Jack Astor’s

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Friday’s are for the girls, and we decided to go for drinks and appetizers at Jack Astor’s this time, what was the appeal? Fishbowls of course! Jack Astor’s fishbowls in general are large in size, taste amazing, and worth the extra money in my opinion! But did you know that you can fishbowl size a Caesar? Well that’s what we did, and they were amazing!

Where: Jack Astor’s, Burlington ON

3140 South Service Rd, Burlington, ON L7N 3J3
Phone: (905) 333-0066
Hours of Operation:
Sunday – Wednesday: 11:30am – 12:00am
Friday and Saturday: 11:30am – 1:00am
http://www.jackastors.com

This location of the very popular chain is located just south of the QEW/403, and can be very busy! It features a dining room, as well as a bar, and a patio in the warmer months (pictured). We enjoyed our girls night on a Toronto Maple Leaf vs. Boston Bruins game 5 night of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the dining room was empty, however the bar was packed with Leaf fans of course! Typical sports bar vibe on the bar side, classier dinner vibe on the dining room side. I will say a reservation is probably ideal for any group larger than 4.

The CZR: Classic Caesar – Ordered Spicy and Made a Fishbowl

  • Drink Menu
  • $14.99 (3oz)

This CZR is one my favourites by FAR! First of all, look at how big it is! Obviously you can get regular sized ones, but I always opt for one of these when I can. This CZR has all my favourite garnishes, 2 pickles, 2 celery stalks and a lime. They use non-traditional celery salt, which I really enjoyed as it was slightly spicy and if you’ve read any of my other posts you know that’s what I like. The spicyness was certainly a 4 out 5, meaning that I couldn’t chug this one which I liked, had to sip on water every now and then, and if you have dry lips it may burn slightly lol. This CZR was exactly what I asked for!

Some negatives about the fishbowl are that there is a lot of ice, which you need to take in to account before ordering, especially on a hot day on the patio. As the ice melts, the CZR becomes watered down and obviously influences the overall taste, so just take note of whether or not you’re going to be drinking it at a good speed in order to keep a good ice to drink ratio!

Overall Rating: A

This CZR accomplished everything that I wanted, lots of my preferred garnishes and lots of spice! I also loved how the type of celery salt complemented the CZR perfectly. Will definitely be going back lots this CZR SZN!

Boston Pizza

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Hey guys! Looking for an excuse to get out of the house for some good food and drinks? This Boston Pizza located in Hamilton offers FRIENDS trivia night, every second Wednesday of the month! What better way to end the dreaded hump day. If that’s not enough, maybe this CZR review will draw you in to try!

Where: Boston Pizza, Hamilton ON


1563 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 1E6
Phone: (905) 777-1919
Hours of Operation:
All Week: 11:00am-2:00am
Website: http://www.bostonpizza.com

I’m not going to spend too much time talking about the restaurant itself, it’s a large restaurant chain, they have large portion sizes, and it’s a sports bar atmosphere!

FRIENDS trivia was a lot of fun if you’re a fan of the famous 90s sitcom! Good mix of easy, medium, and hard questions. Prizes included various amounts for gift cards to Boston Pizza. Starts at 7pm goes until approximately 9pm. If this is something that interests you, call ahead to reserve your table, as it was packed when I went. Takes place every second Wednesday of the month!

The CZR: Classic Caesar – Ordered Spicy

The Classic Caesar – $6.29
Note: Caesar Sunday – $4.49

This Caesar was definitely a classic. Garnished with celery and lime, and rimmed with classic celery salt. Was a bit disappointed, as mine and my friend’s Caesar both had short celery sticks, not long enough to stir my drink, basically forced to eat it right away, or put it on the table. They could have also been more generous with the celery salt in my opinion.

The redeeming qualities for me was the spicy factor, if you want spice, they really give you that kick you’re looking for. I ordered 2 and both were the same level of spiciness that I enjoy, so I know it’s not just a fluke the one time. On a scale of 1-5 this one is definitely a 4.5. In between sips I found myself sipping on water which I personally enjoy as it helps me not drink my Caesar too fast. Another redeeming quality was the amount of ice, they give you the perfect amount in my opinion. They do bring you a straw wrapped, should you choose to use one, perhaps in their efforts to not always have customers using a straw in their attempt to be more eco-friendly. This Caesar had 1oz of vodka, but you can Boston Size it for an additional charge of $3.50 for another 1oz of vodka.

Overall Rating: B+

Overall there were some ups and down for this CZR. What makes me give it the + is the level spiciness, had that not been the way I liked it, probably would have rated it a B- as the garnishes were a bit of a let down even though it is just a classic Caesar.

