Downtown Dining Gets Cozier With 'Brrr-O-Licious' In Partnership With PKED and Peterborough DBIA

In a campaign to help support Downtown Peterborough restaurants between Christmas and patio season, Peterborough & the Kawarthas Tourism (PKT) and the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) have partnered to launch their culinary pilot program Brrr-O-Licious.

Photo courtesy of PKED.

From March 1 to 17, ten participating downtown restaurants offer a fixed three-course lunch or dinner for $35 a person.

“Brrr-O-Licious is a wonderful way for visitors and locals alike to get a taste of what our local food scene has to offer, and to check out different events and attractions in downtown Peterborough,” says Joe Rees, PKED director of tourism. “Running this pilot program in March encourages people to support restaurants in the community during their slower time of the year. Following a successful pilot in downtown Peterborough, it is our intention to expand to additional communities and locations in the City of Peterborough and Peterborough County in future years.”

“We’re excited to be partnering with Peterborough & the Kawarthas Tourism to elevate our downtown's destination profile in the visitor space,” said Hillary Flood, PTBO DBIA vibrancy manager. “Brrr-O-Licious will help draw in new and repeat visitors to our charming downtown core through food while providing the perfect backdrop for folks to get better acquainted with our unique shops, fashion boutiques, arts community, nightlife and more.”

Participating downtown restaurants include:

• Agave by Imperial

• Dirty Burger

• Gerti’s

• La Hacienda

• La Mesita

• Sam’s Place

• The El (P)

• The Publican House Brewery & Pub

• The Riverside Grill & Lounge at the Holiday Inn

• The Vine

Restaurant menus and instructions on how to make reservations are available online.

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Nóstimo By the Original Greek Soft-Opens New Dining Room; Grand Opening This Week

Patrons can finally enjoy Nóstimo By The Original Greek in-house as the restaurant soft-opened its dining room on Thursday night.

Chef Shannon LeClair (left) with George Anagnostou (right) marking the soft opening of their dining room. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The seating is two-and-a-half years in the making since opening in April 2021 and a ribbon-cutting ceremony in October of that year. The dining room can seat 32 people.

The renovation plans for the new area began in February. The storefront was closed from Nov. 19 until last Wednesday to complete all the upgrades. In addition to getting permits, the restaurant installed a wheelchair-accessible washroom, two dining room spaces and added additional decoration.

The Greek eatery is getting liquor licenses this week for the grand opening at an undisclosed date for this week according to George Anagnostou, Nóstimo co-owner.

”Since 1986, I've only had indoor dining restaurants,” he said. “I did take out and catering only because of Covid so I'm back in my glory. I love doing what I do, feeding people at a table, our table.”

With the addition of the new space, Anagnostou and his business partner, Chef Shannon LeClair, can introduce new services and dishes to their menu.

“Our menu has increased,” explained Anagnostou. “We have our originals we've had for the last 40 years but done some changes to them. We've added new creative dishes, there's fresh fish every weekend and there's going to be a rack of lamb every Friday and Saturday as well.”

The restaurant has stopped its cooking classes but is adding quarterly wine and pairing nights.

The following are the restaurant’s new business hours:

• Monday: Closed

• Tuesday: 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

• Wednesday: 11:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

• Thursday: 2:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

• Friday: 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

• Saturday: 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

• Sunday: Closed

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Temporary Downtown Patios To Be Removed Starting On Oct. 24

The temporary downtown patio spaces will be removed to prepare sidewalks and roads for winter snow-clearing operations starting on Oct. 24.

The expanded patio spaces were installed in May. File Photo.

Any businesses with temporary patios on sidewalks and in on-street parking adjacent to them will remove their patio furniture by the end of the day on Oct. 23 to clear the way for the removal of the fencing and large planters startingthe next day.

After removing the expanded patio areas, Hunter Street between George and Aylmer Streets will return to a two-lane, two-way street. During the summer, it was temporarily made into a one-lane, westbound, one-way street to add more patio and pedestrian space.

