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| - Food Quality--5 stars
Pricing/HH Options---3 stars
Well, this place was a very welcome surprise! Nook has been on my list of "must try' places and I finally got there to try it last night. We got there about 4:30 to take advantage of HH specials and got seated immediately in a cute little alcove just off the entrance. We sat in some really comfy little club chairs and my dining buddy was in heaven because we had arms on them! I was in heaven because the place smelled so darned good :).
We had several things recommended to us but there were a couple of special items that caught our eye at the same time: poutine and arancini. We ordered those and had some lovely beverages while we waited. DB had some wine and it was pronounced delicious. I was more in the mood for something fruity and cool, so got a grapefruit/vodka concoction that was really yummy.
The arancini was the best I've ever had...I've only had it 3 times so am by no means any expert. The sauce and consistency was really nice and we scarfed them up in no time. The poutine was the star of the show though; again I'm no expert but was just amazed by the gravy and fries(double fried makes a difference!!!). The addition of a fried egg was sheer genius!..
We noshed leisurely and had a couple more beverages AND dessert! Tracy Dempsey bread pudding!!! I love it but don't have it very often---it was heavenly and worth the calories. We also got to meet the chef and he was very sharp, sharing some of his future ideas with us.
So, how to get the coveted 5th star?
A better array of selections for HH would be great. My drinks were pricey so I can't come as often as I'd like. Maybe a drink special of the week? I loved the HH specials we had but there weren't as many selections as I'd like to see. With a chef of this caliber, maybe testing some things out as appetizers would be great.
Try different spins on the poutine. THAT is your moneymaker!!! A breakfast poutine, a southern poutine, a hatch chili poutine, it's ALL good. (This will move you away from strictly Italian inspired, into the Comfort food category which opens a lot of new doors).
Think about adding to the salad selections (perhaps a salad pizza?). The selections seem kind of pedestrian and new creations will really help business during the summer.
Speaking of pizza, BREAKFAST pizza would be a winner, Egg, gravy, sausage. Oh, yeah!
When we left, I was drunk on great food and delicious grapefruit beverages. When the bill came, I paid and left a good tip. I am still thinking about you, Nook, and plan to come back!
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