Detroit Eatery

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3D's Eats & Treats

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Honest John's Detroit

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Jim's Restaurant

Mon Cheri eyed this little family diner ever since we moved to the neighborhood. We thought it might be a good introduction to the East part of town for us.

APPEARANCE
Situated on a corner of a small plaza, Jim's had a local feel to it. I would have definitely passed it by, if it was not for Cheri's sharp eye. Their narrow horizontal sign really made this place seem like a variety store. "Jim's Restaurant" written in a simple sans serif followed by the tag line "the Best Westerns". With two Coke logos on either side, we knew what we were in for. Some metal chairs lined the front, for those who wanted to observe local folks passing by. In a case of chilly weather, like that day, there was another line of chairs (high chairs, to be exact) right by the window. Overall, not very easily approachable setup, I would say

NOSE
We were faced with an open concept once inside with some seating by the bar and plenty of light from the large front windows. The shades of brown inside make the place cozy and out-dated at the same time. Plenty of laminate everywhere added to the diner feel.
Despite our initial reactions, we were really charmed with our elderly yet swift waitress - Debbie. She asked for tea of coffee straight away. I decided to try their beer, which our waitress couldn't comment on as she confessed she is not a beer drinker. In reality it was a light and plain ale - food friendly and good for the price.

SWIRL
We submerged in the atmosphere as we waited for our order. The demographic was mixed - family with kids, older couples, college students, middle-aged men... There was no music, but plenty of chatter and kitchen sounds. It seemed that the owner was the chef as well. He was not shy to remind the two waitresses when a new customer had entered. There was a large TV in the corner with CP24 on (definitely a powerful distractions). Overall it is a pretty tiny place with tables nice and close - keeping the community bonding.

PALATE
My home-made burger arrived open and loaded with thick slides of pickles (a must), lettuce, tomato, onions, relish - note that I opted in for all the toppings. It was a great burger and with a side of fries, which I luckily upgraded for Greek fries. This means that the potatoes were served with grated cheese and a light vinegar, oil and pepper dressing. Took me back to fries back home at the Balkans, where feta is an essential addition to almost everything.
Cheri had to order their famous Western. He was smart to ask for a side of salad instead of home-fries. We managed to see the pile of them ready in the open cook top - definitely a heavy dish, probably ideal for a hung-over morning. Their house salad had a Greek theme with plenty of feta, olive oil and olives. I was not impressed with the Western though. It was light on veggies and overall salty, heavy and a bit over-done. The portion was generous though.

FINISH
We should note that as our sweet Debbie was writing down our order on carbon copy paper, she did warn us that changing sides meant a change in price. She inquired to check with the owner for us but we decided that it can't be that bad. Also, note that they only accept cash (with an ATM in-house).
Despite all the not-so-perfect details, we really enjoyed this place. Felt very true and warm.

The Senator Restaurant

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Grist Mill Restaurant

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Avenue Open Kitchen

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Woodsby's Countryside Café

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Super Burger

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Belly Buster Submarines

A previous colleague of mine said he loves this place, especially for a late night sub. Cheri and I finally made our way there, going to dance class.

APPEARANCE
light, bright yellow

Up on the hill north of Eglinton, looking for street parking, this corner place has a hard-to-miss sign - large, bold, wavy letters on sunny yellow-orange.

NOSE
peach, lemonIt is a small place with a kitchen counter, diner tables on the side and a large photo collage wall at the back. They sure got their colour theory right - walls a shade of red with yellow countertops - get hungry and get out. Not as bright and happy as the storefront, an older Persian man asked what we'd like.

SWIRL
a bit of honey; light vinegar acidity and sulfates
We had a quick glance at their simple, old-looking menu boards behind and we asked for one Turkey-Bacon Sub and one Bellybuster Specialty Sub. We had a choice of whole wheat or white bread. He then asked if we want everything on it. After we peeked over the tall counter, we asked for olives and pickles as well. He was quick. Asked if we wanted the house sauce and mustard - "oh, yes". He microwaved the bacon. Placed in cheese and the cold cuts. For the Bellybuster he wanted to know if he should warm it up. We agreed and he microwaved it. Both subs were pretty large for a "small".

