Sherman's Food Adventures: Martini's

Martini's

Like an old friend who we haven't seen in some time, Martini's can sometimes be lost in the options of late night eats.  There was a time where we'd visit the place weekly as it was still open after our late night activities.  So in an attempt to relive my youth, I suggested to my hockey team that we visit that ol' friend after our game.  My "reliving" was quickly halted as I was almost too tired to eat.  That never happened 10 years ago!

Milhouse and Lionel Hutz ended up agreeing to share a few items with me starting with the Chicken Tenders.  Yes, you read it correctly.  Normally, this dish is reserved for the kiddies, but it looked so good at the table next to us, we gave it a shot.  With a super crunchy panko-coating and relatively moist white meat, these were as good as they looked.  On the other hand, the plain ol' Miracle Whip-like dip sucked.  Well-known for their Whole Wheat Pizza, we were obliged to order one being the chorizo, sundried tomato and salami.  Naturally, the crust was firmer and slightly dry.  It was crunchy though and the abundance of toppings ensured it was flavourful.  We found the tomato sauce to be quite mild though.

For some odd reason, we ordered the Burger and it was pretty average.  The patty was absolutely obliterated by the cooking process.  It was dry and chewy.  Milhouse thought that the rest of the ingredients did help masked the dryness to a degree.  As for the fries, they were pretty typical.  They were crispy though. Ginger opted for the Pulled Pork Tacos and for a non-Mexican joint, they did a decent job.  I wouldn't say the pork was particularly flavourful, but it was moist (a touch greasy) and we were glad they didn't use a hard taco.  Furthermore, the condiments of cilantro, diced onions and lime offered up some authenticity (if that matters to you).

Emilicious wanted to share an order of the Mussels with someone and naturally I volunteered.  These were pretty solid with plump just cooked mussels.  Of note, all of them were open.  The classic white wine broth with garlic and shallots was flavourful and properly reduced.  With Sweet Tooth in attendance, it was only natural that some desserts hit the table.  We weren't sure if the Cheesecake was made in-house or not, yet whatever the case, it was super rich and creamy.  It wasn't overly sweet, but then again, the strawberry sauce was.  She also shared a slice of Apple Pie a la mode and I thought it was pretty decent.  Packed with big chunks of tender apples, I found the flavours to be muted with a touch of cinnamon.  The crust was pretty flaky in spots and naturally more moist in the middle.

On another visit, Milhouse and I shared the Baked Spaghetti & Meatballs and Veal Parmesan. Sadly, the spaghetti was practically stone cold as they probably only melted the cheese without actually heating up the dish.  Otherwise, it was okay with a mild tomato sauce and lean firm meatballs.  With a large meaty veal cutlet, our second dish was a generous portion.  Everyone was a bit confused with the ham on top, but if my memory serves me right, they eat it this way in Australia.  Anyways, Emilicious thought the tomato sauce (including the side of linguine) was very "Chef Boyardee-like".  Well, I wouldn't go as far as that, but it was closer to that than being zesty and/or tart. That pretty much summed up our experience here as the food is mostly middle-of-the-road.  Hence, Martini's continues to do what they've been doing since 1973 - decent eats for the late night crowd at a reasonable price.

The Good:
- Decent eats
- Okay service
- Open late

The Bad:
- Even though it is decent, it can be hit and miss with some items

Martini's on Urbanspoon

1 comments:

LotusRapper said...

We really like Martini's as a family resto in the 'hood. Food is generally very decent, esp. for their prices (which can be much lower than White Spot). Pizzas are good, esp. the 100% WW crust 'tho I'd prefer it a bit thinner. Their calamari is very very good. Service is ALWAYS friendly and prompt, you can tell happy people work there and they give that upbeat vibe.

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