In 2009 and again in 2013, Bon Appetit magazine named Southern-style cuisine as a trend – one that has arrived in Hamilton, most recently with the opening of Uncle’s Ray’s. (Watch for two more Hamilton chefs about to embrace this cuisine.) Chef Michael Angeloni credits his inspiration to celebrity chef Sean Brock, born in Virginia and now dedicated to sharing the “culinary wisdom of the American South”.
The Open Concept Hospitality team behind Uncle Ray’s have considerable creds. The combined portfolios of partners Adam Teolis, Chef Michael Angeloni, Yannick Bigourdan and Dan Kennedy include Splendido, Carbon Bar, Nota Bene, Union Chicken and Amano (all in Toronto).
Lunch attracts a diverse group – suits, man-buns, ladies lunching and dates in a space that artfully combines exposed brick with wood and steel – refined industrial with soft hues and attractive lighting. The mood changes with the transition to dinner/evening – lights are lower and the music is louder.
In some eateries lunch menus are minimal – even boring. Not so at Uncle Ray’s which offers an impressive selection of snacks, salads, mains and sides. Dinner adds charcuterie boards, duck, dishes served family-style, and a platter described as “meat heaven”. They now offer Brunch on weekends. Though not “family –focused” they are family-friendly, offering half price options for children at brunch.
From the Snacks & Apps - where choices included oysters, squid, and wings - we chose devilled eggs. This once popular appetizer seems to be experiencing yet another comeback. They did not disappoint and came garnished with a crunch treat – pork rinds – that added whimsy to the presentation.
We passed on the salad choices and many of the Plates - a burger, fish, steak and shrimp - and focused on the signature dishes – fried chicken. With advice from the server we shared Chicken & Waffles. Service, by the way, is friendly, professional and attentive, and the kitchen is open to working with individuals re food preferences.
The Chicken and Waffles arrived as a thing of beauty with a tower of four chicken pieces balanced on a perfect buttermilk waffle and garnished with whipped sour cream – intended as a balance to the maple honey syrup. The breading on the chicken resembled 3D art, rivaled only by the crunch and taste. Chef Angeloni said he tried 45 varieties of breading before settling on their signature style. He gave away no secrets other than to say that the ingredients are simple and the outcome has more to do with technique – and freshness. No chicken is pre-fried and prep begins the minute it is ordered.
Sharing the chicken enabled us to order Succotash as our second (shared) main. This serves as a vegetarian main dish. Though we liked the dish which was as pretty as it tasted, it was not my idea of succotash. The term comes from the indigenous word for “broken corn kernels”, and the dish is usually a jumble of veggies combined with corn and sometimes a grain. The menu describes the dish as “seasonal” and Chef explained that since corn is not in season he combined roasted and pickled beets, with pearl barley (picking up a beautiful hue from the red beets) and Tuscan kale. We wished it was also available as a side, so diners who take a pass on it as a main could still experience this great dish.
To optimize our dining experience we ordered three sides. Top prize went to the flavourful and nicely textured grits garnished with cheddar, butter and honey. The “pot likker” collard greens combined smoked pork hock with maple honey and hot sauce. We were glad that the southern slaw was mayo based rather than vinegary.
Few restaurants these days employ a pastry chef, but Uncle Ray brought Taylor Barbet on board making our dessert choice challenging. Carrot cake, pots de chocolate, sugar crack pie, doughnuts? We shared the “lightest” desert - buttermilk soft-serve with hot honey drizzle & caramel popcorn. Another bit of eye candy that we demolished.
The drinks menu is thoughtfully curated. For beer they went with some nostalgia beers alongside local craft beers. They have a robust cocktail program with, says Teolis, amazing bartenders. Champagne gets star billing in a feature that offers free fried chicken with any order of champagne. Surprised? Their sommeliers feel that champagne and fried chicken pair very well – and somewhat signals their slightly higher end approach to Southern cuisine.
Teolis now lives in Hamilton, describing it as an awesome community where they continue to build strong relationships. “We are focusing as much as possible to make sure that we as a restaurant group do what we do - which is great food, great service and building great teams of people who can deliver that.”