Notes from my friend…

I ordered a classic Caesar, I myself don’t prefer spice like Dallas does, so I did not ask for any spice. Wasn’t wowed by this one, would rate it a B- given that the celery was short, and that was a bit of let down. However the overall taste of the drink was what I like.

Anonymous

~ Dallas

CZR SZN begins…

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Decided to start CZR SZN on April 1st, sooner the better right? Prepare to read all things Caesar related, as promised. Will also be doing a small review on my meal because it was worth the pictures and the discussion! Anyways here we go… the first critique of the season.

Where: Hambrgr, Hamilton Ontario

207 Ottawa St N, Hamilton ON L8H 3Z4
Hours of Operation: Sunday-Thursday: 11:00AM-10:00PM, Friday-Saturday: 11:00AM-12:00AM
Phone: (905) 312-1313
Website: hambrgr.com
Does not deliver.

My thoughts on the location were great! This restaurant in Hamilton is truly a hole in the wall! Based on the overall size of this place, I can assume that it will have higher waiting times during prime dining hours, which may be something you should consider when planning your visit! I visited around 5PM on a Monday, and did not have to wait for a table for 2. Parking could be an issue depending on when as well, but there is street parking available as well as a larger parking lot across the street, behind some buildings!

Overall atmosphere of the place was cozy! Definitely an instagrammable spot, for both the food presentation and decor.

The CZR: Fried Pickle – Ordered Spicy

  • Featured as the “Fried Pickle” Caesar.
  • Cost of Caesar is $9.5

I was very much a fan of this CZR! So let’s get started with the general information about it!

As pictured, the garnishes consisted of a celery stalk, one Kosher pickle, one fried kosher pickle, as well as a lemon and lime wedge. It was rimmed with not a tradtional celery salt, but the popular “other” caesar rim salt that’s orange in colour.

My comments on the garnishes themselves is that they exceeded my expectations! I for one loved the fried pickle, it was hot/freshly fried and tasted absolutely delicious, the additional Kosher pickle was an added bonus in my opinion! So right away this CZR checks off 2 must haves in my ideal CZR, pickle and celery! Although it did not have traditional celery salt, I enjoyed this version as it added a bit more spice to the drink that for me lacked spice, even though I ordered spicy. Disclaimer: I have a high spicy tolerance. On a scale of 1-5, 1 being not spicy and 5 being very spicy I started off as rating this as a 3, but as the ice melted it became a 2. Next time I will most likly emphasize to my server “extra spicy” while ordering.

Emoji highlights the CZR I ordered, however this restaurant has 4 options. As viewed from another table, the classic CZR garnishes contain celery stalk as well as lemon and lime wedge.

As stated in the image above the CZR contained 1.5oz of vodka, clamato juice, salt and pepper and worcestshire sauce! I was pleased with the volume of ice in the drink, as it allowed for a good amount of drinkable liquid without thinking I was being ripped off. A straw was provided to me for my CZR, however my friend who had a Coke to drink, was asked if he would need a straw in an effort to minimize the use of them (save the turtles)!!

Overall CZR grade: B+

This CZR’s garnishes is what truly won me over! The overall taste for me was good, and although I would have another, I would prefer it to be a bit spicier. Definitely excited to head back and try some of the other options this CZR SZN!

If all you came for was the CZR advice, feel free to stop reading, from here on out will be a review on the food I ordered to go with it!

What I ordered: The Nacho Man

The Nacho Man – $13
Side Caesar Salad – Additional $4 (Made with Kale)

Time to talk food! As you can see I ordered the Nacho Man burger, which I must say was huge and I was unable to finish after my surprisingly large side caesar salad to start! The burger had carne asada rub, nacho cheese, smashed avocado, pickled onions, jalapeno, crispy tortilla strips, smokey adobo ailoi and iceberg lettuce (pickled onions crossed out because I had ordered it without them). This burger was outstanding! Cooked medium well, with slight pink in the center, it was perfect for me! Definitely go on an empty stomach because you’re going to want to finish this one. Also very messy, but if it’s not messy is it even good??

The caesar salad made with kale as opposed to romaine lettuce was wonderful. It had bacon bits as well as parmesan cheese and croutons. The croutons were soft as opposed to crunchy and were byfar my favourite part of the salad! They were freshly baked as they were still warm, and melted in my mouth almost like a homefry so I absolutely recommend this for the extra $4!

That concludes my first review, please feel free to comment, like, share, and follow me on my CZR journey!

~ Dallas

House of Wings

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It was 2 for 1 wing night at the House of Wings in Oakville Ontario, and instead of opting for a beer, I decided to give their CZR a try for you guys! If you’re at all curious, keep on reading! This article will also include a small review on their wings. I was a fan.