This was the fourth summer that the City implemented temporary changes to the downtown public space to allow for more patio and pedestrian space.

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Husband and Wife Make Selwyn Its Home For Their BeaverTails Food Trailer

Canadian pastry and franchise BeaverTails has made its home in Selwyn thanks to wife and husband Michelle and Adam Levesque who opened their food trailer beside Home Hardware located at 1665 Chemong Rd. on Thursday.

Adam (left) and Michelle Levesque (right) showcasing a strawberry cheesecake BeaverTail and strawberry lemonade. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

BeaverTails are deep-fried dough that can be topped with spreads, sauces, chocolate bar bits, fruit/fruit sauces and more. Some places also add ice cream in combination with the aforementioned items.

The Levesque’s trailer has 11 varieties of BeaverTails to choose from, ranging from the classic of cinnamon and sugar, all the way to their Avalanche (Skor cheesecake). They have four flavours of Beaver Bites where the dough is fried into bite-size balls, comparable to Tim Horton’s Timbits. Other products sold include brownie pies, Beaver Bites sundaes, ice cream, poutine, hot dogs, fries and more.

The Avalanche BeaverTail (Skor Cheesecake) considered to be one of the most popular flavours according to the staff. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The mEHple keeps the Canadian tastes going with a maple-flavoured spread and maple sugar crunch. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The idea stemmed from Adam working in the Durham region with his other business A & M Tools Inc. and discovered a BeaverTails food truck. That inspired him to open one himself and propose the idea to Michelle despite them having no prior food-handling experience.

“We wanted something more family-oriented,” she explained. “He runs the tools and I do the back end but nothing that my kids can grow up, join in and be staff in our facility. He came home one day and said, ‘Let's do it, let's make a BeaverTails.’”

The couple started their journey in February, learning how to make the product and being a franchisee. Opening the business was not easy for the couple when they started their road to becoming franchisees. The trailer they purchased originally was not up to provincial standards for becoming a food truck and the couple went to great lengths to get it up to code according to Michelle.

“We had to change a couple of things,” she explained. “A couple of fryers, different health codes and stuff like that to make sure that we were in compliance with Ontario standards.”

The trailer had to go through several inspections however due to staffing shortages, they could not be done in a timely manner delayed their opening according to a Facebook post made in July.

The trailer finally opened for business on Thursday and both Adam and Michelle had a hectic, busy but productive first day.

“It kept steady and we appreciate everyone's patience with us having been our first day,” said Michelle.

The couple is planning activities for the winter and summer for customers to be immersed in the community and want to be open all year round.

“We want to build an ice rink so that it's winter-friendly. Everyone can come out, have a skate, get your BeaverTail like a mini Ottawa experience here,” said Michelle. “In the summer, we want to have outdoor games. We just want everyone to be a bit patient because we are still building.”

The following are the trailer’s operating hours:

• Thursdays: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

• Friday/Saturday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

• Sunday: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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Sam's Place Deli Expands With Soft Launch of Hot Dog Joint 'Sam's Place Wienery'

Entrepreneur Sam Sayer has expanded her business of putting meat on bread as she has soft-launched a new hot dog joint ‘Sam’s Place Wienery’ for this week that began on Tuesday.

Sam Sayer says her love for hot dogs was also a reason for expanding her business operations with a ‘wienery.” Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The ‘wienery’ is located behind her delicatessen ‘Sam’s Place’ on 188 Hunter St. W.

“We truly had an empty space between our new kitchen and the sandwich shop but it wasn't really usable for anything so we thought why not give this a shot,” said Sayer, Sam’s Place Deli and Wienery owner.

The soft launch runs from Tuesday until Friday from noon to 6 p.m. There are seven selections of hot dog combinations that the place is offering during the soft launch. Customers can also dress their own plain or special combination hot dogs. Beef, pork and beyond meat wieners are options available for any hot dog. Pogo corn dogs are also on the menu.

“The beef hot dogs are actually American, so those are Nathan's. They're world famous of course. We've got Wagner's dogs which are pork dogs out of Toronto and then we have the beyond-meat bratwurst,” explained Sayer.

