Any good restaurants in Windsor?

[Ediblethoughts]

Any places to recommend? I have friends who are there this week and are lost as to where they should go. As long as it's not Indian or too expensive, they're open.

[vixvox]

Bistro on the River, Bamboo, Chanoso's, Smoke n Spice, countless Italian on Erie Street (Mancuso's for wood-fired pizza), El Mayor for Lebanese, Plunkett's, Thai Palace.

[1sweetpea]

Mamo is no longer. La Guardia is awful. I used to live across the street. We went solely for the garlic bread. Everything else was terrible. Cordoba cafe is just a coffee joint. It's fine, but nothing spectacular. It's in LaSalle, so unless someone is in that neighbourhood, I don't imagine it would be a logical place to go.

It really is a shame that there aren't a lot of gems in Windsor. My favourite places qualify more as joints than restaurants, with the exception of El Mayor, which does really good Lebanese. I love Bac Lieu (Vietnamese). Everything on the menu is good. Marathon Ethiopian is good. Jade is good for dim sum (cart service on weekends and holidays). Wah Court does decent dim sum as well. Their food is also pretty good, but the service keeps me from return visits. Servers would rather look through you than notice you trying to catch their eye. Take a cue from the Chinese dining contingent and wave madly or bark at the staff to get their attention (and possibly win their respect).

[deelicious]

Tunnel BBQ used be great for ribs. Is it still?

[DockPotato]

Gee, that place has been there since before I got my first pair of shoes and I probably still have a newer pair older than most of you.

I'm visiting in the area and drove in to Windsor today to a deli/butcher called Triple J on Tecumseh and Crawford as I have real trouble finding Csabai kolbasz and Hungarian paprika at home. TJs is a medium-sized, old shop - dark and grey but clean. Very comfortable with a heady, strong smell of wood smoke, garlic and spice.

There were dozens of types of sausages, hams, bacons, salamis and other cured meats including my kolbasz. They also sell curing salt and a range of casings. Everything is done on premises including the smoking.

The sausage I bought has excellent smell and good, deep, mahogany colour. My sister is boiling some now with our Easter ham and it is right. It was $7.99 a pound and well worth it - I bought about 12 pieces. I scored big on the Paprika too. It's dark, red Hungarian bought in bulk. I boughtt a 1 lb bag for $9.99.

These people know what they're doing when it comes to German/Polish/Hungarian stuff.

Ediblethoughts, if your friends are still there on Monday it's worth a visit just for the smell.

Across the small parking lot is a wholesale/retail Italian cheese place. I took a quick glance inside and was again taken by the smell and quality of what I saw.

[Ediblethoughts]

Unfortunately, they aren't going back this week. (How does one post a time-limited thread?!) Oh well, this thread will hopefully help others who go to Windsor in the future.

[DockPotato]

Damn. Turned out to be a spicy, smoked bratwurst, but still a good sausage.

[JamieK]

I don't have personal experience but here are some ideas your friends might consider.

La Guardia was recently reveiwed in the Windsor Star, sounds old-school Italian but may be worth trying -
review -
http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/columnists/story.html?id=fb57243e-f493-4255-b194-d4b5ccd66101
website - http://www.laguardia.ca

The Balkan Bistro was appreciated in its previous location on McCaul in Toronto. Now in a heritage building in Windsor serving Turkish and Mediterriean dishes. Also favourably reviewed by local media a few months ago.
http://www.balkanbistro.ca

There's a previous thread on Windsor -
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/463733
that mentions Mamo Bistro -
http://www.mamobistro.com/main.htm

and Mezzo
http://www.mezzo.ca
among others.

Cordoba Coffee House is supposed to be a good spot for fair trade coffees, pastries, etc

Hopefully, someon in Windsor will chime in with more comments. Do a search on the places page at
http://www.chow.com/places/regions/23
for more Windsor locations.

-----
Mezzo
804 Erie St E, Windsor, ON N9A3Y4, CA

Mamo Bistro
5880 Wyandotte St E, Windsor, ON N8S1M8, CA

Cordoba Coffee House
5975 Malden Rd, Windsor, ON N9H1S7, CA

Balkan Bistro
411 Mill St, Windsor, ON N9C2R5, CA

La Guardia
59 Pitt St E, Windsor, ON N9A2V3, CA

[Ediblethoughts]

Thanks JamieK! (I did actually do the search before starting the thread but it looked like mainly places to shop rather than places to eat a meal.) I'll pass on the info to her re the restaurants you've listed above.

[jamie]

The stir-fried green beans at Shin Shin (978 University W, near Crawford) are still about the best I've ever had - great mix of flavours and spicing, with beans that aren't overcooked.

[Ediblethoughts]

That's great---a first hand experience! Thanks

[JamieK]

. . .

-----
Cordoba Coffee House
5975 Malden Rd, Windsor, ON N9H1S7, CA

[CIRCLES_SQ]

Uhmmmmm........no.

[Ediblethoughts]

Yeah... that's what I was kind of afraid of.

[artificialard]

This thread is kind of hilarious.

[Ediblethoughts]

I keep hoping someone who knows Windsor really well will come up with a one little gem--I told my friend yesterday (who isn't familiar with Chowhound) how if any source could find her a good place it would be here... today I guess I may be saying, "Sorry!".

[aveoree]

The only restaurant that I really love in Windsor is Buda (255 Oullette), for breakfast and lunch. Their dinner menu is also pretty good, but lunch is a good value. Kind of an Asian fusion place, run presumably by the same people as Chanoso's and Oishii (next door). I would also recommend Eros Restaurant (2270 Wyandotte, at Randolph) for relatively cheap and good lunches, if you like more exotic dishes like Portuguese chicken or noodles. I haven't personally had much experience with fine dining in Windsor (as I just visit), but I have heard the occasional recommendation for Bistro. In my experience, it's pretty slim pickings in Windsor, although I have had good luck with dim sum and other Asian food.