The Keg Steakhouse on Upper James street on Hamilton’s “Mountain” is one of those restaurants where you’re guaranteed to get a good steak without having to break the bank (but, seems good things don’t last long). After our last visit it should have been enough to confirm that the quantity and quality of their food is no longer what we’ve grown to expect, but we didn’t think much of it and decided that we would give them another try.

It was a Friday night so we went with the expectation that we’d have to wait to be seated as we’d be dealing with the weekend dinner crowd, plus the weather was great so the patio crowd was also there. It took us about 30 minutes to be seated and it was a great opportunity to people-watch as we tormented ourselves with the lovely scent of grilling steaks from the kitchen. Our server for the night was very good at his job, something we’ve also grown accustomed to at the Keg (good service).

We started off with  non-alcoholic beverages and I settled for my normal decaf coffee which was hot. I can’t say much more of this coffee as it was bland and if not for it being dark like coffee, I could easily be drinking a hot glass of water with cream and sugar. After placing our dinner order we settled for the Garlic Cheese Bread appetizer (Cheddar, Monterey Jack and Parmesan cheeses oven toasted to a golden brown on French stick), which I must confess was the hit of the night. The sort of tangy taste of the aged Parmesan was simply delightful and overall very filling.

As we waited for our meal to arrive it gave us the opportunity to chat, scope out some of the dishes that were making it’s way to the other tables ( the lovely scent was so punishing when you’re hungry… lobster seems to have been the hit this night) and take in the general ambiance. A multil-level restaurant, with different size tables and booths, filtered light to give a sort of romantic feel and there was a buzz of activity since it was a full house.

Indy wasn’t very hungry so she ordered the Keg Caesar – Crisp romaine and aged Parmesan cheese in a creamy dressing, which she mentioned was excellent. Tehya ordered off the kids menu and settled on the Kids Sirloin Steak – Each meal includes your choice of fries, Caesar salad or seasonal vegetables. All meals include a vegetable plate, ice cream for dessert and a soft drink, juice or milk. In the pics you’ll  notice two things about this kids meal. It was similar in portion size to the steak Caron ordered off the main menu and with the inclusion of the vegetable plate, you got the impression that you got much more for your money by ordering off the kids menu.

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As mentioned above, Caron got the  Grilled Top Sirloin served with fries. (choice of baked potato, fries, salad) Generally the steak was rather small and bland, but at least it was cooked to her liking. I strongly believe that if you’re going to have a scanty plate, use a smaller plate so at least we get the impression we’re getting a full meal. In my quest to move away from my traditional order of “steak” I opted for the grilled chicken topped with lobster sauce with chunks of perfectly cooked lobster pieces and asparagus. Just wish there was more lobster and less of the overcooked chicken breast. I’m no fan of chicken breast and this horrid attempt at grilling only confirmed this. My meal came with garlic mashed potato, which is why I keep coming back to the Keg. Their garlic mash is probably the best in the city.

Our bill with tip came to just over $100 ( we didn’t order any alcoholic beverages) and though the service was excellent and it also gave us the opportunity to spend time out as a family, I would really have to think twice before going back to the Keg for dinner. There’s some work to be done on quality and quantity to get back to the standards they originally set for patrons. I realize that this night was very busy, but it’s my opinion that a good restaurant can be judged on a busy night to see if they can maintain a level of standard when more is demanded from the kitchen.

Hamilton Mountain Keg
1170 Upper James Street
Hamilton, Ontario
L9C 3B1
Canada
(905) 574-7880

HOURS:

DINING ROOM
Monday – Thursday 4:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.
Friday 4:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Saturday 3:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Sunday 3:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

BAR
Monday – Thursday 4:30 p.m. – Midnight
Friday 4:30 p.m. – 1:00 a.m.
Saturday 3:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m.
Sunday 3:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

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When was the last time you took time to really relax, enjoy good company and end it all with a gripping musical performance? As I drove up the long gravel driveway up to the master crafted Victorian home that was built back in the late 1840′s, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The last time I had the opportunity to have afternoon tea I was somewhere between St Lucia and Antigua on a 100,000 ton cruise ship (The Crown Princess), but Caron and our girls refused to leave the pool deck area to join me, so I ended up not going. Today I was going to experience what I missed that vacation, even if it did mean I was going solo.

As I parked my car in the grassy area at the front of the house, I looked around and was caught up in the moment. The country setting, with the wheat fields to the right, the sort of barn-like building to the left and the pleasant sound of birds singing in the trees instantly gave a sort of calmness I’d not felt in years. Add the wind blowing though the wheat fields and it could easily be the setting for a Hollywood movie.

The Opera House Tea Room is the everyday home of Frank Pierce and his family, which is converted to a charming tea house (Thursday, Friday and Saturday). Where visitors get the opportunity to be transformed back in time for a couple hours and enjoy light refreshments on fine China and silverware, while enjoying excellent service and great company.

