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Windsor Ontario News / RestaurantsCentro, Via Italia, Windsor
WindsorOntarioNews.com July 22 2010
Centro Restaurant Caffe Bar (770 Erie St. E., 519-253-1110) is a great concept. It combines the informality of an Erie Street (Via Italia) coffee house with the menu of a restaurant. It has a breezy contemporary feel. The decor is great. And the fact this is a hybrid venue with a separate pizzeria in the back makes the resto an interesting space. Best of all it’s run by the people who operate Mezzo Ristorante just down the street. Only problem was, it didn’t live up to expectations. For starters, the service was slow. One order was Primavera - seasonal vegetables, extra virgin olive oil, white wine and fresh basil tomato sauce ($10). It took more than 20 minutes to arrive, which is rather unacceptable for a small venue with only a couple of tables full. The dish itself was nothing especially to write home about. Maybe we’re biased but penne pasta makes us think of banquet hall fare, not pasta with upscale pretensions. The vegetables were vegetables. But there was no zing to the dish, nothing that gave it extroardinary flavour. We could have made this at home. The other order was a chocolate pastry. It looked decadently yummy. But it turned out to be slightly stale, as if it had been kept in the glass case too long. Centro’s menu looks terrific and there’s a lot of variety – from 12 types of antipasto to five imaginative sides including Risotto - arborio rice prepared with porcini, portabello and cremini mushrooms in white truffle oil - to panini sandwiches like the Erie Street Special – vitello, salsice or pollo served with spiced eggplants, peppers, tomato, lettuce and provolone cheese with balsamic aioli. Hopefully these dishes are great and ours exceptions to the rule. Because Centro, which means “centre of it all,” should have the food quality to match the overall concept. Viewpointe Estate Winery, Harrow
WindsorOntarioNews.com July 11, 2010
It doesn’t happen often. Sometimes you’re out by only one or two items. The food might be great but it took too long to arrive. Or the meal was good but you got shoved into a tight corner with a wobbly table and a yelling child next door. But every once in awhile you hit upon perfection. And that was the case with a visit to Viewpointe Estate Winery (151 County Rd 50 E., 519-738-0690; www.viewpointewinery.com). Nobody is criticizing Essex County’s other good wineries. But what is lacking at virtually all is some form of dining experience. That’s a major difference from so many Niagara-on-the-Lake wineries, which have a culinary dimension. Viewpointe not only offers dining but it does so in a spectacular setting. Sit out on the patio in the afternoon or early evening (dining is open until 8 pm) on a brilliantly sunny day and you might achieve that right combination of great wine, terrific food and, yes, atmosphere - that being the glittering vastness of Lake Erie. Viewpointe offers what has got to be one of the best, if not the best, outdoor dining experiences in the county, and a steal at the prices. Our appetizer was Marinated Goat Cheese with Roasted Red Peppers, Artichoke & Sundried Tomato: $6.50. The main dish was Grilled Salmon on Greens in a Meleg Apple BBQ glaze topped with frizzled sweet potato on mixed greens: $12. Viewpointe is known for its culinary seminars and special food events. The dishes we had proved the kitchen’s mettle. The main dish’s fresh apple wedges were crisp and offset the sweet but not syrupy salmon. You savour each bite, taking your time to consume the wonderfully-flavoured fillet. The frizzled sweet potato gives you the potato taste without the salt. The wine was 2006 Ideal Pointe Barrel Fermented Chardonnay, VQA: mid-to-heavy, oak, buttery with tropical fruit and vanilla flavours ($8) - amazingly good. Crepe Temptations, Cottam
WindsorOntarioNews.com June 29 2010
Crepe Temptations (126 Talbot Rd. W., 519-839-6363) is one of those amazing finds in the county that also has a matter-of-fact quality about it, like “we’re here and you’re welcome to come in - if you want.” Daniel and Kim Choquette run this small resto, bakery and organic dairy including ice cream, but specializing in - bien sur! - a huge variety of that great French stuffed pancake, the crepe. Daniel and Kim divide their menu into “sweet” and “savoury” crepes. You might also divide these under the adjectives “yummy” and “scrumptious.” Under the Sweet label come crepes like the French Canadienne with peanut butter, banana and chopped nuts, and the Deluxe with peaches, cottage cheese, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries. Under Savoury come ones like Chicken Crepe-sadilla with egg, cheese, chicken, salsa and sour cream, or the Asperge with asparagus and cream sauce. See what we mean? The unassuming and delightful couple support local growers, serve organic fruits and vegetables when available, offer vegetarian and seafood dishes, allow BYOB wine (with corking fee) and sell homemade jams. And they still find space to have an Internet cafe. All in the heart of Cottam, the tiny community with a growing reputation for restaurants and small grocers serving tasty and fresh food. Mona's Place, LaSalle
