phoenikia

Thanks for your comments;) I would like to try their smoked whitefish fritters at some point. But I'm planning to wait a few months before giving MTK another try.

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:)

What dishes did you enjoy at Mildred's Temple Kitchen? I don't know if we ordered badly, but we certainly had a surprisingly disappointing meal at Mildred's Temple Kitchen last night. We had a 6:30 pm reservation, and ordered shortly before 7 pm. My friend ordered the daily special of sardines, which she was really looking forward to since she has been fasting for Lent, and it was one of the few starters that didn't contain meat, dairy or egg. A few minutes later, our server returns to let my friend know that the restaurant was out of sardines. At 7 pm? On a Friday night? When fish deliveries are usually made on Fridays? In the middle of Lent, when demand for fish on Fridays would be up? The rocket, pear and almond salad was fine (the one dish I would order again), but the gnudi were merely ok (soft gnudi, with chewy & very salty bacon, and a little fried sage- cute but quite boring, really). The side of brussels sprouts with roasted pear was very plain. One of the two orders of scallops with leeks (a daily special) was inedibly salty. I rarely leave food on my plate, but I couldn't finish the 1/2 scallop from my friend's plate, and she left at least one of her 3 scallops on the plate, defeated by the salt. My friend who received the not-as-salty order tried a bite of scallop from the salty scallop order, and mentioned her scallops hadn't been nearly as salty. The salty scallops were delivered to the person who ordered the scallops and leeks without bacon, so maybe the kitchen decided to compensate for the lack of bacon, by brining the scallops? We decided to go elsewhere for dessert, rather than chance any more dissappointments. The service was friendly enough but somewhat sloppy. It was difficult to flag down our server as the restaurant got busier. We initially hoped to remind her that our frites had not yet arrived, but by the time we were able to get her attention, we were mostly finished our very mediocre second courses, so we decided not to bother. Our server seemed concerned and somewhat apologetic when we told her how salty the scallops were, and comped one $9 glass of wine, to the person who received the salty scallops. When our bill arrived, there was some sort of scanning error, and the scallops came up as $32, instead of the $28 price on the menu. We asked the busboy to bring the menu with the daily specials on it, to confirm the price of the scallops before asking our server to correct the bill. The busboy brought the regular menu. So we asked to see the menu with the daily specials again. This time, the busboy responded a little attitude- "Oh, the special menu". Yes, that is what we asked for. He returned, dropped the menu on the table without a word, and turned away quickly. Just as we tried to flag down our server again, to have her correct the bill, another server came to our table, asking if we'd like more bread, to which we replied, somewhat bewildered, "No thank you." Our server returned, explained that there had been some sort of programming error in the computer which had been corrected, and the bill was corrected. It seemed to be one more indication that the restaurant isn't on the ball. The sparkling water we were served came in a carafe (no label of any sort), but we were charged $2 per person for the water on the bill. Not a big deal, but I've not been charged for water that has come from an unidentified source before.

