Everything that shines ain't always going to be gold. Happiness is a journey not a destination .
♥
So my boyfriend and I are FoodNetwork junkies. We come from a heavy food influenced backround and crave new ways to enjoy old favourites. We have made it a regular to watch “You Gotta Eat Here!” on FoodNetwork Canada and at the risk of divulging our secret, we follow the local eateries!
Enter Hadleys. This restaurant was featured on Friday for their in house smoker and fine quality food without having to tear out your purse strings! They are located on Dufferin Grove in Little Portugal. I have a good familiarity with the area so Taylor and I decided to pop in for a bite!
We got to the restaurant only to find that they open at 5pm for dinner! Luckily it was only 4:30 so we had some time to sneak into The Caledonia for a couple of Creemore half-pints. With a grumbling belly and a small buzz (I’m sorry but despite it’s deliciousness, beer does not sit well with me!), we found our way back to Hadleys.
Once there, we got a table and watched the place fill up like a jug of water. As sour as le boyfriend was about arriving too early, he was quickly thankful we weren’t on time.
The wait staff and owners were lovely people with general gusto for their profession and dive but to our dismay, it was a horrid ONE HOUR before receiving our food. Most of the people in there were sent by the same show that fueled our interest so I don’t think Miss Hadley was prepared for such a huge crowd but calling a spade a spade, my food was sub par.
I started with the hush puppies that locals have been swearing by only to discover that their uniquely wonderful taste was drenched in salt. I only ate the insides. My entree was their pulled pork sandwich and coleslaw which would have been spectacular if it hadn’t been sitting on the counter for an hour. By the time it reached my table, the once toasted bread had gone soggy and the pork had set itself into an uneditable chill. The only steaming food I had was my side of fries which I didn’t have the luxury of enjoying because the flavor was hidden by, you guessed it, more salt! Taylor had a half rack of ribs, Goddess Salad and their prized Mac’n’Cheese. While the salad had gone a bit brown and soggy, it was the only thing he ate. The acclaimed ribs fell short when the bark of his food turned into a rubbery jerky. Again, this is the product of the food having been set aside for so long. The meat itself had gone dry and that seasoned rub had disappeared into a cold mush on top of his dish. The Mac’n’Cheese wasn’t the greatest. I don’t think it had much to do with they way they cooked it but we discovered that Emmental cheese wasn’t our favourite.
Having spent an hour and half waiting for food and 15 minutes hating it, we decided to leave. We let Hadley know of our disappointments and she sweetly offered to pay our bill. There was no doubt that the people who work and own this restaurant are genuine and passionate people but my experience here prompts me to “Not Have To Eat Here”. The reviews of Hadley’s have been spectacular and I don’t doubt on a regular day they serve up fine food but last night was terrible. The boyfriend and I plan to revisit in a year’s time and hopefully by then, they would have hired another server and learned how to deal with massive crowds without compromising their food.
Bulk Barn was closing down so Baby & I went H.A.M ! Best anny gift ever. (Taken with instagram)
Baby saw this joint on You Gotta Eat Here! on FoodNetwork & took me here for our anny dinner. Soo Good! (Taken with instagram)
For our girly dinner we had our favorite, Sangrias! Definitely the drink of choice for girl talks & light buzzes.
A collection of some of my favorite foodies this week. Red velvet ice cream, Cesar does Texas wings & Arahova fries, Red Velvet cake & curry goat with roti.
The boyfriend bought me all the right fattening agents! Obviously, we can’t eat it all in one night but oh my, sooo good! #eatme (Taken with instagram)
I don’t think you understand. I will move to America for this heavenly piece of fatty goodness. Canada will trade you Ketchup chips!
Dim sum bitchesss.
So Alessandra and I were watching Epic Meal Time & she had confessed to never having candied bacon. Naturally, we bought some of those heavenly pork strips & made some! The end result was set atop some pure vanilla bean ice cream. YUM! You really can’t have a lot of it but a small bowl really strikes a sweet note with you’re sweet tooth. (Taken with instagram)
