Brockville Ontario Restaurant Tour

It has been a while since I have put up a post.  I spend the holiday season in Brockville and Kingston Ontario.  Unfortunately it was the best of times as my Uncle is very ill and we have found out he is not going to make it.  This is a very trying time for us all, but I would like to discuss something positive that I have taken away from this. 

I would like to thank some of the restaurateurs of Brockville for providing some great comfort food in a warm welcoming environment.  I enjoy good food cooked with love and pride and the people from Nan’s Kitchen, Tin Cap Restaurant, Jon’s Restaurant Luna’s Pizza and Bud’s On the Bay just that.  When traveling the first thing we run into are franchise restaurants because they have prime locations but if you go five minutes down the road you can find local gems serve home cooked food instead of the factory made cookie cuter products found in most chain restaurants.  All of the meals were good but I am going to discuss my two favorite places.

We visited Nan’s Kitchen twice the first time with 9 people.  For a small diner I was surprised how easily they handled the 9 of us who of course all wanted to sit together.  Our waitress had a lot of character in addition to being helpful and professional she gave a sense of being at home. (I got scolded for having my cell phone on my napkin and my niece was told that she could not have iced tea for breakfastJ).  That brought some much needed laughter to the table.  The food was amazing; the home cooked baked beans served at breakfast made the trip all on their own.  Between the 9 of us we ordered a good cross section of the menu, three of my family are vegetarian and the best review was all of the empty plates going back to the kitchen.  Nan’s kitchen is well worth the visit.

I have eaten at Bud’s On the Bay a number of times over the last few years and I can tell you this last trip was the best food I have had there by far.  Not only have they renovated the front of house but they have redone the menu.  I had three meals there and found that there was attention to detail in the flavor combinations, the food was prepared very professionally and the service was prompt and friendly.  What makes the experience at Bud’s is the little touches in all of the dishes.  The marinade on the portabella mushroom sandwich, the touch of honey mustard and fresh basil in the breakfast club, perfectly poached eggs in the Eggs Benedict and the best fried potatoes I have had in a long time.  It will take several more visits to taste all of the dishes I am interested in at Bud’s. 

With the boom of smart phones there are a number of apps that will help you find these gems.  Urban Spoon is a great app but there are several others even one tailored to vegetarians (Veg out).  I encourage you to take the time to find the local gems when you travel, you won’t regret it.