50 replies to this topic

[Alex]

Sorry, I mistakenly posted this in the Heartland forum first.

Ms. Alex and I spend three or four days in Stratford each year. Our current favorite is Sapori Pasta and Seafood House, an authentic and reasonably priced Italian restaurant. We like the food at Bijou very much but during busy times, with the small room and open kitchen, we walk out smelling like we had worked a shift on the sauté line. We haven't been to Down The Street in several years but used to like it very much. York Street Kitchen is reliable. We also like Tango Coffee Bistro for coffee and pastry or a light lunch, or just hanging out. We haven't been to The Belfry (at The Church) but probably will try it this year. We generally avoid Rundles, The Old Prune, and The Church.

Are there any other recommendable places in or near Stratford? For example, we've heard some good things about Woolfy's, in St. Mary's, but have never been there. The Brittany and The Waterlot, both in New Hamburg and both apparently French-oriented, sound like they might be promising.

[Stalder]

I can say only good things about both Down the Street and Woolfy's in terms of value for money and good quality food.

We eat at Woolfy's at least once a year, and the food while not overly fancy is always prepared perfectly, and I do mean perfectly. When he can't get top notch ingredients for menu items he simply won't make them. He uses local ingredients as much as possible. Desserts are good. You simply cannot get a bad meal at Woolfy's

Down the Street is a fresh funky casual bar, with upscale bar food of very good quality. The frites with aioli are always a treat, and the lunch and dinner menu's have plenty of variety at a very reasonable price. Desserts are good here too. This isalso a fun place to people watch.

We also like York Street sandwiches for a quick lunch and I agree completely with your opinion of bijou.

[innocente]

Living less than 2 hours from Stratford and being diehard theatre goers we make the trip several times a year - sometimes for a weekend, but more often for a matinee and dinner.
Bijou has become a favorite - but really more during the top and tail of the season when reservations are easier to come by. The food is consistently very good, the service friendly and the value excellent compared to most of the higher end places in town.

Down the Street was our past favorite, but in the last two years we've felt that the food has suffered as the "scene" has escalated. I guess it depends which you're after as to whether you will still enjoy it as much as previously.

Woolfy's is on the list and has been for some time. Maybe next year.

Just a bit further down the road is our find of this year "Smith and Latham" in St. Mary's - a bright and airy bistro type restaurant. We had a very good dinner ( I'm sorry but the details escape me) and superb service. The hostess/ owner is particularly charming. Her husband is a wine geek and is in charge of the wine list, which has some interesting picks from Niagara. We'll certainly return during next season - even though it's in the opposite direction from home.

Cheers,

Kathy

[KMPickard]

Oops! I just realized that I was still logged in under my SO's handle.

I'd never want to be accused of putting words in his mouth.

Kathy

[Alex]

I called the other night to make a reservation at Woolfy's and got a recording saying they were closed until mid-February because of vandalism. In St. Mary's?!!

Kathy, can you or your husband reconstruct any of Smith and Latham's menu? They don't seem to have a web site. Thanks.

[gourmande]

Might I also suggest the Bijou (downtown Stratford) and the Westover Inn (St Mary's). Neither will disappoint.

[bookluvingbabe]

I wanted to bring this thread back to life.

My husband is coming to Stratford for the first time this summer--this will be my sixth summer of visiting.

Definite dining plans:

The Church--it is simply the most perfect dining experience, IMO.

Sapori--divine food

Boomer's--poutine. Need I say more?

The New Dundee Emporium--Tea, scones and clotted cream. Perfection.

The rest is up in the air--

Down the Street-- We loved it in 2003 and were disappointed in 2004. Way too much attitude and medicore food.

Bijou--we had to go out to get more food after dinner there once.

Bentley's Annex--there was something I didn't like, now I can't remember what it was...

We had service issues at Olde English Parlor and the Sun Room.

I'm willing to drive for a meal or two but Mr. BLB gets carsick so I want to stick to town as much as I can.

