wookert's Profile
Hibachi - Burlington
We went on christmas eve and it was very good.
Service was excellent, food was fresh and well prepared.
The wait was a tad long since we were only 4 (me, wife, 2 year old and 7 year old) and needed to have another family join us before they'd start.
I do highly recommend it.
What to eat on the way to Bryce Canyon?
Oops! Too many discussions of day trips :)
We're going to Bryce Canyon.
Any chow finds?
What to eat on the way to Bryce Canyon?
W'e're taking a day trip to the Grand Canyon and looking for some suggestions for something to eat.
Only dislike is seafood.
Thanks C.hounders!
-Tim
Niagara Falls- Best Authentic Pizza? That delivers?
I second Antica....emphatically.
We routinely drive an hour to have pizza there.
Also not sure about delivery.
Frank - review
Went to Frank in AGO for dinner (9th year anniversary).
Initial impression:
Nice simple decor, friendly maitre'd (although she was a little quiet and mousey).
We had a 7:30 reservation but, due to my wife new high heels and AGO's massive new expansion, were seated at 6:30.
Our server was Elaine and she was very polite, very nice and very knowledgeable.
Starter(s):
Watermelon consumme with mint and feta cheese (the chef was nice enough to divide it into 2 bowls to minimize our bickering over the bowl).
- absolutely, fantastic an absolute must. Clean, refreshing. Watermelon flavour on the tongue, minus the fruity sweetness, then a hint of salt from the feta and a long lingering finish of the mint. Beautiful.
Pomme frites with apricot and green tomato ketchup and lemon aioli.
- very nice fries, may be the best I've had. But the kicker was the ketchup, very little sweetness (a constant worry when I hear of a fruit based ketchup), a hint of apricot at first, then a little sweet, then a cut of acidity from the tomato.
Goat cheese and onion tart on strawberry salad
- wonderfully creamy and full goat cheese tart, sweet strawberries (macerated) and a slightly acidic dressing on "little gem" lettuce. My wife found the arugula slightly strong in bitterness and pepperiness.
Warm octopus salad
- home run. I've never had octopus this tender and beatifully cooked. Still had the "taste of the sea". Croutons were unnecessary, but I don't normally care for them anyways.
Mains
Vegetable risotto, seasonal veggies (golden beets and squash)
- the only debbie downer of the night, risotto was a little runny, not creamy enough, may be due to the vegetables watering it down a little. There was a small dollop of, i want to say herbed creme fraiche, which was nice, but too little to flavour the entire dish. My wife had to add salt.
Cornish hen tripdych
- braised leg quarter and oven roasted breast, served with sauteed greens and grilled polenta. hen was impossibly tender and succulent, but still meaty and flavourful. The skin was crisp and well seasoned. Greens were a little salty, but we are a low sodium family. And the polenta was neither here nor there, in terms of flavour, could have been omitted.
Beluga lentils (side)
- wonderfully prepared, right amount of acidity, lentils were plump and "popped" when eaten. Nice and creamy inside.
Desserts
Seville orange pavlova
- another must have, seville orange sorbet on fresh orange slices on a pavlova served with candied orange peel. The sorbet had the "stop-in-your-tracks" orange flavour with a beautiful orange perfume that could only come from seville oranges.
Devils food cake with raspberry
- good dessert, very moist cake, nice balance of cake sweetness and fruit tartness. Found the dark chocolate icing (fondant?) a little too much at the end.
Overall
- great service, great food, decor is oddly plain, could see the kitchen, but with such a well oiled machine, it's kinda boring to watch.
- total bill, food with a drink for the wife and double for me and the right governments taking their share, $150.
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FRANK @ The Art Gallery of Ontario
317 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON M5T I4G, CA
Lunch in Eglinton+Dufferin/Castlefield Design District
You need to try the Island!
Be prepared for a hit and miss experience.
But when it's on, its phenomenal!
When it's off, it's ok.
Some of the best Akee saltfish I've ever had.
And, for the record, I love La Fontina.
Needs more parking.
