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phoenikia

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Everything posted by phoenikia

  1. Thanks for the heads up re: the new Cuban place in Wortley Village. The Mexican place seemed to have gone downhill on my last couple visits, so I'm guessing you didn't miss out on much. Didn't realize Si Senor had closed- too bad. I liked my meal there. The people who owned El Ranchito had opened a larger place closer to the Keg at the tracks, but I tried to visit about a month ago, and the place had already gone out of business. Tough times for restaurant owners in London, ON. Don't know of any other Mexican places in London right now. Haven't been to Leamington for Mexican yet:) In other London food news, Raja Indian Cuisine is now operating in the old Mario's space on Clarence. I haven't been yet, but I've heard good things re: the food, the service and the atmosphere. I'm looking forward to trying it soon. It's owned by the same people that own the Raja Indian Cuisine resto in Stratford.
  2. What do you recommend at Giancarlo's, Jake? I'm curious to hear which dishes e-gulleters have liked the most at Tutti Matti, Zucca, and L'Unita lately. My last meals at each of these places have been ok, but not great. Midrange Italian meals I've enjoyed in the last year include a pizza with anchovies at Trio Ristorante, and a gnocchi alla gorgonzola at Gamberoni- both located near Yonge and Lawrence- not a neighbourhood I would immediately think of for Italian food. Both are pretty good for neighbourhood Italian (good for a decent midweek meal, but not where I would go for a special occasion) in my experience, but probably not worth a trek across town.
  3. Ended up having a nice, light meal at Angeline's in Bloomfield. We arrived close to 9 pm, but the server who greeted us was happy to serve us, even though the posted closing time was just minutes away. Our server was gracious- she didn't rush us in any way, and the chef made the rounds, introducing himself to each table. The current chef is from Brittany, and I really enjoyed the food he created. Stronger and more interesting flavours than I would have expected in a Loyalist county like PEC. The housemade ravioli with basil and sunflower seeds was delicious. Other dishes at our table (that I did not try) included trio of soups (involving ingredients like fennel and eggplant), trio of scallops, a shrimp salad, and an asparagus brulee. The following morning, we had breakfast at the Devonshire Inn in Wellington where we stayed. The breakfast buffet was decent, although not really worth a detour. I did like the housemade sticky buns. Stopped by the Marshmallow Room in Bloomfield- beautiful desserts including crisps, pies, scones, breads, which looked very tempting. Several healthy "cookies" involving spelt as well as what I would consider genuine cookies. I tried to capture an image of the desserts I saw, but at that moment, my camera decided to stop working. Maybe it was overwhelmed? If the desserts tasted even half as good as they looked, I think it would be a worthy stop in PEC. Around noon, we enjoyed an ice cream at Slickers- I tried the Apple Pie flavour, and my guests tried the Rhubarb Ginger. Is there a source for Slickers in Toronto?
  4. I've never had a good meal at the Waring House. The Inn at the Lake on the Mountain is really pleasant, and seeing and learning about the lake is quite interesting, I think. There's good soup at the Regent Cafe on Main Street in Picton. ← Thanks for your suggestions. Are there any specific dishes you'd recommend at the Inn at the Lake on the Mountain?
  5. I'm visiting Prince Edward County on a Tuesday, and it looks like Harvest and Bloomfield Carriage House, often recommended on other boards, are closed on Tuesdays. Where do you like to eat in PEC? Options I've found include The Merrill Inn, The Waring House (either Amelia's Garden or the Barley Room pub), Currah's, as well as various wineries. I've read about Slickers for ice cream, and Buddha Dog, and the various cheese companies located nearby. Which ice cream flavours does Slickers do best? What other places would you suggest we visit? Look forward to any comments or suggestions you might have.
  6. My order of preference would be 1. The Only -the most innovative & I liked everything I tried. It's the most casual atmosphere of these 3- polished but laid-back. 2. Fine- the most upscale of the bunch, and the most limited menu, I like the pickerel 3. Tru- has the most choices on the menu. I've only been there for lunch, and it was fine, but I've liked my meals at Fine & the Only more!
