The Mad Italian Gelato Bar

Date: May 31, 2012
Location: 1581 Bayview Ave. (south of Eglinton Ave.), Toronto
Website: http://www.maditalian.ca/
Meal: snacks

My thoughts:
I have been meaning to try this place for months, and I am so glad I finally made the trek here today! 

I had a kiddie-sized gelato ($2.85, one flavour) of the Ferrero Rocher to start off. It really tasted like the namesake chocolate that is so dear to so many of our hearts! 

My friend had a small ($3.85, two flavours) of the Dulche de Leche and Pistachio in a waffle cone ($0.75 extra). I have never been a huge fan of the former flavour because I find it very sweet, but the Pistachio was very good, as was the cone.

I finished with a hot pizza cone (I know, my meal was backwards). I ordered the Margherita ($3.99), which consisted of mozzarella and parmesan cheeses with diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and basil. The moment I sank my teeth into this, I felt I'd gone to food heaven. The cheese was very stringy, the sauce flavourful and aromatic, the ingredients evidently fresh, and the crust fluffy. Small portion but definitely worth every penny! This was not simply a cone-shaped pizza, it was amazing cone-shaped pizza!!

My verdict: I strongly recommend for the hot cones! Prior to ordering the Margherita, I had asked my server which pizza/hot cones she would recommend. She pretty much listed all of the flavours, and quite frankly, I am not surprised. I’m sure they’re all amazing! In hindsight, I wish I'd dissected the cone and taken a pic of it so that you can get a better idea how stuffed it was with cheesy goodness. The gelato was good too, but it wasn't anything special. Great service to top it all off!

Baton Rouge

Date: May 30, 2012

Location: 230 Commerce Valley Dr. E. (west of Hwy 404), Thornhill

Website: http://www.batonrougerestaurants.com

Meal: lunch

My thoughts:

I came here with a friend today on a whim. I must admit, it's been many years since I'd been to this particular location - in fact, I was here to celebrate my birthday - so it brought back pleasant memories.

Anyway, the Ahi Tuna Salad immediately caught my eye. I had this at another Baton Rouge, and although the tuna itself wasn't very memorable, the portion was huge and filling (and hence worth the hefty $20 price tag for a salad). 

In the end, I decided on a lunch special, the Mediterranean Chicken Salad ($13), and a glass of red (wine makes everything taste sooo much better!) The salad consisted of 6 ounces of grilled chicken breast on a bed of romaine lettuce topped with grilled zucchini, red peppers, onion straws, olives and goat cheese. There was a choice of dressing, and I chose honey dijon (my favourite). 

I found the chicken to be dry (I suppose better than undercooked! See my Canteen post). The onion straws were delicious, but I didn't think they gelled well with the salad. I would have preferred spinach leaves, as stated in the menu, over romaine lettuce, which I find somewhat bland in comparison. I also don't care for olives. I loved the dressing, veggies and cheese.

My friend ordered the grilled Atlantic Salmon Filet, which came with tartar sauce and a choice of side. My friend had the Cajun rice and ordered an extra side of steamed vegetables. I'd had better seasoned rice before. I personally thought it tasted like the instant variety. The salmon was not too bad - great with the tartar sauce but lacking without. The vegetables were overcooked.

All in all, the food was not fantastic, but I think Baton is more about the dining experience than the food (hence, perfect for, say, business meetings or other more formal occasions). Their house red wine (Big Red) is amazing though!

Canteen

Date: May 27, 2012

Location: 330 King St. W. (west of John St.), downtown Toronto

Website: http://www.oliverbonacini.com/Canteen.aspx

Meal: light dinner

My thoughts:

My friend and I were wandering somewhat aimlessly when I caught sight of this restaurant and instantly recognized it as a member of the Oliver & Bonacini family. (FYI: The founders are Michael Bonacini and Peter Oliver, not Jamie Oliver, in case you were wondering.) 

