An Indian Twist on a Mexican Dish

Restaurant: The Smoking Buddha
Country of Origin: India

Location: 265 King St, Port Colborne

How was it?

Excellent with a hint of mediocrity. 

The Smoking Buddha, an Indian restaurant nestled away in the city of Port Colborne is one of the Niagara Regions best kept secrets. 

With a very unique menu and an equally unique venue, The Smoking Buddha is a small town restaurant with a big city feel. 

The Smoking Buddha boasts a menu that features Thai, Indian, and Mexican selections, which all have an unique Indian influence on the ingredients.
Despite the restaurants business, the atmosphere was unexpectedly cozy, and had a cool "indie" feel due to it's art and decor.

The service was quick and ridiculously friendly.

I ordered an Indian inspired burrito, which found it's way to my table quickly. 
The burrito was delicious and unique. 
It had hints of curry and copious amounts of meat.
The plate would have perfect if it weren't for the bland and overly dry rice served with the burrito. 

Overall, a mix of decent food and great atmosphere makes this restaurant a winner.

I would recommend anyone with a sense of adventure check out The Smoking Buddha.

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Italian Worthy of a Medallion

Restaurant: The Barrel

Country of Origin: Italy

Location: 224 Garrison Road, Fort Erie

How was it?

The Barrel is comparable with an Italian grandmother's food. 

The Barrel has been a staple of a Fort Erie residents diet for as long as I've been alive. 

Each time I've been to The Barrel, I've been treated with friendly service, gracious hosts, and warm personalities. 

The restaurant has a great Italian family feel (albeit with less cheek pinching.)

There's a reason The Barrel has been in Fort Erie for over 30 years; the food.

A combination of giant portions, reasonable prices, and copious amounts of delicious cheese make this restaurant a success. 

If ever you find you've taken a wrong turn and ended up in my small hometown of Fort Erie, I highly recommend having dinner at The Barrel before asking for directions home. 

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Weak Greek

Restaurant: Joe Fetas

Country of Origin: Greece 

Location: 290 Lake St, St Catharines

How was it?

The hype was bigger than the taste.

Going into Joe Fetas, I had heard many great things, and in return I expected great things.

From a 4.5/5 star average review on Google, to being featured on a National TV show, Joe Fetas has a reputation for being incredible.

There was nothing inherently wrong with Joe Fetas but it wasn't the fanatic, phenomenal, last meal on death row, dinner I was expecting.

It's possible I decided to eat at the wrong time, or that the chef was drinking ouzo before I got there, but the food wasn't as delicious as promised. 

The restaurant itself was nice.
Completely decorated in Greek decor, featuring large Greek columns, illustrations, and barrels Joe Fetas had an authentic greek feel.


The restaurant has a large dining room with an even larger set of windows. 

Unfortunately, in a Canadian winter, large windows mean low temperatures, and it could easily be felt.
It got to the point that I had to politely ask to be moved further from the window after I noticed my friend shivering while wearing a coat.

On a positive note, service was great; very quick and caring.
Ordering to eating took less than 15 minutes.
Portions were a decent and filling size.
I was brought a salad and bread before my food even arrived. 

Overall I could tell this was a good restaurant, I think I may have just come on an off day.

I will give this restaurant a second try, and you should give it a first.

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Return of the Burritos: The Frijoles Strike Back

Restaurant: Frijoles Fresh Mex

Country of Origin: Mexico 

Location: 3465 Portage Rd, Niagara Falls

How was it?

So. Damn. Good.

My first rendezvous with burritos was good, this encounter was nearly religious.

I was told about Frijoles Fresh Mex from a friend, and decided I needed to check out the small mexican themed take out for myself.

I'm very glad I did.

Both inside and out, Frijoles Fresh Mex looks very unassuming. 
It's not until you begin ordering that you realize the depth of the meal you're about to eat.

The ordering process was quick and concise. 
I was asked rapid fire questions about what ingredients I wanted in my burrito by what sounded like an amateur auctioneer. 

"White whole wheat beef  pork guacamole no guacamole hot sauce mild sauce brown frijoles red frijoles or golden...." the Busta Rhymes sound-a-like cook shot at me.

My expression must have told her I had no idea what I was doing.

"First time here? We'll take care of you," the burrito architect calmly replied.

Walking me through the order, and offering samples of anything I was unsure of, was greatly helpful and allowed me to create the perfect burrito.

The whole burrito building process took no more than three minutes, followed by a two minute grill.

The end result was like nothing I had previously experienced. 

This burrito completely blew me away; it was big, beautiful, and full of flavour. 

Because I personally chose every detail of this golden brown concoction, it was completely to my liking. 

Every ingredient was fresh, service was quick, and my meal was massive.

To recommend Frijoles Fresh Mex for Mexican take out would be an understatement. 

It should be mandatory for all Niagara Region residents to taste this food.

The only complaint I can think of is that the burrito was so large my, apparently, little lady hands wanted to cramp trying to contain all this manly meal. 

Seriously though, try this food.

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More Japanese Please

Restaurant: Wind

Country of Origin: Japanese

Location: Garden Park, St. Catharines

How was it?

I entered Wind on a cold winter day; stomach empty, and hopes high.

It was evident from the moment I entered Wind I was in for something special.
There was a line-up of hungry people longer than the corridor could accommodate.
Had the demographic of the crowd been younger, I'd have thought I was in line to meet Justin Bieber.
Thankfully this wasn't the case.

After a brief wait, me and my party were brought to a table and handed a menus.
The crisp gold lettering on the all black bound menu was simple and beautiful, the interior was anything but. 
Once I opened the menu I was bombarded with what seemed like thousands of options. 
As someone with zero Japanese food experience, this was a tad overwhelming. 

