Tabinet's Profile
2010 closings
Calico on Bloor by Lansdowne has also recently closed. The owner/chef said he was offered a different job that would allow for more travel + such, so he closed the restaurant. A big disappointment to me - I am a vegetarian living @ Blansdowne with very few other entertaining prospects...
Casual Eats Near Fox Theatre
Thanks for the suggestions. I tried finding a website/menu for Ichiban, but there are so many restaurants by that name in Toronto!
Are there any good pubs in that area? For a post-film beer or something?
Casual Eats Near Fox Theatre
I've lived in Toronto for over eleven years, but I'm completely unfamiliar with the Beaches area [I'm a west end gal]. I am wondering if there are any good casual places - a pub would be fantastic to eat that are located near the Fox Theatre. It need not be fancy, but something casual with reasonably good food.
Lunch at Cantine at Av and Dav
I could not agree more! I used to work across the street from Cantine and I loathed our many lunches there. Sometimes their fries are okay...that's really the best I can say. Service is too snooty, food is terribly bleh. I don't get the hype either!
Brunch with parents
Are there any decent places [so, not Golden Griddle] that serve brunch on a weekday? My mum and her husband are here this week and I'm looking for something for Wednesday.
Sorry to hijack the thread!
The $100 Toronto Dinner
Okay so we have decided on Beer Bistro. We have only been there once, about a year and a half ago - but enjoyed it [my partner grew up in Brussels and approved the beer and mussels]. I am feeling up for mussels - he is not.
Can anyone provide any recommendations for their menu? I know he would eat anything on their current menu [no restrictions or preferences really] - but I'm wondering if there is something especially good?
The $100 Toronto Dinner
Yes, "we" should cover me and my partner. We are located by Lansdowne subway station, but are willing to travel by subway. Normally other forms of TTC or a hearty walk would be okay too, but the weather is a bit unpleasant.
I guess we are somewhat looking for some warm, comforting food and drink!
The $100 Toronto Dinner
I won a sales contest @ work and was given a prize of $100 in cold, hard cash. It was supposed to be a gift certificate to a certain steakhouse, but I'm 90% vegetarian [the 10% eats fish], so that didn't work. But I would still like to spend the money on dinner tonight
The details:
- no Thai or Greek food
- something pescatarian friendly
- close to a subway [the weather stinks out there]
- $100 doesn't have to include wine as we don't drink it - we do drink other alcohol
- I just got back from Montreal, so nothing Montreal-ish
I know it's late notice...but I know Chowhound is full of suggestions @ all hours of the day!
Cheese Plate
Thanks everyone! I'm now starving for cheese. But thanks for all of the suggestions!
Cheese Plate
I really enjoy cheese, but much to even my own surprise I've only ever ordered a cheese plate [as/instead of dessert] once in my life. It was not in Toronto, but in Rochester, England. Generally I don't eat dessert as I'm too full...but I would be willing to make an exception if I knew a restaurant had a really great cheese plate. I generally like all types of cheese, but I would be interestsed in trying some quality Canadian cheeses.
Thanks!
Fave Ontario Beer
My relatives who live in Belgium [but are British] loved Steam Whistle...maybe because their hotel room had a view of the brewery? They couldn't believe that my partner and I had never been for a tour/didn't drink it. They bought us a case. Colour me underwhelmed.
King Edward Hotel - Afternoon Tea + photos
Thanks for the report! However, I'm stuck with a gift card from the Royal York that a friend gave me to use specifically for tea. I've never had afternoon tea in Toronto, so now I'm reluctant to have it @ the Royal York.
Restaurant Makeover
I had a great meal @ Dhaba a couple of weekends ago. I ate everything on my plate - and some of what was on other people's plates! Unfortunately I was too stuffed for dessert. The service was impeccable, too - they didn't miss a beat in dealing with our group, which included a rowdy five year old up past his bedtime.
