It's been a little while since I wrote about downtown St. Catharines and the many changes that have taken place, so in light of the many infrastructure improvements to our city core, I thought a bit of a gastronomic tour of our downtown would be in order right about now.
I got to thinking about this a little while ago as I exited the new FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre following a Friday evening performance and marvelled at the people walking downtown in the evening, many on their way to or from an event or perhaps a late-evening snack or dinner. After all, if we bring all these people downtown with the PAC, the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts Centre and of course, the Meridian Centre, you have to give them dining options as well, right?
I have always loved coming downtown to nosh, from the days of Diana Sweets on St. Paul Street and The Astoria on King Street to today's more contemporary dining establishments. While some tried and true favourites remain, many others we remember fondly have passed on to become a distant memory, such as The Astoria and Diana Sweets.
Still, there are always new places to experience, catering to a wide variety of tastes and at several different price-points. Let's look at a few of my favourite dining options at the moment, but remember, this is by no means a definitive list of everywhere you should go. This is simply a list of some of my favourites.
You have yours, I'm sure, and I welcome your suggestions for inclusion in this space in the future.
It's been over a year now since La Scala moved from their former location on Church Street, a cozy little nook near Queen Street, to a totally renovated space at 12 Queen Street, the former location of a fabled women's wear boutique. I've been there a couple of times since the move, and both times the dinner was inventive and very well presented.
My last visit was on my birthday last June, as we took advantage of their vegan dining options. Now, I should point out my far better half is vegan while I am not. However, I am open-minded enough to give almost anything a try at least once, and I have really enjoyed a number of the vegan options I have tried over the years at several establishments.
At La Scala, the menu is creative and ever changing, and in the summer you can do no better than watching the world go by while enjoying a relaxing dinner on their patio.
Just around the corner and down St. Paul Street resides probably the best burger on the planet in my estimation, at The Guilty Burger. Owners Winston and Penny have worked hard to make this cozy space next door to one of the walkways to The Meridian Centre a go-to destination before or after almost any event downtown. On weekends they stay open very late, so you can almost always get your fix.
The burger options here are extensive, with my favourite being the Amara burger, named after their daughter. It is not a fancy burger, but the quality ingredients are allowed to shine through because of that. Pair it with fresh-cut fries and your taste buds will thank you.
Incidentally, they have recently introduced two meatless burger options, a portobello burger and a black bean burger, the latter I plan to try myself some time.
The other burger haven downtown is The Works, at the corner of King and James Streets, and almost always full to capacity. The atmosphere is especially fun here, with 70s-era music filling the air and almost too many burger combinations to contemplate. My wife enjoys their meatless burger, while I often go for the turkey burger. The onion rings and fries are both first-rate, too.
It is hard not to feel good once you enter The Works, and the great people who serve you deserve a tip of the hat as they work very hard to make you glad you came.
Just a little further along James Street you'll find The Fine Grind Cafe, a haven for people with laptops or just chatting with friends in a relaxed, casual atmosphere. I've enjoyed many of the menu items over the years here, and all are well-presented and reasonably priced. They also have one of the best chocolate shakes in the city, served in a real glass tumbler, which is nice.
Head the opposite way along James Street and you can't help but stop in at Gord's Place, home of great meal deals and lots of fun before or after games and other events downtown. This place is even fun on a Sunday afternoon, as we discovered back in September.
The menu is extensive, with my favourites being the Gordo burger or the chicken fingers. The cheddar & ale soup is also extraordinary, by the way. If there is a game on somewhere, you'll see it on one of the many big-screen TVs at Gord's.
Heading along St. Paul Street towards the new PAC, lots of new restaurants have opened up to cater to the after-theatre crowd downtown as well as those working downtown during the daytime. The first of these to open was the Carlisle Cafe directly across from the PAC. They opened a few years ago in anticipation of what was going up across the street, and now that the PAC is open, the Carlisle stays open for pre-show dinners on weekends.
Very small and clean, the Carlisle Cafe boasts seasoned fries that are to die for, as well as several interesting brunch items on weekends worth getting up for.
In the same area is the newly opened Dani's Bistro, under new management apparently. I have not been since they moved from further up on St. Paul Street, but it looks great and is on our list of places to visit soon.
Walk the other direction of St. Paul Street past James again and you find the new home of Bella Noella's Pizza, formerly tucked away on Summer's Lane. They offer several interesting pizza options including several vegan choices, along with vegan cannoli made fresh on the premises. The pizza here is exceptional and very well priced for the quality you receive.
Back on James Street you see one of the best doughnut shops around, and I am happy they chose to spell it properly, doughnuts rather than donuts. Beechwood Doughnuts just recently celebrated their first anniversary downtown and although the lineups are not as long as they were at first, they are always busy and worth a visit.
They have a seasonally-rotating doughnut menu with some standard-bearers always there, and every one I have had is exceptional. Vegan never tasted so good!
Speaking of great-tasting vegan, today I finally visited Rescue Dogs, a outdoor barbecue operation set up at the corner of James and St. Paul where the old Russell Hotel used to stand. Even in the dead of winter, they brave the cold and offer up some of the tastiest meatless hot dogs I have ever had.
Asked how business is in January, I was told their traffic is what they expected in the summer months, so this summer should be gangbusters for them. Started in the fall, this is a small operation with a big heart: they donate a portion of every sale to animal rescue, thereby explaining the name of the business.
I had the Classic hot dog today, but will be returning to try some of the other interesting options on the menu, all 100% vegan.
If you're downtown on a Thursday or Saturday and hit the farmer's market, you can do no better than trying the jumbo Andrzejewski Perogies. John and Sandra Anderson just celebrated the second anniversary of their little business making big perogies, both for eating right there or frozen to take home.
The line up of flavours is astounding, with new additions coming along all the time. I am a purist, so the potato numbers are my favourite, but pulled pork, taco and many other varieties are also available.
These are the biggest perogies you'll ever find, based on a family recipe going back several generations. So two for lunch is plenty for just $5.
There you go - plenty of dining options downtown, all within easy walking distance of each other. These and many other fine establishments make dining downtown a pleasure and an adventure.
Bon appetit!
January 23rd, 2016.
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