JPJ's Profile
Langdon Hall's world's best restaurant rating - What a joke!!! Sacrilegious and insulting!!
Actually the 'panels' are broken into regions. Each panel has 31 members, there are 27 panels (regions). Each members on the panel has 7 votes to cast, 3 of which must be for restaurants outside their region (meaning they can vote for a maximum of 4 restaurants in their region), other than that they can vote for whatever restaurant in the world they wish. Canada is part of a region that includes all of Canada and the 'mid' USA.
Knowing all that, what about the initial statement? Is LH's placement on the list at #77 (or at all) a 'joke' or 'sacrilegious'? I see it as an opinion, nothing more, nothing less. The OP clearly is of a different opinion, which he is entitled to. People like to debate food like there is a correct answer. I don't. In the end their are opinions, and when it comes to food, they vary far and wide in my experience.
I am not sure what cause there is to get worked up about the opinion of some group, the majority of whom we don't know or dine with. Who cares. They won't be picking my next meal.
J
p.s. I also miss the old Splendido, but all good things must end it seems.
The Gabardine - Rod Bowers' new spot (long)
Bowers is listed as the executive chef on chefdb: http://chefdb.com/pl/23106/The-Gabardine-Toronto
I suspect he was hired as a consultant to help build the menu.
I went for lunch last week and had the beet risotto, it was very good. Service as reported is so-so. On a positive note one of our party had a gluten allergy and the waitress was very knowledgeable about what they could and could not order on the menu.
J
Best foodie experience in Toronto?
Black Hoof's charcuterie.
George's tasting menu.
A meal at Haisai (alright its not quite in Toronto).
J
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The Black Hoof
928 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6J, CA
Canadian Wine Content Only Please
I would add Organized Crime, Kacaba (there award winning Syrah), Featherstone, Stratus, and Le Clos Jordanne (their award winning pinots).
The claim that no Ontario wines can measure up against the established wine producing regions in the world is simply wrong. Niagara produces some great world stage wines (I am a huge fan of Foreign Affair particularly).
J
Splendido- No!
Rest assured, there is nothing wrong with Splendido. I dined there regularly before the 'change over' and have continued to dine there regularly since. The quality of the food and service is as exceptional as ever.
Anyone who decides not to go because someone posts a negative and vague review on chowhound is missing out.
J
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Splendido
88 Harbord Street, Toronto, ON M5S 1G5, CA
Gilead Cafe serving dinner in new year
Ate there a few weeks ago with the wife and two other couples.
It was excellent. My favourite dish of the night was the pork belly.
It has a really nice relaxed atmosphere.
J
Is the new Oliver & Bonacini Café in the old Shopsies (Front St.) open yet?
Went there for brunch two weeks ago.
Sat on the patio, it was huge and the decor was well done. The glass they used as a partition really cut down the street noise, you can carry on a conversation without a problem notwithstanding heavy traffic.
Both my wife and I quite liked the decor inside as well. It does a good job of straddling the line between downtown 'hip' and casual.
The service was decent, but the place was fairly empty, no idea what it would be like if they got slammed.
I had poached eggs served on polenta with spicy lamb sausage. My wife had the eggs benedict served with potatoes.
I found my dish a little bland, it had heat from the sausage but it lacked basic seasoning (really salt, given that the heat from the lamb sausage made pepper redundant). My experience is that polenta needs fairly heavy seasoning, whoever made this had a very light hand, too light. Still, the polenta was very creamy, the eggs were perfectly poached and the sausage was good.
My wife's eggs benedict were very good. The Hollandaise was creamy and tangy, the eggs perfectly poached but the star was the cheddar biscuit it was served on, it was exceptionally good. The potatoes were your basic paprika dusted home fries, but they were executed well, except I suspect they are deep fried due to their texture. They were crispy and well seasoned. I would prefer if they pan fried them on did them on a flat top.
J
Rosewater Room
I went to two weddings at the Rosewater Room last year.
