Woodenheads Gourmet Pizza

Photo courtesy of trip advisor.com

I will be very blunt and honest when I say that we have been waiting quite excitedly for our trip to Woodenheads. We have been before and love it. We will go again. Keep reading to find out why...

Woodenheads is one of those places that is always busy. If you want to go - you're better to make a reservation if you can. Situated on Ontario street, it sees a lot of foot traffic in warmer months, and arguably doubles in size as they open 2 patios (one out front, on in the back) to accommodate. Don't be mistaken, though - Woodenheads certainly sees its fair share of customers year-round. Specializing in gourmet pizza, one quick glance at the menu and you'll see that they have come up with a large number of topping options to suit the interests of any diner. What's more - they also have delicious salads, appetizers, and other main course options including fish, chicken and beef - just in case you don't want something pulled from their specialty wood-firing oven (which, for the record, everyone should experience at least once).


Inside Woodenheads, the decor is simple and elegant. The restaurant is separated into two levels that are divided by a wooden rail with silver spindles.  A colourful mural climbs the wall where a staircase cuts into the space from outside of the restaurant. Other walls are accented by exposed brick and limestone, and the front of the restaurant allows light to flood inside from outdoors with floor to ceiling windows. And the pizza oven? It's impossible to miss but certainly not an eye sore, as the brick dome seems to almost be growing out of the floor as a natural focal point in the back left corner of the restaurant (the oven also does a good job of hiding the entry way to the kitchen, which, in any restaurant is perhaps one of the least attractive features). 

It is absolutely worth going to the Wooden Heads website found here so that you can gain a true understanding of exactly what they have to offer. Whether you're like me and you love pizza so much that you'll pay almost anything for it; or if you're like some of my friends and you think paying for gourmet pizza is a misdirection of your hard earned cash... I think there are options for everyone - and, most importantly, options that you won't find anywhere else. Check out what we ordered... that will give you some indication of what "gourmet" means to the owners of Wooden Heads.

Carrie: Lumpia Diavolo to start: spring rolls stuffed with blackened chicken, feta cheese and red cabbage, served with cambazola cream sauce and papaya habanero salsa. I then had the Americana pizza: tomato sauce, mushrooms, mozzarella, pepperoni and green pepper. 

Tonia: Caesar salad to start, followed by the Bambino Pizza: pesto, lemon chicken, feta, sundried tomato.


Todd: Calamari Mumbai to start: Indian spiced calamari rings simmered in tomatoes with lobster butter, served with fresh baked naan; followed by Lumpia Diavolo.

Samer: Calamari Mumbai to start, followed by Insalata Estate: roasted red potato, artichoke and mixed greens in lemon chili roast garlic vinaigrette, topped with blackened chicken breast and mustard seed sauce. 


Let's cut to the chase, shall we? Our server was great - even in a packed house, he was attentive and was very knowledgable - not only about food, but also about wines and other drinks. The result - we were well watered, well fed and happy. Wooden Heads doesn't rush you along. If you're looking for a quick pizza, maybe this isn't the best spot - but it's nice because if you order multiple courses (as we always do!), you have time to chat, enjoy and digest.


Here's what we scored the food:

Carrie: 5 forks. Admittedly, I figured that would be my score before I even walked in, and I was excited... but I was also worried about being let down since my expectations were so high. Lucky for me - that didn't happen, and I was absolutely satisfied. The Lumpia were nothing short of phenomenal. I will order them every time I return, no doubt. And the pizza... I know it seems like a "simple" choice, but I tend to go simple with toppings, and was certainly very intrigued by a number of other pizzas. Beyond that, I would absolutely try the other pizzas.  Ultimately, I was craving mushrooms and cheese. This pie got me just that. Oh yeah - and the perfect amount of green peppers and pepperoni. It was perfect. All of it. 

Tonia: 5 forks. Tonia loved her salad and said that her pizza was delicious. She didn't have much else to say - but, really, 'nuff said.

