Bar Mercurio (Bloor and St. George) has amarone by the glass and by the half glass. I recently had a half glass for $20.

I recently enjoyed the corn fed chicken breast which came with a generous amount of accompanying vegetables. It was one of those meals that was much better than I had been expecting. In general, I find that they are at their best with their beef dishes and their sauces are extraordinary.
I'm pretty sure that their desserts are made in-house and IMHO rank among the best in the Hamilton area. I highly recommend their light-as-a-cloud pavlova and, when they have it, the frozen grand marnier souffle. I haven't tried the flourless chocolate cake though.

La Cantina would fit the bill - excellent wood fired pizza. It's about a 10 - 15 minute walk from Hamilton Place (or a 5 min. drive). Highly recommended.

http://www.lacantinahamilton.ca/conta...

If you're looking for a slice of pie try the Harbour Diner. They get them from a local neighbourhood baker and the pies are quite good. Usually they have 3 or 4 varieties on hand - e.g. apple, cherry, blueberry, peach, pear, mixed berries, etc. The coffee is a good deal too - fair trade organic for $1.

http://www.harbourdiner.com/index.html

The cakes at the Bean Bar are from a number of suppliers including La Rocca and Dufflet's. Last year the owner had told me that they had started to bring in some cakes from Dufflet's after I had asked about them a while ago. Unfortunately the staff does not seem to know which cakes are from which supplier but I am familiar enough with Dufflet's to recognize them. I've often spotted the cappuccino dacquoise, chocolate mousse, turtle fudge, lemon coconut, and pink velvet cakes there,

It can get pretty busy - especially on a Friday or Saturday night - but generally I've had very good coffee and service.

Try the Bean Bar in Westdale (1012 King St. West) - great coffee and desserts (mostly cakes).

http://www.beanbar.ca/

Sounds fantastic - wish I was there. I pride myself on having a pretty good riesling collection (2001 on) so I'm sure I could find something interesting. It would be tough to match some of the selections at this dinner though!

From the regular diner menu, I'd recommend the meatloaf - it's excellent. I found the lobster mac and cheese a bit bland. The turkey dinner sandwich is a bit messy but fun to eat and the shepherd's pie is pretty good too.

I find that the daily blackboard specials are somewhat more interesting and I have been ordering from here lately. The pasta dish is usually a good choice (especially the Thai pasta when they have it) as is the killer seafood soup with the mini garlic loaf or the fish tacos.

The blackboard specials are usually updated daily on their website although they haven't been doing it this week for some reason.

http://www.harbourdiner.com/index.html

I didn't get into Toronto proper as much as I usually do last year, so I have a few GTA choices included:

1. Blacktree (Burlington)
2. Quatrefoil (Dundas)
3. Twisted Lemon (Cayuga)
4. Ici Bistro
5. Pizzeria Libretto
6. Centro
7. Didier
8. Cava
9. Pastis
10. Sorrento

Was it Picone's in Westdale? If so, it is not there anymore ... but the original location in Dundas, Ont. is still going strong.

http://piconefinefood.ca/

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Picone's
34 King St W, Dundas, ON L9H, CA

Auberge du Pommier
Blacktree (Burlington)
Buca
Colborne Lane
Frank's Kitchen
Malena
Nota Bene
Origin
Quatrefoil (Dundas)
Pizzeria Libretto

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Colborne Lane
45 Colborne Street, Toronto, ON M5E 1P8, CA

Blacktree
3029 New St, Burlington, ON L7N, CA

Nota Bene
180 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON M5V 2A1, CA

Pizzeria Libretto
221 Ossington Ave, Toronto, ON M6J, CA

Buca
604 King St. West, Toronto, ON M5V 1M6, CA

Frank's Kitchen
588 College St, Toronto, ON M6G 1B2, CA

I second cynalan's comments - probably my top 3 choices for Burlington (although Blacktree is my favourite by a landslide).

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Blacktree
3029 New St, Burlington, ON L7N, CA

Twisted Fork is a good suggestion. There is also a place run by a nice French couple - La Parisienne which is located near Twisted Fork, close to Lakeshore Rd. It has a wide variety of crepes (savoury & sweet) and has a nice atmosphere although service can be a bit slow at times.

http://www.la-parisienne.ca/

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Twisted Fork
67 Bronte Rd, Oakville, ON L6L, CA

When I got together with some friends (some of which were not too adventurous) in Burlington we went to Paradiso. The menu is varied enough so that there was something for everyone. We all had a great time and have returned a couple of times.

http://burlington.paradisorestaurant....

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Paradiso
2041 Pine St, Burlington, ON L7R1E9, CA

Papagayo (Mexican) only a couple of blocks west of King/Bay (at 246 King St. W.) would be my choice. La Luna (middle-eastern), another block west of Papagayo, is another possibility (306 King Street West). I like Harbour Diner too but you'd definitely have to drive there.

http://www.papagayo.ca/

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Harbour Diner
488 James St N, Hamilton, ON L8L1J1, CA

Papagayo
246 King St W, Hamilton, ON L8P1A9, CA

La Luna Restaurant
834 Brant St, Burlington, ON L7R2J5, CA

Either Quatrefoil or Seven Windows would fit the bill.