I was greeted by Frank at the door when I arrived as he was expecting me and I immediately got the most welcoming feeling ever (the sort of feeling you get when you meet with a long lost relative). His smile, firm handshake and pride in describing what they try to accomplish at the Opera House Tea Room, all pointed to a person who enjoyed what he was doing. After a brief chat and tour, I went on my own to get the true vibe for the establishment and take pics. Plus I could tell that I was keeping him back from his guests, so I really didn’t want to take up much more of his time.

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As you walk through the home you couldn’t miss the extensive oak and cherry woodwork throughout the older part of the house. The grand staircase as you made your way to the parlour from one of the dining rooms gave a true sense of the age and majesty of the house and the gentle creaking of the red pine floors under your feet reminded you of the craftsmanship that went into the building. The elegance of the decorations and furnishing really added to the overall experience. From the fresh cut flowers, lit candles and antiques scattered purposely throughout the house, you almost felt like royalty.

It was a packed house this day as I would estimate there were over 30 people in attendance and though this was someones home, you never felt crowded. You couldn’t miss the smiles on the faces, the friendly chatter and inquisitive eyes while I was taking pictures. Some of the patrons explained to me that this sort of a tradition with them, as they’ve been meeting here for several years now. Repeat business can only mean, pleased customers I would assume. Frank later explained to me that they’ve never done any sort of advertising, yet they’re always busy and it’s advised to get a reservation at least a week in advanced. Word of mouth is what generates business for the Pierce family and from the packed house one could easily see that they’ve tapped into an excellent niche, with the service they offer.

What would a review be without mention of the food? One could not miss the alluring scent of food as you entered the doors and immediately you stumble upon a fabulous spread of finger sandwiches, pickled vegetables, quiche tarts, Scottish shortbread and how could I forget the tea biscuits with preserves and double Devon cream. You must try the chicken Waldorf! Though I didn’t actually have any of the tea, the people that I spoke with were quite happy with the quality of the tea and one person remarked “it tastes so much better in these fancy cups”.  After what could be describe as lunch, everyone then heads over to the parlour where recitals are performed by Soprano Erin Bree Pierce accompanied by Frank on the piano. Erin who’s Franks daughter is simply amazing and quite gripping as she captivates the audience with her phenomenal voice and the energy she puts into her performance.

Guests are then treated to yet another fantastic spread, but this time it’s an assortment of decadent desserts… cheese cake squares, fresh strawberries, balled melons, English raspberry trifle and tarts.

Not to be outdone, the garden on the outside is just as spectacular and very serene. A place I would gladly grab a book, cup of tea and spend a few hours (take a look at the pics above).

So who goes for afternoon tea? Just about any and everyone. Though this day the crowd did seem a bit older Frank did mention that they see a lot of younger single people, couples and young families on a regular basis. Additionally they cater to many social events like birthdays, anniversaries, wedding showers, groups (only recently they had a travel group) and they also offer off site catering as well.

For more info on the Opera House Tea Room, including the menu, days of operation, off site catering and how you can plan you next visit you have a couple options. Below is the contact phone number and you can also browse their website where everything is listed.

The Opera House Tea Room
2844 Governor’s Road
Lynden, Ontario  L0R 1T0
(519)647-3174

Remember to ask for Frank Pierce and mention that Chris from Ontario Alive sent you.

The Opera House Tea Room website: http://www.operahousetearoom.com

Getting there:

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I’d like to say special thanks to Frank and Erin for making this such a wonderful experience for me and our readers.

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A couple weeks ago we took our yearly drive down the 403 to the Hershey Center for the Cheer Alliance Nationals (cheerleading competition) and this time I brought along my camera and note pad. I figured that I would do a review on the Hershey Center while I took a break from the non-stop techno music and hundreds of screaming cheerleaders.

Basically the Heshey Center is a multi event facility in Mississauga Ontario that can hold about 5,000 (my guess) patrons in the stands very comfortably, with great sight lines due to it’s intimate feel from it’s average size and rather comfortable seats (for an arena). However if you’re taller than 5 ‘ 10″ you’ll find that the seats can be a bit cramped. Like other such facilities there’s fully stocked concessions with a good selection of fast/street food (see pics below).

The location is perfect since it can be accessed from 3 main highways; the 403, 401 and QEW depending where you’re coming from. Parking is not a problem, since there’s free ample parking surrounding the venue.