Any ideas?

Changes I should think about?

Thanks!

Jennifer

[Alex]

I wanted to bring this thread back to life.

My husband is coming to Stratford for the first time this summer--this will be my sixth summer of visiting.

Definite dining plans:

The Church--it is simply the most perfect dining experience, IMO.

Sapori--divine food

Boomer's--poutine.  Need I say more?

The New Dundee Emporium--Tea, scones and clotted cream.  Perfection.

The rest is up in the air--

Down the Street-- We loved it in 2003 and were disappointed in 2004.  Way too much attitude and medicore food.

Bijou--we had to go out to get more food after dinner there once.

Bentley's Annex--there was something I didn't like, now I can't remember what it was...

We had service issues at Olde English Parlor and the Sun Room.

I'm willing to drive for a meal or two but Mr. BLB gets carsick so I want to stick to town as much as I can.

Any ideas?

Changes I should think about?

Thanks!

Jennifer

What specifically made The Church such a good experience for you? Have you ever eaten at The Belfry?

We did get to Woolfy's last May and enjoyed a very pleasant meal. As mentioned elsewhere in this thread, the food wasn't "overly fancy" but was of high quality and thoughtfully prepared. It's about 20 min. from Stratford.

[bookluvingbabe]

I wanted to bring this thread back to life.

My husband is coming to Stratford for the first time this summer--this will be my sixth summer of visiting.

Definite dining plans:

The Church--it is simply the most perfect dining experience, IMO.


I'm willing to drive for a meal or two but Mr. BLB gets carsick so I want to stick to town as much as I can.

Any ideas?

Changes I should think about?

Thanks!

Jennifer

What specifically made The Church such a good experience for you? Have you ever eaten at The Belfry?

We did get to Woolfy's last May and enjoyed a very pleasant meal. As mentioned elsewhere in this thread, the food wasn't "overly fancy" but was of high quality and thoughtfully prepared. It's about 20 min. from Stratford.

We had dinner at the Belfry last year--it was decent but the service was sub-par, especially compared to the service downstairs at the Church.

What makes the Church such a good experience?

Either our waiter has photographic memory or their computer system is simply the best I've ever seen. He knows what wines we order from year to year. And what we ordered. (And which one of us ordered it...) It never feels forced.

That's a HUGE part of it.

The only similar type of service I can compare it to would be at Citrus in LA and now at Citronelle in DC.

The food....the food is amazing. We learned our lesson after the first few years and try to schedule dinner there near the end of the run--otherwise the rest of the meals become a chorus of "it was good, but it wasn't the Church."

The soups always blow me away. The foi gras (sp?) is great. The meat and fish dishes offer a wide variety.

Oh, and the chocolate desserts are pretty darn fine.

We tend to go on Saturday night, after the theater rush so it's not crowded and we can really relax and enjoy the food.

I'll add Woolfy's to the list to check out! Thanks!

Jennifer

Edited by bookluvingbabe, 22 February 2005 - 12:56 PM.

[Nondoctor]

Can someone please fill me in on The Old Prune and Rundles?

[bookluvingbabe]

Stratford--visit one is complete; visit two to come in August.

Mr. BLB enjoyed Stratford and the dining but I don't think he liked it as much as I do.

The highlights:

The Church--I was actually pretty disappointed. Despite a long-standing request, we were seated with a different waiter who just wasn't a smooth or as familiar with the wine list as my usual waiter. Mr. BLB liked the food quite a bit, I thought I had better there. The fois gras was tough!

Sapori--Again, I've had better meals in previous years. No pork marsala, no specials, and odd service glitches...

Olde English Parlor--Upgraded service, good food and the wandering ministrel seems to be a thing of the past.

Boomer's--What can I say? Poutine and good fish.

The New Dundee Emporium-- Tea, Scones, Devonshire Cream. Perfection.

