Westwardho's Profile
Red Fife Flour in Toronto?
Grain Process Enterprises Ltd -115 Commander Blvd. Scarborough
Phone 416-291-3226 - It is off of McCowan north of Sheppard but minumum 10kg bags and I would call in advance to make sure it is in stock - they run out some times
What's the closest decent dim sum near Don Mills/Lawrence?
I used to live close to there. Lai Toh Heen is pretty close (and not cheap) . But if you get on the DVP and drive north, you'll find generally getting up to Hwy 7 is not that long. Like 10 minutes. Take your pick up there. Try Ambassador if you need a suggestion. :-)
Grand Chinese Cuisine – Amongst the finest dim sum restaurants in Toronto (lengthy review + pics)
Sorry. I know this is a little off topic, but I am a big Grand fan myself and need a little help. First, I was at Pearl at Queen's Quay yesterday. I was pretty impressed with everything that we ate. (And we ate EVERYTHING). I was out looking for Tempo the other day. THere is no website and I read that it was on Vic Park north of Finch. I could not locate it. I ended up at what was formerly New World, which is called Empire this week - it was sufficient for $2 dim sum, but not what I was looking for because I was all the way out in Scarborough and wanted something good. Does anyone have an address for Tempo?
Live Lobster Sale ~ $7 / lb on now at T&T
Was at TNT yesterday. They are $6.99 a pound again! (Down from $8.99) Forget the turkey!
new to the area...good sushi @ queen/bathurst?
There is a place on the north side of Queen just east of Niagara. I can't place the name. But I have been given takeout from there a couple of times. Good rolls. I think the spicy tuna is really tasy, but an odd texture. Good tempura stuff. Priced pretty cheap. And even thought it does not seem that busy, the fish seemed pretty fresh. There is only one place there.
Eddie Leveque's Kitchen - they were nice (and the food was good!)
I spoke to Edward on a recent visit which is a little harder now since he is back at the helm in the kitchen for dinner. He seems like a renewed and revitalized chef and has his spark back creatively in the kitchen. Brunch there has always been awesome even thought it is almost always JAMMED in there. He has been there before Leslieville revitalized. I think 5 or 6 years. And he is still there. That has to be for a reason. It is consistenly a solid place that I would go to eat. Reasonable wine prices and selections. Unpretentious good food and a cool room.
Dim Sum in Mississauga
Emerald is my goto Mississauga too. If you have to go late, Kagemusha is right. Nothhing left but the stuff noone really wants. If you ask one of the servers though, they will bring you whatever you really want eventually. Best value per dollar ratio. But Grand in Etobicoke on Dixon by the airport is awesome and worth the drive and extra money, but no carts.
First Date... Need help
If you arelooking west end, it is pretty sad. But for a first date, I'd consider Cafe du Lac on Lakeshore just west of Palace Pier. I have only heard good things. The menu is cute Quebecois (I know not that exotic) but it really feels like a cute bistro and is hopping. I get takeout Indian next door at Everest all the time. It reminds me of the way Cafe Brussel used ot be when it was on Broadview. Great date place.
In search of good, reasonably priced, authentic Spanish Tapas
I went by but they are not open for lunch. Rachel the manager gave me a copy of the menu which she says is posted on the new site www.cocatapas.ca Wines by the glass start at $6 she said for the "poor Queen west kids" who eat there during the week. But that more wines are coming they just need some time to ramp it up.
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Coca
783 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6J, CA
Acme Burger - Bloor/Bathurst
There is another Acme at Royal York and the Queensway. I have been twice and they seemd to pre-cook and reheat to the point of death and dryness. I wouldn't go back and if they are related, good luck on the franchising opportunity.
Globe Bistro - quick update review
Consistently good and conscientious combinations are at the high end restos in general unfortunately. Claudio at Colborne Lane is a leader in the city IMHO but your are definitely paying for it and David Lee and his team are really good at it. The only other 2 that pop into mind are Lee (of the Susur variety) which has some cool dishes. And even Cava has an interesting array. I used to really like going to Rain a long long time ago and they certainly have many ingredients on their plates, but are not consistent and have not been for a long time.
Junction--pub or cozy resto for a group?
Yeah Cecilia. Sorry to dwell on this, but that was the final straw. They do take credit cards. I had gone by twice before just after 9 (they are open until 10 on their sign) but they would not serve me. So the third time I arrived early enough and got takeout. When I offered my credit card he yelled at me and said and I'll quote loosely
"we no take credit - just cash. I work downtown where its tough. We need cashflow. You don't like it, you leave!" Seriously. I'm a gentle guy, but I felt like smacking him. I told him that his mother would be ashamed of him
In search of good, reasonably priced, authentic Spanish Tapas
Have you been by Coca on Queen West? It has been recently revamped - new management, new menu, new team. It is a great spot to go when you don't want to wait in line at Terroni. :-)
Eggsmart O'Connor and Pape
Worth noting that parking there is an issue. I've tried to stop in a couple of times, but did not feel like searching for a spot as the lot always seems jammed. A freind told me that it was middle-of-the-road. Cora's is better she said. I'll try again some day to get in.
