Tag Archives: Fusion

Pan on the Danforth

Posted on by

516 Danforth Ave.
Phone: (416) 466-8158

 

I’d always wanted to try Pan on the Danforth, and Winterlicious provided an excellent opportunity to check it out. This restaurant specializes in Greek & Mediterranean cuisine, which is reflected in the menu. The atmosphere is very nice, cozy & relaxed, I think this would be an excellent date spot, and judging by the crowd there that night, is also good for small gatherings (6-10 ppl). The look of the place is really inviting, the dining area is long and narrow, the back of it is raised a few steps, and there’s a fireplace at the end, there are candles everywhere, nice decorative accents, beaded chandelier type fixtures, real paintings and music that is at a very reasonable volume and I was sitting right under the speaker, so that’s saying something!

I went by myself for dinner – I really wanted to go & it was a last minute decision. My server checked in on me frequently, asked if I liked the table he chose for me, if I needed the music lowered, helped me choose my wine. I was very happy with the attention I received, which is something I think can get forgotten when a lone diner is out.

For my appetizer, I selected the Mezedakia, (mixed dip platter) which included hummus, taramosalata, (cod roe dip) and tirokafteri, (feta & spicy banana pepper dip) which also included a bit of cous cous in the middle. The dips were accompanied by 2 perfectly warmed pitas seasoned just right. These dips were all yummy, but my fave was the taramosalata. Yummy!

My main dish was the Kakavia – a traditional seafood dish of shrimp, mussels, seabass, calamari, scallops, salmon and onions, served in a homemade tomato white wine sauce. I can honestly say this was the best calamari I’ve ever eaten! It was fresh & meaty, cooked to perfection, not remotely rubbery or stringy. This was a divine dish. The sea bass was definitely up my alley. The portion was so generous as well, I struggled to finish, but I ate the bowl clean.

I asked my server about vegetarian options which were not evident on the menu, other than in the appetizers & salads, and he assured me that there are options like veggie moussaka, pasta dishes or they can customize a dish for you, so vegetarians are not to worry, you are welcome here. Now this is a nice place, so I would not categorize it in a cheap eats guide – entrees range from $14.95 – $24.95, but it was definitely well worth it.

I finished my meal with an extraordinary fig and port ice cream, caramelized in red wine and cinnamon reduction. YUUUUUUMMMMMM!!!!! Hats off to the chef, this was fantastic & homemade even!

Pan on the Danforth was truly a wonderful dining experience! The service was attentive, knowledgeable & friendly. The food will bring me back for many more visits as well – Pan is an awesome find!

Utopia

Posted on by

On a strip where overpriced and underwhelming is the norm, Utopia stands a cut above the rest. Serving up a wide variety of sandwiches including burgers and burritos for reasonable prices, Utopia’s small dining room is constantly packed with patrons. The quasi hippy mood mixed with the hustle and bustle service lends to a vibrant and trendy atmosphere perfect for a quick and delicious bite.

Since my roomate and his girlfriend were touting this restaurant for over a year before I even tried it, it has since become a staple of my local take out food. Burrito choices are varied including chicken, lamb, shrimp, steak and vegetarian mixed with cooked onions, lettuce and a choice of monterey jack, chedder, goat, and feta cheese. Sandwiches are served a la carte or with a side of rice and beans. Meal sizes are sufficient and I have always been left satisted.

Little Italy has its fair share of uninspired eateries but smack dab in the middle Utopia continues to serve up fine sandwiches.

Everybody Eats [dinner- closed June 2005]

Posted on by

557 Parliament
*closed June 2005*
416-923-0100

Aaron and I went to see a play last night at the Berkely Theatre so we needed to grab dinner in a closeby neighbourhood restaurant so we decided to go to Everybody Eats. Everybody Eats is a cosy café with a local neighbourhood feel. It is decorated in white exposed brick with abstract art on the walls. Divided into 2 dinings rooms and a back terrace, the front room is small and resembles a greasy spoon with its open concept kitchen while the back dining area resembles a chi chi poo poo bistro with linen clothed tables with a real fire place.

Their business card describes the place as ecclectic, innovative, and casual. The brunch menu on the weekend (10am-4pm) has typical brunch fare (eggs any style, toast, non-dairy vegan French toast , salad, baked beans, and burgers). There is also an eggless omelette (made with tofu) so this place is perfect for me.