I passed this place yesterday as I was heading through town; it does appear to still be open. Curious about this phenomenon of restaurants in ex-churches (cf. the Church restaurant in Stratford), I checked out their website. The menu struck me as being a little conservative, but if it's well-executed, it could be good. ← Tried Verses last night for dinner. I was impressed with the atmosphere and the service. While some of the food was hit or miss, I would return if I was looking for an upscale dinner in K/W. Our friendly server brought us a bread basket soon after we arrived. The bread selection was more interesting than I expected- an herbed cracker bread/lavash, an herbed white, a whole wheat (possibly with sundried tomato) and a traditional white. It came with butter- seems like so many restaurants have been serving bread with tapenade or hummus lately in TO, so I was happy to see regular butter on the table. All the breads were extremely fresh. A second basket was offered to us, which we were happy to accept. The composed salad was my first course. The salads were stacked vertically, with a frisee and beet salad on the bottom, celeriac salad with pommery mustard mayo in the middle, and a watercress, fennel and orange salad with grilled goat brie on top. I really enjoyed the frisee/beet salad, and the watercress/fennel/orange/brie salad, but there was a hint of a certain flavour (not sure if it was the Pommery mustard- I usually like mustard) in the dressing of the celeriac salad that I didn't enjoy. For my second course, I ordered the pan-seared scallops with a chili fennel brittle and tomato ginger jam- beautifully cooked, nicely presented but the scallops themselves seemed to be slightly less than optimal freshness. The tomato ginger jam and chili fennel brittle were tasty, innovative accents. My dining companion tried wonton wrapped esgargots, and the Bouillabaise, which he enjoyed. For dessert, I tried the Schnitz pie- an apple, dried apple and caramel pie with sharp Cheddar and vanilla ice cream. I enjoyed the pie- light, flaky pastry, not too sweet, and lots of firm apples. Overall, the service was friendly and professional, and I now have a good idea of how I might order better on my next visit. I liked the food, service and atmosphere better at Verses than Janet Lynn's or Wildcraft, so Verses will probably be my first choice in the future for an upscale dinner in KW.

I'm surprised to hear that Forte was closed. It's too bad that they wouldn't think of posting their menu, hours or days on the window. I had booked through http://www.opentable.com , so I was able to find a pre-evening concert time slot online. The prices were reasonable at Forte. Most mains under $30, most starters under $15, and the desserts were $10. Hopefully they will start posting their menus and hours on the window. Nice to hear the meal at Tundra was very good. Haven't been there for quite a while! Edit: According to the website, Forte is open for lunch Monday- Friday, and dinner from Monday- Saturday. Not open on Sundays, which is too bad considering the opera and concertgoers in the area on the weekend. http://fortebistro.ca/location.php

Would love to hear about any traditional Lenten recipes you might like to share. So far, I've got lots of recipes for lentil soup and fish dishes. Would be especially interested in hearing about Lebanese, Georgian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Armenian, Greek, Spanish & Russian recipes. Thanks for any of your suggestions.

Had a lovely dinner at Forte last night before a concert at Roy Thomson Hall. The atmosphere brings to mind the structure of a piano. The setting is almost serene in the dining area, and the tables are spaced far apart which makes conversation easy. Our server brought us some bread (a slice of whole wheat and a foccacia-like white) with a tapenade made of red pepper and capers. The bread is house-made, and absolutely delicious. I started with the French onion soup dumplings- same size and style of a soup dumpling, but filled with the flavours found in French onion soup. Maybe a little gimmicky, but tasty. I'll try the Provencal fish soup on my next visit, or the roasted Artichokes. My main was a red snapper en papillote, with a lobster/bearnaise sauce over white & green asparagus. For dessert, I shared a quince and granny smith tarte tatin (a deconstructed tarte tatin, with marinated but uncooked apples on top of cooked quince). This was the best apple dessert I've encountered in Toronto. Some of their other desserts looked quite innovative. Would like to try their petit fours in the near future. Our server was personable and professional. He made an effort to get our dishes out on time (due to our concert's starting time), but never made us feel rushed. He showed that he paid attention to detail, removing crumbs, offering refills on coffee, frequently refilling the water glass. The Maitre D' (or owner- I'm not sure) made a point to visit each table. The service I experienced at Forte was better than recent service experiences at Nota Bene or Scaramouche. The quality of the food is at least the same level as what one finds at Nota Bene a block away, but the atmosphere is so much more peaceful. No sense of pretense. I found the flavour combinations at Forte worked for me a little better than the flavour combinations at Nota Bene. To to be fair, I've only tried 3 dishes at each restaurant, but I'm guessing I'll return to Forte before I return to Nota Bene. Highly recommended if you're looking for a meal before the opera, a concert at RTH, or happen to be looking for lunch or dinner in the financial district. http://fortebistro.ca/

