Food Tourist's Profile
Manitoulin Island recommendations?
Any recent reviews of Abby's Dining Lounge in M'Chigeeng? Going next Thursday for lunch. Any other takeout or bakeries or food shops (not sit-down nor fine dining) worth visiting this spring near Wikwemikong, or Anishinabe Center, Anderson Lake, Espanola? Thanks.
Torontonian heading to Buffalo for the 1st time - suggestions, please?
What did you eat and drink and how was it? Might go to Premier and eat out (no wings, but pizza or beef on weck would be great) on the Easter long weekend. I have been twice to Pizza Plant and absolutely love it. Have also been to Bar Bill and enjoyed the beef on weck.
Best Toronto fine dining with tasting menu AND a view and/or great service/decor
Nice photo!
You know, most adults don't know or don't care what's trendy or popular right now. They want old-school service, decor, tablecloths, warmth/romance or atmosphere to impress corporate clients, and world-class food and wine. I realize that most restaurant owners in Toronto are trying to make a decent reliable living but does everyone have to downgrade so drastically in an effort to stay alive and make a profit?
Best Toronto fine dining with tasting menu AND a view and/or great service/decor
Does any restaurant in the GTA offer those little "extras" like palate cleansers, mignardises, a round of free drinks (or refills on wine pairings), etc.? Has anyone eaten at Auberge du Pommier or Canoe recently and do they offer anything (food, decor, service, etc.) better than Scaramouche for instance?
Best Toronto fine dining with tasting menu AND a view and/or great service/decor
I fully agree. We have restaurants in Toronto with fantastic food but so-so service and decor. Acadia's food (like the rainbow trout main course) in a Scaramouche atmosphere - now that would be a great fusion! In everyone's haste to downscale fancy restaurants in Toronto, we lost a lot more than tablecloths and sorbet palate-cleansers! Why do we put up with good restaurants only serving simple (e.g grilled) food? What happened to complex, composed dishes with exotic ingredients that create a memorable WOW food experience AND with attentive service and classy atmosphere?
By the way, my Dad ordered a 3 cheese platter which never arrived. When we reminded the server and cancelled the order, he apologized and then brought a comp 1 cheese platter anyway just so Dad could at least try the goat/sheep/cow cheese.
Also, re decor/atmosphere at Scaramouche: we found it lovely and not dated. The pasta bar being right beside the main restaurant creates a nice buzz and overall relaxed feel.
Best Toronto fine dining with tasting menu AND a view and/or great service/decor
Scaramouche was very good. Good overall service. At first they seated us in the furthest corner from a view; when I gently complained, they immediately and graciously moved us to our previously-promised table on the upper level closest to the windows. The lower level by the windows could certainly accommodate a table for 4, maybe even 5.
There was a cod brandade amuse bouche, though the server placed the wrong amuse in front of my BIL who is deathly allergic to seafood. Luckily, I noticed and had them correct it in time.
Wine/champagne was good, as expected. Got a Billecart-Salmon rose champagne and a burgundy grand cru I think. Food was very good, though not always excellent. My truffle and fennel salad had a very generous amount of tasty black perigord truffle slices. My partridge with foie gras main was lovely. Mom's foie gras terrine seemed to lack taste though the small amount of duck with it was delicious. Dad very much enjoyed his spicy asian steelhead salmon. The daily soup was beluga lentil. Dad's half-size pasta with truffles was also very tasty.
All in all, we were very pleased and would return to eat there in a heartbeat! No, the view wasn't much, especially on a foggy/cloudy night, but we certainly could see the Four Seasons old hotel, the CN Tower, etc. We were amazed by the effect of descending into a restaurant from the ground floor and yet having a high view!
Sadly, there were no mignardises or gifts from the chef. For dessert, we shared some coconut cream pie on puff pastry crust (huge and rich) and the new dessert menu's chocolate cremeux with roasted cashew ice cream which was perfectly delicious. Apparently, they had just launched the new dessert menu that day. The matching Maury dessert red wine was a perfect complement. http://www.scaramoucherestaurant.com/sites/default/files/menu/Desserts%20Mar%2024%202012_Desserts%20Jan%2021.pdf
Acadia or Woodlot
What are the best of the best apps, mains, desserts at Acadia? Going this weekend for the first time.