A dressed Chicago Dog with mustard, relish, onion, tomato, pickle, celery salt and banana peppers. All photos by David Tuan Bui.

A San Fran dog consisting of bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayo (excluded).

The following are the featured topping combinations for this week’s soft launch:

• Dog River Dog: house-made vegetarian chili, cheese sauce, shredded cheese and green onion

• Chicago Dog: Mustard, relish, onion, tomato, pickle, celery salt and banana peppers

• Chou Dog: Creamy five-cabbage slaw

• Dad Dog: Cheese sauce and shredded cheese

• Poutine Dog: Empire cheese curd, vegetarian gravy and Hickory Sticks

• San Fran Dog: Bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayo

• Sonoran Dog: Pico de Gallo, bacon, mayo, mustard and hot sauce

The soft launch will help Sayer determine what adjustments need to be made before her grand opening at an undisclosed date.

“We have a real thing for art so I'd really like to have more on the walls,” explained Sayer. “Aside from that, we just want to make sure we have the kinks out and we can run as smooth as possible, all set for everybody when the time comes.”

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Photos: Rollz Ice Cream Makes Parkway Place A Little Sweeter With Grand Opening

Rhaelynn Gaspari, 5 (left), celebrating her friend Charlotte Miller’s birthday, 5 (right), during the grand opening. All photos by David Tuan Bui.

Rollz Ice Cream had customers pouring into the store during their grand opening on Sunday afternoon. The store is located at Parkway Place on 1135 Lansdowne St., Unit 11.

The parlour serves rolled ice cream, milkshakes, waffles, falooda, cheesecake (from the Cheesecake Factory), popping soda and ice cream burgers. The first 50 customers received free rolled ice cream during their grand opening.

@ptbo_canada Have you ever tried rolled icw cream before? It originated as street food in Thailand in 2009. #ptbo #ptbocanada #fyp #food #foodtok #icecream #icecreamrolls #journalism #journalist #grandopening #dessert ♬ Ice Cream - Tydus

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Franchise 'Rollz Ice Cream' To Hold Grand Opening This Sunday

Another sweet treat business is coming to Peterborough as franchise Rollz Ice Cream is hosting its grand opening at Parkway Place on 1135 Lansdowne St., Unit 11 this Sunday.

Rollz Ice Cream’s Biscoff Salted Caramel. There are 15 locations of the franchise in Ontario. Photo courtesy of Rollz Ice Cream.

The parlour serves rolled ice cream, milkshakes, waffles, falooda, cheesecake (from the Cheesecake Factory), popping soda and ice cream burgers.

The first 50 customers to arrive at the grand opening will receive a free rolled ice cream according to an Instagram post.

Rolled ice cream originated in Thailand as street food in 2009. It is made by pouring a milk and cream mixture over a cold stainless steel pan that freezes it into ice cream. A choice of sauces, mix-ins and toppings are added to the mixture so customers can customize their ice cream. After being slathered and chopped, it is scraped into rolls and served in a cup.

Rollz first opened in 2017 in Scarborough and shortly opened five more locations according to their website.

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New Turkish Restaurant 'Class Istanbul Kebab House' To Host Its Grand Opening This Sunday

Peterborough’s newest restaurant brings a taste of Turkey to town as Class Istanbul Kebab House is set to make its grand opening this Sunday at 2 p.m.

Mert Baran, Class Istanbul Kebab House owner showcases his Iskender Doner: doner kebab meat with a hot tomato sauce over pita with yogurt. Photo by David Tuan bui.

The restaurant brings authentic Turkish cuisine with familiar dishes such as wraps, shawarma, baklava and a variety of shish kebabs. They also bring cheese pide (Turkish pizza), Turkish desserts and their national dish, doner kebab.

Mert Baran, Class Istanbul Kebab House owner said that every time he’s been in Peterborough, he’s never seen any Turkish restaurants in town. He wanted to bring his heritage cuisine to share with the city.

