Maria's Cozy Corner Restaurant, 499 Notre Dame Avenue, Sudbury, Ontario

It was a pleasant evening for Wednesday, November 18, 2009 here in Sudbury Ontario as we made our way to Maria's Cosy Corner Restaurant on Notre Dave.

Unseasonal warm weaather bringing temperatures close to 10º celcius made our journey very pleasant.

I had not been here in a while, so I did not recognize any of the staff although I used to be a regular customer over the years.

My memories were that it was an upscale version of "Gloria's" retaurant on Bouchard Street but it turned out to be quite the different.

The restaurant looked bright and clean as we entered the dining area. Our waitress was most pleasant - looking after us very well.

We arrived in two groups making the waitress work a little harder but she was up to the task.

The seating was plain and the tables draped with cheap-looking red plastic. There were some pictures on the wall and one end of the restaurant featured a cozy looking section with a mirrored wall.

The men's washroom was dirty featuring old graffiti. It reminded me more of a cheap bar washroom than one I would expect to find in a restaurant.

The food arrived promptly and meals were served as ordered.

My Cheeseburger was listed as a "legendary burger" and it lived up to its name, however the rest of the meal was less promising. In fact it may be better named as disheartening.

The french fries seemed to be previously frozen instead of fresh-cut.

We ordered the "Italian Poutine" to try but did not really like it that much due to the frozen french-fires. Our one mixed cocktail was difficult to swallow, but the meat was cooked to our preference.

The dishes tasted bland with no life to them. We found our bill to be higher than our expectations at $114.76 (before tip) including one beer and one cocktail for 1 senior, 3 adults, one child and one toddler.

Many thanks to Sonic Northern who are kind enough to sponsor us.

Laura Fratelli's 225 Falconbridge Rd, Sudbury, ON P3A5K4

It was a cold evening as we arrived at Laura Fratelli's Restaurant located in the Ambassador Hotel on Falconbridge Road.

The ongoing construction in the area slowed us down somewhat, but this is still a relatively small city and we were only held up a few moments.

Several people had commented on this restaurant and I was anxious to try the menu.

Immediately I was struck by the huge wall mural by Bob Hastings. It was magnificent and brought back many memories of Little Italy in Copper Cliff.

Our waitress was quick to greet us and looked after our needs very well. There were a few other people in the smallish restaurant as we made our way to our table around 5pm.

The layout is unique, being long and narrow against one curved wall.

Our waitress did not hurry us as we browsed the menu.

The food arrived in due time with no errors in the orders. There was even a "little person" menu which was appreciated.

While tasty, I did not find that my meal was exceptional. The price was a little high for two seniors, one child, one toddler and three adults being a total of $181.75 before tip.

There were two alcoholic drinks included.

Many thanks to the fine folks at Sonic Northern who are kind enough to sponsor us.

La Casa Mexicana (Elgin St)

A light rain greeted us on Wednesday October 21, 2009 as we made our way to La Casa Mexicana on Elgin Street in Sudbury, Ontario

In spite of the fact that the building looks so small on the outside, the inside was much more spacious than expected.

We arrived in two groups and the waitress took good care of us. We were the only diners at that hour (5:00 pm) but several more came soon enough.

The washroom (only one) was tiny but spotless.

Not being that familiar with "true" Mexican food it took us a while to decide what we wanted.

There were no options for the little guy (this restaurant really needs a "small person" menu soon) but we muddled through.

The food was quite tasty and the portions overly large.

The waitresses were attentive and friendly but very slow since they were so busy. Half of our party left before they came with our bill.

The decor was quite bright and reflected a Mexican atmosphere. The music too seemed to be of Mexican origin.

The cost was a little high at $120.93 before tip and taxes for 4 adults and two children including the cost of one beer.

Gratefully sponsored by Sonic Northern

Kings Buffet - Sudbury, Ontario

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What a wonderful evening at the Kings Buffet in Sudbury. This place just keeps on getting better and better.

It was a cool and rainy October evening when we arrived at Kings Buffet.

Several times prior, we had been here and we absolutely love the food.

The decor is not anything special being more modern than anything. The chairs are alright but not designed for long-term seating and there seem to be a lot of people shoved into the available space.

But the food - it just keeps on improving. Enough variety to satisfy most tastes. Everything from Roast Beef to Sushi with all the normal "chinese" food that you would find in any similar restaurant. So many things to sample. They even had some pizza. Unbelievable.

Our reservations were for 8 people at 5:00 pm on a Wednesday and we were wise to make them since the place rapidly filled up.

Our waitress, though friendly, seemed to be over-worked. She made it to our table enough times to satisfy our needs but was always in a hurry. We never felt rushed ourselves so it was of little consequence.

At the inner doors to the restaurant, there is an ominous sign posted which reads WE HAVE CAMERAS - IF YOU LEAVE WITHOUT PAYING YOUR PHOTO WILL BE POSTED ON THE WALL. Of course, when we left, we perused the wall but saw no photos there. Either Sudbury is full of honest people or the sign really works.

Our count was 3 Seniors, 3 Adults, 1 child and 1 toddler for a total of 8 persons. With 1 alcoholic drink our bill came to $146.03 (before tip).

A great place to eat at a reasonable price - recommended

Nicely sponsored by Sonic Northern - check out their new Recording Studio section on the website

I also found this very interesting blog written by a Canadian University Exchange Student in Japan (also my cousin once removed) Kristin in Japan

Kelsey's Sudbury

Kelsey's Sudbury 1425 Kingsway Road, (705) 524-3435

Kelsey's is a popular Restaurant and hang-out spot here in Sudbury, Ontario.

A lovely Autumn evening welcomed us as we made our way past the road construction to Kelsey's on Tuesday, September 22, 2009.

It was our first restaurant get-together after the summer holidays and this time we were joined by my aunt and uncle.

Thankfully I had made reservations in advance as the restaurant filled quickly for a Tuesday night.

The interior was bright and airy, featuring a few smaller eating areas instead of the huge ceilings over one or two large rooms found at some of the competitors.

Completing the look were several large photos of celebrities (mostly dead) and various older movie posters.

The maître d' promptly showed us our table and told us that our waiter would be here shortly. She asked if more would be joining us. We told her we were expecting two more and she said she would look out for them.

The last two arrived quite soon after we were seated, as did our affable waiter who carefully looked after our needs.

As usual, we were somewhat undecided as to what to order but finally we made up our minds and placed our orders.

Drinks came first of course, and we were evenly split on water and iced-teas.

We had ample time to chat and catch-up on each-others lives before the meals arrived. The delay was not overly long but seemed to be timed just right for our needs.

Our waiter was polite, friendly and attentive, inquiring as to our needs on a periodic basis.

The food arrived with the steaks two of us ordered cooked exactly as we had specified.

The background music was set to an appropriate volume for us. I often have difficulty hearing when there is a lot of extraneous noise but I could carry on a conversation for most of the meal.

We ordered the smaller inexpensive mix-and-match desserts which were perfect for our needs.

We all seemed quite happy with our meals and the service.

The younger girls used the ladies room and reported it to be extremely clean.

I noticed the same thing about the men's room.

A total cost of $129.71 (no alcohol) seemed average for 5 adults and 1 child for this class of restaurant.

Cheerfully sponsored by Sonic Northern - check out their new Recording Studio section on the website