A few weeks ago, my husband and I decided the try out the York Rd Kitchen and Chocolate Bar. We had heard about this restaurant from a friend of ours and thought it would be worth it to check it out. We were not disappointed. We arrived at the location to find a very large parking lot, which is always something we need to be aware of as I drive a massive, gargantuan Ford F150 King Lariot. *
*Sidenote: When our family expanded to encompass the third rescued German Shepherd we needed a larger vehicle to transport all of our pack. HENCE the massive truck.
This restaurant used to be a Cagney’s and the front entrance had a wonky doorway – and that is the only thing that remained consistent. Gutted to the walls – it was replaced with modern, rustic furniture, and is the perfect backdrop for the unique food items available. While they serve classic dishes that are sure to please the average customer, they have taken what is recognizable menu items, and elevated them to attract the more selective “Foodies”. Rotisserie Chicken, Burgers, Flatbreads, Steaks, Pastas… simple right? Wrong! Rotisserie Chicken is available every day – however they offer the option of the FAMILY DINNER. Everything needed to feed a family for one set price. Rotisserie Chicken comes with pasta, salad, and potato option for a set price that makes you look twice… (It is that LOW in price) Add children 4 – 6 yrs for $4 or 7 – 11 $9.. Suddenly going out with your family is no longer $100 meal.
Since the Raymond in downtown Guelph, had their dreadful fire in April, I have been without my Lobster Mac and Cheese…. Gordon Ramsay says that you can define a restaurant by how well they prepare and serve Macaroni and Cheese. If they make a mess of it – you can pretty much assume the rest of the menu will be dodgy. Imagine my delight when I saw that had Macaroni and Cheese in 3 variations!
Classic Macaroni and Cheese, Mac and Lobster, and Mac with Truffled Bacon…. Ian ordered the Handcrafted Burger, that comes with Fries …
OF COURSE I ordered the Mac and Lobster.
The mesclun salad had the perfect amount of dressing on it – not too heavy to make it drippy but not so little that parts were dry… seasoned well. The Mac and Lobster did not disappoint. Massive chunks of Lobster sat on top of the scoobi doo also referred to as Cavatappi (Not the dog – let’s not get confused here people) but the PASTA. This pasta is perfect as the shape allows you to have a lot of cheese attached to it and wrap around each glorious bite.
The cheese was a blend that wasn’t so creamy that you seemed to wonder where the cheese went, but it was gooey and melty and everything that is good about cheese.
I am not even going to contemplate how many calories were in this dish, however, I hit the halfway point, and I could not continue… Happily I brought it home for lunch the next day.
Ian’s burger was full of flavour, crispy fries that did not taste like they had been fried in old oil, and the toppings fresh. The presentation was pleasant, and appealing, served on a wooden board, that suited the rustic look and feel to the place as a whole.
Definitely added to our list of GO TO places in Guelph.