View from the Cheap Seats is kind of an extension of the newsroom. Whenever our three regular reporters, Calvin Daniels, Thom Barker and Randy Brenzen are in the building together, it is frequently a site of heated debate. This week:
Ethnic cuisine required
At the risk of pissing off the entire town, Yorkton will not be a real city in my estimation until it has decent ethnic cuisine. This is what separates the large town with a population that makes it a city in legal terms, from an actual city in my opinion.
Now, granted, we have two Japanese restaurants, one which is very good and one which is decent, but beyond that, nothing. And do not try to argue with me that we have Chinese restaurants. Any restaurant with pierogies on the buffet next to the sweet and sour chicken balls and does not serve dim sum, does not qualify.
Similarly, pizza joints don’t qualify as Italian. A really top-notch ristorante would be meraviglioso, but would not be my first choice.
We flirted with Indian for a while, but Yorkton couldn’t (or wouldn’t) support it. That was disappointing, but I understand. Taking over York House was a bit too ambitious. A little hole-in-the-wall joint would have had a better chance, but Indian would not be my first choice to bring back because I make plenty of that at home and I am very good at it (I once won “most authentic” curry award at an Indian cooking competition).
I guess the two things I miss most about living in a real city, aside from dim sum, are Vietnamese and Lebanese. Ultimately, I guess I would have to pick a nice Shawarma joint to open up since really good Vietnamese is just a two-hour drive down Hwy 10, or three hours up Hwy 16, both trips I make anyway several times a year, whereas I have not had a delicious Lebanese meal since I lived in Ottawa.
I’d also give anything for a Montreal-style bagel shop with Jewish deli.
—Thom Barker
Diversity wanted
Since first arriving in Yorkton a few decades back I have always been somewhat surprised by the number of options to eat out.
The specific locales have changed.
One Chinese restaurant with a non-matching name ‘The Mediterianian’ is now a real estate office.
Another is a parking lot.
Come and gone are franchises such as Chicken Delight and Joey’s Only.
And some such as Taco Time came, went, and have since returned.
But through the changes there have always been lots of doors to walk through in search of a meal out.
So why a cheaps seats on what new eateries we might like to see?
Simple, many talk about wanting slightly more variety in our options.
That said some unique to the city options have not fared well.
Gone is the quaint coffee shop in a converted house on Fifth Avenue.
That little niche spot for a great place for a unique soup, sandwich and specialty java is one that is missed by many.
The East Indian food restaurant is sadly gone.
It was plagued by too many seats to fill for what is a new taste to a somewhat old world Prairie town, but it was a unique taste in the city too.
One day a return with a small, quaint, locale is one I dream of.
I’d welcome a spot serving Thai food too.
Or frankly any ethnic option which would expand the local palate.
We have many options, but we are missing the truly unique. The spot with a bold menu not found elsewhere in the city, the sort of spot you cherish for its atmosphere and of course the food. That is what is missing on the local menu.
—Calvin Daniels
headline
At this moment Yorkton has far too many restaurants with far too low a caliber/quality of food.
Don’t hate me for my opinion; that’s simply what I believe.
Drive down Broadway and what do you see? McDonald’s, Tim Horton’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, A & W (times two), Dairy Queen (wonderful smoothies, though) horrible Chinese and Canadian buffet joints, an awful sushi restaurant, etc.
Sure, there are a few decent restaurants in town. Mr. Mike’s, Browns Socialhouse, Joe Beeverz, Guang Zhou, Wing’s, the Chalet, but there are still two things missing.
One, a bona fide and legitimate (not ‘legitimate’) Italian restaurant with real, Italian pasta and pizza, and two, a 50’s or 70’s diner with wonderful burgers, shakes and fries.
Think about it. Italians are known for some of the best food in the world. Al dente pasta, wonderful, thick-sauced pizza cooked in a traditional stone hearth pizza oven and sweet, fantastic desserts. Who wouldn’t want a restaurant like that in Yorkton? A commie, that’s who.
Another restaurant that Yorkton sorely needs is a 50’s or 70’s style diner (without the racism). As of now, the only places you can get a good burger (sometimes) are Joe Beeverz, Mr. Mike’s and Browns. A 50’s or 70’s diner would provide Yorkton with a real sit down burger place where older patrons can reminisce about the past and younger generations can make new memories, all while chowing down on burgers, fries, and shakes.
—Randy Brenzen