Todd: 5 forks. Todd was also succinct in saying "My favourites in one night. Never deviate, never disappointed".

Samer: 3.5 forks. Samer thought that the calamari was good, but sadly, the salad was the weakest Samer has ever had at Wooden Heads (where, for the record, he had been 3 times in the past 2 weeks). Some of the lettuce was limp on this visit because the hot chicken was placed on to the lettuce too early, while the rest of the lettuce was crisp... made for a weird and unfortunate combination. As Samer said, though, while he has had better experiences here, we do rate on the night - c'est la vie!

Overall score: 4.63 forks. 

Can't wait to see you again, Wooden Heads...

Kingston Brewing Company

Whether or not you are from Kingston, the history of the Kingston Brewing Company alone should be reason enough to ensure that it is absolutely on your list of places to visit. Established in 1986, KBC is the oldest brew pub in Ontario and the oldest wine-producing pub in Canada. As they explain on their website (found here), "beers, wines, ciders and soda pops are made on the premises" - and believe me when I say the list is long and pretty much guarantees everyone the opportunity to find something they'd like to drink. To top it all off, home-brews are also included in some of the food recipes. There truly is no other place like KBC in the city of Kingston - which is probably a very good reason behind the constant crowd inside.

At their Clarence Street location, the Kingston Brewing Company offers three seating options during warm months of the year - a front "street-side" patio, a back patio courtyard, and inside the restaurant. For this visit, we chose to sit out back in the courtyard, and I was really impressed by how cool it was during one of the warmest weeks we've seen so far this summer. Decorated with simple hanging lights, plants and tapestries under tarps that provide refuge from the sun and elements, the patio offers a cozy atmosphere for a good number of patrons - in fact, more than I expected would be possible while walking in from the sidewalk. Having been to KBC in the past, I can honestly say that the patio is similar to the inside in one key way - both areas encourage a fun and friendly dining space. 

The menu at KBC is very obviously a "pub" menu when you open it, but it certainly has some things that set it apart from others. As mentioned before, many options are cooked with the "home brews" made on site. KBC also offers a variety of authentic smoke house options, unbelievably delicious chicken wings, and homemade BBQ sauce on the table that, as Todd says, "is a really nice and delicious alternative to ketchup". The other thing about the menu that makes it different from others? Quotes, descriptions of food and sketches of the iconic dragon that show the playful side of the pub and its owners. I won't give any away - instead, I encourage you to head down to KBC yourself and have a peak. While you explore the menu for fun, be sure to find something that you'd like to eat - I'm sure you won't have any trouble. In fact, perhaps the "High Roller Special" would interest you - a bottle of Dom Perignon served with a double order of wings. Who doesn't like a little Dom with dinner?

Todd, Samer and I were on our own this week as Tonia was in Halifax visiting family (we missed you, Tonia!), and here is what we ordered:

Carrie: Torpedo Steak Sandwich: Canadian beef topped with onions, homemade ghetto sauce and mozzarella cheese, served on a fresh baguette with chips. Oh yeah - and I ordered a dill pickle. Because you can. 

Samer: Ghetto Style Dragon Wings: Called "Wings like you wouldn't believe" by Where to eat in Canada, the wings are marinated in KBC's own sauce and charbroiled with their famous BBQ sauce. The wings are NOT deep fried - but the fries served on the side are :)

Todd: Smoked Pulled Pork Sandwich: KBC says that they've taken an American classic and given it Canadian citizenship with this sandwich - topped with coleslaw and their own cranapple cider ghetto sauce, served on a fresh-baked kaiser with a side of fries.

Service at KBC was excellent. Our server saw us regularly, but wasn't a pest - a nice happy medium; which, to be honest, was a surprise given that she was coming in and out from restaurant to patio, and I have certainly been neglected on patios before (is it me?).  Our glasses were kept full and our bellies were satisfied in no time as delicious food was delivered quickly to our table. First impression? Wow... It made me hungry. I could look at any of our three plates and feel my mouth watering. I can say with confidence that I would have eaten any of what was delivered - and I was certainly happy with what I ordered.

