Date: Monday, May 26, 2014
Location: 330 Bay St (north of Adelaide), Financial District, Toronto
Website: http://www.mercatto.ca/
Cuisine: Italian
Meal: dinner
My thoughts:
Had dinner here with MT and blech. This is easily one of the worst restaurants I've been to in Toronto - and especially at this price point! While the service was good, the food does not merit such atrocious food.
We ordered the risotto balls ($12) to share. We were a bit perplexed when our server brought us a huge plate with only 3 tiny risotto balls. The 'balls' themselves were very hot (good) but bland. We would find out as the evening progressed that this was the highlight of the meal.
LINGUINE - bay scallops, calamari, PEI mussels, filetto di pomodoro, peperoncini / $18. My friend ordered this, and I had a taste. Save for the meager supply of seafood bits, this dish was largely tasteless. But still, this was a far cry from how horrible my dish was.
RAVIOLI - ricotta and pea filling / $20. This is easily the worst pasta dish I have ever had. The filling was hard and grainy, and to make matters worse, it only had FIVE pieces of pasta (which considering how bad it tasted, I guess this might've actually been a good thing). I kid you not.
All in all a horrendous food. Never. Coming. Back.
Monday, 26 May 2014
Friday, 23 May 2014
La Casita Chinese Eatery
Date: Friday, May 23, 2014
Location: 405 Dundas St W (east of Spadina), Toronto
Website: http://www.lacasitachineseeatery.ca/
Cuisine: Chinese
Meal: lunch
My thoughts:
Finally took DQ here for lunch for some cheap, tasty Chinese food. We each ordered a lunch combo, which was $5.95 + tax.
DQ got the black bean beef on rice, chicken balls and a soup.
I got the beef with vegetables on rice, spring rolls and a soup.
I've ordered the black bean in the past, and while the beef and mixed vegetable is solid, I prefer the black bean. A great spot to hit up for lunch if you're in the area!
Location: 405 Dundas St W (east of Spadina), Toronto
Website: http://www.lacasitachineseeatery.ca/
Cuisine: Chinese
Meal: lunch
My thoughts:
Finally took DQ here for lunch for some cheap, tasty Chinese food. We each ordered a lunch combo, which was $5.95 + tax.
DQ got the black bean beef on rice, chicken balls and a soup.
I got the beef with vegetables on rice, spring rolls and a soup.
I've ordered the black bean in the past, and while the beef and mixed vegetable is solid, I prefer the black bean. A great spot to hit up for lunch if you're in the area!
Tuesday, 20 May 2014
Cafe en Passant
Date: Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Location: 10133 Yonge St, Richmond Hill
Website: http://www.cafeenpassant.ca/
Cuisine: French
Meal: lunch
My thoughts:
I had the day off and came here with my mom and aunt, who had a Groupon voucher that she needed to use because it was expiring soon. She paid $52 for two 3-course meals (two appetizers, two entrees, two desserts and a bottle of sparkling water). Our server agreed to allow us to use the voucher for a group of three.
For starters:
Mussels with toasted garlic bread ($11.99): Mussels were small. We were given a choice of creamy garlic or marinara sauce, and opted for the former. Cream was delish but heavy.
Warm goat cheese in a raspberry sauce & toasted almonds ($11.99): This was even heavier than the other appetizer, but I liked this one better. The creaminess of the cheese with the sweet raspberry sauce made an excellent pairing. An app that is best shared.
For mains:
Crêpe St. Jacques with sauteed bay scallops & baby shrimp ($19.99): I've had this before on a previous visit and remember really liking it. But today I found the sauce to be too heavy for a crepe. (I packed up what I couldn't finish to go and used the sauce in a pasta for my sisters, and they loved it.)
Triple A New York Steak ($25.99): This is another repeat order, and this was a good choice today for everything else that we had because it had some greens and wasn't full of cream. Also, steak was very tender.
For dessert:
Crêpe framboise ($8.99): Crepe with raspberry sauce and whipped cream. This was another welcome break from all the cream in our dishes! Crepe was fresh.
Warm apple pie ($8.99): Pretty standard apple pie. Not warm enough for my liking, but we were too full anyway to finish the entire thing, so we didn't bother sending it back to the kitchen.
