Red Tomato

Date: August 10, 2012

Location: 321 King Street West (east of Spadina), Downtown Toronto

Website: http://www.redtomato.ca/

Meal: dinner and drinks

My thoughts:

I'd heard so many good things about this place/Freddy's Not Here and was so glad to finally make it here! This was Part I of our girls' night out that night :) 

My friend and I both had a baked lobster and crab soup ($8.00), which was simply divine. I would not recommend sharing this! Not only is it socially awkward to share a soup, it is so delicious that if you were to share, whoever gets the first sip would definitely not want to share this with the other person ;) The only downfall is the massive puff pastry gives you the false impression that it is a big hearty serving; the layer of pastry is actually quite thin and there is not a whole lot of soup. That aside, a pastry-topped soup is a pretty neat idea and I thought it was worth the price!

 

Next, we shared three appies that night from the "small dishes" section. (Be warned that the "small dishes are indeed very small...)

The first was the Maryland style crab cake with corn and black bean salsa and chipotle remoulade ($9.00). My friend, who had previously never had a crab cake, loved this. I've had quite a few and thought it was okay. I just felt it needed more flavour. Very expensive for just one mediocre crab cake.

Next, we shared the crispy coconut shrimp with Thai dipping sauce ($8.00). This was probably my favourite appetizer discounting the soup. The shrimp were fresh and very crispy, and I just loved the combination of the sweetness of the coconut and the tang of the dipping sauce.

Lastly, we had the baked stuffed calamari wth seafood risotto and marinara sauce ($7.00). This both liked this the least. The risotto stuffing was very bland, and did not resemble risotto at all. The calamari was also very tough and dry. Yuck.

We both had a lemon martini ($8.00), with lemontini Vodka and lemonello. My friend loves this drink and suggested it to me. We both agreed that it wasn't anything exciting or special for that price. Oh well, this is King West after all.

On a final note, Red Tomato and Freddy's Not Here have the same owner. They're located at the same address, but the former is located downstairs. The former is also more of a casual restaurant and the latter is a more formal steakhouse. There are a few dishes, such as their famous soup, that are offered by both restaurants, but have a higher price tag at Freddy's. If you are going for solely for their soup, save yourself a few bucks and go to Red Tomato!