Has anyone been to Chantecler since they switched from an a la carte menu? What do they tend to serve? How is the new tasting menu?
Admittedly I was hoping to go to Harbord Room for dinner with a friend and can't get a reservation. Thought of Chantecler instead - but other suggestions most welcome. Thanks.

Thank you for this recommendation - i had forgotten about King's but coincidentally I went to one in the city the day you sent this and came back with a bagful of mock-meat groceries! Veggie gumbo, here i come!

Also, any recommendations for good veggie sausages? (Insert oxymoron joke here. For the record, I also appreciate diner sausages, Cumbrae's chicken sausages, and more!) Thanks

It's not high end, but I was at a group lunch at the Summerhill Terroni on Yonge Street, and it was quite lovely. We had the entire top-floor room to ourselves, and we were about 12 people. It's a pretty simple room: white walls, exposed ductwork -- not a lot to look at, but you also don't have to worry about kids getting out of hand. If you're keen on entertainment, there is also a very modern, fully glassed in room on the second floor that looks kind of intriguing -- you can people watch, but people can also watch you!

I'm not one to complain about a good cookie arriving in Toronto, knock-off or no - and I figure no one has a monopoly on serving milk. But the "Bottom of the bowl" flavour is pretty ballsy. The most flagrant rip-off ever of Momofuku's Cereal Milk! (Which converted me forever; I used to always leave the milk at the bottom of my cereal bowl until i had a cereal milk milkshake...I know). Owner also talks about the "cowgirl" cookie on BlogTO - she just throws in a bit of everything, whatever's around. That sounds rather a lot like Momofuku's compost cookies. Rip 'em off, by all means, but do ya have to be that blatant about it?!

Thanks so much for all the recommendations, everyone. I think we'll be doing more than one of these. A couple of old favourites in here, and one or two I've been meaning to check out. Ruby Watchco had never occurred to me - great idea. They're off for their summer holiday soon, i think, but that will be one to look forward to in the fall with my special feller!

Under $40 a person would be great, since we have a few meals out planned. Thanks for the suggestion of Sidecar, JennaBean. I've never sat on the patio - sounds nice.

I know I've come across restaurants that do this (or some kind of quaint-sounding Sunday night family dinner) and thought - ah, sounds nice, must try. But now I have a cousin coming into town and staying a couple of weeks and I am trying to think of a good place to go on a school night, I can't seem to. I believe Union 72 has one, which is a real contender. Anyone know of others?

Shake Shack? I admit I've been on another planet for the last while, but there is a Shake Shack in T.O. now? Please tell! Or did you just happen to be in NYC the night before?
Sigh. What I'd give for a concrete, a portobello burger and some of those curly fries...Jeb's Custard is good, but not the same.

Little India - the Toronto Cash & Carry on Gerrard, east of Greenwood certainly has it. But that's probably not as convenient as Loblaws.

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Little India
255 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M5V1Z4, CA

The Cobourg on Parliament is nice. Elegant but comfortable, good drinks, and the kind of cosy place where you're likely to strike up a conversation with the bartender or one of the regulars if you like, or be left to your own devices if you prefer.

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The Cobourg
533 Parliament St, Toronto, ON M4X 1P3, CA

Someone mentioned it to me recently and I'd heard the name but can't for the life of me remember it. Supposed to be a Swan kind of place. A little Googling yielded nothing. But if it exists, and it's any good, I know Chowhounders will know.

They were good once. What happened? I've had atrocious meals and service at two such places, and will never go back.
One: Konnichiwa, on Baldwin. Charming place, and I used to really like it. This time there were four of us, and we couldn't eat our food. Unagi, zaru soba, don-buri... bad, bad, bad. Has Baldwin St. jumped the shark altogether? Too pretty to care? I hope not.
Two: Provence Délices, on Amelia Street in Cabbagetown. Used to be great, Now, very middling food. And a waiter who overcharged us by at least $40 (no word of a lie) and then disappeared for more than 45 minutes when I asked to see the bill again. He returned, saying he'd lost the bill, but intuited he may have overcharged us by, er, $40 or so. How's that? I should really have reported this fellow. Anyone know what happened to Provence? Was it just an off night?

Have I outgrown these places? Have they slid backward? Are there other places we should steer clear of that once had better days?