I used to think this place was good. I've been coming here for over 5 years and have tried most things on their menu. I can tell you first hand that they've got far more hits than misses. But their prices, which were steep to begin with and are continuously getting expensive, don't justify the food. I seem to not be alone on this on the basis that every time I've been here, the majority of patrons used a Groupon voucher. Now that prices are getting steeper, I'm seeing fewer people even though deals continue to be featured on Groupon. Also, their wait staff changed about a year or two ago. I have never seen the new staff (have only ever seen one server) crack a smile, and she's just generally not very friendly. Their website is also in dire need of a makeover. If the owners don't make some major changes, I'm not sure this place will be around for much longer.
Location: 10133 Yonge St, Richmond Hill
Website: http://www.cafeenpassant.ca/
Cuisine: French
Meal: lunch
My thoughts:
I had the day off and came here with my mom and aunt, who had a Groupon voucher that she needed to use because it was expiring soon. She paid $52 for two 3-course meals (two appetizers, two entrees, two desserts and a bottle of sparkling water). Our server agreed to allow us to use the voucher for a group of three.
For starters:
Mussels with toasted garlic bread ($11.99): Mussels were small. We were given a choice of creamy garlic or marinara sauce, and opted for the former. Cream was delish but heavy.
Warm goat cheese in a raspberry sauce & toasted almonds ($11.99): This was even heavier than the other appetizer, but I liked this one better. The creaminess of the cheese with the sweet raspberry sauce made an excellent pairing. An app that is best shared.
For mains:
Crêpe St. Jacques with sauteed bay scallops & baby shrimp ($19.99): I've had this before on a previous visit and remember really liking it. But today I found the sauce to be too heavy for a crepe. (I packed up what I couldn't finish to go and used the sauce in a pasta for my sisters, and they loved it.)
Triple A New York Steak ($25.99): This is another repeat order, and this was a good choice today for everything else that we had because it had some greens and wasn't full of cream. Also, steak was very tender.
For dessert:
Crêpe framboise ($8.99): Crepe with raspberry sauce and whipped cream. This was another welcome break from all the cream in our dishes! Crepe was fresh.
Warm apple pie ($8.99): Pretty standard apple pie. Not warm enough for my liking, but we were too full anyway to finish the entire thing, so we didn't bother sending it back to the kitchen.
I used to think this place was good. I've been coming here for over 5 years and have tried most things on their menu. I can tell you first hand that they've got far more hits than misses. But their prices, which were steep to begin with and are continuously getting expensive, don't justify the food. I seem to not be alone on this on the basis that every time I've been here, the majority of patrons used a Groupon voucher. Now that prices are getting steeper, I'm seeing fewer people even though deals continue to be featured on Groupon. Also, their wait staff changed about a year or two ago. I have never seen the new staff (have only ever seen one server) crack a smile, and she's just generally not very friendly. Their website is also in dire need of a makeover. If the owners don't make some major changes, I'm not sure this place will be around for much longer.
Friday, 16 May 2014
Pizzeria Libretto
Date: Friday, May 16, 2014
Location: 550 Danforth Ave (west of Pape), Greektown, Toronto
Website: http://pizzerialibretto.com/
Cuisine: Italian/pizzeria
Meal: dinner
My thoughts:
I came here with some girlfriends for a belated birthday celebration. We made reservations, which proved to be a good idea given how busy it was.
We ordered the Buttermilk Fried Calamari (red pepper almond romesco sauce, libretto herb oil, $12) to share. I thought this was alright, but my friends were really impressed... so much so that they ordered a second one!
For our mains, we each ordered a pizza.
Margherita: tomato, basil, mozzarella / $14. KK ordered this one. This was the one bad (horrible) dish of the night. The cheese was sparse and one flavour that dominated the entire pizza was very, very tart. We were surprised that such a standard pizza was so bad.
Cremini Mushroom: bufala mozzarella, gorgonzola, roasted garlic, rosemary, thyme, pecorino / $17. This was what I ordered. This was, in stark contrast to the margherita, amazing! I loved that there was ample cheese, as well as the pairing of the herbs with the selection of cheese. Love.
