Fwagra's Profile
Bistro 990 closing: an end of an era?
The end of a mediocre restaurant. Foodies don`t care.
Mideastro location in Yorkville
I have been twice, and really enjoyed both visits.
I really like the lamb pizza, and other appetizers with their pickled-in-house vegetables. Falafel shrimp are tasty.
I had the lamb kefta main. It's served in a metal pan, with a roof of baked bread. There are three very large kefta under the bread, simmering in a delicious mixture of eggplant, tomato, onions, and Moroccan spices. Really tasty. And it's unique. They are doing something that no one else in town does: fancy, creative, Middle-Eastern inspired cuisine.
The service could not be friendlier.
Barque - Review
My mother-in-law's brisket is better than Barque's. And, she's no culinary genius. But, she knows that brisket and other less expensive cuts of meat become delicious only with patience.
The place is always packed. So, it's good then right? I guess the Pickle Barrel is Toronto's greatest restaurant?!?
Anyhow, I don't want to be overly argumentative (is it too late?). You like it and I don't. To each his own.
Barque - Review
We were three at Barque last night. None of us will return.
We wanted to like this place. We understood that one of the owner/cooks had actually spent half a year studying and learning barbecue in the southern United States. This sounded promising.
The problem, it seems, is that Barque is already cutting corners. They are trying to speed up production. They are not doing things "low" or "slow" enough. Surely, they are deviating from what they must have learned stateside. Ironically, none of the food had the trademark "bark" that we were rightly expecting.
Baby back ribs, had clumps of rub falling off it. Now, mind you, the rub itself was delicious. But most people don't want to eat it in mounds. Rather, it should be applied early and allowed to meld into the meat. The ribs we had were not penetrated by the rub. The rub just fell off. Their rub, I think, is very good and would have worked well if given the chance. Smoke penetration was there, but not as deep as I prefer. It was almost superficial. But it was there, and there was some resultant deliciousness. But, for the most part, the ribs were a big let down.
Their smoked chicken wings were the highlight. Very delicious. Properly smoked. (It takes less time properly smoke a chicken wing, due to its smaller size). It's too bad they don't have the patience to smoke bigger pieces of food.
Breaded chicken tenders were dry. And, they were not all tenders, per se, but strips of breast meat, as noted by my dining companion who worked in the chicken business.
Brisket and beef rib were mediocre. Again, they would have been better if the kitchen didn't rush to prepare them. These are very fatty pieces of meat, that require low and slow cooking, in part to render off some of the solid fat. But, they apparently didn't do that. So, both of these items had large globules of solid white fat throughout.
On the positive side, they start you out with complimentary carbonated water. A nice touch, I thought.
Barque is still better than 95% of the ribs in this town. So, I think a lot of people will like it. The place was busy. But, they are not living up to their name.
I hear Buster Rhino's is coming to Toronto. I am looking forward to trying their stuff.
-----
Buster Rhino's
2001 Thickson Rd S, Whitby, ON L1N, CA
Giancarlo on Clinton
I am a little late on this one, but we had a very bad experience at Giancarlo last night.
Staff and service were very confused. First, they forgot my friend`s cocktail order. No big deal. Then, I ask about wines by the glass. He says he doesn`t know what they have but he will check. Then, he shows up with a glass of vaguely described crap and charges $15 per glass. Before he brought the glasses of wine, I told him that I wasn`t sure if I even wanted a glass of wine as it depended on what they could offer by the glass. This was after we finished off the first bottle that we ordered.
Food was mediocre to terrible. Ossobuco was like eating shoe leather. Couldn`t finish it. And, they serve it without the prized marrow bone (because they sell it to other customers separately as an appetizer!). He takes away my uneaten dinner without a word.
Funniest part: when I finally did complain (I spoke to the server privately away from the table), about half way through my complaint, he tells me that he doesn`t have time to listen further and he will take the wines off the bill!
Anyhow, not a lot of time now to elaborate but it was all-round awful. F you right back, Giancarlo!
L'atelier, Fiamma, Bouchon - good mix? Rethink? Pls weigh in...
I went to Fiamma once and was very disappointed. I wouldn't go back.
