Category Archives: Uncategorized

Soda [Wendy]

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425 Danforth Avenue
ph: 416-466-5227

I cannot for the life of me figure out why this place isn’t crowded on a constant basis, like the other restaurants on the Danforth.

Perhaps it’s because it’s more of a medeterrainen fusion restaurant instead of straight Greek, but it’s still damn good!

Our service was friendly & attentive, my food was awesome – risotto with chicken, spinach, mushrooms, other veggies etc & heavy on the garlic. I thought it was fantastic, & there was enough to take home for a secomd meal even. Thankfully, the price was right as well, most of the entrees being within the $12-$20 range.

Now, I did go to Soda back in 2000 & had brunch there, & was not fond of the fruit selection that accompanied the crepes, & hadn’t returned since then, but now I’m wiser & see that it is another decent option for dinner on the Danforth.

Mong Kut Thai

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596 Danforth Ave,
416-463-2667

 

I finally made it to Mong Kut Thai last week. I used to frequent the previous restaurant that was in it’s space – The Daily Grind, which was awesome for good cheap brekkie, but I digress.

So I finally took the plunge & went in. The decor is nearly exactly the same, save for a few new pictures on the wall, but the set up is the same, so I guess they went with the notion of “if it ‘aint broke, don’t fix it”

So I ordered a soup to start, which was chicken & coconut (how very thai). It was really tasty, but the portion was far too small for what they charged.

The main course was altogether a different story. I went for the asparagus & mushrooms in a garlic sauce & rice & the portion was so big I had to get my dining companion [Mark] to help out. It was really tasty though, and fresh too, which is always a good sign.

I have heard that the back patio is something awesome, so I’ll definetely go back & try it. It was a pleasant dining experience. Not especially remarkable, but decent all around (except for the bathrooms – those should have been renovated ages ago!

Vegetarian Haven (formerly Health Haven)

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17 Baldwin St
416.621.3636

I heard about this place at last summer’s Vegetarian Food Festival at the Harbourfront centre last August 2003. Formerly known as Health Haven in Etobicoke, this place opened in Baldwin Village in the fall of 2003. I was excited to try it out, but never made it out to this small little enclave, almost hidden from the fast pace of downtown Toronto.

Vegetarian Haven is a vegan restaurant with flare. The interior is dark and resembles a bistro, or some romantic jazz place. Interiors are very nice inside, almost fancy. Menu is extensive and large, almost intimidating. It is divided into appetizers, salads, tofu main dishes, seitian main dishes, tempeh main dishes, vegetable stir frys, noodle dishes, powershakes, and desserts.

Prices are very affordable and I was surprised since the restaurant looked so “high end.” When I went for dinner last night with two Librarian friends (Helen and Melanie), we sat on the front patio, slightly elevated from street level. The front patio was very comfortable as seating is not that congested. Patio sits about 7-10 tables. The restaurant seems to sit about 15-20 tables inside.

There is a daily lunch special ($7.99), daily dinner special ($9.99), a set lunch meal ($12.99), and a set dinner meal ($14.99). Sound confusing? It’s not really. The lunch and dinner specials are just entrees of the day. The set lunch and dinner specials consists of the entree, the soup of the day, and a choice of different desserts (tofu ice cream or toffutti, or vegan chocolate cake).

I ordered the sweet and sour tempeh dish ($9.99) and a hot and sour soup ($4.29). The hot and sour soup was a thick red, highly spicy, with a lot of vegetables, including textured vegetable protein the form of shrimp. Soup portion was not that big but not small either. The sweet and sour tempeh was amazing. The tempeh steaks were chewy, nutty in texture and flavour, and were very fresh. The sweet and sour sauce was tangy and came with chunks of hot pineapple. The dish came full of vegetables (bok choy, broccoli, peppers, mushrooms, and onions) and I was very impressed with its presentation.

Helen ordered the Organic Tofu & Vegetables with Purple Rice in Clay Pot ($8.99). Melanie ordered the curried pad thai (tofu, crushed peanuts, curried noodles, and a plentiful servind of vegetables for $7.99). The friendly waiter refreshed our water constantly. Service was excellent and waiter was knowledgable and flexible.

