Late night eats

I have been extremely lax in posting lately. I'll blame summer and all it's nice weather, outdoor activities (ie. non-computer activities) and just a general non-committal attitude that goes along with vacations.

While off, I've been able to take some jaunts downtown and have found myself needing some grub at odd hours of the night (or morning, depending on how you look at it). In downtown St. John's there isn't a lot of choice for late night eats but there's enough to fill you up and send you home happy. Here are some of my picks for late night culinary adventure:

Folly on Bates Hill is a chill spot for excellent coffee and gourmet pizza. They're open noon-6am and offer great desserts, veggie options and potato wedges to die for.

Celtic Hearth (300 Water St.) is not far from George St. bars but offers a relaxed sit-down pub-style atmosphere that's open 24 hrs. Staff have been nothing but friendly to me even if I just ordered a huge glass of water and some fries. Their late night pub menu is limited but offers enough to satisfy most. Try the BLT or moose burger for a satisfying meal no matter the time.

Subway on the corner of Water St. and Bishops Cove (next to George) is also open 24hrs. It's not the most glamorous place to get grub at any point of the day and in the wee hours of a night out it can be downright sketchy. But the staff are usually pretty good about all the shenanigans they have to put up with from drunken customers. And it's an easy get for a little something to fill your belly before getting a cab home at the end of the night.

In the same light as the above, there's Sal's Pizza off George and several chip wagons on the street which offer quick and often satisfying bite late night. There's also several hot dog/sausage vendors which pop up on George St., and while I won't go as far as endorse them I know plenty of people who thoroughly enjoy a 3am stop for a dog.

If you happen to be in the East end of St. John's and need some food late night, Rustler's Bar and Grill is also open 24hrs Friday night to Sunday. Their menu is quite full and offers a lot of different options from really decent wings to hot turkey dinner.

And finally if you're already home and looking for a late night greasy grub fest, call up Ches's Fish and Chips. It's cliche and it's dirty but it's so good. And they will answer the phone and deliver right to your door until at the wee hours of the morning.

So that's my list of favorite places to grab grub in St. John's for those late-nights when you just need a snack.

Big slice out of a small pie

Pizza in St. John's

My first blog entry, I've decided, will be about a food staple: pizza. The simple combination of dough, sauce, meat and/or veggies is satisfying and can be as basic as you want or show up on the fanciest of restaurant menus.

Here in St. John's there are dozens of pizza joints and almost all of them are the same as the next. Typical flour dough, tomato sauce, tonnes of mozzarella cheese, peperoni and the like. And the pizza comes in this jumbo box that will never fit into your fridge. Often it's a case of quantity not quality.

A few spots in town, however, have elevated the lowly pizza joint to something worth taking a bite out of.

Pi Gourmet Eatery on King's Rd. (downtown East, off Duckworth) boats homemade, dairy-free, fairly thin crust with toppings that are anything but ordinary. Pesto, black olive, and curry-infused tomato sauces stand up to toppings such as prosciutto, roasted fennel, grapes, and about six different cheese options, including soy. You can make your own pizza concoction or choose from one of the specials on the menu. Personal favorite: Pascal's Pleasure which features saffron chicken, sweet corn, green peppers, hot peppers, and fresh tomato. All these premium ingredients will cost you, though. Pascal's is $15 for a small pie and $25 for a large. If you're into quality stuff, though, you'll quickly dole out the cash for these handmade and filling treats. Pi's cherry on an otherwise lovely cake is their colourful decor and homemade desserts. And it's they're anniversary so check out specials in the month of April.

Folly on Bate's Hill (formerly Tangled up in Blue) offers much more than pizza. But their pizza names will strike a chord with anyone who grew up in the 90s and watching Saturday morning cartoons. All their pies are named after Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters. With prices from $11.50 - $14, you can get the Raphael (featuring butternut squash, pine nuts and feta) or the April O'Neil (tandoori chicken, mushroom, caramelized onion, & raita). In all there's about 10 pizzas and they will make smaller personal sized, and even gluten free dough, if you ask nicely.

Yellow Belly on Water St. is a micro brewery and their restaurant has a couple pizzas on their menu. Perhaps the most interesting tid-it about them is that the dough is made from leftovers from Yellow Belly's beer brewing process. They have a few interesting combos along with the regulars (e.g. Caesar pizza) but it is a bit privy for high-end pub food.

Of course if you're in the market for just waiting for a pizza to arrive at your door, you could go the old school pizza delivery route. And hey, maybe you like tomato sauce, peperoni and mozzarella.

If so, I have two suggestions:
Venice Pizzeria on Military Rd. is fairly standard and consistent. They are used to special requests (e.g. extra hot peppers and no cheese) and are fairly quick and well priced. My other stand-by pizza joint is Old Town Pizza on Portugal Cove Rd. Their pizza is a little greasy but still yummy when you want a hangover cure or just want to order a normal, jumbo-sized pizza.