PALLETE
soft, short, clean
We sat at one of the yellow booths. Subs were cut in half. I first had my turkey-bacon one. It wasn't much out of the ordinary. We both agreed the bread is better than other sub restaurants. There were no paper thin cut veggies in there, like many other places. Overall, I quite liked how their special sauce was nothing mayo-based and heavy. It was light, I thought garlic and vinegar, but it turned out to be simpler than that - olive oil and vinegar. For the Bellybuster Specialty Sub, it made a difference being warm. It was meaty - beef, salami and mushroom. A lot of flavour, but I am not a fan of the way bread gets really soft and a bit mushy after begin microwaved. I would definitely suggest investing in a toaster oven or a panini grill.

FINISH

short, sweet and one of many
We had apple juice on the side, and kind wished they had a LLBO licence for a beer or at least have a BYOB rule. After we were done, we made our way to the back wall. All photos were the same standard size, side by side, no space wasted. Wow, a lot of people seemed to have been here. Not sure if these were significant events but it really looks like a community gathering place. Lot of young people. The photos are slowly overtaking all the other walls.

overall.. a young Chardonnay (from the New World) with a future

Three Coins Open Kitchen

A friend of mine asked me for a good family breakfast place in north GTA and I gladly did the research for her.

APPEARANCE
medium-deep plum, with ruby notes
It is up on the hill of Richmond Hill, in the central area, where it gets cute and cozy. From across the street what looks like a white wall of blinds welcomes you. Both me and cheri agreed that there is a laundry room feel to it. It was the triangular sign up on top that made us realize that is not the case.

NOSE
red berry, plum and cassis (a bit too diverse)
Inside, checkered and yellow walls, blue ceiling - quite a clash of colours for the morning, but relaxing to the eye following that bright white sign outside. In front of us - a long corridor with a bar-like area, facing the open kitchen grill and a girl telling us to sit where we wish. The place was packed and we didn't have much choice but to go towards the larger dining room, on the right side. It was rather busy and folks seemed to be a bit older, we both agreed that it felt like we are in some diner mid US. Posters of Marilyn Monroe and other of her era, including some decent cars, decorated the walls.

SWIRL
subtle oak, chocolate and anise
We got our menus, as were asked for tea and coffee. Skimming though the menu, I inquired about their smoothies. I was told that they are very good and that they are also out of them, as they didn't have milk. We found it silly that they couldn't go out and get a carton. Entertaining ourselves with the menu, Cheri couldn't help by notice their "Cream Chess" which I to inquire about.
(oh, yes, a typo)Looking though their retro-flashy menu, it seems like a leaflet you get in the mail with pizza deals, except it was in the classic, plastic, double-fold pockets. Regardless of the visual overload, it was no doubt easy to navigate though. I had to try their benny which came with home fries, while cheri asked for their Western Omelette.
As we waited, I was surprised that there was no music playing, but soon enough It all clicked in my head. We noticed that each booth had something on their wall, (not the typical plasma tv), but an old-school juke box. That was probably the funnest part of this place.
We saw a couple leave so we quickly snatched their booth, but our seats were not left cold - a dad and his two kids quickly took our spots. The booth had a juke box, unlike our previous table, and was not right by the windows. Flipping though the oldies, we didn't have 25cents on us, so we asked our waitress a few times for a coin.

PALLETE
soft, well-balanced, tanins at the finish
My benny and his omelette arrived. We tasted them to the tune of the Beach Boys (Good Vibrations). We got a few smiles from people around. None else followed our juke box example, unfortunately. My Eggs Benedict was great - the bacon was substituted by lean English bacon, which they called ham. The hollandaise was great texture, not too buttery nor bland. The worst part of my plate were the home fries, they smelled like old grease. Totally not something I was gonna finish.
Cheri's Western Omlette was nothing out of the ordinary - green peppers, ham, onion and egg with a nice side of cucumbers and tomatoes. He though it was perhaps a tad too salty. We took our time finishing our dishes. Half of my benny really filled me up.

FINISH
leaving a pleasant mouthfeel
I have to admit, even though those blinds looked uninviting from the outside, we were more than glad they were there. That sunlight would have made us boil, as it was getting just a bit steamy with them down and the AC on.

