Salamanders: What’s in a Name?

Ahem, now hear this: Wikipedia says that “Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by a lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All present-day Salamander families are grouped together under the scientific name Urodela” (gesundheit!). “Salamander diversity is most abundant in the Northern Hemisphere and most species are found in the Holarctic ecozone, with some species present in the Neotropical zone.”

Well ok, so much for that.

Meanwhile, if you like watching cooking shows on the tube, especially those that are set in restaurants, you may have people say that they are placing food in a Salamander. Suffice to say, they are not stuffing an amphibian with mushrooms or onions. What you may see are plates or other dishes being placed into an open oven-like appliance (it looks a lot like a largish toaster oven). So, a Salamander in a restaurant is a nickname for a self-contained broiler unit that is used to finish or brown dishes.

All right, so far?

So, why the dickens did we call our restaurant Salamanders of Kemptville? On the one hand, we have a profusion of Salamanders depicted all over the place; on the other hand, we have a kitchen Salamander for browning up our great food. Let’s be very clear that the amphibian Salamander is not on our menu. However, our food may end up being finished up in our kitchen’s Salamander.

Confused? No need. For us, the Salamanders theme is just good fun and a way to enjoy decorating our restaurant. So, if you are on the road and you see a particularly fine depiction of one, please pick it up and bring it on in. Some of our great guests have already joined the “Find a Salamanders” Club and brought in particularly fine examples that now adorn our walls.

Salamanders, eh?