I ordered the organic leaves & herbs salad ($7) with grilled chicken ($9 extra). The salad itself was really good, but small (I suppose this should have been expected, seeing as how this wasn't an entree salad). The glazed nut topping was very good - I wish there was more of it! (Be prepared for a lengthy discussion on the chicken now. Feel free to skip to the last line, haha!) The chicken, however, was evidently undercooked. Our waitress brought me a new piece of chicken, but it was still slightly pink. This time, I asked to have the meat cooked a bit longer rather than disposed of. The chicken was cooked through the third time around, and the waitress told me the chicken would be taken off the bill because of all the hassle. Now that's good customer service!

My vegan friend ordered the mixed grain salad ($8) with chickpea fritters ($7 extra). The grain salad consisted mostly of quinoa and chickpeas. It was a light yet flavourful salad. The chickpeas were fluffy and evidently fried but didn't seem oily.

Would I come back? Because I'm always looking to venture to new restaurants, I probably wouldn't go out of my way to come back. But I would recommend this place, if not for the extensive patio or the light fare, then for the good service, which is a rarity in my experience and it just makes for a more pleasurable dining experience!

As an aside, I found their drinks menu kind of neat and creative. Take a look:

Earth Indian Restaurant and Wine Bar

Date: May 26, 2012

Location: 5949 Yonge St. (south of Steeles Ave.), Toronto

Website: http://www.earthindian.com/

Meal: dinner

My thoughts:

I came here because I'd purchased one of those online vouchers. Everything was pretty spicy, but the kitchen can make accommodations if you can't handle heat. The service was top notch and judging from the decor and prices, it was evident this was a higher end restaurant. Unfortunately, the food did not meet our expectations. This is what we had:

Chef's Platter ($7.95): assortment of veggie samosas, paneer pakoras and vegetable pakoras. This was 'highly recommended' by our waiter, but in the end, this just didn't suit our palettes. We loved the samosas, but were unimpressed with the paneer pakoras and just not a fan of the vegetable pakoras. Paneer pakoras are essentially deep-fried blocks of cheese, and vegetable pakoras are deep-fried vegetable balls.

Tandoori Sampler ($13.95): lamb seekh kabab, lahori chicken tikka and tandoori prawns. The kebabs didn't really taste like lamb; it had a strange texture and tasted odd. The chicken was dry but flavourful. The prawns were pretty good.

 

Beef curry ($13.95): tender beef braised in traditional sauce served with rice. The sauce was verrry (i.e. overly) thick. We prefer curries that are semi-viscous so that rice can be mixed in. Flavour was good but was a little on the salty side.

 

Chicken biryani ($12.95): chicken with basmati rice flavoured with aromatic spices. Again, good flavour but salty and quite spicy. This was our favourite dish that night.

 

Naan ($1.95): plain leavened bread of northern India. Light, fluffy and very good hot.

Whole wheat roti ($1.95): Not a fan. Very dry.

We also had a mango lassi ($3.50) - a mango yogurt smoothie - and a Cheetah beer ($4.50).

My verdict: I would not recommend this place, especially given the prices and tiny serving sizes. As I mentioned in a previous post, I would much prefer Indian buffets mostly because they are so economical and there is so much variety, which is ideal for someone who isn't very familiar with traditional Indian cuisine.

Bier Markt

Date: May 21, 2012
Location: 7 O'Neill Rd. (at Shops at Don Mills), Toronto
Website: http://www.thebiermarkt.com/
Meal: brunch

My thoughts:
I came here with my family to celebrate my parents' 28th wedding anniversary. My mom's wanted to try this restaurant for quite some time and suggested this place. 

We ordered a beer sampler ($20 for 6 glasses) - highly recommended if you, like us, are overwhelmed by their vast selection of beer - and the following things to share:

Classic burger ($15): 8 oz char-grilled AAA ground sirloin with tomato, lettuce, red onion and pickle with a side of Belgian crisps. This was the first burger I'd had in well over a decade (I kid you not), and I am glad I chose a higher end one in lieu of one from a fast food restaurant. The Belgian crisps taste very much like kettle chips, which were thick cut and very crispy - yum.