The food was slapped together with very little attention, and wasn't very good. I recall a pasta dish that was gloopy, like Elmer's glue. The place was terrifically loud. The service was mediocre.
Just my two cents.
Jaleo-Keep your Shoes off the Furniture
I think most or all of you have it right. This place is just silly.
I went there a couple of weeks ago; we were a party of six. We were greeted by a very rude hostess, for one thing. When I announced our presence, she immediately barked at me and said that she was very busy and would get to us when she pleased. (I am paraphrasing). The rest of the service was comically amateurish, especially for a restaurant with such pretensions to excellence.
The food was nothing special to be sure. Some of it was not very good. Oysters were shrivelled and didn't look fresh. A crayfish or langoustine of some type smelled fishy and had very little edible meat, and was covered in some type of foam. Molecular gastronomy, I suppose. But the foam served no other purpose than conveying the notion that one was engaged in molecular gastronomy. It had no particular flavour value. Croquettes of two kinds were boring. Jamon Iberico is great, but I can buy that too. Heirloom tomato panzanella was really good.
The croquettes served in a shoe. I doesn't work for me. It's a blatant, even desperate attempt to be singular. But, what is the message? What is the esthetic? What's the joke? Nada. Just food in a shoe! More stupid than clever to me.
Will definitely not return to this pretentious place.
Sukhothai - A Gem of a Chowfind!
Ok, well, whatever. My mistake. They're a really nice Asian family. Better?
Sukhothai - A Gem of a Chowfind!
We were two at Sukhothai tonight. What an amazing place! The place is run by a family of supernice Thai people. They were very warm, hospitable, and welcoming.
The food is incredibly good. We started with spring rolls and garlic chicken: deep fried little chicken fingers, Thai style, with a sweet garlicky dipping sauce. Delicious. Every piece a winner. Then, we move onto Beef Khao Soi. Unbelievably good: perfect (fatless, gristleless) pieces of brisket beef simmered in a yellow curry with egg noodles. Wow, a Thai restaurant with beef that's not scary!
Then, we had their Sukhothai Pad Thai. Very nice. Perfectly al dente rice noodles! Another first. The best Pad Thai I've had. No red ketchupy slimy mess here, folks. This was light and fresh, with a few shrimps.
Our third dish was Gaeng Panang: a savoury peanuty chicken curry with steamed white rice. Again, the chicken pieces were picture perfect each one. Not a trace of fat, gristle, bone, or anything unpleasant. Just well-trimmed boneless white chicken meat, simmered in another sublime and rich Thai sauce.
Delicious cassava cakes for dessert, and a Fanta cream soda to boot.
Thanks to those that have touted this place on CH. I can never eat at Salad King or Young Thailand again. Ever.
Run, don't walk, to Sukhothai.
Konner Chinese Restaurant (Finch & Midland)
Wow. Wow. Based on your review, we went to Konner on Friday night. Did I say Wow? This is some scarily authentic stuff here. No General Tsao’s Chicken tonight!
Very interesting food, this Hunan stuff. Would I be out of line to say that it reminded me a bit of my Szechuan experience at Hot Spicy Spicy at Leslie and Finch? Food that was redolent of far-away spices, exotic peppercorns, and very hearty. Very foreign flavours to my tongue, to say the least.
We had the cold peppers; it seemed more like a condiment than an actual dish, and I think we would have been happy to have a bit less of it. And, ours was a bit more cloudy with preserved egg (compared with your photo). But, it was really good. We couldn’t find the bamboo dish! And, I tried to describe it, but to no avail. We did have some delicious stir-fried beef with cumin and scallions. It was very good and had an almost… Mexican flavour! Not really, but the cumin was surprising for us. We had squid stew which was okay, but lacking in some flavour. And, chicken cooked in bamboo was actually not so good.
Lastly, the owner was very friendly and seemed to enjoy practicing her English with us, as we were the only white people there. She was lovely!
All in all, this was a very eye-opening (my friend said “humbling”) experience to taste Chinese food that is so different from the stuff we are accustomed to.
Thanks for this very interesting recommendation.
