I'm taking my son out for a birthday dinner, along with my 2 other kids. Besides the usual suspects are there any reasonably priced restaurants near U of W that you could recommend? Any type of food is good, although my daughter is a vegetarian.

I am looking for chocolate Hanukkah coins. I usually get the ones that come 5 or 6 to a little mesh bag. I know they are available up north but I am wondering if anyone knows where I can get them in downtown Toronto?

If you want the Jewish Challah, then Harbord Bakery is far and away the best. However, make sure you go on Friday and get their special Shabbat Challah. Get one for the freezer!

It might sound old fashioned but I find the Old Mill to be great value (I've had a couple of events there). It can hold your number, there is parking and it's right on the subway line. The food is quite good, the staff very helpful and it really is a lovely venue. I would definitely consider them.

Thanks, Starlady, for the suggestions, and I think you are right about Provence.

I will be visiting my sister and brother-in-law in Vancouver and need some suggestions. I am taking her for lunch and she works near Gastown, so I need a place for there. I would also like to take them somewhere special for dinner. A couple of years ago we went to a place in Yaletown. I can't remember, I think it started with M (Marina?) and there was another one in Vancouver. Anyhow, it was quite lovely.

Thanks for your suggestions, especially the info on the bike race. It was almost impossible to get across Front. We did have an hour and ended up at the Consort Bar at the King Eddy. It was quite appropriate for the evening and a lovely place. We had Cosmos (natch) and the vegetarian girls shared a pizza and sweet potatoe fries, which were delicious. I had the smoked salmon with trimmings. It was a lovely, light meal in luxurious surroundings. Nothing like a little class!

My daughter is insisting I go see Sex & the City with her tonight. She has tickets for a 6:30 show at the Rainbow Cinema at Front & Jarvis. We need a place we can be in and out within an hour (or even less). What's down there besides Tim Horton's?

I went with my 3 children to Silver Spoon for a pre-Mother's Day dinner on Saturday night. The food and service were just lovely. From the amuse-bouche, to the appetizers, to the mains, to the desserts, to the complimentary chocolate chip cookies and glass of Ontario Vidal, it was a wonderful evening. I even tried ostrich for the first time! Our meal with 4 appetizers, 4 mains, 4 desserts and a bottle of wine came to $70 a person with tax and tip. If you happen to be in the Parkdale/High Park area I would suggest you give it a try.

www.silverspoon.ca

Please don't judge me, but I need to make a decision between Marcel's and Saint Tropez. I know they are not great and mostly tourist traps but there you go. I've been to neither and wonder if they are pretty much the same regarding food, price, ambience and service or if one is better than the other. If anyone has been let me know.

The Sweetgrass menu looks fabulous and if I was on my own I would go, but some of the dishes are too unconventional for some in our party. Do you know anything about Blue Cactus? They seem to have a lot of vegetarian choices.

I need a dinner rec for a Saturday night in Ottawa. We are staying near the Byward Market. There will be 8 of us, including an 80 year old couple and a vegetarian (who doesn't like mushrooms!). I am looking for something reasonably priced (mains around $20) with good portions (3 teenage boys!). It doesn't have to be fancy, and probably won't be at that price, but it should be pleasant with decent food.

I live in the neighbourhood and gave Bravo a try. I, also, was not impressed. It was expensive for what it was and you can do much better in Toronto.

Canadian Thanksgiving is not as big a deal as the American one. If you are down near the Harbour (near the lake, I am assuming) there's an Il Fornello at Queen's Quay which is decent Italian. Not sure what else is around Queen's Quay area but other chowhounders can help out. If you have a chance and the weather is good hop on the ferry over to Toronto Island. You can rent a bicycle there and have a fine day. There's a lovely little place on Ward's Island, The Rectory Cafe that you should enjoy. And yes, Chinatown will be open as always. You could also check out Kensington Market, which runs off side streets west of Spadina between Dundas and College.

Susar Lee is hardly moderately priced. I would definitely suggest the Queen Mother on Queen St. West. It's only a 10 minute walk to the Skydome (or Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays play) or 5 minutes to the Second City Theatre. It is something uniquely Torontonian and has a lot of vegetarian options. Harbord Street has some good choices, too. The Boulevard Cafe comes to mind. And Markham Street, a block west of Bathurst St., south of Bloor in the university Annex area has The Butler's Pantry and Southern Comfort, both with veg options. If you have time, check out the St. Lawrence Market on Saturday morning and try to get to Kensington Market. Have fun! We were in Chicago last summer. What a fabulous city! Our politicians should take notes on how it's done.