Seafood pot ($19 Monday special): Atlantic salmon, PEI mussels, Black Tiger shrimp, vegetables, potatoes in a tomato fennel broth. I consider myself to be an amateur chef, but I am pretty sure I could have made this myself with some experimentation. The broth was nothing special.

Cheese and lager fondue ($21): cheese fondue with Granny Smith apple, potatoes and Bistro bread for dipping. Highly recommended but best shared, as it is very filling! I found the bread to be quite dense. My favourite was definitely the potatoes.

Shrimp and lobster rolls ($17): Black Tiger shrimp, lobster, creme fraiche, minced celery, fine herbs and shallots on a toasted roll. Another dish I am sure I can make myself. I couldn't really discern the shrimp and the lobster. Also, the dressing also tasted a lot like a Miracle Whip and sour cream mixture. This was disappointing.

My verdict: While I personally wasn't impressed with all our dishes, we really enjoyed our meal overall. (I'm also the only one who really likes to experiment with cooking, so everyone else was quite satisfied with the food.) Their food is definitely far better than traditional pub fare. Very generous-sized portions. We were stuffed for most of the day! Attentive service. I'd recommend mostly for the beer and fondue, and for a night out with friends.

La Paloma Gelateria & Cafe

Date: May 18, 2012

Location: 1357 St. Clair Ave. W. (east of Caledonia Rd.), Toronto

Website: http://lapaloma.ca/

Meal: dessert

My thoughts:

I had the Amaretto ($4.75 for one scoop/flavour) and my friend had the Pistachio and some sort of Oreo-like flavour ($6 for two flavours/scoops). I also had a hot chocolate and my friend a coffee.

While the gelato and drinks were very good, I wasn't particularly fond of the service. All the staff seemed very monotonous and unmotivated to serve customers. Also, at 10:55pm, we were even asked to leave because they were closing (on the door, it says they close at 11pm). I was pretty tired and I wanted to get going anyway, so I just obliged, although under any other circumstances, I would have said something. Maybe it was because of the service that the place was so empty on a Friday night. This is what the place looked like at 10pm.

Eden Trattoria

Date: May 18, 2012
Location: 58 Marine Parade Dr. (east of Park Lawn Rd.), Etobicoke 
Website: http://www.edentrattoria.com/
Meal: dinner

My thoughts:
I was reluctant to come here sheerly because of the distance, but my friend insisted (and he offered to drive - I can't even begin to express how much I despise the TTC, haha.) This restaurant is located right off of the Humber Bay. Beautiful area.

We arrived at 7 and were told there was a 25 minute wait. We waited at the bar and had some drinks. We were transferred to a table about 15 minutes later.

Mushroom Salad ($11.99) with Grilled Chicken ($5 extra): organic greens topped with wild mushrooms and goat cheese drizzled with balsamic glaze. Our waitress told me this would be enough for a meal, which it wasn't (maybe I just eat more than the typical female), but I didn't feel like ordering something else. Anyway, the salad itself was really good. There were some toasted glazed nuts, which paired very well with balsamic vinegar. There was also a pretty generous amount of chicken. I think my only gripe would be the overall portion size.

Veal Scallopini ($16.99) with Greek Salad ($7 extra): veal topped with a mushroom cream sauce served with salad. My friend upgraded his salad to a Greek salad, which I believe was $5 and feta was an extra $2. The veal and the veal sauce were delicious. Very hearty.

My verdict: Yes, I would definitely recommend this restaurant if you're looking for delicious, authentic Italian fare with a gorgeous view of Lake Ontario in the backdrop. I wouldn't recommend their lychee martini, though; the lychee like it came from a very low-end/cheap brand of canned lychee. Friendly service. If you have a tendency to overeat, you have the option of exploring or hiking in the Humber Bay Park after dinner. They also offer various desserts and gelato flavours, which we didn't try.

Cha-Time

Date: May 15, 2012

Location: 132 Dundas St. W. (west of Yonge St.), Toronto

Website: http://www.ichatime.com/

Meal: drinks

My thoughts:

After shopping all afternoon, both my sister and I were completely depleted of energy and very thirsty. My sister suggested this place. 

