Wallflower Modern Diner

While we were dining at Osaka Sushi, my hockey team wondered why I had not met them for eats after each game despite my knee injury. That was a good point. How come I haven't done that already? Isn't sports only an excuse to gather a bunch of people together for eats afterwards? Boy, what the heck was I doing for the last 2 months? I really dropped the ball on this one. Seeing how the first game of the New Year was an early one, that meant we could escape the "late-night wonton noodle trap". We ended up heading over to The Wallflower since well... I suggested it. Apparently, the team has been so lost without my lead, they have actually been going home hungry with no idea where to eat. I didn't know I mattered so much!

Yet another one of the many eclectic Main Street eateries, The Wallflower tries to be a little of everything including an extensive Vegan section on the menu (where some of the regular items could be as gluten-free as well). Ginseng was inspired by the veganism and went for the Cajun Tofu. These were pan-fried and served with a spicy peanut dip. The dip itself did have a mild kick and plenty of peanutty goodness, however, the tofu sticks were bland. This would've been better if the tofu was crispier and had more seasoning. Emilicious and I couldn't stand for eating only one dish, so we decided to share a few items including the Stuffed Yorkies. This particular appie is showing up on more menus, which makes me happy since I love it. Basically mini-Yorkshire pudding stuffed with roast beef and sauced with horseradish mayo (au jus on the side), these were a traditional roast beef dinner in one-bite. The Yorkshire pudding was very good with a crunchy exterior, however, the beef was far too stringy and dry. Too bad really because all of the other components were good.

For our mains, we split the Perogies which were fantastic. These dumplings were not heavy-at-all with a surprisingly fluffy skin and a soft, flavourful filling. They were pan-fried until crispy on the bottom and the aroma from the onions, large bacon pieces and sauerkraut was intoxicating. Normally, a side Caesar is as defaultish as one can get, however, this was not the case here. With a housemade dressing that had a rich flavour from the Worcestershire and anchovies (and it showed in the colour), this was a good Caesar. The second item we had was Grandma's Fried Chicken with pan-fried chicken thighs, sauteed onions, veggies, mash potatoes and gravy. The 2 large thighs were really moist and juicy. The thick gravy had a good natural flavour which was not salty. Loved the consistency since it adhered to the meat perfectly. One thing I would've liked to see was the gravy served on the side since it essentially nullified the crispiness of the skin. The few bits
that I did salvage were well-seasoned and crunchy. Although we appreciated the housemade mash potatoes, it could've stood to be creamier. It appeared that they were too
conservative with the cream and butter.

Milhouse had the other dish that I had been eying other than the fried chicken - Meatloaf Wellington. Yes, you read it right, they took a meatloaf and wrapped it in puff pastry and baked it. The picture doesn't really show that there are two large slices of meatloaf on the plate. And to on one's surprise, Milhouse dusted it off. He offered some of his meatloaf for me to try and I thought it was pretty moist and flavourful
(something doesn't sound right in this sentence). However, Emilicious tried his meatloaf too (another bad sentence...) and thought it was dry. So we could only surmise that due to the baking, some parts dried out, especially the more browned portions of the puff pastry. In the end, Milhouse said he'd order it again since it was good as a whole. When Gordo's Spicy Chorizo Penne arrived, we all marveled at the portion size. Not bad for 12 bux. As advertised, the pasta had a kick and finished off with a lingering spiciness. A good amount of chorizo and peppers ensured that the dish wasn't boring. However, the penne could've stood to be cooked a lot less.

Sweet Tooth originally stated she was not hungry, but ended up dusting off a whole Reuben consisting of pastrami, sauerkraut, Swiss, grainy mustard on marbled rye. She thought that the bread was nicely crisp while the ingredients were balanced (she particularly liked the tangy and crunchy sauerkraut), although the meat was slightly dry. As for the fries, they were not very good. They had a stale quality to them (and I'm not saying they were stale) which made them very starchy and dry. Although there was something to pick at about every plate of food, there is no denying that The Wallflower offers up decent comfort food at reasonable prices late into the night (or morning that is).

The Good:
- Reasonably-priced and fair portions
- Vegan and gluten-free options
- Nice vibe

The Bad:
- Tight seating
- Food is mostly good, but there were issues with every plate