Service was very good, professional and personable. The food at both the weddings I attended was good. There were a few things that were very good (a root vegetable soup, a carpaccio, a marinated rib eye a few of the appetizers). The only thing I didn't like was a salad that had the ubiquitous raspberry vinegarette. Simply a bad choice in my opinion, I don't think I have ever enjoyed a raspberry vinegarette. Certainly it was much better than anything I have ever had at wedding halls.
My wife and I are very close with one of the couples who were married and know generally what they spent. For that price point it is a very good deal for downtown Toronto.
J
Dinner Recommendation - Must-Have for one night in Toronto
Hashimoto...but its not easy to get a reservation...but at least you can make one.
J
The Diner at the new Thompson Hotel
Went three times around the time it opened (I live very close to it) and was of the same opinion. Tried the burger, fish and chips and the macaroni, all were good (not great but above average). Every time I was there however it was empty.
Today, the wife and I met friends for brunch there and I have no hesitation in saying that it was one of the worst experiences I have had in some time at a restaurant.
First, it took nearly 10 minutes to seat us despite there being 3 open tables of 4 clearly visible. Once seated we were left sitting there for 20 minutes while hipster waitresses stood around talking to each other. After I flagged down the floor manager and he took our drink order, he said he would send someone right over. 10 minutes later the floor manager brought us the wrong drinks and we still had not seen a waitress. One finally came 10 minutes later and took our order. When I asked her how long it might be she said it wouldn't be 'ASAP', whatever that was supposed to mean (I took it to mean a long time). After sitting around with no refills for sometime we flagged down the floor manager again and told him he got our drink order wrong last time and gave him another chance. Managed to get the right drinks this time. Didn't see service again until almost an hour later when 2 of us got our food. Mine (basic breakfast) was cold, the eggs overcooked, the bacon was flabby. Instead of homefries we were given basic fries. The fries were cold.
Flagged down the floor manager again and asked what was going on, he said this was the first day they were this busy (place was about 80% full) and that they were still working out the kinks. The kitchen was particularly struggling he said (understatement of the year).
10 minutes later the BLT one of our party ordered showed up, a second one (ordered without mayo) had to be redone (they put mayo on it). It showed up 20 minutes later after we had all finished eating.
The BLT's were decent, but it's a sandwich, and it took almost 2 hours to make.
We were there for 2 1/2 hours give or take. In the end they comp'd our drinks and one of the sandwiches - I didn't want to pay at all. Honestly we only stayed because it was incredible to watch. I have never seen so many people leave a restaurant while waiting for their food. It was like watching a live version of Kitchen Nightmares.
Bottom line, the kitchen being slammed doesn't explain why the serving staff spends more time standing around gabbing at each other, rather than trying to woo customers with good service. Further, the place wasn't nearly busy enough to explain the kitchen issues.
I would stay clear of this mess for a while, at their prices ($12 for a basic breakfast) it is not even close to being worth it. I wouldn't go back there for free.
J
Double smoked Bacon
The Healthy Butcher on Queen Street West, just east of Portland.
There house double smoked bacon is addictive like crack (not that I have tried crack, but...well you know what I mean).
It is seriously awesome.
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The Healthy Butcher
565 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M5V, CA
Black Hoof Cafe - Review with Pics
Thanks for this. The takeout platter is a great idea. Got to say I loved the Hoof but had no plans of returning as it's not 1-2 hour wait good for me personally. Not to mention my experience was similar to your review, all the charcuterie was awesome good, but some of the surrounding players were not up to snuff. Knowing I can get just the meat without the wait...priceless.
Queen and Beaver
Put me in the pro-Q&B camp.