The vibe at Harbord does probably change on different days, even different times of the day. Rereading my earlier post, I think I might have been a little overly enthusiastic about the great vibe. I found the atmosphere was down-to-earth and welcoming (talking at length to one of the owners as well as one of the managers as we ate), but just as my friend and I paid our bill, around 11pm on a Friday night, the crowd seemed to change (less of an eating crowd, more of a drinking crowd), and the vibe changed along with it. I'm guessing I wouldn't have felt as welcome or comfortable if I had ordered my burger after the drinking crowd arrived. I've only eaten at Coca since the ownership change, but I enjoyed my meal, even though the tapas didn't really resemble any I've ordered in Spain or anywhere else. Came across as contemporary tapas with some Spanish flavours made by someone who has never visited Spain. I found our server to be exceptionally friendly for W Queen W. Coca is now serving a Sunday brunch, which I hope to try sometime soon.

I passed this place yesterday as I was heading through town; it does appear to still be open. Curious about this phenomenon of restaurants in ex-churches (cf. the Church restaurant in Stratford), I checked out their website. The menu struck me as being a little conservative, but if it's well-executed, it could be good. ← Thanks for your comments and the link, Matthew.

Thanks so much, Endy;)

Does anyone have any suggestions for places to dine in Kitchener/Waterloo? I've dined at Janet Lynn's and Wildcraft several times, and found both to be fine for what they are, but I'd like to try some other restaurants on my next visit to K/W. Any type of cuisine, and any price point.

I liked my meal at Cowbell- if you like meat and are ok with a fairly limited meat-based menu (maybe 4 or 5 starters, 4 or 5 mains, changes daily. even by the hour depending on what cuts he has in the kitchen), this is a great place. My friends I was dining with were relatively picky so they all got the steak frites, and were a little taken aback when they saw he was offering offal. It had a good vibe, and Mark came and talked to each table the night I was there, which I liked. Some people aren't used to the texture/taste of grassfed beef, so the reception to Cowbell has been mixed. Nyood has a hip/fun vibe, and has share plates. I thought the price was fair, roughly the same price as JKWB. http://www.nyood.ca/ Coca is great place if you like tapas, with a laidback atmosphere, warm vibe, and good food. I really liked the atmosphere. Coca is less expensive than JKWB and more casual. http://www.dine.to/profile_features.php?fe...=website&id=174 Harbord Room also has a great vibe. I've only tried the cheeseburger, but they have some interesting dishes on the menu. Breakfast poutine on the brunch menu, and a lightly smoked salmon with potato/apple pancake and red cabbage on the dinner menu are dishes I hope to try soon. Great atmosphere and vibe. http://theharbordroom.com/

If I was looking for interesting, inventive cocktails, I'd head to Nyood or the Drake (which happen to be located in the same neighbourhood). The Drake has some interesting concoctions. I like the Dorothy Parker cocktail they serve. I didn't see it on the most recent drinks menu, but I'm sure they would still make it. I didn't try any of the cocktails at Nyood (stuck with wine), but the ones mentioned on their drinks menu did look interesting. They also have 4 different sangrias IIRC. My friend really enjoyed the white wine and berry sangria. Nyood mentions the name of their mixologist on their drinks menu, which is unusual in Toronto (but I can't remember his name right now). Also, in the past I've had interesting cocktails at Czehoski on W Queen W. They used to serve a mixed berry julep that was really delicious. I also love the raspberry mojito at Trapezzi. That's the only cocktail that has wowed me at Trapezzi, though. I wouldn't consider Trapezzi a destination spot, but it's great if you already are on the Danforth. Caren's Wine Bar in Yorkville also has an extensive cocktail list, including some champagne cocktails, but I haven't tried any yet. Spice Route on King West is a bit of a hot spot right now, but I've found their cocktails are hit or miss, depending on which bartender you approach. In fact, I have had one bartender say they are all out of mojitos (?) to find out an hour later that the bartender 10 metres away was still making them. I guest bartender No. 1 was too busy to muddle any mint. Pravda has a great selection of vodkas and vodka cocktails. Also, there's Reposado, (a tequila bar) on Ossington that I haven't tried, but might be worth a visit. I don't think the Reservoir Lounge is a drinks destination- just a bar with live music. ← Recently discovered that the Harbord Room has some innovative cocktails on their menu. Enjoyed the Kaffir Collins.

