For a second straight year, the Beverly Business Improvement Area has partnered with Wild Heart Collective to organize the Olde Towne Beverly Dining Week. The event runs from October 17-25, 2019, and will highlight some of the diverse cuisines that can be found in this east end neighbourhood.
The number of participating restaurants have increased from eight to ten this year, but the parameters of the event are still the same: each establishment will offer an exclusive deal to entice diners to their doors. A majority of restaurants have chosen to highlight their most popular dishes, a good strategy to gain repeat business.
Like last year, I had the opportunity to attend a media preview and sample some of the fare to be served during Olde Towne Beverly Dining Week. My friend Su came along for the ride; it was her first time down in Beverly!
Amy Hayduk (Wild Heart Collective), Wes Robson (Executive Director of the Beverly BIA), and Michael Benti (Old Beverly Cafe) kick-off the evening
The tour launched from the Olde Beverly Cafe, a cozy space owned by Rachel and Michael Benti that offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They are returning Dining Week participants, and said that they did see some new faces during the 2018 event. They served up tastes of some of their Dining Week specials, including beef on a bun with au jus, apple pie, and my favourite bite – the Belgian waffle with whipped cream and fruit.
Tastes from Olde Beverly Cafe
Our second stop was Chicken For You, a restaurant serving up Korean and Canadian favourites located in the Drake Hotel. Opened by Jane Kim and her husband James in August 2018, they have maintained some of the menu items from the previous restaurant owners (namely, eggs and bacon breakfasts, burgers, and some Chinese plates), but have expanded the repertoire to include dishes from their native Korea.
Chicken For You
We were able to try three types of their Korean fried chicken – crispy fried, spicy sauce, and soy garlic sauce. Our table couldn’t get enough of the chicken, all prepared fresh, and at least for the pieces I enjoyed, were all boneless. My favourite was the spicy chicken, as it was balanced with some sweetness to take the edge off.
Crispy fried chicken from Chicken For You
We also sampled Chicken For You’s beef bulgogi. Jane explained that the sauce is made once a week by her husband, and contains no sugar; instead, it is sweetened entirely with fruit (apples and pears).
Our final stop was Mumbai Dakar Restaurant, which opened in June of this year. The menu represents the heritage of the two chefs – Solo Dilallo, originally from Senegal (he owns the restaurant along with his partner), and Ahmed Ashfak, who is from India. Solo shared that Mumbai Dakar is the only restaurant that he is aware of that offers Senegalese cuisine.
Solo was very proud to serve some traditional dishes, including Joloff rice with beef (broken rice baked in a tomato sauce with onion, garlic, bell peppers), and Yassa (charbroiled chicken marinated in Dijon, lemon, and spices). Ahmed had prepared butter chicken and chicken tikka to serve alongside.
Sample plate from Mumbai Dakar with Joloff rice, Yassa, and chicken tikka
Beverly may not be on the radar for some, but hopefully Olde Towne Beverly Dining Week encourages more people to explore some of the gems in this neighbourhood. Thanks again to the Beverly BIA and Wild Heart Collective for the invitation!
Olde Towne Beverly Dining Week runs October 17-25, 2019. The menus are available here.
Only Here for the Food 