Resurrecting this thread because I'm looking for something similar - but I'm happy to have chunks of potato in mine! Missing the transcendent version I used to get at a diner near Ocean Beach in San Francisco. Anyone had a really fabulous corned beef hash with pieces of corned beef (not the vaguely spam-like ground corned beef!) in Toronto since this was first posted?

Agreed that Crema is fantastic (they've got a Clover too). I live in the Junction, so I was thrilled when they opened! Not technically south of Bloor - but maybe Dundas counts? :)

I agree with Ediblethoughts that you should give the full size red velvet a try - I've been disappointed when I got the mini ones as well. I'm sure that in part it's about how fresh the cupcake is, but in fact the only complaint I've heard from friends about the red velvet is that the cake is almost TOO moist!

We went on Saturday night, made reservations. SO GOOD! I had real buckwheat crepes for the first time when I lived in San Francisco a few years ago (at Ti Couz, for anyone who knows it) and have been horribly disappointed by the crepe options in TO since moving home... but La Brehandaise is great! I don't remember the name of the crepe I had, but it had lardons, caramelized onions and goat cheese and was delicious. Service was sweet and attentive. The crepes are made one at a time, so it's probably not a good place for a group - our group of three each got our crepes 3 or 4 minutes apart - but we didn't mind.

Our dessert crepes were made with buckwheat flour too... maybe they're playing around with the recipes?

Liked it enough that I tried to take a friend last night, but she was in the mood for something else... still looking forward to my next trip.

Red Velvet at Yummy Stuff on Queen near Roncesvalles.... soooooo good! Really moist, love the cream cheese icing. I make excuses to bring cupcakes to events so I can justify eating them :)

Hadn't thought of the Queen Mother, for some reason - I'll look in to Ginger & Trimurti too.

Yeah, I've done the crepe place a couple times & really need to learn my lesson - dessert crepes are fine, but the dinner crepes are pretty flavourless. Too bad, 'cause it'd be a great option if it was better!

Looking for somewhere inexpensive near the Scotia Bank Theatre for dinner on Friday night. We're thinking something between fast food and a full-blown sit-down meal, ideally with some veg and/or organic options. (I know this is a tall order! All suggestions are welcome.)

Went a few weeks ago & loved it. Had the large charcuterie platter and a large cheese plate - loved that each cheese was paired with its own condiment (including one nut butter, which was a tasty surprise). Wish I could remember the cheeses, but my memory is so poor I'd need to take notes to report back effectively! I had the foie gras, and my dining companions had the duck confit sandwich and the beet and goat cheese salad, both of which got rave reviews.

Not cheap, but worth it IMHO. The place has a relaxed vibe, service was attentive, and we spent at least a couple hours there without ever feeling rushed.

Tried Manhattan out yesterday for brunch - I'm always searching for great eggs benedict. The Benny was well generally prepared, but the hollandaise was oddly sweet; might have just been way too much of the sweet paprika that was also liberally sprinkled on top, but it tasted like someone had added sugar instead of salt to the sauce. Bummer. Ordered the corned beef hash on the side, and got just the homefries instead. Homefries were indeed lovely (though rather heavily peppered), but not exactly what I was looking for. When we mentioned to the server that I'd ordered the corned beef hash, she said "isn't there some corned beef buried in the middle somewhere?" I dug through the stack and came up with no corned beef, and while she put in an order for a replacement dish, it didn't arrive until we'd already asked for the bill, so she didn't bring it to the table.

My husband's food was much better - he ordered the mac & cheese, good and cheesy, pasta a little overcooked but still tasty. Caesar salad dressing actually tasted like it had anchovy in it, which was a pleasant surprise. He was more than happy with his meal (and I kinda wished I'd ordered what he had).

Overall, disinterested service, food looked great, flavours hit & miss. I'll give 'em another shot, but wouldn't have the eggs benedict again.

Can anyone tell me roughly what the prices are like? Planning dinner with the parents tomorrow night & need a general idea of price range. Their menu online omits prices.

Tried the President's Choice piri piri last weekend - it's only fit for marinating or as a bbq sauce, not to serve on the side as a condiment. Bummer.

