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| - My buddies and I always have the "East side west side" debate. I'm obviously biased living on the West side as I tend to spend more time on College, Queen West and King West. However, I think the East side won last night with their contribution of Stone Grill. This place has great food, ambiance and service, but there is an entertainment kicker in effect here. I will get to the kicker in a minute. The location of the restaurant lends itself to some sketchy people kicking around. Again, what I like to call East side charm (although the gentrification of the area is happening at a blistering pace). Once inside the restaurant there is a really nice bar lounge area where people tend to congregate before dinner. I always love starting my meals off this way, kind of sets the pace for the night. Especially when you have a large party as we did. Back to the entertainment factor. The restaurant always has guest chefs, music, or dishes from other local restaurants. For instance, our night we had the Sushi Chef from the Drake Hotel. So it gives it a fun surprise factor. The real draw to the Stone Grill is just that. The food comes out on plates made of Volcanic rock. These rocks are heated for up to 8 hours and come out at 740 degrees with your meal (be it selected Beef, Chicken, Seafood or Veg) sizzling on top. It is up to you to cook it as you wish. The very knowledgeable wait staff guide you through this fun process, so no need to worry about overcooking. One small piece of advice, if you are a slow eater like me, you may want to pull your food off to the side of the plate so you don't overcook. The service is absolutely fantastic but it was very slow. This somewhat puzzles me as the food is cooked on your plate. At any rate, the décor, the food (once it got there) and the company all made this place one of my favourites on the East side. If you are looking for a different food experience, fun and higher end, this is a good spot. Be prepared to hit the bank Machine prior as its fairly pricey (between mains start at about $20). If you want to see the venue, they have a cool walk through on their website http://www.stonegrillonwinchester.com/360tour.php
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