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Konnichiwa
31 Baldwin St, Toronto, ON M5T, CA

I've searched this board thoroughly and have a good sense of what Bread Bar offers, less so of what the Amaya on Bayview is like. Is the food or range of food at one better than the other? And is it better to try the tasting menu or just order off the menu? (Do both have a tasting menu? Find this confusing, since neither website lists one at all.) There are two of us, for a birthday dinner (his).

I'm looking for a fun place in Toronto to have a drink and a bite to eat that will be tasty and also easy on the wallet in these recession-weary times. Any kind of cuisine is fine. Some place like Utopia, say, on College would do the trick. But not as tiny. Or Shanghai Cowgirl.
I have clearly been focusing my culinary energies on cooking at home because i can't think of a dang place. Any ideas??

I spotted this on CityTV's site:
Republicans Abroad are hoping McCain surprises the pundits and winds up winning the night. They'll be at a free event at the Lone Star Texas Grill at 200 Front St. W. near Simcoe. They'd prefer an email in advance if you're coming.
http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_2875...

Ooh, thanks, HermitGirl. That sounds like just the ticket.

I know this is not traditional Chowhound turf, but it's food and drink-related, and this is a crowd I can always trust to be discerning, so here goes...
I'm looking for a bar/pub at which to watch the U.S. election. Should have a decent selection of ales, nice ambience, and TV screens that will be tuned to CNN/PBS on Nov. 4! Oh, and Obama-friendly, please!
I know Flamingo Plaza is the official locale for the Democrats Abroad party, but they want 25 clams at the door, which seems steep. Wayne Gretzky's has an official Obama party, but... I've never been in there and i'm scared. Am i wrong to be? Is there anywhere else i should be considering? Thoughts?

I just had the blood orange gelato at Ed's Real Scoop, in the Beaches, a few days ago. Thought it was lovely. It was my first time there, so I'm not a long-time patron, but I liked what I had. And the aroma of fresh waffle cones being made in a corner of the shop is not to be dismissed...

Thanks, googs. You're not so bad with the handles yourself - Le Petit Service... that's a keeper!

Udupi is the best of the bunch, in my opinion. South Indian food, mostly, but they also have some north Indian dishes, and it's all fantastic. Chana bhatura is a favourite guilty pleasure, and the masala dosas are great. Also on that strip Siddhartha is very good, and its vegetarian sibling - I think it's Kissan, if that's still around...

I have to disagree with you on Le Petit Dejeuner, currycue. It used to be one of my favourite little spots, but I went recently after a gap, and found it overpriced ($10 or $11 for the bacon-and-eggs standard?) and the food quite underwhelming. They also forgot some of the things our meal was supposed to come with, and were generally a bit chintzy. One of the more disappointing meals i've had in a while. Will take more than shiny booths and cute music to win me back...

There's Film Buff on Queen, which serves great ice-cream, and good gelato a 10-minute drive away, on Bayview, but nothing but the dreaded B&R on the Danforth, as far as I can see. Anyone know a place that's a little closer?

I've had it there with no pre-order -- seemed to work out fine that time, at least. Lai Wah Heen, in the Metropolitan HOtel, of course has a delicious version. But pricier...

It closed years ago, and maybe I was just young and foolish, but I still dream of those delicious, multilayered desserts with that rich ganache, and pretty Chantilly cream. Is there a place that's doing anything like it in the city?

Actually, we haven't gone yet. It's next week!

This is long overdue thank-you to all who posted the fantastic suggestions to my question about a restaurant out of the show Columbo, to take my husband to for a birthday dinner! Brilliant ideas. I did take the young feller to House of Chan a couple of years ago - hit the spot! Senior's or Black Angus might win out this year, but as you can see, this is an ongoing fascination, so the restaurants that don't get picked this year will definitely be tried very soon. So thank you again.

And a hint for others who share our love for the wood-panelling/club-chair aesthetic: Washington, D.C. It's crawling with places like this!

My husband's birthday is coming up, and he has a strange fondness for restaurants that look like they stayed behind in the 60s/70s while the rest of the world moved on. The perfect spot would be the kind of place you'd see on the TV show Columbo! Banquettes, wood panelling, leather club chairs... you get the picture. Ed's Italian or one of those Ed Mirvish restaurants would have been great, but they're all gone. Any ideas?
We're in Toronto, but willing to go as far afield as Kingston. The food should be good, of course, but ambience is even more important. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

There's an excellent place in Richmond Hill, called Bombay Bhel. It's at Highway 7 and Leslie - Commerce Valley is the name of the street. A bit of a drive from Aurora, but one of the best in the city, and a favourite of my family's. (And we're Indian!)