Ouzeri Greek Restaurant

Date: October 30, 2011

Location: 500 Danforth Avenue (half block west of Pape Subway Stn), Toronto

Website: http://www.ouzeri.com/

Meal: dinner

My thoughts:

Hi everyone. Before I dive into the delicious topic of food, I would first like to open with a suggestion that a friend has given to me with respect to my site. She suggested that I incorporate "more humour". I took this to mean that entries are rather long-winded (admittedly so) and somewhat of a dull read. Sigh. Maybe I'm being hard on myself, but I have decided that from this point on (after this lengthy paragraph of course!) to do less talking (writing) and to do more picture-taking. So here goes!!

My friend and I were strolling along the Greek 'hood of Danforth, and this spacious, softly lit restaurant with an impressive wine display caught our eye. Right away, we could tell this was a comparatively more upscale restaurant than the other Greek restaurants that we'd recently ventured to.

 

We placed our order and were given some bread, which was cold and slightly dense. Also, it did not taste very fresh.

We shared the Mushrooms a la Grec ($8.95) - sauteed mushrooms marinated in olive oil, lemon and spices. The spices were good, and the olive/spice blend paired well with the bread, but we didn't like the fact that this was cold. We knew this prior to ordering this, but we thought we'd give this a try anyway. This definitely would've tasted better hot (although perhaps this wouldn't have been typical Greek style.)

Gigantes ($7.95) - giant lima beans baked fresh herbs, vegetables and tomatoes. That last sentence was the menu's description of the dish, and the beans were indeed "giant". I initially thought they were large whole garlic cloves! We preferred this over the mushrooms, which is saying something, because we both are big mushroom lovers! The sauce was nice and thick, which again made for a perfect bread dip. (Sorry for the weird angling of the photo.)

 

Al's Feta Lamb ($18.95) - marinated lamb kebob grilled and served with spicy feta cheese sauce. This was my main. As you can see, the kebobs were quite charred, which I'm not a fan of (the charred areas are carcinogenic anyway). The meat itself was overcooked and tough. The potatoes were pretty good, the rice plain (i.e. not seasoned) and the cheese "sauce" (it was more like a dip - what it was for, I don't know) was very thick and even spicier. Everything was very salty, especially the cheese dip/sauce.

Veggie Pita ($6.99 + $3.00 to add a side of fries) - pita with hummus and grilled bell pepper, zuchini and eggplant, with a side of fries. I didn't get a taste of the pita but was told that it was pretty good. The fries were hot, somewhat dense and crispy - not bad and not too salty.

Our final verdict: Although we shouldn't compare, we would much prefer Kalyvia over this restaurant. Service was poor at both places (our waiter had a good attitude but it took him forever to fill our water glasses, even after we'd asked him to do so), but the mushrooms, lamb and the fact that we didn't feel the need to down a water cooler after our meal made Kalyvia the clear winner here. Oddly enough, we walked by Kalyvia on our way home, and it was absolutely empty. Go figure!

Starbucks

Date: October 14/15, 2011

Location: 4 King Street West (W. of Yonge), Toronto

Website: http://www.starbucks.ca/ 

Meal: late night coffee

My thoughts:

I'm sure that most of you have had a taste of Starbucks, and if not, then you are at the very least familiar with the name. So you may be wondering why I decided to blog about such a household name coffee chain? I normally only ever order Starbucks' coffee, and so tea and cupcakes were rather out of the ordinary for me, and I thought I'd blog about it and show off some pretty pictures :) Also, if you noticed the date, I did not stay overnight at Starbucks, lol. I simply had tea on October 14 and a coworker bought their cupcakes the next day, so I thought I'd group the entries together to keep everything organized.

Okay. On to the good stuff (literally). I forget the name of the tea that I had - I will have to check into a Starbucks the next opportunity I get to find out the name. It was mild in taste with a fruity note. Decaffeinated, so it is perfect to have in the evening and to warm you up from the blistering fall cold that has hit Toronto. Here's a pic of it (the one on the left was my drink).

On a different note, if you are ever in the downtown core looking for a coffee joint, I would recommend this Starbucks location. I used to frequent this location in my student days. I personally find this place super cozy, and I love the fact that it is spacious with ample windows so that you can witness all the hustle-bustle of Toronto without being a part of it.

