Review - Le Chinois, Hamilton

Yes, it was that time again, for our monthly night out for dinner. Bob is really getting into this, since we have been doing our dinners for about 4 years now. This time, we thought we would check out a great Chinese restaurant downtown Hamilton, called Le Chinois. It's an unassuming place on King St., and Bob had never even heard of it. I knew it was there, as it has been a place we frequented over the years for work functions. It was a favourite place of ours to entertain our Japanese guests from work. Bob was game to give it a try, since it was his choice this month.

When we got there, we were surprised that the place was empty. I know it was a Tuesday night, but after we thought about it, the degradation of the downtown core is to blame for the lack of people going out and enjoying a great meal.

We did the usual. We asked the owner to choose our menu for the evening, with no restrictions on what we wanted or could have. We like this format, as it gives the restaurant a chance to showcase their talents, and the "best of" for future consideration.

We started off with a Tsingtao beer, in keeping with tradition to have the beverage of choice for the ethnicity of the meal we are having. Bob wanted to try the Wor Won Ton soup, so we started with that. The soup was excellent! Nice size wontons, stuffed with shrimp in a nice broth, with the fresh veggies. A nice start, with homemade noodles to go with it.

After the soup, we had cheese rangoon, which were a deep fried wonton-like cream cheese. It was excellent, with a side of plum sauce. In addition, we had nice spring rolls, which weren't the usual soggy ones you can get. All fresh, and a nice appetizer.

For the main course, there were 6 dishes they brought out: Le Chinois Special Fried Rice, Kung Pao Chicken, Orange Beef, Deep Fried Shrimp and Cucumber, Tofu and Pea Pods, and Dry Ribs. Each and all the dishes were cooked to perfection. We weren't too crazy about the Tofu, but we aren't the veggie types...we tried it, and we did tell the restaurant to serve us what they wanted. The Orange Beef is their specialty, and it was fabulous!!

There was lots of food for us, and we stuffed ourselves, as we usually do. There was enough leftovers for both of us to take home.

After rounding out the meal with a coffee and a fortune cookie, we were pleasantly surprised with the bill....$125, with taxes and tip...can't beat that for 4 meals!

If you are looking for authentic chinese food, then Le Chinois is the place...it definitely beats the chinese food we are accustomed to ordering as take out. This place is top notch.

Next month, the plan is to head to the Danforth in Toronto for a Greek feast...to make up for our disappointment at Sotiris. Stay tuned!

Review - Sotiris Greek Restaurant, Burlington

Once again, it was time for the monthly night out for dinner with Bob. This time, it was my choice, and we had discussed that we should try a Greek restaurant. Our dinners had been good, when we walked into an ethnic place, and said to them to take care of us, so we figured that a Greek restaurant would be able to do it right. Bob had heard that Sotiris in Burlington was the place to go, west of the Danforth in Toronto.

When we got there, our waiter was a teenager, and we were a bit hesitant that he would be able to take care of what we were looking for. We mentioned that we wanted an authentic Greek meal, no limits on what to have, since neither of us have any dislikes. We started off with a Greek beer, and mulled over the menu. The one thing that we asked for that we wanted to try, was the "Opa!" cheese, which is a flamed cheese. Again, as in other visits to other restaurants, we weren't in a rush, and we were ready to try whatever Greece had to offer!

The cheese was good, slightly melted from the flaming, which went well with the bread. After that, we indulged in a Greek salad, which was tasty, to say the least. Greek salads are our favourites, and this was no exception.

The main course was a disaster! What the waiter had done, was order us BBQ ribs and chicken. We figured OK, maybe this is part of it. It wasn't the best ribs in town, but we figured this was just a snack of things to come. Fried potatoes and rice rounded out the BBQ platter.

After a couple more beers, we were disappointed when the waiter came back and asked us if we wanted dessert...we just looked at each other, and said not really. We asked him where the souvlaki was, where was the dolomadakia, and some tasty lamb? What was his answer? He didn't think we would like real Greek food.

This didn't sit well with us, so the owner came over and we explained our predicament. She said she has had problems with this waiter in the past, and apologized profusely for the screw up. She treated us to some baklava, which was homemade and delicious, along with a Greek coffee.

This was not one of our best nights out, and the waiter's tip reflected our disappointment. We were full when we left, but we could have had the same thing at a roadhouse.

Here is a tip for all wait staff out there - if your customers come in and say anything goes for a meal, check with the owner or manager, and make sure that you can offer the restaurants best plates to discerning customers. If you think you know best, then you will definitely have a short lived career in that restaurant. Customers and word of mouth make or break restaurants. Make sure you are prepared to offer the best you can to all your diners!!

As for Sotiris, we will give it a try again in a few months. The authentic Greek food we DID have, was excellent, and I am sure we will enjoy a traditional Greek feast next time. Mata guarantees it.