Summer breeze in the Sault
Here and there and out and about and around town relative to local business and a city council that makes me go hmmmm.
• It is a good feeling when a long-time local business is sold and new owners come in and maintain the good standard of their predecessors. Such is the case at City Meat Market in the Sault’s downtown. The new kids on the block — led by good guy owners Ernie DiBerardino and Anthony Celli along with a super helpful and knowledgeable staff — are a chip off the old block and City Meat Market remains a tried and true jewel located on the corner of Queen and Pilgrim streets. When the Bruni family first sold City Meat Market not that long ago, I wasn’t sure if the new owners would provide the same service and good products. But with owners DiBerardino and Celli at the helm, City Meat Market is still in exceptionally good hands.
• I doubt that there is a business owner who puts more into their operation than Krista Nolan of the multi-faceted Mane Street Co. in the Sault’s downtown. Don’t get me wrong, I am sure that there are many other local business owners who put in the same time and effort into their operation as Krista does into hers. I am just singling her out as my wife and I are regular customers at Krista’s Main Street Cafe and like, we see first hand how the lady is always on the go, morning to noon to night, always paying attention to detail. She reminds me of my late uncle Steve Ilijanich who owned the Grand Tavern in Windsor and worked it day and night from the time he bought it at age 29 to the day he shut it down at age 86.
• Is there a better fine dining and exceptional service establishment than Arturo Ristorante in the Sault’s downtown? The only place I can think that can possibly rival Arturo’s is Antico Ristorante, which is located off upper Lake St. in the east end of town. I guess it is no coincidence that Arturo’s is owned by brothers Chris and Tom Comegna and that their dad, Art Comegna, owns Antico.
• Okay, so the Sault is known for its great pizza places. Since I live downtown, my pizza parlour of choice is Uncle Gino’s Pizzeria on lower East Street. Really, I could eat pizza four or five times a week and I would not tire of it. And there are so many good pizza outlets in the Sault to choose from.
• What is it with this city council of ours? If it isn’t one thing, it is another. The latest is the now well chronicled downtown parking lot fiasco when city council performed a trick play — an end-around that Soo Today was first to bring to light. What gets me is the holier-than-thou attitude of a few certain councillors who seem to think they are above being questioned for voting in favour of what we will simply call the ‘parking lot piss off.’ Fine and well for the city council members in question to vote the way they did. But what makes them think that they can brush off and be downright ignorant and rude to anyone who dares to question them? Time to come down of your high horse, certain councillors. Do you really think you are fooling anyone by pretending to be so smart?