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La Fontina
2700 Dufferin St, Toronto, ON M6B, CA
Anybody try C & A Steak Company at Intrawest Village (Blue Mountain)?
Hmm, we're here right now and thinking about trying it.
Scotch Eggs?
Jacu, the only place I've had one recently was BMO field, during a Toronto FC game.
I used to get them pre-made at a british/scottish food store near us, but that has long since gone out of business.
Ancaster Old Mill review.
I'd like to go back and have the Sunday Supper.
This week was Seafood Bouliabasse (SP?), Prime Rib and Chicken, Season Veggie side, garlic mashed potatoes and Rhubarb and strawberry crumble.
All served family style and all for $39/person.
Oh, and the app, sides and dessert are unlimited.
Oh, oh, and they offer wine pairing for $69.
A table of 8 near us ordered the supper and it looked fantastic.
Ancaster Old Mill review.
Attendees:
Wife, me and our 4 year old future foodie.
Chow:
Wife -
Warm Wild Mushroom Sauté on Brioche Toast fresh herbs, sweet peas & crème fraiche
(review: wonderful "mushroominess" mushrooms were sliced very thin, but still retained a little bite to them, the sweet peas and pea shoot garnish were spectacular, very fresh and obviously local)
Forsyth Farm Lamb “Two Ways” sous vide” rack with braised shoulder stew, olives, tomatoes & basil
(review: lamb rack was nice and tender, very full lamb flavour, not at all overpowering as it can sometimes be. Lamb stew was not stellar, but good, stew sauce was very nice, herby, rich and earthy)
Fruit on the bottom Creme brulee with rhubarb and candied walnuts
(review: not the best creme brulee we've had, prefer the custard firmer and not so much like butterscotch, flavour was very rich, and the acidic cut from the rhubarb was a pleasant contrast. The walnuts did nothing)
Me -
Sweet 100’s Cherry Tomato Tartlet with Basil Pesto goat’s cheese & caramelized onions
(review: great harmony of flavours, everything was great on their own, but the sum of the parts was greater. The goat cheese worked very well with the pesto and tomatoes)
Hand-Made Red Fife Fettuccini with Braised Chicken caramelized pearl onions, thyme, garlic & white wine
(review: Wow! Stellar! I cannot say enough about this dish! It was absolute magic. The pasta was the perfect thickness, perfect al dente and perfect size. The chicken, arugula and onions harmonized and made the dish a perfect blend of textures. The flavours were sweet, sour and bitter all at once and all perfect!)
Lindt Milk Chocolate Ice Cream Profiteroles warm caramel & dark chocolate sauce
(review: i found the overall sweetness of this dessert a little too much. I have to say that I don't share the sweet tooth of the Mrs. but, even she said that when you had a bite of everything; ice cream, chocolate sauce and caramel all at once, it was a little much. The texture of the profiterole was crisp and played well with the smooth silkiness of the ice cream. The ice cream was presented at that wonderful balance between hard texture and "meltiness".
Overall:
I'll be back for the fettuccini, without a doubt, try a new app, new dessert.
And you can't beat the decor or location. We sat right by the window and watched the waterfalls.
Total price (no wine, 3 drinks and a chocolate milk): $130, well worth it.
p.s the future foodie ate everything, played nice with the wait staff and ate from our plates.
She did have the strawberry sorbet for dessert, which was her choosing. I snuck a spoonful and it was divine, bursting with flavour and a touch of mint. Not a hint of sourness and not overly sweetened. A very nice finish.
Also, she really enjoyed the palate cleansing; lemon spritzer, served with a slice of candied lemon inside.
dinner burilington/oakville
Spencer's in Burlington, pricey but really good.
Paradiso, there's one in Burlington too, in Village Square.
Blacktree- I second all of Cyanlan's comments, really really good.
Mill Street Brew Pub Sunday brunch recos.
Anyone have recommendations for Mill Street Pub?
A small group (6) are heading down on Sunday for brunch.
Dragon Beard Candy for Chinese New Year?
Thanks for all the info!
I'll be heading there this week.