Now for cupcakes. There were three flavours, but I only had the red velvet. I have always loved that flavour, so I may be biased. It wasn't overly sweet (points on that front!), bite-sized (perfect for those watching their waistline) and uber cute :) I have a pic of my cupcake, half-consumed unfortunately. It was much prettier in its original unadulterated state.

I was told the other cupcakes were very sweet, but good. The first of the next two photos shows a peanut butter cupcake (we were all surprised that they would even sell such a thing, given how many people out there are anaphylatic). My coworker said it tastes like a "more expensive, bready version of a Reese's Pieces", lol. The next one is carrot cake with vanilla icing.

(Untitled)

Date: Oct 14, 2011

Location: school cafeteria 

Website: N/A

Meal: mid-day snack

My friend, a former professional chef (in Vancouver), made me a cookie the other day, and I thought I'd blog about it because my friend was a former chef.. Lol, I guess that's not really relevant, but I'm just trying to justify a non-restaurant-related entry on a restaurant blog.

It was a chocolate chip cookie with walnut chunks. Deliciousss and very pretty. Are those good enough reasons? ;) 

Anyway, I should have taken a picture of my hand to illustrate just how big it was because the picture really doesn't do it justice. It was about 6-inches in diameter. A meal in itself - unhealthy, I know, but oh so good :)

Kultura

Date: October 21, 2011

Location: 169 King St. E. (east of Jarvis St.), Toronto

Website: http://www.kulturatoronto.com/

Meal: dinner

My thoughts:

This was my second visit to this restaurant this year, but the first time I'm coming here for dinner. (I'd been told that this place is now only available for corporate events and private parties.)

Anyway, my friend and I ordered four dishes to share. One of my favourite dishes of the night was the naan (garlic, black onion seed and harissa yogurt - $6). It was fresh and flaky with a light buttery taste. It came with some harissa yogurt, but I thought the naan tasted better on its own.

Tied with the naan would be the tofu (smoked salt, honey eggplant, ginger soy sauce - $11). The tofu itself was more firm than most tofu I've had, but it was served piping hot and lightly battered. The ginger soy sauce was divine. Didn't notice any eggplant though.

We also had edamame (miso and black bean - $6), which for the size and price, was a good deal. But it was nothing special. This was served in a large, eccentric, asymmetrical bowl and there was a bit of miso sauce on the bottom, which was different but not amazing.

Lastly, we had shrimp tacos (with quinoa salad and tomato chutney - $13). I didn't compile everything into the one taco shell that it came with; instead, I ate everything separately so that I could taste the individual flavours. The shrimp didn't taste very fresh because it wasn't at all chewy, but the seasonings were very tasty. Can't say I really cared much for the chutney, mainly because it was too spicy for me. The quinoa salad had a very light taste - nothing special, but I suppose that was intentional. After all, this dish was meant to be eaten as a taco, and the light salad would allow the shrimp to take center stage.

My friend and I also each had a drink. I had the blueberry lychee cocktail ($16 I believe), which tasted like a typical lychee martini, served with some blueberries and a lychee on a mini skewer. Otherwise, the drink itself didn't have much of a "blueberry" component.

Overall, I would come back again (well, seeing as how this is the second time back, I guess you figured that much, lol). I would only come back once in a while when I want to switch things up. I mean, the international fusion of flavours makes each dish very unique, but you don't get much bang-for-your-buck (our bill came to around $70 - tax included but not tip - and we both felt "just comfortably full", although in all fairness, we ordered drinks, which were quite pricey). Also, while the setup, decor and lighting were nice, I personally prefer a more casual setting over a chic and urban lounge-y one. Finally, I noticed a DJ table, but no one DJ-ed that night. That would have been a nice touch to the evening.

Kalyvia Greek Restaurant

Date: October 10, 2011

Location: 420 Danforth Ave. (half block east of Broadview Ave.), Toronto

Website: http://www.kalyvia.com/

Meal: dinner

My thoughts:

Came here to "kind of" celebrate a friend's birthday (my friend doesn't like to make a big deal of his birthday, hence the quotation marks, haha). We almost went to a Mexican restaurant just up the street, and I'm really glad we ended up coming here.

We were given a basket of toasted and lightly buttered bread before our meal.

 
My friend and I shared the Mushrooms a la Kalyvia ($6.95), which are sautéed in spices and brandy. It didn't come with any pita chips or bread, and while it was an amazing dish on its own, it tasted a lot better with bread. Fortunately, we had the bread to go with it. There was also a thin layer of flavourful sauce/oil at the bottom of the dish, which the bread soaked up nicely.

