BITS AND BITES

Go east, young beer

With the opening of Clifford Brewing Company, east Hamilton is now officially on the beer map.

Owner Brad Clifford, previously the brewer for Get Well Bar in Toronto, moved to Hamilton in 2015. Shortly after, he began brewing his signature beers, Clifford Porter and Pinball Wizard American Pale Ale, for establishments across the province. His bricks-and-mortar brewery on Nash Road opened in January, with a retail store open most days of the week and a taproom open Friday through Sunday.

398 Nash Rd. N., Unit 1 cliffordbrewing.com Polenta fries, oh my!

A bright and airy new spot on Ottawa Street is offering a creative twist on pizza and pasta, as well as brunch (think “blood-orange Hollandaise sauce”) and weekend afternoon pizza parties. Caro Restaurant sits just north of Main on Ottawa, a skip and a jump from Gage Park. Its menu boasts quirky items like crispy polenta fries, and its pizza parties are set for Saturdays and Sundays at 3 p.m. It also has one seemingly benign but endlessly practical selling point — it’s open on Mondays, a common day off in the restaurant world.

4 Ottawa St. N. carorestaurant.com Brick-oven pizza lunch

A new café on Centennial Parkway North is promising patrons brick-oven pizza and the best lattes and cappuccinos one might ever try. Domiziano Café opened Feb. 2, just north of Queenston Road. They have all the usual toppings for their pizzas, but the house specialty pie features olive oil, mozzarella, grilled chicken, roasted red pepper, sun-dried tomato and mushrooms. Just plan to eat there during the day: according to their Facebook account, they close at 6 p.m. on weekdays and 4 p.m. Saturdays, and are closed on Sundays. 40 Centennial Parkway N. domizianocafe.com