  7. The Only on King (gastropub with local ingredients and innovative dishes, but usually a couple 'safe' dishes as well) or JJ's Bistro in Byron (somewhat limited menu, usually around 5 starters and 5 mains, with fairly traditional dishes, but well-executed) would be my top 2 picks, followed by La Casa (Italian, seafood, steak). All 3 restaurants serve fresh food, and please my foodie palate, but still have options for more conservative diners. David's Bistro on Richmond serves some traditional options like steak frites, roast chicken, etc. David's had some consistency problems a couple years ago, but my last visit was quite enjoyable- seems things are back on track. For upscale, traditional food, Michael's on the Thames serves steak, seafood, duck, etc. High quality food that appeals to Londoners' conservative palates. the Only: http://www.theonlyonking.ca/ JJ's Bistro http://www.4u2go.ca/ontario/London/122/JJs.../OrderMenu.aspx (menu might not be current) La Casa: http://lacasaristorante.com/contact.shtml David's: http://www.davidsbistro.ca/ Michael's on the Thames: http://www.michaelsonthethames.com/
  8. Re: the best restaurants Some of the usual suspects are Scaramouche, Splendido (which is changing hands soon, so the quality level may be changing soon), Mistura (contemporary Italian), Colborne Lane (Toronto's molecular dining resto), Canoe (but in the financial district, so not a place I would probably choose while on vacation), Chiado (upscale Portuguese with fresh fish flown in), Sushi Kaji (an Omakase restaurant in the burbs), Lai Wah Heen for luxe Chinese food downtown (otherwise go north for exceptional Chinese food). Re: ethnic restaurants Toronto does Portuguese food well (particularly at Chiado for seafood, but there are many inexpensive churrasqueirras and bakeries around town), and the Chinese food north of the city (Markham, Richmond Hill) can be very good. We have a lot of Vietnamese pho shops, but not much in terms of non-pho Vietnamese food (Pho Phoung is the best bet for non-pho food). Trends that seem to be popular right now (I'm not necessarily recommending the following restaurants) locally-sourced ingredients- Globe, JKWB, Canoe, Harbord Room, Cowbell, Veritas, Forte, Nota Bene globally influenced small plates - Lee, Madeline's, Kultura, Nyood, etc. upscale comfort food - Mildred Pierce, Grace, Deluxe Here is a link to an earlier thread where egulleters commented on Toronto Life's most recent Top 10 list (s): http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=122814
  9. I really like Cava, and my last meal was probably the most delicious small plates experience I've had in Toronto, but quite a number of respected foodies in TO find it to be expensive for what you get. I'd describe the dishes as a contemporary take on tapas. Some of the tapas are quite traditional, with Spanish flavours, and others incorporate New World flavours from Mexico and other parts of Latin America. The tortilla soup I tried on my last visit (not sure if it's on the current menu) was very good.
  10. Nyood and Kultura are run by the same team. Nyood has more of a scene right now. They both serve globally inspired small plates. I liked the food and the service better at Nyood that Kultura. Found the server that I had at Kultura to be pushy, and found his recommendations to be off. Some of the dishes at Kultura seemed to be pedestrian versions of popular ethnic foods- maybe interesting or novel to someone who has never had jerk chicken, or black bean sauce before, but not groundbreaking. JKWB's small plates are focused on local ingredients, and his food comes across as very Ontarian to me. Recent dishes I enjoyed at Sunday brunch included a rutabaga tartelette and a preserved peach pancake. The flavours tend to be more conservative at JKWB than Nyood, but still usually interesting flavour combinations. Nyood and JKWB aren't exactly close to Casa Loma. Cava, 93 Harbord, Mistura, L'Unita, Scaramouche, Harbord Room, Loire, C5, JKWB at the Gardiner and Il Mulino are all closer to Casa Loma than JKWB or Nyood. Are you looking specifically for small plates?
