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

Alexandria's Restaurant and Lounge

We had been looking forward to our visit to Alexandria's Restaurant and Lounge with anticipation since it has the reputation of serving fine dining with a lovely atmosphere. In fact, I had made reservations in advance due to its popularity.

Indeed the decor was very nice but it all comes at a price, of course.

The food I found to be a bit on the spicy side and not really to my tastes.

I thought that the menu was somewhat bare although adequate and the prices rather high for the portions received. The total bill was $104.88 for 4 people and no alcohol before tip.

I personally found the tables and chairs to be a bit on the small side, but at 5'9" and 195lb, I am not a small guy.

The service was excellent and the food served in a timely manner on funky square plates.

The background music was pleasant and not too loud. In fact, a very nice place to carry on a conversation.

You can see from the photos that there was a lot of fine artwork on the walls.

Unfortunately, I did not remember to print out our review cards and we had to make do with post-it-notes.

As usual, we took our desert elsewhere. This time we tried out the local Starbucks.

A & W Restaurant - Lasalle Blvd

Number two on our list of restaurants is the A&W Restaurant on Lasalle Blvd.

It has really changed since the late 50's when I used to drive to the restaurant with a gang of guys looking to pick up girls at the A&W. Great memories of those days. I am surprised that the A&W is still around.

I enjoyed my teen-burger. It seemed very much like the burgers that I used to order. The Root Beer seemed much more bland tasting but then, I am now 65 so I can no longer trust my taste-buds.

We had fun here and I was surprised at the large crowd of diners, even though it was Thursday evening close to Christmas (lots of shoppers out).

The people behind the counter were cheerful and attentive. It was a refreshing change from the ubiquitous student servers at other restaurants.

Our meal seemed to be of decent quality and pretty well what we expected from any fast-food place.

The decor was plain but nice and the washrooms were clean.

Personally I prefer the option of a hand-dryer and/or paper towels but here it was just the hand-dryer.

The price was a very reasonable 28.71 for 4 people.

A good choice for a quick meal.