Duck Confit - bosc pear, mozzarella / $17. JA ordered this one, and this was another stellar dish. As much as I like duck, it's not something I usually order because it tends to be fatty. But that certainly wasn't the case here. I couldn't decide between this and the mushroom pizza which was better. Really though, who cares? Both are definite must-try's.
Just a final note that the dough of the pizzas here are quite thin and airy. I will have to pay another visit to Terroni's soon to compare their crusts. Both are great places to hit up if you are a pizza fan. Just remember to make a reservation!
Location: 550 Danforth Ave (west of Pape), Greektown, Toronto
Website: http://pizzerialibretto.com/
Cuisine: Italian/pizzeria
Meal: dinner
My thoughts:
I came here with some girlfriends for a belated birthday celebration. We made reservations, which proved to be a good idea given how busy it was.
We ordered the Buttermilk Fried Calamari (red pepper almond romesco sauce, libretto herb oil, $12) to share. I thought this was alright, but my friends were really impressed... so much so that they ordered a second one!
For our mains, we each ordered a pizza.
Margherita: tomato, basil, mozzarella / $14. KK ordered this one. This was the one bad (horrible) dish of the night. The cheese was sparse and one flavour that dominated the entire pizza was very, very tart. We were surprised that such a standard pizza was so bad.
Cremini Mushroom: bufala mozzarella, gorgonzola, roasted garlic, rosemary, thyme, pecorino / $17. This was what I ordered. This was, in stark contrast to the margherita, amazing! I loved that there was ample cheese, as well as the pairing of the herbs with the selection of cheese. Love.
Duck Confit - bosc pear, mozzarella / $17. JA ordered this one, and this was another stellar dish. As much as I like duck, it's not something I usually order because it tends to be fatty. But that certainly wasn't the case here. I couldn't decide between this and the mushroom pizza which was better. Really though, who cares? Both are definite must-try's.
Just a final note that the dough of the pizzas here are quite thin and airy. I will have to pay another visit to Terroni's soon to compare their crusts. Both are great places to hit up if you are a pizza fan. Just remember to make a reservation!
Saturday, 10 May 2014
The Sushi Bar
Date: Saturday, May 10, 2014
Location: 3365 Yonge St (south of York Mills), Toronto
Website: http://www.thesushibar.ca/
Cuisine: Japanese
Meal: dinner
My thoughts:
After raving about it for so long, I finally brought my family to one of my favourite Japanese joints in the city. The place is newly renovated and much more spacious than its previous locale just two doors down.
We ordered the following things to share:
Salmon tartare ($9): This is a new item off their specials menu, and one which we were very impressed with. Little niblets of tempura with chopped salmon sashimi, rice, fish roe and spicy mayo - thinking about it is already making me salivate. The only downside is it is a very tiny portion - it's almost as small as it looks (like a piece of sushi if you ask me!)
Aji Wakame ($4.95): Standard, but fresh and yummy, seaweed salad.
Osaka Sashimi Combo ($20.95) - 3 pieces each of tuna, salmon, butter fish, white tuna. My mom, who is a bit of a sashimi connoisseur, ordered this and commented on how fresh the fish was. Score!
BBQ eel and avocado roll ($5.45 + $0.75 for brown rice): Of course I had to order my favourite roll here! My family liked this as much as I do. So good we ordered two of these.
Vegetable udon ($8.95): Delicious, fresh, thick, chewy noodles. Love.
This was some fish dish offered to us on the house. I don't remember what it was exactly, but I wasn't a huge fan anyway. It tasted like it came from a can or something.
Boston roll ($6.45) - scallop, cucumber, fish roe and spicy mayo. We ordered this for my sister who doesn't eat anything that isn't fully cooked, not knowing that the scallop is raw (it doesn't say so on the menu). I'm pretty selective with raw foods myself, so I didn't eat this.
Black dragon roll ($12.95) - BBQ eel on a shrimp tempura roll with tempura bits, fish roe, green onion, cucumber and spicy mayo. We liked this but collectively agreed that it doesn't even come close to beating the eel and avocado roll. Especially given that its double the price.
California roll ($4.95): Pretty standard. Ordered for my raw food-adverse sister.
Another complimentary dish consisting of various pickled veggies. Not bad.
