I found myself in Alliston at lunchtime today, with my sister Susan and her hubby Peter. After dealing with the errand that brought us to town, we stopped into Gust (put a funny little accent on the S and pronounce it Gusht) for lunch. We actually walked along the main street looking for a good lunch spot and stopped to look at a menu. The server was Liz and she was personable and genuinely enthusiastic. She mentioned a few menu items and invited us to sit down.

We were looking for sandwiches and had a choice of several from burgers to crispy red snapper sandwiches to pulled pork sandwiches. Liz told us the chef has a smoker at home and smokes the pork there – and said it was great! We each ordered one based on her recommendation and opted to share a plate of the house frites. The sandwiches, garnished with slaw and pickled red onion were simply delicious. The frites were fried in duck fat and served with black garlic aioli and they were pretty much insanely yummy, and the one order was generous and perfect to share for the 3 of us.

We enjoyed a fabulous lunch. It was super-tasty, and all 3 of us left satisfied and really impressed. The atmosphere was relaxed and Liz was the perfect server. We ate inside but there is a nice patio out front as well. Next time I’m in Alliston, I’ll make a point of going back to try something else on the menu. They also sell their sauces – chimichurri, mango habernero or the aforementioned rockin’ good black garlic aioli. Next time I’ll go home with some.

Gust is located at 34 Victoria Street in downtown Alliston. They are open Monday to Saturday 12-10. If you’re anywhere near Alliston, give it a try. It was the best lunch I’ve had in some time.