I have eaten there probably about a dozen times now and the food was always very good. The one exception was a slightly overly chewy "cheese scone" in a venison pot au feu. Had a number of very good dishes here, the burger is a well opined success, the fish and chips are very good, the short rib is rich and satisfying as it the potted duck. Really liked the cod's tongue I had a few months back, have not seen it served in Toronto before (not saying it hasn't). I have to say that some of the opposite experiences about the food here are surprising. Differences of taste/opinion are expected and natural, but when people use terms like "rancid", "burned" and "inedible" I certainly would have thought I would have encountered this in my many, many visits. Just lucky I guess.
Service has never been an issue for me.
My only complaint would be getting sat at one of the tables with a large lip around it so I can spend my time ramming my knees into it, trying to get my legs underneath. Why these "character tables" are put in restaurants where comfort should be key is a mystery. Buca has a large one in their restaurant, if you are any taller than 5'7" good luck getting your legs comfortably under it.
Is anyone eating steak at the Tulip on Queen?
I ate there a few years back and the steak was (a) overpriced and (b) not good.
As for sides, nothing sticks out as memorable, good or bad.
Which restaurant for romantic date in Toronto
I think your age does matter a little. My wife and I are in our 30's (her early, me less early!) by comparison.
For instance, Auberge du Pommier is a very nice romantic restaurant, but there is no doubt that it attracts an older crowd. If you want romantic and hip then it would not be a great choice. That being said, it is quiet (old people make less noise - haha), romantic and the food is normally very good.
Personally, I think if you want romantic, think a smaller restaurant. As for your choices so far I would say that Harbord is the best one, but noisy. Gio Rana's - not a fan, the food is a let down imo. Trevor Kitchen and Bar - the food is inconsistent, it could be great, other nights not so much - it is also noisy. Zucca's food is not good imo.
Scaramouche is often suggested, I will say if you can get a table by the windows the view is great. The food is always great and the service impeccable. I personally find it too noisy to be romantic but other people's opinions differ.
La Palette in Kensington is very cozy as is the Niagara Street Cafe on Niagara south of King St. Both have very good food and normally good service (though not at the level of Scaramouche).
My wife and I had a really nice "date" at Simple Bistro on Mount Pleasant recently. The food is excellent, well priced and the service was friendly, warm and timely. I actually went after reading good reviews here and I have to agree that this may be one of Toronto's best new spots in the last couple years. It actually made me feel better about some recent closings of some personal favs (and the painful death rattles of some others).
Have fun!
Authentic Spanish Tapas
Second Torito: fun, casual and good tapas.
I actually prefer Torito to Cava.
Cheesemongers in TO . . . any hidden gems?
I think Cheese Boutique is still the best place for buying local cheeses, their selection can't be beat, and they make their own cheese as well. Their prices are reasonable. If you are buying expensive imported cheese their mark-up isn't the issue, its the cost of the cheese. Their local stuff costs no more than anywhere else in my experience.
That being said I also really like About Cheese and would highly recommend them. They have a great selection of cheeses from Ontario and Quebec. Helps that they are right by a Cumbraes, its convenient foodie shopping.
Amuse Bouche Restaurant: Definitely not amused
I think you have hit the nail on the head when you indicate that the tasting menu might have been part of the problem. I generally find that many good Toronto restaurants fall flat on tasting menus. As for why they bother, I can only surmise in their minds they are trying. That being said, its certainly not something a restaurant can use as an excuse. Did you complain at all, and if so, what if any response did you get?
Winterlicious at Canoe
I actually have enjoyed munching away at the bar there. The sliders are a perfect pairing with...well with anything really they are just damn good!
As for the cassoulet, best to pretend that never happened!
Winterlicious at Canoe
I hate licious.
I love Canoe.
I would suggest you give Canoe another chance. I know paying full prices for a meal at a place that let you down once already is not something that immediately jumps to mind as a good idea. That being said, you have to trust that the literally hundreds of positive comments about Canoe on this board and practically unanimous praise from food critics around the world are representative of the norm and your depressing experience the exception.
Generally, I found 'licious meals to be substandard almost everywhere, that is why I won't go anymore. It's not an excuse really, if a restaurants joins they should keep the quality up, the reality is they don't. I would rather pay full price and get the real deal.
