Koolini, Windsor (Canada) « Fat Freddy Says…

Koolini, Windsor (Canada)

Excellent!

Eat-In/Take-out
1520 Tecumseh Rd East
Windsor, Ontario
Canada
(519) 254-KOOL (5665)
http://www.koolinis.ca/

Koolini Italian Eatery, just across the river from Detroit, provided a great atmosphere, tasty food, and excellent service. If you’re driving from Michigan, you’ll need your passport, patience for the attitude of the US Border Guards, and a healthy appetite.

Background

Canada and the United States maintain an extremely “friendly” border. I’ll quote friendly here, because the entrance to Canada was exactly that — friendly. The return? Not so much. But I digress…

My wife had never been to Canada, and while so close to the border, we decided to grab our passports and take the Ambassador Bridge to visit our neighbor to the East. ;) The bridge provided an amazing view of the Detroit skyline and within a minute or so, we had arrived at the Canadian border.

We had no idea where to eat. The thought of eating at a Tim Horton’s was one idea — but we really didn’t want fast food. After taking a quick drive (on the much smoother than Michigan roads), we passed by Koolini; an Italian restaurant that was packed. There was a small parking lot next door with a great spot, so we took a chance. The host was friendly and informed us that a table would be ready shortly. After a brief 10 minute wait, we were seated.

Table Service

Our waitress greeted us within 5 minutes and even though the restaurant was filled, she was nothing but smiles. She made a few recommendations for a first visit and was very attentive. Service proved to be prompt, courteous, and knowledgeable.

Koolini Food

We ordered the following:

Calamari Fritti: Lightly breaded calamari rings served with a sun dried tomato sauce for $8.97 (Canadian)
Tagliatelle alla Provenzale: Pasta with chicken, asparagus and mushrooms in a blush sauce for $14.97. (Canadian)
Pork Tenderloin Special: Pork tenderloin in a red wine reduction sauce, served with apples and pasta for $18.99. (Canadian)
Torta di Cioccolata: Homemade chocolate cake layered with dark chocolate custard and topped with a semi-sweet chocolate icing for $6.97 (Canadian)

With a crowded restaurant, we expected a delay. Our waitress always kept track with us, and our food was served promptly.

The Calamari was excellent. Lightly battered, golden, and all rings. I’m not a big fan of the “spider” parts — so I loved it. The sun dried tomato sauce was mild, yet very well paired with the Calamari. A quick juicing from the provided lemon, and the plate was quickly emptied.

The portions were large, yet not massive. The pasta was cooked al Dente with a nice coating of sauce. The chicken and asparagus worked well with the blush, and the pasta simply “worked.” The dinner was served with a choice of Salad. I chose a Caesar which was nothing short of excellent.

The pork special delivered very tender meat with and an excellent sauce. For the side pasta, Spaghetti Alfredo was chosen and was cooked well with a light coating of the sauce. For salad, a Caesar was selected.

The food and service was excellent.I’m very critical of pasta, and Koolini served a great plate. The dessert was sweet, yet obviously refrigerated for some time. The cake was garnished with strawberries, which means I had to avoid most of it.

My only complaint was with the check. Although we were offered Caesar salads and Alfredo pasta, we did not know that each came with an extra charge. The Caesar came with an additional charge of $0.99 each and the Alfredo was an additional $0.99. Although this would not have changed our selection, the surprise was not welcomed.

Bottom Line: Koolini Italian Grill

Excellent Food. Excellent Service.

Side Note

Although the entrance to Canada was friendly, our return was greeted with an abrasive officer who asked a tremendous amount of questions as well as a search our car. For some reason, all of my pens were removed from my laptop bag. I’m not sure what security threat they posed, but nonetheless, they were scrutinized. Also, it would have been nice to hear “Welcome home” or “Welcome to the United States” instead of “You can go now.”

4 Boilers