For my main, I ordered the Paidakia ($19.95), which was the lamb chop dinner. It came with a Greek salad, seasoned rice, roast potatoes and 4 lamb chops. It was a decent-sized meal and again, the food was amazing. This was by far the best Greek salad I've had, ever. You may notice in the photo below that the yellow-ish tinge in the vinaigrette, but not to worry; this colouring was due to the presence of mustard and lemon juice. I assure you, it was to die for (I can't believe I'm saying this about a salad, lol.) The feta also tasted super fresh. And the lamb - ohhh, the lamb - it was utterly heavenly. It was cooked just the way I'd requested - medium - and it was juicy with slight marbling to keep it extra tender. My friend gave me some tzatiki sauce from his dish (hence, the dollop of white), and it tasted great with the meat and rice. I really recommend this meal (i.e. dinner plate and salad).

My friend ordered the Vegetarian Plate ($9.95), which includes a Greek salad, rice, roast potatoes and vegetables. My friend enjoyed his meal, but thought that the carrots tasted of the frozen variety. I had a taste and agreed. They didn't have a freezer burn taste, but the zigzag shape and less-than-fresh taste gave them away.

Food aside, our waitress (a plump middle-aged lady) was unfriendly and had an attitude problem that reeked of disinterest in servicing customers. The host, a man with greying hair and a mustache, was warm and welcoming. Service aside, however, the food was fantastic and I will be coming back. If you can stomach poor customer service and love lamb and/or mushrooms, I highly recommend this place.

Red Lobster

Date: October 9, 2011

Location: 3252 Sheppard Ave. E. (W. of Victoria Park Ave.), Scarborough

Website: http://www.redlobster.com/

Meal: dinner

My thoughts:
I'm not a big fan of Red Lobster simply because I don't think the food is that great. But I was here to celebrate someone's birthday and they chose to eat here.

Anyway, we were given some garlic tea biscuits before our meal and they were delicious. I honestly thought that this was the best part of the meal. The food went downhill from this point. (Note: these do not reheat well. I took a few home and had some the next day, and they were very dense and not fresh.)

We ordered shrimp nachos ($11.50), which were not very good. The cheese tasted like Cheese Whiz - gooey and not melty. The shrimp were very small, and the dish itself was also on the small side (compared to other major restaurant chains, such as Kelsey's or Boston Pizza). On a slightly different note, I have tried their lobster nachos before (no longer offered and I wonder why). I remember that I didn't like them and for the same reason.

I had the Cajun chicken linguine Alfredo ($17.50). The chicken was delicious, grilled and cut into large chunks; also, there was a generous amount of it - excellent. I didn't really like the Alfredo sauce though. It tasted like something you'd get out of a can - bland, way too much cream, and in need of some herbs and seasonings. This came with a choice of salad, but I chose to upgrade to a clam chowder soup for an extra $2.99. It also tasted like it came straight out of a can.

We also ordered the Crab linguini alfredo ($17.25), and what really struck us was that the sauce was a carbon copy of the chicken Alfredo sauce. I mean, yes, it is stated in the name that they're Alfredo pastas, but you would think that they would do something to customize the sauces to their own respective dishes, especially at that price! This also came with a salad (choice of Caesar or garden).

 

The birthday girl opted to order the All-you-can-eat shrimp special ($19.95). For this special, you can order as many items and as many times as you'd like, but you can only order two things at once (probably in an effort to reduce food going to waste). She ordered mashed potatoes, garlic shrimp, shrimp linguini Alfredo, breaded shrimp and grilled shrimp skewers. Of these, I only tried the breaded shrimp and shrimp linguini Alfredo. The former was not bad - the shrimp to bread ratio was slightly off (not much shrimp) but I happen to like that :o) It came with a tangy sweet chili sauce that suited the shrimp well. However, the latter had the exact same sauce as the other two pastas - surprise, surprise, eh? - with a small serving of (small) shrimp. Again, the shrimp did nothing for the sauce.

All in all, this was an enjoyable meal simply because of the company. Service was good, too. But consistent with previous visits I've made to this restaurant, the food is not very good. I've had much better seafood at non-seafood restaurants, which is really saying something!

