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.

Continue reading A Stroll Through The Garden »

Foxley Bistro and Bar
207 Ossington Avenue
416-534-8520
Dinner for two with all taxes, tip and wine: $120

It’s been over a week now since I visited Foxley Bistro and Bar, Chef Tom Thai’s über caliente restaurant on Ossington, just south of Dundas, and I still don’t know quite what to think about the place.

Arriving just after 6pm on a Wednesday, the room is already close to full. My guest and I are told we can sit where we like, but when we opt for the only standard-height table remaining, we are warned that we may need to shift over and take the chairs closer to the wall in order to accommodate an additional diner who may or may not be joining the party behind us. While I don’t much like the idea of having to interrupt my meal and switch to a chair that is certainly not one that I would choose given my druthers, what am I going to do? Make a scene and refuse? Perhaps this seat-juggling could be avoided if Foxley took reservations. But, alas, they do not.

The menu is an intriguing list of Asian meets Latin. Preparation for my visit has revealed that the food is “Asian tapas”. Sort of. The intention is for guests to share the dishes. Tough luck if you’re dining solo, I suppose.

Continue reading At Least the Food’s Good »

Irish Embassy Pub & Grill
49 Yonge Street
416-815-7562
Brunch for two with all taxes, tip and beer: $56

They call it the breakfast of champions, and there was a point when a glass of stout, such as Guinness, was touted as a healthy start to the day. I don’t know if I could do that every morning, but when settling in for brunch at the Irish Embassy, it seemed wrong not to be sipping a glass of Ireland’s favourite beer.

Normally the domain of Bay Street brokers and executives, on an early Sunday, the sun streams through the high south-facing windows of this former bank and the light bounces off the architectural details of the arched ceiling. Never having been to Ireland, I’m not sure if all the locals there are this impressive, but the Irish Embassy is surely one of the most ethereal places I’ve eaten brunch. That may be because it’s not especially busy. This is an odd state and apparently not the norm, but explains why the sharply-dressed and aproned servers outnumber the customers by about 2-to-1.

Continue reading Sunday Brunch - Irish Embassy »

Allen’s
143 Danforth Avenue
416-463-3086
Dinner for two with all taxes, tip and beer: $90

The hot new thing for restaurant critics these days is to complain about the volume at the places they’re reviewing. Having to scream across the table to be heard is never a good thing, and the more, um, mature, our ears get, the harder it is to like a place that makes us work so hard. Not so at Allen’s. Yes, on the night we were there for the A Taste For Life fundraiser for Fife house, the place was packed and loud, but it’s the first restaurant I’ve been to where the loud volume added to the atmosphere.

Allen’s website states that “Allen’s stands as owner John Maxwell’s loving tribute to the Irish-American saloons of his native New York.” He’s made a homey, comfortable place with blue-checked tablecloths, a tin ceiling and warm oak floors. The tables are arranged so there is actually space between them – the volume is not because the place is over-packed, but from customers actually having a good time.

Continue reading The Good Kind of Loud »

Phil’s Original BBQ
838 College Street
416-532-8161
Dinner for two with all taxes, tip, and beer: $80

I’m going to start this off with a pissy little pet peeve of mine regarding the variant spelling of “barbecue”, and that would be “barbeque”. “Barbeque” would be pronounced “barbeck” when you think about it. I wish more BBQ places would think about this when they go to the printer or sign-maker.

I have no problem with BBQ. I guess that’s just the way I roll.

Okay, end of peeve.

Continue reading Bar-B-Kudos »

Local 4
4 Dundonald Street
416-915-0113
Dinner for two with all taxes, tip and beer: $85

When Local 4 first opened a few years back, we tried on a number of occasions to check it out, only to find it closed each time we stopped by. As a believer in the theory that the world offers us messages at every turn, those failed visits should have been a warning to head elsewhere and stay away. Finally making it for dinner at this pub-style restaurant, we realized we should have taken fate’s warning messages to heart.

Already faced with a barrier of many stairs and little tiled hallways to get into the place, diners also encounter an odd atmosphere. The entryway makes me think too much of the kind of place first year university students would frequent until they gained some knowledge of the city and found someplace more sophisticated. The room itself is cozy enough with dark walls, candlelit tables and a long bar that seems to be the gathering spot for the locals who were there the evening of our visit. A couple of other tables had diners when we arrived but they cleared out quickly and most of the activity seemed to happen at the bar.

Continue reading Around the World at Local 4 »

Jean’s Vegetarian Kitchen
1262 Danforth Avenue
416-778-1388
Dinner for two with all taxes, tip and pot of tea: $38

My eating mates and I are not high-brow but we do have high expectations for vegetarian cuisine. Reviews on the website Chowhound allude to delicious grub at Jean’s Vegetarian Kitchen. With comments such as, “the menu is more adventurous than before”, “awesome Thai”, or even, “The William Shatner of Toronto’s dining scene. Just when you think they’re gone for good, they pop up again in an even more delicious context”, reviews more or less glow. Many a vegetarian top-ten holds the name, Jean’s Veggie.

Continue reading Fresh Isn’t Always Enough »

Oyster Boy
872 Queen Street West
416-534-3432
Brunch for two with all taxes, tip and coffee: $55

Walking along Queen West on a sunny morning heading to Oyster Boy, a car passed us blaring a tune that was predominantly accordion music. We couldn’t really tell if it was a Newfoundland jig or some “welcome to the swamp” zydeco music, but fittingly enough, it set the theme of our brunch visit.