The dinner menu is diverse, funky, and ecclectic. With each entree, the chef recommends a wine or beer (from their extensive list of wines and beers) that goes well with the dish. Talk about drinking advisory services! For our appetizer, Aaron and I shared the pan fried veggie dumplings (4 for $5.95) with spicy peanut sauce. Although greasy, the dumplings were really good and hit the spot. For my main entree, I was disappointed to only find two vegetarian items: the fusili pasta with vegetables and feta cheese and the pan fried tofu with watercress and some rice in a nice teriyaki sauce. I opted for the Pan Fried Tofu with sauteed watercress which came with white rice.

WOW, it was REALLY good, salty, greasy, but GOOD. The only thing was the portion size. It was a small square of tofu with watercress (think spinach!) with a small side or white rice in a teriyaki sauce. Aaron opted for the curried lamb-burger with roasted rosemary potatoes. His lamb-burger came with a yummy portobello mushroom. He thought his food was good but too greasy. Other items on the dinner menu include burgers (ground strip loin with garlic mayo or curried lamb with sweet apricot chutney on kaisers buns with roasted bell pepper, jalapeno and onion.) Other menu items include a risotto of toasted nutty barley with chopped asparagus. Some starters include artichoke caviar, a Mediterranean relish served with warm herbed pita, and sweet potato fritters with pineapple salsa and cumin-scented yogurt. Desserts include a variety of cakes and pies from Altitude Bakery on Queen East. The night we went, there were two desserts: chocolate banana cake and apple sour cream cake. Not many healthy desserts but oh well. They accept all cards. Licensed with an extensive list of wine, beer, etc. Closed Mondays. Open until 10pm Tues-Fri. Weekend brunch is served 10-4pm.

Swan [dinner]

Posted on by

892 Queen West
416-532-0452

 

With a small and vegetarian-free menu, I was still intrigued to go to Swan for dinner. With some friends we all opted for Swan because it was unique and unlike the typical Fresh by Juice for Life, (which I’ve been a million times) I did not want to torture my friends and force them to eat vegetarian. Having gone for brunch several months ago to Swan, I had enjoyed the qiet ambiance, the cool dim lighting, the minimalist decor, and the laid-back environment of this chi chi poo poo diner in the Queen West West neighbourhood.

We sat in the booth at the back of the restaurant, a familiar place where we sat for brunch months before in the winter. We sat down and got comfortable. For a starter most of them had House Wine and some kind of fancy-pants Beer. Aaron, Gavin, and Joey ordered appetizers of Oysters and Grilled Bread with diced tomatoes. They enjoyed both appetizers very much.

For our main meals, Daniel and Jonathan both ordered the beef short ribs. Daniel found his dish to be beefy and quite tender. He thought that the sauce offered a hearty balance of flavours with a judicious hint of sweetness that complimented the fine quality meat. He also enjoyed the pan- fried vegetables but they were unfortunately not well-seasoned, but, fortunately, not over-cooked.

Gavin had the Capon (rooster) which was coated in a delicious vanilla-oatmeal breading and pan-fried. The coating was great, but the actual meat was a bit tasteless. He found the buttermilk mashed potatoes to be exquisite, and he loved his roasted vegetables.

Aaron had the halibut on a bed of mashed yams, new potatos and cheese with some steamed veggies. He thinks his meal was covered in a pesto sauce but he could be wrong. Overall, it was quite tasty though he probably would have prefered some meat.

Joey had the vegetarian risotto with stewed tomatoes and other veggies cooked in a creamy vegetarian risotto broth.
I had the curried lentil soup, with pureed lentils, not too pungent in flavour, but with the right amount of zing. The puree made the soup taste creamy and hearty. Mark also had the spinach salad with toasted pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries in a light viniagrette.

The prices were pretty pricy. My soup was $5.00 and my salad was $7.00 and my salad portion was laughable. It was so small, I laughed while eating it and trying to enjoy every morsel. My soup was very hearty, healthy, and flavourful. I do think it was worth $5.00 even though $5.00 is slightly pricy for a soup. The bill came out to $186.00 for 6 people and most entrees were $15.00-$18.00 which, in my opinion is too pricy for me. Accepts all cards. Open late. Can be crowded most evenings and weekends. Reservations are recommended, especially for the popular weekend brunch. Service was OK but our waitress was cold and unfriendly to most of us. Maybe she had a bad day

350 Fahrenheit-closed Jan 2005

Posted on by

First off, though I liked the food I ordered, I completely disagree with the concept of this restaurant which caters and dare I say fosters eating disorders. Whatever happened to eating for pleasure? Food should be an enjoyable experience, not dictated by caloric and carb counts on every item. The diet focus really turned me off. Eat balanced & be happy & love what you eat is what I say.