“We want to bring our food up here,” he explained. “I really want people to try it. I trust our kitchen, I trust our food and it’s really tasty.”

The restaurant is located at the former Nicholas Oval restaurant on 116 Parkhill Rd. E. They have soft-opened since Monday and have already been met with several customers leaving positive feedback according to Baran.

“People have come by, tasted our food and they really love it,” he said. “I always have had good comments since we opened the restaurant.”

Class Istanbul Kebab House is the first restaurant Baran has ever owned. He owns a construction company and has done a lot of business near Peterborough since 2009. He always enjoyed his time spent in the City when he visited.

He has a house in Woodbridge and in Bridgenorth. He thought about opening his restaurant in Toronto but opted for Peterborough as he moved his family to his Bridgenorth property to focus on Class Istanbul Kebab House.

“I really love Peterborough,” said Baran. “That's why I opened my business up here.”

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New PTBO Strong Restaurant Booklet Launched to Support Mental Health

Peterborough diners can save on local eateries while supporting mental health initiatives as PTBO Strong has launched their fundraising restaurant book, ‘Reversing the Trend.’

The deals cannot be combined with any other offer. Photo courtesy of PTBO Strong.

The booklet has various buy-one-get-one-free deals for over 50 different throughout Peterborough. Some participating restaurants include Taso’s Restaurant & Pizzeria, Curry Mantra, P.J.’s Diner, The Pin, Brothers Pizza and more.

They can be purchased online for $30 and supports mental health initiatives from organizations such as A Right to Heal (that also carries the booklets for purchase), Elizabeth Fry - Ellen House, Peterborough Action for Tiny Homes (PATH) and Kawartha Food Share (KFS).

“We are happy about that as it helps a little with our fundraising,” said Sheila Nabigon-Howlett of PATH. “I have used the booklet several times and found it great on all occasions. It’s a great deal for the diner also for mental health advocacy in Peterborough and of course for the restaurant owners as well.”

“We are so thankful to be included as the recipients of the Peterborough Strong Restaurant Book,” said Ashlee Aitken, KFS general manager. “It has been an incredibly tough couple of years for our clients and member agencies with the rising cost of food and living. These proceeds will allow us to purchase much-needed food items to keep our food bank shelves well stocked for our community members in need.”

More restaurants will be added to the booklet in the near future according to Tim Burke, PTBO Strong co-founder. They expire in July of next year.

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Homeless Man Recovers Missing Barbeque For Local Restaurant; Business Owner Asks Public For Essentials To Donate

Homeless man Mike Noble selflessly recovered a missing barbecue for Taso’s Restaurant & Pizzeria and owner Taso Hatzianastasiou is asking the public to donate essentials to help the good Samaritan in a Facebook post created Thursday.

Noble beside the previously missing catering barbeque stored in the back of Taso’s. Facebook photo.

Hatzianastasiou had discovered his barbecue was missing last weekend and often uses it for catering. He says Noble discovered it at a ‘tent city,’ got into a fight and dragged it back to the restaurant for him according to a Facebook post.

This was not the first time that Noble has aided Taso’s. He often helps the restaurant on a regular basis according to Hatzianastasiou.

“Mike always helps me in the mornings with anything I need, cleaning, unloading my truck,” explained in the Facebook post. “He never asks for money, just food and clothes. I try to help him in any way that I can.”

Hatzianastasiou is asking that the public to donate items such as clothing (medium or large for shirts) rubber boots, running shoes (size 12), a tent, a sleeping bag and a pillow but reminds everyone that Noble does not have a lot of storage space available.

During Hatzianastasiou's public outreach, he wanted to help destigmatize any negativity toward homeless people, especially toward Noble. The latter has struggled with mental health issues and has been homeless for a few years said Hatzianastasiou.

“He’s a very good guy and gets approached by people in the wrong way because of his mental breakdowns,” he explained. “He’s a kind man. Polite and always trying to bring you up.”

All donations can be given to Taso’s which is located at 287 George St. N.

“My ultimate goal is to find this man a place he can live,” concluded Hatzianastasiou.

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