There are several hotels that are quite conveniently located near the Hershey Center. They include:

Hilton Garden Inn Toronto Airport West/ Mississauga
1870 Matheson Boulevard
Mississauga, ON L5W 0B3
Phone: 905-361-6300  Fax: 905-361-6305

Best Western Toronto Airport West
5825 Dixie Road Mississauga, ON L4W 4V7
Phone: 905-670-8180 Fax: 905-670-8083

Monte Carlo Inn- Airport Suites
7035 Edwards Boulevard Mississauga, ON L5T 2H8
Phone: 905-564-8400  Fax: 905-564-8400
Courtyard by Marriott Mississauga Meadowvale
7015 Century Ave Mississauga, ON L5N 4K2

Residence Inn by Marriott Mississauga Meadowvale
7005 Century Avenue Mississauga, ON L5N 7K2

Delta Meadowvale Resort and Conference Centre
6750 Mississauga Road Mississauga, ON L5N 2L3

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If you’re planning a trip to the Hershey center, here’s the info you’ll need to get there:

HERSHEY CENTRE
5500 Rose Cherry Place
Mississauga, Ontario
L4Z 4B6

For more information call:
Phone: 905-502-9100
Fax: 905-615-3302

Final Thoughts. A wonderful venue that’s very easy to get to, there’s ample parking and it’s well maintained. The concessions does offer some variety, but a bit expensive but that’s the norm when visiting these sort of multi-purpose venues.

If you’ve been to the Hershey Center or planning a visit  we’d love to get your feedback. Please leave us your comments below, in the area provided.

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As we arrived at Copps Coliseum for this year’s Food and Drink Festival we instantly got a bit worried. It was 8pm and the event closes for the day at 10pm, yet there was a fairly long line outside the building with eager foodies waiting to get in. I think I read somewhere that the organizers changed location from the normal Hamilton Convention center, to avoid such lines.While in the line itself we soon realized that the majority of people were there for the wine and beer and were not necessarily foodies. We got the vibe that one would get in a line to get into a popular nightclub. A ton of eager beavers waiting to go “tasting”. Read the full story

After spending most of the day at the car dealership trying to get some issues resolved, the last thing I wanted to do was cook dinner. After taking a quick dip in the hot tub we decided to to pack the mini van with the tribe and go out for dinner. The Lone Star Texas Grill in Ancaster opened a couple months back, replacing “The Outback” (will miss the burgers) which was situated in the very same location in the Meadowlands, Ancaster. Kieana had been there a few weeks back and enjoyed her experience so we thought we’d give them a try.

I suppose any restaurant you visit at dinner time on a Friday night will be busy, so having to wait the extra half hour to be seated was not an issue. There were 5 of us in our party, so we had the wait a little longer to get a table big enough for us. When we were finally seated we soon realize that 2 tables for 2 pushed together and a chair added at the top would make for quite a challenge, as we settled in. It’s a good thing Kieana had to leave so we didn’t have to put up with such little space. Read the full story

Halloween Haunt, originally known as “Fearfest”, is a haunted attraction at Canada’s Wonderland located in Vaughan, Ontario. It runs after the park’s regular operating hours on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings in October – up to, and including Halloween night. It is Canada’s largest haunted theme park featuring over 300 monsters, 10 walk-through “maze” attractions, 3 uniquely-themed atmospheric scare areas, and a live show. During its operation, the grounds are transformed via frightening decorative props, thematic music, eerie lighting to further create its scary atmosphere Read the full story

Looking for a fun filled way to spend the day with your family and friends? One of the top attractions in Southern Ontario during the summer months, African Lion Safari is celebrating 4o years in the animal safari business and we highly recommend a visit. African Lion Safari is a safari park situated in Flamborough, (Hamilton) Ontario Canada, about 100 kilometres (62 mi) west of Toronto. It features more than 1,000 animals, representing over 130 species of mammals and birds from across the globe. Guests are treated to seven game reserves (with a total area of about 300 hectares) traversed via tour buses or the visitors’ own vehicles where animals roam freely in large contained areas. Accompanying the game reserves is a large walking section where hundreds of exotic birds and primates, as well as the park’s herd of Asian Elephants, are on display. Read the full story

Once again the Burlington Rotary Club Ribfest did not disappoint. Since most of what I mentioned in the previous Burlington Ribfest post is pretty much what you’d expect to see and do at the event, this post will showcase some of the pictures I took and a couple of the observations we made.

New at this year’s festival was the “recycle” theme. After Caron got her platter of baked beans, coleslaw, ribs, pulled pork and chicken (we start off every year with this sampler) she pointed out the fact that not only were the containers not the plastic ones from last year, the utensils were also environmentally friendly. It seems that this year all the vendors had to serve their food in biodegradable containers and the disposable knives and forks were all made from a sort of compressed wood. Picture a Popsicle stick made into a fork. However, they were just as strong as the plastic version that’s so bad for our environment. Read the full story

Without any doubt, there is merit to this claim. At the end of last summer I had the opportunity to finally attend the Burlington Ribfest and to this day I still get mad at myself for taking this long to attend. I won’t get into much details at this point, since I plan on refreshing my mind and taste buds this year, which means a full review for you with pics and videos. Hopefully I can get Caron and one of our girls to give their thoughts as well so you’ll have different perspectives of the event. Until then I’d like to leave you with some pics, more info about the event and my assurance that you DON’T want to miss this year’s event.