Best fine dining in Toronto...on a Sunday
Not fine dining, but Harbord Room, Ursa and Enoteca Sociale are open Sunday evenings. I'm going to Acadia this Sunday with a large group of adventurous eaters - which dishes should we share and which should we keep all to ourselves?
Are any hotel dining rooms open on a Sunday evening?
Loire Harbord Street Toronto
My friend is taking me to dinner at Loire next week on her voucher. The online reviews elsewhere seem abysmal. Has anyone been there recently, and what should I order to be safe?
What are my chances of dining without reservations?
5 of us went to Roy's far off-strip for dinner with no problems walking in on a Tuesday at 7 pm. I don't think it's as good as Roy's used to be, though. I had the bibimbap and it was lacklustre. The free fried dumplings were tasty, as were the free spicy edamame. Our server was terrific even though we stated we were tired and heading straight to the airport and not that interested in a full meal.
You would likely get into Lotus of Siam or Hot 'n' Juicy Crawfish, too, off-strip, with no problems.
We also had a late lunch no problem at China Poblano in Cosmopolitan hotel. It was half empty on a Monday around 2 pm.
We also had not much of a wait on a Sunday at 11 am for Wicked Spoon buffet at Cosmo.
I'd say you'd also have no problem at Bouchon at Venetian on a Saturday around 5 pm when they open. However, it wasn't as great as everyone claims. Fairly standard bistro fare, not "Thomas Keller" calibre.
Marben for dinner?
Just wanted to say that we had a stellar meal at Marben on a weeknight about a month ago. Used dining date night and saved at least $25+. Everything was delicious (one app, two mains, two sides, one dessert though apple isn't my favourite flavour, cocktail, wine) and the female server was highly knowledgeable. She obviously knew a lot about food and drink. My friend didn't like her cocktail (wasn't to her taste) and the server removed it half way through the meal and didn't charge for it.
Where to get good coffee?
So, I met Jonah on Saturday at noon when they opened. He was testing out two new roasts from Verve, his main supplier. http://www.vervecoffeeroasters.com/products/kenya-githongo and http://www.vervecoffeeroasters.com/products/el-salvador-el-porvenir
He uses siphon with canvas filter heated over halogen bulbs to create a hybrid drip/press brew. Wonderful knowledge, and great experience hanging out and tasting both with him at no charge! Great start to my holiday. Sadly, we didn't get a chance to return for another cup or two (he also does espresso and espresso-based drinks) as timing was off and they are never open early enough!
Sadly, our local at Cosmo, Va Bene Caffe, uses Illy so I didn't even bother. And the double shot large latte at Jean Philippe was really mediocre.
Massimo Capra at Rainbow Room - Crowne Plaza Niagara Falls...
I thought AG cuisine at Sterling Hotel was the default fine dining go-to in town? They are consistently good and not a default at all.
Is there one great Japanese restaurant where the decor, lighting, and service reflect that?
Has anyone been to Shinobu recently? I keep hearing they have great, not mediocre, food, but can't verify myself. http://www.shinobu.ca/
Craft Cocktails or Mixology Cocktails
It wasn't that cold, actually. We were walking around at 11 pm Saturday watching the Mirage volcano outdoors and it was fine out. I wish we had stopped at Rhumbar for a drink, too! Believe it or not, we never did have a drink at Chandelier nor Vesper in our own hotel.
Zeppole Reco's....anybody?
Good reminder as St. Joseph's feast day is today, March 19th. I will check out Sanremo and report back.
Is there one great Japanese restaurant where the decor, lighting, and service reflect that?
I haven't been back to Hiro in years either, but I remember going often and really loving it about 5 years ago.
Is there one great Japanese restaurant where the decor, lighting, and service reflect that?
What happened to Hiro (on King)?
Is there one great Japanese restaurant where the decor, lighting, and service reflect that?
Amazing food film. Zen and the Art of Sushi. Makes you crave excellent sushi immediately.
Is there one great Japanese restaurant where the decor, lighting, and service reflect that?
