Eglinton Theatre

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 09:09:57 +0000

Photo by Irina Souiki

Eglinton Grand, formerly known as The Eglinton Theatre, is an historic landmark definitely worth to see. This renovated theatre with hundreds of travelling lights serves now for banquets and special events, it is situated close to Chaplin Estates and offers beautiful views as can be seen in this extraordinary photo taken by talented Irina Souiki.

Extraordinary View on Yonge Street

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 10:53:36 +0000

Photo by Rick McGrath

Yonge Street is home to many Torontonians and runs through fascinating neighbourhoods. As a major arterial street running from Yorkville through Chaplin Estates to Teddington Park it was formerly listed as the longest street in the world. Found on this street are great architectural views, such as the one in this beautiful photo taken by Rick McGrath.

Moon Sets Behind Yonge Street

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 21:42:13 +0000

Photo by scott3eh

Yonge Street running through Deer Park, Davisville Village and Chaplin Estates neighbourhood can at some point surprise with such an unusual view as at this gorgeous photo taken by skillful photographer Scott.

Quince Restaurant Review

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:33:30 +0000

Quince Restaurant

Adress: 2110 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON

Neighbourhood: Yonge-Eglinton

Contact: (416) 488-2110

Entrance

Rated by Eye Magazine as ‘outstanding’, but receiving mixed reviews from Toronto Life who ultimately rated it one of Toronto’s Best New Restaurants in 2007, Quince falls into the category of a must-try – a Mediterranean-inspired bistro with reasonable prices and a reputation for fresh, innovative flavours. Formerly of the acclaimed Stork on the Roof, the husband and wife team of Jennifer Gittins and Michael van den Winkel reappeared in fall of 2006 with this new midtown digs, just a couple blocks south of the busy intersection at Yonge and Eglinton.

Enclosed by a pretty patio graced with teak furniture and plenty of cushions in bright, primary colours, Quince is directly across the street from the abandoned hulk that was once Cheaters, an infamous nudie bar. Two doors down, next to the popular restaurant Coquine, a neon sign proclaims “Adult Video & Novelties”, a bit of a shocker in a neighbourhood touted for its thriving business district and family-friendly parks. But this stretch of Yonge Street between Eglinton and Davisville has always had, at least for the last twenty-five years, an eclectic mix of shops. A quick survey of the area reveals everything from clothing boutiques to bead and paper stores, home décor, and adult venues.

We are warmly greeted at Quince’s door by the hostess, who offers us a spot near the bar on low, cushioned banquettes. Pleading excessive height, we’re offered a choice of tables, which is a pleasant surprise for a Saturday night in this busy neighbourhood.

“What’s downstairs?” I ask.

Downstairs dining room

Downstairs lounge

“Oh, that’s our private dining room,” our hostess replies. Open for lunch and dinner and boasting its own bar and lounge, the cozy space is elegantly decorated (though the tile floor is a tell that you’re in the basement). It’s off limits to couples tonight; the space is reserved for corporate or private groups of diners up to 40 people and cocktail receptions of up to 70 people, where suggested menus are paired with matching wines so that all the details are taken care of.

We choose our table and almost immediately, our waiter appears with a short list of specials. Make that a short list of specials with a long explanation of ingredients, preparation methods, and how they’re going to work together. He definitely knows his stuff, not referring to his notebook as he pauses to explain what is a garnish vs. what is actually on the side. He’s personable, friendly and efficient. Left alone to ponder whether a whole sea bream (“Most people order a side with it, it’s just the fish,” our waiter cautions apologetically) is a good idea, we take a look around.

Enhanced by clever lighting that adds lovely warmth to the airy dining room, the space is deceptively large while maintaining a pleasant level of intimacy. The volume level is very comfortable too – despite nearly all the tables around us being full, we can easily hear each other and the ambient music (think D’Angelo and Stevie Wonder). Modern art in earthy hues graces the loft-style exposed brick walls and adds balance to the exposed ductwork, which has been painted in chocolate browns to remove any trace of sterility. Perfect for voyeurs, a semi-open kitchen offers a glimpse of the wood-fired oven behind the bar.