Other meals--

Madyln's Diner--Nice breakfast

Foster's--Nicely poached cold salmon on a really hot day; odd pieces of rhubarb in my husband's creme brulee but not in mine. They comped his dessert and apolgized; he was traumized.

Boar's Head Tavern--Nice pub grub lunch before the theater one day.

Can't wait for August!

Anyone else been recently and have reports?

I didn't get a chance to try Garlic's or 38--both new since last year. It also looks like new places are going in where Curry On used to be and in the Albert Place Hotel....

Jennifer

[brab]

Can someone please fill me in on The Old Prune and Rundles?

Had lunch at Rundles last year. Notably I remember nothing about it except a nicely designed room, mediocre food, small portions, large prices, distant, perfunctory, formal service, stained seat cushions, and my overall disappointment at a mailed in performance.

Edited by brab, 06 July 2005 - 09:01 AM.

[Midwesterner]

I was in Stratford a few weeks ago and ate at Woolfy's (about 20 minutes outside of town, in St. Mary's) and Bijou. We also had a meal in Niagara on the Lake at the Hilldebrand Vineyard. All of the meals were good. The best food, I felt, was at Bijou, but I could understand that the wrong table might leave you smelling of "kitchen." We were in the far back of the restaurant at a window banquette. Service was informal (20 something girls--acting students?) but I really liked my hailbut with curry-spiced vegetables. The atmosphere at Woolfy's was very pleasant. We were there during a thunderstorm--moody! We heard the story of the break-in last Feb--very disturbing--a group of toughs, supposedly on drugs, came in looking for a safe and decided to trash the place, doing $80,000 worth of damage. All is orderly now. We had good food there, too. My husband had a Thai chicken curry that was full of cilantro and very fresh tasting. I liked my pate starter. Duck in a blackberry reduction was well prepared but a little ordinary. I didn't finish it (ok, I'm watching my weight, but at good restaurants I normally finish the entree). The food at Hilldebrand struck me as oversalted, but the setting was gorgeous--we were able to eat outside overlooking the vines. I had a mini tasting menu, each little serving accompanied by its own wine. Rather charming.

If anyone is going up there, I highly recommend the production of Sondheim's "Into the Woods." It is a high concept re-imagination of the original--set in a Canadian ice storm!

[bookluvingbabe]

I was in Stratford a few weeks ago and ate at Woolfy's (about 20 minutes outside of town, in St. Mary's) and Bijou.  We also had a meal in Niagara on the Lake at the Hilldebrand Vineyard.  All of the meals were good.  The best food, I felt, was at Bijou, but I could understand that the wrong table might leave you smelling of "kitchen."  We were in the far back of the restaurant at a window banquette. Service was informal (20 something girls--acting students?) but I really liked my hailbut with curry-spiced vegetables.  The atmosphere at Woolfy's was very pleasant.  We were there during a thunderstorm--moody!  We heard the story of the break-in last Feb--very disturbing--a group of toughs, supposedly on drugs, came in looking for a safe and decided to trash the place, doing $80,000 worth of damage.  All is orderly now.  We had good food there, too.  My husband had a Thai chicken curry that was full of cilantro and very fresh tasting.  I liked my pate starter.  Duck in a blackberry reduction was well prepared but a little ordinary.  I didn't finish it (ok, I'm watching my weight, but at good restaurants I normally finish the entree).  The food at Hilldebrand struck me as oversalted, but the setting was gorgeous--we were able to eat outside overlooking the vines.  I had a mini tasting menu, each little serving accompanied by its own wine.  Rather charming.

If anyone is going up there, I highly recommend the production of Sondheim's "Into the Woods."  It is a high concept re-imagination of the original--set in a Canadian ice storm!

How were the portions at Bijou? It's been off our list for a few years due to the tiny, tiny portions...

Thanks!

[Midwesterner]

I thought the portions were fine, but as you can see in my review of Woolfy's I didn't finish the duck served there, so my appetite may not be a good guide! I find that if I am having a starter as well, and considering dessert, that I don't want a mega entree. But since the place isn't cheap, I can understand wanting a bigger portion.