Just wanted to say thanks all for your advice! Just got back from our dinner @ Kaji. Unbelievably good - we both ended up getting the $120, and next time I suspect we might do an $80 + $100. Towards the end of the meal I panicked about being able to taste everything that was left, because I was already so full! Food was amazing, staff were attentive and sweet.

Headed to Sushi Kaji for the first time for a birthday dinner this weekend. I know that there are different offerings on each of the tasting menus. Is it a good idea for the two of us to get different tasting menus? (i.e. I've seen some people here mention one person getting the $100 & one getting the $120.) If we were to get different items, is there actually enough to share? Or should we just go with the same one & not be jealous of the other's offerings?

Also saw folks mention buying Kaji a drink... is this a common thing to do? I don't want to seem pretentious or overly familiar by offering :)

Thanks!

I live around the corner from the Parkdale Drink, so I've given it a few tries in the several months it's been open. Both service and food have been inconsistent, and never great. Our visit last night will definitely be our last - the steak sandwich consisted of cold steak on a refrigerator-cold bun with a smear of blue cheese, also icy cold (although the fries were good). I've overlooked staff who didn't know anything about the menu or wine list, bad music, even the visit before Christmas where we were actually seated before the server disappeared into the kitchen, had an argument with someone, and then emerged to tell us the restaurant was booked for a private function (!) but the food was so bad this time that we won't go back.

The Thin Blue Line on Roncesvalles is fantastic! I hosted a charity wine tasting in the summer & all the cheese came from them; the owner is helpful, friendly and knowledgable. And the cheese is the best I've had in the city (I used to be an Alex Farms girl, but I've changed allegiances!). Definitely not cheap, but totally worth it.

I am definitely not a barbecue connoisseur, so the fact that I've enjoyed the food both times I've been to CG&L is just a matter of personal taste. The service, however, has both times been awful. Waited forever before a server actually bothered to even acknowledge us or take a drink order. The first time the server was rather curt, to boot. Slow, slow, slow. And meanwhile, there's a hostess looking bored by the door, rolling her eyes and wandering back and forth, and a dedicated bartender pouring drinks at a rate of roughly one every 5 minutes. Frustrating to watch while waiting in vain for service.

We tried the College St. place - my husband's on a quest for Halifax donair - the sweet sauce grosses me out, so I defer to his evaluation. He said the meat was wrong and the sauce wasn't what he'd hoped for either. Plus they ignored his request & put hot sauce on his donair.

Can someone tell me the price range for mains?

Anybody been to either Urbano or the very recently opened (I think it's open, anyway) Kitchen on Queen West? I'm looking for tapas for Friday night & live near Queen & Dufferin, so both are close by, but I haven't been able to find any reviews of either one...

Thanks so much for your recommendations, all! I've passed the info along (and found a few new destinations I'd like to try along the way). If I can get a report from my tourist friends, I'll try to remember to post the results.

Ah - I hadn't realized George was all small plates. Yikes! Thanks for the clarification.

I thought the same about George, but checked their menu online & mains are mostly in the $18 to $21 range. Scaramouche's Dining Room, on the other hand, has it's cheapest entree set at $38(!) and even the grill runs from $22 to $31. I'm always surprised when I double check menus online - I tend to lump certain places together in terms of pricing, and often discover I'm way off.

Will look into Batifole, though, and have heard good things about Wish, as well.

Friends will be visiting TO soon & want a recommendation for a romantic birthday dinner spot. They're staying right downtown. Looking preferably for entrees under $20 - ruling out Scaramouche & Le Select, which would otherwise have been great. I've never been to George, but it's in the running after reviewing the board. Other recommendations? Thanks!

These are all great options so far, by the way - thanks for all your input!

Not really all that fascinated by Times Square, to be honest. I'm just one of those folks who needs breakfast as soon as she wakes up - hence breakfast needs to be nearby. But fear not, most of our wandering is going to be elsewhere in the city!

I'll be in NYC for the first time in a couple weeks. We'll be staying near West 46th & Broadway, and are looking for breakfast joints - nothing too too fancy - for the 4 mornings we'll be there. Anywhere to get something fresh & healthy? Alternatively, good greasy diner recommendations? Bagels? Great coffee? I'm pretty open as long as it's inexpensive and close enough to walk. Thanks!