So now I’ll get off my soapbox & review.

Mark & I walked into this place at about 9:45 pm. The employee wasn’t sure if we would be able to stay as it closed at 10:30 despite at least 5 tables being full of dining patrons. After consultation, they let us stay. The menu, despite the dieter’s commentary was relatively varied for a place that caters to the Atkins’s diet, Dr. Bernstein & the Canada Food Guide to name a few. The pricing was not cheap, but not expensive. Most main courses started at $11.95 & went up from there. Wine could only be ordered by the bottle, not by the glass. Every table was dressed with a bottle of water & a bottle of wine, but you’d pay quite a bit if you dared open them. They provided hummus & pita chipy things instead of the usual bread & butter. Of course.

We started each with a smoothie type drink a la Fresh/Juice for Life, which came in an extremely generous portion. I had the Triple A – Carrot, celery, apple, beets with greens, wheat grass & parsley at $4.95 If you care, there were 189 calories, 4 grams of protein, 41 grams of carbs, 1 gram of fat & 30 of fibre. I believe the fibre count, it was a rather pulpy drink, but tasty & pretty.

After consulting with our waitress over the portion sizes, (it appears many of the meals are small portions, which should have meant smaller prices, but alas I digress). I told her my concerns; I did not want to leave feeling ripped off, so after we vetoed my first meal choice, I decided on a fish dish instead.

I had Lime Grilled whitefish with spicy sweet potato & Kale. $15.95 If you care, Calories: 385 Protein: 29, Carbs: 38 Fat 13 Canada Food Guide:2 fruit & veg counts, 2 meat & alternatives, South Beach Diet, phase 2, Atkins Diet ok, Suzanne Somers diet ok, blood types B AB & O ok – BUT Atkins, Somers & blood type folk should eliminate the sweet potato.

I’m glad I don’t belong to those groups, because the sweet potato was great, very yummy with plump raisins macerated in spices scattered throughout! My fish was very tasty & I got a very nice sized piece. I guess the waitress warned them not to be stingy with me & so they weren’t. I liked the Kale & roasted peppers which were prepared straight up. My portion was so big I had to take a doggie bag back with me. Too bad Mark didn’t get more food.

The weird surprise came when the bill came & not all items matched what was listed in the menu, nor were we warned about the increase, so thankfully our waitress agreed with us that charging the unpublished price was unethical, so she lowered the bill. It pays to look it over… She then told us how the menu posted on the lcd that passers-by see is not current as the menu had recently changed, so some people order food that isn’t available. Poor way to begin customer relations in such a competitive field… If you are going to change your menu, then make sure the patrons are only presented with the accurate one. While you’re at it, run it through the spell checker.

So, for me, the concept is horrific, the service was ok, and the food I had was awesome. They spared no expense in the decor, it was really nice. They are a newer establishment, so they are probably working out the kinks – I hope.

 

Looking Glass, The [closed January 2005]

Posted on by

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

Joy Bistro

Posted on by

884 Queen E
(416) 465-8855

 

Walking into this little bistro right in the middle of South Riverdale at Queen East and Empire, we could not see inside since all of the windows were foggy. Upon entering, we noticed that it was small and the decor looked very much like a Pottery Barn furniture store. Very cosy and comfortable, we were seated in a small table right by the entrance. We noticed that tables were small and fairly close together.

The brunch menu is extensive but unfortunately does not have many vegetarian options except the famous Dutch blueberry pancake, which looked fabulous. I ordered an egg white omelete for $8.99 and it came with two free toppings, from a list of about twenty (I chose mushrooms and spinach) It came with toast and home fries and I replaced with salad in a yummy balsamic viniagrette “pudding-type” dressing

I am VERY happy to report that there was a bottle of ketchup on the table so there was no need to ask for tiny portions of ketchup. I was disappointed, though, as I expected it to be cool, unique, and hip, but instead it was very “cookie cutter”—looked like we stopped by Calvin Klein’s living room.

Staff are friendly staff, accomodating, no lineup. There is a separate dinner and brunch menu. There is an outdoor terrace (patio) that seats 32 in the summer. The place also serves affordable French-influenced continental cusine, cocktails, beer and wine, and gourmet coffee. The terrace overlooks the tennis courts at Jimmie Simpson Park. They accept VISA and Interac.