We ordered the lychee green tea with tapioca. I realize there is just about a bubble tea joint around every corner within the downtown core, but this place really stands out. This was possibly the best bubble tea I'd ever had! Each drink can be customized to your preferred level of sweetness and amount of ice. (I've been to some places that gave me a hard time for asking for little to no ice.) The bubbles were also perfectly chewy. The lychee/green tea combination was an interesting (in a good way) combination. Loved it!

It's a shame that there is only one Cha-Time location in Canada.

Joe's Buffet Palace

Date: May 15, 2012
Location: 361 Yonge St. (at Gerrard St.), Toronto
Website: http://www.joesbuffetpalace.com/
Meal: lunch

My thoughts:
My sister and I were going to go to this restaurant near Bay and Bloor. We ended up coming here because my sister insisted on checking out 'just a few more stores' and I was so hungry I felt I could eat a horse (figure of speech, okay?) and didn't have the energy to walk all the way there from the Eaton Center.

This ended up being a great choice. At $11.99 per person, this really is a steal (especially if you have an appetite like mine!) Also, while I love ethnic foods, because Indian flavours are so spicy and intense, I find that I can only have a little bit of every dish in one sitting. Hence, why I love Indian buffets!

We were given a window seat, which gave us a great view of the patio and Yonge Street. There was a decent selection (enough for me) of dishes. The samosas and butter chicken were to die for. Each table was also given a basket of hot naan - mmm. I usually love paneer, a vegetarian curry with Indian-style cottage cheese and spinach, but I wasn't a fan of the paneer here; I found the flavour off and very salty. The service was great. I enjoyed this meal. They haven't seen the last of me! ;)

Kazan Teppanyaki Barbeque Restaurant

Date: April 17, 2012

Location: 9625 Yonge St. (north of 16th Ave.), Richmond Hill

Website: http://www.kazanteppanyaki.com/

Meal: dinner

My thoughts:

My family and I came here for a joint birthday celebration for my sister and I. This is what we ordered below:

Takoyaki ($6.95): fried breaded squid balls.

Ja Jung Myun ($9.95): noodles with black bean sauce.

Steak teppanyaki ($24.95): 10 oz N.Y. strip loin. 

Sukiyaki teppanyaki ($19.95): 8 oz marinated rib eye in special sauce.

Yakiniku teppanyaki ($19.95): 8 oz thin sliced Black Angus strip loin with teriyaki sauce.

Choice of three teppanyaki ($29.95): chicken, shrimp and scallop.

If you have never had a teppanyaki meal, what it basically entails is a chef cooks your food in front of you on a flat iron grill. Asides from preparing and cooking the food, chefs usually also create some form of entertainment. A popular one is stacking several rings of onion and lighting the whole thing on fire to create the illusion of a moving volcano.

Anyway, I didn't bother taking pictures of the teppanyaki dishes because we all shared the food and it was difficult to differentiate between the different cuts of beef.

Overall, the food was pretty good. Each teppanyaki meal comes with the standard miso soup, a salad and a bowl of rice. I highly recommend upgrading the rice to fried rice for an extra $2.50. I didn't care too much for the takoyakis. They were somewhat lacking in flavour. The noodles were tasty but were lukewarm.

Although a bit pricey and the disappointing takoyakis, I think this restaurant's is a great place to celebrate a special occasion. It is fun and interactive. I just wouldn't recommend purchasing a voucher for this place. Apparently, there is a lot of unwritten fine print with using vouchers here, which did put a bit of a damper on our evening, especially given the fact that we were celebrating two people's birthdays.

Sushi Bar

Date: March 22, 2012

Location: 3369 Yonge St. (south of York Mills Dr.), Toronto

Website: http://www.kazanteppanyaki.com/

Meal: dinner

My thoughts:

Again, I apologize for blogging about the same restaurants multiple times. But this time, I've got pictures!!