WindsorOntarioNews.com June 20 2010
We had always heard glowing reviews of this down home LaSalle breakfast place as in “fantastic” and “the best place in the county.” Not typically ones for going out for bacon and eggs we had time on our hands on a weekend morning and, well, it’s always nice to mix things up. The location is great - down at the end of a residential dock behind the LaSalle Arena and across from the greenery of Fighting Island. We went in. We were shocked at how cramped the place is. Every booth of this popular diner was full. There must be more booths. Nope. We were told there is a room in the back. To get there you have to walk through a short hallway of someone’s house with lots of shoes in the aisle, sort of like when you come into the door of someone’s house party. This back room offered a little more breathing space but not much. It felt like being in a trailer. You place your order as you come in - in lightning speed. You get the feeling that if you change your mind you’ll get a scowl from the order taker. A man at the next table joked, “It depends on what mood they’re in.” The breakfast was decent enough for this type of fair and they do offer a bread alternative like raisin toast, and give you a slice of melon. But if you’re heart-healthy the food is cooked on a griddle and greasy. There was a bit of egg shell in one of our orders. Restrooms? You have to go outside to a separate building. Since we’re not crazy about attitude, or claustrophobia, we quickly ate up and left. Sam's Pizzeria & Cantina, west side, Windsor
WindsorOntarioNews.com June 7 2010
Sam’s Pizzeria & Cantina (2215 Wyandotte Street West, 519-256-7267; www.samspizzeriaandcantina.com) is a west side fixture. The problem is we don’t get to it often enough. We think of it as a snack place, somewhere to go for dessert and kick ass cappuccino before or after a play at the university. But it’s more, with pizzas and mammoth panzerottis to die for. The location, almost at Randolph Ave., is in the University of Windsor student ghetto but its clientele is wide-ranging. Sam’s has the trappings of a cafe but seats 50. In the late 1990s the restaurant was fully renovated, creating a hipper look with contemporary furniture, exposed brick walls and a street wall of floor-to-ceiling glass patio doors. This once hole-in-the-wall institution has been at the same spot since 1946. The rear raised seating area is where the kitchen used to be. The owner is Ralph Mattano. His wife, Lisa’s, old family pictures, adorn the menu. Family plays a big part at Sam’s. Dishes are named after family members including Ralph’s mother-in-law Zia Maria. “He loves her to death!” exclaims waiter Ferras Alias, who also says he, Ferras, makes “the best” latte in town. The restaurant also serves focaccias, pizzas (including thin crust), soups and salads. Sam’s is a Windsor tradition in contemporary trappings. That’s a great combination. El-Mayor, near east side, Windsor
WindsorOntarioNews.com May 9 2010
The emphasis is on family at El-Mayor Restaurant, 936 Wyandotte St. E. (519-258-7645, www.el-mayor.com). This was perhaps Windsor’s first major Middle Eastern restaurant, opening in 1997 on what was then a business street just starting to become the bustling ethnic thoroughfare it now is. Although Lebanese themselves, owners Kamal and Mariam Abbas moved to Windsor from the United Arab Emirates prior to the first Gulf war in 1990. In the U.A.E. they operated a restaurant El-Fawar for 17 years, and prior to that had a restaurant in Lebanon. The family thought they would stay in Canada temporarily but got so accustomed to Windsor they decided to settle. They liked the city with its smaller scale, little congestion, and homey family atmosphere. But “the only thing missing,” says daughter Lina, was a good Lebanese eatery. Lina, on maternity leave, still comes into the restaurant from time to time to help out. It’s that kind of place, with immediate and related family members making up a large portion of the staff over the two-shift operation (which includes catering). In 2007 El-Mayor expanded next door, bringing total seats to 250 with a 150 seat banquet room. On the night we were there, there was a well-dressed crowd for a 50th wedding anniversary. Newer restaurants have opened in the city of late but Lina says El-Mayor (which means, yes, The Mayor, such as, mayor of a Lebanese village) sticks to the tried and true freshly-prepared Lebanese cuisine with no gimmicks. And that keeps packing the crowd in, with a good mixture of clientele from the area’s Middle Eastern community and the general public. The restaurant is not licensed but fruit juices are served.
