Jake’s Grill & Oyster House: Burlington, Ontario

Freshly shucked oysters

I hate to admit it but I can be somewhat of a food snob from time to time. Don’t get me wrong, I will eat just about anything but certain things, like restaurants attached to hotels, don’t typically appeal to me... but, people can change, right? When I recently got a hankering for seafood and googled “seafood Burlington”, Jake’s Grill & Oyster House popped up. I scanned the menu and thought it looked great so I drove over, anxious to try a new place. I admit that I was initially somewhat dismayed to see that it was adjacent to a hotel; I hadn’t done my full research and was pretty much sold on going for a bite as soon as I saw fish tacos on the menu. Though skeptical, I decided to check it out and was not disappointed.

The place is pretty spacious and though kitschy in their over-the-top boathouse theme, it felt cozy and warm. My friends and I sat down and began to go through their small but impressive menu. We decided to start off with a platter of fresh shucked oysters on the half shell and were served 15 incredible malpeques. They came on a bowl of ice with freshly grated horseradish, lemon wedges and a variety of sauces. We easily polished them off and wished we had ordered more.

Tilapia fish tacos

Next on the menu was the fish taco that initially drew me in. After having enjoyed incredible fish tacos in Ottawa at Burrito Borracho about a month ago, I had been trying to find something nearby to satisfy my craving. These tacos were fully loaded with a generous portion of bronzed tilapia, nappa cabbage, pico de gallo and a delicious and creamy cilantro lime aioli. The lunch orders consisted of two large tacos and a side salad. My first taco was incredible but sadly the second one had to be sent back because the fish was raw inside. The server quickly ordered me a fresh plate and the manager came out and apologized promptly. I got a whole new order (2 tacos!) in no time and they were delicious. The fish was fresh, the cabbage was crisp and the aioli was perfect, adding just the right amount of creaminess and bite.

While I didn’t have a chance to sample much else on the menu because we all ordered the exact same thing, I wanted to share this place none-the-less. If you are looking for fresh, reasonably priced seafood in the area, I would recommend giving Jake’s a try!

Martini House: Burlington, Ontario

If you’re looking for good food, a great atmosphere (inside and out) and an incredible cocktail list, then Burlington’s Martini House is for you. Tucked away on Elizabeth street, the Martini House offers a nice small patio in front, perfect for summer nights, and a cozy, candlelit setting inside. I recently visited for dinner on a Saturday night and thought it was time to share this place with you!

It goes without saying that they know what they’re doing when it comes to drinks – they have a separate menu designated just for martinis, offering a wide variety of combinations. I have had a chance to sample several different kinds and they have all been expertly concocted and mixed. On my most recent visit I decided to opt for a glass of wine instead of a martini and they had a good variety of local and international wines to choose from.

On this particular occasion I decided to order their curry mussels with a caprese salad. Perhaps a bit of a strange combo but it worked. The mussels were served in a rich, golden curry sauce and came with naan bread. They were served on a bed of rice which was perfect for soaking up the yummy curry sauce. The mussels were quite filling and would easily have sufficed as one whole meal. The caprese salad was equally good with a light balsamic and oil dressing. The salad is listed in the menu as coming with crisp leaf greens, which I opted out of - I don’t think lettuce belongs in a caprese. The tomatoes were ripe and delicious with beautiful bocconcini and fresh basil. It’s one of my favorite salads and they do it well.

My two friends who joined me for dinner ordered the pasta of the day and the filet mignon. The pasta dish consisted of homemade ravioli that were filled with fresh ricotta, spinach and scallions and served in a creamy garlic sauce. The ravioli were perfectly al dente and the portion was a good amount for a dinner serving. While we unfortunately had to send the filet back because it was overcooked initially, they immediately remedied the situation and gave us all free dessert as a food offering (which we graciously accepted, obviously). It should be noted that the fact that the meat was improperly cooked was quite out of the ordinary for them – I have ordered the filet there before and it was cooked perfectly – so don’t worry about this happening to you. The steak came back out served on top of a mountain of lobster cheddar mashed potatoes (yes, it is a thing and yes, they are crazy delicious) with grilled green beans and asparagus.