Wine rack

Wines are proudly displayed in open shelves and on the extensive wine list (offered by the 3 or 5 ounce glass, half-litre and full bottle). The most expensive cabernet on the menu is $110, but the majority of bottles run about half that.

Bread arrives – the typical chick pea spread a disappointment to us traditional butter-lovers. My guest bravely dips and says the bread is actually remarkable – dense but not too dense, with sourdough overtones – and the dip zings with what he’s certain is a touch of mustard. Our waiter returns with a kind offer to get our orders in before a big table of diners and we start with a shared appetizer of seared beef tenderloin salad ($12).

“What can you tell me about this Localicious thing?” I ask, referring to an item on the second page of the menu, where Quince outlines its dedication to locally-sourced food purveyors and its participation in the upcoming Localicious event, beginning October 2nd.

"I don’t know much about that, I haven’t been briefed yet!" He quickly sends over our hostess, who explains that the charity event is a conglomeration of participating restaurants who will present a prix-fixe menu of locally-sourced foods, with two dollars of Quince’s $35 per person price going to the World Wildlife Fund. “Are you familiar with Grano?” she asks, referencing the longtime Italian spot just down the street. “Well, Rob [Roberto’s] sister is with the WWF, and she asked me if we wanted to participate. I said OK, we’ll put it on our menu…but I need some more information about it soon!”

Beef tenderloin salad

As we devour the beef salad – which bears a great resemblance to carpaccio and indeed shows up this way on our bill – we consider returning for this event, if the appetizer is any indication of the food quality at Quince. Tender, thinly sliced medallions of nearly-raw beef have been quickly seared, served atop arugula that’s jazzed up by fried capers, crispy shallots and black truffle oil. Shavings of parmesan are sharp and substantial.

Waiting for our mains, our solicitous waiter returns several times to re-fill our water glasses and ask us what we need. It’s just the right amount of attention – perhaps a bit more than other tables, farther from the bar, are getting. My partner is enthused about the cracked pepper on the table – “I’ve always wondered why more restaurants don’t do that instead of just putting salt!” We go outside for a breath of fresh air and another diner joins us for a cigarette.

“That’s my friend’s place, across the street,” he says, pointing to Coquine. I joke about his betrayal and he says it’s his first time at Quince, and that he likes the food and the lack of line-ups. “The menu is short and sweet: this is what they do, but they do it well.” When we return, our napkins are neatly folded on the table.

Gnocchi

Rabbit tenderloin

Chocolate bread pudding

Our mains arrive and the house-made gnocchi ($17) is rave-worthy: the best gnocchi my partner has ever had in Toronto, tender potato pillows, not glutinous in the least, reminiscent of those my Italian grandmother used to make. The dish is adorned with a cloud of parmesan and goosed with tender chunks of braised veal. Though the portion is small, it’s filling.

My rabbit tenderloin ($22), one of the nightly specials, is the bigger portion. Stuffed with Italian sausage, the rabbit is perfectly cooked, but arrives already cooling, a process expedited by the cold smear of celeriac cream on the plate. By the time I’m halfway through, the meat is regrettably cold. Not so the side of sautéed beans, onions and rapini – this is piping hot, a bit dominated by the onions but still delicious.

Desserts are phenomenal, as the menu suggests they will be. Warm chocolate bread pudding with vanilla ice cream ($8, as are all desserts) is a crispy crust of chocolate yielding to an incredibly moist interior. The Belgian dark and white chocolate terrine is a chilled delight of sweet cream, the white side redolent of cocoa butter and the dark side meltingly chocolate, the whole drizzled with caramel coffee sauce that tastes like designer butterscotch candies.

All in all, Quince offers a superb dining experience – with ambiance and great service to spare, and a quality of food preparation that is virtually unsurpassed in Toronto for the reasonable prices. All the bistro staples, from house-made fettucine to herb-salted frites to seared scallops, are represented on the slim menu, providing diners with just enough choice and reliably good dishes. Quince deserves to fete its three year anniversary of being in business with the knowledge that it will surely have many more.

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