Today I was picking up some wines for corporate baskets. I was looking to get the Pinot gris G…read moreMarcus. The tasting bar is open again so I was able to sample it but the location only had one case. So I scratched to find a back up. So I ended up trying a back up Australia chard but it was too tart for taste for novice drinkers so I asked for some recommendation and assistant manager Ben offered me a Sauvignon blanc that was quite nice for the wine drinker and the novice drinker. It's so nice to have someone so experienced to help me out. Can't wait to return in the spring for more wine.

I buy mostly Magnotta as it never feels that I did not get the right thing. Value and taste…read morecombined is good combination for me. Take it when invited for dinner somewhere always makes a good impression. I wish there would be a store closer, but it is worth the drive.

Walked in to get some bday beer cheer for my Barrie buddy. Honestly, looks like every other Beer…read moreStore. The recent changes to all the store has made a consistent experience. One side conveyor belt, on side check out. Easy bottle return, walk in refrigerator. The store is not too intimidating. Careful folks to card the young guest and the guest who long passed the drinking age, but look young as ever :) Weird driveway access through.

Prices seemed high compared to what I had seen in other places. They were out of the 24-pack I…read morewanted so had to pay even more for 2 12-packs.

I love Wine Rack I go quite often they have new deals. They always let you try different samples of…read morewine. They are not over the tip pricy depending on what you buy. They often have different ciders out and are constantly bringing new wines in and having new deals. If you never been I suggest you make a trip.

I want to start off by saying I'm rooting for the Odd Duck, which recently was recognized by the…read moreMichelin guide (and well deserved)! My four star rating is just that I think they're really good, but they could be great. The staff is wonderful, both personable and knowledgable about the menu and ready to ask questions if they don't know the answers. The restaurant itself is charming too - you have a small store at the front and then pass by an open kitchen before being seated in a comfortable dining area. I was with a group of 4: my husband, and then another couple he's friends with that I was meeting for the first time. We were told that we should consider 2 dishes per person, and 6-8 for a group like ours with the intention of sharing. I love the chance to get to try many different things, so sharing seemed like the way to go. With that said, some of these dishes were much more challenging to share than others. We got the fried oyster mushrooms (easy to share), eggplant (easy), leek (difficult), roots (medium), duck (medium), crab & shrimp (hard), and mushroom main (easy). To this point, I would suggest going as a couple or with a friend you're quite comfortable with as the dishes feel easiest shared between 2 and not as large of a group. Minor, I know, but still worth mentioning. The food itself was delicious. Stand outs to me were their mushroom dishes (both fried and the main), crab & shrimp, and caramel apple dessert. I loved these for being incredibly thoughtful dishes, wherein the star of the dish was never minimized, and other elements brought in textural surprises or nuanced tastes to compliment what was being featured. The only thing we had that I felt was a miss was the seasonal pumpkin dessert, and for having had 9 dishes with only 1 being a bit lackluster means to me that Odd Duck has 5 star potential! The things that brought this to a four were the pacing, cutlery, and challenges sharing after it had been suggested we do so. With so many plates, I acknowledge the challenge but sometimes it felt like we were waiting quite a bit of time for the next bite of food. While the staff was attentive and refreshed our plates and silverware multiple times, there were a few dishes (leeks, and duck come to mind) that I wish we would have had a sharper knife. Knowing that we planned to share everything, I also wish that we'd been armed with that sharper knife to help divvy everything up accordingly. With that said, I would absolutely return to the Odd Duck. I love that they use fresh, seasonal ingredients and do a great job with them. I hope that when I return some of the things that made them a four have been easily remedied and the experience is a true five stars!

