The vegetable store on College, NW corner of Beatrice, one block W of Grace.

I ate at Chiado about a month ago, with a friend. The food was generally very good, some of it was great, but some of it was disappointing. They overcooked the grilled squid to the point of rubber, which was amazing to for a fish resto. The desserts were out of this world. The best I've had in a while. (I'd recommend their tapas bar for late-night desserts.) The service was terrible. Stodgy and pompous. The waiter could not even recommend a port. Overall, the feel is very old world formal.

You will probably have to change your criteria and look further afield to find "a T.O. kind of place". For the most part, that stretch of King West is considered to be a tourist /bridge-and-tunnel strip. Most people I know who dine out on a regular basis avoid the area for that very reason, which is not to say you won't find a decent meal there. Just don't expect the world.

Caz's is the best I've had downtown.

Penrose's is okay.

Chippy's is absurdly over rated (they are the Phil's BBQ of fish and chips).

What about Milagro, on Mercer St? Has anyone been there? It just opened a few months ago.

I ate at Sapori recently and thought it was mediocre at best.

Where are the best spider rolls in Toronto?

I wish people would come back and tell us where they went. :(

This is a very good solution re nephews. Thanks for that. I'll try it.

busboy, waiter, pot washer, dish washer, deep fry jockey, garde manger, line cook, veg station, pasta station, grill station, pizza station, wok station, sous chef, high-end takeout, catering, food styling

now i sleep with the enemy: food journalist and resto reviewer

The original poster brought up the subject of children. I have two nephews in their late teens. These are big healthy guys, very athletic, with good appetites. Sometimes, on special occasions at my mother's house (Thanksgiving/Xmas/Easter) there are so many people that my mother will put all the food out on a sideboard and then people will help themselves buffet style and sit around the table. Well as soon as the food is served, these two guys jump up and are the first in line and they pile their plates with all the choice cuts. It drives me bonkers. There's their mother, and all their aunts, and their TWO grandmothers waiting for THEM to finish. I just want to grab them by the ears and throw them out in the hall. Their parents won't do anything about it. I always remind them, ladies first, but these two goons just laugh. Otherwise they are actually very sweet guys. They just don't have common courtesy towards women. I know that's old fashioned, but you can't tell me that these two shouldn't wait for their 70-year-old grandmothers to go first. Sorry, maybe this is another thread topic, but it's terrible behaviour for guests, and I fear they are going to behave that way at other people's houses.

How do I deal with these guys without making a scene?

That's one of the best kitchen stores in the city.

You can also get a tagine at Nella on Bathurst.

Bitondo's

I just had this stuff for the first time at Ouzeri and it blew me away. Where's the best in TO?

(it's fried salt cod)

I wouldn't call La Fenice a "pasta house". This is not Olive Garden or Yee Olde Spaghetti Factory. They have an excellent selection of meats and fish. Menu is on their site.

You'll probably like Fred's Not Here better.

You don't indicate price range.

If you like Italian, try La Fenice. I'm not sure how late they are open on Sunday night, but it is really just a five minute walk from that theatre. The food is quite good. Nothing pretentious, just properly cooked Italian. Price range $11 apps., $18 pastas, $18-$30 mains. The room is also quite comfortable, though the interior design needs updating. (I think they don't want to change it out of respect to the original owner/chef who passed away a few years ago. His original paintings are on the walls.) http://www.lafenice.ca/home.html

What does the reliably underwhelming Pusateries have on offer?

What are the best seafood restos in Toronto?

That narrows it down!

:)

Any particular stretch?

What streets in downtown Toronto are the best areas right now for new restos.

Is it Queen West West? College St? Harbord? King?

Where do you think there's a buzz happening?

Don't get me wrong. If I never went back to Paupers I'd lose no sleep.

Anyone know any good organic butchers in Ottawa, Kingston, Windsor, or the North?

Paupers is okay.

That is the single worst pub I've ever been in. They served us half-cooked wings (with visible blood inside) and when we complained, the cook (!) came out to our table and tried to tell us it was "cooked blood" (both of us were former chefs), then he took them away and deep fried the same wings--with the sauce still on!--till they were almost like charcoal and sent them back out. When we asked to see a manager we were told, "What do you expect he's going to do if you complain?" And don't assume anything here--we were just two quiet guys who went looking for a place to watch hockey. We had done absolutely nothing to draw anyone's wrath.

They are seasonal (May-Aug). The best come from Maryland, and other locales in NE. Three grades: Live (self explanatory), Fresh (dead but not frozen), & Frozen.

Obviously I'm looking for frozen right now.

Anyone know where they have great soft-shell crab on the menu right now?

The only place I know of is Brass Taps Pizza Pub at College & Dovercourt. I've had their lasagna and it is pretty good.

Any of the America's Test Kitchen books would be excellent. They will give her intereting ideas for both her own palatte and for her husband's. There are a number of volumes, so if she likes one, she can buy more. Lots of photos of both technique and finished dishes, and illustrations of technique. A wide variety of dishes.

http://www.cooksillustrated.com/books...

The etiquette any individual has learned does not extend beyond themselves. Etiquette is only a tacit agreement that certain conventions are observed amongst a group, but manners are constantly in flux on an individual level and they are by no means universally "default", and never have been. With respect, what happens at another table (within reason) is none of your business, and that it would bother you is your problem, not theirs. People who impose arbitrary conventions and expectations on others are infinitely more rude than someone who makes a simple faux pas, or who may have idiosyncratic (but harmless) tastes. And etiquette _is_, by and large, arbitrary.

The server should have no part in the equation except to ensure you enjoy yourself and don't, unduly, disturb other patrons or detrimentally interfere with the running of the restaurant.

Frosts Mora French (10") -- My main knife. Have had it for years and I love it. Frosts is a Swedish company. Their French is lighter that Wusthof's and the steel slightly softer so it is easier to sharpen. Nicely balanced with a deeper blade that the Wusthof. (Would love to find more Fotsts in Toronto.)
http://www.swedishknives.com/kitchen.htm

Wusthof Le Cordon Bleu French (10"
)Wusthof Le Cordon Bleu slicer (8")
Wusthof Classic bread knife

Japanese cleaver (7")
Victorinox paring
Henkels paring & tourne

I have my eye on a Mario Batali tomato knife.