Endy'

Jamie Kennedy is my usual Sunday evening go-to (both the Wine Bar and the Restaurant are open). Not sure how high-end you're looking...but in any case, Splendido would certainly fit your bill.

thanks for all the suggestions. I ended up not having enough time to pre-scout, but I went to Milbree-Viking this morning and cleaned our their supply -- 16 donuts (sugar, apple, strawberry, and blueberry). They were excellent. The most striking thing I noticed was that they (and this sounds trivial) SMELLED like something when I bit in. Instead of that vaguely sterile quality of chain donuts. I liked the blueberry version the best -- real fruit in the fruit fillings, not just petroleum jelly-like goo. cheap too. $18-something for 16.

there's a lot of Korean food in Toronto, but I had to do a LOT of work to find restaurants I liked. From what a friend in Vancouver has told me, Korean restaurants are more consistent there. Here you have to pick through the ones run by Chinese, and the places that aren't really sure if they're sushi restaurants or Korean restaurants.

thanks to everyone who made these 3 recs. Out of the 3 Rare seems the most interesting to me. I'm also going to try to fit in a lunch at Vij's, since several have mentioned it...

with all due respect to the (no doubt) lovely view in Vancouver, the view is NOT why I'm going to Van. I'm going there to eat. Seeing things is what I will be doing while I'm waiting to get hungry again (barolo, annanstee, Quarki, thank you for your suggestions -- I am definitely not sporty but I'll probably check out some of the gardens and museums mentioned). still writing down suggestions. I wish I'd booked more vacation time...

taking the Seabus (?) across is no big deal. I'm expecting to spend a lot of time on the SkyTrain / B-line / etc. anyway. I'm leaning towards Sun Sui Wah on a recommendation from someone I know personally. I have yet to get around to reading the thread about Van Chinese, unfortunately.

thank you for all the enthusiastic replies. I'll post what my current plans are to cut down on duplicate recommendations: -staying 7 days, downtown -Kintaro, Kirin, Tojo's are a lock. I appreciate the alternatives presented, but I won't have time for more than one ramen, dim sum, sushi meal. -Izakaya-style Japanese for sure. Undecided as to which yet. -Chinese in Richmond for sure, probably just 1 dinner. -I'm still thinking I'll do Lumiere if only for the "fame" (both the chef, and the restaurant's reputation in Van) factor. I *am* looking closely at the other high-end options suggested here though (Rare / West / etc.), as an addition, not a replacement. -Ganache and Thomas Haas are in. I'm definitely still noting down all the dessert recommendations. -Ocean 6 Seventeen looks really, really good...

thanks to everyone for the replies. I am still following this thread closely and noting all suggestions. annanstee -- Kirin is a definite yes and I will be having at least 1 Chinese dinner in Richmond in addition to that. all-you-can-eat and Cheesecake Factory are off my list. any suggestions for a Sunday morning brunch or lunch? Downtown is preferable but hardly a must. does anyone have a rough price range for omakase at the bar at Tojo's?

something I should've asked originally: will I need to reserve very far (>1 month) in advance for anything on my list? Thanks.

mangez -- thanks for the info. I assume when you say "new location" that Tojo's moved, not that they opened a new branch? sanrensho -- the all-you-can-eat was just a thought for if Tojo's wasn't open. I'll check out the Chinese food thread but probably won't dedicate more than 1 or 2 meals to it -- options are good here back in Toronto. Same goes for banh mi. Pho~ would be a possible lunch option. thanks for the advice so far.

I'm planning a trip to Vancouver at the end of March. I'm coming in from Toronto and expect to be there maybe a week, week and a half. I have a few ideas on places to eat but would like some feedback or additional suggestions. So far I have: lunchish: -a friend visited a really famous, really really good ramen place in Van but doesn't remember the name. Does Kintaro fit this description? Could it possibly be another place? -Kirin (Cambie location) for dim sum -Fratelli bakery? dinner: -Lumiere or (and??) Feenie's -Tojo's -Sun Sui Wah (Richmond location) -Guu (not Guu with Garlic) -I heard about an all-you-can-eat sashimi place in New West called Top Gun?? other: -Ganache -Cheesecake Etc.?? -gelato of some sort? are there any suggestions on what days of the week to hit these? I've also heard that Tojo's might be currently closed for renovations, does anyone have any more info about this? Would anything on the dinner list fit well/better on the lunch list? Are there any "genres" I'm blatantly missing? Suggestions for other stuff to do while I'm there (currently I'd like to check out UBC, SFU, Stanley Park, Lonsdale Quay)? any advice is appreciated. Many thanks.

