Restaurant review in Stratford, Ontario

I am told that many decades ago when the Stratford Theatre Festival first started in 1953 the choices of restaurants in this small community of 30,000, it was much less then hovering around 12,000, was rather limited. People often came by special trains organized by the Toronto Telegraph Newspaper. You had dinners offered by the Parkview United Church ladies, good, solid food but nothing fancy. There was also the famous Golden Bamboo Chinese restaurant now close for the last 10 years, fondly remembered and still up for sale, and maybe one other diner. In such a small community people had meals at home or went to Kitchener or Guelph for more choices on special occasions.

Today Stratford offers a huge array of fine gourmet dining, the only thing is that if you have evening theatre tickets for a show at 8pm this means having dinner at 5pm and making a table reservation a week or more in advance. If on the other hand you are willing to wait until 7:30pm for dinner then the town is yours as most people will be gone to one of the four main theatre venues.  This is why we enjoyed our B&B so much. At the Stratford Whitehouse www.stratfordwhitehouse.com we had an efficiency apartment with full kitchen, so we could cook meals, easy enough and relaxing.

We also took in Matinées so a show at 2pm is over by 5pm and then its time for cocktails and dinner afterwards.

We went for coffee at Revel Café revelcoffee.com, a very nice coffee shop, modern and funky decor. We had meals at Mercer Hall, www.mercerhall.com great food made from Ontario produce with a European flair and style, I had one of the best steaks ever, reminding me of Tuscany beef and Florence.

We also went to Raja Indian Restaurant, rajafinedining.ca/stratford the service was great, so were the drinks and food. Keystone Alley Café keystonealley.com had the nicest staff and great food.

Pazzo, the Italian restaurant www.pazzo.ca is not to be missed, the Chef Gilad Rozenberg makes his own Burrata in house, I could not believe it, this type of cheese is from the same family as the Mozzarella with the difference that the inside is soft and creamy. In Italy it is made only in the Puglia Region (the heel of the  boot). Their pizzas are also authentic Italian nothing North American about them.

Down the Street downthestreet.ca we went to for cocktails and meals, the kitchen is open late for after theatre crowds. Finally Features restaurant is the best for a great breakfast.

We also went to The Barkery (like in Bark Bark) its a healthy bakery for Dogs. See the webpage at
www.thebarkery.ca Their cookies are so good people eat them, all natural, hypo allergenic, etc...

Now I would be remiss if I did not mention Tim Horton the Canadian doughnut chain available everywhere I am told, sigh....
Well on this trip the infamous Dr. Spo who I am told is the North American Authority on Tim Horton doughnut (see Guinness book of world records) was with us and of course he waxes poetic about Tim Horton. I thought we would need the OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) to restrain him when we pass by the local doughnut shop on Ontario street. Apparently it is his considered medical opinion that humans can actually live off a diet of Tim Horton doughnut. It may be true if I look at our Prime Minister S. Harper who is know as a fan of the doughnut chain, he is known to have missed meetings at the United Nation General Assembly in New York to be at the opening of a new Tim Horton.

Though strangely enough, despite the fact that Dr. Spo speaks non-stop of Tim Horton, I never actually seen him eat one. Strange, very strange.

September

A funny month, the summer is coming to a close and schools are re-opening, life returns to its usual routine. The weather is changing and a new social season is opening. Have been very busy with my Club here in Rome organizing the first event of the new Season, a million details to think about. Members who do not appear to be able to read bulletins or give correct information.
Having to deal with the media, caterers, security and bringing people from Canada for the party. Hoping the weather is good that day.
New colleagues at work are getting use to life in Rome, want things to be like in Canada, do not quite understand that you cannot have lunch in Rome in 25 minutes, minimum here is 90 minutes. Coffee is not that American stuff served in a bucket called a mug, but rather a well prepared drink in a china cup not a styrofoam or plastic one.

They are still running around when everyone else around them are walking. They will learn, it will take 6 months or like so many others will start hating this place and long to return to bleak suburban Northern climes. Rome is a difficult place to live, compact city, high density, noisy, dirty, poor infrastructures, no big shopping malls, lots of small shops open at odd hours for North Americans.



You either love Rome or you hate it, in fact this city is an excellent place to test if you are a flexible person, if you are adaptable. Can you rise above pre-conceptions, can you change your way of thinking in such a way as to adapt to your new surroundings, some can, others cannot, so stuck in their back home mentality. Can you stop thinking about how much things cost, this constant conversion of currency for every transaction. Wanting to take the bus instead of a taxi to save a few dollars when in the end taking the bus is a huge inconvenience and no savings at all. Being intimidated by a person or a place because of a title or because of what this place represent.

Not understanding where you are because you have not made the effort to inform yourself beforehand. Making silly assumptions, why do they not speak English here, could it be because it is not their language. They must be very devout Catholics because of the Pope being here in Rome. No, Romans have always had a difficult relationship with the Papacy and being close to a religious leader does not make people more religious. In fact in Rome the papacy is discredited because of its long association with the city and the many scandals through the ages.



They will learn eventually, or they will leave disillusioned, so is life in Rome. Like the movie la Dolce Vita which speaks of the disillusionment of so many people at the failed social and political promises in the aftermath of the Second World War between 1950-1960, a lost generation. People come to Rome with illusions, but it is all smoke and mirrors and in the end you find your place or you don't. We will see how this new group of colleagues will fare.