Review of Kelsey's

On Saturday, May 5th 2012 at 11:30 to 1:00 in the afternoon, I dined at Kelsey's with my dear friends Amy Chen and Jennifer Lee. The hostess was super friendly right when we entered through the door. She offered us 2 areas to sit in, one by the window or one in the main dining room. We thought it would be awkward to sit by the window because people would be walking by and just stare straight at us... So we chose the main dining room. The area of where we were seated had an elegant feel to it. The walls were painted a soft, dark colour and there were big photographs of celebrities and singers hung against the walls. The lights in the restaurant were dim and the chairs were very well cushioned so that it created a very relaxed atmosphere. They set the restaurant up to make it feel so welcoming that it actually made me feel at home.

When we were seated at our booth/table, we were told that a waitress named Allie would be serving us today. Just as the hostess left, Allie came and offered us something to drink. It was like a two second switch of different employees. I thought to myself - wow, what fast service! - but then I looked around the room and I noticed there were only about 4 tables full with people. But then again, fast service means we get to receive our food faster! That was only around 11:30am; still pretty early for a full restaurant. As it got closer to 12:00pm, it got busier, but not too busy that everyone was clustered into a corner. 

Hand-Breaded Chicken Parmesan

Water with lemon

All three of us ordered water with lemon and started to look through the menu. We took about a good 5 minutes to decide what we wanted to order because we just couldn't decide which dish to choose from. We simply didn't know what to order; starting from the salad, to the pasta, to the sandwiches! It all seemed really good! In the end, I ordered the Hand-Breaded Chicken Parmesan. It was chicken breast rolled in bread crumbs and parmesan cheese, topped with garlic marinara sauce and melted pizza mozzarella, AND served over fettuccine with a garlic marinara alfredo sauce with two slices of garlic toast on the side. Even as I'm typing this, I'm drooling over the sound of it!

Sonoma Valley Salad

Caesar Salad

I also had a choice of a side salad or soup. I chose a salad called Sonoma Valley Salad, which had a blend of classic California greens topped with sweet red peppers, fresh tomatoes, crumbled feta cheese, croutons, mixed seeds and nuts, and drizzled with their spicy honey citrus dressing. Right when I received my dish, I noticed I couldn't eat this dish because there were nuts in them. And I'm allergic to nuts... I did not know what a trail mix was when Allie explained the salad - which is a blend of seeds and nuts - so I thought it sounded delicious. Of course it looked delicious but I simply couldn't eat it. So I exchanged my uneatable, delicious looking salad for a simple Caesar Salad. Which contained NO NUTS, crisp Romaine lettuce tossed in creamy caesar dressing and topped with croutons and parmesan cheese.

My acquaintance, Jennifer Lee, had the Kickin' Quesadillas (Even the name sounds delicious!). An ancho-spiced grilled chicken loaded with a blend of four cheeses and layered with cilantro, grilled sweet red peppers and onions. It is also served with salsa and sour cream. My other classmate, Amy Chen had the Classic Club Sandwich. A Grilled ancho-spiced chicken breast, with double-smoked bacon, colby cheese, fresh sliced tomatoes, romain lettuce, an ancho mayo spread that is piled high on toasted potato bread with a side of kettle chips. Yummy!! Overall, they said their dishes were very satisfying.

Classic Club Sandwich

Kickin' Quesadillas

Our waitress, Allie was very well trained towards the menu. She answered all questions asked except one. "Are some ingredients purchased local? If not, why?" Every ingredient used in their meals are fresh except their poultry. That of course, has to be frozen. Their pasta is made fresh in a separate building, but they come pre-boiled in a package and placed in the fridge every day. All dishes can be alternated to a customer's liking. For example, a vegetarian has the choice of a mean veggie burger, different pasta dishes, or they can modify a dish to how they want it. Allie also said that the chefs in the kitchen cannot have facial hair, piercings. They have to wear gloves if they get a cut, but gloves are not needed when they are portioning out dishes. (But for the people who didn't get nicked)

The only bad quality during my lunch hour was my chicken. The corners were a bit burnt but the inside was super moist and delicious. Overall, I had an excellent meal at Kelsey's Restaurant.

Here is Kelsey's website with all of their information included : http://www.kelseys.ca/home.php