I was very close to driving to Montreal (from Toronto, and then back) on 30 Dec, when it is bitterly cold in Montreal, just to have dinner at Au Pied de Cochon. I think you could do a very nice whirlwind tour of Montreal with a 1-night stay. Dinner at APDC, bagels at St. Viateur, smoked meat at Schwartz's (I don't think it's anything special, personally, but it's kind of a Montreal must) would be a good foundation. Montreal forumers could fill in the blanks and suggest a current high-end spot for an early dinner on the second night...

the consensus really is that there is none. I know people who are hugely in favour -- I hadn't heard _30_ reservations before -- but many will spend a day dialling to get some of the big names. If you have an American Express you can start reserving 2 days earlier, and I know some who use a friend's card to do just that. I also know plenty of people (myself included) who avoid it at all costs. there are certainly enough in the first camp that it does very well. From what I understand, many restaurants are booked solid the whole time.

am I interpreting your question correctly as you're looking for suggestions on places to stop while driving to/from Toronto? if so, a name that comes up very often is Eigensinn Farm. It's generally suggested that one book a Bed and Breakfast nearby and plan to spend the night. also, I'm not sure what route you're taking in to Toronto, but Langdon Hall is supposed to be excellent, it's in Cambridge, which is a little over an hour west of Toronto. In Kitchener (also in that direction), Verses is excellent (thread). out of the 3, I've only been to Verses, and for that I'd say make a detour if you're driving by Kitchener on the 401 anyway, but I certainly wouldn't say go an hour out of your way for it.

I never imagined I'd get so many varied responses. Thanks to everyone who's posted, I'm getting all this down. It's starting to sound like I'll have to do a walking (or rolling!) tour... I've had paczki before and I wasn't a big fan, so I may not end up going that route, although I'll add them to the taste-test if I have time...

I like oil sticks as much as the next person, but again, not suitable for the purpose I have in mind (I'm always really confused when I see menus translate them as "donuts", btw, they just occupy a really different headspace for me...although I knew a girl who dipped them in white sugar to eat them...)

ahem, you still owe me a name in that area (closer to Finch, though), I noticed a Korean restaurant named "The Party" (I'll get a picture soon). It's across the street from the new Buk Chang (soft tofu place, same chain as the one in K-town).

many of us at the office are Chinese, so I'd rather avoid this route -- I wouldn't be introducing anything new (same reason I'd hoped to avoid TimHo's). in that vein, though, "pineapple" buns are a classic that might work well...

now we're talking! Many thanks C. Nuttall-Smith. Sounds like I'll have to do a mini quest of my own to decide what to bring...

yeah, I figured it might end up being TimHo's. Just thought I might use the chance to broaden my donut horizons. I'd never thought about it before but it's odd that with all the donuts consumed here, nobody's tried to carve out a high-end niche.

it needs to be donuts specifically. Timbits, those big fat crullers, muffins, etc. need not apply.

I've never really bought donuts at anything other than a chain store. I'll need to bring a few dozen to the office in a few weeks. Anyone have suggestions of places they love? Something easily accessible from the DVP or Yonge, between downtown and North York is best. I don't even know if this question makes any sense, are there donut shops which aren't chains? High-end donuts? Artisanal donuts??

then is Sassafraz to be ressurected or is this just a question of the building?

thanks for the replies so far. Someone else pointed me to a place called hae-ryong banjum that fits the location description, which I'm going to search out soon. Also apparently a place called cho-won at Yonge/Finch has it too but the restaurant is terrible according to my informant.

anyone have a recommendation for a place in Toronto that does this well? I don't see it on many menus (I suspect it's not really restaurant food, more like mom's comfort food).