Roses and Thorns: Of restaurants, potholes and aging with grace

ROSE: To The Restaurant at Pearl Morrissette. The Jordan restaurant was recently at the top of enRoute’s annual list of Canada’s best new restaurants. The respected Air Canada inflight magazine made the announcement on Oct. 25, making The Restaurant at Pearl Morrissette the first Niagara establishment to earn this honour. The restaurant, which was opened by Daniel Hadida and Eric Robertson a little over a year ago, received about 400 reservations the day after they owners delivered their acceptance speech in Toronto. The two were taught their skills in Michelinstarred restaurants in Europe and have twice hosted dinners for Michelin, the world’s most highly respected ranking body for restaurants. The Restaurant at Pearl Morrissette has continued to earn recognition this month with Toronto Life magazine ranking it the best out-of-town restaurant. For a region already known for its culinary offerings, the recognition for this Jordan business is notable and should only help drive further traffic to Niagara’s food and beverage attractions.

THORN: To the City of Niagara Falls and its insurance adjuster for the way motorist Paul Lemire was treated. Lemire was driving with a friend on Olden Avenue, near Mountain Road in April, when he hit a pothole. The pothole was hidden behind the lip of a raised manhole cover and when Lemire drove to avoid cars parked at the side of the road, he hit the hole and blew his tire. He had the tire fixed, had to have an alignment done and then submitted his claim for $425, along with photos of the pothole and the damage to the vehicle. The adjuster denied the claim, saying since the city patrolled the road within 14 days as per the Municipal Act, the city did not have any liability for the damage. “I had never heard that before – and I’ve been around for a while,” said Coun. Wayne Thomson, who helped Lemire through the system of filing a claim. Lemire asks why, if the city had inspected the road within 14 days, there was no marker to warn drivers of the pothole. He also asked for a record of the road inspection but was told he would have to file a Freedom of Information form to get it. “I just want to warn others that if they hit something, they may not get satisfaction from the city,” said Lemire. “Because it looks like the way they take care of things is not to help citizens, but to limit the way they pay claims.”

ROSE: To Joyce Cutts, 86 of Welland, who earned a silver medal in the women’s 85-plus doubles tennis tournament, along with a bronze in mixed doubles, at the Super-Seniors World Team Championships earlier this fall in Croatia. Cutts was paired for the tournament with Sabine Leflaive, 85, from France. The two had never played together before and lost the gold medal to a duo from Ireland and the Netherlands. Cutts, who is a member of the University of Alberta Hall of Fame and the Welland Sports Wall of Fame, intends to return to the Super-Seniors competition next year. She says she works out three times weekly at the YMCA, using 12 machines, in addition to playing tennis. Cutts’ enthusiasm, continued athleticism and participation in sports should be an inspiration to all. “I don’t even feel 86,” she says. “More like about 70, 65 … I have the physical ability to keep going, and it’s my talent.”

“I just want to warn others that if they hit something, they may not get satisfaction from the city. Because it looks like the way they take care of things is not to help citizens, but to limit the way they pay claims.”

PAUL LEMIRE

Niagara Falls resident