Pho on 7

Date: October 9, 2011

Location: 3621 Highway 7 East #111 (W. of Warden Ave.), Markham

Website: N/A

Meal: lunch

My thoughts:

Came here for a rather late lunch with my family and so I got to try quite a few things.

We also ordered Crispy tofu with chili salt and a Mixed fried seafood platter to start. The tofu was delicious; they were bite-sized, deep-fried (hence crispy), and seasoned with chili salt, which gave it a nice kick. I should say that I personally love tofu, so I may be slightly biased, but I did really think this was tasty. If you haven't really forayed into the wonderful world of tofu, fried tofu is a good place to start. This particular dish was not battered, which as you read on about the other appetizer, turned out to be a good thing. The latter dish was really disappointing and definitely not worth the price of $30. There was a good variety of seafood (namely, squid, mussel, soft-shell crab, fish - not sure what kind, scallop, and shrimp), and an acceptable amount of seafood (approximately 15 pieces). However, the batter was not crispy and seemed rather "spread" thin on the seafood. Also, oddly, both appetizers came towards the end of our meal.

For my meal, I ordered a Transparent noodle in soup with seafood simply because I generally was curious about the "transparent" noodles. While the noodles themselves were really good - thin, fresh, chewy (as opposed to overcooked and limp) and slightly transparent, the soup was a bit of a letdown. It was plain, and although there were a few (~5) pieces of seafood, the soup didn't taste seafood-based; it tasted like beef broth with seafood. On the upside, there weren't pools of grease, which in my experience, is quite common with pho noodles.

My parents shared a Pho with beef tendon and sliced beef. The pho was very thin, and again, chewy, which was very good. I tried a piece of beef tendon, and it was delicious. One sister had a Noodle in Tom Yum soup with seafood, which is a Thai-based soup. I thought the soup tasted funny, but everyone else seemed to enjoy it. My other sister had a Pho in soup with sliced lamb. The pho in her dish was very thick cut (~1.5cm wide). She wanted the thin-cut noodles that my parents got and the waitresses said it was too late to make a change - understandable, but they should state in the menu whether the pho is thin or thick cut, as some people have a preference. Anyway, I tried her noodles and they tasted "gloopy" - perhaps an indication they were overcooked. I did like the thin noodles better.

Now for the service. The waitresses spoke loudly, which was understandable because the fans were very loud, but it didn't make for a very good experience (they should look into quieter fans!) However, it was evident that they really did try to service us well. For example, they patiently made note of all the things that my sister, who is a picky eater, wanted omitted from her noodle soup.

The prices were generally more expensive, maybe around $2-3, than most Pho places. Would I come back? All things considered, no. There were a few good elements, but nothing that I couldn't find someplace quieter and at a cheaper price.

Earth

Date: October 7, 2011

Location: 2448 Bloor Street West (west of Jane), Toronto

Website: http://www.globeearth.ca/

Meal: dinner

My thoughts:

Strolling along Bloor, this restaurant's classy lounge-like ambiance and festive fall decor (actually, it was more like a small collection of fall gourds and pumpkins strewn on a pillar) immediately drew us in. We were greeted by a friendly patron and asked if we would like to sit in the dining area or wine bar, and we chose the former.

Our waitress, who was very cordial and polite, explained the daily dishes of the day. We ordered our meal and were subsequently given a plate of freshly made scones. I had about half of one, and while it was very good, it filled me up a lot. (I should've known better than to have one knowing how dense scones are, so a word of caution.)

Our food arrived in a timely manner. I found the east coast lobster bisque to be quite watery in consistency, but quite greasy. There were a few chunks (give or take 5) of moderate-sized lobster. Flavour-wise, I thought this was just a bit salt-laden. This definitely doesn't come anywhere close to The Lobster Trap's bisque. It did, however, serve its purpose of warming me up on a chilly night (the restaurant's doors were kept open and we were sitting fairly close to the door).

We shared 3 sides, which were served in three tall bowl/cups on a serving/platter plate. I'm pretty sure the cook forgot to put anything on the chili honey glazed broccoli because there was no honey, no chili, no nothing. The steam whistle baked beans tasted a bit like your typical canned beans in tomato sauce with a generous splash of wine or vodka that had not dissolved properly - harsh, but true. I was just not a fan. The spiced mashed pumpkin was by far my favourite; it tasted like a less-desserty version of pumpkin pie. I really enjoyed the spices, raisin and walnut pieces. The problem was that it was very buttery/creamy/rich. As if the scone and bisque (and cream-filled crackers that I couldn't resist sneaking just prior to dinner) weren't already filling enough!

