No place like Ethel's

As featured in the February 16, 2012 edition of Dining Out, Waterloo Region Record. (photo credit: The Record)

Walking into Ethel’s Lounge can be a bit intimidating. To get to the seating area, you need to pass an L-shape bar lined with two dozen bar stools — most of which are occupied by regulars whom the bartender knows by name and preferred pint. A stare-down from this motley crew is probable, but not to worry — they won’t bite. Just give them a nod, have a seat on a retro diner chair and get acquainted with the back page of the menu entitled, “Everything you wanted to know about Ethel’s but couldn’t give a damn.”

The first thing it’ll tell you is “prices are subject to change at the drop of a small business loan interest point.” If you’re not smiling yet, it adds, “no fancy schmancy maître d’ will rattle off a bunch of soup du jour or pea-sized portions of Cornish hen in a light cream sauce.” And if a chuckle still impends, it warns, “if you’re expecting someone to pull out your chair, lay a linen napkin across your lap and compliment your penny loafers and argyle socks, you better just pack up the kids in the Volvo wagon and don’t look back.”

Glad I don’t drive a Volvo.

So we started with beer and the tapas platter ($9.99): a tasty sampling of barbecued pork quesadilla, antijitos, pita triangles with roasted red pepper dip, tri-coloured tortilla chips, fresh salsa, chipotle mayo and thick sour cream. Like a fiesta on a plate, this platter was fresh, bright and fun for the senses.

We could’ve stopped there but we had work to do! My husband couldn’t decide between two mains, so our server suggested a combination. Ethel’s is all about made-to-order. So my better half had the better half of the rajah ($11.99): roasted sweet bell peppers stuffed with chorizo (from the chorizo flambado dish), covered with a medley of cheeses and baked. It was topped with a spicy cream sauce, served with refried beans and a side of tangy slaw. It kinda looked like my Grade 5 Mount Vesuvius science experiment, but tasted delicious.

I had the Saturday special: chicken enchiladas ($8.99) topped with melted cheeses, chipotle sauce and served with sour cream and fresh salsa. Now ground meat of any kind freaks me out, both in terms of texture and surprise factor, so I was relieved to learn that Ethel’s uses only fresh chicken breasts. No complaints here.

Except that we were so full it felt like we swallowed sombreros. So we decided to take home what we couldn’t finish. And this is how we came to know the brilliance of Ethel’s service. After clearing our plates, our server returned with a takeout container and confession. “I dropped one of your containers,” she said. “It stayed intact, but I’m not going to give you something that fell on the floor. So I can either remove it from your bill or if you can spare a few minutes, we’ll prepare you a new one.”

That’s good service. And could explain Ethel’s faithful following over the past 18 years. Good service, good food, good prices and let’s face it: there isn’t a place like it. Where else will you find a shrine of ancient CKCO-TV memorabilia, a Colonel Sanders doll (this was the home of Canada’s first KFC in ‘61, don’t you know), an authentic Charlie’s Angels pinball machine, a Ms. Pacman arcade, two guess-your-weight scales, and walls of framed concert posters ranging from Joni Mitchell, B.B. King, Neil Diamond, Roy Orbison and George Carlin to Kiss, Yes, Anne Murray, Genesis and the Blue Oyster Cult.

Just don’t go looking for Elvis or Marilyn — this is not your typical 50s-diner-in-a-box. It’s much grittier. Much cooler. Much more ‘Ethel’s.’

Hours
Monday: 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Tuesday to Friday: 11:30 to 2 a.m.
Saturday: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Breakfast served on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Wheelchair accessibility
Not accessible.

Menu
Mostly Tex-Mex and bar food (but nothing deep-fried) along with a few specialties such as the meat loaf, pulled pork on a bun and hand-prepared burgers. Daily specials, including popular $2 taco Tuesdays (after 4 p.m. with a drink order). Hangovers lay to rest here. Takeout available.

Reservations
Not necessary.

Atmosphere
The anti-50s-diner-in-a-box. One of a kind. Great (and I mean “enormous”) summertime patio. Pool table. Plays the kind of blues music that makes you happy.

Drinks
Beer: More than 20 varieties in bottles, seven in draft. Cider, coolers, hard liquors, a couple wines. Fountain drinks galore.

Service
Our server was tough as jerky, smart as a whip and funny as hell. What’s more, she admitted she dropped our takeout container, intact, on the kitchen floor and offered to either remove it from our bill or have the cook make us a new order.

The bill
$49.86 (including tax, before tip) for two pints, a tapas platter, two mains and a side of slaw.

In a nutshell
Ethel’s is an experience and a K-W landmark

Third time's a charm for King Street Trio Uptown

As featured in the February 2, 2012 edition of Dining Out, Waterloo Region Record. (photo credit: The Record)


In 1996, when three owners decided to open a restaurant on King Street in Kitchener, it only made sense to call it King Street Trio. Of course, they didn’t anticipate a move to University Avenue in Waterloo four years later, or the subsequent awkward patch to its name: King Street Trio on University. But as of April 2011, the rebranded King Street Trio Uptown is back on King, hipper than ever, and amassing the best of old and new.