Dragon Roll ($7.95) - California Roll topped with BBQ eel. Another item we ordered for my raw food-adverse sister. Pretty good, but like all rolls I've had here, it doesn't beat the eel and avocado roll.
All in all, my family liked this restaurant. But if you come here with a group, it can get expensive since portion sizes are smaller and/or prices more expensive (unless you're splitting the bill, which we obviously weren't). Quality and service are top notch, and I'm glad to see that their business seems to be doing well enough to open up in a larger, more accommodating location.
Location: 3365 Yonge St (south of York Mills), Toronto
Website: http://www.thesushibar.ca/
Cuisine: Japanese
Meal: dinner
My thoughts:
After raving about it for so long, I finally brought my family to one of my favourite Japanese joints in the city. The place is newly renovated and much more spacious than its previous locale just two doors down.
We ordered the following things to share:
Salmon tartare ($9): This is a new item off their specials menu, and one which we were very impressed with. Little niblets of tempura with chopped salmon sashimi, rice, fish roe and spicy mayo - thinking about it is already making me salivate. The only downside is it is a very tiny portion - it's almost as small as it looks (like a piece of sushi if you ask me!)
Aji Wakame ($4.95): Standard, but fresh and yummy, seaweed salad.
Osaka Sashimi Combo ($20.95) - 3 pieces each of tuna, salmon, butter fish, white tuna. My mom, who is a bit of a sashimi connoisseur, ordered this and commented on how fresh the fish was. Score!
BBQ eel and avocado roll ($5.45 + $0.75 for brown rice): Of course I had to order my favourite roll here! My family liked this as much as I do. So good we ordered two of these.
Vegetable udon ($8.95): Delicious, fresh, thick, chewy noodles. Love.
This was some fish dish offered to us on the house. I don't remember what it was exactly, but I wasn't a huge fan anyway. It tasted like it came from a can or something.
Boston roll ($6.45) - scallop, cucumber, fish roe and spicy mayo. We ordered this for my sister who doesn't eat anything that isn't fully cooked, not knowing that the scallop is raw (it doesn't say so on the menu). I'm pretty selective with raw foods myself, so I didn't eat this.
Black dragon roll ($12.95) - BBQ eel on a shrimp tempura roll with tempura bits, fish roe, green onion, cucumber and spicy mayo. We liked this but collectively agreed that it doesn't even come close to beating the eel and avocado roll. Especially given that its double the price.
California roll ($4.95): Pretty standard. Ordered for my raw food-adverse sister.
Another complimentary dish consisting of various pickled veggies. Not bad.
Dragon Roll ($7.95) - California Roll topped with BBQ eel. Another item we ordered for my raw food-adverse sister. Pretty good, but like all rolls I've had here, it doesn't beat the eel and avocado roll.
All in all, my family liked this restaurant. But if you come here with a group, it can get expensive since portion sizes are smaller and/or prices more expensive (unless you're splitting the bill, which we obviously weren't). Quality and service are top notch, and I'm glad to see that their business seems to be doing well enough to open up in a larger, more accommodating location.
Friday, 9 May 2014
Art Square Cafe
Date: April 25, 2014
Location: 334 Dundas Street W, Toronto (near Dundas & University)
Website: http://cafe.art-square.ca/Art_Square_Cafe/CAFE_MAIN.html
Cuisine: N/A
Meal: dessert
My thoughts:
I had convinced my sisters to go to Millie Creperie after I showed them an array of pictures on Yelp. Not knowing that the establishment closed at such an early hour of 8pm, we walked here from Playa Cabana, and to our dismay, the place was closed. (We had a hard time finding this place and had called the place. I was surprised that the staff still took our call even though they were closed. Alas though, as nice as they were, they didn't offer to serve us just one crepe, but that's understandable.)
And mildly downtrodden, we wandered eastward along Dundas, and stumbled upon a cafe across from the AGO. A quick once-over of the menu that was posted outside revealed that served crepes, and so in we went.
The layout is in interesting one. At least one that I have never come across. The establishment is half art gallery/half cafe. The gallery is small and forms the half closer to the entrance. The back half is the cafe.
The clientele was mostly seniors and artsy-looking people (not that I mind either kind). The staff were friendly and patient.