Then our mains came. I ordered the seared scallop topped on bak choy, and my first observation was that despite the nice presentation of our plates, the actual food quantity was quite small (mind you, I was already stuffed, so the the quantity worked in my favour in that sense, but I was expecting something a bit more substantial). Anyway, did the taste of the food make up for this? I thought that while the scallops, which were pan-seared, were good, they were slightly overdone, and that the bak choy (this wasn't actually bak choy, but I don't know what it was) was too salty. There was a dilute, milky broth, but it didn't add any flavour to either the scallops or bak choy.

My friend decided on the autumn tian, essentially is a vegetarian quiche, minus the dairy/eggs, wrapped in a wonton sheet with chili oil drizzled over top. It was interesting and frankly, I liked it better than mine. I think I wanted something light and healthy after my filling starters. It was also just really neat to look at; it looked like a giant vegetable dumpling. There was also a little pear-walnut-greens "salad", which paired well with the chili oil. My friend really liked his dish. (Apologies for the shadow in the following photo.)

So my final word, would I recommend this place? I really liked the decor and ambiance, and would probably only come back for drinks. Also, I think they could have really worked on the "earth" aspect. Maybe a lot of the ingredients were locally-sourced, but because this wasn't really elaborated on in the menu nor by our waitress, the whole "think global, eat local" idea seemed like a marketing gimmick. My friend brought up another very good point: because this is a "green" restaurant, why not have more options - vegetarian, vegan, etc.?

Opera Cafe Fine Pastry

Date: October 2, 2011

Location: 2312 Bloor St. W. (half block west of Runnymede Rd.), Toronto

Website: N/A

Meal: lunch
 

My thoughts:

I had the steak and mushroom pot pie, and my friend a vegetarian baguette (not on their menu and specially made for my vegan friend). The pie was delicious! The pastry, which was very light and flaky, was decidedly the best part, and the filling was actually packed with good-quality steak and mushrooms (rather than liquid). 

On a similar note, my friend really enjoyed his baguette, which he said was packful of vegetables, as the picture below shows:

We also each had a latte. I found my latte to be not very well-blended (see first of two pictures below). To be more specific, the foam topping droplets of espresso, which was very bitter (it would have been a different story if they'd at least made the shape of a heart, lol). The remainder of my coffee was rather dilute.

But whatever, they were very accommodating towards my friend, and the pie more than made up for the sub-par coffee. Bottom line: I will return to try their chicken pot pie next time! On a different note, I loved the colourful pastries they had on display, as well as the European flair in the decor/lighting. (I wish I'd taken a picture of the restaurant.) Friendly, helpful staff.

Live Organic Food Bar

Date: October 1, 2011

Location: 264 Dupont St. (NE corner of Dupont and Spadina), Downtown Toronto

Website: http://www.livefoodbar.com/index.html 

Meal: dinner 

My thoughts:

Okay, I cannot lie. I was here, not once but twice, in August and forgot to blog about this place. I hope that doesn't make me a bad blogger : / Anyway, as you might have suspected, I had a very enjoyable experience the first time, which led me to return two additional times. I'll quickly recap what I can remember of those visits before proceeding to tell you about my most recent visit.

On my first two visits, I came for lunch and had the Tofu Omelette (soft tofu, mushrooms, spinach, olives, basil pesto, sundried tomatoes, cashew feta*. Side of Ezekiel + tempeh bacon) and Big Bowl Salad (field greens, kale, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, mixed seeds, avocado, micro greens, sunflower sesame hummus, hemp ginger salad). Both were terrific, so terrific that I have honestly been itching to return with every waking moment since my last visit. 

This time, we started off with a generous-sized plate of baked Sweet Potato Fries, which came with a BBQ dipping sauce. Despite being baked, these were quite crispy, with a hint of spice - just the way I like it. A minor note was that these were thick-cut, which was different. 

I also had a hearty Black Bean Burrito, which consisted of black bean hummus, brown rice, guacamole, salsa, marinated greens and chipotle aioli. I think my favourite part about this wrap was the somewhat thick/layered but crispy wrap, which I should mention is gluten-free and brown.

