Pie Eyed Monk — Restaurant in Kawartha Lakes

Glamour wood, an ever watchful and oh-so slightly intimidating Penn Jillete style bloke, plus canned pineapple on a $19 pizza... I that's the best summary I can provide after two visits.

Good experience points; Nice atmosphere (man does Lindsay need this place for a change of scenery and new opportunities for going out), decent enough craft beers and friendly servers.

Poor experience points; Pretty much everything else.

On our first visit we ordered a flight of beers and their deep friend pickles app which promised to be a unique spin on a pub classic. The beers were fine - they ran the gamut of taste one would expect in any brewpub, but the deep fried pickle uniqueness stopped at the idea. In reality it was a strange tempura batter, cold and weak - covering soggy, lifeless pickle slices that were stacked beside some flavourless mayonnaise they dared to call aioli. We tried the margherita pizza as well on this visit, as they boast "Lindsay's only wood fired pizza oven"... It was a letdown; undercooked, bland and totally forgettable. Chalked it up to growing pains and getting a brand new business into swing - one strange thing however, was the rather statuesque gentleman running the pass (barking his orders quite loudly in an open concept environment) and though he reminded us of a famous magician in a complimentary light, he lacked the warmth of that fella by constantly glaring around the restaurant, clearly keeping tabs on the goings on, but coming across (to us anyway) as quite intimidating and unwelcoming.

Some weeks later we tried them again, this time knowing which beers to order, but also giving the pizza knots and "sweet pig" pizza a try. The knots promise to be "wood fired oven pizza knots with parmesan, basil and Ontario garlic oil" but were sent back for being clearly frozen, tasteless balls of dough that had not seen anywhere near long enough in the oven. The pizza boasts "pineapple, hand cut prosciutto and mozzarella" - and it did have all of these things. However, the pineapple was clearly canned, and the pizza itself was flavourless. A wood fired oven boosts flavour and should offer a subtle smokey flair - and while the patio of this pub is filled with beautifully stacked firewood, it's unfortunately for show, as whoever is using the oven clearly isn't skilled to make it sing. Drive into Toronto and visit Pizza Libretto, and you'll see the difference in a heartbeat. Again, Penn glared around the dining room and when greeting guests, barked table numbers to his staff.

I want this place to work very badly. Lindsay needs more options than it has for a change of scenery for a lunch meeting, date night or a place to take friends from out of town. But twice we've been left down by the food (which is quite expensive when compared to options of equal fare less than a 25 minute drive to Peterborough)

If it was simply a tasting room akin to Port Perry's Old Flame it would be getting 5 stars from me due to its atmosphere and staff. The service isn't quick, but the place is lovely.

If the food was anywhere close to Ashburnham Ale House in East City, it would get another 5 stars - as they understand real, fresh ingredients and take the time to cook their menu with the respect it deserves.

But it's not. It's lacklustre in its food offering at best, and needs a whole new outlook on ingredients and process to bring it up to par. Currently it might be staying steady due to its newness in town, but we did notice the Friday night crowd this evening was much smaller than our previous Saturday night visit weeks ago... not a great sign.

If you're up for a craft beer and a neat place to spend some time, I'd totally suggest it - but would steer very clear of anything else until they get their affairs in order.

Also Mr. Jillette; smile a bit and glare a little less... and if you go to a few tables to see how things are going, you need to go to everyone - hosting is a lot like kindergarten (if you didn't bring enough for the whole class...)

You're supposed to make people...

This was my 4th time at the Pie Eyed Monk and as much as I want to say I enjoy it, I cannot, I was so very disappointed this time and will not be returning and the 15 people that were with me will not be either. I made the reservation for 17 people and I was told we would have to used the fixed menu. We were also going to be in the private back room. Great sounds awesome right! We got there and they were not ready for us at all. The back room was occupied with another party and the dining room was full except a table near the bar. A table of four did leave but that still did not leave enough room. Some of us were seated other remained standing and nearly a hour in they made an L shape table. It was uncomfortable, and we should of just sat at different tables because we basically were anyways. That was just the beginning 1 hour in of the 3 hours there. The server was good, but really should of had help with drink order and food orders. Helps with getting things going especially as we were there already 1.5 hours. It seems everytime we are there, two beers are usually off the menu, and mostly the popular ones. The beer to me are very hoppy, I am just not a fan, but there is people who enjoy the beer , which is great. The salads came out and the house salad was okay but a lot of vinegar, just not balanced. My sisters salad was so salty, it was inedible, she sent it back and they said it would be credited on her bill. It was not. The brisket was dry, but the flavor of the meat was good. If it had a dip with it, it would of made that sandwich. The steak was good, I like medium, but some people don't. Even if it is on the fixed menu people should get a decision on how they like their meat. Owner or staff should not choose that. All people are different. The pizza was not good. Again its pizza, people should be able to choose what they want. My sister asked for pepperoni and was told she could not have that.. Really!! The dessert was good, however radish sprouts and other stronger tasting sprouts do not belong with lemon sorbet, it was great without. Sometimes to much is not good. Our whole experience was over 3 hours. We could of ordered off the regular menu, like the 14 people near us who got their order first and were served and done well before us. The kicker was the tip, not that we would not of left one, just the fact that the amount was chosen for us and our experience was not great. Kind of a kick in the teeth. I get it's a new restaurant and there is so much work that needs to be done. The interior is stunning the concept is great. But, the owner should step back and manage in the back ground. A food manager should be the presence of the restaurant, they know their stuff, having someone who understands customer service and is unattached from the business, is such a benefit. More help means fast turnover. Faster turnover means more revenue. It can be such a great place it really can. But for me and my family this will be our last experience. I hope the future is bright for this restaurant, it is a good thing for...

You always want a new local place to be good. Anyone who takes significant risk to invest in a small town should be rewarded with a loyal following. However, it still has to be earned.

Starting with making a reservation, OpenTable didn’t make it easy. To first-timers, what is the counter? Different from the bar? No options for tables? Does that mean it is sold out? Technology is great if it is used correctly. But maybe that it is not the way to get what you want with PEM.

Once you arrive, the host staff appears pretty disorganized. No eye contact, no acknowledgement of your presence. Just preoccupation with a seating app that appeared beyond the current ability to manage. Once noticed and reservation announced, moved to a highboy that was kind of an afterthought and really hard to get in and out of. Table had some leftover drill holes that completed the feeling that it was a leftover and so were we.

Orders taken but no information exchange on, “this is great or this is almost gone.” “You been here before?” Focus was on what beer is available and that was a good sign of where the emphasis was. Special turned out to be sold out and alternatives had to be chosen. Once again, no help choosing.

Pizza was definitely crispy but good. The Hunter’s Fusilli (?) was bland and a bit dry. No salt or pepper within site. The big “hunk” of congealed pasta in the centre was not appetizing. How it got out of the kitchen unrecognized is difficult to understand. I understand that extras are extras. At $22 a plate, that is a premium price and you should get a premium plate or side or extra. The 3 pizzas buns were 10 minutes in arriving and 1.5 were inedible due to over-baking.

The bill did not add up due to the advertised pizza special not being calculated in. Apologizes and an explanation of not having served for a while and out of practice were fine but did not do much to change the theme of the evening.

The beer was good and is understandably the drawing card. However, the competition for the premium dollar is always strong especially when you factor in driving. If you have to drive somewhere and can only have a couple of beer in an evening, you have a lot alternatives, even in and around Lindsay.

We will try them again and see how things have...