We ate at Gossip on Friday, September 2nd after a long day of walking the Exhibition grounds. I must say that I was excited to eat there based on the above review but disappointed in the food and the service.

First, the food:

I had a butternut squash ravioli in a very strange apple and cranberry sauce. It was very soupy and not at all pleasant to eat. The server didn't ask why it was largely untouched although she did ask if we wanted it "packed up".

My dining companion had a burger; it was passable, although overcooked and underseasoned.

We started with a spinach and mushroom salad with truffle oil and shaved parmesan cheese. Was inedible. The mushrooms were plain old white button mushrooms and the truffle oil was indiscernable.

The bread basket that was brought to the table was fine (just plain old white baguette, not particularly memorable) but 2 of the 3 oils that accompanied it were completely tasteless. So much so that we asked the server what type of oil it was and she replied that it was olive oil. It was a completely clear olive oil, with no hint of green or yellow colour and certainly no flavour. One of the dipping sauces was a balsamic, the second one was a "hot pepper" and the third was a roasted red pepper dip. That was the only one that had any flavour.

My children shared a 3 cheese pizza (sans pesto sauce). It was the best thing we ordered. The cheeses (mozzarella, goat cheese and parmesan) were flavourful, the tomato sauce was yummy and the crust was thin, crispy and rolled in cornmeal. Clearly there was some competency with the pizza oven.

Now the service.
The restaurant was virtually empty so it clearly wasn't an issue of the staff being overrun with CNE attendees. We ordered a white wine, which the server proceeded to open and pour, without letting us taste it first. To be fair, the wine was fine. The coffee was bland and very weak, much like the whole experience.

Gossip is a beautiful space and a was a nice respite from the CNE grounds, but would certainly not constitute a destination restaurant in my opinion.

-----
Gossip Restaurant
50 Prince Edward Island Cres, Etobicoke, ON M6K3C3, CA

I completely agree. I went with my husband and 2 children a few weeks ago. The adults ordered a caprese salad.... it was gross. The tomatoes were bland, the mozarella was rubbery and it had some weird mayonnaise type dressing on it. When I asked the waitress what the dressing was, she didn't know. The adults also ordered the sliders to share - overcooked, bland, yukky.

My children had standard "kids menu" fare - grilled cheese sandwich and chicken fingers I think. We sat outside on the patio because the din inside was unbearable. The service was sloppy and haphazard and the food eminently forgettable. Both my husband and I commented that there was no way we would ever go back. Hope that something better shows up in the neighbourhood soon; there is a dearth of good restaurants in the Yonge and Lawrence area and lots of families. A better choice would be a veal sandwich at Ciccio Sanwiccio.

-----
Ciccio Sanwiccio
3220 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M4N 2L2, CA

It just didn't work - I don't know why. I thought the chorizo was actually quite good by itself. I guess it was just a personal preference but I didn't enjoy it.

I am a frequent lurker and infrequent contributor but I felt that I had to post based on last night's experience. I was looking for a new Midtown restaurant where I could take my two children for dinner. I first searched these boards and then, naively, I ventured off these boards to the internet at large. I came across this glowing review of Malbec Restaurant from James Chatto: http://jameschatto.com/tag/malbec-res... Mouth watering, I decided we would check it out. Oh boy. That was a mistake.

First of all, the restaurant was empty but for one other table of diners. Second of all, it was not particularly clean. Thirdly, the food. Here goes. The restaurant is supposed to be Argentinean inspired so I expected great things from the meat, especially based on James Chatto's review. We started with a "PICADA CRIOLLA" which is an Argentinean melange of cold pork meats, assorted cheeses and marinated veggies. This was just as it sounds. Was not bad, although one of the salamis had the wrapper left on which made for unpleasant chewing. My kids liked it though. We also had the "ALMEJAS TORRONTES"; sauteed clams in a white wine, garlic-onion sauce with chorizo. This actually had nice flavour, but there was grit in the clams and the pairing with the chorizo was odd. We ordered ham and cheese canneloni with Bechamel sauce for our children and the "COSTILLAS DE CERDO" - Grilled baby pork ribs marinated in Chimi-Churri or BBQ sauce with oven roasted potatoes and grilled veggies- for ourselves.

This is where it went downhill. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, is pre-cooked. It is impossible to have these things prepared a la minute when you have an empty restaurant with only one other occupied table. My kids both spurned the canelloni. The bechamel sauce was awful and the filling was even worse. The ribs were dry and the chimi churri sauce was off putting, tasting heavily of white vinegar. I like to cook and I have made chimi churri sauce many times. This was mouth puckering in its tartness and not in a good way.

Service was relatively attentive (we were the only ones in the restaurant by this point) but at no time did the server ask why our mains were largely untouched. He offered to pack them up for us to take home which we also declined.

Of course my kids wanted dessert, so to oblige, we chose the fresh fruit cup and the "PANQUEQUES CON DULCE DE LECHE" - Argentinean crepes filled with caramel spread, topped with vanilla ice cream and fresh berries. Good lord. I have never been served inedible fruit cup. Although the fruit was generally fresh, and the serving was plentiful, the fruit was in such small pieces that one apple could easily have been used in 6 fruit cups. But the crepes! Good lord. The crepes must have been made god knows how long in advance. The dulce de leche was thick and gummy, and just yukky. My daughter said the "skin" (as she called the crepe) was good. I think that is telling in and of itself.

I really wanted to give them a chance. I will overlook some food missteps if the kitchen is earnest and really trying hard. In my opinion, this kitchen was neither.

Tabule at Yonge and Eglinton used to have bellydancing on the weekends. The food's great too!

