Hamilton Cuisine

[Dr Awesomesauce]

And wasn't 77 King William The Old Spaghetti Factory?

And there was a Don Cherry's on Main and Walnut I think. It was the first one and where they filmed the show.

[interr0bangr]

After only a month or so, The Heather is converting to a weekday cafe/lunch/brunch spot during the day and maintaining their 7-course tasting menu on weekend evenings.

I'm not surprised, and I'm also happy since this is what he should have done from the get go. I think they'll do much better with this format (I know I'll visit regularly)

[King&James]

Originally Posted by Dr Awesomesauce

And wasn't 77 King William The Old Spaghetti Factory?

And there was a Don Cherry's on Main and Walnut I think. It was the first one and where they filmed the show.

Correct on both accounts -same era as Tracks & Mellows at the TH&B (on a street that had no name - lower Haymarket), or Grapes and Things (Capitol Theatre on King E)

[movingtohamilton]

Globe and Mail. "Why restaurant veterans are ditching Toronto for Hamilton"

MICHELE SPONAGLE

Special to The Globe and Mail


"Michael Cipollo declared once and for all that he was done with Toronto – its $25-a-day parking, brutal traffic, high prices, miserable people and the money-rules corporate restaurant scene. Although he spent 15 years as executive chef of the Bier Markt (growing it from one location to eight), he didn’t hesitate to sell his house, pack up his family and move to a booming Hamilton where he’s already launched two successful eateries – with at least three more in the works.

“I was tired of restaurants dominated by financial spreadsheets,” he says. “My own values weren’t a fit for the corporate restaurant world any more. So I was wondering, ‘What’s next? Go out on my own?’ The costs of doing that in Toronto are staggering for those who don’t have angel investors dumping millions into a project. So opening up restaurants for little guys makes sense in Hamilton.”

Read the entire article here: https://tgam.ca/2im90h2

[movingtohamilton]

Looks like Thai Memory on King William has closed. City Brokerage posted on its FB page. Also has a listing for the property here:

http://bit.ly/2jxoy1A

[LikeHamilton]

Lister Block Wendel Clark's behind on rent, renovating space

Large security deposit covering restaurant on rent payments, city says

CBC News Posted: Jan 13, 2017 1:24 PM ET

Wendel Clark's Bar and Grill in the Lister Block is behind on its rent, and will be closed for a couple of months for renovations, the city says.

The franchise is also deciding whether or not a new franchisee will take over the space in the historic Hamilton building, says Delfina Duarte, the city's manager of facility planning and business support.

"We're optimistic that it's a good location, and they are too," she said. "We're all hopeful."

But problems do exist. The location did fall behind on its rent, Duarte said — however, it has a large security deposit to cover situations like this. "So the account is clear," she said.

Duarte would not say how many months the business was behind on its rent, nor how much money would be owed, save for the security deposit.

Meanwhile, the restaurant plans to be closed for about two months, she said, with renovations ongoing. In that time they plan to move the washrooms and food prep room (which are currently outside the restaurant proper but inside the Lister Block), as well as making some changes inside the restaurant.

"We are currently negotiating with them some changes to make the restaurant better," she said.

The situation is the latest in a saga of restaurants trying to make it work in that historic location.

The space was originally home to the 28 Lister Steakhouse, which went under in 2014 after moribund crowds, complaints over the food, and allegations that employees weren't being paid.

The Wendel Clark's franchise took over the space last year.

At the time, Clark told CBC News that the restaurant wanted to be a part of "trying to help bring life back to the city and help get people downtown."

Steps away on King William Street and James Street North, several new restaurants have opened in recent years.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilt...arks-1.3934595

[LikeHamilton]

Meet 6 chefs from The Six who are currently making the 905 sizzle

Amanda Stancati | Daily Hive | Jan 12, 2017 1:50 pm | Buzz Connected Media Inc

Hamilton’s food scene is on par with some of the top spots in Canada. If you haven’t heard, more and more chefs from Toronto are now cooking in the 905 – turning heads and filling stomachs of locals and visitors alike.

We asked 6 former Toronto chefs why they decided to join one of Canada’s hottest culinary scenes.

Chef Matt Cowan, The Heather

The Restaurant: Thursday through Saturday evenings, The Heather (357 Barton Street East) serves a 7-course tasting menu to 12 guests. During the day Monday to Saturday, The Heather offers up homemade baked goods, breakfast and lunch, ending the week with Sunday brunch.


The Reason: “I was most recently at Portland Variety. I left there to move to Hamilton and build The Heather with my wife Meg in May. Other mentionable spots I’ve cheffed are Catch on St. Clair and Simple Bistro on Mt. Pleasant. Hamilton truly has the best of both worlds – it feels like a small town within a city. This resonated with my wife and I as it reminded us of our hometowns but with all the conveniences of a big city.

