Casamici Trattoria

For a number of years now I have been dissuaded by the service by the staff in restaurants in the town of Bolton - be it of mainstream franchise restaurants to the independents. I had almost given up hope until recently when my wife and I visited Casamici (Note - there are a couple places I am willing to try and hope to get to them soon - both established locations but have moved to new locations Baffo's & Caruso's)

Now Casamici's I should tell you my wife and I have been trying to visit this restaurant for about three years and almost gave up hope until recently. I recall one time calling and they were closed for a private function, another time they were just closed a holiday, no answer a third time and I can not recall the reason for the fourth. We had heard from some others they had the same experiences. But I had heard from a neighbor that the food was exceptional.

Driving there we were almost put off by the sign at the side of the road advertising for wait staff and cooks. We looked at each other and wondered what we were getting ourselves into. When we walked in the restaurant was mostly empty except for two tables of a dozen each of people. The young lady who greeted us offered us any table of our liking - I liked that! The restaurant did fill up as evening went by.

Now I did a brief of their menu online before making the reservation just to make sure there would be dishes I would like (okay that almost sounds stupid as most of my friends will say that I will eat just about anything) - I also like to look for my staples, the dishes I absolutely love to order.

So, yes of course I ordered my staples - I started with their Antipasto dish of cold grilled peppers, zuchini, eggplant, sea food salad, prosciutto, and bruschetta. I pretty well inhaled it - fabulous dish. The size is perfect for one but not for two. My wife enjoyed a simple caesar salad. For the entre I went with my Veal Scaloppine in a Marsala sauce. Now usually with most restaurants I have gone to I still have plenty of room for desert. The portion here was fabulous (do not change it!) I still had room for dessert but just a bit.

The Marsala sauce was a bit tarte but enjoyable all the same. This is a sauce I have tried to make myself but have failed myself. A couple wonder pieces of veal, small potatoes, and fresh vegetables.

My wife enjoyed her Gnocchi (I don't understand how she could get excited about that) I thought for sure she would have ordered the special of the night (kind of hoped she would so I could try it), it was swordfish.

We did not order dessert this evening as it does not help at all that my favorite italian bakery is located next door and decided to go there and get a couple canoli's and go home to enjoy them - whoops - they were closed when we left the restaurant. 

Now the waitstaff were very attentative but there were only two of them and a buser, so they unfortunately did not have time to be personable as they all waited on all the tables not just a section. That is also something I like and appreciate, but they did a fabulous job regardless and hopefully they are able to hire more staff so they have a little time to do so.

I will return to this establishment again

http://www.casamici.com

Food - 4 stars
Service - 3 stars

Spirit Tree Cidery

So this may not exactly be technically a restaurant, but then again I can not exactly put it in its own class. Spirit Tree is a mix of things located in the Eastern part of the municipality of Caledon, 5 minutes west of Inglewood and 5 minutes south of Belfountain. Oh, I should point out it is located in the middle of nowhere.

Spirit Tree is an apple orchard to begin with - BUT - the owners have done an awesome job of building a cidery/bakery. The bakery side is a wonderful mix of breads, pies and other wonderful delicious goodies. Plus they offer various other gift from local artists for sale. The baked goods I should point out are done in a stone baked oven that you can see from the counter.

On the other half of the building is their cidery. I am smiling as I am thinking of this. They do a wonderful pub style cider, I can understand why they have won an award for this drink and they have it on tap. But it does not stop there, they also do an Estate Reserve Cider, and an Ice Cider (similar to Ice Wine) and they do a couple others.

Now they also have an eatery as well, where you can try have some delicious eats. Now what I am writing about today is on Friday evenings they do a Pizza Night. The pizza they do on Friday evenings is a thin crust. Now I have never been to Italy but my wife has, and shortly after biting into her first piece she stated that the pizza was the closest she has had since going over there. Now there is not that many places to sit outside on their balcony that looks down the escarpment, but there are picnic benchs on the lawn, there is also a handfull of places to sit inside as well. We tried their pepperoni style pizza - using fresh ingrediants. Also we tried the Spirit Tree pizza - tomatoe, pesto, goat cheese, & chicken.