  11. Thanks your reply, Sadistick. Which dishes have you enjoyed the most at Pangaea? Pangaea lunch menu: http://www.pangaearestaurant.com/Food_&_Dr...IL%2009.doc.pdf
  12. Thanks for the comments re: lunch at the Windsor Arms, jenc:)
  13. And anytime I stray from ordering the Thai Islamic Noodles at Salad King or Linda, I end up wishing I had ordered them!
  14. I'd like to reserve a place for an upscale business lunch somewhere near Avenue and Bloor, where holding a conversation will not be a challenge due to background noise. Has anyone visited JK at the Gardiner at lunchtime recently? How loud is the space during lunch time? Has anyone had lunch at Prime at the Windsor Arms? It looks like Prime might be a good choice for a conservative diner. http://www.windsorarmshotel.com/prime_menus/ I realize C5 is an option, but I think the lunch menu might be a little adventurous for the person I'm dining with. Sounds like Spice Room has lost Couillard, and I'm not sure the direction the kitchen has now taken. Also looked at Pangaea's lunch menu which seems steep for what it is. Think One will be too trendy, and I wasn't impressed with my last 2 meals at the Studio Cafe. Gallery Grill won't work for this lunch (want to keep the lunch off campus). Jacques Bistro du Parc's tables are too close together for the type of conversation we will be having. Is there anywhere else you'd recommend?
  15. I was happy with a recent Saturday Brunch at Frank, at the AGO. Great service, and good to excellent food. Nice cappuccino to start. The pastry basket was as good as it gets in TO, with 2 types of scones (2 sweet, and 2 cheddar herb), a pain au chocolat, a raisin pastry and a croissant. Good frites. I liked the goatcheese souffle (heavier than I expected, but tasted fine) with the arugula and roasted beets. Decent frites. Shared the decadent chocolate pudding with caramel sauce. Frank opens at 11 a.m. AGO members get 10 percent off.
  16. Thank you, Phoenikia! I really appreciate your detailed reply. Can I ask, was the objection to Dragonfly primarily (1) the quality of the food, or (2) the lack of variety of dishes? I don't mind if there isn't a huge spread, but I do care if the food they do offer isn't that good... I've heard positive things about Manna Grill before. Which of their Korean dishes would you personally recommend? Thanks also for your other recommendations. I will suggest them to my father when I next visit. At Dragonfly, I mostly was disappointed by the quality of the food when I ordered the rijstafel special on a Monday night. The beef was tough, like stew meat that had been cooked over a high temperature rather than braised, and the flavours did not taste distinctly Indonesian. The spicing was very mild (not sure if that was intentional to cater to London, or the way his cooking is), and I found the food quite bland. I understand he changes the dishes each Monday. I have only been once, but it's possible that I visited on an offnight and it's worth another try. I recently heard that Dragonfly Bistro is a friend's friend's favourite restaurant in London right now, so it sounds as if at least a few dishes on the menu are worth trying;) But I don't know what her taste is, or what she likes to order when she dines there. I haven't ordered off Dragonfly's regular menu, which is mostly Continental cuisine, but includes a couple Indonesian chicken dishes. Perhaps the dishes on the regular menu are more practiced, and are a better bet than the Monday night rijstafel. Here's a link to the menu: http://www.dragonflybistro.ca/menu.html At Manna, I've ordered the dinner for 2, which includes a selection of different dishes, including bulgogi, mando, shrimp, maybe chapchae? Most recently I ordered the mandu and a spicy seafood tofu stew. The seafood is the very tiny, prefrozen variety (which I expected since the pricepoint is less than $15), but includes the tiniest octopus, shrimp, mussels, clams, maybe squid. I'm new to Korean stews- it was interesting, but I think I'll probably order the fried chicken the waitress suggested, or the galbi, chapchae or bulgogi on future visits.