Oyster Boy offers a Maritime Pub Lunch on Saturdays and Sundays with a selection of items that are available all day such as fish and chips ($14.95), fish cakes ($11.95), or chowder of the day ($6.95). They also have lunch-specific specials from noon – 4pm with the likes of little jig’s dinner ($14.95) – aka corned beef and cabbage, and omelettes ($10.50).

Continue reading Sunday Brunch - Oyster Boy »

Chakra
2497 Yonge Street
416-487-7188
Dinner for two with all taxes, tip, and wine: $155

“Simply revolutionary Indian Cuisine!!”

So says Chakra’s website. I decide to forgive the over-the-top punctuation – I’m a big fan of Indian food, and I’m always curious about things all revolutionary-like.

A nasty wind is blowing when my guest and I arrive at Chakra, but we are warmly welcomed at the door and given our choice of table. Newly opened in the former Mimosa location, just north of Eglinton, the interior by Cricket Design Co. is spacious and thoughtfully lit, and the house music creates an appropriate atmosphere without being intrusive. Colourful paintings by Gregory Burns line the walls. The setting is seductive, and as my guest and I settle in with a gin and tonic, we are looking forward to trying what Chef Johnson Yohannon has described as “modern Indian”.

Continue reading Not Enough Spice for the Price »

Pi-Tom’s Thai Cuisine
6 Alexander Street
416-966-1813
Dinner for two with all taxes, tip and fruit shakes: $50

There is rarely a block in Toronto that does not contain a Thai restaurant , making it a gamble to find a gem among the duds that serve up ketchup drenched Pad Thai and bland curry. So with a hankering for spicy soup and spring rolls several months back, I stumbled into Pi-Tom’s, hoping for the best – luckily, I made a good bet.

Continue reading Pi Tom’s - Flavours to Savour »

Hibiscus
238 Augusta Avenue
416-364-6183
Dinner for two with all taxes, tip and coffee: $30

Despite what I consider reasonably solid skills of observation, it took me two-and-a-half years to notice Hibiscus. Thirty months while walking into Kensington Market – in the same direction, south down Augusta then back again – I was oblivious to the meatless, wheat-less dining spot that sat near my preferred fruit market.

But, sure enough, there it is nestled into a small, graffiti-laced enclave right on Augusta. Once inside, it becomes clear how I might have missed it all this time. It is a bright, serene setting that offers sanctuary from the often boisterous street outside. It doesn’t seem to seek customers; it waits for them to discover it. Once inside, it’s easy to give in to the relaxed, near-meditative atmosphere. No lunch will be freer of stress than one taken at Hibiscus, a true hidden gem.

Continue reading Killing Stress Softly »

By the Way Café
400 Bloor Street West
416-967-4295
Brunch for two with all taxes, tip and coffee and juice: $43

Over the past twenty years, I’ve eaten at By the Way innumerable times, but have never made it to this Annex landmark for brunch. We arrived early on Easter Sunday to a sparsely populated room that over the course of the next hour filled up fast.

The brunch menu offers a fairly massive selection of items for such a tiny little open kitchen, and all the typical brunch favourites are represented. Omelettes ($7 - $8) come in a variety of options from veggie to smoked salmon or western. Poached eggs ($6 - $7) are offered up as Benedict, Charlotte (smoked salmon) or Florentine (spinach).

Continue reading Sunday Brunch - By the Way Café »

Cantine Bistro
138 Avenue Road
416-923-4822
Dinner for two with all taxes, tip and wine: $120

Cantine has all the makings of a successful mid-range bistro: the chic location just a few doors down from hot spot L’unita in upper Yorkville, the refurbished decor with exposed brick, low candlelight and modern art (for sale, of course), and even a live acoustic guitarist crooning everything from Neil Young to Jobim. With all this appeal, and with the number of hotels in the area, it’s no surprise the room was buzzing and full on a chilly Friday night. There were, however, some unpleasant surprises, which account for the lack of enthusiasm shown by Toronto’s foodie community for this two-year-old spot.

Continue reading Cantine - Half Empty or Half Full? »

Prohibition
696 Queen Street East
416-406-2669
Lunch for two with all taxes, tip, and a bottle of imported beer: $89

Prohibition, born “Booze Emporium”, was renamed when its liquor license came under threat as the title was deemed inappropriate. There were several articles published that relayed this incident, but nary a review. More digging lead to long discussion threads on Chowhound that had widely varying opinions. I was curious about its gastropub and oyster bar promises, but it was the recent addition of a lunch and weekend brunch menu that prompted a visit.

Continue reading Positive About Prohibition »

Karuchie
924 College Street
416-850-1729
Dinner for two with all taxes, tip and wine - $125

It has me at konichiwa. The pristine aquarium at the front door, the dark wood, the small pieces of Japanese charm displayed here and there. A contemporary French bistro displaying the (paradoxically) complex simplicity of an origami box, Karuchie is a fresh culinary cerisiers en fleur to the neighbourhood. Bonus extra = I score a (free) parking spot within yards of the entrance. If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone – always a big plus when planning an evening out.

My fellow diner begins with watercress salad ($9) comprised of toasted pumpkin seeds, sections of blood orange, and avocado – this is a lovely salad, but a tad frustrating. Like eating a plate of flower stems, the watercress doesn’t lend itself especially well to eating with a fork – it falls all over the place. I don’t know what to suggest – maybe chopsticks would be more practical. Or fingers. For those who desire a beginning to their meal on the lighter side, this is a winning combination of ingredients. Never mind my own difficulties in getting the greenery up to my own piehole.

Continue reading That was Zen, This is Now »