National Restaurant and Banquet Hall
Disgusting. Disgusting. Really, really, disgusting. And that was just the entertainment.
No, I'm kidding. The food is as bad as the live music. But, both were plentiful. Which is not good when both are so gosh darn awful.
I have been twice now for birthday parties. I hate the place. It is somewhat comical, I suppose, because everything there is in such poor taste.
You're thinking: "what a snob!" But, no, seriously, try the place and tell me I'm wrong!
How do you search this board??
Long time poster... Maybe I am blind or stupid or both, but I can't see the search function on the new funky designed CH.
Help!?!
259 Host - Review
We were four at 259 Host last night.
Bottom line: adequate food but outrageously expensive.
Butter chicken for $17 should contain more than four pieces of chicken! And what's with the ubiquitous but out-of-place cherry tomato garnish on everything? Is that what allows them to charge triple? (No, it's morons like me who eat there, I know). Or maybe it's the ridiculously large serving dishes, which only serve to accentuate the niggardliness of the portions. Whatever it is, it doesn't work at 259 Host.
We ordered the seabass, which seemed to be covered in a floury country-gravy. Yucky. That whole dish was flavourless and bland; something Indian food usually is not. Butter chicken was tasty. Chana Bindi was good, but nothing special. I always love me some channa; it doesn't need to be fancy (or garnished). Every dish was very small, and gone in 60 seconds. Tasty enough. But, more than $80/person!
Service was good, by the way.
The place was dead empty. Deservedly so, I'm afraid.
-----
259 Host
259 Wellington St W, Toronto, ON M5V, CA
Suggestions Wanted: Downtown Dinner for 18
Thanks so much for the suggestions. I think we will go with Ame. But, both good suggestions which I appreciate.
Suggestions Wanted: Downtown Dinner for 18
Hi hounds.
I am planning a dinner for 18. We don't mind spending some money. Criteria:
1. Downtown central
2. Good drinks and food (duh)
3. Private dining room a plus
Previous dinners were at Colborne Lane and Nota Bene. We preferred Nota Bene, although both were good. We ate at the little semi-private room in Nota Bene; it was great. Anything similar would be wonderful.
I thank you in advance for your suggestions.
JBS
-----
Colborne Lane
45 Colborne Street, Toronto, ON M5E 1P8, CA
Nota Bene
180 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON M5V 2A1, CA
Glow: Fresh Grill & Wine Bar at Don Mills
When I was there, she was also. Not doing much, mind you, just sitting around with her perma-sneer.
Her restaurant stinks.
High Tea in Toronto?
They don't do high tea at the Windsor Arms.
-----
Windsor Arms
18 St Thomas St, Toronto, ON M5S, CA
ISO Indian Candy
I had it at Rodney's By Bay last Friday. Dang, that stuff is delish.
-----
Rodney's By Bay
56 Temperance Street, Toronto, ON M5H 3V5, CA
GOOD EATS IN MARKHAM?????
I hit Babu last Wednesday. I really liked it. For $6 you can get a thali featuring loads of biryani, plus five curries and rasam (soup). Delicious. Interesting beet curry, slightly crunchy cabbage curry, spicy channa masala. Great stuff and very good value.
As this place has no seats, there is nowhere to eat, really. I love Babu and will be returning there. And if I have to eat in the parking lot again, I will still be happy!
RIP Cuisine of India
Noooooooooooo!
I know CofI wasn't the best, but it was the first for me. I have since expanded my Indian repertoire to include a lot of South Indian, Pakistani and other good stuff. But I always loved going to CofI with family and eating their Tandoori prawns, deliciously greasy eggplant, and other dishes. I will miss that restaurant.
Quick review on Sushi Kaji
I ate at Sushi Kaji on Saturday. I generally agree with the original poster. I know this post has gone in different directions, but I am not writing enough to bother with a new post altogether.
It was a nice dinner. Some dishes were very tasty. Some were a bit boring. The sushi and sashimi were beautiful and delicious. But, $300 for two seemed a little much for this dinner (one glass of sake).
Some quick examples. Handmade udon soup was good but not "wow" good. Fish noodles in lukewarm bonito broth was good, but again not very special. Dessert was basic vanilla mousse, with a dash of coffee syrup.
