Bite-Sized: Tally Ho, Hamilton, Ontario

Tally Ho’s roast beef sandwiches are not, I repeat, not just for drunken McMaster students returning from a bar somewhere in the West end. Located at 1536 Main West in Hamilton, Tally Ho’s is something of a magical food happy place legend. While I admit that I first learned of Tally Ho’s while I was attending McMaster as a student, I recently returned and was pleasantly surprised to taste the exact same incredible sandwich that I had eaten some 5 years ago.

Roast Beef Sandwich

It all starts with a soft, warm sesame seed bun. The bun is sliced and gets a spoonful of their hot, savoury gravy. (side note: my mouth is already watering as I type this). A generous portion of the most tender and thinly sliced roast beef is placed in a special warmer. Picture a hot plate with a lid that allows the meat to heat up while staying moist and flavourful. This gets piled onto the gravied bun and then more gravy is added on top. Ordering the Roast Beef Basket means that you also get fries and coleslaw, which I highly recommend, and you necessarily need to get extra gravy for the fries. The gravy isn’t anything fancy but it is always hot and just the right consistency to dunk your sandwich in if you feel the need for a bit more sauce. The coleslaw provides the perfect crunchy, creamy contrast in between mouthfuls of meat and gravy. Basically, this sandwich is amazing. (side note: I am about to get into my car to go get two one two).

Yes – if you go after 11 pm on any given night, you will be surrounded by drunk students (and if you go at lunch time on a weekday and see a young woman in a business suit shamelessly going HAM on a sandwich in a corner, it is me) – but it is oh, so very worth it. 

McCartney & Son: Interview with Chef Shane McCartney

Chef Shane freshly slicing
sous-vide herb crusted
strip-loin

Located at 282 James North in Hamilton is the newly launched McCartney & Son, Hamilton's first salad bar. With a huge variety of locally sourced toppings and greens, M&S is also making homemade soups daily as well as tasty deli sandwiches. I popped in last week (as soon as I heard about them) and tried one of the salads. I immediately emailed Chef Shane McCartney for an interview!

So, are you from Hamilton?

I wasn’t born here but I’ve been living here off and on for about 10 years, maybe longer actually, 15 years.

Where were you trained?

Just in restaurants. My very first start was when I bought a restaurant in Halifax called “Café Vienna”.

A few of the delicious salad bar
options

At the time when I lived in Halifax, I had never cooked anything ever in my life. My girlfriend was a chef and the restaurant she was working at was for sale. So I bought the place thinking I wasn’t ever going to have to cook anything or do anything. But day 2 somebody didn’t show up and I was in there cooking and I realized that was what I wanted to do.

What were you doing before that?

I was a music promoter and that’s what brought me out there.

Then what?

Then I moved back here, 10 or 12 years ago, worked in a couple places around here and then worked for a high profile catering company in Toronto where I fed lots of famous people, lots from film and from rock and roll.

That’s why they call you the rock 'n' roll chef?

Yep (laughs) - I’ve fed a lot of famous people.

Food art! Bacon & poutine

Like who?

Most famous is Robert Plant.

(This comes to him instantly. He then pauses for a bit before he names the rest in quick succession.)

Jay-Z, Buck 65, P Diddy, Les Claypool and Primus. And Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson,…

(I rudely interrupt here.)

Holy Crap. Really? Samuel L. Jackson is the last person you thought to name?

(Laughs) Yeah. Well, I always think of music first.

What was the inspiration for M&S?

It’s an idea I’d been thinking about doing here in Hamilton for about 5 years, just had to find the right spot to do it. You know, there are no salad bars in this whole city.

I know! I just moved back from Toronto and love all the salad bar options they have.

(Laughs) I know, they’re everywhere in Toronto! I just wanted to do something really fresh and simple. The original idea was just a salad bar but then Reardon’s closed - I used to live above Reardon’s! So then I was like, well I’m gonna do deli sandwiches, proper deli sandwiches, which is also something that is lacking in the city.

The Big Daddy. Need I say more?

Why James North?

I’ve lived here for about 6 years so I’ve watched the neighbourhood develop. I loved Toronto but I left - I got tired of driving to Toronto. Then the guy who owns Jack and Lois -  he works in film so I used to feed him every day - he hired me to open Jack and Lois. So once I got that up and going I was like, well, next step. And then this place became available.

In conclusion, Chef Shane is the real deal and Hamilton is lucky to have him. I will definitely be coming here often and think you should too!

Olive & Kiwi, Hamilton, Ontario

Have you heard of Olive & Kiwi yet? If not, you should check it out ASAP.

Olive & Kiwi is a market, specialty grocery store and sandwich shop extraordinaire, located at the top of the Garth Street access in Hamilton at 567 Scenic Drive. This place used to be your run of the mill convenience store, until about a year ago when it was taken over by new owners and transformed into a foodie haven. 

In the small space they have, O&K has managed to fit in a local fruits and veggie display, fresh baked breads (from Hamilton's own Cake & Loaf), local cured meats and cheeses, specialty herbs and sauces and so much more! They also recently got a satellite coffee spot for My Dog Joe right in the store. The store is full of beautiful mismatched wood shelves and displays.

While I come here fairly often to stock up on hard to find Ontario dill & garlic pickles as well as Jensen's extra old cheddar (what other kind of cheddar is there, really?) and portuguese corn bread, they still offer me a free sample of soup every time. It's always homemade and always delicious. When I popped in last week after work, I decided to check out their fresh sandwiches. 

When you get to the sandwich counter, you are greeted by 
Tony, the in-house sandwich maker/connoisseur. Of the several yummy options, I decided to go for the marinated and breaded chicken. They marinate the chicken in fresh lemon juice, herbs and white wine and then bread it and bake it to perfection. The breading is crisp and not too thick. I watched Tony carefully. 


First Tony takes a fresh bun and slices it in half (none of this pre-sliced business). He puts on some of the house-made marinara.

He then slices off two pieces of fresh mozzarella and places one on each half of the bun. I'm impressed and this effort does not go unnoticed when I bite into the sandwich.

I choose the following toppings: fried onions and garlic, sauteed mushrooms and grilled peppers (sweet and hot). He piles the toppings onto the chicken and then warms it all up a bit. This then gets placed onto the bun with expert handling. The toppings all stay in place perfectly and the cheese is softened by the chicken. The end product:

I'm not lying when I tell you that I literally sat there making quiet noises of enjoyment to myself, while "Guy Fieri-ing"* each bite. I was happy. 

As I cashed out, the flavor of herbs and white wine lingered in my mouth. I will be back soon and so should you!

*Guy Fieri-ing: To take a double or triple bite, each bite, because it's that good.