Monday 7 April 2014

The Village Bistro

421 Greenbrook Drive
Kitchener, Ontario

519-208-3233



In her opinion:
Pursuing new and exciting restaurants is a major part of what this blog is about! Trying to find new favourites...places that become staples in our dining repertoire. That is the challenge and unfortunately, it is an extremely difficult challenge in our neck of the woods. We rely a lot on word of mouth and that is the case with our visit to the Village Bistro.

The Village Bistro is located in a sad looking strip mall in a residential area off of Fischer-Hallman Road, but don't let that discourage you. The interior is nicely decorated and inviting. The Village Bistro was actually packed with locals  enjoying their evening meal as we walked in. There was live music playing in the background provided by the acoustic sounds of Paul Schultz. The owner, Keri sat us down and explained that it was a bad night as her kitchen was flooded but it was business as usual. 



Our waitress came over right away to take our drink orders. After checking out their menu, we started with the Antojitos. A delicious spicy, cheesy appetizer made with tortillas and baked in the oven. It was served with a delicious creamy dipping sauce.



This was so so good. The antojitos had a nice amount of heat with every bite. The dipping sauce provided the necessary coolness.

For my main, I ordered the philly cheesesteak sandwich. Unfortunately, there was mix up in the kitchen and I got a pulled pork sandwich instead! I quickly pointed this out to the waitress and she had the kitchen prepare a new sandwich. She also informed me that the pulled pork had been taken off the bill but I was free to take the sandwich home.



The philly cheesesteak was not traditional. It was pieces of tender beef sauted in barbecue sauce with sautéed mushrooms and onions. It was served on some type of flat bread. It tasted really good. The french fries that accompanied this sandwich were awesome. Twice fried and seasoned with a spice mix. Even my picky 8 year old loved these fries.



The next morning I tasted the pulled pork.  And it tasted really nice. There was a sweetness to the sauce which worked perfectly with the tender pork.

Regardless of the mix up, I enjoyed our dinner at the Village Bistro. Turns out I had met Keri once before on a bus in Cuba...don't ask... and it was easy to see this woman's passion in regards to her restaurant. I wish her much luck and success. 

Try the Village Bistro, I don't think you'll regret it.

In his opinion:
Sometimes and almost by accident you do find a nice hidden gem, and by hidden I mean hidden in a residential plaza that you would probably never find unless you are looking for it. This is the case of the Village Bistro nestled in the Kitchener community of Forest Hill.

A cozy place that sometimes boasts live music but always has great hospitality and food. The place sits roughly just over 30 people in 2 levels and is cozy and inviting. Reds, burgundies and wood are prominent throughout the decor and a large bar sits at the far right when you walk in.



To start, we ordered the antojitos appetizer to share and I'm glad we did because not only were they delicious but also the portion was large and plenty to be shared. The antojitos tasted fresh, creamy and the tortillas were just the right amount of crispy to add some good texture. It did have a bit of spice, not much but noticeable.



For my main course. I had my eyes on "Evan's Bottomless Pit" burger. There are plenty of pics of this burger on Facebook and its notoriety is well deserved. It is huge...extremely tasty and hard to get a full bite into for obvious reasons. This burger is not for the faint of heart, size wise nor is it for the calorie counters out there. Two gigantic and juicy patties are the base for this burger and also sports a healthy dose of cheese, bacon and mushrooms. Hard to find a big burger with great taste but this one definitely is one. The fries presented had a dark tone to them but we were explained that it's just the way they are fried. They were fantastic with a little spice.




The Good: Friendly service and a mixed sense of community and nostalgia make this restaurant unique. The food surpassed my expectations and was done extremely well.
The Bad: Some small parts of the restaurant still need to be update from it's last greek incarnation, but mostly the ceiling
The Verdict: If you enjoy good food, friendly neighbourhood atmosphere and locally sourced ingredients, then this place is a must to visit.

I give it 3 1/2 out of 5 Olives as rating

The Village Bistro on Urbanspoon

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