Na ROMA PIZZA BAR 

215 Locke Street, Hamilton On., (905) 525-5599, Mon.-Thurs. and Sunday 11 am-9pm, Fri. and Sat. 11 am-10 pm

My son Thomas and I, decided to go to Locke Street in Hamilton for a pizza on a Sunday evening in early November.  We went to Na Roma Pizza.  

It is located in a converted Victorian house and has a good sized patio on the front facing the street.  This particular Sunday evening every restaurant on Locke Street was extremely busy. The interior of the restaurant has an unusual  layout consisting of two levels.  The lower level has tables and the upper level has bar height long tables.  It is quite tight inside - but it works.  There are many interesting photos of Hamilton's history lining the walls which helps encourage discussion.

Although conversation is encouraged here, the room is noisy due to the hard surfaces and needs a bit of soundproofing.  However, the food is very good.  We ordered a beer and pizza.

We split a small pizza with two different choices on it.

One half was Brie and Prosciutto and consisted of mozzarella, triple cream brie cheese, prosciutto, fig jam, caramelized onions, arugula, and reduced balsamic.  The other half was Pollo Alla Brace.  It had mozzarella, BBQ chicken, cheddar cheese, red onion and mushrooms.  The crust was nice and light and the toppings were copious and very tasty.

The food here is very good.  They usually have a featured soup and their salads are gigantic.
We went back August 16th 2014 to try some more of their delicious pizzas and they were still great as was the service.  Keep up the great work Na Roma!!

The house wine was good too!

http://www.naroma.ca/

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.

THE EXCHANGE (Rideau Centre) 

ByWard Market, Lower Town, Rideau Centre, 50 Rideau Street, Ottawa ON., (613) 234-5544

Went to the Exchange in the Rideau Shopping Centre by myself while my son and wife went shopping.  I was hungry and thirsty so I decided to try their menu after seeing various dishes the patrons were eating.  There were plenty of large windows facing the mall so it was easy to see what kind of food was being served.  

I decided to sit at the bar and asked what kind of California wine they had.  The bartender Robin suggested a nice Cabernet, so I tried it - it was delicious.

After trying to make up my mind as to what to choose from the menu, I decided on the shepherds pie with house salad ($12.50).  It came in a cast iron pan and was a generous portion.  It was satisfying, but a little bland.  The salad was just ordinary.  

The service by Robin the bartender was very efficient, the food was satisfying and the wine was awesome what more do you need for lunch in Ottawa (a beautiful city).




http://www.theexpub.com/

SAIGON  PARIS BISTRO

12995 South Cleveland Avenue, Fort Myers Florida, (239) 936-2233

Decided to go out to breakfast before leaving Florida.  So we went to the Saigon Paris Bistro, next to the Seven Lakes Fort Myers community that we were staying in.

We arrived hungry and ready for a hearty breakfast.

One of us ordered the peach filled crepes.  They were filled with a pasty peach goop that looked a bit like baby food - instead of canned peaches or fresh peaches.  At least there were some fresh fruits on the side.

One of us ordered the cream cheese crepes filled with raspberry and cream cheese.

Two of us had the French Combo, which included two sausages or two bacon strips, eggs, french toast and a side  of fresh fruit.  It was a typical big breakfast, however the french toast was very light and quite good.  One of us had the eggs scrambled and one of us had the easy over eggs.

It was a typical breakfast selection that was made more palatable in that the price was two for one.  The service was very good and the server Patricia was well known in the area.



http://www.saigonparisbistro.com/index.html