As per usual, I ordered my favourite sushi roll here, the eel and avocado roll. And as per usual, it was perfection! Notice that the rice is brown. I really recommend making the substitution - if not for the taste, for health reasons. (Brown rice is high in various B-complex vitamins, iron and other minerals.) I also had a wakami (seaweed) salad, but alas, I forgot to take a picture.

This is what my friend always orders: Two bowls of brown rice and three orders each of salmon and tuna sashimi. Each order includes two pieces.

Guu Izakaya

Date: February 14, 2012

Location:  559 Bloor Street W. (east of Bathurst St.), Toronto

Website: http://www.guu-izakaya.com/

Meal: dinner

My thoughts:

I apologize in advance for my repeat visits to this place. I hope this isn't becoming a bore for you, but I really wanted to tell you about some new things I tried here and show you some new pictures! 

I'll skip over the things I've already blogged about, namely the okonomiyakis and kinoko bibimbap. Here's what I haven't told you about:

Salmon Tataki ($6.80): seared B.C. salmon sashimi with ponzu, wasabi mayo and garlic chips. Nothing special. I've had better seared salmon sashimi (coming up in my Wow Sushi post.)

Kakimayo ($7.20): baked B.C. oyster with mushrooms, spinach and garlic mayo topped with cheese. Holy calooza! Our favourite of the night and, hands down, officially one of my favourite Guu dishes! The description on the website really doesn't do this dish any justice. This truly is Guu in all its glory. A definite must try!!!

Saba ($8.30): grilled saba mackerel with dill herb, garlic lemon and onion on a sizzling plate. Our least favourite of the night. It just tasted, quite, well, fishy. The lemon didn't help one bit.

Cafe Crepe

Date: March 10, 2012
Location: 246 Queen St. W. (west of University Ave.), downtown Toronto

Website: 

Meal: dinner/snack

My thoughts:

I'd walked by this place numerous times back while I was in university and had never tried it. I suppose it had always seemed really commercialized, mainstream and just a student hang-out (i.e. cheap but not necessarily good). Anyway, when my friends suggested this place, I was dubious but decided to give it a try anyway. 

Oh boy. Was I ever glad I did! Although the restaurant looked really busy from the outside, we were promptly seated. The food itself really brings crepes to a whole new level. I had a chicken and mayonnaise crepe (notice a trend going here? I love mayo! You only live once, I say!) and my friend had an applesauce and cinnamon crepe. My crepe was $6.75 and my friend's $5.75 - very reasonably-priced.

I was blown away by how good the chicken was. I mean, it was literally an explosion of flavours in my mouth! After having a taste of my crepe, my friend's healthy crepe really paled in comparison. Don't get me wrong. I consider myself a healthy-eater (most of the time), but come on, when you're having crepes, you really shouldn't be holding back! Just my two cents..

My verdict: of course I will be coming back!! My only very minor complaint is that they could work on the presentation. It needs some visual appeal.

Dick's Wings and Grill

Date: March 2, 2012

Location: 205 Don Head Village Blvd. (east of Bathurst St.), Richmond Hill

Website:  http://www.menchies.ca

Meal: dinner

My thoughts:

Went there for the first time because I bought a deal from one of those deal sites. 

My friend and I ordered sweet potato fries ($5) and 30 wings (2 flavours, $28). The fries were thick-cut and lightly breaded. It didn't come with any of its own dipping sauce, but they did give me mayo when I asked for it (three times, to be exact.) The wings themselves really satisfied the craving I'd been having for big, saucy, juicy wings. I had honey garlic and my friend had BBQ. We both liked our own flavours better.

While the food was great, I'm really not sure what sort of ambiance they were trying to create with the dim lighting and dated decor. There was also not a lot of seating (by my rough estimation, I'd say there were no more than 10 small tables.) On a more positive note, the restaurant's owner did make rounds to chat with all the customers, which was nice.

Live music started around 9:30pm, and by then, the place was starting to shift from a more family to elder crowd.

Not bad overall. The service (which was slow and I'm just not a fan of being called "hon" in an exaggeratedly syrupy voice) and decor could use some work, but we really enjoyed the food. I will be coming back!