At least they have nice doors.

I’ve read many reviews about the terrific food and terrible service at Hometown Eatery and was very prepared for them. Perhaps a little toooo prepared, both my visits were met with the total opposite. Perfect service and mediocre food.

My server’s name is Becca and she’s definitely one of the best server I’ve had in Waterloo so far – friendly, prompt and very welcoming. In addition, a lot of thought has been put into the menu. There are interesting names for dishes such as The KISS (Keep It Simple Sandwiches), Purple Velvet (Beet soup; daily special) and Yummy/Snoppy/Flirty Burgers. I tried the grilled salmon sandwich ($14) and gourmet grilled cheese sandwich with brie ($10).

$10 for a grilled cheese?

The exotic brie grilled cheese was definitely better than the grilled salmon, contrary to what I expected. It was warm and simple whereas the grilled salmon was dry. Hometown’s Eatery is supposedly famous for its cakes so I tried a strawberry cheesecake. Being a huge cheesecake fan, I was a little disappointed. It was okay, but nothing too fantastic. Perhaps the wrong cake?

If I ever return for another meal, it’ll definitely be for the cosy atmosphere, awesome service and quirky menu items. For the food? Meh, maybe not.

Also, it might be a bad idea to visit on an extremely cold day because they charge $1 for just a cup of warm water.

I’ve heard mixed reviews about the service.  Well, they weren’t mixed, they are universally so-so.   To be quite frank, it’s a cafe that deals mostly in dessert and sandwiches, so I don’t expect much in terms of service.  I’ve had coffee at a cafe in France and wanted to knock the server out with a punch to his mouth. I’ve dined in the Southern US where I wanted to hug everyone that worked at the diner.  Symposium falls somewhere in the middle, and that’s about right.

All Day Breakfast and Burgers, Together at Last!

Our table ordered two breakfasts, and I had the Symposium burger.  Everything was good-to-go, nothing to write home about, but the burger was much bigger and tastier than I expected. The fries come with some garlic mayo, and it’s a great touch.  I should’ve asked for more.  Jeff ordered a side of sausage, and he got a really tasty treat.  It’s not the lame, pinky breakfast sausage you get at most places, it was some sort of large, tasty, spicy sausage that he had wrapped up to go.  Get the sausage, skip the bacon, if you’re ordering breakfast!

The cafe is, of course, popular for its fancy coffee.  The cafe mocha I ordered was not what I expected .. much sweeter and richer (more rich?) than I was ready for.  If I can make one suggestion to the barista: unsweetened chocolate would take it down a notch and make the drink less Tim Horton’sy.

Cafe Mocha, Half-eaten Burger, Jeff with Breakfast

But yeah, overall the experience was positive (it has been every time I’ve gone).  Decent food, decent prices, decent coffee, decent service … the whole being more enjoyable than the sum of its parts.

The Loss of a Close Friend

As some people in real life (irl)  know, I have this favourite mug that I stole from someone some time ago.  The mug has a picture of Spongebob Squarepants going to the office, all disheveled and unshaven, toting his little briefcase.  He’s all fucked up, obviously had a big weekend.  On the other side of the mug, it simply says: Mondays.  This mug is perfect.

Correction, was perfect.  Until I dropped him down the stairs at the office, trying to get my stair-ercise in for the day.

Obviously, it happened on a Monday.  Have a great week everybody!

Rest in Peace, Spongebob Monday Mug

Burger at Bobby’s

So as many downtown drinkers know, there used to be this really popular pub called The Still in downtown Kitchener. It got taken over by those London/Guelphites at Partytown, renamed Bobby O’Briens, and boasts some pretty great daily specials!  The special wings are tiny, but the burgers on Wednesdays are a huge hit.

Their cheeseburger is called the Shanahan Burger, and at $4.99+ with fries it’s the best lunch burger ever a refreshingly great deal. The salad-substitution is a reasonable $1.50. Order a Rickard’s White to accompany and you have yourself some lunchtime conversation.

Six Burger Specials, Please!

Nougat Bakery, One Day

The Nougat Bakery and Deli, for those that are lucky enough to live in the Victoria Park area of town, is the hidden treasure on Queen’s Blvd that is not only popular for lunch, but has a solidly stocked Polish deli, a great cafe, and a wicked sweets selection.

I stop in for Illy coffee for take-out every once in a while and highly recommend it for a stop-over on the way home.  This blog will feature something about their lunch special at some point, I’m sure.  The KW Record published a great review of the cafe last spring.

Cross Cultural Food Love

My friends at the Toronto Review published a really great photo essay on food in Palestine.

TorontoReview.ca: Mana'eesh in Palestine

The attention to aesthetics and the social nature of eating is a nice change from Canadian working lunch reality, and the pictures remind me of street food at its finest. We need inspiration for more street food, and street vending, in this country.