We decided on a banana walnut crepe ($9.50), which was a crepe filled with banana, honey, walnut and topped with vanilla ice cream and garnished with organic chocolate and roasted pistachio. No real complaints or anything remarkable to say about the crepe. It really was quite ordinary. I noticed that the bananas were cooked (grilled or baked maybe? Hopefully not microwaved!), which I didn't like.
This wasn't a bad experience, but I've had much better crepes elsewhere. Wish we'd made it to Millie Creperie before they closed. Oh well. Next time.
Location: 334 Dundas Street W, Toronto (near Dundas & University)
Website: http://cafe.art-square.ca/Art_Square_Cafe/CAFE_MAIN.html
Cuisine: N/A
Meal: dessert
My thoughts:
I had convinced my sisters to go to Millie Creperie after I showed them an array of pictures on Yelp. Not knowing that the establishment closed at such an early hour of 8pm, we walked here from Playa Cabana, and to our dismay, the place was closed. (We had a hard time finding this place and had called the place. I was surprised that the staff still took our call even though they were closed. Alas though, as nice as they were, they didn't offer to serve us just one crepe, but that's understandable.)
And mildly downtrodden, we wandered eastward along Dundas, and stumbled upon a cafe across from the AGO. A quick once-over of the menu that was posted outside revealed that served crepes, and so in we went.
The layout is in interesting one. At least one that I have never come across. The establishment is half art gallery/half cafe. The gallery is small and forms the half closer to the entrance. The back half is the cafe.
The clientele was mostly seniors and artsy-looking people (not that I mind either kind). The staff were friendly and patient.
We decided on a banana walnut crepe ($9.50), which was a crepe filled with banana, honey, walnut and topped with vanilla ice cream and garnished with organic chocolate and roasted pistachio. No real complaints or anything remarkable to say about the crepe. It really was quite ordinary. I noticed that the bananas were cooked (grilled or baked maybe? Hopefully not microwaved!), which I didn't like.
This wasn't a bad experience, but I've had much better crepes elsewhere. Wish we'd made it to Millie Creperie before they closed. Oh well. Next time.
Playa Cabana
Date: May 9, 2014
Location: 111 Dupont St (west of Avenue Rd), Toronto
Website: http://www.playacabana.ca/
Cuisine: Mexican
Meal: dinner
My thoughts:
I came here with my sisters tonight to celebrate my birthday and called two weeks ahead to make reservations. I read many reviews on this place and really wanted to like this place, but it fell short of my expectations on a number of levels.
Let me first start with the pretty good: the food. We ordered the following to share:
GUACA FRESCA ($8) - guacamole served in a lava rock molcajete with housemade deep-fried corn chips. Offered mild, medium or spicy. They offer it spicy, medium or mild. We chose spicy, which it wasn't, and I am not even someone who can take much heat. Very small portion of guac. Chips were good - crispy, I'll give them that much, but they were salty and seemed like they were fried multiple times. Expensive for the price. I've had much better guac at El Rinco in the Corso Italia neighbourhood.
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Now the bad. It's a very tiny place. We each had someone knock into our chair only about three dozen times that night, which was NOT annoying at all.
Location: 111 Dupont St (west of Avenue Rd), Toronto
Website: http://www.playacabana.ca/
Cuisine: Mexican
Meal: dinner
My thoughts:
I came here with my sisters tonight to celebrate my birthday and called two weeks ahead to make reservations. I read many reviews on this place and really wanted to like this place, but it fell short of my expectations on a number of levels.
Let me first start with the pretty good: the food. We ordered the following to share:
GUACA FRESCA ($8) - guacamole served in a lava rock molcajete with housemade deep-fried corn chips. Offered mild, medium or spicy. They offer it spicy, medium or mild. We chose spicy, which it wasn't, and I am not even someone who can take much heat. Very small portion of guac. Chips were good - crispy, I'll give them that much, but they were salty and seemed like they were fried multiple times. Expensive for the price. I've had much better guac at El Rinco in the Corso Italia neighbourhood.
