Buzzy Brown's

We had an extra friend with us the night we went to Buzzy Brown's.

I thought we were in trouble when the waitress who greeted us at the door did not know where to seat us. She was obviously new to her job but we were quickly steered in the right direction.

We ended up in the bar area rather than the restaurant only area in order to find a table to accomodate us. It was quite busy there but we were quickly met by our serving waitress who turned out to be very friendly and talkative.

We decided on our meals and ordered. Our youngest companion quickly noticed that people in the bar area were throwing their peanut shells on the floor. We all looked and sure enough that was the common practice in this place.

She thought that this looked disgusting and I also agreed but that was what everyone was doing in the bar. She asked me why everyone was just dropping the shells on the floor but I had no answer for her.

Our meals arrived in due time and we found the food to be very good. The size of the meals was quite ample and we enjoyed our repast.

Our two filipina companions had eaten a late lunch that afternoon so they only ordered appetizers. They both had Margaritas which looked better than they tasted.

Of course the girls are still not taking photos in the rest rooms after the Apollo incident so I took the camera with me to the mens room

There were signs that they were doing renovation which may have accounted for the poor shape of the mens room. At least it had a "motion activated paper towel dispenser" which I really like. No lever to push with my wet hands. Now if they could only manage to change the water taps so that they were motion actived instead of the old style twist thingies then the room would meet with my 100% approval.

When the bill came, I was astounded to find that the total was only $80.01 before tip for five people with two cocktails. That brought a smile to my face.

As we left I grabbed a few peanuts in the shell from a large barrel placed on the floor of the bar. To my surprise they were salty. That was a new one on me. Salty peanuts in the shell.

A nice meal with a great waitress in a fun environment at a reasonable price. Highly recommended.

Bridges Restaurant by Brother T's

Our first stop was actually the Beef N Bird on Lorne Street. A venerable hang-out in Sudbury that was next on our list of restaurants. I had eaten here before and the food was very good, but there was a sign at the entrance proclaiming this place to be a "Tavern" with no access by minors. I did not remember that from before so of course with our young girl, we could not go in. We proceeded to the next in line - Bridges.

It was a very pleasant afternoon as we arrived at Bridges Restaurant. We were surprised by the large number of vehicles in the parking lot and had to park on the "other side of the world". As far away from the Restaurant as possible.

Fearing a full restaurant, we entered.

The layout was quite nice and the view, even though in a poor area of town, was still impressive.

The restaurant was quite empty and we asked the waiter why so many vehicles in the lot when the restaurant was practically empty. He explained that there was a convention of sorts being hosted at the hotel which accounted for all of the traffic.

The waiters (we had two) were very friendly and attentive, and after ordering drinks, we went downstairs to the washrooms. Nearby we saw a large buffet laid out with several people enjoying the food downstairs. We joked that we could probably sneak in and enjoy a free meal. Several senarios of us sneaking in "CIA" style arose but in the end we went back to our table upstairs.

A large menu meant a little trouble in deciding what to order.

I asked about the roast beef dip sandwich and was told it was available. I ordered that with fries.

Lelith ordered the Shrimp Au Gratin and Sarah ordered a small Super Stacked Pizza.

Helene ordered an appetizer - French Onion Soup and the Lemon Peppered Pickeral (try saying that three times fast - ha ha).

The waiters were excellent, taking very good care of us. Of course it helped that we were one of only two tables in the restaurant at this time.

The cocktails looked great and Sarah really enjoyed her two "Shirley Temples".

Our food arrived in due time and we did the best we could, but my beef dip sandwich was more like a leather dip sandwich. The beef was very tough and stringy and cut much thicker compared to the thin shaved beef I have had in other similar dishes.

While Lelith's shrimp were tasty, she only recieved six small shrimp in her meal, leaving her hungry afterwards.

Helene enjoyed her Pickerel but she also complained of the small amount of fish in her selection. She did receive an overly-large portion of mashed potatoes though. The hit of the whole meal was the simple French Onion Soup which she shared with her daughter.

Sarah barely touched her Pizza. Not a good sign when someone aged 10 doesn't like Pizza.

Unfortunately I forgot to bring the score sheets so you will have to take my opinion only for this meal.

Oh ya- the girls are still shy about going to the washroom after their experience at Apollo Restaurant, so I took a photo of the men's room.

The men's washroom was very clean and featured paper towels (my favourite).

Overall not that expensive, but the food needed major improvement. Perhaps sneaking into the Buffet downstairs would have been the better choice.

Total cost including two cocktails and two Shirley Temples was on the lower side at *87.49 before tip.

Arby's, February 16, 2008

Today was our turn to go to Arby's.

