Jack and Lois - 301 James Street North, Hamilton

Jack and Lois website:  http://jackandlois.com/

We decided to try Jack and Lois for a Sunday brunch this past weekend.  I had already tried this restaurant with the girls from work and enjoyed one of their grill cheese sandwiches.  This time we wanted to try the breakfast menu.

The menu consists of all day breakfast choices as well as sandwiches, salads, soups and burgers.  There were a few additional Sunday brunch choices.  The restaurant is furnished with mismatched tables and chairs which are probably 1950/1960s era.  The decor is the same.  The restaurant was quite busy at 1130 and people were asked if they wanted a seat on the rear patio if no seats were available inside.  Because they were swamped, it took a bit for our food to arrive but it wasn't too bad of a wait.

Dale ordered the Westerner ($14) which was a piled high western omelette sandwich with pemeal bacon and I ordered When Nature Calls ($13) which was an eggs benedict dish with a bean patty and homemade hollandaise sauce.  Both came with homefries which did look like the frozen type, 

We enjoyed both dishes and were stuffed by the end!  Prices are right about average for breakfast/brunch and the restaurant is a cozy place with a unique decor.  We will definitely try Jack and Lois again.

The Westerner

When Nature Calls

50s/60s diner style

Nique Restaurant - 30 Vine Street, Hamilton, ON

A last minute change of plans brought us to Nique last night, where we took my uncle out to celebrate his birthday.  We have had this restaurant on our list to try for a few weeks.  James Street seemed busy and without a reservation anywhere we walked into Nique just to see if we could get a table.

First off, the restaurant is really nice inside with an open style kitchen and large bar area in the centre.  When we walked in, we asked the hostess how long it would be for a table and were told 30 minutes and we could stand at the bar in the meantime.  There was a small table next to the bar so we ordered our beers and waited there.  The hostess came over about 20 minutes later and said that there was now openings at the bar for us but we told her again that we were waiting for a table.  She then said that a table would be over an hour wait.  We know that we did not misunderstand her when we arrived so were a bit disappointed in the service at the start.

We sat at the bar and were treated to great service after that.  The bartender/server was one of the best we have encountered.  This restaurant has a long list of craft beers on their menu, both bottled and on tap.  It was hard to decide which one we wanted to try.  The bartender was great at explaining the food choices as well.  We started with a small plate of the Sushi Nachos made with won ton chips.  They were really good!

When I read the menu online, I did think that the meal prices were a bit higher than some of the other restaurants in the area.  Compared to a few of our other favorite places, Nique seems to have a bit higher prices but the food presentation and the taste was excellent.  My uncle tried the Grilled Top Sirloin ($36), Dale had the Chicken Adobo ($36) and I tried the Mediterroccan Eggplant ($22).  The eggplant entree was delicious with the couscous and yogurt sauce and although it may not have looked like a huge portion size, I was full.  The guys enjoyed their chicken and steak dishes too.

Overall, this was one of the more expensive meals we have had on our ventures out lately and it was kind of disappointing about the mix up with the table versus bar seating.  On the plus side, the food tasted great and we ended up enjoying the seating at the bar.....especially because of the great service.  Also, if you like trying some of the beer from our local craft breweries, you have a long list to choose from at Nique.

Sushi Nachos

Chicken Adobo

Mediterroccan Eggplant

Grilled Top Sirloin

The Heather - 357 Barton Street E., Hamilton, ON

The Heather - http://www.theheather.ca/

Dale and I decided to celebrate our 26th wedding anniversary with a dinner at The Heather.  We read the Spectator article about this restaurant a few months ago and have been wanting to try it ever since.  I'm glad that we waited for a special occasion because the entire dining experience at The Heather is special!

Being born and raised in Hamilton, we have seen many changes along Barton Street over the years.  Having a restaurant like this on Barton is such a positive change.  The restaurant is located just east of the Hamilton General Hospital and in a stretch of buildings that are beginning to get some face lifts.

This is not your typical restaurant that is turning over tables several times a night.  You make a reservation for one of three dinner seatings (6:30, 7:30 or 8:30 pm) and you are there for the evening.  We selected 6:30 and when we arrived were greeted by chef Matt and his wife Meg who is the hostess.  Two other parties of four arrived at the same time.  We were treated to some sparkling wine for our anniversary, which was really nice.

The restaurant is such a beautiful space, I would say modern rustic, and chef Matt does all the cooking right there in front of you.  The menu is referred to as a "tasting menu" and you are served a seven course meal for $75 per person.  You can also add wine pairings with the dinner for $40.  The menu is changed up depending on what the chef is feeling like cooking or what food is available.  He gathers wild edibles to include in the dishes which is really cool.

We opted for a glass of wine and cider for our drinks to start.  Later on we had an espresso and tried one of their homemade sodas.  The cooking begins for the evening and then as each course arrives at the table, chef Matt comes over to explain what he is serving.  I am including a pic of the tasting menu for the evening so you can see the unique ingredients for each dish. We started with homemade bread, followed by cattail hearts, asparagus vichyssoise, raw beef heart, torched scallops, manorun chicken, sheep's milk cheese and then a milk sponge with rhubarb for dessert.  We tried food that we had never eaten before and loved it.  It is how each dish is prepared and served that makes the experience even more special. 

You can tell that chef Matt and his wife love preparing these dishes and providing their customers with a unique dining experience.  What they have done to the restaurant is impressive.  You also do not need a special occasion to dine at The Heather. Be prepared for tasting amazing food in a relaxed atmosphere and trying foods that you may not have thought about trying before.

I am including lots of pics....but missed taking a photo of the Beef Heart dish and the Chicken dish which looked at tasted so good.  It is hard to pick what our favourite dishes were but probably the Torched Scallops with hamhock dashi, samphire and knotweed and the Asparagus Vichyssoise with rock crab and wild garlic mustard!

Chef Matt in the kitchen

This picture just looked so cool

Drink Menu

Dinner Tasting Menu

Homemade milk bread

Asparagus Vichyssoise

Cattail Hearts

Torched Scallops

Sheep's Milk Cheese

Milk Sponge with Rhubarb