BTW that cassoulet sounds like a terrible concept to me, not sure what the intention was behind it. Anyway it is a rare miss for a restaurant known for making quality ingredients shine in dishes that are not overly fussed.
Anyone been to Rosebud lately?
That sucks. Bowers handed over the Rosebud kitchen last year to Matt Cowan. The food was never as great but it was still good/decent and the service was nothing like what has been described here. Cowan has bounced around quite a bit, his last stint being at the ill advised Locavore on Avenue Road. This guy seems to be around for a lot of restaurant death rattles. Bowers might of come in to change the locks!
What was it that Jim Morrison said, it's better to burn out than fade away...too bad the Rosebud didn't burn out. I have seen this before with other formerly good restaurants and its always sad.
Anyone been to Rosebud lately?
Wow that is so sad to hear. Thank god it is closing, if you look search on this board for prior posts you will see the Rosebud once enjoyed a reliably good reputation.
As I said, I have been literally dozens of times without an incident although I was never as crazy about the food after Bowers left the kitchen.
What you describe is literally like a bizarro world version of the Rosebud I knew. RIP.
Anyone been to Rosebud lately?
I know what you mean. For many of us Rosebud was a definite "go to" place. Never had a bad dish there, let alone a bad meal.
Last time I went was in November and it was still good, but the food was never as spectacular as it was before Bowers opened the Citizen. My fondest memories will be of the many dinners and "luppers" I had there before Bowers turned his focus to the Citizen and then to, well whatever it is he is doing now - saw him on that show marriage under construction, looks like he is taking a "family time-out".
The Citizen was definitely sold to Crawford, the Rosebud was for sale a few weeks ago for $95,000.00, not sure if it sold or not.
Sad to see it go, but hopefully Bowers will open another spot in the future. I would go in a heartbeat.
Oh Boy Burger, Queen and Portland
Well finally got around to trying this place last weekend. I went at a time when I thought they wouldn't be busy (4:30 p.m. on a Saturday). I was right, the place was dead. Except for a group of 3 in the back I was the only other customer. I ordered the Oh Boy Classic with cheese (cheddar).
In terms of service, it was fine, but I ordered take-out. The cashier was friendly, promptly took my order, etc. I had none of the service related issues reported here by others (but given that the place was empty and I was ordering take-out I wouldn't expect any either).
As for the food...I was disappointed. The bottom line is the burger is not good, it's not horrible, but it's not good. When I compare it to my current neighbourhood favourite, Craft Burger, it's not even a close call, Craft by a long shot.
Before giving more details I will note that I took the burger from Oh Boy, home (a little over 5 minutes) in an insulated bag (yeah I know, I'm a food nerd). I can't imagine this had any effect on the quality of the burger, but maybe there is something to it I don't know. I use the same method for taking home burgers from Craft and there is never a quality issue from when I eat-in.
Anyway, the burger from Oh Boy looked promising. Nice fresh sesame seed white bun with good softness, yet it had the substance to stand up to a greasy burger (believe it is from Ace Bakery - bar none the best bread products in the city imho). There was a good burger to bun ratio (no meatball or meat crepe on a huge bun, no overhang). Toppings were fresh. The burger itself was substantial, 8 oz is a big burger. Upon biting into the burger the inside was a nice medium pink in colour. It seemed like a great burger experience was inevitable here, but...
It's wasn't. It wasn't even close to a great burger experience. First, despite the burger being clearly cooked to a nice medium inside, it was very dry on the outside. I suspect this has a lot to do with what appeared to be bad hot spots on the grill and the complete failure of the line cook to do a single damn thing about it. I spent most of time waiting for my burger, watching it be "cooked", literally. During that time I wondered if this is how they cooked in the early stone age, just throw a hunk of meat into the flames and walla! Seriously, how much does a squirt bottle cost? If you are going to grill burgers, either get a grill with decent flare-up guards or teach the line cooks how to deal with flare-ups, like maybe moving the burger to a cooler spot on the grill when it becomes engulfed in flames for more than a minute (or simply squirt a little water on the flames). Basically, the cooking method looked like a scene from Backdraft.