So, I might as well get right to it. Here are our ratings:


Carrie: 5 forks. I had no doubts about this rating at all. I was super happy with my meal - it was fantastic. The ghetto sauce on the sandwich is delicious, the steak was amazing and the fries were really good too. I had actually had fries at KBC in the past and wasn't nearly as happy with them as I was on this visit. They were wonderfully satisfying. Oh - and that pickle? HUGE, and delish. 
(I should have put my hand or phone next to the pickle so that you could see the scale... but I didn't think of that because I was in awe. My apologies!)

Samer: 5 forks. Samer has been before for the wings and has liked them, but said that this time they were 100% satisfying and that they exceeded his expectations. "Best unhealthy meal I've had all week!" Doesn't get much better than that!

Todd: 4.75 forks. Todd thought that his food was all very good and that he would definitely order it again. He loved the BBQ sauce, stating "I'm kinda saucy, so me liking the sauce just works"... and I couldn't agree more.

Overall score: 4.9 forks. 

Well done, KBC. Not only will I be back, but hopefully a score like that will ensure that people reading this will venture down too. 

Photo courtesy of the KBC website

Fuji Sushi

For this edition of the adventure, we headed back to the west end - to Fuji Sushi. If you're like me, and you ate at Cora's for breakfast or brunch a lot before it closed, you'll have no trouble finding Fuji Sushi, as it has taken its place. (For those of you who don't know where it is, head to the Cataraqui Town Centre - look to the west from there, and it's in the plaza behind Goodlife). The interesting thing is that walking in, the floor plan has remained the same, so it still feels a bit like Cora's - but the new owner/operators have done a good job choosing simple accents that help you quickly understand that not only has there been a change, but it really isn't a breakfast joint anymore - this is where you can come to get some fantastic Japanese cuisine.


Samer, Kendra (welcome back!!) and Todd had been to Fuji Sushi before and were familiar with the style, but things started out... well, confusingly for me and Tonia. Sure, you are given a menu just like in other restaurants - but right away you'll notice a few differences. First - there are no prices listed next to the descriptions of food. The reason? Fuji Sushi is an all-you-can-eat place. Adults pay one amount ($20.95 for dinner, $13.95 for lunch - and lower prices are offered for seniors and kids) and you eat what you can. Ultimately, you are completely in control of your adventure (you can even save 10% by paying your bill in cash!)... and that brings me to the next major difference: the ordering sheet. At Fuji Sushi, instead of placing your order by telling the server, you fill out an ordering sheet by marking the number of each item you'd like in a little box beside the item. Want just 1 chicken wing? Write a 1 in the box. Want 3 spicy tuna rolls? Write a 3. Want 40 pieces of salmon? Write the number 40. (You get the idea... and for the record, yes... there were 40 pieces of salmon ordered to our table - in the first round!). I have never seen anything quite like it - so it took me a little while to get used to the idea, but I have to admit - once I got used it it, I liked it a lot! It was pretty great to be able to order small amounts of things in order to try them out - if I didn't like it; no bit deal - none wasted. If I did like it, I got to order more. 

The four of us had beautifully presented plates quickly coming and going. Certainly, with so many different orders, there were a couple of serving mistakes, but ultimately, it didn't matter - if something was missed, we just ordered it again and it would appear - almost like magic. Time and time again, plates were gorgeous and yummy. Sure - I didn't necessarily like everything that came my way, but that just might happen from time to time when you eat at a new restaurant... and it didn't really matter - because I'd just order something new!

I didn't keep track of everything that came our way - but let me give you a bit of a run-down of things that we had...

Miso Soup
Spring Salad
Chicken Teriyaki
Beef Teriayaki
General Tao
Salmon
Shrimp
Spicy Salmon Roll
California Roll
Spring Rolls
Dumplings

And the list went on and on and on. Check out the pictures to see some of our choices - and here are our reviews:

Carrie: 4 forks. Overall, it was a pretty cool experience and the food was good, too. The General Tao Chicken was my favourite.

