Indian Summer Restaurant

It was a gorgeous May evening with temperatures approaching the mid twenty mark as we arrived at the Indian Summer Restaurant on Paris Street.

There were only a few patrons when we arrived resulting in us getting superior service.

Our waitress, who seemed to be of East Indian descent, advised us that most of the food on the menu was not "spicy" unless we specifically asked for a highly seasoned dish.

We spent some time perusing the menu and decided on a light appetizer featuring an assortment of "Indian" cuisine.

We then gave our orders and waited expectantly for the results. We were all pleasantly surprised since the meals all had some sort of extra spice to them but nothing overbearing.

We ate to our fill and then the ladies decided to order a dessert for each of them. Not knowing what it would be, but based wholly on the menu description, they told our waitress what they wanted.

Our total bill before tip (no alcohol) for three was $66.04

Blame me for neglecting the menu review cards at this meal. The only review available is mine.

Nicely sponsored by Sonic Northern

Herc's Greek Eatery

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It was a gorgeous afternoon when we arrived at Herc's Greek Eatery on Notre Dame Avenue.

I had not been there before, but my other two companions were there several years ago.

Eatery is a good term for this restaurant. As you enter, you immediately see a counter at the end of the hallway. There you are greeted by a hostess who will take your order and explain the options to you. A signboard above the preparation area shows the menu and the prices.

I was not particularly familiar with Greek food and needed a little help with the selections. I decided on the combo (mixed souvlaki) and we all proceeded with our orders. Then, with a small number card, we picked out a place to sit.

It was not crowded, which was good, since the tables were placed quite close together. At 5'9" and 220 lb, I am not a small guy and I tend to spill out of any small chair that I am seated in so I was happy that the crowd was light.

It seemed a busy enough place with two waitresses to look after the guests as well as monitor the drive-though.

The meals were large enough and tasted quite good. If greek food has a particular flavour it would be garlic - like the seasoning on our salads.

The young lady who brought our food was kind enough to take our photo and was also very friendly.

She was at our table at least three times to ask if we needed anything else. We took her up on her offer and ordered two glasses of water.

Our youngest adventurer was not hungry, having eaten not long before we went out.

One of our members is overseas visiting her family so for the time being we will be a party of 3.

Herc's Greek Eatery, aptly named

Our bill was $38.09 before tip (no alcohol)

Happily sponsored by Sonic Northern

Respect Is Burning

After a short hiatus while I look for a new vehicle, we arrive at Respect Is Burning on a cool Wednesday evening.

This has become a very popular venue in Sudbury for an evening meal or other event. I had made a reservation in advance, and that is probably necessary if you want to be assured of sitting right away.

Many people arrived shortly after us and we were there at 5:15 pm.

The place has a high ceiling and there are many "artistic" paintings/sculptures on the wall.

The chairs are quite uncomfortable but it depends what table you get as each table seemed to have different chairs. They mostly seem to be of the "kitchen table" style chairs from earlier days.

One of the sculptures above our table protruded into our eating space and our youngest companion knocked her head on one corner by accident. It was a very hard sculpture looking to be made of steel.

The fake plants looked a little dusty and the background music (a Bob Marley CD) seemed overly loud. The lava lamp on one table was operative and it, like the music, seemed totally out of place for this type of restaurant.

Our waitress was very pleasant and helpful, dutifully reading off the evening specials before we ordered.

We decided on a couple of "starters" to get us going.

When I made the reservation, the woman on the phone told me that we could stay until 7:30, to which I agreed. I thought that we would be out of there within an hour but we ended up staying almost until that time.

The service, although good, was quite slow. If you bear in mind that this is a "Supper Club" which normally indicates a long, slow meal with plenty of time for conversation, then the tempo is very apropos.

With full stomachs, we declined dessert. Two of us ordered coffee which came in smallish mugs with "out of place" (in my mind) wood stir sticks.

The total price with one alcoholic beverage (before tip) was $100.37

Cheerfully sponsored by Sonic Northern

Harvey's Restaurant

It was snowing as we arrived at Harvey's Restaurant on Regent Street. The wind in our faces felt cold in spite of the relatively warm temperature of -2ºc.

We were happy even with the cold wind since we could feel the snow slowly leaving this part of the world. It is still three weeks to Spring, but already the weather is feeling warmer each day.

Harvey's is a staple here in Sudbury - much like the other fast food restaurants but with a little more class.

Our happy mood spilled over into our eating style as one tried onion "ear rings" and another played with a pickle.

There were few other people when we arrived but several were in the drive-through. Our order-taker was new at the job and having difficulty with our meal choices but she gamely got everything down - and correctly too. It must be difficult serving us as we sometimes change our minds during our order.

Shortly after we chose our meals, several more people arrived making the place quite lively with their chatter.

Our burgers, fries, poutine and all were quick to arrive on our trays as we sat at a smallish table to enjoy our repast.

All agreed that they enjoyed what they had ordered and had enough to eat - well almost - since the Dairy Queen is conveniently next door, we headed there right after our meals to enjoy a sweet dessert.

At a total of $31.32 including all taxes, it was a very reasonable deal.

Cheerfully sponsored by Sonic Northern

Guylaine's Cafe 2009 Long Lake Road

It was a warm evening when we arrived at Guylaine's Cafe. The temperature had soared during this day to a balmy +4 degrees. Nice after a week of bone-chilling -30's.

Guylaine's Cafe was a bit difficult to find and I was happy that I had called for directions prior to our visit. I had seen that the address was 2009 Long Lake road but all I could picture was the medical building beside Shoppers Drug Mart.

My call cleared up the dilemma. It was located at the back of the Medical building, just where I thought there was nothing but offices.

One of us knew the owner from previously and we were introduced to Guylaine and her husband upon our arrival.

We sat in smallish (for me) chairs surrounding our table.

There were a lot of figurines and other pieces of pottery on display in one corner. The place was spotless and we were pleasantly served by Guylaine herself.

There were many items on the menu with almost half of them being of the "all day breakfast" variety.

One of our members having been here before suggested a large bowl of poutine as an appetizer, and upon its arrival, we immediately dug in. It was the best poutine I had tasted in a long time.

Our meals came soon after we ordered. They were quite good but more of the "diner" style.

After eating, we decided on a dessert to take out. Of course we all ordered Guylaine's famous bread pudding which we had heard of before.

A decent meal with not too much atmosphere at a price of $78.91 before tip.

Cheerfully sponsored by Sonic Northern