Escape Cafe, near west side, Windsor
For years it was always depressing driving down Riverside Dr. W. and passing the empty former Chris & Draga’s bar. What was wrong with the place that it had been closed so long? The two storey brick building was modern and attractive. And it had a fantastic view of the Detroit skyline. But somehow, in Windsor, views that people in other cities would kill for, seem not to be good business investments. Remember all the vacant stores in the now-lamented historic Norwich Block, torn down to make way for the Chrysler tower at Riverside and Ouellette? Four years ago Namir Chahine came to the rescue. He saw potential in the building as a Lebanese restaurant and nightclub. Escape Cafe on the River (1521 Riverside Dr. W., 519-973-8338; www.escapecafe.ca) has been flourishing ever since. The first floor is a two-level restaurant and cafe and can host private banquets. The smaller second floor is a lounge for private parties and business meetings. Chahine also wanted Escape to be a sort of club for the Lebanese community. The menu obviously offers a variety of fresh, well-prepared Middle Eastern food. But it also has mainstream dishes like Salisbury Steak, Prime Rib Angus, Salmon Fillet and Fish ‘n’ Chips. Late evenings the first floor converts to a bar with, at times, Latin nights or belly dancing performances. A main feature of the club is the Hukkah or Argileh tall water pipes. The tobacco-free fruit molasses come in many flavours. Give the pipe a try and you'll be one with the Lebanese community!
WindsorOntarioNews.com April 18 2010 Caldwell's Grant, Amherstburg
Amherstburg’s Caldwell’s Grant (269 Dalhousie St., 519-736-2100; www.caldwellsgrant.com) is the town’s only high-end restaurant. That’s a good and bad thing. Good in that there is at least one place in this town with a lot of historical and geographical cachet that offers meals and ambience in a fitting setting, not least to help attract tourists that Amherstburg so desperately wants. Bad, for the very same reason. One would think that, by now, ‘the burg would have developed more of a sophisticated culinary scene. No matter. On a quiet Easter weekend we ordered a couple of that night’s specials. The specials, we understand, can be prepared to chef and co-owner Laura Clarke-Giberson’s (originally from Ottawa, formerly worked at Windsor’s Fish Market and Ottawa St.’s Tony Macaroni’s) daily whims. The dish, combining a little mountain of shrimp, shitake, button and oyster mushrooms, along with layers of truffle & ricotta ravioli, with baby spinach in a sauce consisting of white wine, butter, cream, lemon, and garlic, was absolutely delicious – the perfect satisfying upscale fill-me-up. Another dish, the Blackened Whitefish from Leamington (we ordered it pan fried in batter) came as a generous portion if a little bland. Caldwell’s likes to serve local foods and wines. Clarke-Giberson offers cooking classes. The resto waives corkage fees Tuesdays thru Thursdays and has a piano bar Fridays. That’s good to remember, as well as the outdoor and intimate Caldwell’s Courtyard during the upcoming warm season.
WindsorOntarioNews.com April 5, 2010 Basil Court, downtown Windsor
The Basil Court (327 Ouellette Ave., 519-252-5609) smack dab on Ouellette Ave.’s main block (between Park and University, natch) has been around for – how many years? Ok, it’s an institution. It might not be the prettiest setting in the world with its downstairs basement location but it’s functional (smacking a little of 1970s decor including the fish tank), clean and the service is good. It also, not incidentally, serves up fairly decent Thai food. It’s probably the city’s best known Thai eatery. When we visited at 8.30 on a Thursday night there were about five tables full with at least four diners each. Not bad for a weekday mid-evening. Basil Court has long carved out its own clientele, often a heavy mix of young people and students. Besides food quality another reason for its popularity might be prices, with dishes well within the $10-$25 on-a-budget margin. One thing we liked was no MSG in the food. Dishes also look fresh and were served piping hot. The vegetarian Pad Thai (come on, is Pad Thai not the best dish of all time?) was authentic and - yum - addictive. As a connoisseur of Thai cuisine Basil Court does itself proud by being one of the few restaurants where the flavour is more than just peanut oil. Nothing beats their sauce! Fortified with jasmine tea we walked out into the balmy (for March) downtown Windsor night.