Where: House of Wings, Oakville Ontario

2501 Third Line & Dundas, Oakville ON L6M 5A9
Phone: (905) 847-8177
Hours of Operation:
Sunday-Monday 11:00am-10:00pm, Tuesday-Thursday 11:00am-12:00am, Friday-Saturday 11:00am-1:00am
Website: houseofwingsrestaurants.com

This location is absolutely your typical sports bar. With multiple TVs, there’s definitely always a game on to come and watch with your friends over some drinks and wings! Smaller location, so I can assume that when they’re busy wait times can be expected! Service was wonderful, uniforms even reflected the sports game that was going to be on that night (Go Blue Jays Go). Tuesday nights are their 2 for 1 special, that includes 2 pounds of wings for the price of 1, which comes to $13.99 + tax. I think I just found my new spot to catch the upcoming NHL playoffs in a couple of weeks honestly! Plenty of parking in the plaza this location is found in.

I went on a Tuesday at 6PM and was able to seat my party of 5 with no wait times, by the time 7PM rolled around, there was a line going out the door.

The CZR: Classic Caesar – Ordered Spicy

  • Classic CZR – $5.99

This CZR is exactly what the title screams…CLASSIC. You’re not getting any surprises here, that’s forsure. Perfect amount of traditional celery salt, garnishes included a lemon wedge and a stalk of celery, there was also salt and pepper that were added to the top. The restaurant has the option of ordering a double Caesar for the price of $9.50 which includes 1oz extra of vodka.

I ordered mine spicy (as per usual) and although it had that kick, it wasn’t quite spicy enough for my likings. Ranking it a 2/5, 1 being not spicy at all and 5 being super spicy. If I go back, I’ll certainly emphazise extra spicy while ordering!

Super pleased about the amount of ice used in this CZR, definintely did not feel ripped off, however I will say the glass seemed slightly smaller than what I’m used to and it did disappear quickly. Although for $5.99 I’m not complaining. As pictured, they did not provide a straw with this CZR, I’m assuming they are also doing their part to #SaveTheTurtles!

Overall Rating: B

Although I enjoyed this CZR, nothing about it makes it stand out. For your average CZR it tasted exactly that…average. Nothing wrong with it, nothing amazing about it either. I am pleased they stuck with the traditional celery salt and included a celery stalk as a garnish. Especially pleased with the light ice used (without being asked) as like I said, the glass seemed particularly smaller than CZR glasses used at other restaurants. I will order again!

If all you wanted was the CZR critique feel free to stop reading, from here on out will be about the wings I ordered.

What I ordered: Sweet Stings – Triple Hot & Honey Garlic

1lb – $13.99
2lbs – $24.99 (1 flavour)
4lbs – $49.99 (2 flavours)
6lbs – $73.99 (3 flavours)
Add Celery/Carrots & Blue Cheese – $2

I was super pleased with the food I ordered. My order can be found on the menu in the triple hot category named Sweet Stings. They tasted amazing, but they were not spicy, so if crazy spicy isn’t your thing don’t be intimidated to try them! The sauce blend was definitely more honey garlic than hot sauce, but they did have a kick! The wings were large and meaty, and were also breaded. If you want them saucy it will cost you an additional $1.00.

Tuesday 2 for 1 wing deals was absolutely worth it, and they couldn’t have picked a better day. I for one will be taking advantage of the cheap wing nights falling on the same day as cheap movie nights, if you ask me that sounds like a recipe for a perfect date night!

Thanks for reading everyone, like, follow, and share if you found this useful! Happy CZR drinking!

~ Dallas

Welcome fellow CZR lover!

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I’ve always wanted to write a blog that would be helpful to others yet would be something I was passionate about, then one day I found myself googling “places with good caesars.” To my surprise, there really isn’t much out there, in terms of what I was looking for anyways. So here we are, I’m creating a Caesar blog and here’s everything you can expect to see!

What am I including in my blog posts?

  • Location of the CZR I tried
  • Description of atmosphere, patio, bar, etc.
  • Salt used to rim the glass
  • Any ingredients listed on the menu
  • Price
  • Garnishes used
  • Rating of spicyness
  • Type of vodka used
  • How much vodka used
  • Ice amount
  • Straw? Paper Straw? No straw?
  • PICTURE… of course!
  • My personal overall CZR rating
  • Other friends’ overall CZR ratings

My CZR rating will obviously be my own personal opinion, and if you’re wondering if our CZR tastes are similar check out the About Me page found in the main menu bar! Can’t wait to get this CZR SZN started and enjoy trying new CZRs for you all!

~ Dallas