One of the things I thought for sure I'd miss when I moved here was great dining. I lived downtown Toronto and could easily walk to a wide variety of fabulous dining establishments and did so all too frequently. Nine years ago predated Yelp and the all the other restaurant rating sites. What was out there as far as reviews went for Regional dining was discouraging. Then I found Andrew.

If you haven't gathered by now I am no fan of The Waterloo Region Record or The Record as it was then known. However, I discovered the sole reason for maintaining a subscription - their food critic, Andrew Coppolino. This guy was amazing. He loved food, loved finding the hidden pearls and couldn't care less about venue, (a sentiment I share, you don't eat ambience). In fact it was his finding a Korean dish in an unassuming restaurant, in an equally unassuming plaza, that first got me to follow his recommendation.

The dish he mentioned was called bi bim bob. Hey, any dish with my name in it just had to be tried, so off I went to the restaurant he had reviewed. It was a tiny little place that catered mostly to the Blackberry take-out lunch crowd. It was a sushi resto and as I've since discovered a lot of sushi places hereabouts are owned by Koreans. Bi bim bob was a Korean dish and 'bob' was a typo. The dish was actually called bi bim 'bap'. And it was delicious!

Every week I waited for Wednesday to read what Andrew had discovered. And when he made a recommendation I went. In the process of following his finds I discovered a diversity of delicious food I had no idea existed in the Region. So much so in fact that I started a spreadsheet of my own just so I would remember them all.

One week Andrew wasn't there. The following week a new food 'critic' actually reviewed, I swear this is true, are you ready? - Chucky Cheese! I cancelled my subscription that morning but had to wonder what would be reviewed next, McDonald's? A hot dog vendor?

I emailed Andrew to thank him for taking me to places that not only would I have not known about but places that in most cases surpassed anything I had had in Toronto, with one notable exception*.

And I'm serious about surpassing Toronto in terms of deliciousness. So here's my challenge to you. If you're a fan of Italian sandwiches, veal on a bun or Muffaletta, go to Nostra Cucina (see below) and tell me I'm not right. It's another of Andrew's finds and is exactly the prototypical spot he adores. Small venue, owned by a couple of hard working people who turn out fabulous fare to a very loyal crowd. I swear they know every one of their customers by name.

And glory be, Andrew is back. Not at The Record. He has his own site which I HIGHLY recommend called Waterloo Region EATS (www.waterlooregioneats.com). He also has a radio show on radio 570 News called appropriately enough "The Food Show" and can sometimes be seen on Rogers TV's "Grand River Living". He's also writing again, this time for The Kitchener Post (www.kitchenerpost.ca - best just to search for Coppolino).

OK so what's happening here? If I was to ask what is the most important quality a restaurant can have (delicious food being a given), I would answer - consistency. What follows is a list of restaurants that have never let me down. It's by no means complete. If you find your fave isn't listed let me know. Chances are I haven't been or if I have I might respectfully disagree.

I'm also going to list a few restaurants that I just don't understand why they're so popular. Feel free to let me know.

*And the notable exception? A really good Italian restaurant. And please don't say Ennio's or the claustrophobic Rugantino.

Given the flux in the food biz the list will be updated periodically, both adding and taking away.

Update: I recently came across another local Foodie's site 'TableforMaple' (www.tableformaple.com) that is intriguing. My only reservation is that Maple "hates bacon" and her dining companion, Y, "hates mushrooms" - two items I consider foundations of a tasty if not civilized society. Still, Maple and Y do get around and the site is filled with pretty much everything I'm trying to do here. Worth checking out for sure.