QUEEN'S HEAD 

400 Brant Street, Burlington, On., (905) 632-1300, Lunch and Dinner, 7 days a week,  Late night, kid friendly, Private Parties

My son Thomas and I decided to go for dinner on Thursday evening.  We thought we would go back to Queen's Head, a place we used to frequent quite often.  It is a typical British Pub, on Brant Street in downtown Burlington, that serves comfort food (perfect for a cold evening in winter).

It has a number of different rooms inside and a large patio overlooking the street.  The patio is very lively on warm summer nights.  

We hadn't been here for a while and found some interesting changes on their menu.  The special tonight was a ground jerk chicken burger.  It was very tasty and was accompanied by sweet potatoes, which were quite good.

I chose the steak and mushroom pie covered with puff pastry and filled with tender beef chunks and mushrooms, with a rich brown gravy and yukon potatoes.  It was accompanied with some seasonal vegetables, that were perfectly cooked.

We accompanied our meals with pints of Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale.  A very satisfying meal, typical of most pubs.  The service was timely and our waiter was friendly. They seem to be trying to expand their menu and get more creative and that's a good thing. 

    

GABBY'S

GABBY'S GRILL AND BAR 

309 King Street West, Entertainment District, Toronto On., (416) 967-9671, Open for Lunch, Dinner, Late, 7 days a week.

On a hot humid Saturday afternoon we decided to visit Harbourfront in Toronto.  It was very hot and there wasn't even a breeze, so we decided to head back into the city to have some cold libations and a late lunch.  We have been to a Gabby's before on Bloor Street, but we were on King Street and figured we should try this one.

notice the humidity in the photo

We ordered a selection of beers, Katie and Thomas ordered Molson Canadians.

I ordered a Rickard's White with a slice of orange.

We were quite hungry and after studying the menu we decided to order from the sandwich section.

Katie ordered the grilled chicken ciabatta with sweet potato fries.

Tom ordered the pulled pork sandwich with sweet potato fries.

I ordered the club sandwich which had one small boneless chicken breast an a couple of small pieces of bacon.

It is obvious from the pictures that the sandwiches were very small and certainly not worth $11.50 to $12.00.  The server was rather cursory and just went through the motions.  The inside was quite empty even though the patio was quite busy.

It is basically in a high tourist zone and seems to take advantage of it, with it's visible and busy patio.

We will not be returning here in the future - we left hungry and disappointed with the quantity and quality.


http://www.gabbys.ca/

QUEEN'S HEAD 

118 Dunn Street, Oakville On.  (905) 842-3070, 

A true British Pub in Oakville, the Queen's Head feels very authentic the moment you step in.  The atmosphere, the clientele, the pints and the menu all feel British - you expect Prince Philip to come through the door at any moment.  We have been here for football (soccer) games and just ordinary Saturdays and the feeling is the same.  

We have had fish and chips and other dishes and find them to be very satisfying comfort food.  The dishes are not fancy but the prices are very reasonable.  

This visit I came with my son Thomas and we began with pints.  I had a Caffery's and he had a Fuller's London Pride.

Both are very smooth and delicious beers.  We then ordered our mains.  I had the fish and mashed potatoes with gravy on the side.  It was a very comforting meal.

Thomas had a grilled chicken on a bun with cheese, pickles, coleslaw and french fries.  He enjoyed everything.

http://www.queensheadoakville.com/

JET CAFE 

184 King Street East, Hamilton, On.  (905) 297-8113. Open for Breakfast and Lunch

Located on the main thoroughfare through downtown Hamilton, beside a parking lot is the Jet Cafe. It is situated in a rather grimy stretch of store fronts, but they are improving as the area is changing slowly.  

It isn't very impressive inside and certainly could use updating (especially the washrooms) but it has a varied clientele from hipsters to suits.  Local art covers the walls and is reasonably priced.  It has a large selection of fair trade organic coffees including Kicking Horse Kick Ass blend coffee and a selection of Seattles Best.  There is also an outdoor patio on the side of the building and a parking lot beside it.

The menu selection is surprisingly extensive, ranging from a wide variety of all day breakfasts, including vegan selections, to a selection of sandwiches, stir fry, and pitas. The menu is found on chalkboards and large handwritten posters near the cash, where selections are made and paid for when ordering. 

I was here with my son and we are both fans of pulled pork sandwiches, so we decided to try it.  It was delicious: the pork was just the right amount, it was tender and had a nice barbecue sauce on it that was not overwhelming.  There was a nice coleslaw in the sandwich and the bun melted in your mouth.

It came with a bowl of homemade baked beans and onions and a generous portion of fries.  The beans were a nice touch, but the fries were rather ordinary.  The price was very reasonable and the meal was quite delicious.  The staff were efficient and friendly.  We will definitely be back to try their breakfasts, which are their specialty.

EMMAS BACK PORCH 3.5 out of 5

2084 Old Lakeshore Road, Burlington, On., L7R 1E3, (905) 634-2084, Mon, Tues 11:00 am - 12 am, Wed 11:00 - 2:00 am, Thurs 11:00 am - 12:00 am, Fri 11:00 am - 2:00 am, Sat   10:00 - 2:00 am, Sun 10:00 am - 12:00 am

Went to Emmas with one of my sons for dinner.  It was about 6:30 on Friday evening and it was packed in the bar and restaurant area.  

It has a great location with a patio right on the lake and an outside bar that is open in the summer.  The inside has a large bar and dining area and a dance floor some evenings with a DJ.  

My son had about three pounds of wings, two pounds with lemon pepper coating and one with a curry coating.  They are relatively dry wings and he really enjoyed them - taking some left overs home with him.  I had a thinly sliced roast beef on a bun au jus and it was tender and delicious (the juice was a little too salty).  I ordered an ice tea and it really tasted like tea!  The manager came over and asked if we liked our choices.  He was talking to each table individually (this is a nice way to keep patrons coming back).

It is a large restaurant and is packed with a variety of ages - a friendly kind of place.  The noise was somewhat deafening but it was just laughter and people talking loudly. It was not a quiet place to have a meal on this particular night.  The prices were reasonable and the food was very good.  We will definitely be coming back.

great patio view even in fog

variety of clientele and very busy

excellent wings

melt in your mouth roast beef au jus

http://www.emmasbackporch.ca/