We were told that if we were planing on visiting St Jacobs that we should try to arrive early, as it gets pretty crowded on the weekend especially with the wonderful weather in the forecast. Friends of ours had dined at the Stone Crock Restaurant on a previous trip to St Jacobs, so they suggested we have the buffet breakfast to start off our day. I’m one of those people who like doing a bit of research before I’m about to visit somewhere, especially when it comes to restaurants. The reviews I came across for the Stone Crock Restaurant online were less than desirable. However, our friends made the suggestion and we trusted their opinion more than some faceless person on Tripadvisor, who arrived just before they stopped serving breakfast and expected a fully stocked buffet.

We arrived a little after 8 am and there were already several patrons inside and according to the info I read online, they open at 8 am. I guess everyone were on our page and wanted to get a jump-start to their day with a good breakfast. Parking is free and can be found on the entrance to the right side of the building. But with limited spaces I could easily see this parking lot getting filled fast. Now I’m not sure if this is allowed, but we left of our car in the very same parking lot after breakfast and toured the small town of St Jacobs so we didn’t have to source other parking options.

* For driving directions, location and service times, please see below.

We we’re a party of four and were seated immediately as we arrived just after they opened as I touched on above.  I did notice a rather long bench at the front where you wait to be assigned a table, so I assume it gets pretty busy during the later part of the morning. We were here for the buffet breakfast, but there are many ala carte options if you so choose. A very pleasant lady came over and introduced herself as our waitress and took our drinks order. Yes, the coffee is good and you will find yourself having that second cup. She explained that the buffet was open and that we were free to go up and get started.

There are two main buffet sections, with the “salty” stuff on one and the “sweet” on the other. The salty included eggs, bacon, different fried potatoes, sausages, toast, French toast, ham, quiche…you get the picture and on the sweet section there’s an assortment of desserts, fruit and breads. Can you guess which section I didn’t go to? I must warn you though, as you make your way between the sausages and french toast you’ll be captivated by the scent of apple pie. You’ll swear you’re in your grandmas kitchen as the lovely scent of baking apples combined with cinnamon sugar catches your attention and forces you to place a couple of the apple fritters onto your plate. I was told by Tony who’s been here before that I should grab a couple as these go very fast. For the cereal lovers there’s hot oatmeal and an assortment of cold cereal to choose from. I’m a big fella and I do put away a good meal and with all the options I was in my personal heaven. I started off with the eggs, deep friend bacon (lovely), sausage, hash browns and fried potato slices.

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We topped up our coffee, enjoyed good conversation and the placemat under our plates was a map of the area so that helped us to further plan our day in St Jacobs. Caron, Marko and Toni are all dessert people so they went up and sampled the fresh fruit, the trifle (which did look yummy) and some of the other freshly made desserts they offed. When a table goes quite, you know everyone is enjoying the meal. I on the other hand went in for round two as I did zero in on the baked beans my first time around, but didn’t have room on my plate and I wanted another portion of the fried slices of potato which had a light seasoning on them. I’m a huge fan of baked beans and weather this batch was made from scratch or from a can, they were excellent. Very savory and the beans themselves kept their same and were not crushed.

The restaurant at this point was starting to get packed, but the way the tables are spread out into different rooms, you never get the feeling of being crowded. The interior gave you a sort of home style comfort with the wooden tables and chairs you’d find in most homes across Canada and the open airy feeling was very welcoming. We lucked out with a table by the window so we could see people coming and going in the parking lot and the natural light enhanced this dining experience.

As you looked around to the other tables you could see people enjoying good food and from the low chatter you could tell they were enjoying the conversations they were having with friends and family. Even the toddler at the table 5 tables away was enjoying whatever her mom was feeding her.

We were now fueled-up and ready to hit the streets of this historic town of St Jacobs. As we made our way back to the front it was then that I noticed the gift store on the right side of the exit. A great spot to pick up little trinkets to remember your visit to St Jacobs. I guess I missed this on entry as I was more focused on the alluring scent of sizzling bacon and the rich smell of perfectly brewed coffee as we entered earlier.

I’m not sure why this restaurant gets all the bad reviews online, but our group was very pleased by the ambiance, the service and excellent food choices. Fresh, well cooked and on point when it comes to serving temperature. Which I’m sure is hard to achieve when you’re serving food buffet style. Breakfast is served between 8-11 am, costs $9.99 per person and the selection is awesome.