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Seven Windows
432 Aberdeen Ave, Hamilton, ON L8P2S2, CA

I had dinner there a couple of weeks ago and was quite impressed. I was fortunate to get a seat next to the open kitchen and it was quite interesting to watch the cooking. The servers were very friendly and pointed out various dishes as they were being finalized. The food itself was great. I started with bruschetta "North and South'" (mozzarella, wild mushrooms, herbs and tomato, basil, oregano) - nice to have the variety. I followed this with Ahi tuna with an inspired grape - caper salsa. Chef Dan Megna, a really nice guy, explained how he had stumbled upon the salsa by accident. I finished with a very fudgey chocolate pate and an excellent cappuccino that they whipped up in the kitchen for me (they have no cappuccino maker). I'll definitely be back.

Really? Foie gras better than Matteo's? Another reason to go back!

http://www.twistedlemon.ca/

I agree, good choice!

I believe that Bistro Six closed about a year ago.

http://news.guelphmercury.com/article/507495

La Cucina's pretty good; menu focuses on regional Italian cooking.

http://www.cucinaguelph.ca/index.html

The Other Brother: I stayed away for a few years because they seemed to be in a rut (safe predictable menu that never seemed to change). I did try it again last fall, there were changes, and have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised. But my vote still goes to La Cucina.

http://www.otherbrothers.ca/index.htm

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La Cucina
130 Thomas St, Oakville, ON L6J3B1, CA

Other Brother's Restaurant
37 Yarmouth St, Guelph, ON N1H4G2, CA

Bistro Six
35 Harvard Rd, Guelph, ON N1G3A2, CA

I've had them at Origin and I also had a quesadilla with spot prawn at Great Cooks on Eight.

I suspect that the French restaurant was the late L'Escargot - located near the Delta. Gone but not forgotten.

Good suggestions above to which I'll add La Cantina for Italian http://www.lacantinahamilton.ca/

Seven Windows (no website) - French influenced food; located near Dundurn and Aberdeen but perhaps not so kid friendly.

Dalina's for Egyptian/Middle Eastern http://eatatdalinas.com/

The website for Papagayo is http://www.papagayo.ca/

Finally, if you wanted a truly exceptional meal and were willing to adjust the parameters to include Burlington then I would recommend Blacktree restaurant
http://www.blacktreerestaurant.com/
Again, not so kid friendly but there has been quite a buzz lately on this board. The finest and most creative restaurant in the area, IMHO.

There's still a few bottles of Cherry Marnier available, marked down from $47 to $31. Check http://www.vintages.com/ for store locations.

How about Paradiso - lots of variety in the price range you are looking for. Not a chain but there are 2 locations: downtown Oakville & downtown Burlington.

http://www.paradisorestaurant.com/

Well said, FlyingChef. Zees is overrated and had some of the coldest service I've ever received. Stone Road Grill for sure!

Starters range from $8 (soup of the day - for example a cold yogurt soup with croutons, raisins, turmeric or a hot soup of chicken consomee with vegetables and an oxtail ravioli) to $15 for the excellent duck spring rolls with orange, olives, and capers. Other appetizers are a Boston lettuce salad with apples and a lime chive creme fraiche dressing, a ceasar salad, escargots de bourgogne.

The mains start at $22 for the corn fed chicken with caramelized apples, double smoked bacon, and calvados brandy sauce up to $38. Other mains include a vegetarian gnocchi ($24), NY striploin, beef tenderloin in puff pastry, rack of lamb, peppercorn steak, and a seafood of the day. On occasion there is game (bison with a truffled port sauce, for example) Ask for the prices of any of the specials - there was once a seafood risotto with a lobster tail, shrimp, and scallops that clocked in at $46!

Desserts are $10 and there is usually creme brulee, a chocolate mousse or chocolate terrine, ice cream. Not to be missed, however, is the pavlova with fresh fruit or the frozen orange souffle.

How about Blacktree in Burlington? Chef Matteo is very talented and this may be the best restaurant in the Hamilton-Burlington area at the present moment. He changes the menu every month and never fails to amaze.

http://www.blacktreerestaurant.com/

How about Sotiris - they had various meat platters that included potatoes, rice, garlic bread, and Greek salad for about $17-$20 per person. Call ahead though, the website says that they will be relocating soon to Harvester Road.

http://www.sotiris-restaurant.com/

Or maybe The Black Forest on King St. - lots of meat & potatoes dishes at pretty reasonable prices.

http://www.blackforestinn.ca/

The Bean Bar in Westdale (1012 King St. W., next to the Westdale Theatre) should meet all your needs.

http://www.beanbar.ca/index.html

Another place, fairly close to your parents, that used to have a pretty good cappuccino and some assorted cheesecakes is Cafe Palazzo located on Upper James near Fennell ( I haven't been there for 3 or 4 years). I think that they were open till 11:00pm on Fridays & Saturdays.

Here's a couple of newer places that I like:
Ya Man near King & Wellington - clean spot, well executed Caribbean food, nicely spiced with fresh, healthy preparation

http://www.ya-man.ca/

The Spotted Pig on Augusta near James St. S - pub with upscale leanings; good pulled pork sandwich, trio of sliders, decent butter tart

http://thespottedpig.ca/

http://www.kaiseki.ca/english/