Find a mountain full of delicious possibilities
A Mountain of delicious possibilities
Culinary scene gathering momentum uptown
The culinary explosion in this city is gathering steam, and making neighbours near and far take notice.
Even the New York Times wrote a brief piece about some of the Hammer’s gems. Most of the buzz focused on the downtown, however.
But what about the Mountain? Some of its restaurant owners and chefs paint a picture that suggests there’s a healthy micro-scene already, and nowhere to go but up.
Just as the downtown food fest began bubbling along James, Ottawa and Locke, things are percolating nicely along Concession on the Brow.
Concession Street has a small-town vibe similar to that of Ottawa Street. The vintage façade of the Zoetic Theatre and Creative Arts Company feeds the sense of nostalgia and there is a camaraderie among the cluster of restaurants offering a wide array of cuisines.
Papa Leo’s, a popular spot for breakfast, lunch and brunch, opened about eight years ago. Owner Leo Santos, who is heavily involved in the local Business Improvement Area, said the restaurants here work together, marketing themselves as a group with events such as the BIA’s Sidewalk Sounds, a music-driven promotion which runs on the third Friday evening of each month from May to September.
Concession’s restaurant scene has “grown organically,” said Santos, with lots of locally developed talent in those kitchens.
Caribbean Canadian Fast Food moved up to Concession from Gage Avenue and, more recently, the Juice Kitchen and Pokeh have joined the fray.
Pokeh owner Salar Madadi said it was Santos who urged him to consider expanding to Concession. He was looking to open a second location that would permit longer operating hours than in their kiosk at the Hamilton Farmers’ Market downtown, which opened in late 2015. They offer fresh, made to order poke bowls.
Madadi’s wife, Jeannie, was having lunch with a friend at Papa Leo’s and ended up having a conversation about a spot that was available on the street. That place didn’t pan out due to the plumbing configuration but they opened in June in another location, just down the road from Leo’s.
Madadi spoke highly of the BIA and said he knew he wanted to be on Concession. He already knew Jonny (owner of Jonny Blonde, a farm-to-table restaurant and catering operation) from their food truck ties (Madadi’s truck is called Meat Ventures). And he knew Jules Gauthier of Candi Werx (candy is
the mainstay but they also boast a coffee bar and ice cream section), from the downtown farmers’ market.
“It feels like we’re part of something that’s already good and getting better — the same feel we had going into the farmers’ market.”
Ben Moir, manager of Pokeh on Concession, said he was glad to come back to where he’d grown up. In contrast to the rushed pace downtown, he says the Mountain feels “more laid back,” and the lower real estate prices don’t hurt, either.
Mahabad Ishaq established Rannosh Restaurant and Shisha Cafe almost two years ago, focusing on Lebanese and Middle Eastern fare. Ishaq says he lives on the Mountain and likes the ethnic and culinary diversity among his neighbours.
The Juice Kitchen, just down the street from Rannosh, opened in June and offers organic juice blends and cleanses. Juice Kitchen owner Mouhamadou Taffa says he is thrilled to be part of the Hamilton food scene and spoke with affection for the Brow and its beautiful scenery.
“Everyone can cook their own (culture’s) food,” he said, and added that the ethnic diversity of the population helps give chefs that freedom, too.
Pat Della Grazie, who manages Chicago Style Pizza on Upper Sherman, has worked there since 1983. He said that although their stuffed pizza had long been a local favourite, the buzz really picked up in 2012 when they were featured on Food Network Canada’s “You Gotta Eat Here.”
The restaurant has definitely seen a change in their customer mix over the past 10 years, according to Della Grazie. More diners are “coming from out of town” and sometimes, he admits, they even “squeeze out our regulars.”
Phil VanBeberen, kitchen manager at Sasso Pizza Market and Bar on the south end of Upper James, says it was “tough at first” when owner Mark Farrugia opened up a year and a half ago on the geographic “outskirts” of the city’s food scene.
Back then, he found some Mountain residents had relied on chain restaurants and “weren’t used to food that was made in-house,” said VanBeberen. “We got a lot of flak.”
Farrugia, proud to be “born and raised on the Mountain,” says for him, that was part of the motivation for opening.
“It always struck me as being odd … that there were really no independent places, making food from scratch, using local suppliers.”
For the past decade he’s doing just that, with a menu that boasts a wide assortment of dishes, including pizzas made in their woodburning oven.
Business has really grown, according to VanBeberen. Sasso did not see the typical summer lull that many restaurants experience, due to the “population growth south of Rymal Road.”
Plus, he says, in general, diners’ “palates are developing.”
Alana Hudson reviews restaurants for The Hamilton Spectator. She has cooked Vong, Le Bernardin, and Avalon.