all, the food is delicious.  I almost always go at lunch and I invariably order the lunch platter, a hearty,delicious and most economical selection.  Amongst other items, the platter includes baba ganoujh, humuus, tabbouleh and pita bread plus other items I’ve forgotten.  I really should extend myself beyond this selection but it’s so darn good! 

There is another La Luna on the Mountain which I have tried once.  I didn’t enjoy the food as much there as downtown but that could be my  personal taste buds – other diners love it.  Leslie Pesley, another Menuism reviewer covers it on this site.  Try both locations and see what YOU think….