Have you tried Frida yet? Although it probably won't be along the lines of Frontera, it might be worth trying. http://www.fridarestaurant.ca/

Just thought I'd add some comments for some of the brunch spots around town that are open on Saturdays. The brunch I ordered at Caren's Wine Bar was mediocre, and I wouldn't choose to return. Low-grade smoked salmon, under-seasoned home fries. The eggs were ok, and the cappuccino was pretty good, but overall the food was meh. I loved the huevos divorciados at Easy at the SE corner of Queen W and Roncesvalles- my favourite brunch in Toronto right now. Cheap and cheerful. Have also been enjoying the Greek omelettes at the Patrician Grill on King East lately.

While JKWB gets a lot of attention as a foodie destination in TO, I find the food to be non-adventurous for an upscale restaurant. JKWB is the favourite restaurant of many of my less-than-adventurous friends who still like to enjoy the finer things in life, generally the same friends who declare their love for Thai food but refuse to eat anything labeled as curry, or described as spicy. Most of the food I've ordered at JKWB could be described as upscale continental food comprised of high quality, local ingredients, designed to appeal to most North Toronto /Anglo Saxon palates. I'm not sure JKWB would have much success in a city like Montreal. The ingredients at JKWB are exceptionally fresh and of the highest quality, the wine programme is interesting, and the service has been fantastic whenever I have visited, but nothing I have ordered at JKWB has wowed me. I agree that Biff's is a solid choice in that neighbourhood. You might find that Biff's would also have some standard dishes (like steak frites) that would appeal to your husband, if he's a plain eater. http://www.oliverbonacini.com/biffsmovie.html

Agree with all of Endy's comments

The area between your hotel and JKWB, and between your hotel and Crush, is a busy and relatively safe part of Toronto. Crush is about a 20-25 minute walk west on King from your hotel. You could also take the King W streetcar to Crush (which is one stop west of Bathurst). Other good restaurants that are within a 10 minute walk to your hotel include George (progressive/contemporary/continental on Queen East), Kultura (global small plates), Colborne Lane (Toronto's molecular gastronomy outpost) and Romagna Mia (northern Italian in an old world setting). For pizzas & pastas, Terroni on Adelaide is located in an old Courthouse, and is decent for midrange Italian. Weezie's is a bistro that's a little further east on King (maybe a 15 minute walk), that's been getting some positive feedback on various boards, but I haven't tried it yet. Patrician Grill is my favourite greasy spoon for breakfast on King East near Sherbourne. Irish Embassy serves large portions, usually packed, and quite loud. PJ's is owned by the same people, but is a more sedate pub. Beerbistro gets more of a financial district crowd, and a lot of attention on Chowhound, but I'm not that impressed most of what I've ordered at lunch or dinner, although I do like their frites. Beerbistro serves a decent brunch on the weekend. I haven't been to the Bottom Line. For steak, Tom Jones is less than a 5 minute walk from your hotel. Very old school steakhouse surroundings, with a piano bar upstairs. Starfish is a seafood restaurant that is about a 10 minute walk from your hotel, which has some of the best seafood in TO, and I've heard that they have a decent steak. I usually don't eat steak, so I haven't tried their steak.