My friend ordered a Trainers Bowl, which was essentially a salad consisting of steamed greens, pickled cabbage, black beans, chickpeas, quinoa and a sprouted seed breadstick.  

While all the dishes were very good, I found that none of them compared to what I had in previous visits. Don't get me wrong - I absolutely will be returning, but I think I'll be coming for brunch as the menu was more extensive. On a different note, this establishment is slightly more expensive than other comparable joints, with prices averaging about $13-15 per dish. But for what you get, it is worth every penny. Besides, everything is organic and sourced from local farms. Tasty, healthy and environmentally conscious? Yes, please!

The Grenadier Restaurant

Date: September 10, 2011

Location: in the heart of High Park (just outside High Park subway station)

Website: http://grenadiercafe.com/

Meal: dinner

My thoughts:
Came here after a long afternoon of hiking, so needless to say, we had worked up quite an appetite. I was so hungry that I ordered two dishes, an omelette (they have all-day breakfast) and a spinach salad. The omelette not bad, albeit quite standard and a tad dry.

However, I really enjoyed the spinach and mushroom salad. It was quite a basic salad, but the ingredients were very fresh and the dressing so light that it was nearly imperceptible. Also, it had a generous amount of raw mushrooms, which I hardly ever have (raw, that is); so it was quite a surprise, but a pleasant one at that! I won't bother listing all the ingredients because - lo and behold - I actually took pictures ;) 

My friend had a veggie burger, which I personally found a bit dry and in need of some mayo or aioli to give it a bit of tang. 

To finish everything off - actually, I lied because we started our meal with this - a warm baklava, which was your typical baklava, delicious and saturated in sugary sweetness. As you can see, we were so hungry that we devoured about half of it before remembering to take a photo. I assure you that it looked quite nice to start off, though! ;o)

While I was not overly impressed with the omelette or veggie burger, I would come here again. Aside from the fact that this is very conveniently located (convenient if you are at the park, that is), it has a very family-oriented, self-serve, laid-back feel, which I like, so I will return. Unfortunately, this place does not have an address. But I believe it is the only restaurant in the entire park, so hopefully finding it won't be an issue should you decide to check this place out.

Divino

Date: September 8, 2011

Location: 1 Balmoral Avenue (S. of Yonge and St. Clair)

Website: http://divinocuisine.com/

Meal: dinner

My thoughts:
Strolling through the heart of midtown Toronto, my friend and I were very fortunate to have stumbled upon this place. What a gem of a place this was on all levels of a good dining experience! Great ambiance (classic rock tunes playing softly, dim lights, large windows and a small tea light candle adorning each table), great service and great food! 

We were served complimentary bread with a dip that had a hummus-like consistency, and some olive oil with balsamic vinaigrette for my friend, who is vegan. For our mains, I had the Pappardelle (whole wheat pasta with vegetables and sweet pea pesto) and my friend the Al Funghi pizza (with sautéed mushrooms, fresh thyme and a medley of vegetables in place of cheese). Both were simply delectable. It was apparent that the pasta noodles were freshly made and cooked to al dente perfection; the pesto sauce was unique, tasty and not oily, which tends to be the case for many pesto-based pastas. My friend's pizza was surprisingly very good, surprising because there was no cheese and I am a devoted cheese lover. 


A great place to come with a group of friends because of the ample space, and for patio drinks in the summer. It was quite cold the night we went, so we sat indoors.

Real World Sports Bar

Date: September 3, 2011

Location: 15 York St (S. of Front St.)

Website: http://www.realsports.ca/

Meal: late night snacks/drinks

My thoughts:
Already being in the financial district, The Real World Sports Bar was just a hop and skip away, so my companion and I decided to come here to satisfy a late night craving for greasy munchies. And munch we did. We ordered sweet potato fries, which were served piping hot and with a side of two dipping sauces. The fries themselves had a hint of Indian spices - amongst one of which I think was cumin, but it's hard to say with my unrefined taste palette - which I thought paired very well with the dipping sauces. My friend opted for ketchup to go with the fries, and thought the fries were just okay, but admitted that they were hot and crispy.

We also ordered some drinks of the alcoholic variety. I had a Fruli strawberry beer (Belgium), which I really recommend if you have never tried it, and my friend some cocktails. Service was quick and friendly. We sat at a booth, which had its own TV on the wall (only sports channels were available, of course) - a great touch to set the establishment apart from other bars. Will definitely be making a trip here again (and again)!