It is worth the drive to experience this establishment

Food - 4.5
Service - 4

http://www.spirittreecider.com

Roma Italian Restaurant

Today I was offsite at a meeting at a new warehouse my company is in the midst of moving into. At the completion of our meeting the representative of our new landlord invited my GM and I out to lunch. He suggested a restaurant not too far from where we were - Roma's. Italian - Sounded inviting to me.  He had mentioned it was a little buffett restaurant - Italian buffet even better.

When we arrived I was expecting a quasi fast food looking restaurant. Boy was I wrong, this was an extremely nice appearing restaurant. It also appeared somewhat busy and every one in there appeared to be enjoying their food. I was close to asking for a menu just to see if there was other options other than the buffett. Since I was a guest I thought otherwise.

Now there is not a huge selection of dishes but there is an adequate amount to choose from. I started off with their antipasta selection. Cold salads, cold calamari - never had that before, cold that is, breads, no shortage to choose from and fresh - All was enjoyable.  Then I went for the money load. The hot buffet had a nice selection of pastas, meat pasta, vegetable lasagna, veal, fish.

Being a buffett restaurant the servers basically just take drink orders and clear dishes. They are on top of their job and are inviting but it wouldn't be truly fair to report on them, so I will just report on the food.

http://www.romaitalianrestaurant.net

Food - 3.5 stars

Il Corso Ristorante

I figure it is about time I wrote about a local restaurant - okay so it is a 40 minute drive and that local. A restaurant that my brother and his wife introduced us to - Il Corso is located in Orangeville, On. I have been there twice now and have enjoyed dinner both times.

The first time we went my brother noticed his favorite waiter working there that used to work at an Italian restaurant  in Brampton. We unfortunately were not sitting in his section that time but upon our return we were placed in his section. If you get Al (I believe that is his name), I will warn you he is a little brash but he is a no bull-sh$t kind of guy and I like that. He gave us top notch service and looked after our every need. But he also took the time to joke with us and made us enjoy our experience.

down to the food...

For an app we enjoy their Antipasti dish of grilled vegetables, cold meats, fruit, & Bocconcino cheease - called Stuzzinchino della Casa. The main I have enjoyed the veal scallopini in a marsala sauce. Yes I have had the veal dish both times - but I enjoy it.

My brother and his wife go there often and I have not heard anything bad. Both times we have gone, we also have enjoyed our dishes. Also, dinners there are also very reasonable. 

Currently my only qualm is it appears no one has updated the menu on their website in a while. But it gives you an idea.

Food 4 stars
Server 4 stars

http://www.ilcorsoristorante.ca/

Grover's Bar & Grill

On our recent road trip, we decided to have lunch just across the boarder on our way to Waterloo. Little did my wife know I had already decided to hit a restaurant featured on Diners, Drive-ins & Dives. The place is located a short drive away from the I-90 and about a 35 minute drive from the Queenston/Lewiston Bridge.

Grover's is a small restaurant and chances are when you arrive the place will be full. Have no fear the tables turn pretty quick. If by chance when you arrive it is full there is a chalk board that you put your name on. We lucked when we arrived, our name was first on the chalk board and we were called within 10 minutes.

This place is well known for its burgers - so guess what I had? Now these burgers are 12 ounces - for the Canadian that is 3/4 of a pound. Yes, that is one hell of a big burger.  I also teamed it up with their onion rings. Now I am not a big guy - nor am I a small one at that, but I did put one heck of a good dent into that burger. My wife was able to eat just over half. Personal suggestion is to share the side with someone.

Now this place is just as great as Guy Fieri suggests, so this write up is pretty unnecessary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHmwDMKpeq0

Food 4.5
Service 4

Penny's Place

Yes, I am still working with Waterloo, NY but this will be my last post from that town as this was the only other restaurant we visited in that town. It is located back in from the road in a plaza – you have to make sure you look for it or you may drive by. It is in the same plaza as a TSC (Tractor Supply Company) but all the cars that morning I believe were for Penny’s.

This place is your typical small town, greasy spoon, personable diner. Big portions of yumminess. The staff there pretty well treat you like you are their old friends and are nice and at tentative.

My wife and I hit this place for breakfast I did a quick look see on the internet before we went there after the mistake I had made the night before. Someone said the place was great for breakfast – well that sold me. I LOVE my breakfast’s – if you want to get on my bad side quick serve me a crappy breakfast.

