The Bauer Kitchen

When asking about good restaurants in Waterloo, The Bauer Kitchen popped up several times. Some people raved about it, while others said it was good but overpriced.

Well I just had to see for myself! :) I mentioned this to Mario, and he ended up taking me there to try their fall dinner menu.






You can't see it really well, but my top is covered in little stars like the popular Dolce & Gabanna star motif of this season. I got it from H&M and adore it. 


What a handsome face.


The "Chipotle Roasted Pork Belly Pizza" was served with white sauce, over dried yellow cherry tomatoes, roasted garlic cloves, roasted red pepper, bocconcini, provolone and scallions for $14.95.



Because of the description, I expected to see clearly visible pieces of cherry tomato, charred morsels of pork belly, and rounds of bocconcini but instead came upon a rather anticlimatic visual presentation. Pretty bland, to be honest.

Disheartened and not expecting much, I took my first bite. Surprise! My first thought was, "This is really interesting! And really good." I forgot that the base was a white sauce when I saw the pizza, but it's actually a really good choice. The pork is so salty, the garlic strong, and the red pepper lively that a neutral base like a white sauce was what really allowed those flavors to pop through. It was one of the most interesting pizzas I had ever tried.

My only complaint was that the bottom of the pizza had gotten a bit soggy. :(

It's interesting that despite being a "low brow" food, good pizza is actually difficult to replicate at home - at least if you don't have a wood fired oven and a pizza stone, which many people don't. In Toronto I really love the pizza at Mark McEwan's Fabbrica, and used to love the pizza at Pizzeria Libretto until they randomly started getting worse...

The "Herb-brined chicken supreme" came with porcini brandy cream sauce, roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables for $22.95.



The chicken was incredibly juicy, and the vegetables were cooked to perfection. Admittedly this wasn't a culinary revelation, but it was roast chicken done just as it should be. I couldn't really taste any cream sauce, but this is a dish that really allows the ingredients to speak for themselves without gastronomic flair or exotic sauces.




I'd like to return to try their intriguing cocktail menu, and maybe sample their steak tartare...!

The Bauer Kitchen
187 King Street South, Unit 102
 Waterloo, Ontario
http://www.charcoalgroup.ca/main8.cfm