Tonia: 4 forks. Tonia thought that the food was really tasty. She thought that the spring rolls were a little gooey inside, but she really liked the dumplings. Tonia said that everything was nice, but nothing "knocked my socks off". A very neat experience, however overwhelming it began.

Kendra: 5 forks. Kendra has been to Fuji Sushi before and thought that it was delicious as always (Kendra had to join us again on our adventure when she discovered where we were headed and she certainly wasn't disappointed in her decision to do so!). A direct quote "Good fishes, but I had restraint and I didn't get fish head" - which apparently is the giddiness that occurs as a direct result of eating excessive amounts of sushi.

Samer: 5 forks. Samer loved the shrimp. He ate 28 pieces of shrimp and about 50 pieces of salmon. Samer was, as he said "speechless and stuffed". It's about time Samer got to eat somewhere that he believes deserves a high score.

Todd: 5 forks. Todd liked this experience at Fuji Sushi more than his first experience and enjoyed everything that he had. The spicy salmon didn't seem to be spicy, but that didn't upset him much (which is very apparent by his score!).

Overall score: 4.6 forks.

Well done, Fuji Sushi. Well done. The message to readers? Go and get it.

The next adventure write-up should be soon as Samer, Todd and I went to Kingston Brewing Company for the last adventure. Soon - we will be off to Woodenheads!

Haper's Burger Bar

I am going to admit that I wasn't excited for our visit to Harper's Burger Bar... Why? Well, Tonia and I visited Harpers not long after it opened, and we were so disappointed with the food that - in spite of the amazing reviews we were hearing from friends and strangers - we never went back. Here, though, is where I continue my trend of being honest and admit that - here it comes - I was wrong.

Let me tell you a bit more about Harper's before I describe exactly how I know that I was wrong...

Self-described as "Kingston's Local Burger Joint", Harper's is, like many other stops on our adventure, situated in downtown Kingston on Princess Street. It really is nice to see places that are thriving in a downtown that seems to have shifted over the last couple of years to having many empty store fronts; and Harper's really is thriving. Offering a "choose your own adventure" style of burger-dining that allows you to choose appetizers, salads, burger toppings, burger patty (choose from beef, turkey, chickpea, shroom, chicken breast - grilled or spicy fried, wild salmon and lamb!), bun (choose from white, whole wheat, pretzel bun, lettuce-top, vegan and gluten free!) and side (choose from fries, waffle fries, salad, coleslaw - creamy or tangy, poutine on fries or poutine on waffle fries!), Harper's really allows to you be completely in control of your meal for each and every aspect. The only way that they could give you more control is to let you into the kitchen to cook your meal yourself... but if that's what you want, then you might as well stay home, and what fun would that be?!


At first glance, the menu is slightly overwhelming... but - hold on, take your time, and you realize that it is actually really well laid out and makes perfect sense - guiding you through your options right down to the last crumb. The atmosphere, on the other hand, is anything but confusing - in fact, Harper's has a comfortable, modern design that feels open and bright. From exposed brick on the walls to wooden booths with clean lines to hanging light bulbs and coloured glass panels separating customers from the door, each design element is simple, but together, creates a fantastic environment that adds to your dining experience. Harper's has even managed to put a small patio out front - adding to the summer experience for patio lovers. 


The service at Harper's is good. On our night, it wasn't great, but it was good. When we first sat down, one server took our drink order because he happened to be free, and the nice thing was that another server delivered our drinks and they knew where they went. As our friend Karla, who was joining us for dinner stated: "That was very good - there wasn't any 'auctioning off' of drinks!". Such a simple thing if the staff are paying attention, and it was a nice gesture. From there, the service continued to be good - our server was attentive and certainly delivered things in a timely fashion - but the drawback was that she almost seemed too rushed. At the end of the meal, for example, her final sentence (while some were just finishing wiping their mouths with their napkins) was "Anyone for coffee, tea, dessert, bills, how would you like the bills, all separate? Okay!" and she rushed off. Many at our table hadn't even heard her ask and were confused when the bills arrived... but ultimately, not the worst service we've ever had.