Getting there:

St. Jacobs Stone Crock Restaurant
1396 King Street North
St. Jacobs, ON N0B 2N0
Phone: (519) 664-2286
Fax: (519) 664-1513

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We’d love to hear your comments if you’ve been to the Stone Crock Restaurant in St Jacobs, kindly leave us your thoughts in the comments section provided below. Additionally we’d appreciated it if you to join our Facebook fanpage by clicking on the image below. This way you can keep updated on all the latest Ontario revelations we uncover and share your experiences with the group.

There’s nothing more appealing than having to spend your evening covering an event that focuses on food. Especially when it’s professionally run and very welcoming. As part of the Ancaster Heritage Days, the Taste Of Ancaster is in it’s 6th year and we were afforded the opportunity to be part of it. After contacting Mary Ann Leach, the chair of the Ancaster Heritage Days she organized with Scott Rastin from the Knights Of Columbus to get us a couple passes to attend this years event.

This years event was held at Marquis Gardens 1365 Sandhill Drive, Ancaster.  A venu we last visited a few years back when they had only just opened and we we’re just as impressed as we were back then with their level of service and the warm and inviting feeling you get from this venue. On entering we were greeted by Scott and he went through all that we could expect and should try while at the event. It was nice seeing that one of the main organizers took the time to greet everyone that came through the doors this night. Love the personal touch.

Basically the Taste Of Ancaster is a celebration of the culinary culture of the area, where restaurants from Ancaster gives attendees the opportunity to go through what seems like a sample menu. Additionally you also have a wide selection of wines from the Niagara region to sample, like : Colio Estate, Palatine Hills Estate, Peller Estates, Stoney Ridge Estate. Not to be outdone, there were a few breweries present as well, including Labatt’s, Steam Whistle and Wellington Brewries.

On this night I had to avoid all drinks with alcohol as I’m on medication that prevents me from consuming any. And since Caron nor I are not wine drinkers there’s not much I can say about the quality or selection of wines that were there to taste. However the region was well represented and the few people I spoke with were very pleased by the selection and the fact that this gave them an opportunity to taste wines and not having to purchase a full bottle. The one brewery that seemed to stand out (from the lines) was “Steam Whistle”, but it seems more people were interested with the wine tasting aspect of the show.

The food… the real reason why you’d see me at this event (other than to network). Generally all the food were good, but there were a few restaurants that stood out. The best overall dish this night was the savoury chicken wings presented by Faloney’s Of Ancaster. Both Caron and I agree that the plump, juicy and richly covered wings were to die for. Whatever the sauce is they used to drench the wings in was absolutely heavenly and the wings themselves were perfectly cooked. Not dry, and it had that sticky sort of texture that you’d expect from ribs you’d get at a good BBQ smokehouse from down south (St Louis, Carolinas, Texas..etc). As far as exotic dishes go, hats off to both My Thai and the India Village restaurants for tasty rice dishes. Though I not a huge fan of basmati rice, the outstanding way they combined fresh slices mangoes, pineapple and other fruits and spices to prepare this rice dish worked well and I have no problem recommending the India Village restaurants to friends.

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Overall the display put on my the Marquis Gardens stood out for us. From the allure of the chocolate covered fruit from the chocolate fountain, to the cajun shrimp that’s flambéed in front of you… these guys really know how to steal a show. You can see one of the head chefs in action in the picture at the top of this post.

I’d say there were about 200+ people at any given time at the event, but it never felt crowded, nor were there long lines to sample any of the goodies. The live music from the Ron Palangio Band added a nice touch to the event as it gave you the feeling that you were just hanging out with friends on a Friday night. Even though you didn’t know anyone. Even if you’re not into food or wines, the opportunity to network is well worth the price of admission as far as I’m concerned.

The price of admission was $40 a person and though some may think it’s a bit pricey, it’s well worth it. There was a huge selection of food to try, the wines and beers were just as plentiful and as I touched on above, this was an excellent event to network. Additionally I must mention that proceeds from the Taste of Ancaster goes to local charities as well.

We highly recommend that you be part of this event next year (usually held in June) and come out meet people from your community and support a good cause.

Location: Marquis Gardens 1365 Sandhill Drive, Ancaster, ON

Price of admission: $40 (fully inclusive, so no buying tickets to sample as other events)

Who: This is part of the Ancaster Heritage Days celebrations and is put on my the Ancaster Knights of Columbus.

Special thanks to Mary Ann Leach and Scott Rastin for generously accommodating us.

*If you’d like to have us cover your event or do a review of your business and give it a boost of exposure from the 1000′s of visitors that visit us daily, please contact us.