[Pookie]

JUst got back from a trip to Stratford and had dinner at the Belfry.

I have to agree with the person upthread who said the service was sub-par. I have never eaten at the Church so I really can't sompare there, but I have had better service in much cheaper places. We had to ask for refills on our water, and were only offered one slice of bread each. And it took almost 45 minutes for our appetizers to arrive.

As for the food I was actually kind of disspointed. I had the tomato and mozzarella stack and while the menu claimed charried tomatoes, I had under ripe cold ones.

The husband had the poutine that was very tasty, but found the fries lacking in crispness. They had not been soaked and blanched and were very dark.

The mains were also a slight dissapointment. I had the Bison, and asked for medium rare. I got what was obviously the end of the roast and it was more like medium. But the panko onion rings were superb!

Dessert was great, but I was again not pleased with the level of service. I had mentioned that it was a birthday celebration for the Husband and would have thought that would have at least meant a candle or a little something, I don't know maybe I am expecting too much.

I don't think I would rush to go back. I have had much better dinners for a lot less money. And I don't feel that the prices are in line with the atmosphere. It was much too casual for what we were paying.

[marlowe]

I was in Stratford last month and our innkeeper recommended the Globe, not far from the Avon Theatre. It's owned by the former chef at Foster's. It was open for lunch only, and had not yet received its liquor license.
Tapas style portions, and the food was excellent, nicely presented, at very fair prices.
Among the dishes we sampled were kung pao sweetbreads and lobster risotto.
I highly recommend this newcomer.
They plan to have a dinner seating, maybe by now they do.

[Alex]

Only 5½ months 'til our next visit to Stratford! Lodging is set and tickets will be ordered tomorrow, so all that remains is deciding where our three dinners will be this time.

Thanks for the tip about Globe Restaurant, marlowe. The small-plate menu looks appealing. The web site indicates they now are licensed and are serving dinner. However, the lunch and dinner menus, at least on the web site, are identical.

Avoca Restaurant and Bar looks like an interesting place. Any opinions about the food and service?

Also, is there any word on Garlic's? (I love the typo on their menu: Pork Tenderloink.)

Or how about 38 (no web site yet)? A poster on Fodor's says, "Like Bijou, these are recent Stratford Chef School grads who focus on using the freshest ingredients, often organic. If you don't mind the bachelor pad decor, the food is amazing."

After your first report, BLB, we started considering The Church's five-course tasting menu, including wine. However, for ~$US115 pp (drat that diminishing exchange rate!) it would need to be pretty special.

[bookluvingbabe]

Avoca had just opened when we were there in August. It didn't seem especially Irish so we skipped it.

The Globe looked interesting but we didn't go in.

Garlic's got a mixed review from our innkeeper so we passed.

38 has a very tiny little menu, smaller even than Bijou's so it's a gamble if you are a picky eater.

I would really strongly suggest the Church for brunch if you don't want to do the pre-fixe. (I will also confess that in August we ate there 4 times--once for the Caberet with the Belfry menu, once for brunch and twice for dinner. We saved our pennies like crazy.) If you go for dinner, ask to sit with Robert. He is wonderful and will take perfect care of you.

We had several lovely lunches at Boomer's this last trip. Fast, easy and tasty.

Overall, I thought the last two trips that the quality was going downhill at a few places, notably Pazzo, Fellin's and the Boars Head.

We haven't made our plans yet--waiting for more of the casting to be fleshed out , hopefully soon!

Good luck!

[Pookie]

Also, is there any word on Garlic's? (I love the typo on their menu: Pork Tenderloink.)

We have a Garlics here in London. The food is fine, Nothing spectacularly special but not bad. I think we have been twice. The cost is pretty reasonable.

No Idea what the service is like at the Stratford location.

Which shows are you going to see? I got my playbill in the mail yesterday and am already plotting.

[Alex]

Also, is there any word on Garlic's? (I love the typo on their menu: Pork Tenderloink.)

