Tadvalkars Lounge & Restaurant

After a trip to the Appletree Clinic (yay flu season!) and a subsequent run to Shoppers, my boyfriend and I needed to find some provisions before the bus ride home. Not wanting to resort to movie theater food, and curious about what replaced Shoeless Joe’s, we decided to check out this spot.
The inside has remained exactly the same, minus all the Shoeless Joe’s franchise décor. To the left is the bar area, and the right the large dining area. Both areas were pretty deserted, (this could have been due to the torrential downpour, so no judging on that part) save one middle aged man sitting at the bar, and another senior nursing a pint nearby. There were no servers in sight, and the bartender sat us in a booth close to his workstation.
I remember this being an awesome place to watch the game, and I think it still would be. There’s a large projection screen over the bar, and each booth has a little flat screen. You can’t change the station, or adjust the volume, but it is nice to be able to see the game close by if you’re enjoying a drink with friends.
I asked the bartender/​server, (who was a total pleasure and has been there for ages) if the place had been sold, and he mentioned that the owners has actually just dropped out of the franchise, and that Tadvalkars was their last name. While I admire the local business approach, I’m thinking they might want to re-​think the name of the restaurant, considering it’s a bit uncommon and hard to pronounce.
My bf and I both decided on the 12 grain club. He got french onion soup and I went for onion rings (what? I needed some comfort food — it was raining!). We hardly waited any time at all, and the food was actually much better than anticipated. The french onion soup was one of the best I’ve had (I know, surprisiing!) and the sandwiches weren’t bad at all. My only complaint would have to be that the bread wasn’t toasted enough. The turkey was awesome, and the ingredients fresh. The onion rings were decent, but nothing extraordinary.
Service was great, food was tasty, but I think the place is still trying to figure itself out. With all the sports paraphernalia and dark wood, the sports bar aspect is covered, but the dining room is kind of forgotten. I really hope this place gets a bit of a makeover in the décor department, and finds a bit of a stronger identity. The proximity to the Coliseum theater makes for huge potential, so fingers crossed this place finds itself :)