If you're around on a Saturday I would check out the St. Lawrence Market over at Front and Jarvis (about a 15 minute walk). It's not a typical sit down but they have wonderful back bacon on a bun sandwiches and lots of other things. You would enjoy all the different fresh produce. They are open during the week but Saturday is THE DAY. There really is nothing at the Rogers Centre. The food is at best mediocre and terribly overpriced. Most people just pick up a hot dog outside the stadium. Lakeside Eats down on Queen's Quay by the lake is not bad and there are some decent places on King St. Can't think of any great breakfast places in the area. Is Marche in BCE Place at the foot of Bay St. still around?

Ugly ceilings?!! Good grief, Vinojoe, give them a break. I've lived in Parkdale for 20 years and am thrilled a neighbourhood bistro like this has opened. I loved the comfy banquettes, the unpretentious atmosphere, the great service and outstanding food. I would also agree with Thetartgirl that it would be good to have some more reasonably priced mains. Everything seemed to be about $25 and up. For us working people who don't make six figure incomes it makes going there a once in awhile treat rather than the regular event we would like it to be. Maybe more pasta or vegetarian choices? Anyhow, congratulations. Cowbell, River and Domani are now my favourites in the nabe.

We are going to a family 50th birthday in Cambridge. There are 15 of us, ages 16 to 83 and I am looking for something moderately priced and not too formal. If it's near the 401 that would be a bonus as we are coming in from various points.

You might be interested in exploring Toronto's neighbourhoods with great food. Little Italy along College St. comes to mind as a lively place. Giancarlo, Grappa or Sotte Voce are all good choices. You might also want to explore restaurants in Yorkville or the Annex.

I, too, thought it was silly and pretentious. Because of medication I cannot drink alcohol. I also generally avoid bottled water if I can, for environmental reasons. The overuse of our natural resources, the bottling (and the plastic bottles) and the trucking or shipping makes a great case for good old Toronto water. Most restaurants are okay with this but on occasion I have been treated with some disrespect because I don't order wine or bottled water.

I am coming to Denver and will be visiting the State Capitol Building. Are there any decent restaurants in the area? I am without a car. Thanks!

Taking the afternoon off work to check out the Contact shows and would appreciate recs for lunch in the Roncesvalles, College West or Queen West West area. There are some nice places but they only open for dinner.

It is hard to get good Passover cakes and those that are good tend to be outrageously expensive. I am not a baker but do bake for Passover. I make a standard sponge/angelfood cake sometimes with variations like nuts, bananas or oranges. It's fairly easy. I also make a lot of squares which are easire and give people their chocolate fixes. Cookies are also easy. Generally you replace the flour with cake meal and some potato starch. Good luck. Now, I am looking for Passover bagels...

Just along Dixon road are several places that would work well for a family. At Attwell there is an Outback and a Milestones on the south side and on the north side is a Le Bifteque and a Boston Pizza. Just further east in a little plaza near the Toronto Congress Centre is a Kelsey's and Swiss Chalet. There is also a great Japanese place (can't remember the name) in the same plaza, if you are inclined to that.

Lots of choices on Roncesvalles. Butler's Pantry has fabulous French Toast and is casual an inexpensive. River and Boho are still reasonable but a little nicer. River's back room is especially warm and relaxing.

I agree that Patric's is highly overated. I found the chalkboard menu to be quite silly and the food was quite underwhelming.

Where in the GTA can you find the best service? At so many restaurants if the servers are not indifferent they have an attitude that I should be grateful they are serving me because their call from Hollywood is expected any moment. I want a place that not only has great food but offers me a memorable experience. I want servers who genuinely appreciate that I am at their establishment and work to make sure I enjoy myself. Price is not always a guarantee of great service. One of my best times was when I took a good client out for afternoon tea at the Windsor Arms. The entire experience was so wonderful that we still talk about it a year later.

My daughter is turning 19 and I would like to take her and maybe a couple of her friends out for a special drink. I was thinking of Canoe or the rooftop at the Park Hyatt but that might be my middle-aged brain thinking. She's remarkably down to earth so something like the Drake would proabably be too pretentious for her. What would you suggest?