Below are a selection of some dishes I found very interesting. Soups include the daily special ($3.50), Won Ton Soup ($3.99), Hot and Sour Soup (wheat free)($4.29). Tofu, Mushroom, Sweetcorn Soup wheat free ($3.50), and the Miso Seaweed Nappa Tofu Soup wheat free ($3.99). Some appetizers include the Baked (not fried) Spring Rolls ($3.50), Baked (not fried) Vegetable Rolls ($3.99), Baked (not fried) Fruit Rolls ($4.99), Fresh Thai Garden Rolls ($3.99), Pot Sticker Vegetable Dumplings ($4.99), Crispy Won Ton ($3.99), Californian Temaki – 2 nori seaweed wraps filled with avocado, marinated tofu, veg. ham, marinated oyster mushroom, cucumber, and daikon radish ($5.99), Tofu Drumsticks – 2 fried drumsticks made with soya, and skewered ($4.99), Samosas($3.49), Pan Fried Stuffed Tofu Skin Rolls ($5.99), grilled BBQ Soya Kebabs- ($5.99)
Fried Crispy Tofu – ($2.99), Fried “King Prawn” ($5.99), and Crispy Oyster Mushroom ($4.99). Menu items with “w/f” are wheat free.

My favourite are the tofu drumsticks. They taste really meaty and the “drumstick” is actually sugar cane. I’d recommend this appetizer for sure! Salads include
Mix Garden Salad with your choice of dressing ($6.99), Cleopatra Salad (Lettuce, orange, sunflower seed, almond, crouton, shredded carrot and sweet corn in nayonnaise, dijon mustard, lemon juice, olive oil & relish for $7.99), Cucumber, chick pea, and mixed bean salad
($7.99), Bowtie Kombu Seaweed Salad ($8.99), “King Prawn” Fruit Salad with
Konnyaku “king prawn” and fruit cocktail in a dairy free creamy sauce ($9.99), and a side order of mix garden salad ( $3.99). Dressings include creamy tahini, wasabi, ginger sesame vinaigrette, cucumber and dill, honey mustard, and olive oil and vinegar.

Side dishes include a variety of tofu products (pastrami, ham, seafood, grilled tofu, marinated tofu) as well as “King Prawn” , pan fried tempeh, sautéed mushrooms,
steamed veggies, and avocado slices. “Souper bowls” are dinner sized soup bowls with vegetables, noodles, and tofu and/or TVP. They are complete meals on their own. The person beside our table ordered one and he could only finish half. “Souper bowls” include
Dumpling Souper Bowl ($7.99), “Pastrami” Souper Bowl ($8.99), “King Prawn” Souper Bowl ($8.99), “Seafood” Souper Bowl ($10.99), Across the Bridge Souper Bowl ($7.99), and the Won Ton Souper Bowl ($8.99).

Noodle dishes include the Canton Chow Mein ($7.99), Shanghai Chow Mein ($7.99), Curry Pad Thai Noodle ($7.99), “King Prawn” Chow Mein ($8.99), the Seafood Shanghai Chow Mein ($10.99), “Pastrami” Curry Pad Thai Noodle ($8.99), the Spicy Singapore Pasta ($8.99), the Chili with Pasta ($8.99), Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce ($8.99), Spaghetti with “Wheat Balls” in Tomato Sauce ($9.99), Spaghetti with Zesty Seitan Cutlet ($9.99), Spaghetti with Black Pepper Steakette ($9.99), and the Spicy Moroccan Chick Pea Spaghetti ($9.99)