Junction--pub or cozy resto for a group?
There really is not much going on in the Junction. Axis or Shox is questionable if you actually want good food. North of Bombay (Indian) is pretty good food and pretty nicely done. Young Thailand (the one that used to be on Church) moved out there on the south side of Dundas. The food is good, but the son who runs it is truly offensive and I refuse to go back because of my last experience. There is a new vegetarian place on the North side of Dundas that is supposed to be good, but I've never been (because I love meat) and I don't recall the name. Vesuvio's pizza is ok, but the dining room pastas are average. The only other possibility ther eis a Mexican place just east of Keele on the north side, but I'm not sure it's open any more (Gonzo's?). Food was good but there was never anybody in there.
A Splendid-o Sunday Suggestion for Superb Service (lengthy review + pics)
Splendido is my GOTO place when I need to have generally perfect meal and important date place. You get what you pay for. And the service is near perfect every time. Yannick and his team are consummate professionals. And David Lee ain't no slouch either. Et ainsi de suite..
Globe Bistro - quick update review
I would say that it IS fine dining in the sense that there is linen in the dining room and probably one of the nicest spaces in the city, great lighting although lacking in much colour. But pricing for the menu and the quality of ingredients is more neighbourhood friendly in value. Service is friendly. Sunday brunch is pretty consistenly good too. I have found the desserts hit-and-miss. And there is always a dish or 2 on the menu that are sort of out there for the experimentalist.
A replacement for Apache Burgers...
I hate Apache for the same reasons. I try and try to like it but their attitude gets to me. If you get the Homeburger (Bigger is better) at Red Cabin, it is fresh made. Magoo's is as good as Red Cabin and the service is always great and friendly (and very kid friendly). Royal Meats on Kipling burger is really good and worth the 15 minutes wait or so, but may I suggest the 1 lb. cevap sandwich. And ask for the cheese stuff and tomato relish stuff. Really good. Acme on the Queensway sucks as they generally pre-cook everything and reheat (read: tough and dry). Magic Spot can be good, but if I'm that close, I'll generally opt for Magoo's There is a new South Street burger on Islington beside the Artisano, but I have never been. Based on reviews from other postings, I am not in a rush to go there however. .
The Hazelton Hotel bar (Yorkville, Toronto)
Hazleton Hotel bar is One. All of the foodservice (including the restauratnts and even roomservice) are run by One annd Mr McEwan. I've always had a pretty decent food and wine experience. And I'm neither beautiful nor rich. Take everything in Yorkville with a grain of salt. It is generally more about scene than substance generallly. Service does get better if you are "known" to the management.
New Spot... Bloom on Baldwin... Any Opinions?
Guessing that this is no relation to Bloom on Bloor at Jane?
Fav Shawarma places in the GTA???
LaZeez (On Gerrard just west of Gerrard beside Hooker Harvey's )
Clean. A little pricey but really good. Open late. Great falalel and I'm a big meat eater.
Best I've had for a while.
Looking for good take out in Etobicoke
I've never had a good pizza from Capi's. And for the money, I had pretty high hopes the few times I thried. I like Magoos food and the people are nice. On the burger front, it is one of the better Etobicoke ones. I have never understood the Apache Burger phenomenon. The meat is gross, but the onion rings are good and greasy for a hangover. I think Red Cabin across the street is better and has a pretty good breakfast too. Lenn'y takeout is absolutely humongous portions amd efficient takout, but I have some quality issues. If I was a mom feeding kids on a Friday night, I can see it, but it's not very good. I don't think anything else has to be said about the B&E's. Eek.
Grand Chinese Cuisine – Amongst the finest dim sum restaurants in Toronto (lengthy review + pics)
Yeah, I went on another expedition Sunday. Had the normal stuff, but also ordered the "mushroom something-or-other" near the bottom of the menu. It was good. A siu mai type dumpling with the mystery meat stuffung and cute enoki's sticking out of it. And then steamed and served in the same sauce as the bean curd rolls. Real tasty. The other strange departure was the "rice roll wrapped around bean curd wrapper and pork filling" That was actually ok too, and a HUGE portion. Black bean ribs were tough, but I did get there late. The rest was fantastic. Best pan fried turnip cake in the city IMHO
Grand Chinese Cuisine – Amongst the finest dim sum restaurants in Toronto (lengthy review + pics)
Wow, that's quite a review. As a westender, I can't believe that we are lucky enough to have Grand within a short drive. I agree with all of the kudos for dim sum. I have been for dim lots and lots, but never for dinner oddly enough. I have never had a bad experience and I have never had to wait for a table, whis is sad in a twisted way.