Overall.. a decent Merlot (poor label at first glance, but quite worth it)

Sadie's Diner

http://www.myspace.com/sadiesdiner

A vegan diner, rated at one of the top 10 in Toronto seemed like a good cure of my hangover.

APPEARANCE
fresh, bright
This this one colourful, happy corner house. Blight blue siding and red highlights really lifted my mood. Inside, a yellow room with small ornaments everywhere.

NOSE
peach and citrus notes - crisp
The waitress mumbled something, which I interpreted as seat yourself down, but as I kept walking she grew some confidence and asked: "For two?" We sat down near the front, on one of the many cyan tables and red sofa-booths. We were facing a tall, solid, metal kitchen counter - probably the least attractive part of the restaurant.

SWIRL
light toasty oak, sulfites
The waitress was odd, she seemed almost scared to talk to us and occasionally she would just go away without answering or listening. Better off was the time when we'd make eye contact and she would not come over. Soon enough another girl with thick framed glasses and a white wig took over our table. As cheri pointed out, people seemed on the artistic hippie side. The menu was interesting, with a few mexican dishes. We decided to go with their all-day breakfast: Huevos Rancheros and French Toasts with veggie bacon. I also took a Mango Smoothie to add to my three choices of liquids to drink, figured I need the hydration plus it did say a juice bar at the front.


PALATE
light-bodied, clean, tart
My mango smoothy with banana base unfortunately took almost as long as the food to make it to our table. It is was very thick and took some work coming up the straw but quite yummy once it made there. The Huevos Rancheros did not really feel like breakfast - plain eggs over crunchy corn tortillas with lettuce, a bit of cheese and salsa on top. There was also a side of guacamole (probably the best part of this dish). The company of ketchup and hot sauce to the dish was for granted - may be the wake-up part of the breakfast. This dish proved difficult to eat, as the big tortillas were messy to lift up and bite as well as too crunchy to cut with a fork and a knife. This resulted in an urgent consumption.. not my cut of tea. The French Toasts came with this very pink fat-free-looking bacon, which tasted like paper and smelled like perfume (the texture was almost real, though.) The toasts were probably wonder bread, well soaked in egg. To be honest they were on the plain side as well and I would've reasoned its due to the fact that the dish comes with meat, but the icing sugar on top was then out of place and not to mention the stingy maple syrup which came along with the dish. As much as I sound very bitter, my expectations were not high, the interior was entertaining and I was happy to be eating after my
eventful night.

FINISH
under developed, with potential
The initial plan was to get those buckwheat waffles or pancakes in the end but I gave up and cheri didn't feel like deserting by himself. I have to add on my way to the washrooms they have a neat toy collection behind glass and the washrooms themselves are sure odd narrow rooms with a wall by the toilet, but no door.

a young, unique Chardonnay-Semillon lacking in depth

Elgin Street Diner

http://www.elginstreetdiner.com/

Determined to follow our intuition while wandering around Ottawa, we had to find a breakfast place. On our way through the Rideau Mall, we randomly decided to ask the cashier at Starbucks to recommend a place close by (20min walking range) and so….

APPEARANCE
light lemon-peach
We got to Elgin Street Diner. Big windows up front, lots of neon signs - a bit low looking. We entered and the host instantly greeted us. As if a secret, he whispered that if we wait a few min we can get a booth. And so we did.


NOSE
lychee, melon, crisp
This place had a very easy-going vibe, dark-green booths, brick walls (for once left real as is, no hideous paint), big front windows. On the walls photographs on one side and chalkboard illustrations over the kitchen counter on the other. Those illustrations really made it for me - unique and artistic feel.
The host, our waiter as well as people around had a flamboyant feel. We were probably the only male-female couple but we were not given any looks so we were more than happy to start warming our tummies.

SWIRL
mineral and honey notes
The menu was mimicking a cork-board pin-up style. Not well designed - the cork texture made it feel awfully dull but definitely overall crafty, easy-going and fun.

PALATE
lean, some sweetness, fruity
We started with fresh-squeezed Orange and Grapefruit juices, pulp and all. Then followed up with a Breakfast Wrap and a Grilled Vegetable benedict. Both came with home fries and both were home-made greasy and delicious, even with my sick palette on.

FINISH
dry, refreshing
Overall, a sweet place, open 24/7. What else would one want?


overall.. an easy gewurztraminer