Toronto restaurant recommendation

Has anyone been to Sushi Couture in the Annex? The regular priced items are supposed to be competitive with what's in the area but omakase is what people have been writing about because the sushi chef is from Japango?

Originally Posted by fwiffo

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Has anyone been to Sushi Couture in the Annex? The regular priced items are supposed to be competitive with what's in the area but omakase is what people have been writing about because the sushi chef is from Japango?
In this very thread: http://www.styleforum.net/showpost.p...&postcount=582 I've been back since. Service-wise, it's still not running smoothly all around, but ok. Food is good. I would stay away from the mono maki as I believe they pre-cut/shred the fish for that and it just sits there at the bar/counter. Just as at Japango, ask for the specials. ETA: Have not been brave enough to try the omakase. Maybe next time.

Originally Posted by Mulder949

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Stockyards at St. Clair and Christie: the best bbq I have ever had.

+1. St Clair West. Go for the Porchetta sandwich. my god..... best $10 you'll spend on a meal.

Sounds like you don't need the help anymore, but my vote is harbor sixty

Nobody seems to want to go very far for lunch these days due to the cold so I've been doing the underground circuit.

I think quality is going down at Acko Lounge. Rodney's on Temperance, however, is hopping on Fridays. I'm still not sure why the shrimp cocktail is $21 though.

An updated review of Dynasty: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle1895373/

An anecdote at the bottom mentions that Hoof fans will have to do without Black Hoof Cafe by Feb 28. Apparently it's being closed down and renovated into its own place rather than being a feeder into the main Black Hoof. Also reservations at the new place are possible.

Originally Posted by bing

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on a scale of one to 100 how does this caplansky's place stack up to Schwartz's?

because i would pretty much fly to Montreal at anytime just to eat there... if this Caplansky's is even 75% as good it would save me a lot of time.

I am an ex-mtler and love my Schwartz as much as the next guy (medium-fat plz) and I really like Caplansky. I'll admit that I found Schwartz inconsistent the last few times I've been there and wasn't thrilled with the sandwich on a couple of occasions.

Caplansky is the closest thing to Schwartz here but is still quite different. The smoked meat has a a bit of a sweeter taste than the more salty, briny, spicy Schwartz's but it's hand-cut and I really liked it. I also loved the brisket sanwdwich last time I was there (the smoke meat poutine was good too). I think I may have posted a review somewhere in this thread.

Originally Posted by WaterlooMike

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+1. St Clair West. Go for the Porchetta sandwich. my god..... best $10 you'll spend on a meal.

^^^ YES!! I also had the pulled pork and it's delicious. I tasted my son's burger and it was very good too. I've heard great things about their fried chicken and need to go back...

my date spot with my girl is Terroni on queen. love it.

Had a good meal at Woodlot. Expensive comfort food. Nothing mind-blowing, but good honest food. The gnocchi in particular were excellent. Rustic, casual space.

as a quick aside, it is so weird to hear you guys talk about the places where i eat

I'm back for a week and a half. Hopefully I can make some meaningful contributions.

I tried Nota Bene again today with a work mate. The service started slow as in we were offered sparkling water, then the menu, then cocktails, then we were able to order entree. Some of that could have been shortened. I was settled in to have a long lunch then but the entrees showed up in short order; a tuna tartare and sea bass. I don't know if they had that heated up in the back. At any rate, they were OK - portions are right but the taste could have been stronger. I finished with the berries for dessert and the work mate got some chocolate cake. $124 + tip. I asked for a cocktail close to the end of my meal and got a little stiff lip when I also asked for the dessert menu and she replied, "Yeah I'm getting it'" Getting change for the valet tip was also a chore.

After I work I did drinks at Angelini in RBC Plaza. I never ate there but they seem okay with a mediocre pace of alcohol consumption, $5.50 for a Glenfiddich with sit down is not bad. Good for commuters too.

Did more drinks at Royal York before going to Rawlicious in Yorkville. I had the pad thai, which was a cold kelp and zucchini noodle mix. It tasted like cold salad with a creamy peanut sauce to be honest. I'm not too sure if that was healthy. Dessert was a fruit nut cookie (I was told it was healthiest). Coming to Rawlicious was like walking into my feminist literature class in university; all women. Eventually two men did stroll in but were chatting up the wait staff about some kind of veggie fast. Plus two glasses of wine $43 + tip.

Tomrorow, Inigo for lunch...!

Update on Nota Bene. Work mate got food poisoning but I said you had tuna tartare so you were partially asking for trouble anyway.

Inigo was interesting. It's right next to the funeral home across from Trinity Bellwoods at Queen and Strachan. The place has seating for about 12 people. Unfortunately it's all by the front door where the cold seeps in. There are also a number of high top chairs and a counter in the back. I was a bit confused as to what the order of operations were. There was a cafeteria type rail with trays but we did all our ordering at the till and the lady brought out the food for us. There's not much choice for drinks; a bunch of cane sugar sodas (that if you didn't have diabetes, you'll get it) and pelligrinos. Most of us went for the chicken. Although I read it was rubbed in salt, I expected something very salty but actually it was lightly seasoned compared to the ones you pick up at grocery stores or at Swiss Chalet. The meat was moist too, even the white meat. The sides are yet to be desired. I had the basmati rice, which was uninspiring. I also picked up a veggie black bean soup. This was hearty and had a tiny bit of heat too it - you could probably do the soup and a salad or ratatouille as an entree. I read a lot of complaints about the portions but I thought they were perfect. Obviously if you are looking for yank size portions, there are plenty of other places to go. $51 + tip for 3 people.

Yesterday was also my first time back at Marche in BCE place for after work drinks. The bar with the oysters disappeared so I'm not sure whether I want to go there. The liquor selection also dwindled too. And now they ask you for tip, whereas before it was baked in.

Lunch yesterday was at Crown Princess. It actually looks and feels exactly like all the other sister properties (Casa Imperial), albeit this location has new decor. It wasn't a very loud location and all the dim sum is ordered on a sheet.

I tried the goose liver siu mai, which seemed like a little paste of liver on a regular siu mai. The shrimp rice noodle came with greens inside; a nice touch. Congee was okay, not spectacular but I didn't regret ordering it. Sticky rice was put into 3 tubes wrapped individually in paper rather than one big leaf. Har gow was ordinary. I also had a fried sweet potato and eggplant which I thought sucked. 5 of 6 were okay. The portions are big compared to a place like Lai Wah Heen so we were stuffed. One siu mai or har gow could be two there. Lots of service for tea (maybe because it was sparse). $41 + tip.