rgruby

He's painting his house, according to today's Star. The Garden @ 11 has closed. Cheers, Geoff

Found it. See the Saveur Dec. 2002 edition. Cheers, Geoff

A new Thai place is going in the Butler's pantry space. So, there's what, four Thai places within a couple of blocks? And Kei, the Malaysian place at Shaw, has been closed for renos for a while now. Looks like it will be a restaurant when it reopens (they're still a long ways off), but whether it will be Kei remains to be seen. Cheers, geoff

Danny, Are you working there? Cheers, Geoff

I think - I'm not totally positive though - that this was featured in a Saveur mag article maybe 4 - 5 years ago. Hopefully somebody else can confirm whether my memory is correct. Cheers, Geoff

Well, if this helps... DPReview comparison of the Fujifilm F31 and F100... clicky No review for the F100, but here's one for the F31. ← Just going to add that in the comparison chart, it lists the F100 as having aperture and shutter priority. It does not. Cheers, Geoff

I did a quick internet search on the F31 model and there appears to be a lot of positive reviews for this camera. It appears to have achieved an almost cult status among users. Is this a good point and shoot digital camera in general? The camera is still being sold in my part of the world for about $250 new. I am wondering if I should go ahead and take the plunge... ← Well, looking at some reviews for the models that replaced it, one reviewer stated that the F31 was perhaps the best reviewed P&S ever. So, the reviews are generally (quite) positive. I think I'd probably go for one if I could find one for that price. The newer ones do have twice the megapixel count, the F100 has a 5x optical zoom instead of 3x, the face detection and/or image stabilization have undergone upgrades (I think). So, there are plusses and minuses, as always. But, the F31 does seem to be pretty much the best regarded P & S in low light conditions, as far as I can determine. And, they seem to be holding their own and then some in the resale market. (So, if you bought it and didn't like it, you might even be able to sell it at a profit on ebay.) Is it possible for you to buy it and return it within 24 (or 72 or whatever) hours if it doesn't meet your needs? Not having used one myself, I can't really tell you to go for it, but ... Cheers, Geoff

You and me both! I've gone through all the forums, etc. etc., and I've even played with one (until I was set upon by a Fuji salesman). One guy on the dpreview forums (or maybe is was another website) has his F100 shots up on Flickr, and the close-ups are beautiful. However, they're in full daylight, not in dim restaurants. If you do a search on "Fuji F100fd" and other permutations on flickr, you can find some low-light shots, but no close-up ones sans flash. Apparently Fuji is coming out with a firmware fix for the pink band problem (which I barely notice), so I'm thinking of getting it after that happens. Just thinking, though. I'd like the price to go down a little, too! ← I've read that the pink banding thing is caused by heat from the battery (and thus not fixable) or that it is easily fixable with the new firmware update. Who knows? From everything I've read, it's still a step ahead of the competition in the low light category, and holds its weight otherwise. Once again, if a P&S is what you're looking for in low light situations, check out the Fujis.I'm not even a customer (yet), just a dude going in that direction. Cheers, Geoff

Fuji seems to be the brand that has the best reputation for low light, high ISO settings in a point and shoot. The F31 in particular is well regarded. But they dropped it in favour of an "upgraded" model that doubled the megapixel count at the expense of picture quality, especially in low light. Sigh. They have a new one, the F100, that I'm strongly considering - basically the upgrade to the upgrade of the F31. Oh - the F31s are selling for astronomical sums on ebay. Folks, it ain't a cure for cancer, it's just a camera. But, I think I've read everything out there just about on the F100. There are some issues - not a whole lot of manual control if that matters to you. A bit of a clunky interface compared to the competition. No viewfinder. There may be some issues with a bit of a pinkish band running down the side of the picture in some circumstances for some users (erm, the photo folks are worse than foodies I think in their obsessiveness). Oh, they're in the over $300 range as well - so getting up near the top of the P&S price point. I haven't actually even seen one yet, let alone used one though. What I know is purely word of mouth. But, overall, if low light shooting is important, definitely check out the Fuji. Cheers, Geoff

Going to add for a good meal Amuse Bouche and Niagara St Cafe both have patios - Amuse's is particularly lovely. But these are places that are serious about their food - not sure what the beer selection is like at either - but the wine selections might be a better bet. For serious dinners - reservations and all that - not sure you could just pop in for a cocktail? Also on side streets. Not devoid of street life, but not Queen or College. Plus (and this goes for the nearby Foggy Dew and Old York) they are in rather close proximity to a pork processing plant. Can be quite unpleasant if the wind is blowing from the south. Old York and Niagara St are probably close enough to hear them (the pigs) as well, which might put some off their Berkshire pork. I'm not sure there' a place in Kensington that has a patio and decent beer and edible grub. Does a Corona with tacos al pastor at the Mexican place on Augusta count? Politica on Strachan has a patio, not yet open - can't remember the beer situation. There's a place at Wellington and Portland that looks kinda upscale-pubby. That might fit your needs, but I haven't been. If you check it out, please let us know. Cheers, Geoff

Well, Legend lasted all of four months or so - closed early April. I don't think I so much as saw anybody going in or out of there. Butler's Pantry, right beside it, is also closing. Loved their patio, but that's about it. Cheers, Geoff

I used to go to that Baskin Robbins when I was a kid. We're talking the 70s here, folks. I feel old. Cheers, Geoff

