Quote:
Originally Posted by kwoldtimer
Rousseau, I've been told that there are a couple of good places in New Hamburg - have you ever had occasion to check any of them out in your travels between Stratford and K-W.
Also, what's good in Stratford these days? I haven't been out for dinner there in years, but there have always been a few good choices, it seems to me.
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To be honest, I don't know. My wife and I are basically East Asian food aficionados concerned with finding authentic stuff without caring much about decor or atmosphere. In fact, we've found that any evidence that more than a bare minimum of thought has been put into the ambiance of a Chinese restaurant is a surefire sign that the food won't be authentic.
Another sign of a good East Asian restaurant is when you see a jumble of bags, containers, purses, coats and other detritus piled up around the counter where the cash register is. Or along the hallway to the restrooms. The lack of a clever storage regimen and any attention to neatness in the environment means that the focus is on the food and only the food. This approach has served us well over the years.
But we dip our toes into non-East Asian food now and then. When it comes to Stratford, there are a thousand and one sandwich shops that will get you set up for a picnic along the lake before the theatre starts. The Mennonite sandwich at York St. Kitchen is a stalwart choice. Summer sausage, corn relish, mustard, cheese, tomatoes and lettuce on sour dough bread. During some stretches I'll find myself ordering one of these at least once a week.
For finer dining where the surroundings are more suited to a nice evening, a pizza done in the wood-fired oven at Pazzo is a decent choice. Bonus trivia: fairly renowned author Timothy Findley lived with his partner in the well-appointed condo on the third floor of the same building for the last years of his life (when he wasn't at his other house in France).
Otherwise, there are three super expensive restaurants in town where the per-person cost goes well into the three figures. Which seems insane to me, and I will never darken their doors, but enough theatre patrons are flush enough with cash to keep them in business. They are the Church, Rundles and the Prune. I'm sure their food is probably more than nice enough.