Rice dishes are unique here because the rice served here is a 7 grain blend and it actually looks purple. “Purple Rice” is blend of white, red, brown, wild, and black rice cooked with a sprinkle of herbs. Some rice dishes include Organic Tofu & Vegetables with Purple Rice in Clay Pot ($8.99), Grilled Vegetables and Tofu with Purple Rice in Clay Pot ($9.99), “Seafood” with Purple Rice in Clay Pot ($10.99), Curry Fried Rice ($8.99), Hawaiian Fried Rice ($8.99), Garden Fried Rice ($7.99), Mushroom Delight Fried Rice ($8.99), and “Seafood” Fried Rice ($8.99)

The Vegetarian Haven also serves a variety of vegetarian hamburgers. Burgers come with a lot of vegetables (sometimes grilled) and blue corn chips and salsa dip. Some burgers include grilled seitan burger ($8.99), The grilled marinated organic tofu burger ($8.99), and the grilled Tofu “Salmon” Steak Burger ($9.99)

As with most vegetarian restaurants, there always has to be smoothies and wraps, a light alternative to the heavy noodle and rice dishes. Wraps are served with mixed green salad. Wraps include the classic, “almost cliche” grilled vegetable and tofu wrap ($8.99),
the chili wrap ($8.99), the avocado supreme wrap ($8.99), spicy moroccan chick pea wrap ($8.99), and the seafood wrap ($9.99)

Main dishes come with purple rice and vegetables. Seitan is “wheat gluten”- the protein part of wheat. Some seitan dishes include Singapore Seitan with peanut sauce ($9.99), Spicy Szechuan Seitan Nuggets ($9.99), Steakettes in Black Pepper Sauce ($9.99), Zesty Cutlets
($9.99), Buddha’s Delight ($10.99), and Curried Seitan ($9.99)

Tofu is coagulated ground soy bean puree. Some tofu dishes include the steamed silken tofu ($7.99), marinated organic ginger tofu ($8.99), braised tofu ($.99), Hawaiian Tofu ($9.99), Black Bean Tofu ($9.99), Tofu Turkey ($11.99), Tofu Seaweed Roulade ($11.99), Organic Tofu in Cream of Corn ($8.99), Grilled Organic Tofu and Vegetables ($8.99), Spicy Eggplant Tofu ($8.99), Golden Tofu ($9.99), Bird’s Nest ($10.99), and the Western Tofu Omelet ($10.99)

TVP (textured vegetable protein) dishes include Zacha Textured Tofu ($8.99), Black Bean Textured Tofu ($8.99), Spicy Mapau Tofu ($8.99), Tim Curry ($8.99), Grilled BBQ Kebab ($9.99)

Tempeh dishes are wonderful. Tempeh is fermented soy. It’s nutty, chewy, and filling. Some tempeh dishes include the sweet and sour tempeh ($9.99), spicy cayenne tempeh ($9.99),
Panfried tempeh in a spicy cayenne pepper sauce wf /s $9.99

Vegetable stir fry’s include the Mushroom Delight ($9.99), the Garden Delight ($8.99), the Steamed Seasonal Vegetables ($8.99), the Grilled Seasonal Vegetables ($9.99), and baked stuffed seasonal vegetables ($9.99)

Desserts include a variety of all vegan cakes, ice creams, pastries, and pies. Some include the Fruit Cup ($2.99), Tofu Ice Cream (aka Tofutti) ($3.49), Fried Banana with Coconut Milk and Crushed Peanuts ($5.99), Fried Apple Fritters with Maple Syrup ($5.99) , and the Pan Fried Red Bean Cake ($2.49)

Beverages include a variety of organic juices, sodas, power shakes (a variety of exotic fruit with organic soy milk – $4.49 for most). Some popular powershakes include the mango, pina colada, papaya, and the canteloupe. Sodas are $1.50 which is not bad. They also serve specialty sodas ($2.49/$4.99), a variety of teas ($1.25-$1.50) coffee ($1.99), coffee substitute ($2.50), and flavoured coffee ($2.50)

They accept every card under the sun.