The 'new' chef is Chris Brown (son of the owner) who was formerly at la Creperie (also in the Distillery district). He was a sous at Perigee when it first opened. ← Do you know if Perigee is continuing with the same concept, or are the now offering a la carte meals? Cheers, Geoff

I saw something about Garden @ Eleven. Same place?? ← Same place is my understanding. Kitty corner from the main St Lawrence market building. Cheers, Geoff

He's now at Eleven, according to the TO Star. It didn't mention who's at Perigee now. Cheers, Geoff

Um, Don't think I saw this back in August. My bad. Still not done is the answer. Mostly due to financial considerations. It's gone from 95% done to 98-99% though. It's avbout as functional as it's gonna get other than upgrading appliances though. One little nook that I've decided is going to become a bookshelf is now miscellaneous storage - but will need to be custom made, so maybe 2010 for that. Still have the electric stove. Gas one in the fall I hope. And some sort of table seating/seating still to add as well. Will try and post pictures soon. (Yes, I know I said that months and months ago. This time it's gonna happen. I promise!) Cali, is yours finished now? I recall you posting about it, but I haven't been able to spend as much time here as in the past. Hope it went smoothly. Cheers, Geoff

Musa. Gato Nero, Cucina. Foggy Dew and Old York - although the food at the Dew has slid a lot since it first opened (and was just pub grub to begin with for the most part) and there ain't a lot of foot traffic by the Old York. All west of downtown. Decent beer at all. Edible food generally. Cheers, Geoff

I'm not entirely surprised by this. I walk the mutt past there fairly often, and sometimes Susur's only half full. I don't know if other high end places in town are also lagging, but Lee, on the other hand, is pretty much always hopping. Cheers, geoff

I'd like to hear more about your experiences at the other upscale Indian places you've mentioned, as well. And more about Simple Bistro too. This is the first I've heard of it. Don't even know where it is. So, if and when you get a chance, please tell us a little more. thanks, geoff Ruby

Alright, so what IS the best new Indian? And Cowbell and Foxley. Er, there really ain't much near Cowbell, and the good stuff near Foxley is really, really different. Just wondering what you're thinking is better in their respective neighbourhoods. Not that I can put forth a cogent argument for or against whatever you suggest - I consider Foxley in my 'hood and I haven't even managed to get there yet. And, I've had Tom Thai's food at Youki and Tempo (? was that it - maybe Lava too???) and liked a good deal of it. I just don't get to eat out much these days. Having a toddler'll do that. What would be on your top ten for 2007? Cheers, geoff PS - I will say, yeah, it's the usual downtown suit crowd (or their uptown brethren) along with a couple of the hipster places. But, realistically, most years, that's where the most interesting/inviting new places are going to be for the foodie crowd. And most times, chefs don't just pop out of nowhere - they've got to prove their stuff to get financial backing. Perhaps a good question would be - especially given our multi-cultiness - are our restauranteurs (and chefs) playing it too safe? If anyone thinks that a worthy topic, lets make it a separate thread?

How about DeLux on Ossington? Or is it too new to have been included? I haven't eaten in any of the places mentioned, so I can't really comment. Cheers, geoff

Would adding a layer or two of cheesecloth around the filter work? I may try this as I have some finely ground coffee somebody gave us, and all we have is the Bodum at the moment. Just a thought. Cheers, Geoff

Drumroll please ...... 10. Cowbell 9. Terroni Adelaide 8. Marben 7. Amaya 6. L'Unita 5, Spice Room 4. Crystal 5 3. One 2. Colborne Lane 1. Lucien Discuss amongst yourselves. (oh, he also mentioned that Foxley came in at # 11.

Took the mutt for a stroll down College today and noticed El Bodegon shuttered with a note saying the Corner Stone was coming. Didn't look like they were moving - I'm assuming they've closed up for good. In other news, it looks like Nikolau's has survived the fire on Queen St - they're not open but the store looks intact. I suspect they may have some smoke and/or water damage though - two doors to the east is gone. Cheers, Geoff

Bumping this back up. first, re: Michelin. Hmmm, I don't think we'll be seeing them anytime soon. As stated above, just not enough (any?) that would qualify. On food alone, there might be a handful. I'll leave it at that. second. re: my wish for more regional Chinese. there was an article in the Star a week or two ago about just that. I haven't had a chance to look at it again - all the places mentioned were in the burbs - but I still have it. Will return to this thread with the paper in hand and fill in some gaps. Re: the other cuisines mentioned, namely Indonesian and scandinavian/Swedish - I started a thread here many moons ago titled underrepresented cuisines (or something along those lines) in TO. Those two would definitely qualify. There was an Indonesian place named Garuda on Yonge near Wellesley about a decade ago but it is long gone. there was another, but I forget where. Anybody know if it still exists? Re: the street food debacle. Last I heard this was about to be turned into a real disaster by City Hall regarding who should design the carts. Um, city government, get out of the freaking way here - let the vendors figure out and design/build a cart for their particular type of food. Help them out figuring out what is required to meet the provincial health codes and then - get out of the F'ing way. A one cart for all possibilities is NOT going to work. And let me buy some tlacoyos, or whatever. But I'd really like some tlacoyos. Sorry, this is looking like a complete disaster and I strongly doubt we're going to see anything on our streets this year. Let's not end on that downcast note. What positive in the TO food scene this year?