The thing I like about Restaurant Makeover is that it gives you the chance to see the owners of the restaurants. It's not something that always happens when one goes out to eat. With Dhaba I was charmed by the owner and his family [who I think all work there, too] - they seemed like the type of people I would like to hand over my money to. I know reality TV is highly staged - but they did seem like genuinely nice people.
Best romantic restaurant toronto?
I will hijack this thread since I was going to do a search for something similar within the next week or so. It will be my 10 year anniversary next weekend [not this coming weekend, the one after] and I am looking for a romantic restaurant.
With regards to food and area - I am vegetarian, my partner is not. We both enjoy all types of food, although he is not overly fond of Greek. As for location - somewhere served by the TTC - not necessarily subway, but bus or streetcar would be okay. Generally we don't go much further north than Bloor, but anywhere south is fine and generally we stay west of Yonge Street - extending as far west as one can go and still be in Toronto.
Ladies and Gentlemen.....The new Champ Pizzeria Libretto
I also made my first visit this past Saturday evening - wonder how many Chowhounds were there? I was very impressed [and I'm not just saying that because I didn't have to sit @ a communal table].
To start I had the arugula/pear salad which I liked very much. The cheese [piave] was especially nice and tasted different from what you would normally get on salad [just slightly different]. I found the salad to be a bit big for a starter, however I am quite small. My partner had the marscapone/hazelnut/apricot bruschetta which he really liked. I had a bit of it and while the taste was too strong for me [too sweet] I think it would be okay in limited doses. He loves sweet, powerful foods. I think that in the future we might share a starter.
For pizzas he got the duck confit [much talked about here - I don't think I can offer anything new as I didn't try it] and I had the wild mushroom. I don't think anyone has mentioned this one yet...but it was a step outside my comfort zone [I always, always order pizza with just cheese - no matter where I am]. The toppings were quite plentiful and were true wild mushrooms - I think I spotted lobster, chanterelle and two others. Very colourful! The mushrooms were paired with two kinds of cheese and overall was quite delicious [I only ate half, brought half home - it weathered well and I ate it on Sunday evening cold from the fridge].
For dessert we shared [mostly I ate] the hazelnut chocolate sorbetti. The flavour was good, though the texture a bit odd. I wasn't expecting such large pieces of hazelnut. The boy had a cappuccino [with extreme foam] and I had an espresso - a good espresso.
The service was fantastic and the room very busy. A bit loud though so I wouldn't recommend it if you are planning on actually having meaningful conversation. Overall though - a very enthusiastic thumbs up!
Best Caesar (not the Salad) in Toronto
I'm partial to the Cajun Caesar @ Southern Accent.
Ladies and Gentlemen.....The new Champ Pizzeria Libretto
Thanks for the information. I don't really get the point of communal tables - does anyone enjoy eating like that? I'm a social/people-phobe...why not have more smaller tables instead of one big one?
This place is vaguely in my neighbourhood [if I really stretch] so I will definitely check it out. I'm vegetarian, but their pizza looks delicious!
Ladies and Gentlemen.....The new Champ Pizzeria Libretto
I went to their website and it mentioned that they have communal tables? Are there some private tables? I don't like sharing a table.
The Sultan's Tent
Thanks! It's nice to be right sometimes...
So any suggestions as to where I could get some good Moroccan food in Toronto? I had it for the first time in France and I loved it.
The Sultan's Tent
I'm not usually in the neighbourhood of The Sultan's Tent, but I went past last weekend and the people I was with [visitors to Toronto] were curious about it. I have never been, but I do enjoy this type of cuisine, but I've never had it in Toronto. So now I'm curious - is The Sultan's Tent any good? Are there better locations in Toronto for this type of food? It seems suspiciously touristy.
Slightly Upscale Near Bathurst & Adelaide
Well, they ended up going to Tutti Matti [I think because we had actually been there before and could speak to it personally]. They arrived 30 minutes after their intended reservation and were worried about making it to the theatre on time. This was not a problem as they said the service was perfection - very efficient, but not at all rushed.
