Hard Stones Grill

Hard Stones is a wonderful place to go for dinner.
The staff are very friendly and not overly attentive. Our family ordered the sweet potato fries and bruschetta as appetizers to start. Both were delicious and the portions were quite substantial — perfect for sharing. I ordered the seafood linguine which came with a Caesar salad to start. Salad was good — not too much dressing and they were able to swap the bacon for me since I’m vegetarian. Linguine was excellent — although the portions were huge. I ended up having to take most of my meal home, although it kept well in the refrigerator.
Prices are quite reasonable as are wait times for food. I would most certainly return.

Good greasy spoon breakfast. Very good service en français or in english. A local hang out.
Newly renovated outside, looks better from the outside than from the in.

I am not sure what to think of Hard Stones. I’ve been 3 – 4 times since moving to the area almost a year ago. The first time I was blown away by the food, the portions and the service. But each time I go I am less and less impressed. Tonight was a big bummer. First of all, their specials aren’t specials. They are the same price as the on the menu. Weird. Anyway, I ordered the soup of the day, cream of mushroom, and it was a huge let down. It was WAY too salty and thick — I could taste, feel and see the clumps of «gelatin» caused by too much thickener. There wasn’t enough mushrooms in it. It was basically like a salty white gravy with a few slices of mushrooms.
For my main, I ordered the fish and chips. The fish was small and didn’t taste great, and the batter was too thick and undercooked (mushy). The fries were fine, but the salad was wilted and browning. I ordered a diet soda in which there was not enough syrup (it tasted like brown soda water).
The service was fine, but not stellar. I got the impression that the waitress wasn’t in a great mood. Our booth was very cold (near the window) and I wore my coat most of the time.
I would, and probably will, go back some day, but because of the declining quality it probably won’t be anytime soon.

We had an AWEsome experience here! Wrapping up a family visit to the area (note: this location is not too far from Calypso), we found this little nugget out in the middle of what I thought was nowhere. Whodathunk to find this hidden gem in Embrun, which has grown a bit since last we were there? The ambiance is just right — the place is good for adults as well as your kids. It’s fairly large, too. We sat at a sort of booth near the back, and could watch the Olympics on a large screen TV.
The service was stellar — attentive and just the right amount without hovering over you. The establishment offers good specials, a wide variety of food, and it is plentiful and tasty.
I was very impressed and pleased with this place and would recommend it.