DDD's Profile
Good news for Montreal chiliheads! Cuisine Szechuan
Hi,
Just got back from CS (they happily took our reservation). We loved the cumin beef, gung bao shrimp w peanuts and szeuan chicken w crispy spinach. The kids liked the first two and also the gen Tao chicken. There was also a fantastic green been with chillis dish and the wontons were also a hit. The spice level was just right. The only medicre dish was the fish with tofu flour - not as flavourful as the others. Thanks everyone for the recs
Good news for Montreal chiliheads! Cuisine Szechuan
Ok, now I'm torn...do either take reservations? That could be a deciding factor as we're taking the kids (they are well trained ie they can take the spice)
Good news for Montreal chiliheads! Cuisine Szechuan
Coming in from Toronto today....wondering if this place is still as good? Or other Szechuan recs? Will be staying in CSL, but have a car.
Chowfind : Dr. Laffa -Middle -Eastern Veg - Duferin and Finch
I kinda agree with VVM. I went last weekend and it was pretty mediocre. Certainly not terrible, but not worth the drive up from downtown. It was quite busy (we went Sunday lunch time), but we got a table quickly. The service was actually quite friendly - no beef there, but I was really looking forward to a solid Sabich, will have to wait for Tel Aviv in April...
LF Coffee shop in Etobicoke
Friendly neighbor and Crema as well (just north of BWV).
Restaurants at Bloor/Bathurst
Tacos el Asador, Aroma for brunch and Sam James pocket for espresso are also good.
The Kingsway Dining
There are quite a few options. Depends on what you're after. Our regular places are Casa Barcelona (tapas: recommend the beef tenderloin w portebello shiitake sauce, garlic shrimp, any fish in red pepper sauce), Momiji (great spider rolls, gyu udon, tempura), 1800 degrees does steak well (also good lobster poutine, decent wines). Merlot makes a nice steak frites.
10 days in Buenos Aires
Sorry, I didn't go to those places.Only Montevideo and Punta del Diablo.
Huge Chowfind: Chodang Soon Tofu
I think the mushroom tofu stew is best there. The various types/textures of the mushroom go very well with the spice of the stew.
Best and Worst World Cities for Food
Love this thread...I agree with San Jose,CR and Reykjavik. Regarding the eastern European food quality, we did have some excellent meals in Croatia esp Istria and some pretty good ones in Ljubliana, Slovenia.
We loved the food in KL and Bangkok and think outside NYC these are near the top.
Also regarding a variety of ethnicities in a single place, I agree NYC is awesome, but Toronto, Sydney (Aus) are also stellar in that respect.
Best and Worst World Cities for Food
The sushi in Lima is some of the best I've had. I also like Astrid y Gaston (in Lima), there are others now including BA, but I think the one in Lima is considered the best.
buenos aires for new years eve
Hi Daniel,
Just returned a couple of days ago...We actually had many lovely meals in BA. I'm sorry if my previous post gave the impression that we were disappointed in general. We actually had a fantastic time in BA, it is an amazing city. We felt safe, walked hours every day and really felt the friendliness of the people. We thought the food, wine and don't forget ice cream was really good overall. I think we had some not so great dining experiences our first couple of days in the city, but once I stuck more to the places I researched, things went really well. I reviewed a few of the other restaurants we went to in greater detail on this post (Jan 7):
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/809352
Long Branch, New Toronto, Mimico Restaurants & Food Shops
Can anyone confirm - anybody try them lately? I've only had decent food from there, nothing terrible, not much great...but I haven't been in over a year.
10 days in Buenos Aires
Hi,
We just got back from 2 weeks in Uruguay and BA. Quick report:
Excellent steaks:
Dora (well prepared, slightly underseasoned), Don Julio (perfect seasoning), Bella Itallia
Amazing service:
Bella Itallia, Dora (old school)
Great ceviche/sushi:
Osaka - fresh, creative, good pisco sour as well (but not cheap overall), nice vibe, nice space, friendly, knowledgable staff. A welcome break from steak. Note: cash and Amex only. Reservations are probably a good idea. (wanted to try Silpan as well, but couldn't make it)
Good south east asian fusion eg. viet, thai etc. (relatively inexpensive):
Sudestada (good lunch deals) - service is somewhat slow and surly though
Honourable mentions:
Nacional in San Telmo (nice spot, friendly service, decent pasta and salads for lunch), although they significanty overcooked our steak (requested medium rare, got it past well done). Great pumpkin soup as well.
La Josephina Parilla - This place always seemed to be open when others weren't. They have reasonable skirt steak - the Chorizo and flank was a little too fatty for our liking. The pumkin ravioli in cream sauce was also quite tasty. This place is not a destination place, but is very convenient if you are in the area. They were very friendly and reasonably priced.