We have a Garlics here in London. The food is fine, Nothing spectacularly special but not bad. I think we have been twice. The cost is pretty reasonable.

No Idea what the service is like at the Stratford location.

Which shows are you going to see? I got my playbill in the mail yesterday and am already plotting.

Henry IV Part I, Much Ado About Nothing, and South Pacific. It'll be interesting to compare this year's Much Ado to their 1998 production set in 1920s Italy.

I agree with you , BLB, about the decline in quality at certain restaurants. I don't mind a tiny menu, though. I actually prefer eating at a place that does a few things very, very well.

[Alex]

I'm getting ready to make our dinner reservations for this year, so I wanted to bump this thread and see if anyone had any updated information. I'm especially interested in feedback about Globe, 38 (still no website), Avoca, and the post-expansion Bijou. Thanks.

[Stalder]

Well!!!

My wife and I just had dinner at Globe Restaurant, and we are smitten.

A quiet Thursday in March and as we arrived right at 5 no one was there yet.

without looking at the menu's we simply asked to have the chef start sending food out, with help from staff suggesting at least 4 dishes to share before desert.

First off was small cups of dashi, a bonito broth with noodles and veg. Delicous, very simple, yet tasty.

Next up came a venison carpaccio with soy cured foie gras crispy shallots and peanuts. This was GREAT. The gamey taste of the venison, combinesd with the silky foie gras, and some mint and chive oil, with tiny pieces of peanut for texture made this dish so awesome!!!

On to Lobster ceviche with sweet red pepper and chipotle foam. Again wow!!

The lobster gave such a clean taste of the ocean, with the fresh taste of red pepper and a little cilantro, followed a few seconds later with the mild burn of the chipotle. Hard to describe in words . . but a great taste.

Next up came artic char with potato pancakes ( I forget what the sauce was). This was my wife's favourite, I found it good but a little plain (not a big fish fan :) . . She went on and on about how much she liked it.

At this point the server asked how we were doing and I felt like we could use one more dish so I asked for one of the vegetable dishes. We had bok choy with oyster mushrooms braised in soy. Great taste , . . nothing overbearing letting the vegetables stand on their own.

Desert was AMAZING!!!!!

My wife had "The Egg" Chocolate pot du creme topped with caramel foam and madon fleur du sel. This was served in a real egg shell like a hard boiled egg!!

The caramel and fleur du sel went together like magic and then you could scoop the chocolate out of the egg. My wife was in heaven. I have the Sticky toffee pudding with ice cream. The server gladly arranged to substitute the vanilla ice cream for cinnamon ice cream. all the ice creams are homemade btw. This dish was just soooo good. Flavor, so old school and so satisfying!!!

OK

So we get the bill . . My wife had a glass of wine, and I had coffee.

$75!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now I will admit the portions are small, and those with big appetities will want a couple of more dishes but . . we were definitely eating off the top end of the menu.

I love food, but I have no use for pretention.

This restaurant is all about the food. And what they are offereng for the price point is so darn impressive.

We have not been eating out much lately, but I have a feeling we will be driving to Stratford often now!!

[Alex]

Our reservations are set! -- two dinners at Globe (inspired by Stalder's report) and one at 38. We also have a lunch reservation at Bijou. We'll probably hit up Boomer's, Tango Coffee Bistro, and/or Avoca for our other lunches. Report to follow in a couple of months...

[bookluvingbabe]

Alex,

When are you going? We just bought our tickets for the end of August and are starting to think about food. Can't wait to hear what you think of 38.

Avoca looks tempting and I'm definitely intrigued by the Globe.

Jennifer

[KMPickard]

Well, we're just back from our first foray to Stratford this year and it was a fine start to the season (Coriolanus, Oliver and The Glass Menagerie).

On the strength of the upthread review we decided on dinner at The Globe and we were not disappointed. Of the 6 predessert courses we sampled (we're fressers) 5 were outstanding with one, the Lobster Ceviche, being merely OK.