I don't even really care about the decor of the place, or even the service (which was polite but challenged by a language barrier). It's just that the food at Kaji underwhelms (for the price).
-----
Sushi Kaji
860 The Queensway, Toronto, ON M8Z1N7, CA
Peaktop - Brief Review
Thanks for the advice. I believe that I saw these chickens; they are pale (compared to Peking Duck). I will try it, for sure. And, did I not see some people order Chinese sausage fried rice? I love Chinese sausage (Lap Cheu?), and will definitely want to try that too. Again, thanks for the tips.
Buca - Review
We were 5 at Buca on Friday night.
Service was great (and beautiful too). All around, the staff were very friendly and attentive.
The food was good, but too small. I love the idea of "Cucina Rustica della Nonna"; it's so nice to see a restaurant serving this type of Italian food. This type of food (in Italy and Nonna's kitchen) can be characterized with one word: "generous". It is truly food of love. And the portions should be ample. Such ampleness is inherent to the cuisine itself.
We started with a bunch of salumi. It was good; not better than the platter at Nota Bene, mind you, but good. We cut up a prosciutto pizza, which was well done. Very nice, thin, but crispy, and not overtopped. Funghi fritti were very good, but the portion was laughably small. For Pietro's sakes, it's mushroom! Be generous with it! Warm olives and Nodini (little fresh-baked breadknots) were very yummy, but overpriced.
My main was polenta with lamb neck and beef shortribs. Very nice, and served on a wooden platter. Good pieces of meat, not too fatty. Quite good. Someone had a spaghetti carbonara which was really tasty, although, to me, it's something one makes at home (for less than $18). But, Buca does their carbonara by the book and it's great; maybe even a surprise for many people who think of it as an Alfredo-style dish. Little balsamic-braised onions were absolutely scrumptious.
I like Buca. It's interesting to see this type of food served to pretty young urban people. And maybe that explains the inappropriately downsized portions: they have adapted this rustic style of food to King-west clientele. And, to Buca, that requires shrinking the food. Now, I know that my whole little review here is themed around portion size: but, again, it's that generosity that, to me, characterizes this type of food. All in all, however, I am happy to see this type of Italian food being served in our city. I think that regional Italian cuisine has yet to be properly explored by our city's chefs and I look forward to more.
-----
Nota Bene
180 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON M5V 2A1, CA
Buca
604 King St. West, Toronto, ON M5V 1M6, CA
Peaktop - Brief Review
Jelly, I have not tried anything else in the mall. But I have heard good things about Ding Tai Fun, the Shanghai Dim Sum house there.
Frankly, I just want to meander about the whole plaza, and eat at every place!
Feeling very grateful for our wonderful and diverse city tonight.
Peaktop - Brief Review
We were 9 at Peaktop on Sunday night.
Oh boy, is this place good. Best Peking Duck I have had, and I have had a lot. (I grew up with it hanging in the laundry room). What made the PD so good: freshly made pancakes, rather than grocery-store springroll wraps. Less fat (but still some) than usual. I don't like eating thick, white layers of duckfat. No, this stuff was extra crispy and good. And, there was a lot of meat too.
But, Peking Duck is just the beginning. Stir-fried pea shoot leaves, for $12 an order; delicious. BBQ'd pork was excellent, and very lean. Every piece a winner: no need to pick through the pile for that special slice! Salt & pepper shrimp were good to very good; nice, fresh shrimp that were not overcooked. We tried the suckling pig, but I just don't think it's my thing: it was porky tasting, if you will. Just not for me.
We loved this place. It was $35 all-in per person, for Peking Duck with all the trimmings. Better duck than Lai Wah Heen, for half the price. Excellent. Go now.
The Twisted Bagel - new restaurant
No, Yongeman, you're not getting it. It's not a cafeteria either. You line up to order. But, you don't get your food. You just get to order. They bring the food later.
At a cafeteria-style place, you at least return to your seat with your food, after lining up.
It is indeed what it is: just another guy who thinks he can run a restaurant but can't. Happens every day.
