[Toronto Restaurants Recommendations]

How about Bravi? (40 Wellington St.) It's a nice mid-range Italian place downtown. Good pastas.

http://www.bravi.ca

[habitat]

I agree - this place was fantastic. It certainly should receive a lot of press in the coming months.

My table ordered the kaiseki plates: mini tasting menus.

They come in either 3, 5, or 7 - we ordered 10 total.

I would go back just for these.

I ordered four of the appetizers there:

This is the calamari...

Here is the "24-hour pork".

Here is the seared tuna.

Then we ordered every dessert on the menu.

Great meal. I'll definitely be going back.

[Winterlicious 2006]

Is it really worth it?  I have heard from some friends that they've had some really bad service, particularly when they announced they were there for a winterlicious reservation.  I would hate to think restaurants participate if they are going to treat people like C*#P.

I agree. I've been to Winterlicious many times, to many restaurants, over the past 3-4 years, and I have had only a few good experiences.

The menus tend to be pretty cheap (salad for the appetizer, either a salmon or pasta for the main, then a nondescript dessert).

The service can be quite variable.

The only restaurant that I found had fantastic service and food, and didn't make me feel like a 2nd class citizen was Auberge du Pommier.

The food at Bymark last year was great, but an a$$40le waiter really ruined it for me.

There is a reason that the waiters tend to nickname the event as Waterlicious - meaning, "I'll just have water, thanks." The service staff hate the week.

I'm not going to go this year. I'm heading to New York next week for their annual Restaurant Week. Better restaurants participate, and one can often order off of the regular menu as well. Overall, I've found it to be more worthwhile.

[Toronto Dim Sum and Other Chinese Cuisine]

Just went to Rol San yesterday (323 Spadina) - I would call it average.

There was nothing wrong with it, but it was just okay.

I like Bright Pearl better, if that gives any indication....

[Winterlicious 2006]

It's the biannual restaurant week in Toronto.

Here's the link:

Winterlicious 2006

I tried to get Bymark or Canoe, but of course the phone lines were crazy....

[Toronto Dim Sum and Other Chinese Cuisine]

Rainbow on Dundas just west of Spadina is pretty good if you want a la carte basics. I can't do the push carts as I'm trying to stick to the good-Muslim thing which means no pork. You just never know what you're going to get from a cart, and a good explanation in English is tough too.

←

Occasionally, you don't know what you're going to get, period.

My aunt (from Shanghai) once made some dumplings for my vegetarian sister a few years back.

My sister asked, "There's no meat in these, right?"

So of course my aunt replied, "Of course, of course, no meat! Only chicken!"

[Robuchon or Fleur De Lys]

Just saw both Mystere and Ka a few weeks back. Both O and Zumanity were blacked out during the time I was there.

While Mystere was good, Ka just blew me away. It was absolutely the best show I've ever seen, bar none. Including all Broadway musicals, plays, etc. Unbelievable.

[Feed a Visiting Vancouverite]

Anybody who is looking to eat cheap near U of T should consider New Ho King, at 416 Spadina (just south of College.)

It's not the fanciest of places, but for $3.25 you get a choice of a few big plates of decent Chinese food...

Fed me for many years at U of T - especially late nights.

Swatow is great too. Loud and busy. They have >100 numbered items on the menu, and all the waiters have the entire thing memorized.

[sushi kaji]

While not the absolute best, Nami (55 Adelaide East) is very worthwhile.

Make sure to sit at the bar and talk to the chefs....

[Toronto Restaurants Recommendations]

Here are a couple of cool places that tend not to get too much press...

For breakfast:

Mitzi's Cafe & Gallery

(416) 588-1234

100 Sorauren Avenue

For dinner:

Ferro Bar & Café

(416) 654-9119

769 St Clair Avenue West

Ferro is a great Mediterranean place - loud and busy, but I've always liked the food there.

[South American in Toronto]

Just asked my wife: it's called Rodizio (sp?), and she said that the only good thing about it was the salad bar (which they've now discontinued) - the food itself wasn't spectacular. Oh well.

[Daniel Boulud Brasserie or Fix]

My wife and I at at Daniel Boulud recently, and I thought it was fantastic in both the food quality, the service, as well as the decor.

The terrace was closed when we were there, but I would think it would be the preferred place to dine.

I agree with the above post: it seemed to be rather casual overall.

I haven't been to FIX.

[Toronto Dim Sum and Other Chinese Cuisine]

This first question you have to ask is, what type of dim sum do you want?

For Cantonese dim sum, I tend to like both Dynasty on Bloor, or the one on the 4th floor of the Dragon City mall (can't remember the name of it - SW corner of Dundas and Spadina) Bright Pearl, although busy, isn't that bad....

The best in the city has to be the few along Hwy 7: Ambassador or Golden Court Abalone Restaurant.

Lai Wah Heen is the most expensive - the food is fantastic, though.

For Shanghai dim sum, it's either Ding Tai Fung near 7 and Woodbine, or Asian Legend, either the one on 7 or the one at Dundas just east of Spadina.

[South American in Toronto]

Although I don't know the name, my wife went to a small Brazilian place on the south-east corner of Bloor and Crawford - she said the food was good, and the portion size was great!

[Toronto Restaurants Recommendations]

I've eaten at all of the above-mentioned restaurants, and even though Scaramouche, Splendido, and Perigee were great (loved watching the kitchen!), I still think that Susur is the best restaurant in the city. If you want food that is both incredibly delicious as well as challenging, that's the place.