  17. phoenikia

    LEE

    From the people I spoke with, business is slow everywhere. I had my choice of walk-in reservations for Saturday night and its the first time I've been to LEE at 8:00 and could sit right down. Also, I should add the DVP was closed all weekend, maybe another reason downtown was extra quiet. ← I agree most places are slow. JKWB was maybe 1/3 full for brunch on Sunday, which meant extremely attentive and personable service. That might have also factored into the generous servings we received. Saturday night, I tried to get a reservation for 4 at L'Unita, and they were completely booked, even at 9:00. The West Queen West restos such as Nyood were also completely booked, except for some very late seatings. The places that are the current "it" spots, such as L'Unita, Harbord Room, and places like Le Petit Castor which do not exactly focus on serving good food, are still going strong.
  18. phoenikia

    LEE

    I wonder if the recession means some kitchens in Toronto are serving more generous portions, while keeping the pricepoint the same. The small plates at JKWB's brunch this past weekend were easily 1 1/2, if not 2 times, as large as the small plates that were served at dinnertime when JKWB first opened. It's a nice surprise to get more for the same old price. I've been somewhat disappointed by some of the cut-rate prix fixe dinners around town, where the prices are lower than normal, but the portions are smaller and corners are cut in order to keep the bottom line.
  19. Just got back from my first meal at The Only on King. Very impressed. The Only focuses on local ingredients, and the dishes served seem to be contemporary Canadian in terms of a theme, much like what one finds at JKWB, Mildred's Temple Kitchen or Globe Bistro in Toronto. Tried the chicken leg confit on fennel salad, followed by the potato ravioli with wild arugula and basil pesto. Tried a bite of my friend's winter vegetable salad (with roasted parsnip, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli in a lemony dressing), as well as a very tender breaded veal chop. Rich and creamy housemade trio of cinnamon, nutella and chocolate ice cream for dessert. The chocolate nemesis cake was a decadent semisweet flourless chocolate cake. Next time, I'll try the tasting menu. Pleasant service and fresh flavours in a casual but beautiful atmosphere. This is the most innovative food I have seen in London in a long time. Tonight, on a Monday night, the crowd was mostly 30/40 somethings. This was the best meal I've had in London in a very long time. The prices are roughly $9-$14 for starters, $14-$20 for what they call intermediates (sardines, risotto, upscale poutine, ravioli, gnocchi), $22-$35 for mains, $ 8 for desserts, and $10.50 for the cheese plate. A little less expensive than Volker's, David's or Aroma. Roughly the same price as Crave, but the food at the Only is much, much better. Highly recommended if you are in London. It's open for dinner Mon- Sat. http://www.theonlyonking.ca/
  20. I'm happy to hear you like Massey's;) Unfortunately, Dragonfly is very weak. Sad excuse for a rijsttafel. There were only maybe 4 disappointing dishes on one plate, so it was more of an Indonesian combo plate, when any other rijstafels I have experienced have usually involved 10-12 dishes. For Korean food, I like Manna Grill on Wharncliffe. Nice people running the place & quite an extensive menu- I've been meaning to return to try their fried chicken that the server recommended on my last visit. There's an Ichiban Sushi owned by Koreans on Wellington that has quite several non-sushi Korean dishes on the menu, but their galbi was cold and regrettable. I think the galbi might be cooked in advance, then microwaved before serving. Not recommended for galbi! I've only tried the sushi at Take and Asiana in the past 10-15 years, and I haven't heard anything good or bad about their other dishes. Asiana was formerly known as Bul Go Gee House, and they used to win awards at the London Rib Fest for their ribs in the 80s and 90s (maybe more recently) I do remember Bul Go Gee's ribs at the Rib Fest being delicious, but that was probably 20 years ago. Not sure if Asiana is still owned by the same people, or if their current ribs are as good as Bul Go Gee's award winning ribs. I was impressed by my last visit to La Casa on King a couple weeks ago- would recommend it as the best Italian option in London right now.