Here's what we all decided to order:
Carrie: Deep fried pickles to start (gotta try them everywhere!!), and the smokehouse burger (applewood smoked cheddar, seed to sausage molasses-cracked pepper bacon, crispy onion straws, S. Carolina BBQ sauce) with a chicken burger on a pretzel bun and a side of poutine.

Tonia: Shared my deep fried pickles (although I wouldn't let her have too many!), and ordered the deluxe (monterey jack, local bacon, avocado spread, roasted garlic-rosemary mayo) with a chicken burger on a white bun and a side of onion rings.

Karla: (Thanks for joining us, Karla!) the classic burger (secret sauce, lettuce, tomato, pickle, red onion) with a beef burger on a white bun and a side of fries. 

Todd: Smokehouse burger with beef burger, pretzel bun and a side of fries with gravy.

Jon: (Thanks for joining us, Jon!) Jalapeño poppers to start, and the Steakhouse burger (brie, sautéed spinach, soya-glazed shrooms, crispy onion straws, green peppercorn mayo) with a beef burger and a side of waffle fries.

The food was very nicely presented - especially the appetizers, which were served in silver cone-shaped dishes that seemed to go on forever and kept us eating much longer than we expected. The burger trays seem like small portions at first glance - but don't feel let down or be confused - you will certainly be full. It is a lot of food.

So why don't I get right to it. The reason that I was wrong - the reason I should have come back sooner and listened to all of the (apparently much more intelligent) people in Kingston who have been raving about Harper's... our scores:

Carrie: 4.75 forks. There were 8 pickle spears - I could only see 6 at first, so the extra 2 were a nice surprise... especially since most restaurants only serve 5-6 - and they were all delicious. Not my favourite in town, but certainly delicious. At first, the fries of my poutine were disappointingly "soggy" or under-cooked, but then I just got into the gravy and cheese curds enough to realize that it was a lighter gravy that had been doused well enough over all of the fries that the crispiness was reduced. The cheese curds were awesome. The burger was phenomenal - my only complaint was that the chicken burger:bun ratio was a little lacking (the bun was bigger than the chicken so some bites were just bun), but the BBQ sauce was amazing and I was surprised to enjoy the crispy onion strings on top. I'm sad I've been missing out.


Tonia: 4 forks. Tonia liked the food - she said it was "good" with a smile. The onion rings were a little bland and the pickles were more doughy than she would have liked, but all in all, Tonia was impressed.

Karla: 4 forks. Karla was somewhat speechless. When I pointed that fact out, she said "not that it was that good, but it was good". Karla especially liked the bun.

Todd: 4.25 forks. Todd's meal was consistent with what he expected - he liked how the burger was built, pointing out that it was easy to eat. Todd also liked his pretzel bun, and he was happy with the portion size - stating that it was the "perfect amount of fries".

Jon: 5 forks. Jon was very happy with his meal, stating that "everything was really good". Jon especially thought that it was nice to have the option of waffle fries (something I hadn't thought much about until he said it - and it's true; many places don't offer waffle fries). He also really enjoyed the poppers - saying that they were just spicy enough... This made me smile because he was sweating as he said it. 

Overall score: 4.4 forks!

And with that, Harper's... All I have to say is, I'm sorry... And really - my apology is as much to myself as it is to you because, since I haven't been coming to eat, I have been missing out on your food as much as you've been missing out on another satisfied customer. I do make this promise, though: now that I know better, I will be sure to visit again. No more silly stubborn rejections. You are officially in my good books, and on my recommendations list.

Cheers.

Check out more about Harper's and their menu by clicking this link.