The Flying Spatula Diner

125 Collingwood Street
Flesherton, Ontario

519-924-2424

In her opinion:
I love John Catucci...I love Food Network's "You Gotta Eat Here" and most importantly, I love good food. When I watched the episode with Flesherton's the Flying Spatula, my mouth watered and the wheels in my brain turned and turned...how was I going to convince Edgar to drive two hours so we could eat here?

The August long weekend seemed like the perfect time...we "were in the area" after all (not really)...that's my story and I'm sticking to it! We drove to Flesherton on a beautiful day in Ontario and walked in to a fairly empty restaurant and still in time for lunch.

This is a classic roadside diner (translate this as dive). The type of place that many people would turn there noses up at and simply leave. But, I had seen the episode of "You Gotta Eat Here" and I knew that I had to look past the decor. This place is still pulling in visitors as a result of that episode...the family sitting in the booth behind us had come for the same reasons as us.

Our waitress came over when we sat down and took our drink orders...they serve Coke products so I was thrilled...diet coke for me. It came in the can with a straw! Simple and too the point. Much like the food.

I knew what I wanted after I watched the show...but I still looked at the menu. I ordered the hot turkey sandwich as planned. It was served with broccoli, cream corn and mashed potatoes.

The turkey was fresh tasting. It was made up of dark meat...no white and no option of white either. It was served on Texas toast, covered with a delicious  gravy and sprinkled with green onions. The potatoes were real mash potatoes and quite delicious. The broccoli was fresh. But the most wonderful thing on that plate in my opinion was the cream corn. Sweet morsels of corn heighten to a new level of deliciousness. So so good.

Overall, a delicious lunch and well worth the two hour drive in my opinion. If you are ever up near Flesherton, Ontario don't hesitate to stop at the Flying Spatula because "You Gotta Eat Here"!

In his opinion:
Driving to Flesherton, Ontario felt a lot like picking a scab, slightly amusing but mostly painful. It is literally located away from any town I can even think of and Orangeville, Ontario is probably my only remote point of reference.

I somehow how got talked into driving all the way up there to try a restaurant that from the pictures, one would probably qualify as a dive on a good day. I made the trek, kept my opinions to myself (mostly) and hoped for the best. This restaurant had been featured on "You Gotta Eat Here" and that was reason enough to at least keep an open mind.

The restaurant at first glance looks pretty much like you would expect from a small town diner. The decor is simple but inviting, with 2 separate areas for dining divided by a wooden counter beside a glass one with drinks. One of my immediate deceptions was to find out that the more popular dishes are only available for dinner.

I ordered a Coke and when I asked for ice, I was told that they serve their soft drinks in a frosty mug, bonus. Given the limited choices on the lunch menu, I decided to order one of their more known features, the homemade beef burger.

This beef burger was made with an all beef patty comes pretty plain and they give you the option to add toppings for $1 each. I opted for adding cheese and a fried egg. The burger was quite tasty and the fried egg and cheese made all the difference, enhancing the taste overall. The tomato, lettuce and pickle were very fresh as expected. It was served with fresh hand-cut fries that are possibly worth the drive themselves, homemade, and very fresh and well flavoured.

The Good: Food was good, the service came with a smile and the frosty mug was a nice touch.
The Bad: Having some of your most popular dishes only available on selected nights and then only for dinner doesn't seem like a smart business practice, especially when you are located in a remote area.
The Verdict: Overall, the experience was a positive one and the food was very good indeed. "You Gotta Eat Here" once again turns out another good recommendation, even if we had to drive to the dark side of the earth to experience it.

I give it 3 1/2 Olives out of 5 as rating