  21. Out of the places you mention, I like Harbord Room best. They have a great burger- haven't had a chance to try anything else yet. The tables are booked in advance, but it's quite possible you can snag a spot at the bar. The menu is quite limited. I found the food at Grace somewhat boring. High prices when you considering the small portions and lack of innovation. I haven't dined at Trevor, but a friend of mine said it's the best meal she's had in Toronto in the last year. I find the food at Nota Bene ho-hum, although for a light meal, their lobster salad is quite good. Since you mention you like small plates, you might also want to consider Foxley, Bite Me, Lee, Kultura and Nyood. Haven't been to Bite Me or Lee recently. If I had to choose between Kultura and Nyood, I'd choose Nyood. Lots of interesting cocktails at Nyood, too.
  22. I was sad to see Perigee close- I never managed to visit. Scaramouche has been filling their restaurant with their string of monthly prix fixe specials offered Monday-Thursday nights. I think it's a great way to get people into their restaurant midweek. I'm guessing the profit margins are fairly slim, and the servings of the first and second courses are smaller than those on the regular menu, which is fine with me since I'm trying to lose weight. I got the feeling some of the prix fixe dishes don't get the same attention in the kitchen as regular dishes, but considering the price point, it doesn't bother me. I see it as a case of you get what you pay for. The night I was there for Lobsterlicious in February, the place was packed. The slice of coconut cream pie was ridiculously large, and I would guess that it had a higher caloric load than the first and second courses put together. The first and second courses seemed to be fairly innovative and delicate, but the desserts seemed to be traditional and heavy. Maybe the dessert portions were XL in order to fill up big eaters who were still hungry after the first and second courses. Found the service to be mediocre, and our server took off as soon as our desserts arrived. Could be that some of the servers see the lobsterlicious/crustacean celebration/spring stimulus customers as bargain hunters, and are holding back a little on the service when they don't anticipate a generous tip. The current prix fixe at Scaramouche is called Spring Stimulus, and costs $58. Available Monday- Thursday. http://www.scaramoucherestaurant.com/sprin...imulus_menu.pdf Madeline's and Lee are both currently offering a 5 course dinner for $60, featuring dishes from Shang in NYC (although some of the dishes are Susur standards AFAIK). Some people, including some posters on this board, have posted their comments from the experience on CH. http://www.susur.com/lee/events.php Forte offers a two course $30 prix fixe pre theatre dinner, from 5 pm- 6:30 pm, and most of the mains on the regular menu are under $30 http://fortebistro.ca/theatre-menu.php I had a conversation with a server at Sequel (near Yonge and Lawrence) a few months ago, and he mentioned the owners intentionally lowered their prices over the past year, and keep all their mains under the $30 mark. Looks like Brad Long is doing the same kind of thing at Veritas.
