orphish's Profile
Peterborough and the Kawarthas
The pizza place did re-open briefly as "Nero's Joy" (same owner, new self-service model and lower prices) but it was very short lived -- maybe 2 weeks. It is indeed for lease, so let's hope someone makes a go of it.
Peterborough and the Kawarthas
Walked by Kazabella earlier today and I suspect some sort of re-opening. The sign over the porch was gone for a while, and it's now back, and under the wrapping you can see that it's different colour (bright red) than the old sign. Under the wrapping of the sign on the line you can see matching bright red. So, either Kazabella has picked a new colour scheme for re-opening, or somebody else is taking over. The anticipation is high... The Loon REALLY needs some competition.
Thanks for the tip on Franz's. I haven't been there in ages. I'm finding the prices a bit much (especially on lamb!) at Flannigan's.
Has anyone eaten at Cassis recently? I haven't gone back since a series of disappointing meals last year, but Riverhouse was fully booked tonight.
Peterborough and the Kawarthas
Yup, Karma's is still in business, and still worth a visit.
Peterborough and the Kawarthas
Thanks PoppiYYZ for starting this thread! I too have tried and enjoyed Kazabella -- my only complaint is that the 8:30 closing time means that they're not open late enough to linger and order another bottle of wine.
Looking forward to some good exchanges on the local food scene, including sourcing ingredients and such. One thing I've had trouble finding a consistent supply of is corn tortillas so I'm glad you mentioned the place in the market that sells masa dough, but does anyone know where you can find a tortilla press in Peterborough?
Heading up to Curve Lake (Peterborough Area)
Finally tried Kazabella and posted my thoughts on it : http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/761241
The Loon really, really needs some competition. Last week we had the worst food EVER there, and the service is just soooooo indifferent. I waited tables for a good part of my younger years, and I'm really sympathetic to servers, but they're really trying my patience... Part of the blame needs to go to management for sure (understaffing, undertraining....)
BEST PLACES TO HAVE DINNER IN PETERBOROUGH/ THE KAWARTHAS?
Yes, tried the new pizza place (Kazabella). The good news is that it's a terrific oven, and the crust is superb, cooked to order in just a few minutes. There is a selection of about 8 different topping combinations, all individual size (a 'large' is about the size of a dinner plate, a 'small' about the size of a side plate -- most of us at the table ate at least 3/4 of our large pizzas). They are priced in the 12-15 range. The quality of ingredients is very good (including Fifth Town cheese!) In addition to pizza, there is a soup and a calabrese salad. No other options for mains, so it's really pizza or nothing! There is a small but adequate (and reasonably priced) wine list.
While the food was very good, the service was a bit, well, inexperienced. The waitress was friendly enough, but couldn't really answer our questions (and had a really annoying habit of addressing us as "youse",as in "can I get youse anything else?") The major drawback to this place though is that they close at 8:30!!! I think they're going to have to revisit that if they want to stay afloat -- this could be a real alternative to the Loon if they stayed open a couple of hours later for those who'd like something to eat and then stay for a few drinks. When we went, we got there around 8, and it felt like they were rolling up the rugs around us. Otherwise, we would have been happy to order another bottle of wine or two and linger.
Heading up to Curve Lake (Peterborough Area)
Wow, I'll take those as recommendations for my next trip to the Old Mill. Sorry to hear, though, that you had a bad experience at the Old Bridge -- I've had nothing but good there. However, I notice that it's up for sale, so maybe their hearts aren't in it so much now...
Update on Riverhouse brunch: the last couple of weeks they've had live music on the porch for brunch. A trio of lovely young men playing bluegrass-ish stuff. Very nice, very summer-sunday-ish. Highly recommended if they're doing it again. Worth a phone call to see.
Planning to try the new wood-burning pizza restaurant in Lakefield this weekend (Kazabella) (word of mouth is that the other pizza place, that opened in the old fish and chip shop (Free Topping Pizza) is not so good, but haven't tried it myself).
Suggestions for veg/seafood-friendly lunch and dinner places near Peterborough (or a little east)?
Sorry e.t., 'ptbo' is local short form for Peterborough....
Suggestions for veg/seafood-friendly lunch and dinner places near Peterborough (or a little east)?
As much as I adore Riverhouse, I wouldn't recommend it to a strict vegetarian. You'd at least need to eat fish or seafood. If that's on the menu, then by all means try
the area's best restaurant. And seriously, it's like 15 min from downtown Ptbo.
Cosmic Charlie's is vegetarian friendly, as is the Ritz, and of course the Planet if you're looking for lunch.
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Cosmic Charlie's Cafe
170 Charlotte St, Peterborough, ON K9J2T8, CA
Where to eat between Toronto and Bancroft?
Carolyn: see the recent posts to this Thread. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/780809
There are some good suggestions for Lakefield and Youngs Point which would be about half way on your trip.
Heading up to Curve Lake (Peterborough Area)
Yes, Lakefield/kawarthas continues to improve on the culinary front. If you're driving through on a Thursday between 10 and 1, the farmer's market is a great place to get lunch. Try the Mexican or Balkan offerings, and follow up with a pastry from one of the baking stalls. Yum!
