I thought it was a cafe but it is more of a bistro-type restaurant.

Y got a funny leaf as a coaster.

On the Table for Maple:

1. Peameal Bacon panini with house made kettle chips & slaw ($12)
2. Quinoa Salad ($12)

It was AMAZING. Fast service – check. Beautiful presentation – check. Appropriate portions – check. Absolutely delicious – check.

Melted swiss, grainy & creamy mustard on ciabatta bun. I did not try the panini but the kettle chips were so crisp and fresh. Fresh is not usually what I would use to describe chips but yes, they were fresh. Absolutely quality chips.

Fresh quinoa, corn, black beans, peppers, onions, lime, coriander, balsamic, topped with fried tofu and grilled pita. The ingredients seemed to have magical chemistry with each other – I loved the slight citrus-y taste. It was an unusual brunch item and my first quinoa restaurant order really surpassed all expectations.

I was really pleased and could not stop talking about how everything else on the menu is probably as amazing and that we definitely have to be back. Y chuckled and said that I am probably feeling that because I was in a good mood. Disagree – I was in a good mood because everything tasted perfect!

It was back to the basics. We went to a restaurant, and everything tasted wonderful. What a great day in Guelph.

The Joint is a busy place — so plan ahead if you go. We arrived at 1 p.m. on a Sunday and got the last seat in the house. That’s always a good sign. The atmosphere was quite lively — coffee, conversation, laughter — and the decor a contrast between proper and playful. A background ambiance of jazz music and original art (paintings of crows seem poetic and artsy to me). While going over the menu I realized there may be whimsy in the air but when it comes to food this is a no-nonsense café with great food. It appeared to me that just as many people were here for coffee and a slice of cake as were here for soup and a sandwich. I came for a proper lunch.

If you’ve ever been a food server then you probably still have bad dreams about being slammed. That’s when all your tables are full, all your customers are asking for their bills, and all the food is “up” in the kitchen and needed to be delivered 30 seconds ago. We were seated in the middle of a slam, which gave us time to soak up the atmosphere including the paintings. Our waitress handled it well and began with a very professional “thank you so much for being patient”.

After perusing the menu we decided on the daily flatbread, an interesting looking salad, chicken potpie, and a panini.

I guess we misread the menu looking for starters because the flatbread ($13) and the salad ($12) that arrived were probably enough food to complete a light lunch. Served on a handcrafted cutting board the flatbread base was an in house marinara that was pure tomato goodness. Topped with peameal bacon, red and green onions, cheddar, fresh arugula, and a chipotle drizzle it was layered in tasty flavours. The chipotle drizzle was simply divine (in a manly lunch kind of way). The “Don’t Mind If I Do” salad of house pickled beets, crumbled local goats cheese, arugula, and candied walnuts (my first and a tasty revelation), was served with a citrus tarragon dressing. With our mains still to arrive it was clear that we had ordered too much food.

The saying “you eat with your eyes first” rings true to me. I love a good presentation. “Oh how cute” — is a good first impression when it comes to chicken pot pie ($12). Served in a wee cast iron cauldron and topped with triangles of flakey puff pastry it was indeed cute and perfectly seasoned. It was packed with chicken and veg and so tasty that I think I even saw my wife eat the peas (which is a first in our 19 years of marriage). The side was a mix of greens with citrus vinaigrette dressing that cut nicely through the buttery pie.

My corned beef panini ($12) was overloaded (in a good way) with delicious salt-preserved meat, melted swiss cheese, and a strong hit of grainy and creamy mustard. It was served in a square cast iron pan with kettle chips and a vinegar based slaw. I spend 20 years of my life in North York delis eating sandwiches — and this one was top notch!

Even though we were quite full, I felt it my professional duty to try a dessert. The banana coconut cream pie was a perfect finish to our meal and may in itself be the reason for all the hoopla.

The Joint has a cool neo-beatnik feel to it. With a great décor, friendly staff, and great food, it can take its place as one of Guelph’s excellent dining destinations.