Lafinur 3006, Palermo
Tel: 4804-7296
We also went to Guido's bar on Republica de la India....really wanted to like this place, it has a great kitchy vibe, friendly waiters etc. But the food just wasn't that good. I would have expected fresh pasta from a place like this. Unfortunately, prices have krept dramatically higher here, and they still don't accept credit cards.
If we had to choose our best....although Dora's steak was fantastic....and although we never did get to try Casa mun or Thyme:
It would have to be Bella Italia at República Árabe Siria 3285 - probably our favorite meal. Best service hands down (Nelson was awesome and anticipated every move). Fantastic steak and pasta - tried 3 different pastas, all great and fresh. Great wine list, and good wines by the glass (if you're sick of Malbec, try the Tanat). The chocolate molton desert and tiramisu killed - our kids were in heaven. Only complaint is the bread plate could be fresher (I'm nitpicking here though).
(0)11 4807 5120
Worst meal:
Mamma racha in palermo viejo - half the menu was unavailable, the service was a gong show, we wound up leaving after almost an hour with no food.
Other notes:
Ice cream is of very high standard at most places. Empanada's are usually pretyy good, but we like the Uruguaian version more. Coffee, especially espresso is pretty disappointing and weak.
New Year's Eve 2010 in Buenos Aires -- where should we eat?
Avoid Mott for new year's - we had very high priced and very mediocre food, the appetizers and desserts were downright nasty. The steak was acceptable, but certainly below average for BA. Although the service was friendly. I will not return.
buenos aires for new years eve
We went to Mott - huge rip off. The food was very diassapointing. The service was friendly. Had a couple of meals at Don Julio's - very good. Osaka was also pretty good, but pretty expensive. Also had an unfortunate lunch at Mama racha - the staff is totally clueless.
The Junction Restaurants
Blue bay cafe is right nearby. Great value, only open fri and sat nights as far as I know. Mauritian food - I recommend the chicken mine frire, fish vindaye and the samosas rock as well.
TTC Subway Dash & Dine 2011-12 Season
Royal York - Merlot, Casa Barcelona, Momiji, 1800 degrees
Il Tano - Punta del Diablo, Uruguay
Hi,
Just got home from our second dinner at Il Tano. Was very tasty. Attentive service as well. The owner/chef runs this place for 4 months in the summer and then heads back to Italy to run his other restaurant. This is a relatively small, cozy place with great attention being paid to quality ingredients. The pasta is made in house. The herbs and vegetables were very fresh, the steak was seasoned perfectly. This is a little more expensive then other nearby restaurants, but not much, and quite worth it in our opinion. Also, they take credit cards (although we noticed that they just opened a brand new ATM a few meters away today - the first in PdD!) and have a reasonable wine list. Quite happy to have stumbled upon this place.
buenos aires for new years eve
I appreciate the tip....sounds great, but, for me, not affordable (prices are $250-$700 pp and we are 2 adults with 2 kids). I would be very happy to find an open restaurant, with decent food/service for under $75 per person. I don't need a show, just a good meal in Palermo near the Botanical Gardens / Museo Evita area.
buenos aires for new years eve
I'll be there with the family (kids 10 and 7), we'll be in Palermo near Museo Evita. We're interested in a nice dinner, a show/tago is not really needed but would be ok. We're hoping to spend around $200 or less - would e happy with a good restaurant just having an ordinary dinner. Can anyone recommend a place nearby that would fit the bill? We'd be more than happy with a good steak and local wines.
Huge Chowfind: Chodang Soon Tofu
We went on Sunday - still good as ever. I recommend the mushroom soon tofu soup (or any of the tofu soups), dolsot bibmbop and the spicy chicken is good as well.
OBSCURE OR RARE Cuisine in City of Toronto
I think it's only open friday and saturday.
OBSCURE OR RARE Cuisine in City of Toronto
Persian on College just west of Bathurst is the Pomegranate, was good last few times we went, but it's been a couple of years. The Yonge & Steeles area has Zaffron and Shomal (and perhaps a couple of others) - I have only been to Shomal and it was ok, nothing great.
The Laotian on St. Clair near Christie, Vanipha Lanna is closed...I think they were related to the one that was in Kensington.
As alluded to in the OP, Mauritian food has been on Roncesvalles/Dundas for quite some time (Blue Bay Cafe). They do a Creole Mauritian cuisine, feels like a mix of French, Indian and some African flavours. Quite tasty and good value. The samosa apps are killer with the spicy orange sauce, and the fish vinday is very moist and flavourful with a good level of spice, the chicken mine frire noodle dish is also worth a try.
Best and Worst World Cities for Food
I agree, Tel Aviv is now amongst the best. I also like KL, Toronto, Sydney, Bangkok and of course New York.
Any tips on The Azores ? ( Ponta Delgada especially )
I'm re-kindling this thread. Any tips on Punta Delgada would be much appreciated. We'll definitely try some of estufarian's suggestions as well. We're excited to try the fish/seafood especially, but pretty much open for most things.
