Great food, great staff, and very sharp building/b...

Great food, great staff, and very sharp building/branding.

1. The food was very well done and reasonably priced. I had the Bruschetta, and I normally HATE tomatoes, however anything on Burdan's Red Cat Sourdough is bound to be awesome. The Balsamic reduction on top and crispiness of the bread was great. I also had the Margarita Pizza, which was another winner. I don't believe they use Pine River (or other local Cheese), however the Buffalo mozzarella was fantastic and the fresh basil on top was heavenly (more of a basil pesto rather than basil leaf, which I preferred). I tried a variety of beers, and altogether my bill came to $26. Pretty amazing since I used to live in Toronto and you can't get a meal like that for under $40! So pretty great value and all of it fresh and beautiful.

I also have to give them credit where the menu is concerned. The small, uncomplicated menu looked great. everything local and fresh (Metzgers, Red Cat, etc) and nothing was too complicated. It really bothers me when restaurants in town have things like Calamari, or other dishes that come pre-packaged on their menu. We live in one of the most agriculturally productive counties in Canada and you can't even be bothered to get your ingredients in your own backyard? It's about having pride in what you cook and where you come from, and Cowbell does a great job of both.

2. The staff was amazing. I was greeted as soon as I walked in, everyone was smiling and professional, and I could tell all of them were ready and eager to answer any question I had. Seriously. They all kind of stared at me in anticipation, hoping i'd ask about tours or beers or the history of Blyth or anything. It was seriously very endearing.

We sat at the bar and all the bartenders were bopping along, working or chatting with their customers. I listened over and over again as one bartender (short blonde mohawk style hairdo wearing glasses) told different groups over and over how amazing the Sparlings are, how they support the community, how she's proud to work at Cowbell. Finding staff like that is literally like hitting the jackpot, but it's also a ringing endorsement for the Sparlings as well as the hard work everyone has done behind the scenes. When people love their job, it shows.

3. That building is amazing. Beautifully laid out, branding everywhere. It really is the gem of Huron County. The General Store had lots of really cool souvenirs to buy, and I could tell a lot of thought was put into the items they were looking to sell - nothing looked cheap, and I could tell everything was designed with intention. The whole building also had a general buzz about it - could be because it's brand new and the excitement is still in the air, but generally it just had good vibes all around. I was also really glad that we were welcome to wander around and take a look at the place from the catwalk above. I super loved snooping around and not feeling self-conscious about it.

In conclusion, this is a crazy long review so I just want to finish this out by saying no, I don't work for Cowbell and I have no affiliation to the Sparling family whatsoever. It's just so damn refreshing to see such a cool project actually get done in Huron County. I have long thought that this county is dying out a little (seems like every year we loose all our young people/innovators to Toronto), however I really feel like Cowbell has the potential to breath new life into Blyth and the county as a whole.

I'm definitely looking forward to more cowbell in my life!