-----
Tabule
2009 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M4S 1Z8, CA

Hi Soula12,

Just wondering why you need a Greek bakery specifically? I'm Greek and I must confess I'm not a big fan of Greek cakes... I would suggest buying a few "pastes" from each of the bakeries that you are considering and see which ones you prefer.

I don't know where you are located but I have had cake from Pino Bakery at Avenue Road and Wilson for a child's birthday party and it was SUBLIME! You might want to check that out too.

Here's a link to a thread on Pino Bakery: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/629025

Good luck!

We used to live right around the corner and went to Fruits & Flowers a lot - they have a good selection of fruits and vegetables and their prices are reasonable. A bit further down on Yonge on the same side (east side) is a green grocer that used to be called "Bing's". They're still there but under a new name....just south of the Starbucks on the corner of Yonge and Erskine (I think). They are super cheap but CASH ONLY so be prepared.

that is correct! Same goes for baklava too...;-)

Anton,

Where can you buy Skotidakis feta? I've been on their website but it doesn't say where it is sold in Toronto. I've never seen it in any of the mainstream supermarkets.

Efharisto!

yes it certainly does.... it is truly horrific. I have eaten here many times when we used to live down the street and it was quite good. Now fast forward 12 years to "married with children" status. I have eaten here a few times with my husband and 2 small children and have been bitterly disappointed. Yitz's should be ashamed of the frozen potato coins that they serve as "french fries" ....is it that hard to slice potatoes? At the very least they can buy frozen french fries.

The food is bland, prepared without attention to detail, and forgettable. That includes the bakery items. I'm not sure if they have mayo because every time I ask for milk for my children to drink, I'm told that they do not carry dairy. (p.s., I know mayo is not dairy).

HI there,

I think that the best Greek feta by far is Dodonis (often marketed as Greek barrel feta). You can get it at Alex Cheese shops around Toronto. Also you may wish to ask at your local grocery store what brand the "Greek feta" being sold at their deli counters is.

In my opinion, Greek feta should be semi firm, briny, and creamy when you put it in your mouth. There is nothing worse than feta that is too hard and dry. That is what I generally find with Canadian feta so when I do buy, I tend to splurge on the Greek feta.

As to goat milk vs sheeps milk feta, I agree with the other posters that it really is a matter of taste but the goats' milk feta is generally stronger tasting. Experiment and see which you prefer. But I would recommend staying away from the prepackaged tubs if you can (or buy the smallest size possible) and try different feta from the purveyors on Danforth or other ethnic food stores. I have heard that Israeli feta is also quite good.

Here's a tip: if you have purchased feta that you find is too hard, put it in a plastic container with a combination of cold water and milk (just to cover the cheese) to make your own brine. This will soften the cheese and make it creamier. Alternatively, pour some very good quality olive oil over it and sprinkle it with oregano and eat it. Or mix it with ricotta cheese and use it as a filling for spanakopita or vegetarian lasagna.

Just want to say a few words about Athens. I agree that it is quite good, but being Greek myself, there are some things that can be improved: (i) the phyllo, which is homemade, is quite good but sometimes is dry - phyllo should be flaky layers of buttery goodness; (ii) spanakopita is greatly improved by the addition of (a) dill and (b) leeks (prassa in Greek). Good spanakopita is not just spinach and feta cheese. The taste can be vastly different based upon the seasoning and the fillings. For example, it is quite common to put a handful of rice or semolina in the filling to absorb the water from the spinach. In addition, the feta can sometimes be replaced by a different Greek cheese (i.e., mizithra) or a combination of feta and a soft cheese such as ricotta. Also, spanakopita filling generally includes egg which acts as a binding agent and keeps the pita from not falling apart while you eat it.

Just some suggestions of things to consider when sampling spanakopites around the city. Hope this helps!

You can also buy frozen spanakopita at Sun Valley Supermarket, 486 Danforth Road, Toronto. I don't know if they carry it at the Danforth Avenue location as well. Also, you can get really good frozen spanakopita from Greece made with mizithra cheeze at Ararat International Fine Foods, 1800 Avenue Road, Toronto (just south of the 401).

I would recommend you contact the Estates of Sunnybrook (Bayview and Eglinton area). We had our wedding reception there 12 years ago (!) at Vaughan Estate (the larger of the two properties) and the food was amazing.

Just wanted to comment on the Best Greek restaurant on Danforth.... I'm Greek and have eaten and virtually all the Greek restaurants on the Danforth. I would say that consistently, the best Greek restaurant on Danforth is AVLI. I have known Lambros for almost 20 years and have eaten in his restaurants in their various incarnations. What I love about Avli is that it is the closest to REAL Greek food that you are going to get, with a nod to the peasant food and vegetarian food traditions of Greece. There is some nod to the chicken souvlaki, rice and potatoes that those that go to the Danforth look for, but a lot of though has gone into the menu with a great nod to the "alternative" cuisine of the motherland.

A lot of posters have mentioned Pantheon and I would like to make a few comments: I have eaten at Pantheon many times because my husband (who is not Greek) likes it there. Pantheon cuts a lot of corners in its cuisine..for example, the dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves) are hard and dried out and the avgolemono sauce is thickened with corn starch (i have noticed this in the avgolemono soup as well) rather than purely being an egg and lemon mixture as it is supposed to be. I also do not care for the accompaniments to the entrees and the curse of the "winter tomatoes" being offered in the horiatiki (village) salad. A true village salad is a celebration of the ripe delicious tomatoes so plentiful in Greece....please please please do not serve underripe hard tomatoes!!! Anyway, just my 2 cents, I realize everyone has different tastes but I trust the reviews on here and always look here first when looking for a new restaurant to try.

-----
Avli
401 Danforth Ave, Toronto, ON M4K1P1, CA