Sidhartha,The

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1450 Gerrard Street East,
Phone 416 – 406 – 2538

When I introduced my parents to Indian food in the mid 1990’s I took them to Buffet Maharaja in Montreal and they were mortified. The food was oily, clammy, cold, and flavourless. I should have known better to take my parents to an “non-buffet” restaurant for their first exposure to Indian food. I have visited many Indian restaurants in Toronto and I must say Indian rice factory and Sher-E-Pun-Jab are by far my favourite so far. I still hope that there is an Indian restaurant in Little India that would win me over Indian Rice Factory and Sher-E-Pun-Jab.

Last week I went for takeout with Paulo and we roamed through Little India and we found Sidhartha, a north Indian restaurant, right at the corner of Craven and Gerrard. We peaked inside and it actually had ambiance (unlike Udupi Palace which has excellent food but looks like a hospital waiting room)

When we entered the restaurant, we immediately saw that this place is different. It’s clean, tasteful, with a kitsch-free, classy ambiance. It’s small and cosy , with colourful fabric ribbons, canapes with tables underneath, dim lighting, with a lot of deep reds and other rich colours on the walls.

The lunch and dinner buffets are $7.99 and $9.95 respectively and they offer many vegetarian items (aloo gobi, channa, bhartha, saag paneer) as well as non vegetarian dishes like tandoori chicken, butter chicken, and other traditional curries. Buffet desserts include barfi, deep fried honey cheese balls, and ice cream (mango + vanilla)

There is also an à la carte menu with a large variety of dishes. It seems I have finally found a nice, affordable, non-trendy, Indian restaurant to take my parents to the next time they visit me in Toronto. I am confident that they will enjoy themselves. The decor and ambiance is romantic, cosy (15-20 tables in one dining room), laid back, non pretentious, and comforting. They accept all cards.

Looking Glass, The [closed January 2005]

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582 Church Street
416-929-4779

Located right on Church right near Wellesley, this gorgeous Victorian home, once owned by the famous Simpson family, is now home to one of the nicest bars/pubs/ in the city. This place has definitely won me over for being one of the best lounges/bars to hang out on a Saturday night in the summer.

With its elegant ambiance , gorgeous Victorian interiors, and its romantic back patio, I did not want to leave.

The Looking Glass, as the name suggests has the theme of Alice in Wonderland with many of their menu items having names like the Mad Hatter Burger, or the White Rabbit breakfast. It is now owned by partners Heather Mackenzie and Debra Hyslop.

Inside the three storey restaurant, it is divided like a house with many little dining areas or lounges. Everything is restored so it’s like stepping into an authentic Victorian home

With antique furniture, old Victorian couches, beautiful, authentic wood moldings, and a working fireplace, it is a great place to bring a date. This place serves high end pub food, or as Daniel puts it “nouveau pub food” or “International cuisine

The large outdoor front patio is nice. It sits about 10-15 tables. The entire restaurants sits about 386 people in total. The back terrace is spectacular (like Allen’s on the Danforth). It is definitely one of the most romantic and best patios in Toronto, beautifully heated with a bonfire, mature trees, and sits about 50-60 people

I ordered the organic greens salad for $5.95. large and tasty with olive oil dressing.
Other people ordered a huge plate of nachos with salsa, sour cream, and guamole. It came fresh, piping hot, and was very large. Daniel ordered the chicken quesadilas and it came with salsa and sour cream. He said they were good

The menu consists of some vegetarian selections (vegetarian stir fry for $11.95, some salads, bruschetta, garlic bread with mozzarella). Staff are flexible so any item prepared can be made vegetarian since everything is “made to order”. Some salads include mixed greens, spinach, caesar, and mediterranean,

Appetizers include the French onion soup, the daily soup, crab cakes, smoked salmon, calamari, mussels, spicy cajun shrimp, bruschetta, garlic bread with mozzarella, chicken satays, and deep fried vegetarian “deep fried” spring rolls in a honey soya sauce, (GROSS)

Light entrees include burgers, nachos, spicy chicken quesadilas with roasted red peppers, cheese, three cheese with salsa and sour cream, and chicken wings

Desserts include the white chocolate cheesecake, creme brulle, cassis poached pear, and a trio of all natural fruit ices

In addition to food, they also serve a large variety of wines, beer, and a large assortment of juices.