We started with Olive Oil poached Baby Fennell with light lemony goat cheese and parmesan cheese. It was a lovely light spring combination. Along with that we had the "Pancake Stack" described above (we both gave it top marks) and the Lobster Ceviche.

The second round included Ocean Trout Gratinee topped with crab and asparagus salad. Again, this was a dish suggestive of spring with the richness of the white wine sauce adding some nice, slightly acidic, depth. This was followed by the Venison Carpaccio described upthread. I will only say that it elicited sighs from both sides of the table.

Not quite finished yet, we went on to Sauteed Beef Tenderloin served with roasted red mini potatoes and fiddleheads seasoned with pesto. Simpler than some of the other plates, it won kudos for the quality of the ingredients.

Each dish was a little work of culinary art for the eye as well as the palate.

The desserts we had weren't quite up to the standard of the mains. I had the toffee pudding with vanilla icecream and, while good, it wasn't over-the-top gooey enough for my taste. L's warm lemon sponge filled with lemon curd looked very pretty on the plate but the dryness of the sponge detracted. The coffee to follow was very acceptable.

We accompanied the meal with 1/2 litre of 2000 Studertprum Reisling and a single glass each of a red (details escape me). They have small but very interesting list of wines all available by the glass, 1/2 litre or bottle.

For all of this the bill came to roughly $144, with $44 being attributable to the wine. We felt it very good value for the level of the food presented.

The plates are not large which may leave dedicated trenchermen disappointed. However, it was a perfect pre-theatre meal that did not leave us snoring through Coriolanus.

And, most of all, eating there was a lot of fun - something that's missing from a lot of dining experiences.

Cheers, Kathy

PS: I really admired the front of house service. They were enthusiastic and patient in conveying, repeatedly, the concept of small plate dining to a room full of diners who were largely unacquainted with it.

[Alex]

Ms. Alex and I just returned from four fun days in Stratford. (To any future play-goers this season: *do not* miss South Pacific.) Of course, we ate ourselves silly, so here's my report, entitled >> The Good, The Very Good, The Very Very Good, and the Ugly. << (All prices are in Canadian dollars.)

The Good: Stratford has a new Indian restaurant, Raja, on George St. between St. Patrick and Downie, across the parking lot from the LCBO. For Sunday's dinner we ordered the set meal for two ($42), which included Chicken Tikka and Vegetable Pakora as appetizers; Chicken Madras and Lamb (or Beef) Korma as mains; and mixed vegetables, Pulao Rice, and Naan as accompaniments. I'm nowhere near an expert on Indian cuisine, but the food seemed authentic and the quality was as good or better than most other Indian restaurants I've dined at. The decor was very pleasant, the service was good, and the time we spent there provided a welcome respite from the day's heat and humidity. For dinner, animal-based entrees are $14-19. The lunch specials, for $6-12, look like a good deal. Take-out orders incur a 10% surcharge. There's no web site yet.

The Very Good: We had eaten dinner at Bijou a few years ago and, as I mentioned upthread, greatly enjoyed the food but left smelling like kitchen. Last year they added a back room, so we decided to try them again for Sunday lunch. Like Midwesterner, we sat at the window banquette. The smell was still noticeable at times but was not as intrusive as in the main room and dissipated more rapidly.

We found the portion sizes quite adequate and the food nicely done. I had strip loin (five good-sized slices) with fiddleheads and fennel in san cocho (a Puerto Rican meat-based) broth. I requested it rare in order to have it arrive the desired medium-rare. Ms. Alex had sauteed lake trout with golden beets and almonds braised in a saffron, preserved lemon, and Riesling broth. Each entree was $15.

I passed on wine, primarily because the reds by the glass had been sitting out on the bar since at least the night before, re-corked or re-screwtopped but without any kind of preservation system like vacuum or nitrogen.

It looks like Bijou's dinner menu is now exclusively prix fixe; if you're headed there you might want to check with them about this.

