Dash Kitchen
236 Danforth Avenue
416-463-DASH

What’s sexier than a man who can cook? How about three men who can cook. Dan Thompson, Bernie MacMillan and André Wikkerink will heat up any kitchen, but it’s not just the eye candy that keeps me going back to Dash; the fresh and delicious gourmet food is also quite fetching.

Four years ago, these ex-execs were looking for a career change. “Maybe we were each having a mini mid-life crisis,” laughs Thompson. Coming from the corporate world, these guys know what it’s like to work all day, hit the gym and rush home to whip together a quick meal. “Dash is for people who appreciate what they eat, but don’t have the time or desire to prepare meals,” Thompson explains.

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The Garden @ Eleven
11 Jarvis Street
416-981-1919
Dinner for two with all taxes, tip and a bottle of wine: $150

It’s an ordinary night out with the girls and we decide to try a restaurant getting plenty of mixed reviews of late; Eleven. When we arrive, the sign out front reads ‘Eleven’ so we know we’re at the right place. It’s not until we sit and read the first line of the menu that we realize we’re in a completely different restaurant. With a new chef, a new menu and a new name, owner Steve Lee has once again reinvented 11 Jarvis Street and called it The Garden @ eleven.

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The Riverdale Perk Cafe
633 Logan Avenue (at Withrow)
416-462-3538

Now that the warm weather is here, I look forward to leisurely walks with my golden “mischiever”. Olsen loves his strolls, and a great place for a destination dog-walk or a short break from chasing tails is The Riverdale Perk Café. Located near two doggy-dense parks - Riverdale and Withrow - “The Perk” happily offers rest and fuel for two legs and four.

Owner Danielle Quayle is ambitious. The Perk was her local coffee shop when she first moved into the neighbourhood, but Quayle “was always disappointed with what it could have been and what it wasn’t.” Confident after being in the restaurant biz for 16 years, when The Perk went up for sale, Quayle took a chance.

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Coupe Space
998 Queen Street East
416-469-9656

I’ve lived on the Danforth for eight years and have done just about everything there is to do there. While I still have my old faves, Queen East is my new hangout. On my way to a hangover-remedy brunch in Leslieville one Sunday, I was intrigued by an expansive window I hadn’t noticed before. Full of eggs benny and a mimosa (or three) on the way home, I slowed down out front and discovered Coupe Space.

Continue reading Coupe Space - A Delicious Learning Experience »