  23. Had dinner at Uptown 21 last night. Have to say, I've found my favourite place for a somewhat upscale dinner in KW. Best tasting food I've found in Waterloo. This restaurant opened a couple months ago. Inside, it's quite casual, sort of a gastropub atmopshere. The menu looked somewhat conservative compared to some dishes at Verses. But at Verses, I found the dishes sounded amazing on paper but were lacking in execution. At Uptown 21, the dishes sounded somewhat ordinary in their description, but the food that was delivered to the table was carefully balanced and executed. The choices seemed pared down compared to the many dishes offered at Sole or Janet Lynn's. The menu seems to be planned so most people will be able to find something to eat, but each dish seems to be well-thought out, with attention paid to sides and sauces. In addition to the regular menu with maybe 6 starters and 6 mains (1 veg, 1 pork, 1 beef, 1 tuna, 1 chicken), there is a prix fixe option, with a choice of 2 different first courses, choice of 2 second courses, choice of 3 mains (last night veg risotto, pork chop or halibut), and choice of 2 desserts. $35 for 3 courses, and $45 for 4 courses. What impressed me at Uptown 21 is that the main course tasted so good. Surprisingly good. I didn't get tired of the flavour. Usually in Ontario restaurants, I find that the descriptions sound delicious or even just interesting leading to high expectations, but the food delivered is usually quite ordinary if not disappointing. My only disappointment was the bread and olive oil that was served before our starters. The bread was dried out. It was a nice enough raisin bread. Not sure if it just had been sliced too early, or whether it was baked the day before. The raisin bread was served with olive oil, and butter would have been a better match with the flavour of the bread. Considering how good the rest of the meal was, maybe this was an oversight. Fresher bread served warm would be a nice touch. I started with the Brazilian codcakes. Not sure why they were called Brazilian, since they tasted pretty much the same as Portuguese codcakes. 4 little croquettes, crispy, with small chunks of salt cod inside. I probably wouldn't order them again, but they were decent, a little better than the version at Portuguese bakeries in TO. My main, a quarter roasted chicken with sage spaetzle, marinated cranberries and mushrooms was delicious. I don't usually order roasted chicken out, but I have to say, this chicken was tender and juicy, and the spaetzle was probably the best I've had outside of MittelEuropa. I had their "I can't believe there's no dairy" Chocolate mud cake for dessert- lighter texture than I expected for a mud cake, but dark chocolate flavour. Other dishes ordered at the table included panzanella with goat cheese, wild boar terrine (the terrine changes daily), potato and cheddar tortellini with truffle brown butter and pecans, choucroute garni with porkchop, bacon and sausage, steak frites, pork chop, maple sugar pie, apple and shortbread crumble. Filling, but not massive portions. Friendly service in a relaxed atmosphere. I'll be back. http://www.uptown21.ca/
  24. Just had dinner at Sole on Erb St in Waterloo. http://www.sole.ca/main.htm Have to say it was surprisingly good for a midrange restaurant in Waterloo- I like it better than Wildcraft. Not as expensive or as refined as Verses, but great for a casual weeknight meal. I started with the salad special- a spinach salad with artichokes, kalamata olives, roasted red pepper, lemon/olive oil dressing and basil/mozzarella/prosciutto pinwheels, which was followed by the sweet potato lasagna with portabello mushrooms and feta. Big portions, tasty food and friendly servers.
  25. Just for everyone's information, here is the list: Top 10: Canoe Eigensinn Farm Splendido Via Allegro Sushi Kaji Scaramouche North 44 Langdon Hall Auberge du Pommier C5 top 10 new restaurants : Nota Bene Black Hoof Frank Loire Harbord Room Atelier Thuet Mildred's Temple Kitchen Grace Delux Gilead Cafe Out of the top 10, Sushi Kaji is the only one that would make my top 10 list. An easier list for me to draw up would be top 10 favourite dishes in TO, rather than top 10 restaurants. I'd include the quince/apple tarte tatin at Forte, the patatas bravas with artichokes at Cava, the goulash soup at Europe Bar & Restaurant, the fattoush at Tabule, Thai islamic noodle at Linda, the huevos divoriciados at Easy, the Singapore slaw at Lee, perogies at Chopin, the chicken, arugula and goat cheese tartine at Holt's Cafe, the gnocchi alla gorgonzola at Da Gianni e Maria Trattoria. As you can see, only a few of my favourite dishes are found in Toronto's high fallutin' restaurants:) ← I find it hard to believe Splendido would not be on your top 10...have you been there? ← I haven't dined at Splendido. The descriptions of the dishes on their menu rarely sound like dishes I would want to order- especially since I'm not a big fan of foie gras, truffles, fennel, quail eggs, venison or beef. http://splendido.ca/menus/ It seems sort of strange for me to go to Splendido to try their beet salad. Has anyone tried Splendido's beet salad? Is it worth a special visit? But I might have to try Splendido one of these days to see how their butter poached lobster compares to the version at Scaramouche.
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