Oakville's First Dishcrawl: Discovering Downtown Oakville Restaurants

Last night I had the pleasure of participating in Oakville's first Dishcrawl event.  If you haven't heard about Dishcrawls yet, essentially the event mimics a pub crawl but instead of drinks, you indulge in food from four different restaurants.  In one night you get to explore four restaurants and sample a few dishes from each. At a cost of only $60 per person, I think its a fantastic deal.  Last nights Oakville Dishcrawl event featured four downtown Oakville establishments on Trafalgar Road or Lakeshore Road.  Lucky for me, all the restaurants we visited last night were places I had not been before, so I was thrilled to get a chance to try so many new places.

Stop #1: Southside Cottage Grill

We were greeted warmly by both the Dishcrawl Oakville ambassador, Vanessa, and by the owners of the restaurant.  Each table received some of Southside Cottage Grill's signature hot sauce that we could add to the food we would be tasting - chicken fingers, a pulled pork sandwich (one of their specialties) and a potato skin topped with a tomato mix and drizzled with avocado sauce.  All the food was very good, the pulled pork sandwich was definitely my favourite and several people at my table were raving about the hot sauce (which you can buy to take home with you!).  I would love to bring my kids back here to grab a bite to eat or meet here with friends.  The atmosphere was great, the restaurant is much bigger on the inside than it looks like from the street and the owners were genuine hosts. They are also very gluten free friendly!

We got our first notice that we'd be up and moving shortly and it was fun to see the group heading as a pack to our next culinary destination.

Stop #2:  EE Sushi.  

The plate they served Dishcrawlers was very colourful and had lots of different options to taste.  We got a salmon appetizer and a plate of sushi which included vegetable rolls and handrolls.  My favourite was the roll topped with mango and my friend was a big fan of the tempura shrimp. They have a very large menu including not only sushi but noodles and fried rice options too.

Stop #3:  Julia's Ristorante 

This restaurant has been a long standing Oakville regular hot spot for the past 10 years.  Head Chef Carl came out to greet the group and let us know that they are launching a new menu.  He then explained what we would be eating and provided us with a plate that included a crab cake, a turkey burrito (my favourite at this stop) and duck breast.  The restaurant has vibrant decor and great music to create a fun and exciting atmosphere.

Stop #4:  Marilyn Monroe Cafe

Just when we were all talking about how full we were getting, we moved on to our final stop.  It was almost as if they read our mind as instead of sitting down to eat as we had a the other locations, the presented us with a nicely displayed table of their blonde roast coffee and some tasty treats to take home with us.  I grabbed the box that contained a chocolate croissant and a small slice of New York cheesecake and my friend decided to try the gluten free chocolate torte.  We decided to sit down and enjoy the atmosphere and tasted both desserts - big thumbs up.  Many of the other Dishcrawlers elected to move outside and enjoy their great patio space.  Marilyn Monroe Cafe has free wifi and lots of space to sit with friends or to grab a table and do some work or have a meeting.  Their pastry display case was really impressive too!  I have been meaning to go into this place for awhile and will definitely be back again.

 

Marilyn Monroe Cafe's Pastry Case

I would certainly recommend attending a Dishcrawl Oakville event.  It really is a great way to get to know more local restaurants in your community, taste some foods that may be outside of your normal favourites and visit restaurants that you may not have been to before.  The next Dishcrawl Oakville event is slated for July 9th so make sure you check in with their website to get the details and get your tickets!