Not the nicest location (across the Kitchener bus terminal, in the plaza by the convenience store),…read morebut the venue inside is nice (simple and industrial). My friend recommended this place. They change the menu every two weeks or so (and she may or may not have tried each menu change...). There was four of us, and we got 10 dishes to share, as well as the cheese sampler. The service was good, and they brought out two at a time so we could savour it all. We started with the cheese sampler which came with two local cheeses, and a nice strawberry sauce, and their homemade crackers. (See pictures for the menu we had that night) The carrots came with a tasty sauce. The turnip dish was nice, but for me the mushrooms were the star of this dish. I didn't find the tuna fishy, and the lime crema paired well, as well as the sesame tuile (cracker). The scallop may seem overpriced at $30 for just one, but it was perfectly cooked (the knife just glided its way down), and big enough to share among the four of us. Certain parts of the beef were more cooked than others, but had a nice tasty sear. They didn't ask how we liked it cooked and came medium rare to medium (I usually order rare). The blueberry and peppercorn jus paired nicely with it. The lentil salad may have been one of my favourites. It tasted like it had lemongrass in it (which is one of my favourite flavours) and a convincing way to introduce lentils to those who may not be a fan. The bok choy was presented nicely and the mint paired well with it. I especially liked the rice paper chip. The gnocchi had a nice chew to it, and I liked the basil and sour cherry sauce. We finished off with their gluten free chocolate cake, and the mousse. They were both tasty, but if I had to choose again, it would be the mousse. The cake is soft and the (hibiscus & licorice root coconut) ice cream happily reminded me of coconut sago. The mousse is a bit misleading, as it's nothing like you would expect: not a soft creamy dessert, but instead ice cream with a hard ruby/dark chocolate coating on the outside. The chocolate coating is a bit hard to break, but tasty once you do. If the menu remained the same I would reorder: the turnip dish, scallop, lentil salad, gnocchi, and tuna. Menu looks a bit pricey, however they don't charge gratuity, as they pay a thriving wage. Would definitely come again.

Good service. Good advice on something I asked about. No…read moreproblems with products, well marked and easy to obtain.

This location relocated up the street to the corner of King & Francis because of the construction…read moreof the new Transit Terminal

It really saddens me to put this review in. I guess with the inflationary costs of food, the two…read morecan dine deal that used to be $59.99 for two moved to $69.99, with upcharge to some of the core two can dine menu items. Now the menu items are like club sandwiches, fish and chips, salad with a protein, fried chicken... a departure from the local fresh and uniquely marketed local fresh items that were unique. There is nothing special about this two can dine menu- and many are more lunch favourites. The two can dine date night menu isn't even available for lunch- which is where it belongs. Service has gotten slower, maybe staff cutback? But I've seen the same number of staff members. It took about 2 hours to get in and get out.

I love "local" themed restaurants, but sometimes a theme simply alienates a large portion of…read moreclientele. I understand keeping the food menu tightly local, but when it comes to cocktails, folks just want what they want. Borealis has some opportunity here. They don't carry any of the most popular beers, wines, whiskey, gins, or vodka. They insist on taking that choice away and they've made a conscious decision to do so. Aside from making the simple task of ordering your favorite beverage a time consuming task, the end result is mediocre. We couldn't even order a pina colada because it isn't local? The food was generally good with some hits and misses. I do like the fact the the food menu is local themed, but it takes execution to make an impact. We had children and adults in our party so the opinions were mixed. The appetizers were good, notably the prosciutto feta flatbread and soup of the day hit a positive note. Duck satay was mixed but I personally found it tender and flavorful. The crowd was 50/50 on entree's. The fish & chips, confit duck, and lamb garnered positive feedback, others did not. Steak frites was an disappointment. Gray, flavorless, and overcooked. The buttermilk fried "Ontario" chicken was viewed as over-breaded with a thick burnt crust and dry throughout. And the slaw it is paired with was watery and old rather than crisp and fresh. The steelhead trout was overcooked, dry, lacking flavor. The accompanying barley risotto was overwhelming and overpowered the delicate nature of steelhead trout. Ambiance was ok and somewhat modern but some found being seated in the lower dining room at what seemed like a picnic table to be off putting. Service was good and staff was friendly. To be honest, many locals really like Borealis. But for me, as an open minded foodie, they have some opportunities around execution and preparation as well as expanding certain offerings at the bar. And let's be honest--bar happiness equals margin and profit.