EVOO / Food / Review / Wine
Science Applied to Culinary art Koosh Bistro | Hamilton, Ontario This article also appears on TripAdvisor and Urbanicity. Tucked in picturesque Hamilton’s Westdale, Koosh Bistro has glazed front with a yellow awning on Main Street west. The interior is truly Bistro like and oozes charm with a contemporary décor yet comfortable with understated elegance. Although small, it feels as if there is enough privacy for patrons...
Read More
EVOO / Food / Review / Wine
Authentic Italian Hospitality in the heart of Hamilton Claudio’s Restaurante | Hamilton, Ontario This article also appears on TripAdvisor and Urbanicity. I always enjoy Anthony Bourdain’s travel stories with his unique and slightly cynical take on a world he does not particularly relish except when he encounters authenticity in food and people. In his series “No reservations” on Rome, the show begins with a black and...
Read More
EVOO / Food / Review / Wine
Old imperial glory alive and well-lived on James Street North Ventura’s Signature Restaurant | Hamilton, Ontario This article also appears on TripAdvisor and Urbanicity. The owner, Virgilio is a complex individual. Having worked in engineering, military and restaurant kitchens in Portugal and its colonies in Africa, he decided to open a pub in 1997 on James North. At the current location, albeit a smaller area. It...
Read More
EVOO / Food / Review / Wine
A Little Gem on Barton Street The Little Grasshopper | Hamilton, Ontario This article also appears on TripAdvisor and Urbanicity. Maria Celeste‘s family hails from Gafanha, a small town in northern Portugal. Hence, when her dream of opening a restaurant in Hamilton became a reality, the name “The Little Grasshopper” easily came to mind as it resembles the name of the town. (Grasshopper is “Gafanhoto” in...
Read More
EVOO / Food / Review / Wine
Great Food, Great Ambience… Thames Street Oyster House | Baltimore, Maryland This article also appears on TripAdvisor. It was Sunday lunchtime and we were visiting Baltimore in the midst of challenging times for Charm City. But you wouldn’t know it in this part of town where colorful historical buildings line picturesque streets of a beautiful waterfront. We had heard very positive reviews and wanted to...
Read More
EVOO / Food / Review / Wine
A timeless institution in NOLA’s French Quarter Antoine’s | New Orleans, Louisiana This article also appears on TripAdvisor. Having attended a conference in New Orleans , my wife and I decided to crown our stay with a dinner at the Famous Antoine’s. The story of this place is the stuff of legend… Antoine, a young man from the south of France, Antoine Alciatore, immigrates to...
Read More
Spencers… A Lakefront Gem Spencer’s at the Waterfront | Burlington, Ontario This article also appears on TripAdvisor. I had the opportunity to again enjoy a relaxed meal at Spencer ‘s… The location , the view are great by themselves but this is a great place. Service is very good and the offering mindful of local ingredients and slow cooking methods. The presentation of all dishes...
Read More
Celli’s Celli’s Osteria | Burlington, Ontario This article also appears on TripAdvisor. I have eaten at Celli’s a few times and it has been decent and congenial. The wine cellar is impressive and the Pizza is baked in a brick oven. Staff could benefit from further training in the wine and food requirements … a few hours would suffice. The Canadian way is never to...
Read More
Il Fornello .. Suburban Pleasure Il Fornello | Oakville, Ontario This article also appears on TripAdvisor. Il Fornello… means the oven in Italian and I can assure you there is a prominent one as you enter the premises… a pizza oven , authentic as it comes with wood burning on one side and the pizza pie on the other… the dough is so thin it...
Read More
A Taste of Provence in America Chez Papa | San Francisco, California This article also appears on TripAdvisor. We had dinner at Chez Papa in San Francisco on Halloween night October 2013…. The restaurant was full and people were still lining up. Mind you it is a small dinning room with an open kitchen … Only a couple of exterior tables were available and since...
Read More