lasardo's Profile
Bagel World on Bloor@Spadina
Their bagels were OK, but they otherwise had unbelievably high prices for everything else. $5 or so for a tiny container of tuna salad? Their rugelach was also good, but, like everything else, wildly expensive for what it was.
Been to Jacob & Co recently?
I had the good fortune of going there for a Valentine's Day dinner. I was looking forward to the table-side Caesar salad, but it appeared to be off the menu. (It wasn't described as being prepared table-side on the menu, and the diners next to us ordered it and just a plain old bowl of pre-prepared salad.). Otherwise everything else was great. Excellent service that never over-reached but was always attentive and informative. We got a shrimp cocktail and oysters rockefeller to start. The oysters were great, and though the pricey ($19?) shrimp cocktail only came with 3 jumbo shrimps, they were extremely tasty with a great cocktail sauce that truly zipped. Steaks were also great with excellent side sauces, as were the duck-fat fries. Overall, worth the visit.
Jack Astor's - Toronto Life Square
I hopped into the relatively new Jack Astor's at Toronto Life (Dundas) Square yesterday for lunch ... what a mistake. OK, OK, I knew going in that I was going to get suburban-chain service/food at best, but I was optimistic since JA can be good, reliable pub/grill food when it wants to be, and I was in the mood to take in the restaurant's awesome patio view.
First problem: Although the restaurant was barely half-full at lunch, the hostess looked like I was interrupting her busy day of sighing to herself, and was led to an outdoor table with a grunt by a waiter that looked like he was ashamed to be talking to a customer.
My waitress was OK, and the view is indeed welcoming, but the food, that's another story: I ordered the lunch-size fajitas, and about 10 minutes later came across the most unappetizing lunch in recent memory. The cheese looked gross and shiny, as if it had been left out of the fridge for about an hour (you know the type: greasy-looking cheddar that was limp and soft and generally unappetizing). The sour cream was weak and watery, and the fajita shells themselves were rock-hard stale!
I tried to make the best of it, but flagged down the waitress to take away the shells, which were thankfully replaced with piping-hot ones. Oh, and the food was delivered to me without any cutlery. (I know fajitas are a finger-food, but how was I supposed to spoon the hot chicken into the shell? With my hands?) Eventually I flagged down someone for cutlery, too, but by then the chicken had almost gone cold.
Lest you think this is unnecessary moaning, I noticed similar looks of dismay on others' faces across the patio. And to top it all off, 15 minutes into eating (and barely down half of my food), the waitress comes along with the bill and plunks it down beside me. Rushing much?
Overall, I think the experience has soured me off of JA forever, whatever the view offered.
Worst in Toronto
Alright, some of the worst of the worst (some echoed already on this board):
Hernando's Hideaway (either locale): Awful food (burrito had a frozen veggie mix in it, including crinkle-cut carrot and broccoli), terrible service and too-high prices.
Burrito Boyz: Horrendous service, literally as if the staff couldn't be bothered to deal with you, coupled with a bizarre ordering process and a total lack of respect for the customer.
Sushi on Bloor: Sloowwww service for mediocre sushi.
The Pizza Pizza @ Church/Dundas: The head guy there, usually taking orders, is practically yelling at you, daring you to order. One time a server didn't know what goat cheese was, and instead of giving us broccoli, gave us pepperoni.
Mars Diner: My veggies were frozen, and steak was literally reheated in a microwave before my eyes.
Lolita's Lust: Is this place still operating? I hope not, based on their tiny portions, ridiculous prices and too-dark decor.
Burrito Boyz - disastrous visit
It was actually the Adelaide location. I wanted somewhere to actually sit, and figured I might get lucky. In the seating respect, I did, since everyone else was standing around impatiently waiting for their food. I've had so-so service at the Peter location, but I think this was the last straw for me.
Burrito Boyz - disastrous visit
I've been a long-time advocate of BB, but last night's meal was a disaster. Got there at 6, pleasantly surprised to be one of the few customers there (normally their lines are massive, but usually go quickly enough). After waiting 5 minutes for the one person staffing the front to take my order, I waited another 20 minutes (!) to actually pay, since no one was on the cash. Then another 5 minutes on top of that to actually get the burrito. (The person who did eventually take my cash was also the food handler...who also happened to be chewing gum the whole time...gross).
Needless to say, the time I waited a huge crowd backed up behind me, each waiting to pay/take their food. One customer complained, was basically told tough luck, and that was that. The toppings also seemed a bit off in their freshness, and half of my shrimp burrito was blackened on one side. Overall, I think I'll be heading to the city's other burrito joints from now on.
