A year in review with food columnist Andrew Coppolino

When it comes to food and restaurants, 2015 was a busy and complicated year, perhaps especially so in the central cores ofKitchenerand Waterloo, whereIon light rail transit(LRT) construction has closed many downtown streets in both cities for months on end.

The construction has also helped hasten the closure of several businesses, including restaurants. Even fast food giants like McDonald's felt the pinch as lack of road access to the franchise at King Street and Moore Avenue forced the restaurant to close its doors because of lack of customers.

Independent restaurants in Kitchener's east and west ends and in parts ofUptown Waterloo struggled mightily to hold on to their customers as closed roads and narrowed or impassable sidewalks strangled business. These restaurants seem to be holding on for now, but there arestill many, many months before construction is completed.

Weak Canadian dollar hurts restaurant buying power

Addedto the LRT construction-crunchis theweak Canadian dollar and drought conditions in California, which means how the cost forrestaurants to stocktheir fridges is rising.

A case of cauliflower is now upwards of $90 (a single head might be as much as $8 at the grocery store) and tomatoes are wholesaling at $3.50 per pound. That makes it tough for restaurants to hold down costs on their menus.

Canadians have to purchase about 81 per cent of their fresh produce from sources outside of Canada and that hurts both families shopping and our restaurants.

Landmark restaurants close

For other reasons, there were several significant closures in 2015 which have contributed to the fluid and evolving restaurant scene in Waterloo Region.

Long-standing restaurant anchor TheWaterlotin New Hamburg announced that it will be closing its doors on December 31. The French restaurant opened on the banks of theNithRiver in 1974, at a time when liquor sales were illegal in the town. TheWaterlothad a huge impact on the dining scene: its employees went on to open restaurants such as Kitchener's Verses, EJ's pub in Baden,Caf13 in Cambridge, Jake & Humphrey's in New Hamburg and theAberfoyleMill.

Another significantclosure in downtownKitchenerwasMarisolRestaurante, which was shuttered after its success and luck ran out; the final strawmight well have been the closure of Charles Street for LRT construction, which made access to the restaurant difficult.

New beginnings in Kitchener

There are lots of exciting openings, however, the most significant of which is likely the re-appearance of formerLangdonHall chef JonathanGushueand his newKitchenerrestaurant The Berlin at 45 King St.

In addition, just around the corner at the aforementionedMarisollocation, a new venture is slated to open: the Grand Trunk Saloon should appear early in the new year offering casual snacks and beverages to satisfy an urban clientele.

At the corner of Frederick and Filbert streets inKitchener, look for Public Market which I've written about earlier a venture by the folks at Public Kitchen and Bar on Lancaster Avenue. Thecafand corner food store will serve prepared foods for take-away as well as light lunches.

The local beer scene is growing into a more vibrant one too: Kitchener's Boathouse re-opened in early 2015 with many local and craft beers. A re-furbished Imbibe atTheMuseumre-appeared as B @TheMuseum, under the management of the Cambridge Hotel.

Descendants Beer and Beverage Company will be open in the first quarter of 2016 on Victoria Street near Lancaster Street inKitchener, having moved their home base from Wellesley. The outlet will combine abrewhouse, a retail operation and a small bar.BitteSchonBrauhausis scheduled to open in Wellesley in early 2016, and theEloraBrewing Company is open for business on the main street ofEloraas well.

The build out has only begun,but the former Entertaining Elements and Nash Bistro spacewill become Rhapsody offering patrons music, coffee and something known asa barrel bar, if window coverings are any indication. That will be a welcome use of that large space on King Street in the heart of downtownKitchener.

New in Waterloo

In Waterloo, tucked in behind the newLaurierbusiness building on University Avenue,BogdaRestaurant has re-opened on Balsam Street after having moved fromLaurelwoodin north Waterloo. They are joined by an exciting new venture in the same building, Bao Sandwich Bar. There's a good chance of success for these two, part ofan urban development model in which restaurants are finding homes on the ground floor of high-rise condominiums ensuring a built-in customer base living just above them.

In similar circumstances, the popular Abe Erb brew pub and restaurant is rumoured to be opening in The Tannery with the new Settlement Coffee Company opening at 1 Victoria Commons -their first location opened in Waterloo on King Street nearDupont. And sticking with coffee:the owners of Matter of Taste on King Street inKitchener'scentre block say they will open a roaster andcafin north Waterloo early in the new year.

2016 should prove to be an exciting and delicious year: I, for one, can't wait.