April 20th, 2010
Harbour 60 Steakhouse
Address: 60 Harbour Street Toronto
It was by special invitation that we went to Harbour 60 to see the renovations and sample the new menu. What is described is an evening which will rank with some of the unforgettable ones in my lifetime. Yes, it was that good.
(There is Good and There is Excellent continued...)April 1st, 2010
Address: 730 Queen Street East (Just east of Broadview)
Contact: 416-465-0100
Reservations essential
Does the name Lynn Crawford ring any bells? Think hard! Lynn was the Executive chef of the Four Seasons here in Toronto. She held the same position with the same establishment in New York City and at the time was the ONLY executive chef who was a female in their 70 restaurants world-wide.
(Ruby Watch Co. continued...)March 9th, 2010
Adress: 70 Yorkville (Lower Level), Toronto
Contact: (416) 546-1246
Located downstairs at 70 Yorkville, Chimichanga is the newest and best Mexican restaurant in Toronto. Sister to the Yonge and Eglinton eatery, this smaller and quieter version has a similar menu but is just a little more chic than uptown.
(Chimichanga continued...)March 9th, 2010
Adress: Avenue Road, North of Lawrence
Contact: (416) 787-3211
If you grew up in Toronto and are a boomer you will remember The Lobster Trap. Located a couple of blocks north of Lawrence on Avenue Road, this was one of a few places we all went for a fancy Sunday night for dinner. The lineups went outside the door and if you were like most families you didn’t make a reservation. But the wait was worth it. That was 30 years ago or more.
(The Lobster Trap continued...)March 2nd, 2010
Adress: 81 Yorkville Ave.
Contact: (416) 850-6135
Every once in a while, even a foodie is exposed to some taste sensations that are new, unique and absolutely tantalizing. Such is the new fusion of Japanese and Korean currently being served up at Koko on Yorkville.
(KOKO continued...)January 27th, 2010
St. Clair West is in a state of transition. The new street car system is finally finished and whether or not you are a fan of this so-called improvement along St. Clair, you can take solace that some wonderful new eating establishments have emerged west of Bathurst and east of Dufferin.
(Cafe Leopold continued...)December 7th, 2009
- Address: 378 Bloor St. W.
- Contact: (416) 922-6999
With well over a decade serving the heart of The Annex, Serra Pizza & Pasta is rapidly becoming one of the few respectable restaurants on the Bloor Street strip between Spadina and Bathurst – which is sliding into what some might call disrepute.
(Serra Ristorante Review continued...)November 30th, 2009
- Address: 1144 Eglinton Avenue West
- Contact: (416) 783-5829
Sabatino’s has been a Forest Hill fixture just a stone’s throw from the Eglinton West subway for the past 32 years, but when the polished restaurant opens for these two hungry diners, it’s a very youthful couple that greets us enthusiastically by the door and ushers us into the restaurant’s bright interior. They’re at least thirty years younger than the uniformed waiter who waves us to the cloakroom to hang up our coats.
(Sabatino’s Restaurant continued...)November 10th, 2009
Frida Restaurant and Bar aspires to transform and elevate the Mexican food culture in Toronto.
Motivated by the authentic spirit of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, the restaurant serves modern Mexican food in a fresh, relaxed setting. With a native Mexican chef whipping up refined Mexican fare, Frida puts an upscale twist on country’s humble cuisine.
(Forest Hill Mini Restaurant Reviews continued...)November 1st, 2009
The Corner House has consistently been voted among the top ten restaurants in Toronto and has a Zagat rating of four stars. Essentially a house converted into a fine-dining establishment, this perennial midtown favourite is the perfect spot for special occasions when splendid ambience is called for. The Corner House has a reputation for French/Mediterranean inspired bistro cuisine with offerings such as lobster bisque, potato gnocchi and arctic char.
October 1st, 2009
The Regal Heights Bistro
1077-1079 St. Clair Avenue West, Toronto, ON
(416) 651-2109
Neighbourhood: Regal Heights
As our car approaches the Regal Heights Bistro on St. Clair just east of Dufferin, the windshield wipers slap at driving rain that’s turned this stretch of Corso Italia into a churning sea of gravel and mud. The tearing up of St. Clair Avenue West for a streetcar track/road improvement project is still going strong five years later, and we’re reduced to one lane. Fortunately the bad weather seems to have kept traffic light, and we’re able to park just across the street from the restaurant.
September 25th, 2009
Quince Restaurant
2110 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON
(416) 488-2110
Neighbourhood: Yonge-Eglinton
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.
September 8th, 2009
The Stockyards Smokehouse & Larder
699 St. Clair Avenue West, Toronto, ON
416-658-9666
Neighbourhood: Wychwood Park
The Stockyards is a new kid on the block that’s already been voted Toronto’s Best Barbecue by NOW Magazine, scoring a perfect 5 out of 5 n’s and making the tiny restaurant a real threat to the Portuguese churrasco at Christie and St. Clair, not to mention diverting takeout customers from the nearby McDonalds.
As someone who know how to make great chicken n’ ribs, I’m always skeptical when I hear buzz about great barbecue. Cluck, Grunt n’ Low at Bloor and Walmer had the best southern food and barbecue I’ve ever tasted, and they’re out of business, while some of the pulled pork offerings I’ve had lately tasted like sawdust coated in sauce. In fact, that’s the problem I have with barbecue joints in general. Coat any food in enough sweet, smoky sauce and it’ll probably taste good. So I’m already a doubter, but definitely up for some nice greasy meat, when I grab three friends and head to the Stockyards.
August 3rd, 2009
Trillium Bistro
1552 Avenue Road, Toronto, ON
416-783-9992
We’d heard the buzz about Locavore, a hot restaurant that opened on Avenue Road north of Lawrence last year; how Executive Chef Matt Cowan was doing amazing things with naturally raised, locally sourced food (when you don’t serve anything out of season, you definitely have to get creative – when there are no tomatoes for the sauce, what do you substitute?) With great reviews from the Toronto Star and reliable sites like martiniboys and chowhound, we happily stepped outside our geographical comfort zone and into what feels like a little part of suburbia in the city. As we stood outside a convenience store at the corner of Avenue Road and Lawrence, I pointed across the street at the mega-Shoppers, open 24 hours, and told my partner that Locavore had to be right beside it.
February 18th, 2009
Phenomenal décor, great lighting (everyone looks more glamorous at Spice Route), handrolled music, a first rate cocktails bar and well above average food.
(Spice Route: A Great Place to Spice Up an Evening continued...)February 18th, 2009
Vineyard Estate Wines on Queens Quay goes all out to persuade you to engage with Canadian wine again.
(Tasting Canadian wine at Harbourfront continued...)November 12th, 2008
If you are looking to unwind with old friends and good wine, or a location for a tryst in the Toronto Annex, Le Paradis is the ideal place.
(Restaurant review: Le Paradis – Bijou in the Annex continued...)
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