113 E. Canal StreetI don’t get to Augusta often. Surprisingly, there are several restaurants in that area that I haven’t eaten at that I want to. It’s not an easy drive off the highway so even stopping there on the way home from Battle Creek seems a little out of the way.
The only restaurant I’ve actually blogged about in Augusta is The Barking Frog, but that place closed years ago. We went on a recommendation from one of J’s co-workers…but that was back in a time before kids and wacky work schedules. We could take an afternoon drive for no reason.
The restaurant that replaced The Barking Frog is one that has been recommended to me several times. It’s been on the short list for a while now. We just haven’t had the time. The owner even contacted me through Facebook several months ago making sure I had heard of them. I told her I had and was hoping to make it in for lunch one day.
That one day became last Friday. A co-worker and I were in the area for an assignment and we had a lot of time to kill.
Canal Street Cafe sits on Canal Street near downtown Augusta right along Augusta Creek. As I mentioned earlier, the building used to be a pub known as the Barking Frog. The outside of the building still looks pretty similar as to what it did then, but the inside has gone through quite a transformation.
I’m working a lot from memory here, but I remember The Barking Frog to be more of a pub atmosphere with a large bar and a dance floor taking up a lot of the space. There were tables and TV’s scattered around the area to give it that pub feel. Canal Street Cafe is a total 180 from that. They still somewhat have the feel of a pub but this is on a much higher standard. The hardwood floors shine in the sunlight coming through the windows. The furniture is all new with wood back chairs and tables that are dressed with silverware wrapped in cloth napkins.
A host station is right at the door when you with the days specials written on a chalkboard. There is also a small bar on the north side of the building as well as more of the same tables from the dining room.
They call themselves a cafe but they have a drink list that will rival any pub in the area. In addition to craft beer, they have a heck of a whiskey and scotch list.
Our waitress brought us a couple Pepsi’s then went over the day’s special. They had an Italian beef special that was tempting…but I’ve learned my lesson on getting Italian beef outside of Chicago. Instead, we both ordered the Canal’s Burger. This burger is topped with cheddar, pickle, lettuce, and onion and served on a toasted brioche roll. The burger was thick and juicy with still a hint of pink in the middle. The bun had a nice toast on the inside and the rest was soft and just soaked up all the juices from the meat.
The sandwich came with a side of house cut fries which were fantastic. They were nice and crispy around the edges but soft and fluffy in the middle. The waitress offered us mustard or mayo to go along with the ketchup on the table but the fries were too good on their own.
The cost of our meals was about $14 each. Canal Street Cafe was everything I was expecting it to be. I have been hearing great things about this place for a while now and I’m glad I was able to find time to stop in for lunch. The food is fantastic and the cozy, upscale pub setting is unexpected of this unassuming building near downtown Augusta.