Toronto restaurant recommendation

[hooya2]

Opus is a nice place

 

[Spatlese]

Originally Posted by fwiffo

Last night, drinks at Wolf and Firkin on Elm...
Homeless people you need to beat off with a stick on Elm Street when going for a smoke and some really dodgy blokes coming in and pretending they're your friend. Had to have staff kick one of them out.

That pub isn't so good, but can't say I've been accosted there. Yet.

 

[UserNameToronto]

Originally Posted by audiophilia

+1

I'll add Le Select Bistro in the Annex. Phenomenal wine list. Good French food.

Best night out I've ever had in Toronto. Needless to say it was on the company's dime!

Weezie's at King & Power was great, it has an outpost feel close to downtown in a gentrifying area.

 

[audiophilia]

Originally Posted by hooya2

Opus is a nice place

Great service.

Crush has a great list, too.

Sotto Sotto. Twice. Both very poor. Good valet, though.

 

[fwiffo]

Alas, I'm not sophisticated enough to develop an intelligent appreciation of wine so an extensive wine list is kind of lost upon me. I remember being invited to an art gallery event in London with a female coworker and she told me that I apparently had to spit the wine back out after the tasting. I thought that was a joke. Of course, by the time she told me I had already finished - reminds me of this Conan O'Brien skit I saw on television afterwards.

Last night - at this Chinese restaurant (damn I forget the name) at Victoria Park and McNicoll for a banquet thing. Parking bordered on stupidity. Food was below average - abalone was the size of a toonie and at a table of 12, I got literally one piece of lobster, the other was a nice decorative shell. Service was self-serve for 3 of 8 courses and alcohol was definitely not flowing consistently, heck we even ran out of soda.

I have some training courses Monday-Tuesday so maybe I'll get out early and go somewhere nice to make up for this!

Originally Posted by Spatlese

That pub isn't so good, but can't say I've been accosted there. Yet.

It's not so bad. Just my luck of the draw. I even use that little alleyway at nights to cross back into the Atrium to get on the subway - never got mugged

 

[KenN]

Originally Posted by fwiffo

Last night - at this Chinese restaurant (damn I forget the name) at Victoria Park and McNicoll for a banquet thing. Parking bordered on stupidity. Food was below average - abalone was the size of a toonie and at a table of 12, I got literally one piece of lobster, the other was a nice decorative shell. Service was self-serve for 3 of 8 courses and alcohol was definitely not flowing consistently, heck we even ran out of soda.

This is what you get for eating in Scarbrough.

 

[fwiffo]

I wanted to avoid the St. Paddy's crowd so drinks at the York Station Fairmont bar (got Aline to do the train set at the top of the bar). But still besides my usual diet & vodka, worked in some Jamesons and Guinesses at the behest of me mate (why I have no idea as I'm not Irish).

Then we went off to Takesushi on Front as I was with a commuter and did some sushi, appetizers, and bottles of sake till 8:30 or 9 and then wandered home. Someone needs to tell the waitresses there that people want to drink AFTER the meal unless they ask for the bill. Really should have hit another bar but since it's going to be full of amateurs tonight, thought 8 or 9 drinks would do it for a Tuesday.

Had some clams this time - and no I didn't just get plain shells as I would have if I ate in Scarborough.

 

[fwiffo]

Duke of Westminster at First Canadian Place. Damn they were out of London Pride - how the hell did that happen at a "British" pub. I swear there a bunch of escort girls with the Bay Street types there (otherwise they hired 4 tramps as receptionists). The petite waitresses with short skirts helped too.

Tomorrow was supposed to be my day off so I thought I'd go to Allens on Danforth & Broadview to get a scotch tasting in but I have to switch my day off to Monday for a funeral instead. I saw Allens on a Globe & Mail feature. I'm not really a scotch fan but it looked like they were well stocked in the video.

 

[fwiffo]

This is a Toronto first for me! I was at this dive, Best Friends Restauarant (4810 Sheppard East). I swear to God, the carpets haven't been vacuumed since Jesus was a young boy. All throughout the meal, I felt like something was jumping and eating at my socks. (By the way, it says newly renovated in the front)

OK, but anyway, that's not the first. The waitress is actually doing her rounds with a mobile phone in one of her ears. Literally, she's walking, taking your diet soda order while gabbing on the mobile.

Anyway, washroom was decrepit too. Oi, I need a stiff drink now.

 

[doink]

Ate at Nota Bene this week. it has recently been named as one of toronto's best new restaurants (toronto life) and one of the country's best new restaurants (en route magazine). It is owned by david lee who is the chef at splendido, one of the city's better places. Whiel simple, what I had was very good, started with tuna tartar, had braised beef ribs and a bread pudding for desert. my dining partners were equally happy with their meals.

Ambiance is a bit loud and dress varies from full on formal to slightly dressed up jeans. I would add it to my list of accessible places for people who are not too adventurous but want to have a good meal.

 

[Spatlese]

Had some nice sushi from Japango on Elizabeth St. earlier in the week. Was staying in the area and had to just get some takeout to go back and work in the hotel, but I look forward to having a sit down meal there sometime soon.

 

[KenN]

Originally Posted by doink

Ate at Nota Bene this week. it has recently been named as one of toronto's best new restaurants (toronto life) and one of the country's best new restaurants (en route magazine). It is owned by david lee who is the chef at splendido, one of the city's better places. Whiel simple, what I had was very good, started with tuna tartar, had braised beef ribs and a bread pudding for desert. my dining partners were equally happy with their meals.

Ambiance is a bit loud and dress varies from full on formal to slightly dressed up jeans. I would add it to my list of accessible places for people who are not too adventurous but want to have a good meal.

Sounds good. I should this place out.
How is the crowd? Rowdy and obnoxious or educated and cool?

 

[fwiffo]

I went to C5 on Friday on top of the ROM. I never went there before so as a perennial donor to the museum, I thought I'd show up to check it out. Some other bloke who strolled in after me thought the same because he saw it on some best of list...as last place in Toronto Life. The lounge is completely windowless. Maybe it looks different in the evening but I thought it was the lesser half compared to the dining area.

I just had a salad so I can't really judge the food. Cocktails were notoriously pricey. A basic vodka drink rings in at $9/drink. Fairmont doesn't even charge that much. The Friday afternoon lunch attracted a pretty posh crowd. Hostess performance ranges from "Where the heck are you?" to an endless 30 second loop of "Are you sure your party isn't here? Are you sure you don't want a seat at the lounge?"

 

[doink]

Originally Posted by KenN

Sounds good. I should this place out.
How is the crowd? Rowdy and obnoxious or educated and cool?


It is definitely not obnoxious. I would not call it cool either, more understated.

I think the noise is due to the design of the space. Next time I go I am going to go for a 8:30 dinner, as it was noticeably quieter as the night went on.

I also liked how they were not trying to turn the tables over and let us sit and relax through our meal. While I like JKWB I always feel a bit rushed to make my choices, eat and get out. I generally liked the food at susur but did not like the fact that the sitting is for 2 hours and they get huffy and rushed near eh end.

 

[fwiffo]

I went to Jodphore Club on Baldwin last night around 7pm. Got a few Kingfishers going but I noticed I was on my 4th beer before any food even showed up and there were only two tables in the restaurant! The other table had this one lady who was asking, "Is that really spicy?" after every recommendation. Seriously, why do people go to Indian places if they can't eat *any* spicy food?

I heard Marche at BCE is closing by the end of the year and so is the Shopsy's on the opposite side.