DTC Puts TLC In Every Plate, Writes Lesley Chesterman

The restaurant critic for the Montreal Gazette ventures to Mile-Ex/Little Italy to rediscover Kentucky native Colin Perry's ways with Southern food at the reliably busy Dinette Triple Crown. This is a restaurant that "takes you away from the humdrum, the predictable, the daily grind," writes Lesley Chesterman.

Standout dishes from Perry's kitchen range from a blue cheese-laced mac 'n' cheese to a green goddess-dressed Boston salad. DTC's biscuits "have great flavour and a delicate crumb", and the restaurant's hushpuppies, mashed potatoes with gravy ("like Mom’s best"), and pulled pork ("meltingly tender") all earn plaudits as well.

There are a couple of disappointments. Chesterman deems the skillet-fried cornbread "not all that tasty and heavy-textured." The critic concedes, too, that Perry's smoked brisket "may be 100 per cent authentic, but even then, I just don’t get the appeal." Desserts, however—Derby pie and apple pie with blueberry ice cream—deliver the goods. The Gazette critic is happy to ignore the lows because "what really grabbed me at Dinette Triple Crown was the love and care in each plate." Chesterman's verdict: two and a half stars on four.