After just seeing the film "Jiro Dreams of Sushi", I'd agree. Kaji reminds me of the sensibility of Jiro according to the film.
Also, after that post, I decided to eat at Sakabar after the film to satisfy an intense sushi craving. The only bad part of the meal was the yakitori (weirdly cold). Excellent BC sweet shrimp and Australian yellowtail amberjack sashimi.
Craft Cocktails or Mixology Cocktails
Thanks, everyone. We enjoyed the cocktails at China Poblano over lunch (lychee pisco, salt air margarita) and Mandarin Bar before dinner (Violet Aviation), but sadly, didn't get a chance to sample the cocktails elsewhere!
Is there one great Japanese restaurant where the decor, lighting, and service reflect that?
At $400 per person (including tax, tip and drink) I'd rather fly to Japan. Who's with me?
Is there one great Japanese restaurant where the decor, lighting, and service reflect that?
I liked their charcoal-grilled food a couple of years ago.
Is there one great Japanese restaurant where the decor, lighting, and service reflect that?
Googs, I was taken to Kaji on Wed for my big birthday. I was pleasantly surprised by the renovations and open concept. It's not 100% fine dining, but the service was good and the view of the open kitchen and other patrons around the L-shaped sushi bar very entertaining. The food was perfect. Yes, perfect. It is so worth a long drive! Best octopus, sea urchin, scallop, tuna belly, etc. that I've ever tasted in Canada. Cooked food also delightful. Watching the sous chef carve a gorgeous bouquet of flowers for another lucky birthday lady out of humble daikon, carrot and green onions was the biggest treat of all. Kaji's lighting is perfect for those of us who deny needing reading glasses for the menu.
I also adore Guu Sakabar and went twice since Christmas, both times seated at the bar facing the open kitchen. Entertaining, fun, and most importantly, consistently tasty food. Their one-year anniversary sakura festival is this Sunday/Monday/Tuesday I believe. Hard wooden bar stools and benches, but still good!
Also recently went to Yuzu on a weeknight. It was almost completely empty of other patrons and still felt "too quiet" even with the hip loungey soundtrack. Food tasty, and much better than Japango which I visited just before Christmas.
Finally, I also recently went to a birthday dinner at Ema-tei's tatami room. Decent food. We shared a bunch of small plates and then each had a larger noodle dish to ourselves.
To sum up, I'd recommend all of the above (except Japango), plus Kumai in Mississauga.
Best pizza in Toronto?
No, I meant Parlour deep dish pizza: http://www.parlourdeepdishpizza.com/ which I just googled.
LF Coffee shop in Etobicoke
Do you mean the Good Neighbour on Annette?
I would suggest Birds 'n' Beans in Mimico - but their food is limited to a handful of sandwiches and one spinach empanada.
Capital Espresso is laid back enough but again no real food; however, they allowed me to get roti from Roti Lady across the street.
Best pizza in Toronto?
I can't believe anyone still reads this thread -- it took me ages to read the updates since my last view last year. But just wanted to say that I got a turkish pide at Dino's wood burning oven pizza on Queensway just now and it was so tasty. Great crust and tasty garlicky turkish sausage (sujuk) and lots of grease and most importantly, tons of stretchy cheese!
And my one visit to Pizza e pazzi was underwhelming. Still on the hunt for good non-soggy crisp thin crust pizza.
FBI pizza in Mimico is decent but is regular crust and regular non-gourmet toppings and nothing special. Kind of expensive actually.
I still need to try that chicago deep dish place - is it still around?
Where to get good coffee?
I'm marvelling at the coincidence that Balzac's is a decent coffee chain in Toronto! Thanks for the tip. Was planning a breakfast at Mon Ami Gabi - will look out for the patisserie.
Craft Cocktails or Mixology Cocktails
Any good mixology at MGM Grand, Venetian/Palazzo (other than Fusion), Caesars Palace or Bellagio? http://www.bellagio.com/nightlife-diversions/
Las Vegas- Fremont street eats?
Just realized that the appeal of Fremont Street for a first time tourist might be the "after dark" neon signs and the Fremont Street Experience? So should I be looking for late night snack suggestions open at midnight on a Monday night instead?