As to the food - they were disappointed they couldn't linger over coffee and desserts, but they were both able to have starters and main dishes, even with the reduced time. As mentioned, they are not terribly verbose with food, but I was able to discern that they both had salads [different, but couldn't tell me much about it aside form them both being very good] and then for the mains they both had black cod, which was one of the specials. Again, no further details aside from it being very good.
I will say though that I have had some of the worst restaurant experiences in all my time in Toronto over the last week and a half. We ended up @ a lot of chain restaurants that I would normally never go to [in a misguided attempt to please the child who has become a frustratingly picky eater]. It only reaffirmed my already negative opinion of chain restaurants. Such a waste of money and calories!
Slightly Upscale Near Bathurst & Adelaide
Tutti Matti is one of my favourite restaurants in Toronto so it is most definitely on the list. However, I don't think that they are wild about Italian food [I've known them for almost 10 years and it's oh-so rare that I see them eating it either @ home or in a restaurant].
Slightly Upscale Near Bathurst & Adelaide
Thanks again for all of your great suggestions. I am familar with most of these places, but I am a bit directionally challenged - so thank you for putting everything into context!
I will dutifully report back to tell you which one they chose. They aren't notoriously verbose about anything [positive or negative], but I will try to pull some details for everyone.
Slightly Upscale Near Bathurst & Adelaide
Yes, I am following the gelato threads with interest. In part because I love it too - but the kid is definitely a fan of anything resembling ice cream [and he finds the heat in Toronto to be a bit unbearable].
Slightly Upscale Near Bathurst & Adelaide
The kid is very agreeable to any kind of food and is generally well-behaved in restaurants, so we can take him almost anywhere. I was just wondering if there is some sort of fantastic dessert or sweets that I've been missing out on. Something with a bit of a wow factor [but for kids].
Slightly Upscale Near Bathurst & Adelaide
Well, she is not a vegetarian - she just enjoys eating light, healthy and fresh foods - for the most part. She won't eat pork, but all other kinds of meat are okay.
I've heard Rosebud is good - wasn't aware it was in that area.
Slightly Upscale Near Bathurst & Adelaide
My in-laws are coming to town for about ten days [yes, I have posted about this and gotten lots of great suggestions that we are going to try] and they have decided to go to one of the Summerworks plays in the Factory Theatre @ Bathurst & Adelaide next Thursday evening. I have one restaurant suggestion in mind, but my knowledge of that area is very limited.
They are very easy-going for food recommendations - they like everything [he tends to favour American foods like steaks, burgers, etc. and she tends to favour organic/whole foods - emphasis on freshness and leaning towards vegetarian]. This would be a bit of a special night for them though as they will not have their five year old son with them [and he is always with them - but I am baby-sitting]. So, something slightly upscale would be appreciated.
On a side note [as I don't want to clutter the board with posts] - with regards to the five year old...are they any spectacular [even moderately so] places for kids to eat? I guess I'm thinking something more dessert-oriented or sweets generally. Like, if you were a kid - what would be your ultimate? Anywhere downtown is fine [please note the kid is from Brussels and has been eating Belgian chocolates and waffles since he was a fetus - so he already knows his chocolate].
Restaurants Around Intercontinental Centre Hotel [Front Street]
Thanks again for all of your suggestions! I am familiar with most, but there seem to be a couple of interesting ones that I haven't checked out yet.
On the Il Fornello front - I was to the Queen's Quay location in June and was really disappointed. I mean, I wasn't expecting much, but the service was terrible and the food was really bleh [and spiced with Jalapeno peppers - that obvious traditional Italian spice - just like mama used to make!].
Restaurants Around Intercontinental Centre Hotel [Front Street]
Replying to my own post once again...while they are not fussy eaters @ all [but like quality stuff] - my father-in-law in particular [and my partner] really enjoys traditional American food - like burgers, steaks, etc. We generally have to strongly discourage Jack Astors and the like...They live in Belgium and I know from visiting there that stuff like that can be more difficult to find. My mother-in-law is more of an organic tofu/vegetable type of person. Makes life interesting!