It has been at least 10 years since I was last here, and I don't remember the food that well.

At that time I just ordered via the drive-thru, but this visit we were planning to sit inside.

There was plenty of snow on the ground this fine February 16th, and the sun was bright. It was still plenty cold being around -11°C but we were a happy crew that day. The only remaining question was if the girls would return to shooting photos in the w/r after their last experience at the Apollo.

We took our time deciding what to have since two of us had not been there before, and I had not been around for a long time.

The menu looked enticing and reminded us of McDonalds but with a little more variety.

The standard "Now hiring full and part time" sign was posted as we have come to expect them everywhere now.

While waiting to order, Helene asked the waitress if she liked her job. The answer was "yes - definitely - I have been here 2 years now". She emphasized that the owners were "good" people to work for. It turns out that she was working part-time as she was in University striving for a Metallurgy degree.

With so much to choose from we had some trouble deciding what we wanted. When we gave our order we were asked if we wanted regular or curly fries. Of course, we wanted to try the curly fries.

Finally we ordered and sat at our table. The girls particularly liked the curly fries and had fun comparing curls and lengths.

The washrooms were not quite as clean as we had expected and of course the girls were still sore afraid of taking any photos there. I tried to convince them that they could, but they were still hurting from the Apollo. Funny how a little thing like that can affect a person.

The food was good and the portions ample. I could not even finish my large beef sandwich. A decent meal at a decent price. $31.37 for the four of us.

Apollo Restaurant

Thursday January 31, 2008, we set out for the Ali-Baba Cafe but when we arrived, we saw a sign on the door stating that it would be closed until February 20th.

We then headed for the next on our list which was Apollo restaurant on The Kingsway.

This restaurant has been in Sudbury for many years and is noted for its Greek specialties.

Not having the opportunity to make reservations, we approached the restaurant on a cold and sunny, late afternoon. We were met at the door by our Maitre d who politely showed us to our table.

She (maitr d) suggested an appetizer called Saganaki "OPA" which we thought would be interesting to try.

Our waiter (David) flamed the ouza over the cheeze which blazed up with a bright orange flame. It was a short but beautiful show.

We all enjoyed the hot cheeze but our youngest diner thought it was great - no doubt because of the impressive presentation.

The meal was tasty and our portions were adequate although the shrimp dish seemed a bit on the small side.

Unfortunately I had ordered the chicken and spaghetti with thoughts of this dish from the Caruso Club. I should have known better since this was, after all, a Greek restaurant. The spaghetti was not to my liking and at twice the price of the Caruso Club's fine dish, I was sorely disappointed.

The total bill was $113.45 for 3 adults and one child with no alcohol.

Restaurant decor was muted with very dark colours on the walls and ceiling leading to an overall somber or cozy setting depending on your mood. Our waiter too, although professional, was very serious - lacking the personality of our waitress at Anke and Tony's.

Their discription of the restroom was that it was somewhat small for the size of the restaurant (two stalls) but ok. Sorry - no pictures allowed.

Perhaps that explains the spelling of the name Apollo - two "L"s for the two stalls but only one "P" for the number of times you are allowed to go - jk

Somewhat expensive but good food.

Anke & Tony's Seafood Restaurant

UPDATE: May 15, 2009

We returned to this restaurant which seemed to be much as it was during our first visit - however Tony and Anke were not in sight. Perhaps it has been sold to new owners

Original review follows:
Our restaurant this week was Anke & Tony's Seafood Restaurant.

We arrived on a very cold night at Anke and Tony's. Anke was busy in the kitchen and we were one of the earlier arrivals.

Our waitress was very friendly, recommending different dishes to us. It was a pleasure to be served by a waitress with such a happy temperament.

She obviously enjoyed working at the restaurant and this pleasure showed in her beaming personality.

The decor was more like entering a private maritime museum, rather than a family restaurant.

Anke and Tony's many years in the business certainly showed in the artifacts and pictures found on the walls and the ceiling of the building. Some of the more striking items were full-sized canoes overhead, an old-fashioned Diving Suit mask, several mounted fish and even one Puffer-Fish hanging from a fishing rod as if just caught.

The choice of meals was overwhelming, causing us some trouble in deciding what to order.

We finally chose our items and placed our order which we received in due time. The portions were overly large and the food delicious.

Personally I had ordered 2 peices of Halibut and fries but received four ample peices of fish. Two of these I took out after our meal for a second meal the next day.

The girls, as usual, also checked out the ladies washroom.

With our bellies full, we left the warm restaurant behind for a short and cold walk to the car.

The total cost for four people (no alcohol) was $92.83 before tip