While it became a bit too dark outside for me to take any good photos of the desserts (I really hate the look of food shots with a flash so I made the decision to just go ahead and eat without taking any photos – a rare moment!) they were good but not incredible. The assorted cheesecake platter tasted a bit stale and uninventive, whereas the chocolate peanut cheesecake was dense and delicious! While I haven’t sampled their other solid desserts, I think your best bet is to enjoy a final dessert martini, of which they have several delectable options. 

I would certainly recommend checking this place out next time you are in B-town but be sure to make a reservation! It's a popular joint.

The Works: Burlington, Ontario

San Francisco Treat with Bacon and a side of poutine

With the upcoming launch of The Works burger joint in Hamilton’s own Jackson Square, it seemed only fitting to give it a try at the nearby location in Burlington (also I love burgers in general and didn’t really need a reason to check it out). The Works has been around since 2001 and has over 20 locations already up and running and nearly 10 more on the go.  When I recently checked out the Burlington location, I was immediately impressed with the friendly staff and cool interior; the brick, metal and wood gave it a rugged, industrial feel that worked well with the menu offerings and overall dining experience. 

The main thing with The Works is that you are pretty much guaranteed to find something on the menu that appeals to you, as long as you like burgers. Not only do they have 6 different patty choices including (but not limited to) beef, elk and portobello caps, they have 71 different combo toppings and many different sides to choose from. 

Tower-O-Rings

We started off by ordering milkshakes, which I heard were a specialty of theirs. They give you the option of mixing multiple flavours (and I’m the kind of person who likes a lot of options when it comes to food) and went with a chocolate and peanut butter mix while my boyfriend opted for raspberry and chocolate. They both arrived in big glass measuring cups with straws and were extremely creamy and thick (and also very filling)! 

For our appetizer we ordered the “Tower-O-Rings” which are breaded (not battered) onion rings. They come piled high with two dipping sauces; we got the Chipotle mayo and the Buttermilk Ranch.  The rings were super crispy – crunchy even – and quite large! It’s a pretty generous portion for an appetizer when you consider that you’ve already had half a milkshake and have a burger and side on the way. We couldn’t quite finish the tower but I imagine that it would have been a perfect size for 3-4 people, instead of 2.


After looking at the menu and what seemed like a billion topping combinations, we finally settled on our burger picks. I got the San Francisco Treat on a beef patty, which came with real Kraft dinner & cheddar cheese (not Rice-a-Roni). I blame Diners, Drive-ins and Dives for making me add bacon to my burger (as well as a side of poutine).  My boyfriend got the Blues Burger on an elk patty, including blue cheese and double smoked bacon, with a side of their spicy die-cut chips.

Poutini Martini

I really liked the Kraft dinner and the creaminess that it gave the burger, and the bacon added just the right saltiness and texture. One of my ‘beefs’ with the burger, however, is that the bun was a bit stale and oval (while the patty was round. That is actually a pretty big pet peeve of mine and I have sent back many a non-matching bun at restaurants - yes, I am that customer). 

I ordered the Poutini Martini as my side, which is a standard poutine with onion rings. The image I had in mind when I ordered this was of small, crispy bites of onion rings mixed into the poutine. What I received, however, were large pieces of onion rings (basically one of their rings roughly broken into 4 pieces) thrown onto the top of the poutine. While they did use real curds (5 points for that), I was disappointed in the lack of said curd (minus 5).

Blues Burger with Die-Cut Chips

My boyfriend enjoyed his burger but found that the blue cheese was almost too strong and somewhat overwhelmed the flavour of the meat. While elk is a pretty lean meat, the burger remained moist and had a nice texture to it. The spicy die-cut chips were probably the high light here. Similar to kettle chips except a bit thicker and with a really yummy house-made dry rub on them; we ate them all despite being super full. 

Overall, The Works is a good burger joint and they are definitely a player in the ongoing best-burger competition. They are constantly coming up with new toppings and combos and that is precisely why I think they will do well in Jackson Square.  The shakes were great, the onion rings were crispy and unique and with a few tweaks to their buns and poutines, they could really have something amazing! I will be sure to check them out once they are up and running in Hamilton. Oh and be sure to come super hungry and to spread out your milkshakes and onion rings!