Main entrees include the smoked salmon fettucini, capellini bolognese (meat or veggie option), pad thai (meat or veggie option), west indian chicken curry, vegetarian stir fry, osso buco, 10 oz. black angus strip sirloin, grilled chicken with wild mushroom cream sauce, grilled porkchops with sundried cranberry and apple compote, cajun fried catfish with jalpeno tartar sauce, blackened atlantic salmon, and teriyaki marinated seabass

Lastly, they also have weekend brunch. Some items on the brunch menu include the “glass breakfast” (two eggs any style with home fries, toast, bacon or peameal bacon, or sausage , different types of quiche, white rabbits breaklfast (three eggs any style with brie or carmelized onions, or smoked chicken, spinach and swiss cheese, with homefries and greens, french toast, poached eggs, tomato boccocini sandwich, mad hatter burger, the toasted western sandwich, various pastas and soups

Hours of operation are Mon&Tue 5pm -1am; Wed,Thu&Fri 5pm-2am; Sat&Sun 11am-2am . The Looking Glass has live entertainment (live jazz, shows, themed nights with entertainment) and every couple of days there are dinner and drink specials (cheap chow with really cheap drinks and food, $4.99 mussels, ). Check their web site at http://www.thelookingglass.ca for details.

The top level of this three storey Victorian house is their banquet hall. The Looking Glass holds wedding receptions, parties, and other social functions. Their bottom level lounge, known as “The Glass” is one of the only places in the village where you can listen to great music in a relaxed atmosphere. There are couches, working fireplaces, and a laid back, relaxing ambiance.

The Looking Glass also does extensive catering for parties, wedding receptions, and other important events. They offer a variety of “a la carte” items and platters to choose from.
They accept every card under the sun

Sneaky Dees

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When I first received an email suggesting going to Sneaky Dees for half priced fajita night, my initial reaction was? that shithole?!?!? My only previous experiences at this bar cum music venue cum restaurant were relegated to very distantly separate but excellent concerts and some sporadic binge drinking nights. With the dark atmosphere and graffiti covering everything from the walls to the tables, this place defines the term ?watering hole?. I had heard that the brunch was decent here but it never occurred to me that any other meal would be near palatable. However, after conferring with a few Sneaky Dee fanatics I realized I had potentially been missing out on a rarely publicized Toronto tradition.

Tex Mex cuisine is constantly looked down in haute cuisine circles and can regularly end up the butt of many a Hooters reference. The fajitas at Sneaky Dees however are no joke. As servers rush out of the kitchen holding a plate of steaming food the restaurant packed with a downtown crowd who have obviously taken part in this ritual before heaves in anticipation. The decibel level is certainly high causing one to strain to carry on a conversation. When the food arrives all attention is diverted to eating. Choices of chicken, steak, shrimp, vegetable or any combination thereof are available for consumption. The steaming hot plate comes complete with refried beans, a variety of vegetables, fried rice, and topped with the main meat or veggie filling. Bowls of salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and tomatoes are available for toppings to add to the white flour wraps which come in a heat encompassing container. The only regular fajita topping that appears to be missing is the cheese. Is Sneaky Dees subject to the same bylaw not allowing Toronto hot dog vendors to serve cheese in their somewhat crusty environment? Disregarding this minor aberration, the chicken and steak fajita is fantastic and a large order satiates my party of three. At $14.95 on the Tuesday half price night, I come away with a deliciously refreshed perspective on an old establishment and a newly ordained ritual to further integrate myself into the downtown west culture.

Musa

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Until recently, the Dundas West strip between Bathurst and Dufferin has desperately clung to its traditional past. This area known affectionately as “Little Portugal” between Bathurst and Ossington and further east by the more hardcore “Rua Acoras” has been under going a transformation of late. Over the past year, new trendy establishments such as the Chelsea Room, Cocktail Molotov and Eat Cafï have sprung up amidst the old school hair salons, hardware stores, and pharmacies. Heck, even Cafï Brasiliano, known as much for its great coffee as its anti trendy ways has taken on new digs; albeit still maintaining much of its original modest charm. An original in this respect is the oft overlooked Dundas West fixture that is Musa.

