Category Archives: Other Reviews

Attraction Review – Rock Legends Wax Museum (Niagara Falls, Canada)

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This “Rock N’ Roll version” of Madame Tussauds is an excellent option for all headbangers visiting the Canadian side of the falls.

Rating5

dsc02909So you decided to visit Niagara Falls, either because you’re a tourist or to spend a weekend or a holiday there with your family. Not only that, you’re also a true metalhead. How about instead of the boring routine of seeing the falls/playing at the casino/eating at Boston Pizza/etc. you do something different and unique, something dedicated to your passion for Rock N’ Roll and Heavy Metal? If you like the idea, you’ll enjoy visiting the ROCK LEGENDS WAX MUSEUM at Niagara Falls, Ontario. Of course nothing there is going to be as perfect as the attractions you can see at the renowned Madame Tussauds,  but this is the only place where you can see Angus Young, Geddy Lee, Slipknot or Metallica, which are way better options than garbage such as the cast from Twilight or Katy Perry.

dsc02845Located at the top of Clifton Hill and Victoria Ave, the access to the museum is extremely easy, and just by passing in front of it you can already see some of their attractions: when I was there they had one of the guys from Slipknot on display, as well as Gene Simmons, Slash and Ozzy right at the entrance. However, you can only take pictures of those if you actually buy a ticket to the museum. If you choose to visit the museum, you’ll be able to see not only some Heavy Metal icons (located at the entertaining Heavy Metal Chamber), but also many important musicians from the early days of Rock N’ Roll like Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown and Freddie Mercury; more contemporary musicians like Kurt Cobain and Bono Vox; and even some Pop artists such as Madonna and Snoop Dogg (or however he’s called nowadays). All these attractions were sculpted by local Niagara Falls artist Pasquale Ramunno, who did a pretty good job in almost all cases in my opinion. One of my favorites, of course, is a giant Eddie based on the Killers album, but with some chains like the Eddie from the World Slavery Tour.

dsc02868As soon as your tour through the museum is over, you’ll find yourself inside their store, called Rockworld. I was quite impressed with their huge selection of shirts, hats, belts, action figures and even some baby clothes for the future headbangers of Canada. The prices are not bad, and everything seemed to be made of good quality material. You can buy a new AC/DC or Pantera T-shirt to give you good luck for your time at the casino right after the visit to the museum, how about that? And as I’m talking about money now, don’t forget to print their online coupon to get a $1 discount per person for the museum admission. If you’re a group of 5 friends, for example, you’re saving the money of a beer.

imag0596There are some legends missing from the museum, of course: Ronnie James Dio and Rob Halford are two examples (at least as far as I know), but their current collection of over 60 figures is pretty decent and, as I mentioned before, totally different from any other wax museum in the world. I doubt you’ll find an Eddie in any of the Madame Tussauds unless of course it’s Eddie Murphy, but that’s not what we’re looking for, right?

Opening hours
Their website doesn’t say anything about the opening hours of the museum or the store, but I know it stays open until late on weekends and holidays, just as any other attraction in the city. You can give them a call anytime, just in case you’re planning to visit the museum.

Contact info & location
Rock Legends Wax Museum
5020 Centre Street
Niagara Falls, Ontario L2G 3N7
(905) 354-6255
info@rocklegendswaxmuseum.com
http://www.rocklegendswaxmuseum.com/

Video Tour

 

Restaurant Review – WVRST (Toronto, Canada)

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Premium sausages and good quality beer for a reasonable price in the heart of Toronto.

Rating3

IMG_0240Everybody knows North America is famous for its hot dogs. Some even say the sausages are better here in Canada and in the US than in more traditional countries such as Germany, Poland and Hungary, and if you visit a place like WVRST you’ll agree with that for sure. I’ve recently been to Germany and Poland, and although the sausages I had there were really good, I couldn’t find a single one better than any of the options available at this “sausage hall” located at King Street West, which became part of my “weekend menu” at least once every two months.

But what does this have to do with Heavy Metal?, you can ask. In theory, absolutely nothing: WVRST is not a Heavy Metal pub at all. The music there is more indie/alternative, mixed with some classic and modern Rock, and they even have some DJ’s playing there once a week. However, we headbangers have to eat, and if you ask us about our favorite types of foods and drinks, I can guarantee hot dogs and beer will be on top of the list. They’re on top of mine at least, especially beer, the “official beverage” of every person that truly loves listening to heavy riffs, crazy solos and pounding drums at the speed of light!

IMG_0245Now let’s focus on what really matters at WVRST, in other words, the sausages and the beer. Take a look at the FOOD MENU and you’ll be able to check all their sausage types, divided in four main groups: Traditional, Vegetarian, Poultry and Game. As you can see there are options for any person, even for those who do not eat meat. I would recommend any sausage from the Game group, especially pheasant, venison, elk and kangaroo (and before you ask, yes, I’ve already had all of those). If you don’t want to be so radical, you can try something more common like the chorizo or the bratwvrst, and I believe until the end of October this last one is called Oktoberfest and has beer as an ingredient instead of wine. You also choose if you want to have your sausage on a bun with some toppings (I personally don’t add any of the toppings available, as I enjoy tasting the sausage itself), or a currywvrst, which is sliced with some curry sauce. And don’t forget to order some fries with a dipping sauce as a side dish, they go really well with any sausage! Regarding the beer, they have a surprisingly good BEER LIST for such a small restaurant. I prefer draft beer, so my suggestions would be either a good Paulaner or a Weihenstephaner, but you can have whichever one you feel more comfortable drinking with food. As long as you have a beer, nothing can go wrong.