Hamilton is easily commutable to Toronto, offers plenty of green space to explore and has reasonable housing for young families like ours. Opening The Heather on Hamilton’s Barton Street East allows us to be part of a transitioning community similar to the revitalization of Ossington or Parkdale.”

Chef Matthew Pigeon, Eat Inc, Eat Ramen, Bar IZAKAYA

The Restaurants: Matthew and his business partner Brandon found their home in the Hamilton Farmers’ Market (35 York Boulevard), first opening Eat Inc, followed by their second stall, Eat Ramen. They opened their third venture, Bar IZAKAYA (275 James Street North).

The Reason: “I started with Toronto’s McEwan group as a fry-cook at ByMark Restaurant. I then worked my way to a Jr. Sous Chef position under Executive Chef Brooke McDougall. I started my company with my business partner in 2016. The food boom coupled with the gentrification of Hamilton was a draw for starting a food business in the developing city.”

Chef Harrison Hennick, Nique

The Restaurant: Celebrated for their sushi nachos, industrial decor, and ethos of “work hard, stay humble,” Chef Hennick’s creativity is evident in his menu and his restaurant design at Nique (30 Vine Street).

The Reason: “I had just quit my previous job after being offered financing to open a restaurant. The financing fell through, but the fire was lit. I quickly realized Toronto wasn’t really a place I wanted to even try opening a restaurant.

Hamilton came up on the radar from its booming housing market. After a look into what was happening, it made perfect sense. I moved out here $30,000 in debt with a great business plan and no financing for a restaurant. We immediately fell in love with the city. Big City feel with small town vibe. The people, everything was perfect.

Pop-ups, social media, and 10 months later we were able to raise the funds all on our own and built our dream restaurant! I can’t wait to be part of the growth of the city, to see all the change that is about to come!”

Chef James Kayser, Butcher and the Vegan

The Restaurant: Local, sustainable and ethical food is the idea behind Butcher and the Vegan (61 Barton Street East). The restaurant is focused on farm-to-table cooking, with all suppliers within a 100 km radius of Hamilton. From the finest meats to vegan haute cuisine, guests of all dietary restrictions can dine under one roof.

The Reason: “I’ve worked at Mezzetta, Eatertainment, Picnic and Centro. I moved to Hamilton around 6 years ago with the intent of opening a business. Not having any money besides the real estate we could afford to purchase upon moving here, the plan was to be able to leverage that property enough to find an affordable spot to open a restaurant, which we found at the corner of Barton & John.

I’ve always been a downtown person and love our location. I personally believe everyone prefers to go downtown for dinner and that the competition has to be there for the diner to have that sense of adventure (and hopefully some other entertainment options nearby). Being in an area with so many honest to goodness chef-driven spaces with so much variety and community events to showcase our wealth of talent is invigorating.”

Chef John Forcier, The French

The Restaurant: The French (37 King William Street) is not your mother’s bistro: it’s a beautiful take on a French bistro menu (including brunch) in a gorgeous 1867 space- brought to you by restaurateur Jason Cassis of Aberdeen Tavern, Dundurn Market, and Knollwood Golf Club.

The Reason: “I loved my time in Toronto, both living in the city and working for Canoe. When I moved to Milton with my wife three years ago, suddenly I was spending two and a half to three hours a day commuting to and from work. I love living in Milton and I loved working in Toronto, but one of the two had to give.

This summer I made the decision to move out of Toronto and started looking for great restaurant companies west of Toronto. Once I found Jason, Chef Matt Beasley (formerly of One) and The Aberdeen Tavern Group, I realised that this would be a great fit for me. I’ve been blown away by the culinary scene in Hamilton and I am very excited about being a part of it as it continues to grow.”

Chef Fraser Macfarlane, Quatrefoil Restaurant, Brux House

The Restaurants: Chef Fraser opened his first restaurant, Quatrefoil (16 Sydenham Street, Dundas), 7 years ago and was named one of Canada’s Top 10 Best New Restaurants in enRoute magazine and one of Toronto’s Top Ten Best New Restaurants in Toronto Life magazine. He opened Brux House (137 Locke Street South), a more casual craft beer focused restaurant, 2 years ago and was nominated for the enRoute Top Ten Best New Restaurants again.

The Reason: “I grew up in Toronto, worked at Scaramouche, then London, England for a year and then went back to Scaramouche for another year. My wife, Georgina, and I decided to move to Hamilton because her family is here. I liked the idea of getting out of the city and working in a smaller market where costs are a bit lower and you have the freedom to create the type of restaurant you really want to have without a multi-million dollar budget.