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It’s always a good sign when you walk into a place and the locals are packed in there, not to mention there was a table full of our boys in blue (Hamilton’s finest). If the local police were having breakfast here, the food must be good. As I mentioned it was a few years since my last visit and I wasn’t sure if things had changed. I was quite surprised to see Nick still hovering over the flat top cooking up a fresh batch of those wonderful breakfast potatoes they serve.

We were greeted by the waitress on duty this morning and asked if we wanted a booth or of we’d like to sit at the counter. Back in the old days I would sit at the counter since it was just me, plus it gave me a chance to watch Nick cook. Since all the booths were packed we opted to have coffee at the counter until a table cleared. We only had to wait about 5 minutes before we got seated, had menus in hand and coffee was being poured into cups for us. No decaf, so I had no choice but to go for the real deal this morning. Overall it was a pleasant cup of coffee and came with regular top-ups.

There’s a few options as far as breakfast goes (see pic of menu below), but we opted for the “Classic”. Which was Bacon or Ham or Sausage with 2 large eggs, home fries and toast (2 pieces cut in 4)  which goes for $3.95. Caron ordered the bacon and I had the sausage. I knew she wouldn’t finish hers so I didn’t get the same meat as her… my plan worked. As I did eat some bacon this day as well.

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As I sat there enjoying the company, the coffee and morning newspaper, it also gave me the opportunity to people watch a bit. If you ever want to see the working class of a city, stop by a diner for coffee. What a lovely atmosphere!

Steve’s Open Kitchen is a small spot on James Street South and seats about 15-25 people (they now have an extended side), with booths that can fit 4 people, some doubles, plus you also have the option of sitting at the counter if you’re by yourself. There’s nothing that really stands out about the decor, but that’s expected for  small diner like this. What the place lacks in “pretty” interior, it sure do make up with the tasty food they serve. At relatively inexpensive prices. And you get a definite community feel once inside.

After about 5 minutes of so our breakfast arrived and we were starving (the scent in this place is amazing)! The eggs were cooked perfectly, so too the sausage and bacon, which was very meaty and not just a strip of pork fat. SPECIAL mention must be made about the breakfast potatoes. I’m not sure how it’s seasoned (yes it must be seasoned) but quite honestly (and Caron also agrees) this is the best breakfast potatoes we’ve ever had.  One word of warning though, ask for your toast without the butter, as it’s piled on there. If you like butter on your toast, ask for it on the side or you can get jam or marmalade packets on the table. I also didn’t really care for the paper thin bread used. I realize that we got a lot for what we paid, but I’m sure patrons would pay the extra to have a sort of Texas style toast. This breakfast deserves a better piece of bread, Nick.

Overall a wonderful way to spend the morning. The service is very nice and fast, so even if you had control of your time like us (we could have spent all morning there )or was on your way to work, you be in and out very fast. And well fed! Our final bill with tip came to $15.00 ($11.75 with taxes was the actual bill) and that was with unlimited coffee. There’s no actual parking on James street itself, but there’s a few parking meters around the corner on the side streets. So for about $1 you’ll have parking for about 1 hour.

Cheers to Nick and staff at Steve’s Open Kitchen. You guys are a true landmark in the area, serving up good food, in a wonderful environment.

Contact/Address:

Steve’s Open Kitchen Hamilton
149 James Street South,
Hamilton, ON L8P 2Z5
905-529-9913

* If you’ve been to Steve’s we’d like to know what your experience was like. Please leave us a comment below.

**If you’d like to be featured on OntarioAlive.com where your business, event or establishment would be seen by thousands of locals every week, do get in contact with us. We’d be happy to drop by and do a review.

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It was Sunday morning so the drive down the 401 was relatively traffic free…  in less than 1 hour I was already inside the venue (International Center) and registering to get in. Seems the rain didn’t deter people from attending as there was a steady flow of people purchasing tickets and grabbing their welcome bag as they made their way in. The welcome bag was one of those reusable shopping bags you can purchase at Metro grocery stores (I believe Metro is the main sponsor for the event, thus the branded shopping bag giveaway). However later in the day when I was about to leave, the bag changed to a “Canadian Living” bag, which was packed with a few goodies. Including the latest issue of “Canadian Living” magazine.

What a great use of space. The event floor was well planned (see pic below) and there was tons of room to move, line up for giveaways and stop to browse, even though there must have been a few thousand people in attendance during the couple hours I was there. At no time were people getting into each others way, so the flow of traffic itself was well maintained.

Highlights of the day!

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This was truly an event with ethnic flair, gourmet goodies, a wide selection of natural foods, cooking advice and an overall amazing experience for foodies to explore different aspects of local and foreign cuisine. And the selection of ingredients on display was enough to tempt anyone to get cooking.

