31 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,June 24,2021 insidehalton.com It's in your hands. Make sure your favourite business or professional is nominated for the Oakville Beaver's 2021 Readers' Choice Awards. The Oakville Beaver Readers' Choice Awards were created so you can tell us which local businesses and service providers are the best at what they do. Once the nominations close on July 11, 2021, the nominees will be shortlisted and you will have the chance to vote for your favourite. Help make your favourite local business become a Oakville Beaver Readers' Choice. NomiNatioNs NowopeN Start nominating now at insidehalton.com/oBRC 2021 Residents looking to add a lit- tle (or a lot) of spice to their lives can now find it in a variety of hot sauces being made, bottled and sold at Monaghan's Sports Pub & Grill in Oakville. The restaurant's chef and co- owner Daniel Romistrowicz not- ed that, like all other restaurants, Monaghan's was greatly impact- ed by the arrival of COVID-19 in mid-March 2020. He said he tried a number of things to keep his business going, including offering a takeout menu, selling frozen boxed meat and fresh fruit and vegetable crates. By the time COVID-19's second wave arrived, Romistrowicz said he and his business partner Clau- dio Serrao had come up with the idea to sell the restaurant's fa- mous hot sauces. "The most popular is Hot Dill. It's a hot sauce, but nothing that is going to put you to shame in front of anybody," said Romis- trowicz. The Monaghan's chef said that sauce features a combination of dill, onions, lime, vinegar, olive oil and peppers and is good for spicing up meats, chicken, sand- wiches and even salads. The next most popular has been Mona- ghan's Hellfire Hot Sauce. "That's your basic suicide sauce,' said Romistrowicz. "It's extremely hot." There is also the restaurant's signature Monaghan's Messy Hot Sauce. For the truly brave, there is also Monaghan's Red Devil Hot Sauce, which Romistrowicz said was only created because some people wanted something hotter than the Hellfire sauce. "It's over the top," said Romis- trowicz. "I can't even eat the stuff my- self. I've seen some of my staff try it and they end up convulsing on the floor." He said Red Devil is made with two different types of hot pep- pers, but he's keeping the specif- ics a secret. People who want to try this be- yond-suicide sauce, however, will have to wait, as Romistrowicz said he is currently sold out of Red Devil and import issues re- lated to the pandemic are pres- ently preventing him from get- ting the peppers he needs to make more. There has been no shortage of interest in these hot sauces. Ro- mistrowicz noted that his first batch of 24 bottles sold out within eight hours of them being put out on display. The hot sauces are not the on- ly change at the restaurant. Romistrowicz said they have built a pizza kitchen in the back of Monaghan's and are now offering Pinsa Romana-style pizzas. "I import the flour from Italy and then cold ferment it for 70 hours in the fridge. After that, I proof it for two hours," said Ro- mistrowicz. The pizza dough is then hand- pressed, which Romistrowicz said, combined with the unique flour, creates a bubbly crust that is crispy on the outside, and soft and airy on the inside. "I highly recommend it," said Romistrowicz. "You've never had a pizza like this before." With COVID-19 restrictions in Ontario beginning to loosen, Monaghan's patios are now open and accommodate approximate- ly 70 people. The restaurant is located at 1289 Marlborough Court. For more information on the restaurant's hot sauces, pizzas or other menu items visit https:// monaghans.ca. FOOD AND DRINK TURNIN' UP THE HEAT PUB CHEF NOW SELLING SIGNATURE HOT SAUCES DAVID LEA dlea@metroland.com Daniel Romistrowicz holds two of his most popular Crazy Cook hot sauces, Hot Dill and Hell Fire. Graham Paine/Metroland MONAGHAN'S SPORTS PUB & GRILL IN OAKVILLE. Menu: Burgers, fries, fish and chips, chicken wings, quesadillas and more. Type: Two patios, take out currently available. Hours: 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. every day. Address: 1289 Marlborough Court Website: https://monaghans.ca Phone: 905-842-4435