PLAYA BURRITO ($14) - Burrito with choice of chicken, veggies, ancho-braised steak or pork carnitas. Served with pico de gallo and guac. We got the pork, since we were getting beef in our tacos (see below). The burrito was humongous, pretty loaded and colour-wise made for a nice photo opp (I personally thought the shape resembled a slain fish, but that's just me). The meat was braised and pulled, and most of it was pretty tender, but there were still some big dry chunks. I wish we'd ordered the steak instead. I can't lie - I love my red meat!
ANCHO BRAISED SHORT RIB-BRISKET CRISPY TACOS ($14) - AAA Ontario beef short-rib braised in ancho chiles wrapped in fresh corn tortillas and grilled. Served with pico de gallo, guac and crema. This was easily the star of the evening. It was soooo delicious. I highly recommend. The beef was tender and each bite packed a huge flavour punch.
Now the bad. It's a very tiny place. We each had someone knock into our chair only about three dozen times that night, which was NOT annoying at all.
Also, the manager on duty(?), this blond with a permanent scowl etched into her face, was very unaccomodating and clearly lacked any compassion for customer service. As I said, we made reservations, and we were seated at the bar. When I noticed a few vacant dining tables behind us, I asked the bartender if we could be moved to one. He pointed to the blond and asked me to ask her. When I did, she said in a very matter-of-fact voice that was completely devoid of empathy or sincerity, "We only make reservations for the bar, and all the dining tables are all reserved." What? She contradicted herself all in one breath. Oh well. Whatever. I'm not going to waste my energy on a dimwit. (Our bartender, though, was the opposite. Attentive, friendly, genuinely wants to make the customer's experience enjoyable. And pretty cute to boot. Keep an eye out for the one with his hair in a short ponytail.)
So in a nutshell, while there were some good dishes tonight, the service and the crampiness of the place do not warrant a return visit.
Gourmet Burger Company
Date: May 9, 2014
Location: 212 Adelaide
Website: http://www.thegourmetburgerco.com/
Cuisine: North American
Meal: dinner
My thoughts:
My coworker DQ and I were in the mood for some comfort food - namely SPF - after a long, exhausting and problem-filled week of work.
We wandered for a while and stumbled upon this place. It was 4:30 on a Friday afternoon and the place was empty - not quite peak dinner hours, but still, it should have been a sign of things to come.
We ordered a burger combo and upgraded the fries to sweet potato fries. I didn't try the burger so I can't speak to the quality of that.
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But I can speak to the customer service. After we were brought our food, we realized the fries didn't come with a dipping sauce. We had a couple of fries with the ketchup that was available on every table, but it lacked the tang that tastes so good with SPF. So then we headed to the empty counter and made several futile attempts with the same lady who had taken our order who was now in the kitchen to ask for dip. She finally waved a young girl over to help us, who gave us a tiny dollop of aioli in a paper cup. When we finished it and asked for more, the girl gave us another tiny dollop and asked us to pay $1 for it! When I questioned her why she was charging us, she made it seem like she did us a huge favour for not charging us for the first one. Cheapskates!
The fries themselves were thin and soggy. Blech. Never coming back.
Location: 212 Adelaide
Website: http://www.thegourmetburgerco.com/
Cuisine: North American
Meal: dinner
My thoughts:
My coworker DQ and I were in the mood for some comfort food - namely SPF - after a long, exhausting and problem-filled week of work.
We wandered for a while and stumbled upon this place. It was 4:30 on a Friday afternoon and the place was empty - not quite peak dinner hours, but still, it should have been a sign of things to come.
We ordered a burger combo and upgraded the fries to sweet potato fries. I didn't try the burger so I can't speak to the quality of that.
But I can speak to the customer service. After we were brought our food, we realized the fries didn't come with a dipping sauce. We had a couple of fries with the ketchup that was available on every table, but it lacked the tang that tastes so good with SPF. So then we headed to the empty counter and made several futile attempts with the same lady who had taken our order who was now in the kitchen to ask for dip. She finally waved a young girl over to help us, who gave us a tiny dollop of aioli in a paper cup. When we finished it and asked for more, the girl gave us another tiny dollop and asked us to pay $1 for it! When I questioned her why she was charging us, she made it seem like she did us a huge favour for not charging us for the first one. Cheapskates!
The fries themselves were thin and soggy. Blech. Never coming back.
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