Lo D's Profile
Romantic Patios in Toronto
Great suggestions so far! La Pallette in Kensington Market (although it's very small it has a lovely lively atmosphere) and The Boulevard Cafe on Harbord are a couple more faves...
Soma on Queen East
Hey gang,
I ventured out to Soma last Friday. It's unfortunate because what could have been a lovely evening was literally blown away by a stereo system and some poor planning! Before getting into the details, let me point out that I get the Ultra Supper Club/Buddha Bar resto/lounge thing, but the transition between the two needs to be subtle and suitably timed. Soma hasn't yet figured it out.
On Friday, four of us had cocktails at The Comrade and then moved to Soma at 9ish. We were enjoying the ambience/decor for the most part but then about 50 people descended upon the place in one fell swoop. Even that would have been ok. Except that we were seated in the thick of the area set aside for them, rather than in the vacant space closer to the front of the room. Then, presumably to pump up the crowd, someone on staff felt it necessary to boost the music volume to ear-splitting levels. This occurred just as we received our mains at around 9:45. We were trying to have a conversation, but literally had to yell at one another to be heard. At a point, we just gave up and just ate our meals without speaking....hardly an enjoyable dining experience.
Now I can understand the reasons for accommodating and hosting 50 partying lounge-goers. But if Soma wants to be a restaurant and a lounge, there needs to be some consideration to both worlds. There should be an attempt at separation in the lay-out of the space so that there are not people yelling at one another over the dining tables. And certainly, if the music really needs to be that loud to have a good time, the volume should rise in increments, hitting top volume at 11 p.m. at the earliest. Most diners should be close to finishing their meals by that point.
The restaurant might also think of buying a better quality surround sound system with more speakers so that everyone can hear and enjoy the music without the necessity of increasing the volume to levels near distortion.
Besides feeling sorry for my dinner companions, I also felt badly for the chef and wait staff who are actually offering good quality food and service. I enjoyed the wasabi-glazed salmon with spinach rice and sesame sweet potatoes, my partner enjoyed the halibut, and our friends were impressed with the seared scallop salad and crisp prosciutto pork. But needless to say, I also like to enjoy the company of the people with whom I'm dining. That was sadly missing from an evening at Soma and so I can't recommend it.
Sumptuous Sadies
Now magazine reviewed Sadie's Diner and Juice Bar last week. The brilliant review sent my partner and I to Sadies for brunch on Sunday and I have been deliberating my posting here ever since. The food was spectacular and cheap. I loved the casual diner style vibe. However, this place is small and I don't want to have to compete with all the chowhounds for a table.
That being said, I would be so sad to miss out on great dining because a selfish foodie was witholding all the goods. So here it is.....
Sadies is an awesome veggie restaurant. The produce is so fresh, the staff is so pleasant, and the place is so affordable, I can't give a higher recommendation. I had huevos rancheros, with crispy authentic tortillas, fresh veggies, and spicy guacamole. I've been dreaming about it ever since. My partner had banana buckwheat pancakes with tofu sausages. The organic coffee and fresh squeezed grapefruit juice were perfectly delicious...
504 Adelaide St. West at Portland (416-777-2343). Enjoy!!!!
Edward Levesque's
I am so not into this restaurant. I liked it for brunch somewhat when it first opened. There were some interesting things on the menu (e.g delicious fishcakes), but even then the service was remarkably poor.
I decided to give it another shot last week for dinner. Same awful, incredibly slow service (We waited for 15 minutes to give our drink order even though there were only 3 tables of diners in the restaurant because it was early. We finished our drinks before dinner because the food took so long. Then the waiter forgot to bring wine refills as we started the meal and instead brought it once we were finished), the food was ok, and the prices were high comparatively.
The menu is impossible for people not into meat. We were told we could order anything on the menu without meat, which left us with little else.
I like the simplicity of the decor, but that's not enough to sustain my interest. I won't be back.
King West Dinner - Blowfish?
I love Blowfish - but for sushi. People that don't eat it and have gone with other dishes have been disappointed. Sushi not to miss - house specialty ebi shooters, spicy tuna rolls, butter fish, black eyed peas (asparagus in brown rice), and orange and black (salmon and mango).
Who's been to Serra?
I agree with TorontoJo. It's always a tasty enjoyable evening at Serra. Enjoy!
Toronto Honeymoon
Congratulations!
The Gladstone is a funky hotel...but it's way out on Queen West. There's a good nightclub/food scene in the area though...including the Drake Hotel, Beaconsfield, Fresh (for healthy lunches), Oyster Boy, The Rosebud (nice dinner), Shanghai Cowgirl, Terroni. I'm not sure what kind of food you're looking for, but you can be sure it's there.
If you prefer to be downtown, Hotel Le Germain is a gorgeous boutique hotel with loads of great restaurants in the vicinity. Along King Street alone there's Blowfish (sushi), Susur, Lee, Marc Thuet's bakery/restaurant...all kinds of yummy places.
I hope you have a wonderful time!
Harlem is Hot
Hi foodies,
I tried Harlem at 67 Richmond Street East (just east of Church) last weekend. It was really awesome...the produce is so fresh and I loved the Caribbean contemporary twist. My friends and I totally enjoyed the vegetarian sushi appetizer, crisps with a spicy dip, pasta with pine nuts and sundried tomatoes in coconut pesto, pork tenderloin with potato patties, salmon with sweet potato mash and greens, and spiced tofu steak with seasonal vegetables. The wine list was decent, the price was reasonable and the ambience is casual, fun, and funky. Chef and staff are formerly of Bonjour Brioche, so they know what they're doing. The only problem? It was pretty quiet for a Friday night. It's only been open for a few months, so I'm sure it's just taking some time for the word to get out. But I'd hate for it to be one of those little culinary gems that the city learns about too late! I believe it's open just for lunch on weekdays and for dinner Friday and Saturday nights....Bon appetit!
Kultura - Food anygood?!
I thought the food was pretty good, the service staff was too cool for school, and the decor tries too hard. Worth trying once I guess....
