Buster Rhino's

Date Visited: Late lunch on Sunday Oct 6, 2013
Company: Grabbed a meal with +Will after he dropped me off in Oshawa.

I got a ride from Will back to Oshawa after the weekend and we decided to grab some lunch before he started making his way back to Toronto. I looked up on my phone to see what kind of places we could go on a Sunday and decided on Stuttering Johns. I wasn't actually sure if it was open but knew that Buster Rhino's was nearby enough to be our backup plan. We arrived in downtown Oshawa, parked right in front of Stuttering Johns and of course it's closed. We made our way up the street to Buster Rhino's, a similar type of restaurant, known for its Southern BBQ. It was about mid-afternoon so the place wasn't very full but about 4 tables were taken, we grabbed a seat near the back where football was playing on the big screen. The restaurant is very spacious with ample walking room between the tables. There were some people working on some construction near the back in a separate room... maybe an expansion?

There were paper menus already on our tables so we checked out our options as it was our first times there. The menu was simple and helpful, advising some favorite dishes and providing 'combo' options that come with a side and drink. They had all the classic BBQ items and sides but at reasonable prices ($9.50 for a sandwich combo!). I went for the Beef Brisket Sandwich with Onion Rings (Staff Favourite) while +Will went for the Pulled Pork Sandwich with Fries (Most Popular).

I also ordered a Chocolate Milk with my meal as it comes with a drink but it tasted a bit skunky and the waitress was very nice in returning it for a water upon my request and taking it off my bill (even though it didn't make much of a difference in the price!). Our orders arrived and were very hot off what they came from. The Beef Brisket was smoky and had great tenderness, it was simple (beef on a bun) but delicious. The Pulled Pork also was an excellent choice and I can see why it's so popular, it's sweet and packed with meat. The onion rings were a bit on the greasy side but it's expected as they were pretty thick. The fries and onion rings were also coated with a lot of salt which made them very addicting. We were extremely stuffed and satisfied with our meals afterwards, hit the spot! 

I really like how Buster's has their own special events and keeps customers updated on what's going on in each of the restaurants. I follow them on FB and Twitter now and they're very active in informing people of promotions, deals, and events they have. It's refreshing to see!

Food: 3.5/5 - Authentic southern BBQ at great prices!
Service: 4/5 - Genuine waitress with great attitude and care for the customers, loved the service.
Decor: 3.5/5 - A bit too spacious but nicely lit and good space. 
Willingness to come back: 3.5/5 - Have to try their famous ribs!
Overall: 3.5/5
Website: http://www.busterrhinos.com/

Schwartz's

Date Visited: Late night meal on Friday Aug 1, 2013
Company: First stop after arriving Montreal with +Elliott

I had visited the infamous Schwartz's once before, about 3 years ago visiting Montreal from Ottawa with some friends I met on co-op. The line was huge to get in and a camera was filming two guys sitting at the counter in this small, packed deli. I just remember that it was the (first, I think, and) best smoked-meat sandwich I had ever had. It was so simple: rye bread, meat, and mustard, but it was so mind-blowingly delicious. Is this what all smoked meat tasted like and I've just been missing out on it all my life?

3 years later and since then, I had smoked meat once again from the Eaton Centre but it was the worst sandwich I'd ever had. So upon my arrival into Montreal on the VIA train on Thursday night for the Osheaga long weekend, +Elliott and I met up and he wanted to go to Schwartz's! He'd never been because of the line but hoped that there would be none this late. We walked there and saw a group standing outside of it. The owner quickly came out and seated them though and we were next. It was still busy, but a few seats were empty! 
The place is quite small and the right half of the store is completely for the kitchen where they prepare the food and you can see stacks of smoked beef on the counters. The other half is rows of tables and you'd usually end up sitting beside a stranger if you're in a small group. There's a menu on two sides of the walls but we also got ones to look at at the table where they came and took our order. We of course went for the Smoked Meat Sandwich and also got sides of Pickle and Coleslaw. Something new since I'd been there last is that the waiter asks you if you want Lean, Medium, or Fatty meat. I went for the lean trying to be healthy...

+Elliott and I both regretted our lean meat decisions because it very dry and not as flavourful. We tried to add more mustard to help it but it didn't really, the bread had more moisture than the beef. It was still excellent smoked meat but wasn't to my preference and I was pretty disappointed especially after my amazing first visit (hopefully it's not one of those 'never as good as the first time' cases). The Pickle, I find is something a lot of people order but I found it watery and wasn't as full of flavour as I'd expected. The Coleslaw on the other hand was some of the best I've had. The flavour was bold and it was so simply made. 

Food: 4/5 - Giving the benefit of the doubt here because my instinct is that my first meal here was excellent (not a pigment of my imagination) despite the downfalls of this last visit.
Decor: 2/5 - Awesome old school decor all around, but way too cramped!
Service: 4/5 - Fast service and owners just seem like awesome guys.
Willingness to come back: 3/5 - I don't think I'd wait in a line here but I'd definitely go again if I could just walk in.
Overall: 3/5
Website: http://www.schwartzsdeli.com/

Bob's Bulgogi

Visited: Lunch on Friday Apr 26, 2013

Company: Got take-out for myself while working from +Will's

I was first introduced to Bob's Bulgogi by +Will, and for those who aren't aware, his preferred choices when we're deciding where to go to eat is always Bob's and mostly because it's the closest food place in proximity to him. Usually we would try to go there on weekends, but it was a rare occasion to find it actually open, especially last summer when they were going through some construction. So of course when i was working from Will's on Friday, there was talk of Bob's and since I knew it would be open, I decided to get some take-out during my lunch break.

At first look, it's quite the hole in the wall, situated in between a corner store and waxing place? It has only room for about 4 people to sit and eat, so it's definitely a take-out place. It was pretty busy on Friday at noon which was something I hadn't seen before, only having gone on weekends prior. The kitchen is quite open which is nice, so you can see your food cooking. They have individual containers of vegetables portioned off and a large container of marinated meat you see them take to cook. They also offer complementary miso soup on the counter you can serve and they ask if you want kimchi as well. The one guy taking your orders is really nice, and the other guy just cooks.

I ordered the Spicy Beef Bulgogi for the first time. Will always got us the chicken before and even though it's still good, it is definitely no signature Korean beef bulgogi.  I got back to Will's to have the food and it was really nice just to sit, eat this by yourself, and enjoy. The portion size was generous and they have a nice amount of rice under the meat. It wasn't too spicy and the sweetness was perfect. The beef was so tender and flavourful and there was a nice mix of veggies in there too. It's hard to want to order anything else, but I saw them cook an order of noodles and that looked amazing too.

Food: 4/5 - Does bulgogi justice.

Decor: 3/5 - Extremely small but open kitchen is nice and clean.

Service: 3/5 - Super nice guys working the place and remembers your orders.

Likeliness to come back: 4.5/5 - I've been converted.

Overall: 3.5/5

Website: none