WindsorOntarioNews.com March 21 2010 Piccolo's, west side Windsor
Piccolo’s (2135 Tecumseh Rd. W., 519-971-0900) has been one of those restaurants that always intrigued yet we had never visited. It looks like a big informal Italian restaurant, leaning more to the pizza side of the menu, not dissimilar to many other local well-established informal Italian eateries. The surprise is that it’s really not like that. The restaurant, for sure, does have pizza, even of the deep dish variety. And, as you walk in, there’s a small take-out kiosk on the right. But enter the main restaurant and the surroundings are dark and intimate, almost grotto-like. There’s lots of exposed brick but also a chalet-type ceiling. Wall poster prints are timelessly Italian, like an advertisement for the aperitif Campari. Intimate booths line one side. The menu is extensive with 15 home baked pasta dishes, six seafood pastas and more than 10 Italian meat entrees. Noticeable was the vast selection of gourmet sauces to choose with your pasta. These range from Creamy Florentine (chopped spinach sautéed in garlic with cream cheese and parmesan) to the spicy Arrabbiate (made with a combination of peppers, plum tomato sauce and parmesan). For entrees we ordered Pollo Primavera Baked Manicotti ($18.95) and Pasta Marinara ($19.95). The dinners come with soup of the day or salad. The Manicotti was chocked-full of chicken strips and garden vegetables, cheese-stuffed shells topped with melted mozzarella. Served in a bowl piping hot from the oven it was huge. The Marinara had scallops, crab and shrimp, also sizable on a plate. Cindy and George Piccolo have run the place 20 years. Cindy is the one and only cook. “She’s very particular,” the delightful and knowledgeable waitress, Shelley Ann, said. The restaurant is a little oasis on the Tecumseh Rd. West strip.
WindsorOntarioNews.com Feb 24, 2010 Taloola Cafe, Olde Walkerville
Taloola Cafe (396 Devonshire Rd., 519-254-6652; www.taloolacafe.com) is almost a throwback in time – to the late Sixties, that is. The exposed brick walls, bric-a-brac fixtures, ornaments and decorations, eclectic furniture (from all periods - the 1950s to High Victorian) to the lamp shade at the order desk with the psychedelic writing, all seem to proclaim: “We are Counter Culture!” There are references to organic and fair trade teas and coffees; one wouldn’t expect anything less. This four-year-old eatery at the corner of Devonshire and Assumption adds to Olde Walkerville’s gastronomic charm. For brunch - and on this occasion being meat-averse (it’s not political!) - we ordered Antiopasto Party Panini sandwiches on multigrain bread ($5.95) along with Couscous Delight salad ($5.95). The panini was smaller than expected but turned out to be perfect for filling one up. Ingredients included homemade roasted eggplant puree, marinated artichokes, red pepper spread, basil pesto and asiago cheese. It comes with a few cut up raw veggies topped by tantalizing House Spread made with maple syrup and apple cider vinegar among other ingredients. The salad’s vanilla-date dressing was also dreamy. The couscous salad seemed a little dry but, after all, it is couscous (whadda we know?). Other offerings: a giant selection of teas including a High Tea Ritual Tuesdays-Saturdays 4 - 6 pm. The Veggie Loola is apparently very popular (again $5.95). There’s a variety of grilled cheese sandwiches. And don't forget the smoothies. Taloola seems perfect for light meals or desserts. Not to mention that you can sit back and feel your funky vibe.