Just step inside the revitalized 1903 building and you’ll see what I mean: a jaw-dropping wood ceiling emulating the railway tracks outside, a wall of original tin tiles, bar and tables made of reclaimed wood from Listowel-area farmers, and a gorgeous slate kitchen counter — a pool table in a former life — harmonize with modern décor to create a fresh urban vibe.

The menu is also reminiscent of some old faves with a new earth-and-ocean twist. House specialties include certified Angus beef, handmade pasta and a variety of fresh seafood dishes, clearly influenced by sister company, King Crab Oyster Bar and Grill in Kitchener.

Relaxed upon entering this unique and bustling space, date night commenced with a glass of sauvignon blanc, fresh Italian bread and a shallow dunking dish of olive oil, balsamic and sundried-tomato chutney. It was Friday night, the kids were at grandma’s, Ella Fitzgerald played in the background and everything was right with the world.

Moving onto appetizers, we were tempted by the calamari flowers but opted for the panko-crusted crab cakes ($12), which combined blue crab with red pepper, roasted garlic, fresh chilies and cilantro, crowned with ancho-pepper aioli and fresh tomato. Now I’m pretty particular (read: snobby) when it comes to crab cakes, having tasted amazingly fresh varieties as I overlooked the Atlantic Ocean along Cape Breton’s Cabot Trail. These were better. Hard to believe, I know, but go taste for yourself.

We also tried the walnut-crusted Camembert ($11), which was predictably good and served with grilled flatbread, apple preserves and delicious shaved fennel.

For mains, my husband had the earth and ocean dish ($39): Certified Angus beef tenderloin grilled to his preferred medium rare. It was served with jumbo prawns, which were wrapped in bacon and stuffed with blue crab. While my husband belongs to that minuscule population of men who aren’t big on bacon, this was, hands down, the showstopper for him. I rightly concur. And they were massive!

I had the almond-crusted pickerel ($24), served on a bed of white-wine and asiago-infused risotto (amazing) with sautéed market vegetables and finished in a fiery raspberry coulis. Writing about it five days later has me salivating.

For dessert — because you have to have dessert, especially when they’re made in-house — my husband had a rich chocolate flourless torte ($8), served with Chantilly cream (that’s French for vanilla-flavoured whipped cream) and macerated (that’s fancy for drunk) strawberries.

I had the best vanilla crème brulé ($8) I’ve ever had: vanilla-bean-infused custard with the perfect candied crust, served with berry compote, Chantilly cream and a tulle cookie. Extraordinary.

Brian Plouffe, now sole owner of King Street Trio Uptown, has jazzed up King Street yet again, enhancing uptown Waterloo’s happening new vibe and confirming there’s truth to the saying, “third time’s a charm.”

Hours

Lunch: Monday to Friday starting at 11:30 a.m.

Dinner: Monday and Tuesday, 5 — 9:30 p.m.

Wednesday and Thursday, 5 — 10 p.m.

Friday and Saturday, 5 — 10:30 p.m.

Sunday, 5 — 9 p.m.

Wheelchair Accessibility

Accessible.

Cuisine

Specializes in certified Angus beef, handmade pasta and fruits de mer. An in-house smoker generates flavour intensity for varied dishes. All desserts are prepared in-house. An open-concept kitchen allows you to witness the culinary mastery yourself. Restaurant accommodates food preferences and allergies.

Reservations

Recommended.

Atmosphere

Fine-dining meets green. Owner Brian Plouffe collaborated with Graham Whiting of Whiting Design, who specializes in sustainable design and green building architecture. Also on the project was building landlord and Uptown Waterloo developer, Jeff Zavitz, who also developed Princess Twin Cinemas, the Waterloo Entertainment Centre, and the Regina Street Commons.

Drinks

Selection of red, white and sparkling wines from Ontario, California, Argentina, Chile, France, Italy, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Available by the glass ($6 — $11), half-litre ($17 — $32) or bottle ($25 — $225). Icewine ($12-$50), grappa ($5), brandy, cognacs and ports ($5-$15). Seventeen ‘twisted’ martinis ($8-$12), 14 creative cocktails, including a daily special ($7), house and premium pours ($5 — $14), lagers, ales and coolers ($4-$8), specialty coffees ($7) and designer water ($3-$8).

Service

Servers and staff performed a graceful ballet around us — pulling out chairs, filling water glasses, gliding platters beneath our eyes, all while mindful of not interrupting conversation.

The bill

Expensive, but worth the splurge. $140.12 (including tax, before tip) for two glasses of wine, two appetizers, two mains and two desserts.