Unlike other similar events, there were many booths with free sampling and for the ones that didn’t offer free samples, had price reductions on their items to make it more affordable for attendees to give it a try. However the ones were there were free samples usually had failry long lines, but the lines moved relatively fast, so you didn’t have to wait too long for that free bottle of flavoured Dasani water.

What stood Out For Me?

I love bread, especially the artisan types and I was stunned by the wonderful gesture by the people at the “Italian Home Bakery Ltd“. As I worked my way through the event, I was told by Vince (I believe that was his name) to come back for something to take home with me, and I’m so happy that I took them up on their offer. Last night’s dinner was made complete by the wonderful French stick he gave to me and for lunch today I had an amazing grilled sandwich made from the sliced Calabrese that was also included in the bag he gave me on my way out. Friends, if you’re looking for GOOD bread, give Italian Home Bakery Ltd a try. You can check out what they have to offer and how to get your hands on the amazing bread they bake at their website http://ihbakery.com/

Grace Foods. From the huge display (booth) they had to the cooking seminar they put on throughout the day, educating people about ethnic foods and preparation methods, Grace didn’t disappoint. One couldn’t leave this event without learning at least one thing. The info provided by the Grace Foods team was stellar.

Chetty’s. If “Chris” from Chetty’s is reading this, please note that our team at FierceSauces would love to do a review on your hot sauces. Please get in contact with us to give your blazing sauces some exposure. I got to taste a couple of the sauces that Chetty’s had on display and the one that really stood out was the lime flavoured one. Quite honestly, this was one of the better sauces I’ve had in a while and I was especially impressed with the after taste. But a review of the sauces will be reserved for our sister site. It was nice seeing these guys on display, showing some of the traditional hot sauces with a Guyanese heritage. Lovely display (see pic above) and great attitude. Just love your friendly nature and proud way you described what you do.

From the time you enter this year’s event and you’re greeted by the scrumptious looking whole roasted pig (wish I could get a few slices), to the friendly nature of all the people who had booths, the freedom to browse and really enjoy the show, to the many cooking lessons and demonstrations and all the samples of food and drinks… this is one of those “must-attend” events that you should etch into your calendar. Free parking and professionally run, you’ll really love this event as much as I did. I only wish I had more time to take in some of the demonstrations… like the one put on my the dairy farmers (cheese). And it would have been nice to meet some of the celebrity chefs that were carded to be there over the weekend. Maybe next year I’ll speak with Amanda to see if she can connect me with one of those chefs to offer a more in-depth side of the event to readers.

That reminds me…special thanks to Amanda Wedgewood for accommodating us at this years event. It’s nice that people are seeing the worth of bloggers and treat them with the same sort of professionalism they reserve to other forms of media.

Important Info.

Website: http://www.goodfoodfestival.com/

Location: International Centre, Hall 5 6900 Airport Rd (at Derry Rd), Mississauga

Festival Hours:
Friday: noon to 8pm
Saturday: 10am to 8pm
Sunday: 10am to 5pm

Tickets cost:

Adults : $14 | Seniors $10 | Kids under 12 with a paying adult is free.

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The Heritage Greene Shopping Centre is fairly new, so even though I’ve been there a few times before, I never really paid much attention to the stores that were there. Maybe this is why I had no prior clue about Marble Slab Creamery. It was a lovely, but cool spring evening and from the outside the store seemed closed (tinted windows?) so we thought that we were out of luck. However we quickly learned that it was open, when a flock of customers came out looking fully satisfied that they just indulged in some good ice cream.

There were a few guests enjoying an assortment of ice cream treats as we went inside (very spacious and clean). And since this was our first visit here, I kinda peeked at what the others were enjoying to get ideas for ordering. After-all, if they’ve ordered it, it must be good? Be prepared to be overwhelmed with choices… not just flavours, but toppings as well. This place has it all! But if you specialize in ice cream, one would expect that right?

The staff on duty were VERY helpful (and friendly) in suggesting flavours etc and giving us info on the general way one can order (hey this was our first time and we needed the tour). Basically we got what we would normally get when we purchase ice cream elsewhere, just so we could make a comparison. Indy and Kieana didn’t comment much about their order (at least no complaints), but Tehya was quite pleased with her  BUBBLEGUM order - Sweet and oh so pink, our Bubblegum is as fun as it is yummy. And I was QUITE Pleased that I could finally get “rum” ice cream. This is almost impossible to get in Ontario (Natural rum flavoring is blended with Sweet Cream for a taste of the Caribbean in a cone or cup).

