A Goblin Walks Into A Bar

Smokeless Joe's is a small pub/diner on College St that, in keeping with its specialties of mussel dishes and selection of draft beer, evokes an Old World feel with exposed brick arches and wooden beams. On Saturday, before the matinee showing of Labyrinth, I stopped by for brunch.

I started off with some freshly shucked oysters ($2.75/each). Along with a selection of red-wine vinaigrette, cilantro hot sauce, and regular hot sauce, they went down smoothly and refreshing, except for one that was too briny. For my main, I ordered the salmon egg benny ($12). Not the kitchen's fault, but I learned a lesson for the New Year, salmon leaves an unpleasant aftertaste when combined with eggs and hollandaise sauce. The eggs themselves were perfectly poached and deliciously runny. A special mention for the fries: golden and crisp on the outside, soft and tender on the inside. This bodes well for Joe's poutine dishes.

The screening for Labyrinth was great. The effects, acting, and costumes may seem cheesy, but there was a sincerity and earnestness in these films that are often lacking in more recent movies. The physical props and puppets from the Jim Henderson workshop won't fool anyone, yet they felt more real. Perhaps because they had to be built and must obey the limitations of the real-world, as opposed to CG where anything is possible.