Musa embodies both aspects of the Dundas West charm with a mixture of traditional Mediterranean cuisine and decor with a smattering of nouveau martinis and up to date musical selections. The menu contains much of the regular Mediterranean fare one would expect to find. We are pleasantly surprised to receive a basket full of fresh bread and hummus before we place our order. Our waitress is jovial and patient with my carnivorously challenged companion while ringing off the day’s specials. I opt for the grilled swordfish special served in a tomato sauce with stewed vegetables and a fresh side salad. The swordfish is tender and succulent while the vegetables are stewed correctly without being overly mushy. My decision, seconded by the waitress to avoid an appetizer is wise as I end up barely being able to finish the fully loaded plate. Although Mark finds the prices �retarded�, the portion size and taste more than makes up the $18.95 tag line to my meal.

As the burgeoning Dundas West strip becomes more gentrified it is nice to know that Musa will continue to dole out good traditional food while still keeping up with the evolving neighbourhood.

Sorento Café and Bakery

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900 Don Mills Rd.
416-447-3590

 

You can really determine your worth to a company depending on where they take you for lunch. Friends of mine regale me with stories of being taken to Jump and drinking all afternoon with management while others are lucky if their boss buys them a coffee once in blue moon. After eating at Sorento, I now know where I stand on the corporate ladder. And it’s not that high up.
Of course, I am somewhat kidding about this as location plays a certain factor in this decision. At Don Mills and Eglinton, the breadth of choice is rather limited so I won’t complain too loudly. Especially if said management stumbles upon this review!

Sorento sounds like an Italian restaurant but actually covers the entire Mediterranean coast with a focus on the Italian side. The décor matches this concept with chiseled stone walls adorned with paintings of various Doric, ionic, and Corinthian columns leading to majestic gardens and palatial establishments. The food is typical, serving a variety of pizzas and pastas and a “Light Lunch” menu that includes dishes of Greek salad, kebabs, chicken parmesan, and I even saw a curried chicken dish.

My choice was one of the pizzas that came topped with grilled eggplant, feta, and artichoke hearts. I don’t know why I chose this since I am not a huge artichoke fan and I ended up taking most of them off. Regardless, I was unfulfilled by the slight size of the meal and from what I saw on other dishes, the toppings did not seem to be appropriately cooked in with the pizza. Prices are reasonable at $8.95 for my small pizza.

It’s nice to be treated to a meal by your company once in awhile but I miss the variety of the downtown lunch circuit.

Musa

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847 Dundas St. W.
416-368-8484

This funky place with Mediterranean-style exterior walls has always caught my eye so I decided to stop by for dinner one night while at Aaron’s place in Little Portugal.
Inside, it feels that you have stepped into an authentic Greek tavern or pub. The decor is very Mediterranean, with earth-toned plaster walls of of ocean blue, browns, beiges, earthy greens. The place is also cool with its mismatched chairs, wood tables, in a relaxed ambiance.

The actual restaurant is quite small and cosy, consisting of three mini dining areas, maybe comprising 20 tables in total. There is a bar right upon entering and it’s quite nice in terms of display. The kitchen is hidden right at the back and diners cannot see the cooks at work but people walking by on Dundas can get a glimpse of the exposed kitchen windows.

The art on walls (mostly photos) put a great touch to the earthy plaster walls. After browsing the menu, I did not know how to catergorize this place. It was quite ambiguous since they have a mix of everything. The menu includes steak, fish, chicken, pastas, salmon, seafood, and mussels. After we sat down, we were served fresh bread with a spicy hummus. [YUM]. Our server was very informative, friendly, very attentive, and helpful with her knowledge of the portions, food, and vegetarian selections. She was honest and made recommendations for us and I appreciated that.