Dragon Beard Candy for Chinese New Year?
Does anyone know if there is anywhere in the GTA that will be making (or selling) Dragon Beard Candy?
I've whipped myself into a frenzy watching the making of, videos on Youtube!
-Tim
Genuine french in GTA.
I'm looking to make some authentic french dishes at home.
Choucrote, cassoulette, are the top 2 on my to make list.
Is there a resto in the GTA that has authentic "crib sheets" for me?
I'd like to have a bullseye to see how far off the mark I am.
-Tim
Winterlicious menus are up
Oh, i just saw that.... where's my eraser, gotta change my xmas list.
Distillery District lunch?
I'm taking the spouse and spawn to Soma for some hot chocolate on Sat.
And recos for lunch? and parking?
-Tim
Non-MSG Vietnamese in Mississauga?
Burlgurl, it's not a resto in Mississauga, but Saigon on Brant in Burlington swears that there is no MSG in any of their food. They actually post it on their menus.
Hope it helps.
Omakase Revised
I second the recomendation for Mye. It's absolutely my fav sushi resto.
And I've been to a lot.
Kobe beef at Barberian's
Great....now I have to clean the drool off my keyboard...
That is the most beautiful meat I have ever seen.
Care to elaborate on price and how you plan on serving it?
Near Ikea in Burlington?
What kind of food are you looking for?
There are lots of little restaurants around. Some good. Some bad.
Oakville, Ont.
Mye sushi restaurant.
Honestly some of the best sushi I've ever had.
Or
Thyme restaurant on Lakeshore.
Street Treat back outs???
I just read the list of chefs and menus in the Toronto Star.
No Pat Riley.
No Rubino Bros.
What's going on?
Mother's Day lunch near Oakville/Burlington border
Stay away from the Great Lakes Grille.
The food on the border is dicey at best.
Go into Oakville a little bit and you'll find lots of good places downtown.
Or go into Burlington and find the same.
Le Select - negative review, with one saving grace.
I went to Le Select on Sat. before heading to Second City.
Here goes:
We had:
Onion Tart
- nice crunch, crust was a little too "strong", needed to be flakier
- very salty, filling was salty, as was the goat cheese.
Goat Cheese & Beet Salad
- great salad, beets were perfectly cooked, with a little crunch.
- nice blend of sweetness from the beets and saltiness of the goat cheese
Beef Cheeks
- parsnip puree was perfect, nice considency and seasoning.
- the cheeks had nice texture and colour, but flavour was lacking.
Braised Lamb shank
- absolutely no flavour, none, like it was braised in hot water
- saffron risotto wasn't arborio or carnaroli, just plain long grain rice, and undercooked.
- nothing good about this dish at all, we sent it back and had it taken off the bill!
Lemon Tart
- served with "creme brulee" sugar topping
- sweet, tart, wonderful, the saving grace of the evening.
Chocolate Mousse
- it's chocolate mousse!
Overall, not a good experience, would not recommend or go back.
Breakfast in Hamilton, Ontario
My family and I are big fans of Fava in the Middle.
Lakeshore and Brant in Burlington, beside the Pepperwood.
And of course there is Ben's, right beside Fava.
-Tim
wagyu beef
You can try contacting someone through the Wagyu Beef Canada page.
http://www.wagyucanada.com/index.htm
I got a quote from Lobster George but it was way way (Wagyu [sic]) out of my price range.
North 44 vs. Bymark?
My wife and I went to Bymark for our anniversary last year.
Would highly recommend it to anyone that asks.
I had the Lobster Poutine for an appetizer.
- Lobster chunks served on the best french fries I have ever had, drizzled with nice hollandaise sauce.
My wife had the Bymark burger.
- it is the best burger ever made, anywhere, anytime. Juicy, spiced perfectly, made with mushroom, brie and fresh basil.
Those were the 2 highlights.
Bymark...what to have?
5th anniversary coming up.
Going to Bymark for dinner then Perigee for dessert.
(read: dessert tasting menu....yum!)
Question is, what suggestions to have at Bymark?
TIA,
Woo