Thankfully my dining partners deciphered this hieroglyphic like selection of food choices for me.
"Go with the Pad Thai, mango sushi, strawberry sushi, cucumber sushi, chicken stir fry, and spring rolls." I was told by my friend. 

I may have been hungry, but that amount of food seemed a bit absurd for one person. 
Attempting to order solely one or two items suggested, I was assured I should trust my party and order everything at once.

I'm glad I listened. 
It wasn't until the food was brought to the table that I realized these weren't meal sized portions, but instead appetizers. 

The food was endless and I ate accordingly. 
Everything brought to me was delicious and consumed in approximately 3 seconds.
If you want to test your stomachs capacity, this is the place to do it.

If you're starving and can stand a crowd, I would highly recommend Wind.

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Me Gusta La Comida Mexicana

Restaurant: Chile and Agave

Country of Origin: Mexico

Location: 51 Hartzel Rd., St. Catharines

How was it?

“Las cosas buenas vienen para las personas que esperan por ello”

A Spanish phrase which means "good things come to those who wait."

This phrase can best be applied to the St. Catharines Mexican restaurant, Chile and Agave.

From attempting to get into the miniscule parking lot, waiting to be seated, given menus, or ordering, waiting was present. 

The atmosphere and decor at Chile and Agave was -- okay. 

The walls were decorated with sombreros, and the tables laid out rather strangely. 

I was seated next to a giant plant that tried its best, the whole night, to put it's leaves in my ear.

Needless to say this evening started poorly. 

Things went from bad to worse after ordering.

Fifty minutes passed and still food was nowhere to be seen, (other than the plates of other tables.)

The waitress must have seen the look of desperation and emaciation I was giving her because she brought my table tortilla chips and offered a free drink.

This was a beautiful gesture that brought my hunger and anger levels from hungry Hulk to slightly satisfied and slightly intoxicated Bruce Banner.

Alcohol and free food, the solution to many of life's problems.

It was a brilliant move on their part. 

Shortly after inhaling the free tortilla chips, my food arrived.

The food looked phenomenal, glorious, and a little flirty (Note: opinion may have been skewed by extreme hunger.)

Rice, a beautiful salad, and a massive burrito filled with beef, beans, and possibly magical sauces. 

This food was authentic, delicious and unique. 

My mouth was in heaven. 

This was seriously the best rice, salad and burrito I had ever had.

Was it worth the wait?

Possibly... 

For authentic Mexican food in The Niagara Region, there's no better place.

My only advice would be to avoid this restaurant if you're starving and can't wait an hour to eat. 

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Tasting Thai

Restaurant: Thai Dish

Country of Origin: Thailand

Location: 119 East Main St. Welland, ON

How was it?

Phenomenal.

When I first entered Thai Dish I was impressed with the décor.

Wall to wall, the restaurant was completely covered in Thai art, wooden elephants and soft acoustic music.

The ambience of the room was so warm I considered skipping dinner to meditate.

I was quickly seated with a smile and handed a menu by a friendly young waitress.

As I looked over the menu it quickly became apparent I had no idea what I was doing.

“Excuse me,” I asked, “what exactly is in the Crispy CashewNut Chicken?”
“Cashews, and chicken” she replied.

I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting with that question.

“I’ll go with that please.” I retorted.

I had never thought to combine the likes of chicken and cashew, and was quite intrigued by the idea.

The results were phenomenal.

A massive portion was brought to my table after what seemed to be a much shorter time than it should have been to create such a diverse concoction. 

It looked glorious; it smelled even better.

The sheer amount of vegetables and meat was astounding.

I've become accustomed to eating at franchise restaurants where the word “vegetable” is foreign.

To see, what appeared to be an entire onion, on my plate made me ecstatic.

The food tasted delectable.

I've never tasted anything with such diverse flavors.

Cashew nuts, carrots, jasmine rice, onion, and perfectly fried chicken; my mouth was in paradise.

I would highly recommend everyone check out this amazing local restaurant.

The only disappointment I had was that I wasn't proficient enough with chopsticks to eat as fast as my stomach wanted me too.

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An Introduction

Living the majority of my life in a small town has really restricted the potential of my taste buds. 

Growing up, I lived in a little town named Fort Erie.
Fort Erie is known for many things: the Fort Erie Racetrack, the annual Friendship Festival, and the historic Old Fort Erie.
One thing Fort Erie is not known for, however, is cultural diversity. 
With 91.3% of it's population registering as caucasian, Fort Erie isn't exactly the cultural mecca of the world; a fact, reflected best in the local restaurant selection.

While living in Fort Erie your options for eating out range from "that Italian place" to "that other Italian place."

Thankfully for my taste buds, this changed when I started attending college a few cities over. 

I still remember the looks on my roommates faces as I pondered over a menu the first time they took me out for Chinese food. 
"What's in a chicken ball?" 
looks of condescending confusion and disbelief found there way to me from all sides of the table. 
At 20 years of age I had never experienced the pure bliss that is a chicken ball thoroughly covered in sweet-and-sour sauce, nor had I any idea what General Tso's credentials were.

When my dish arrived, it was love at first bite.
The seasonings were both sweet and spicy, the textures were crunchy mixed with smooth. 
There were so many flavors I had never experienced, and this was only one dish.

Needless to say my curiosity was piqued and I made it my goal to find all the dishes I had been missing out on this whole time. 

This past summer I decided to introduce my mouth a much needed culture shock.

I searched high and low for the most exotic of cuisines within the region and have decided to document and review my experiences with this new and wonderful world of cultural cuisine.

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