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Local Guides
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PEPPER JACK’S PIZZA’S PERFECT
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by
Leanne Kemmler
April 14 – 20, 2005 |
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Architecturally, The Pepper Jack Café is more nightclub
than restaurant.
Though appointed with a warm gas fireplace, a broad
oak bar and an enclave of very large but cozy booths,
most of the room feels like a giant industrial basement
covered over with a coat of pale blue paint.
On a Saturday night there weren’t many patrons, which
is a shame because the food was really delicious.
Skipping the appetizers, my guest and I decided to go
straight to the Gourmet Pizzas for some epicurean
satisfaction. The choices, from the traditional (pepperoni,
green peppers, mushrooms, mozzarella and tomato
sauce) to the fanciful Thai Chicken (marinated chicken,
julienne carrots, green onions, bean sprouts, roasted
peanuts, cilantro, mozzarella and spicy peanut sauce),
made choosing difficult.
We finally decided on three pizzas to share: Goat
Cheese (goat cheese, green peppers, red onions, roma
tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes and olive oil), Tandoori
Chicken (tandoori marinated chicken, green and yellow
zucchini, cilantro, mozzarella and tomato-yoghurt curry
sauce) and Sante Fe Chicken (Lime marinated chicken,
caramelized onions, cilantro, mozzarella, salsa,
guacamole and sour cream). All of our pies were $9.90,
which was an average price.
Waiting for our food to arrive, the server brought us a
small basket of bread. It may have been sourdough, but
I’m not sure. What was particularly interesting was the
butter, which was sweetened. It was a yummy and
surprising twist on a standard offering.
The Pepper Jack Café is a proud patron of the Hamilton
Farmer’s Market. The kitchen stocks up with fresh,
market–bought produce every few days, guaranteeing
they have only the freshest ingredients for their foods. It
makes a difference.
Our pizzas arrived, three 10”/12” pies with thin, crispy
crusts. The Tandoori Chicken had a generous spoonful
of mango chutney in the middle. The marinated chicken
had just the right amount of spice and the sweet chutney
was a great counterpart. The Goat Cheese was most like
an authentic Italian pizza. Lots of fresh vegetables made
it a treat to eat and no meat meant a really yummy
vegetarian option.
My favourite was the Sante Fe Chicken. The
caramelized onions were a brilliant touch, a mellow
contrast to the zesty chicken. In the centre of the pie was
a scoop each of a sweet salsa, sour cream and
guacamole.
If I return to The Pepper Jack Café, I am definitely going
to sample the nachos because the guacamole was
really tasty: garlicky and bright with a soft richness.
This restaurant probably has a warmer atmosphere later
at night when the entertainment is on. The food itself,
however, is very good—enough to draw me back for
more. V
THE PEPPER JACK CAFÉ
38 King William St.
Hamilton
905.525.6666
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