WindsorOntarioNews.com Feb 15 2010 Mettawas Station, Kingsville
And you thought this page had a bias towards Windsor-area restaurants. No siree, we’ve been meaning to get out into the county (we really have!) and finally made the journey along Hwy 3 to Division St. and down to Kingsville’s Mettawas Station (169 Landsdowne Ave., 519-733-2459; www.mettawasstation.com). The restaurant is owned by Anthony and Janet DelBrocco who opened it Oct. 2008 in the historic Kingsville train station. The station was built in 1889 by Detroit’s famed architect Albert Kahn and is distinctive for its stone walls and slate roof. Chef Anthony is a home town boy and lives only a block away. He started at the former Guido’s pizzeria on Main St., was chef at the Roma Club, and sous chef at the Kingsville Golf & Country Club. The restaurant plays on an early-20th century theme with menu references to the Roaring 20s and Prohibition. But no prohibition here. The restaurant is supplied by local wineries like Pelee Island, Aleksander Estate and Mastronardi Estate. The food is Mediterranean (read: largely Italian). In the Arrivals or appetizers section what caught our attention was the Sicilian Arancini, which is risotto balls served with “Chef Anthony’s” special tomato and meat sauce. The Coaches or pizza and salad section had some interesting takes on pizza, such as a grilled vegetable pie, or baby shrimp and sliced mushrooms pie. For All Aboard (pasta) we ordered Spaghetti & Meat Balls (being in a hungry mood for protein) and Linguini Pescatore with jumbo shrimp, scallops, clams and mussels in a light tomato basil sauce. The Pescatore was chocked full of seafood, unusual in this kind of dish where restaurants tend to save money by loading-up on pasta. The Spaghetti seemed lovingly prepared, the meat excellent, and the sauce smooth and sweet with a slight tangy finish. The accompanying garden salad could have been a little more imaginative, however. Mettawas was worth the drive to Kingsville, and we’ll try to get out to the county more often.
WindsorOntarioNews.com Feb 9, 2010 The Mill, Olde Sandwich Towne
It’s not that we’re on a pub crawl (see Pour House review below). But it was a private party for somebody who turned the Big 5-0 that brought us to this Olde Sandwich Towne drinking institution The Mill (3199 Sandwich St., 519-253-2509; www.themillonsandwich.com). This corner pub has had at least three incarnations over the past couple of decades – as The Sandwich Mill, The Abbey and now, simply, The Mill. Owner Bill Sarafianos lost his job at Tri-Way Manufacturing as a machine builder a few years ago due to the economic downturn. He and wife Aggie (some might remember her when she worked for the downtown BIA) operate this homey west end bar. The pub has a neighbourhood feel, complete with framed pictures of regular clientele on the exposed brick wall. Up above and behind the bar is a big red Support Our Troops flag. Bill and Aggie were present at the party and blended right in with the crowd. During a set by guitar duo Client 9 Bill played the tambourine and lent his voice to the vocals on a couple of songs. Why the pub’s name? Many people don’t seem to know, but there’s a genuine historical windmill a block down the street towards the river. Take a walk along, yes, Mill St., to check it out. Meanwhile, back in the bar, the menu wasn’t huge but from where we sat, the food fresh, tasty and served with a smile. The pub is big on pita bread. One dish, Ianthe’s Platter ($10.95), has pita with spinach, red roasted pepper and Skordalia (Greek puree) dips. Then there’s Aggie’s Greek Salad ($8.25). Are you getting the sense the place is Greek-influenced? There are of course the staples of burgers, clubhouses and, intriguingly, the Chicken Caesar Wrap. On tap the Hop City Barking Squirrel Lager, an amber beer slightly sweet in flavour, was smooth and refreshing.
WindsorOntarioNews.com Jan 24, 2010 The Pour House Pub, downtown Windsor
Time to check out one of downtown’s (relatively) new English-style pubs. So to The Pour House Pub we went, about as central a location as can be found (40 Chatham St. W., 519-253-0742; www.pourhousewindsor.com). This used to be Kurt Deeg’s Ye Olde Steak House, a downtown institution, converted in 2008 by three partners who used to be affiliated with the City Beer Market. They wanted a bar combining traditional pub atmosphere with a sports bar and some good basic bar food. The menu looks better than that, with some twists on run-of-the-mill dishes. These include the Classic Asian Spring Rolls, Lemon Pepper Chicken, Ye Olde French Onion served with baguette, Thai Chicken and Tropical Salads (sliced avocado, mandarin oranges, sansa apple with candied walnuts and fresh mixed greens tossed with a mango ginger vinaigrette). But we were interested in old fashioned pub food. So we ordered the Pour House Burger ($7.95) with a vegetable medley (hey, we’re still health conscious!) and a side of sweet potato fries. The other order was Fish and Chips ($12.95). Service unfortunately was quite slow. A waitress apologized because there was a large group to serve. But that didn’t excuse the food arriving 45 minutes after being ordered. And there seemed to be an absence of wait staff, especially when the pub started to get crowded about 10 o’clock. Meanwhile the burger and fish were adequate and the veggies tasty and not overcooked. The sweet potato fries were extremely good. As were the larger cut Yukon Gold house cut fries. Whereas sweet potatoes have their natural sweetness you could actually taste the sweetness of the Gold. Neither was overly crisp, greasy nor salty which made them go down very well indeed. But despite its name the pub lacked a greater variety and more adventuresome selection of beer, especially on tap.