IMG_0244Not only the food and beer are delicious, but also the ambiance is very pleasant. I would say it’s a mix of a traditional German beer garden, with those huge benches for everybody, with the cleanliness and colors of a fast food chain such as McDonald’s. Because of that friendly and casual atmosphere, you can basically wear anything you want there: from a suit and a tie, to a pair of old jeans and that dirty Megadeth T-shirt you’ve had for over 20 years.

The price is OK in my opinion, but if you think that spending around $20 for a sausage, a beer and some fries is too much, you can always go to some food truck and have a regular hot dog for a cheaper price. Just remember that although the price varies between $6 and $9 at WVRST, their sausages are premium, while at the same time a regular hot dog isn’t much cheaper than that, costing around $4 or $5, and doesn’t have anything unique or special in it. Anyway, it’s up to you and your pocket.

To sum up, I consider WVRST a nice option for all Torontonians, tourists, families, couples and friends. It’s a place to eat, drink and chat during a happy hour or on a Saturday afternoon, and you can even organize an event there. The only thing missing in their menu for me is something more Canadian, even though they have venison and elk: why the hell don’t they have a “moose sausage” in their menu?

Opening hours
Monday 11:30am – 11pm
Tuesday 11:30am – 11pm
Wednesday 11:30am – 11pm
Thursday 11:30am – midnight (with resident DJ’s starting at 8pm)
Friday 11:30am – 1am
Saturday 11:30am – 1am
Sunday 11:30am – 11pm

Contact info & location
WVRST
609 King St W
Toronto, ON M5V 1M5 ‎
(416) 703-7775
eat@wvrst.com
http://www.wvrst.com/

Beverage Review – Iron Maiden’s Trooper Beer

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An excellent choice for beer lovers, but not for heavy drinkers.

Rating4

IMG_0948I’ve been looking for the Trooper Beer here in Canada for weeks, since the band started advertising it everywhere, including that funny moment at Rock In Rio V where Bruce complained about the festival beer (Heineken) and said he had to take his own to Brazil. Well, yesterday I was finally able to taste it for the first time, and here is my review about it.

First of all, if you’re one of those headbangers that enjoy getting pissed drunk with the cheapest beer available, forget about Trooper. This is not a beer such as Coors Light, Moosehead or Rolling Rock: Trooper is an ale beer, bitterer and darker than any regular one, and it’s not recommended at all for a baseball game at the stadium or for getting drunk at the door of a venue before a Metal concert.

IMG_0954Instead, I would say Trooper is an excellent choice for dinner, especially if you’re having a juicy steak or a veal parmigiana, and also a very good option if you’re not a heavy drinker, but likes to have a beer or two at a pub with your friends while eating some chicken wings. Or maybe you just want to stay home and watch Maiden’s Rock In Rio III, Flight 666 or En Vivo! while enjoying a couple of Troopers! That’s an awesome option for a Friday night! Regarding the price, at least here in Ontario it is very reasonable if compared to the other options in the market: only $4.60 per 500mL bottle. It’s not as cheap as a 750mL can of Coors Light, of course, but as I said the idea here is not drinking too much, but enjoying the beer.

As I’m not a beer expert (yet), I decided to add to this post the information found at the back label of the Trooper Beer, which pretty much summarizes what this beer really is with some extra “marketing” details, of course:

IMG_0950“ONWARD, ONWARD
RODE THE 600…

The Charge of the Light Brigade, which inspired the Iron Maiden song The Trooper, took place at the Battle of Balaclava (1854) during the Crimean War when 600 British cavalry courageously charged the massed Russian artillery. This gallant but foolhardy assault resulted in a massive loss of life and came about due to a misunderstanding of an order given by the Commanding Officer, Lord Raglan.

Trooper is a premium British beer inspired by Iron Maiden and handcrafted at Robinsons brewery in Cheshire, UK. Being a real ale enthusiast, vocalist Bruce Dickinson has developed a beer which has true depth of character. Malt flavours and citric notes from a unique blend of Bobec, Goldings and Cascade hops dominate this deep golden ale with a subtle hint of lemon.”

IMG_0942If you search for the Trooper Beer on the LCBO website, you’ll find its profile page. However, not every LCBO store has it yet, so first of all you’ll need to do a quick research on their inventory position and then go buy it wherever it’s available. I unintentionally found it yesterday at the King & Spadina store (415 King Street West) while walking around Toronto, which means if you live near that area you can go there and grab yourself some Troopers today.

In short, Iron Maiden together with Robinsons brewery created a very good quality product not only for metalheads, but for anybody that enjoys a pint or two of a traditional British beer. It’s not the best beer in the world, but it’s the coolest one for sure. A beer dedicated to one the the top Heavy Metal classics of all time couldn’t be bad at all, don’t you agree? Or as Bruce would say, don’t waste your time searching for those wasted beers… Go get some Troopers instead!

Beer details
Type: Premium English bitter ale
Packaging: 500mL bottle
Alcohol content: 4.7% alc./vol.
Where to buy it: Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO)
Price: 4.60 Canadian Dollars per bottle