If you’re eating at The Joint Café, it’s a good idea to watch where you sit.  That’s because the chairs are pieces of art, and some of them will be hitting the auction block this summer to support Hospice Wellington’s art therapy program.
“The community really seems to enjoy the chairs,” says The Joint Café owner Bobbie Miner-Neal, noting that many of her customers have a favourite.  “We already have standing bids on some of these chairs,” she says.  The chairs – there are now about 30 of them – were acquired second-hand in order to furnish the Cork Street restaurant. They needed a face lift and that’s how Miner-Neal got the idea of turning them into art.
“Last year, I got really tired of painting chairs, and I thought there had to be a clever way to get students involved,” she says.
She talked to Karin Silverstone, an art teacher at John F. Ross high school, and together they came up with the idea of having the students paint chairs as part of an art history lesson.
“I was thrilled when she asked if I would like to make this a J.F. Ross project,” says Silverstone.
“My Grade 12 art students had recently completed a survey on modern and post-modern art history and so were encouraged to expand their knowledge upon an art history period or an artist,” she said, explaining that the chairs were “redesigned” according to these themes.
Last year, there were a dozen chairs. This year, there are another 18.
Each year, Miner-Neal is having her customers vote on their favourite chairs and awarding the students first, second and third place based on the voting.
Last year’s first-place chair will be kept at the café, but the rest of last year’s chairs will be auctioned off, making way for the new batch of furniture. Proceeds will go to the art therapy program at Hospice Wellington. “Art therapy is great for kids,” says Miner-Neal of her reasons for choosing that charity. And it’s not just kids who benefit, she adds.
“That type of program does help people look at things differently,” she says.
The auction will be held July 13, a day chosen to correspond with the downtown art show and sale, Art on the Street. The auction is another opportunity – on top of having the chairs in the café – for the young artists to showcase their work.
“These kids did this great work and it should be shared,” Miner-Neal says.
The public can check out and vote on this year’s chairs during the month of June, she says.
She plans to continue the project cycle with another auction and another new batch of chairs next year.
And Silverstone’s future art students are already looking forward to the project.
“Many students in the lower grades see the work evolve and ask when can they be a part of it,” Silverstone says.
But the idea of parting with their work has been one of the more difficult aspects of this art lesson for the students.
“It is hard to part with the art,” says Silverstone. “Many students want to be kept in the loop regarding the auction of the pieces, in hopes of being able to possibly keep their art.”

Saturday, June 1st, Saturday, June 22nd ~ Friday, July 19th ~ Friday, August 16th ~ Friday, Sept. 13th ~ Friday, October 11th & Friday, November 22nd

Jason Sheffield is a local singer/songwriter originally from Burlington, ON, but has now made Guelph his home.  He has a unique voice and playing style and a passion for acoustic music, vocal harmony and improvisation.  Jason has been writing his own music since he began teaching himself to play, and also covers some of his favourite artists, but with a unique spin for that personalized touch of originality.  Folk Rock, bluegrass, and blues have made an impact on Jason and this is evident in his music. He has performed since the late ‘80s as a solo act, in duos, and in a variety of bands, including a stint in an Ohio-based bluegrass band.  Jason is equally at ease performing at festivals, clubs, pubs, campfires, and he is always up for a jam. He performs mostly in the Tri-City area, but music takes him out on the road from time to time too. He enjoys offering his talent to assist local fundraisers and awareness campaigns such as Women In Crisis, Habitat For Humanity, Farm To Fork, Benefits For Cancer and locally grown food.  When not performing as a solo act, Jason sometimes performs with Mo’ Kauffey and Greg Denton and also with his bluegrass band Chesterfield & The Sofa Kings.  There are few places in Guelph that Jason has not played and people always enjoy the opportunities they get to see him in action.

The theme is PAINT THE TOWN RED, so ladies & gents, get your crimson suit and shoes out and check it out!

Live Auctions, Great Food, Entertainment & More.

We look forward to seeing you all there for this amazing cause.