Hamilton also embraces new enterprises and really gets behind them and takes pride in businesses here being successful. We love having two very different styles of restaurants and it really shows how Hamilton embraces all types of restaurants and how much the food scene has grown here, just in the last 5-10 years. We are extremely proud to be a part of such a booming restaurant scene, and feel as though we have been here since it all started, really.”

Written for Daily Hive by Amanda Stancati of People of Hamilton in partnership with Hamilton Economic Development.

http://dailyhive.com/toronto/toronto...staurants-2017

[LikeHamilton]

I was by Wendel Clark's the other day and it does not look like there has been or is anything being done there. Their web site does not talk about the Hamilton location at all.

From the January 13th article by CBC hamilton

Meanwhile, the restaurant plans to be closed for about two months, she said, with renovations ongoing.

(she) Delfina Duarte, the city's manager of facility planning and business support

[LikeHamilton]

Shoeless Joe's Sports Grill on Upper James is now open.

[LikeHamilton]

Wendel Clark’s set to reopen in June

Hamilton Spectator | By Natalie Paddon | Apr 18, 2017

Downtown restaurant Wendel Clark's is set to unlock its doors again in time for summer.

The Hamilton sports bar, which closed its Lister Block location just before Christmas, will hold a grand reopening on June 1, said Sam D'Uva, president of Dynamic Hospitality and Entertainment Group, which franchises the chain.

"We (will) strive to be much better than we were," he told The Spectator.

The city-owned location at 28 James St. N. shut down for renovations about a month after its franchise owners parted ways from the business in November, according to D'Uva.

After that, the operators of the franchise started negotiating with the city about renovations they believe will help improve business at the restaurant, including directly connecting the restaurant to the building's washrooms.

Since then, D'Uva said they've found a way to construct a doorway linking the two by relocating the electrical panel.

Other renovation work will see a slightly expanded kitchen and new seating, tables, flooring and paint.

"We wanted to give it a fresh look," D'Uva said.

Initially, there was talk about designing a separate space to accommodate functions of 75 people, but the franchise has reached an agreement with the city to use an existing room for such events, he said.

Altogether, the renovation work and tying up loose ends from the previous franchisees, like paying rent owed to the city, cost the franchise about $300,000, D'Uva said.

At this point, the restaurant remains a corporate store but the chain is looking for franchisees interested in the "turnkey operation," he said.

Wendel Clark's Classic Grill and Bar, which has two locations outside of Hamilton and another one expected to open soon, held its grand opening in the Lister Block in July 2015. The chain is partially owned by the former Maple Leafs captain.

Prior to Wendel Clark's moving in, the space had been occupied by Chris DesRoches of 28 Lister Chophouse and Grill. The city evicted him in November 2014 after a litany of complaints from contractors, suppliers and employees that they hadn't been paid.


npaddon@thespec.com

905-526-2420 | @NatatTheSpec

http://www.thespec.com/news-story/72...eopen-in-june/

[LikeHamilton]

Apparently Wendel Clark's is finished and moving out. I have heard that Jason Cassis, the owner of Aberdeen Tavern, Dundurn Market and French is wanting the place. He has already taken over the Baltimore House on King William Street and it is undergoing renovations.

[movingtohamilton]

Originally Posted by LikeHamilton

Apparently Wendel Clark's is finished and moving out. I have heard that Jason Cassis, the owner of Aberdeen Tavern, Dundurn Market and French is wanting the place. He has already taken over the Baltimore House on King William Street and it is undergoing renovations.

When the "closed for renovations" sign went up, did anyone seriously believe the place would reopen? The City seems generally clueless about the world of commercial property leasing, and in particular the restaurant business.

Good luck Jason Cassis. Are you sure you want the City as a landlord?

[CaptainKirk]

https://www.facebook.com/thefizzsandwich/

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Nice one.

Can't believe Jabronies is still open.

[drpgq]

I assume they are serving food so I'll put this here. Is it only Japanese games? Food?

https://twitter.com/philipquick/stat...48496398249986

[matt602]

It's so painful seeing a nice place like that on such a hostile streetscape. I really hope they can make a go of it somehow but I feel like they would have had a better chance on King.

[HamiltonBoyInToronto]

they wont have a problem because of all of the kids going to Columbia college that live in this area.... there are tons of Japanese,Korean and Chinese businesses popping up all around and they all seem to be doing well .... i do agree about the unfortunate street scape
but nothing will change as long as Highway Main Street stays one way through downtown

[ScreamingViking]

It would help a little if the sidewalks were wider, with planters and trees.

Once the Connaught fills out that side of the block that may help... hopefully it will be pedestrian friendly and bring new commercial opportunities.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

^Can't. The City reserves the right to widen it - again!

[King&James]

https://twitter.com/cassis_jason/sta...86697742942209

another King William dining experience.. coming soon

http://frats.ca/