2010.03.08 - Hamilton Fish & Chips: Hutch's Dingley Dell

On the second warm weather fluke of the year, I decided I would drive to some kind of little small-town fish & chip outpost. I set upon the internet, hunting for the perfect target, and after a whole lot of bad leads I came across reports of what appeared to be exactly what I was looking for: Hutch's in Hamilton.

Bonus points for it being right on a beach.

So off I set, crossing the big bridge and approaching the industrial wasteland...

The beach was a bit more gross than I'd expected...

But Hutch's didn't disappoint!

Despite all the deliciously greasy stuff on the menu, I stuck to the plan and ordered up the fish & chips - and it was incredible. The serving was a massive pile of brown, fried goodness:

The batter was crispy and not remotely heavy, the fish was perfectly moist, and the fries were nice and chunky and cooked perfectly. Then, just when I didn't think it could get any better, I discovered a huge second piece of fish hiding under the fries:

One of the best parts of the meal though was definitely the point when a Hamilton local strolled by my window on the boardwalk openly swigging a Labatt's 50 - The Hammer is The Hammer is The Hammer, and I love it.

Needless to say, I'll be making the trip to Hamilton again at least a few times over the summer - there's so much greasy goodness still to try, and maybe the beach won't be so completely gross.

Here's where I was:

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2010.03.06 - Oakville Waterfront Park

On the first day of the outrageously early spring we experienced this year, I hopped in The Colonel and hit the highway west, into the sun. I landed in Oakville and made my way down toward the water, not knowing what I'd find. I'd heard things about how nice parts of Oakville can be, but I'd never really done any exploring out in that neck of the woods.

What I found was a long and narrow park-like waterfront that was buried behind a very cozy and pretty residential neighbourhood.

Here's looking down the water's edge toward Toronto:

And here (amazingly) is the name of this little slice of heaven:

And here's where I was:

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I'll be posting photos and more info about my 2008 road trip in this spot soon.