WindsorOntarioNews.com Jan 17, 2010 India Palace, central Windsor
Who can resist Indian food on a cold windy day? Who can resist Indian food any time of year? But India Palace (1167 Ottawa St., 519-256-4104) on a January night was one of the best places to be to warm the tummy with the elixir of north Indian food – the combination of spicy heartiness offset with cleansing sides like cucumber yogurt. Gagan Grewal has owned the restaurant across from Lanspeary Park two-and-a-half years. It’s a family business with mom and dad helping out. The restaurant had to eliminate catering to the U.S., a victim of ongoing and ridiculous border regulations. Gagan says U.S. Customs insisted on going through all the food carried over. “They wanted to open up everything,” he said. Sometimes he’d be delayed two or three hours. So much for nurturing cross-border trade, eh? But Canadians can still luxuriate in the dishes through the catering service. Meanwhile, inside the restaurant, our group had Pakora ($4.99), fritters with a variety of fresh vegetables fried in chick pea batter, Cucumber Raita ($2.99) to cleanse the palate, Punjabi Aloo ($6.99), potatoes cooked with onion, herbs and special spices, and the Chicken Special ($9.99), the house special boneless chicken cooked with homemade cheese cubes, onions, tomatoes and spices. Rice was a side. The fritters were served with two sauces – coriander and lemon – which were yummy indeed. The bread was garlic cheese naan, a nice take on the traditional Indian white bread with garlic and cheese striking the right balance. The potatoes were zesty without being too spicy. The other dishes nicely rounded-out the meal. Dessert was The Gulab jaman, spongy cheese balls with syrup. “This dessert alone would keep me coming back, it tastes so yummy,” a friend said. New on the menu this month will be fresh fruit juice, smoothies, and ice cream. “When the kids come they like to have ice cream,” Gagan said.
WindsorOntarioNews.com Jan 12, 2010 Niko Sushi Bar & Grill, Tecumseh
Niko Sushi Bar & Grill (10 Amy Croft Dr. Tecumseh, 519-979-8996, www.nikosushi.ca) has been open about two years, an outgrowth of the original Niko Sushi kiosk in Devonshire Mall, which continues with its smaller menu. The Tecumseh outlet gave owner Sou Taing room to provide both fresh and deep-fried menus as well as attract a sit down crowd to linger and savour the cuisine. It seems like sushi is a young person’s menu in the Windsor area. Most on a busy Saturday night in this 40-plus-seat restaurant were under 30 years of age. Maybe it’s hip food for a whole new generation. Whatever, Niko is distinguished for its freshness, whether it be salads, sushi or sashimi, or rolls. Taing orders all her food from Toronto. “I pay so much,” she says. “I want it to be good product.” We started with Seaweed Salad (5.99). For the uninitiated don’t let this scare you. This exquisitely-tasting dish has marinated seaweed on top of crisp greens, carrots and red cabbage with spicy vinaigrette. Next was tempura Soft Shell Crab (9.99) in its original crab shape served with teriyaki sauce. “It’s deep-fried but it doesn’t taste greasy,” a dinner companion said. All the fish and rolls were packed with just enough stickiness to keep the food intact when dipped in sauce. Oh yes, the sauce. The Niko Sauce is mayonnaise-based. We tried to find the other ingredients but were told they’re a secret. Just another one of those dishes you eat and then think you’ve died and gone to heaven. But then again Niko means happy.
Pho Saigon, central Windsor
A little piece of Vietnamese heaven rests along busy Howard Ave. just north of the E.C. Row Expressway. And while we’d never cheer the layoff of anyone from a job, Windsor has been blessed with an extremely good Vietnamese home-style restaurant all because of the layoff of former tool and die maker Dinh Nguyen. Nguyen had to move quickly to come up with another income and turned to his culture’s fresh and sweetly spiced cuisine to create a restaurant in an otherwise nondescript part of the Howard strip. Pho Saigon Vietnamese Noodle House Ltd. (2763 Howard Ave., 519-250-0038) has been open since Fall. Nguyen, whose background is not in food, relied on family members whose background is – and amassed numerous homemade recipes to create this well-balanced menu of Pho and Hu Tieu (rice noodle soups), Mi (egg noodle soups), Bun (vermicelli noodles) and Com (rice dishes). He’s the brains behind the business and others prepare the food. Typically, Vietnamese dishes are filling without being leaden, having fresh thinly-cut raw vegetables and grilled or barbecued meat, laid on a base of noodles or rice, with a sweet clear sauce. An example is a Bun Vermicelli, a large bowl containing miniature spring rolls, charcoal grilled pork, spiced pork rolls, minced shrimp (on sugar cane, optional to eat), a bargain for $9.99. There is also the Hu Tieu soup ($8.59) with crab meat, shrimp and thick almost transparent noodles with flavours of lemon grass, green onion, chives in a spicy broth. Try the restaurant’s unique milkshakes, such as Jack Fruit, Lychee or Green Bean. They, like the Avocado shake, may sound intimidating but are refreshingly sweet and not too filling.