Cooking issues a side however, I think the biggest problem with this burger is the meat. First, I don't like the grind, the patties in terms of texture remind me way too much of South St. Burger - a little too course for me. It has almost a PC frozen patty like texture. I like a finer grind than this. Second, the meat lacks any distinctive beefy flavour. Granted the "smokiness" from having sat in 2 foot high flames for most of its journey from raw meat to burger on a bun may have masked something, but I think this is just a bland burger. Compared to my go to Craft Burger, which has a nice beefy flavour to it, there is no comparison.
All and all, if the burger hadn't been given the Richard Pryor treatment, it would have been better (the dryness on the outside seemed to highlight the course texture that I don't like). The bun and toppings were good, definitely better than average (especially the bun). The problem with Oh Boy burgers, is the burger. Bland beef, bad grind.
And did I mention the cooking? My poor patty was the only one on the grill at the time, I can only imagine the inferno when that grill is at capacity, Could probably achieve the same results by giving the line cooks flame throwers.
Allens on Danforth - how do they draw the crowds?
What gives is that experiences differ dramatically at many restaurants. Differences in taste explain some of it, luck of the draw (in terms of server) explains much of it as well. I mentioned in another thread getting a complete bonehead of a server at Le Bernadin, a restaurant known for impeccable service.
Other than that it is just different strokes for different folks.
I have been to Allen's many times. I know beer (too well) so server knowledge and their quirky menu system has never been an issue for me. Their burger has always been one of my favourites in the city, it is good though not great (could use more beefy flavour), and I have never experienced limp fries there, mine have always been crispy.
The place is certainly no culinary destination, but one bad experience hardly makes for a base to slam the place.
50th Hip Chick Birthday - Help me narrow down res with Private room & good food
Czehoski's on Queen West has a private third level, a fun lounge on the 2nd level, great location, drinks, food and service.
A friend who put on a party there also got them to do some off the menu food.
looking for restaurant for anniversary dinner
Bad service is a hazard of eating in restaurants. I have received bad service on a few occasions in well known and recommended restaurants all around the world, some of which are renown for excellent service. I still remember fondly my meal at Le Bernadin which was marred by a waitress with a severe attitude problem.
Oversalted food is a question of taste, some people like a lot of salt, some don't.
True the proper thing for the restaurant to do was to simply accept that the plate was too salty for you (whether you and the chef agree on the saltiness is irrelevant, customer is always right) and offer to either remake it with less salt or make you something else, or simply remove the dish from your bill, or if the restaurant is truly special - offer you something else on the comp.
My point however was that your experience appears out of step with the norm, you had a bad experience, it can happen anywhere.
looking for restaurant for anniversary dinner
Critic rankings and customer feedback are fairly similar for both Auberge and Scaramouche. Both also are generally recommended (with the odd dissent) here for fine dining. Both were ranked by Chatto (for whatever that is worth) in his 2009 Best Restaurant's in Toronto list.
People can reasonably disagree on issues involving food, differences in taste abound. Saying that the recommendations here for Auberge are stunning is a significant overstatement, the place has had consistently good press and feedback for years now. It seems unlikely that the consistency of feedback about Auberge is an anomaly. I don't think Auberge improved, its just not your taste.
Caterer suggestions - Cocktail Reception Wedding!
I can tell you I have been to great cocktail events put on by the following caterers:
Daniel et Daniel (wedding)
10tation
L-Eat
Sequel (wedding)
North 44 Catering
My advice having hired a caterer recently for my wedding is get quotes from as many reputable people as possible and remember their quote is just a starting point for negotiating. I f you are doing the wedding in someone's home, there will be a big cost if the caterer has to bring in the actual cooking equipment versus using what is on site.
