Brunch with the Bunch at Foster's Inn

The main job of whoever's taking care of the Slow Food booth at the downtown Sunday market is to provide marketgoers with information about the food scene here in Stratford and Perth County. Pretty much every Sunday I've been on duty I've been asked to recommend a good place near the market to grab a bite to eat. I usually give folks a few options...

Ever since the folks from Erbcroft Farm started grilling lamb and waterbuffalo burgers out of their market stand (above) I've been telling folks to give them a try. They dress their burgers up with product sourced entirely from the market - from the buns by the Stratford Urban Farming Experiment, to the Monforte cheese, Loco Fields lettuce, and Koert Organics smoked cherry BBQ sauce. They've become a favourite among market regulars (especially the vendors!).

If it's later in the day I tell them where they'll often find me after the market, which is Molly Blooms Irish Pub. I've gotten in the habit of checking out the live jazz while kicking back after a hot day at the market with a couple of $3 Caesars along with some half price appetizers (usually I go with the mussels). 

But sometimes the people asking for a recommendation are looking for a good spot for Sunday brunch.

I tell them they might want to give the new Sunday brunch they're serving over at the County Food Co. on nearby Erie Street a try (above). 

This past Sunday, the tables were turned as I found myself looking for a spot to grab post-market brunch with my whole family, including my folks who were in town for the weekend. I decided to bring everyone to my go-to spot for a midday feast, which is right around the corner from Market Square: Foster's Inn on Downie Street.

Staceys... you've been blogged!

The servers at Foster's were super-friendly and hooked Fisher and Sonny up with some crayons and Hot Wheels to keep them occupied while the kitchen prepared our food. 

Always a fan of Sunday cocktails, I sipped on a tasty Bloody Mary while my parents regaled us with tales from the previous night's adventures in babysitting. 

Our food soon arrived, and there was something to please everyone. I love the creamy tang of the Goat's Cheese and Oven Dried Tomato Omelet at Foster's (above, so good I pretty much knew it was what I was going to get before I even looked at the menu). 

My mom Stella and I are very much alike (refer to previous family photo for striking resemblance) and that includes our sharing the same tastebuds. Like me, she loves fish and seafood and true to form she ordered a salad entree with House Crab Cakes (above), which were crispy and well seasoned.

I might have taken things up another level by ordering a full-on Foster's Crab Cake Benedict... Lisa went for the Smoked Salmon Benedict (above) and I found it hard to stop myself from picking lovely pieces of cured salmon drenched in Hollandaise off her plate.

You can take Steve Sr. out of the country, but you can't take the country out of Steve Sr. He was impressed by the heartiness of the Grilled Perth County Ham with Extra Old Cheddar Cheese Omelet (above) - pork country at its best!

There are lots of options for grabbing food after hitting the Slow Food Sunday market in downtown Stratford. Foster's is also known as the best place in town to grab a steak and a favourite spot for authentic boutique hotel accommodation... its amazing brunch/breakfast makes it a true triple threat!