Review - Sizzle & La Luna on King St.

With the nice weather this time of year, Bob and I decided to meet up at Hess Village again, to enjoy a cocktail before we went to our choice for our monthly dinner. We decided to check out Sizzle Lounge, which seems to have replaced the old Ivories that used to be there.

We decided to have Grey Goose martinis ($15 each...), and looked at the menu for appetizers. We both ordered the baked oysters, which were delicious. The calamari sounded good, so we split an order of those too. The calamari was fresh, with a light batter, which we enjoyed with a jalapeno mayonnaise. This is a nice place to go, and is very upscale dining. A bit pricey for appetizers, as the bill came in at $100 with tip, but great none the less. We will be heading back there for a main course sometime in the future. Nice to see a classy place in the middle of Hess, which is usually the 18-25 crowd on weekends.

After the visit to Sizzle Lounge, we walked a block and a half down to La Luna on King St. It was recommeded as the better of the 2 La Luna's in Hamilton, although they are run by the same extended family.

We asked them to give us the best they had for Lebanese fare, and started with 2 salads...tabouli and another salad, which seemed to be a regular chef salad with deep fried pita chunks. Both salads were refreshing, with the tabouli being prepared properly...no parsley stems, which is the right way to make it!!

The appetizers were part of the La Luna platter we ordered...you have to forgive me for not knowing the official names of the dishes...I should have grabbed the menu, but I will explain the dishes, and you can figure them out from that.

The appetizers were: baba ghanoush, hummus, fried cauliflower and tomato, falafel, mushrooms, and some sort of deep fried spiced meat, reminiscent of a donair taste, but a little spicier. They were all excellent, with the hummus being especially good. The falafel wasn't dry, and the spiciness of all the appetizers were perfect.

For the main course, we had skewers of chicken and filet mignon, on a bed of rice. The chicken was done to perfection, but the highlight of the meal had to be the beef. The marinade with the taste of the grill, was a perfect match with the vodka martinis we used to wash down this great meal. Whatever the marinade was, we know that if it we ever had a BBQ, we would definitely look for a similar marinade, for our own backyard dinners.

We topped the meal off with some baklava, and coffee, and walked out with a bill of $95, including tip.

All in all, it was a great experience of Meditteranean food, and we will definitely go back again, and perhaps even try the La Luna on the Mountain next time. If you are looking for great food at a great price, try La Luna, you won't be disappointed!

See you here next month!!

Review - The Keg, Hamilton, Ontario

I am a little late getting to this post, but better late than never!! Bob and I had our monthly get together 2 weeks ago. I was on vacation with the kids last week, so I didn't get a chance to get on the computer much with the kids here. So, here goes....

We met up at Hess Village, at the Gown and Gavel, for a few drinks, to sit and get caught up with each other as to what's been happening. Hess Village is a nice place to relax, with numerous bars and patios. We tend to stick to the G&G, but the other bars look ok. While we sat and had a few beers and some appetizers, we decided to head up to the Keg for dinner for this month. Although it wasn't our usual fare of walking into a restaurant and asking for the staff to serve us their specialties, it's a good standby for getting a great meal.

We started off with martinis, which we considered as salads, since there was an olive in them...next time, we will ask for Grey Goose, and really enjoy the martini!

Since we had appetizers at Hess, we went right into the Prime Rib. Bob and I ordered the Keg cut, and we were a little disappointed with the size. Seemed to us that the portions were a little on the light side, from what we had remembered. We checked with the waiter, and he assured us that it was the right cut. Regardless of the size, it was delicious. I don't think there is another restaurant that can give a better Prime Rib meal out there...feel free to let me know if there is a better place, and we will add it to the list for future consideration.

For dessert, we indulged in a Keg special coffee, which was standard. No big surprises with that. A special coffee is a special coffee!

Although the meal wasn't as exciting as we have experienced in the past, it was a good, hearty meal, and that is what we were looking for, for the evening.

If you want a good meal, you can't beat the Keg for prime rib.

The plan is to get together again the third week of September for another night out. We haven't decided what or where, but I am sure Greek food is on the menu, to make up for the disappointing meal we had a couple of months ago. We both have a craving for a good lamb dinner, so we will see what happens.

Until next time, enjoy your next meal out!