Mazaar Lebanese Restaurant, downtown Windsor
When Mazaar Lebanese Restaurant (372 Ouellette, 519-967-9696, www.mazaar.ca) opened in 2007 the four brothers who started the restaurant wanted a decidedly upscale environment for Middle Eastern food as opposed to ones more informal or “cafeteria-like.” They also wanted to be in the heart of the city so they chose the Canada Trust building ground floor on that most central of downtown blocks – Park to University. The name means “A Place You Want to Visit.” On our visits the restaurant has lived up to its title with the place packed, often with large gatherings of friends, families or corporate groups, which Mazaar specializes in. Despite its upscale atmosphere prices are reasonable. We ordered the Veggie Dinner Plata ($24.99) with fattoush, hummus, stuffed grape leaves, small spinach pies and falafel, which serves two. This was a meal in itself with all foods up to par. Additional Tahini and Fattoush salads were fresh, crisp and light, just as you expect Lebanese cuisine to be. The Lamb Manssaf ($12.99) on meat rice (light spices & ground beef), pine nuts, and almond slices with a yogurt side, seemed a little bland, however. Mazaar’s signature pita is amazing. The warmed and very light shell is actually puffed and hollow without a speck of grease and with just the most subtle flavour of cinnamon. Order a bag to take home. The menu has convenient vegetarian listings. For people concerned about downtown parking there is free parking behind the restaurant after 5 pm weeknights and all day weekends and holidays.
Armando's Trattoria, south Windsor
Yes, we got to the all new Armando’s (320 Cabana Rd. E., 519-972-9433, www.armandospizza.com). Even though the last location, right behind it in the strip plaza, was modern, with this building the well-known local chain has kicked it up a few notches. From exterior and interior design – including the large stylized ‘A’ on the outside - to the expanded menu, the emphasis is on upscale even if the prices remain reasonable. The dark but spacious interior is divided into three areas. There’s the restaurant, bar, and another bar or drinking area with large windows having an almost patio-like feel. Over each of the dining booths are frosted teardrop lampshades with a Murano glass look. It’s amazing how far Armando’s has come, starting in the 1960s as a humble pizzeria which grew into locations throughout Windsor and Essex County. With the Cabana site, pizza and other Italian dishes remain at the menu’s core. But the offerings embrace plates like herb-crusted beef tenderloin, braised lamb shank and seared ahi tuna salad. The Italian menu has more flare with dishes like grilled portobello Panini, gnocchi Florentina, chicken or veal saltimbocca, and linguini or risotto perscatore. If you simply want a place to get together for a drink, the adjoining bar with its great architectural elements, is a classy cocktail lounge. For our menu choices, the spinach and arugula salad was fresh and flavourful, the wood-fired oven-cooked Mediterranean pizza, perfect. The restaurant was well-staffed and servers friendly. A great addition to south Windsor and the city generally.
Shin Shin Chinese Restaurant, near west side, Windsor
Shin Shin Chinese Restaurant (978 University Ave. W., 519-252-1149) has been in existence 24 years but business these days is a bit slower in the near west side neighbourhood. Owner Julia Hsu says that with American customer traffic down, the closure of Grace Hospital, and other business closures along the street over the years, the customer base has fallen off somewhat. Nevertheless there were a good number of customers on a recent Friday night. And virtually every table had ordered Shin Shin’s signature dish Green Beans in Hot Sauce ($7.95). At Shin Shin regardless of any other orders, a plate of these delicious and sweet green beans drizzled with very finely-ground chicken and garlic, is a must. Meanwhile the Shin Shin Special Noodle in Soup ($7.50) – layered with snow peas, carrots, shrimp, beef and chicken with a thick noodle – is a meal in itself. The soup had a nice spicy edge. The thinner noodle Chicken Chow Mein Fen ($7.50) was light, tasty and filling. Julia (she runs the restaurant with husband Ming Li Hsu) is ebullient, personally coming to the table, asking exactly how spicy we wanted dishes, even if we wanted MSG added. And a bonus at the end of the meal: a free Chinese wall scroll calendar.