The people, the music and the food are all incredible… so lets hope the weather holds out so I can devour some more of that puled pork, bbq ribs and that wonderful southern baked beans. BTW, you’ll never attend a more organized event in Southern Ontario. Read the full story

Though it’s been open for a number of months now, the Silvercity Hamilton Movie Complex is still considered new to many. Especially since most people still don’t know that they have a new option for a night out at the movies with big screen and big sound, other than the Silvercity Ancaster location. It’s about time the “east mountain” got it’s own power center and Silvercity location.

Located on the “east mountain” of Hamilton where there’s the new “power center” with mega stores like Michael’s, Best Buy, Indigo, Home depot, etc. Silvercity Hamilton is a welcome addition to the landscape of the east mountain.

A few days ago we went out for an afternoon showing of Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen and I thought I’d kill 2 birds with one stone. Catch the latest Transformers flick and do a review of this “new” Silvercity location. I’d been here about 3 times prior, since it’s so conveniently located to our home but I kept forgetting to bring along my camera. BTW, the pics are a bit limited since I’m always afraid that some manager would approach me to not take pics etc, so I move like a paparazzi ninja.

The basics…

* Digital Projection
* Automated Banking Machine
* Real D 3D projection (where listed)
* Interactive Gaming Area
* Party Rooms
* 10 Screens

Accessibility

* Wheelchair Accessibility
* Hearing Assistance

Good or Bad?

We’ll we’ve gone from being blown away by the sound, picture and seat spacing (tons of leg-room in front – you don’t even have to squish when someones wants to get pass you to head for the bathrooms or concessions) from previous installments of Silvercity type movie theatre. How could they improve on an already successful arrangement?  With the addition of “lazy boy” type reclining seats. But I dare to ask how many people find them comfortable? I’m a fairly large fella so my weight and length of legs can see me enjoy this new feature, as you have to use size and gravity to set you in the right position.  But since there is no locking mechanism to keep the tilted seats into a comfortable position, if you’re short or petite you will struggle to appreciate these seats. Caron had a terrible time getting comfortable and she even resorted to pushing her legs onto the seats in front of her to get comfortable (Caron is not one to go against rules like this). Silvercity did not think this one through when they opted for this design. A simple locking mechanism would easily correct this flaw in their seating.

Parking.

Free and ample, but it..

SUCKS! Again we see these poorly laid out parking lots, with very limited space for a vehicle bigger than a “smart car” and those friggin concrete dividers. Due to the layout it’s so easy to get into accidents or have your parked car scraped by other cars trying to park. Plus, they did not even consider that many of their customers are kids who gets dropped off by parents. It would have been nice to see some sort of drop off and pick up zone near the doors. The way the front is designed, if a car pauses to let off people the entire parking area goes into lock down due to lack of space to move.

It’s very rare that I ever give poor reviews, but this one is very hard to fake. Once inside you are greeted with the “slowest” working staff I’ve encountered in my 20+ years in Canada. From the ticketing system (btw, the automated system is just as slow and does have the occasional hiccup when it won’t let you make the purchase you want) to the concession area, it seems no staff member is in a hurry. Our very first time there it took us almost an hour to get tickets and some pop corn and it was not a busy night. We discounted that experience to the fact that it was new (1 week old at the time I think). But the last 2 times we’ve only seen a minimal improvement.

Silvercity Hamilton comes with the normal stuff you’d expect at the concessions (pop corn, pop, chocolate bars, candy), except this location also serves gourmet coffee and yogurt fruit blends (not bad for $4 or so for a large serving). There’s the games area where you can spend a few bucks really fast if you’re into those video game type of things and though I’ve never ventured upstairs, there’s supposedly a lounge where you can kick back and wait with friends before the movie starts or while you wait for someone to give you a ride home.

So why do I keep going back you ask? The picture and sound. Unmatched at any other movie theatre location in the Hamilton area without any doubt, even at the Ancaster Silvercity location. I love to be entertained by high quality picture and sound and this place delivers. I can confess that I did spend a lot of coins at our own home system (rocks the crap out our home when the volume is cranked), but I also work from home so getting the opportunity the leave the house and watch a movie with the girls or Caron is always a treat.

So how was the movie.

Other than a few jerks talking non-stop and one of them getting punked by an adult (shame on you) the movie was what I expected. Not Oscar calibre, but hey.. it was about robots.

Location:

795, Paramount Drive
Stoney Creek
ON, L8J 0B4
905-560-0239

Nearest intersection:
Paramount Dr. and Old Mud St.

Map:

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