All I can say was the portions were big and filling which was something we were looking for that day. I had a typical eggs, toast, hash brown, and corn beef hash (holy big serving on the corn beef hash). The corn beef hash was great – was it home made? I don’t know – it appeared that way. My wife – she inhaled her breakfast but if memory serves me correctly – French toast- she shared my hash browns.

Our server was also great – on the move all the time looking after her tables without missing a beat. Sorry I did not get her name but she was about 4 foot nothing (okay maybe 5’) short hair and kind of talked with a lisp.

Food – 4 stars

Server – 4.5 stars

Abigail's Restaurant

On my recent visit to Waterloo, NY with my wife, brother & his family, my wife and I were tasked to find a restaurant for dinner on the night of our arrival. We drove around and noticed this restaurant around the corner from our hotel. The parking lot was packed, and with the old idea of ‘if the parking lot is packed it must be good’ – how wrong we were!

First off, by the time we got there it appeared the dinner rush had moved on, the parking lot was still pretty full but I assume every one in there drove their own car there – staff included. We still had to wait quite a while before anyone acknowledged us being there – warning #1. It appeared we were all on the verge of leaving until the bartender asked if anyone had looked after us. He wandered off and spoke to the hostess who pointed at table “they can have that one” – yet still full of dishes from someone else’s dinner – this should have been warning #2.

Now walking into the restaurant I saw a poster advertising that what I thought was them being famous for their chicken wings that peaked my attention but to my dismay when I opened the menu there was no mention of them. So the best I could assume was they don’t serve wings. I love wings! Too bad.

Not a lot of items peaked my attention in the menu and pretty much anyone sitting nearby was finished their dinner so I could not get ideas that way. I decided to go with a veal dish made with a white wine sauce and lemon with mushrooms. It sounded remotely interesting, and my brother ordered the same dish. You find that when my brother and I go out together we have similar tastes – as our wives laugh at.

When the plate was dropped in front of us all I could see was a sea of white liquid and a pile of mushrooms. Somewhere underneath was the veal drowning in the sauce. Both my brother and I agreed that the lemon was overpowering the sauce. Both of our wives had a pasta dish, my wife ate half, my sister-in-law was put off by the amount of oil at the bottom.

The only saving grace about this restaurant was our waitress was really nice and tried to pay attention to detail.

Only after we got back to our hotel did I start to look up other places to eat in the area did I notice a write-up on tripadvisor.com about this restaurant – oops! I would have avoided it.

This is not some place I will return to in the near or possible distant future

http://www.abigailsrestaurant.com/ 

Food 1.5

Waitress – 3.5

Hostess - 1

Magee Country Diner Inc

So, recently I went down to Waterloo, NY which is approximately 30-40 minutes east of Rochester just off the I-90. I was there with my wife and my brother and his family to catch a Lacrosse game that my Nephew was playing in against a local college – Hobart.

My wife and I had scouted the night before a different diner which we visited – a write up to come about that place. But you know the old saying of restaurants – you generally look for the one with the most vehicles around it and you will be safe going there.

The Magee Country Diner is exactly that, it is a country diner, having lovely mature ladies (notice I did not say old) for waitresses. The décor is countryish  - with pine benches, and booths, with your typical country fare surrounding the walls.

Now, my wife’s favorite question she asks servers if she has never been to a restaurant before is “what is your favorite dish?”  Except this time she got the reply “well I am a vegetarian”. This would not be a problem except we are not vegetarians. But she was able to rime off a number of dishes that are popular with the locals.

Myself, I ordered their roast turkey dinner. A large mound appeared before me of white breast turkey, mashed potatoes stuffing, all topped with gravy, and carrots. Everything home made. My wife and sister-in-law had the hot turkey sandwich – turkey on bread & gravy, potatoe or fries on the side. My brother had the meatloaf. My Nephew had an interesting dish called pork wings – these are essentially breaded pork ribs that cut into the size of chicken wings, they are then deep fried and served with a wing sauce of choice. I entrust they were good as he inhaled them pretty fast.

First bite into the turkey and gravy I was hooked – this place is definitely on my list to return to. It is also conveniently 10 minutes away from the Waterloo outlet mall and just off the I-90 highway.

mageediner.com

Star Rating out of 5

Food – 4

Service – 4

Cleanliness – 4