Have any of you dined at Oasi yet? After reading the Kates' review in the Globe, I was curious to hear any comments you might have. Oasi

GC: I didn't know Pangaea served brunch. What's the menu like? Any special breakfast pastries? phoenikia: I'd love to try MoRoCo, but fear that it might be like kryptonite to me (re: my cocoa allergies). Years ago paid a visit to Death By Chocolate in Vancouver (a friend wanted cake, I just had a tea), and I learnt my lesson. Near death (well not quite, but quite sick) by chocolate, indeed! Walking into a cocoa filled shop and even having a glass of water (cross contamination) is probably not the smartest thing. Just sitting there and being "company" and not being able to sample any of the delicious looking fare would be torture. Oh, I was also going to suggest Mildred's Temple Kitchen but didn't know if they served brunch on Saturdays (I know for sure Sundays). I also know I'll be trying to head over to School Bakery and Café to try their wares. Again, I don't know if they have brunch on Saturdays (in regards to your thread's request). ← Renka: Mildred's Temple Kitchen only serves brunch on Sundays, but they do serve lunch on Saturdays. Haven't been there yet, but hope to try them early in the New Year! Probably safer that you don't enter MoRoCo, if you're worried about cross-contamination- the scent of cocoa is very heavy in the air.

If you like French Toast, you should try the version at Bonjour Brioche in Leslieville. It's more like bread pudding than standard French Toast. And the nice thing about Bonjour Brioche is that you can order brunch any day of the week;)

I've only been a couple of times (it hasn't been open long). Haven't had the burrito - so far only the 'standard' items (omelettes etc). But each time cooked to order and served piping hot. And toast was exactly to my liking (crispy outside, slightly chewy inside) and creditable coffee (for breakfast they don't use the espresso machine). Indeed it may have already changed hands. Certainly no real signs of Italian influences, but I'm not really an Italian afficionado, so am not familiar with Franco's food anyway. The evening dinner has already been suspended (never got to try it - when I attempted it had already closed for dinner - but that's when I noticed the breakfast offering). And it so exceeded my expectations that I may have just been lucky. Still working my way through the offerings - but both times I was really impressed by the service - very anxious to please without being too overbearing. ← It's interesting that they aren't offering espresso based drinks at breakfast these days. When I had breakfast there about 2 months ago, they served me a cappuccino. Our server was eager to please, and the service was friendlier and more professional than most breakfast/brunch places I've tried in North Toronto. And none of the attitude you might find on West Queen West or in Leslieville;)

Thanks Renka;) I've been wanting to try the huevos divorciados at Easy for a while now:) I am thinking of trying Celestin & Mitzi's Sister for a future brunch, as well as Mildred's Temple Kitchen. I tried MoRoCo today- decent brunch. The hollandaise and homefries were my favourite part- the smoked salmon was your typical grocery store quality. The sipping chocolate was decadent but too rich for me, and the macarons were fine (for Toronto )

Thanks for your comments, Estufarian. I'll have to give Holt's Cafe a try one of these days, and Frank is on my shortlist. I wasn't impressed by the breakfast burrito at Franco's (probably not what I should have ordered at Franco's), but the prices are incredibly reasonable. What do you enjoy the most on the menu. I think I remember reading online that Franco has sold the business, and his sister runs Caffe Doria. I was very disappointed by my last visit to Rebel House.

I was curious to hear about any of your favourite places open for brunch on Saturdays, as well as start a list for easy reference. It seems many of the better brunches in town (like JKWB, the Gallery Grill, the Globe, etc.) are open only on Sunday. Open on Saturdays Yorkville/Museum: Studio Cafe C5 One Restaurant Yonge and Summerhill: Cafe Doria Rebel House Mount Pleasant: The Homeway Yonge and Eglinton: C5 Yonge and King: Beer Bistro King East: Le Petit Dejeuner Spadina and King: Brassai Leslieville: Bonjour Brioche Danforth: Ten Feet Tall Queen West/West Queen West: Bar One The Drake The Gladstone Swan Epicure Czehoski Mitzi's Sister Dundas West: Saving Grace Looking forward to hearing about any suggestions you might have.