The Very Very Good: I'll save this one for last.

The Ugly: Even without a web site to peruse, 38 sounded promising -- a Stratford Chef School grad as owner/chef, a small but carefully chosen menu, and local and organic ingredients -- so we decided to give it a try for Friday dinner. Seldom have we been so disappointed by a restaurant. The menu was indeed small -- five apps, four mains, three desserts. So was the wine list -- five reds and four whites, none terribly distinguished. We did luck into a lovely Liberty School Syrah ($30/half-liter) that had just arrived and wasn't on the list. If I hadn't spotted it at the back of the bar, though, it never would have been offered.

Our shared appetizer, "Seared foie gras with a ragu of wild leeks and celery root, rhubarb gastrique, and Haiwan (sic) black lava salt" ($14), was adequate; it's hard to go wrong with foie gras so long as it's not over- or under-done. Our entrées were reasonably tasty but meager on the protein, especially for the price: Ms. Alex's shrimp dish ($23) had just four average-sized (12-14 count?) shrimp, while my pork dish ($22) had three finger-sized pieces of overcooked loin and one tiny rectangle of soy-glazed belly.

The one chef and one assistant seem to have lost (or never had) the knack of turning out dishes in a timely fashion. Our app arrived about 15 minutes after we were seated, which was passable, but the mains took another 45 minutes after that. Bear in mind that there were only two other tables at the time, a three-top and a five-top; both arrived after we did.

What sealed the deal, though, was the service -- not rude or disdainful, just grossly inattentive. Even with only three occupied tables in a small dining room, the two servers/bartenders were way more interested in chatting with their friends at the bar than in seeing how we were doing. One server (not ours) did occasionally deign to check on his table's water glasses, but did not even glance our way. Our server didn't even get that far. Apparently this has been going on for a while; both local residents we talked with about 38 mentioned the deficient service, and one expressed surprise that they were still in business.

Perhaps the multiple spelling errors on the menu, which turned out to have been typed by our server, should have been our warning sign. From just the twelve menu items, we have: Haiwan; Ceaser; Parmigiano Reggano; anchovie; smokey; Isreali; cous cous; tat soi; pannacotta; bitter sweet chocolate; crème brule; organge; cardomom.

The Very Very Good: Now I get to go on at great length about Globe Restaurant, our Thursday and Saturday dinner destination and new Stratford favorite. Stalder and KMPickard have already posted about Globe in some detail, so mine might overlap with or refer to theirs.

As mentioned, Globe specializes in creative and sophisticated small plates artfully presented. As did Stalder, we left the food choices to Chef Max Holbrook and the wine choices, for the most part, to our superlative server, Todd. The wines, with apparently not a clunker in the bunch, are available by the bottle, half-liter, or glass. The glass ($6-8) is a six-ounce pour, and they'll gladly split it two, three, or even four ways.

On Thursday, for pre-dinner and the first two plates, we split a glass of 2005 KWV Chenin Blanc, from South Africa. The food started with a venison carpaccio with soy-cured foie gras, peanuts, and crisp shallots, followed by a stack of arctic char and potato pancakes with maple brown butter and crème frâiche.

Next up was lobster ceviche in a sweet pepper-chipotle foam, garnished with minced red pepper and teeny-tiny balls of carrot and cucumber. Then came thin slices of pork schnitzel with two Asian-spiced shrimp dumplings, in a port-sake reduction. With the previous two plates we split a glass of 2004 Stratum Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.

I then requested the olive oil-poached fennel with lemon goats cheese and parmesan. Todd made a great wine suggestion, a 2003 Prado Rey Tinto Fino, from Spain. The chef then sent out their "Lady Bird," half a peeled tomato with dots of olive, on a spinach-ricotta mixture, with pesto and salad greens.

Our dessert plate comprised a piece of light lemon cheesecake, a scoop of lemon sorbet, and a tiny glass of bumbleberry shake with two even tinier straws. Just right.