Aaron ordered the swordfish, which was one of the daily entrees, for $18.95. It looked like a thick piece of eggplant, with stewed vegetables and a nice salad. I ordered the grilled vegetable sandwich (go figure), composed of grilled eggplant, zucchini, goat cheese (yuck), grilled red and green peppers, came with side green salad with yummy viniagrette for $7.95. I ordered a MASSIVE Diet Coke for only $1.76.

I loved the food, as it was fresh, healthy, and presentation is beautiful and artistic. My only comment would be that there were not enough vegetarian selections. Some entrees that interested me were the weed and green salad with beans and vegetables. It sounded interesting but the server told us the portion was small and it was not filling. Some more items to mention are the sauteed dandelions, weed and green salad, grilled vegetable sandwich in a flaxseed spelt toasted pita with grilled eggplant, zucchini, grilled peppers, and goat cheese ($7.95), mussels ($6.95) in a lemon and coriander sauce, many salads including a chicken salad ($8.95) with honey-ginger sautéed vegetables in a creamy garlic dressing, and a traditional moussaka with grilled eggplant, clove-infused beef, and scalloped potatoes, topped with bechamel sauce ($12.95)

There were several pasta options ($9.95–$14.95) and this definitely counts as a vegetarian option, but who wants to go out for dinner just to eat pasta when you can cook it for less than $1.00 at home.

Furthermore, most pasta are made with white flour (which is gross). I would recommend buying whole wheat pasta at your local IGA and choosing more sophisticated dishes.

Daily special prices are on the retarded scale of $14.95-$18.95 but portions are big, quality is high, and taste is exceptional, (according to Aaron, who polished his entire plate). Desserts are $3.95–$6.95. They accept everything except American express.

Il Gatto Nero

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656 College St
Phone: 416-536-3132

 

On my quest to find vegetarian, low carb, low fat, low sugar, and high fibre food, I must admit that it was a difficult task when my friend Daniel and I set out to eat dinner in Little Italy last Friday night. I could only think of two dishes we would encounter : pasta or pizza. I was hoping that there would be some nice place that would serve something different. We started at College and Palmerston and browsed the menus outside of each and every restaurant along the Little Italy stretch (I am referring to the Little Italy along College Street between Bathurst and Ossington, not the Little Italy along St. Clair west.

When we approached Crawford, we gave up (we were hungry and desperate) and walked into Il Gatto Nero, a cool, funky cafe/bar/bistro with an awesome 20 table outdoor patio. Inside the decor was gorgeous, cathedral ceilings, deep burgendy walls with hints of beige and nice art on the walls. It looked like a modern Italian bistro or Trattoria as Daniel said, very chiche, cool, and funky. The decor looked like an old style Italian bistro with prints you only see in Bistros.

Dimly lit, the atmosphere was really nice. Some people were very dressy, while others dressed down. Althought it felt trendy, it did not feel pretentious

Laid in hardwood floors, wood tables and chairs, a spectacular, large bar with a beautiful array of beers, wines, and liquors can be seen from the entrance. The place was crowded with hoards of people at the bar, almost resembling a casino. The only cheesy thing were the two big television screens and one large movie screen at the middle of the restaurant adjacent to the bar.

Mostly comprising wooden tables, Il Gatto Nero also had some extra high tables with bar stools. The ambiance was not calm and relaxing, but loud and chaotic, with a small non-smoking section (it was a bar afterall)

We quickly ordered our meals. The menu did not give me many vegetarian options. I saw one pasta dish and one spinelli (will explain later) and one pizza dish. I decided to order the vegetariano spinelli, a thin wrap filled with yucky goat cheese, grilled zucchini, tomatoes, organic greens, and grilled peppers ($9). Daniel ordered a sausage spinelli with an assortment of roasted vegetables($12). I have to admit that I was disappointed with the menu. There were not
enough vegetarian selections (only 1 of 2 pasta dishes and 1 pizza and 1 spinelli) but staff claim that any item on the menu can be made vegetarian

Staff were extra friendly, patient, and attentive. It is always good news to hear that they accept Interac, and VISA