Some pics … (click on each to expand)

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I won’t go into detail as to the many flavours, toppings and sizes you can get as you can see it all on the company’s website (see below), but I will tell you that you will pay “speciality store” prices (starts at about $4.50), but the ice cream is good. Is it the best I’ve ever had.. probably not! But it’s so nice having so many flavours to choose from, especially ones that are a bit hard to find at other ice cream joints. Like; butter pecan, rum, birthday cake, black walnut, key lime and fudge. From the pics you’ll see how bright and clean the place is as well as some of the items you can order.

Besides ice cream you can also get milk shakes, low fat frozen yogurts and cakes. From a quick glance I think the cakes are about 20- 25% more than what you’d pay at Dairy Queen, but since I didn’t purchase any I can’t comment if the extra price is worth it when it comes to taste.

Overall a great experience and a welcomed choice for ice cream on Hamilton’s East Mountain.

Address:

Heritage Greene Shopping Centre
1783 Stone Church Road
Hamilton, ON L8J 0B4
905-560-8988

Website: Menu of flavours.

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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”.

We probably waited for about 25 minutes before we were herded into the building where we forked out the $12 entrance fee, grabbed our tasting glass and purchased some tickets which allowed us to sample some of the food and beverages that were on display by the different vendors. Bear in mind that we’re not into the wine culture, so this review will not have much to say about that aspect of the show. Note: Throughout this post I’ll share a few of the many pics I took this night of the event.

Can you say crowded and poorly organized Layout?

As we worked our way to the event floor we found that we were getting nowhere very fast. Not only was it very crowded, but the way the event was laid out meant that there wasn’t enough space in the walkways to move freely. People were literally standing on each other at one point and if there was ever any sort of emergency that meant that people had to evacuate quickly, there would have been serious problems. Now I don’t know if this was the case all day, but when we were there in the late evening the crowd was very thick and everyone was getting into each others way. The organizers may have to rethink the use of this location and try to find one that caters to the true size of the event, without the risk of overcrowding. With a bit more space this event could easily be more user friendly.

The only place that seems to have any room to relax and enjoy the show, was the seating area where was set up for presentations. But that area was a bit away from the main displays and there were no presentations at the time. I’m positive that area get’s crowded as well when there’s  presenter on stage.

Wine and Beer.

As I mentioned previously, we’re not ones to appreciate wine as so many in the crowd did this night. However there was much to choose from and if you love wine and wine tasting, there was no better place to be this weekend. The area’s wineries were well represented and for the small charge for sampling tickets, it was a great way to taste what the region has to offer without having to shell our money for full bottles at the LCBO. Though I must say that some of the attendants enjoyed the sampling a bit too much. They were probably the same people I spoke about who were in the line to get in, who thought they were going into a night club. I have no patience or tolerance for drunks.

Additionally there were some breweries represented, so beer lovers did have some options as well.

The Food.

This is why we came! To be quite honest, I was really disappointed. Maybe it’s because we came a couple hours before day’s end, but the options were very limited. This event seems to have attracted more wineries than restaurants and others in the food service industry. I would have like to have seem more of the area’s culinary culture represented, but I guess it would make an already crowded event, that much more frustrating to browse. The only food station that stood out was the one with fresh tossed pasta (see pics) and the one catering company who have the chocolate fountain.

In the middle of the display area they tried to create a sort of open area where people could mingle and take in the sounds of the band that played live music. The idea is a good one, but with the size of the event and the way people were stepping on each other, this space could have been put to better use. Yes, people were appreciating the music, but was there not a way to move the live band/stage to somewhere up in the stands area? I’m sure they’ll get this right next year.

Overall you get the feeling that the organizers were hoping to have a classy event, and though it was crowded and there were a few in the crowd who sampled a bit too much, I think they achieved this goal. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves and as mentioned, if you’re into wine.. there was no better place to be. A great event, which Hamilton should be proud to host.

Will I be going back? Maybe next year the organizers will not ignore my emails asking if there’s media accreditation (very unprofessional) and if they improve on the layout so we don’t have sore toes from being trampled on we’ll reconsider. So far it seems like one of those things where you just had to say you’ve done it and there no real need to do it again.

TIP: If you’re looking for discounts or coupons for the event, check with local publications or on the event’s website. We were able to save $2/ticket with the coupon we got and I’m not sure how my cousins did it, but they got in for free. They work for the city I think

Important stuff….

List of Live Preformers.

Cooking Demo

Exhibitor List

Contact Info For the Food and Drink festival

Beau Monde Productions
244 Jackson St. West, Hamilton
Ontario, Canada
L8P 1M5

Telephone: 905-524-3689
Facsimile: 905-524-3466
info@beaumondeproductions.com

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