The only "strange" things that I have found have been an array of bean curd creations that never seem to hit the mark. Last time I had a bean curd and egg thing, that was tasty enough, but texturally it was all mushy stuff. I am pretty adventurous to try new things, but boy, you even adventure to the desserts!! You are hard core. ;-)
The only thing consistently missing is something with a bean curd wrapper (fried or steamed)
Everything is really delicate. Perfectly cooked. Tons of professional service. My kind of place. And still predominantly frequented by an Asian clientele I might add.
(But for cheap and cheerful I go to Emerald Chinese at Huriontario and Eglinton)
Susur's new spot - anyone been?
I was there a couple of weeks ago. Decor hurt my eyes. Had fluorescent glow in my face. I guess I'm not cool enough to get it. Shocking contrasts of patterns.
The desserts were unbelieveable. Themed in 3 plates with 4 bite sized desserts per plate. Dessert justified the meal in itself.
The savoury dishes were hit and miss. Some were good, some were ok. There were still some remnants of Susur in the menu with Asian flavours like the pork belly glaze was asian. It wasn't cheap after you order "properly". Each dish has a number of flavours going on in it. The problem becomes when you juxtapose the flavours from one beside another that is totally different, then the dishes really don't work together.
This gets a little worse when the plates just start arriving. (Like when you order dim sum in a group off a menu). I was hoping for some coursing as we left it to the kitchen or server to make sense of what we ordered and bring it out in a logical pace. It all just came. We were almost stacking plates. And then they started to take stuff away that really wasn't done yet, just so we could make space.
Between 4 of us we probably had half the menu or 20 items. Portions were not huge for the price. Nothing was incredibly memorable. I would still say it is worth a visit to see for yourself. I prefer Lee. I prefer Cava. I'd visit Nota Bene first. But Madeleine sure is different than Susur. I don't believe Susur was in the kitchen the night we were there as a number of friends have remarked that he is there quite a lot.
Looking for good take out in Etobicoke
This is my ongoing nightmare. There is nothing new. There are not a lot of places in the west end that are worth going to. That said, I have been able to navigate my way around.
Chinese - I agree Mayflower is as good as you can get for white folk chinese. There is good (fancy) dimsum at the Grand Chinese in the Doubletree on Dixon.
Sushi - Gojima on Bloor near Islington (don't go to the place beside it)
Pasta - Ottimo on Bloor at RY or Queens Pasta (Bloor west village) are staples for the $10 pasta and salad. It is what it is.
Better than a burger: - Try the Cevap sandwich from Royal Meats on Kipling (ask for the white stuff and the tomato relish stuff
Sangueech - go to California on the Queensway for the Hot veal
Chicken - Bom Apetite right beside the DeWalt moose on Queensway east of Kipling (get it grilled)
Indian - Everest on the Lakeshore just west of Palace pier (beside the new Quebec place) looks scary but the food is really good
Welcome to my world. And there are really no good wings out this way. I was hoping Longest Yard would be salvation, but they're way below the original location. Some ok wings but nothing good. Good luck.
Thoughts on George
One of the nicest, yet undiscovered patios in Toronto. I have never had a bad meal there. It's true there have been a few misses on some dishes for me too, but the service, ambiance and food is really top-notch.
Broadwiew Espresso
Interestingly there as also a big story on the shop in the Post today. Says he gets his beans from Classic Gourmet Coffee in Concord.
Broadwiew Espresso
Caffeine-junkies will be delighted to check out the new Broadview Espresso on Broadview a couple of blocks north on Danforth. Other than Mcd (ugh!) or Coffee Time (double-ugh!) this is the first legit coffee place at the west end of Danforth. It's in the old porn shop on the corner of Pretoria. He has cleaned it up nicely and has a warm urban feel - dark browns and epoxy particle board counters
The owner Mike seems like a pretty down to earth guy and a self-proclaimed coffee addict himself. He has bigger aspirations for more food and other pastries, but it is pretty much just coffee drinks for now.
I'm hoping that the little Elektra espresso machine that he has will be big and fast enough because the foot traffic down to the subway along there can be pretty intense.
Shopsy's making way for Oliver Bonacini
Ther is an OB that is also supposed to be opening in Oakville or somewher in the west end. Anyone have an idea of the location??