Black Kettle Bistro, downtown Windsor
Black Kettle Bistro (357 Ouellette, 519-252-4333; check them out on Facebook) seeks to be a healthy food oasis in the heart of downtown. It's not only that but cheap too. Ten inch pizzas go for $7.99 and half pizzas are also available. In fact many of the menu items have full and half sizes such as the Antipasto sandwich featuring lettuce, feta, and tomatoes on flatbread (pita), which was served warm and fresh. The restaurant has baked pastas and a daily variety of homemade soups (again, in two sizes). The Butternut Squash soup was creamy and tasty - perfect for a cold evening in the months ahead. There are soup and salad combos. The Mixed Green salad contains berries, fennel with berry balsamic dressing - fresh and light. The restaurant eventually would like to have an all organic menu. But for now it has settled on a full line of organic desserts. The chocolate chip cookies were noticeable for their absence of grease. The bistro also has a wide variety of herbal teas. Management places a premium on fair trade goods. It's interior brown and orange colours create a warm environment. The bistro's motto is "Made Slow Served Fast." It lived up to that on our visits.
La Guardia, downtown Windsor
When it comes to Italian restaurants LaGuardia (59 Pitt St E, 519-254-2438) is a little old school. It has the look and feel of a traditional Italian restaurant with a darkened interior, fancy chairs and a bit of a grotto look to induce romance. We’re glad this downtown mainstay has survived as long as it has in a fickle economy. This is its 30th anniversary. The restaurant’s prices are quite reasonable with pastas in the $13-$20 range. There is a superb special that offers soup, spaghetti, house salad, coffee with one of four entrees ranging from broiled whitefish at $22.95 to charbroiled rack of lamb for $38.95. The Spaghetti Aglio e Olio flavoured with garlic oil, garlic, sundried tomatoes and fresh tomatoes, had delightful fresh pasta. But it was overly heavy and could have been more flavourful. For a start more tomatoes could have been added. The Rigatoni alla Pichi Pachia, “a southern specialty of pasta with fresh tomato, garlic and bread” was enjoyable but somewhat unimaginative. Friendly service and a live musician create a warm atmosphere but menu items such as these might need a refresher.
Mancuso's Trattoria, Via Italia, Windsor
Okay, we’ll forgive the staff for not being aware that Mancuso’s Trattoria (555 Erie St. E., Windsor; 519-254-6213) was holding a ‘date night’ specially-priced menu event, despite e-mails by management. The staff was nice enough to making price accommodations. That aside, the dishes were rather terrific. Start with the Mediterraneo at $14, one of 11 pizzas on tap. It was layered with grilled Portobello mushrooms, onions, artichokes, olives and sliced tomatoes. For an added kick dip the pieces in olive oil and vinegar - delicious and filling. The Manicotti at $11 was bubbling hot when it arrived at the table, just the way these kind of dishes should be. The cheese-filled plate divinely melts in the mouth. All Mancuso’s dishes look great: fresh, well-prepared with a gourmet touch without being pretentious. The trattoria’s web site says the restaurant offers a “simplistic” approach to fine Italian dining. Don’t let the “simplistic” fool you; there’s more complexity here. One of the restaurant’s highlights is a wood-burning oven. The only sour taste was that the restaurant was a tad empty on a Thursday evening.
Vito's Pizzeria, Olde Walkerville, Windsor
Vito's Pizzeria at 1731 Wyandotte St E (519-915-6145) is an intimate and stylish venue with old world charm highlighted by classic photographs on the wall of Italian families from the 1950s and glittering hanging ball light fixtures. The night we were there (a Thursday) the place was packed (though we were told every night is like that). No wonder. Prices are extremely reasonable and the food terrific. The resto prides itself on its wood-fired oven. There are 10 designer pizzas available. We had the Verdura vegeterian with artichokes, fresh mushrooms, roasted red peppers and tomato sauce ($10.99).
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