Thumbs up as well to the new Bohemian BBQ/revolution kitchen mentioned by others, and of course to Riverhouse's continuing amazing food. Not such luck for the remake of the restaurant at Mt. Julian near Viamede. Went there last week after much bragging by new Viamede owner about the new chef. Found it to be just ok, which is not sufficient for the toronto-like prices. You'll do FAR better spending your dinner dollar at Riverhouse in Lakefield (which, while pricy, always feels like money well spent) or the Old Bridge Inn in Youngs Point.
A more casual place worth a mention is the Old Mill in Youngs Point, which has a great patio overlooking the water. The food has improved over the last couple of years (the steak sandwich was downright great!) tho the service is not terrific.
We await the opening of the new Kazabella pizza (which reportedly has imported a wood burning oven from Italy) in Lakefield.
Finally -- wish I could recommend the wings at the Loon in Lakefield as heartily as poppiyyz does, but they've been a real disappointment the last few times. Seriously overcooked, as if they were pre-fried and then fried again when ordered. I do love the 40 creek whisky BBQ sauce tho! Service at the loon still leaves much to be desired.
Maybe we do need a kawarthas board....
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Old Bridge Inn and Restaurant
, Youngs Point, ON K0L, CA
Peterborough to Kawarthas: Food Finds?
Any serious foodies heading to the Kawarthas need to check out Riverhouse Co. in Lakefield. It is truly a gem. Carrie, the chef, comes with a stellar pedigree from the big city, and has developed a small but excellent (and frequently changing) menu that makes the most of local foodstuffs. We've eaten there 4-5 times now and have never been disappointed. She makes everything in-house. The waitstaff is excellent and the wine list is also small but good. A recent meal included ravioli with house-made ricotta and wild leek pesto, smoked lamb shanks with a five-spice bbq glaze (amazing!)... previous delights have included venison, roast lemon chicken with truffled gnocchi, scallops in a citrus glaze that made me lick the plate... I could go on and on. Desserts are also fantastic, my fave being the lavender creme brulee.
This is a terrific addition to the local food scene, and has quickly become my favourite restaurant. Really, if you thought Cassis was good, this will blow your socks off, and won't cost you much more. Appetizers are in the 8-10 range, mains 15-28, and worth every penny.
If you're coming by car, it's the red brick house on the left, just before you cross the bridge in Lakefield going north. If you're on a boat, it's a short walk from either the marina or Lock 26 in Lakefield.
Mmmm, I'm getting hungry just writing this, and might have to make a reservation for tomorrow.....
*April 2010 COTM, Bittman: Appetizers, Soups, Salads
Tortilla Soup, pg 148 revised edition
I've now made this several times and it's a fave.
It starts out with roasting the tomatoes and jalapenos under the broiler, then simmering in the stock wtih onions and garlic. (I used a good homemade stock). Chicken, lime, cilantro, and tortillas get added at the end. Delicious. Roasting the tomatoes and chiles adds a really nice dimension (and you can up the chile quotient as desired).
loved Austin! review of recent trip
Oh, we will SOOO be back! I'm happily compiling recs for our next visit. Would be particularly interested in chowhounders' opinions on the best frito pie in Austin..... But seriously, I AM making a list for the next visit, so recommend away!
loved Austin! review of recent trip
My partner and I recently visited Austin, and did good search of this board beforehand for some recs. By far and away, our favourite spot was the Roaring Fork bar downtown. Despite plans to sample happy hours all over town, we ended up there more often than not. While the Big Ass burger was good, so was the fondue pot with lamb chops, the kettle of green chile pork, the crab cake, the guacamole.... And during happy hour (4-7) it was such a deal! The drinks were also good, and the service was excellent (they cheerfully substituted gin for rum in the mojito for me!! hey, don't knock it til you've tried it, it's like a Collins with mint...)
Other places we really enjoyed for various reasons:
On South Congress: Doc's and Joe's (my first frito pie!!!)
Up by the university: Mellow Mushroom pizza (the philosopher's was delicious!)
Lambert's for the music
Stubbs for the gospel brunch (I know, probably not the best in town, but close to our hotel...and the food was actually a lot better than I thought it'd be!)
Whole Foods Market for lunch
The Jackelope on 6th
This definitely won't be our last trip to Austin! We loved the city and thought Austinites were among the friendliest folks we've encounters. Thanks for all the advice I picked up by lurking on the board before our trip!
Edmonton: Whyte Ave or Mill Creek recommendations?
Thanks.... seems much has changed. I'm particularly interested in good Vietnamese, Italian, Portugese, Turkish, maybe Spanish. Most of the recs on the previous thread seem fairly geared to a non-adventurous palate, though there are a few I might try (like Churros)
Any recommendations as a replacement for Le Charles Mansion? I was seriously addicted to the "special curried noodle soup with deep fried garlic mixed up"
Edmonton: Whyte Ave or Mill Creek recommendations?
I'm visiting Edmonton next weekend after moving away almost 20 years ago. I used to live on Whyte Ave, and ate at Le Charles Mansion at least once a week. I also liked an Italian place on 81st or 80th Ave near 103. Alas, both seem to be gone!!! Anyone care to recommend something good in that neighbourhood? Preferably authentically ethnic (ie not Chianti, Yiannis, Julios Bario...) and not outrageously expensive (though I can afford better restaurants than I could as a student back then!)