Todd then offered us a sample of a Peninsula Ridge (Niagara Peninsula, Ontario) Ratafia, the only one being produced in Canada. Great stuff, so of course we had to split a glass. Some very good coffee completed the meal. The total tab -- a very reasonable $120, including tax and tip.

On Saturday we again left the food and wine choices up to Max and Todd, and splurged on the wine. An interesting aspect of the chef's choices that night was that the order of plates/courses was more traditional, but with a twist. Todd had the brilliant suggestion of drinking several wines from Malivoire, a Niagara Peninsula winery that practices sustainable viticulture.

The food started with a smoky and full-flavored dashi with oyster mushrooms, red pepper, carrot, and udon noodles, garnished with snipped chives with their buds, accompanied by a split glass of 2004 Pinot Gris.

A half-bottle of a light 2004 Pinot Noir accompanied a double-cut lamb chop (split for our convenience) with minted peas and red pepper coulis. This was followed by a palate cleanser, a scoop of lemon sorbet mixed with a little Slivovitz.

Then came my favorite of the evening -- pieces of monkfish with a carrot glaze, on a smashed potato, in a fennel-infused tomato sauce, garnished with chives, chive oil, and dill. With the monkfish we drank a half-bottle of a terrific 2004 Estate Gewürtztraminer.

After this was the cheese course, so to speak -- four generous slices of a slightly underripe St. André on slices of a very good baguette (we finished off the Pinot Noir with this), then a mixed green salad with a sherry-hazelnut vinaigrette.

With our two, count 'em, two desserts we split a glass of 2000 Studert-Prüm Riesling Kabinett, from Germany. The first was "The Egg," which was essentially Michael Laiskonis's "egg" -- a hollowed-out egg shell filled with a chocolate pot de crème and topped with caramel foam and Maldon sea salt. The second was a stellar coffee crème brûlée with hazelnut shortbread and almond (?) biscotti.

Of course, we had to close the meal with coffee and a glass each of the Ratafia. The total, including tax and tip, was $180, still quite reasonable considering how much wine we drank.

Thursday's meal lasted 2½ hours; Saturday's was four hours but felt like two. Both times we were pleasantly sated without feeling overly full. I applaud Chef Holbrook's decision to not serve bread except when partnered with the cheese.

Stalder was absolutely accurate when he wrote that Globe "is all about the food," as was KCPickard when she wrote, "eating there is a lot of fun." She also hit the nail on the head when she cited the house staff's enthusiasm and patience in explaining small-plate dining. Todd also mentioned this mission to us, acknowledging that an educated public is crucial to their success. Here's hoping.

[Stalder]

Whew!!!

I was so nervous when I posted my review of Globe.

I am so glad others are finding the food as good as I did.

It will make me much more confidfent about posting in the future.

Meantime we are going to see Oliver this month and will definitely be eating at Globe :)

[HeatherM]

I'm glad you enjoyed your trip to Stratford, Alex. I've heard from others that South Pacific is wonderful. I'm sorry I wasn't able to catch up with you and Ms. Alex, but I'm almost moved in now, so maybe next time.

I had to laugh when you mentioned Raja, as I got take-out there last Thursday. I had the vegetable samosas, chicken Madras, a mixed veg, a eggplant dish I can't remember the name of, rice and naan (of course). For some reason I always over-order when I get Indian takeout, so I was still eating it on Sunday (and it was still yummy). I agree with your assessment - I'm not an expert either, but I really enjoyed everything that I had ordered. The chicken Madras had just the right amout of heat for me, and a good flavour.

I'm looking forward to trying more restaurants in the area over the next few months, and I'll be sure to reference everyone's reviews before making reservations.

[Alex]

Thanks, Heather; I'll look forward to your posts (I hope).

And Stalder -- no need to be nervous about your posts. I'm sure you've noticed the different perspectives eG'ers may have about the same restaurant. What really matters is reason and thought, both of which you obviously did for your post about Globe.