PearTree Restaurant

Posted on by

507 Parliament Street
(416) 962 8190

Located right in the heart of Cabbagetown, this place serve a traditional brunch as well as a first-rate Eggs Benedict, all priced under ten dollars. Although a small menu, they also serve a medley of items ranging from fish to stir fry’s to steak. They have a back terrace and next to the patio is a terrific little solarium, which gives a summertime feel 12 months of the year. If you arrive before 2:30pm, you can enjoy their complimentary blueberry coffee cake, which are made that day and are excellent. I ordered the vegetarian stir fry which had a lot of vegetables. The dish was $8.95 and came with cashews (hold the rice) and it was supposed to come with tofu but I could not find it. 😦

My dish was drowning in sweet Schezuan sauce which was kind of slimy and gross. I still loved my stir fry. Other than that, I could not find any other vegetarian dishes. My two friends had a “I want it all breakfast” with sausages, eggs, home fries, a small side order of fruit salad, peameal bacon, pancakes, and toast- all for $12.95. He said he loved it. My other friend had smaller version of this breakfast, called the TTC breakfast. It had much of the same things (eggs, side order of fruit salad, toast, sausage, home fries, peameal bacon) but without the pancakes. My friends claimed that both breakfasts were excellent and they loved the fluffy pancakes and non-greasy sausages.

Desserts are available and they appear lovely. About 15 cakes and pieces to choose from. According to another review of this place, rumour has it that these wonderful decadent desserts are purchased from an outside source.

Decor is cosy and simple with exposed brick on each side of the restaurant, two distinct dining areas, and big spacious tables. There is a lot of great artwork on the walls and the whole ambiance of the place is non-pretentious and prices are normal ($7.95-$9.95) for most dishes.

Kalendar

Posted on by

546 College Street West
(416) 923-4138

Located right in the heart of Little Italy, at College near Grace, this wonderful cafe and bistro can be described as very “Toulouse-Lautrec”. Kalendar resembles a scene from the movie Moulin Rouge or the setting of some of Annie Lennox music videos. When you enter this place, you go back in time to an old 1880’s cafe.

The place is gorgeous with lots of varnished mahogney or oak furniture, an old bar with a large assortment of wines, liquors, and mixed drinks. There are two disinct dining halls separated by this central bar, which acts as the hub of the restaurant. One dining hall is quite small. It contains about 7 tables and the bar resides on this side. The other dining hall looks like an old fashioned restaurant with many more tables. The kitchen is in the basement so you never see them cooking. The menu is very limited and I would describe the cuisine of funky Indian or Fusion or Italian. They mostly have Indian cuisine but they also serve some Italian dishes like pizza and pasta and Belgium fare like mussels.
On this two page menu, I ordered a scroll number two. This scroll was essentially a wrap made of Roti (like Chapati or Poori or Nan bread) with hummus, grilled peppers, grilled artichokes, grilled eggplant, and herbed mayonnaise (hold the Mayonnaise- yuck!)

My friend ordered Scroll one which was a chicken variety with some vegetables. Both our scrolls came in two sizes ($8.95 small and $12.95 large) and we ordered the larges sizes with a vegetable salad with a balsamic viniagrette.

I ordered a Diet Coke for a drink and he ordered some dark beer that looked like Coke. Tables are small and people are kind of squashed together in the smaller dining room. I did take a look at the large dining room and it was beautiful. With art on the walls, dim lighting, mahogney or cherry wood furniture and wood panelling, this place was definitely the place to be on a Saturday night.

The only problem was that the menu was so little. It seems that they only have trendy funky Indian cuisine with a couple of Italian dishes (well, this place is in Little Italy, right?)

7 West

Posted on by

7 Charles
416.928.9041

7 West is located on 7 Charles street, on three floors of an old converted Victorian home, with hardwood floors, exposed brick, and a fireplace. It’s just one block south of the Yonge/Bloor intersection. They serve many vegetarian meals and the prices are really affordable for what you get. The drinks are expensive, though. Never go on a Saturday night because this calm, cool, funky, hip cafe becomes a busy, crowded cheesy bar with macho guys with way too much cologne and women who look like whores socialize and drink and the whole ambiance becomes all loud and resembles a bar- YUCK!

Go during a weeknight or during the day on the weekend. I usually order the vegetarian chili or the grilled vegetable sandwich with a lot of chick pea green salad. It’s colourful, fresh, and portions are decent. 🙂 My veggie chili was a bit liquidy, but it’s quite tasty and not expensive.

They also serve excellent salads, and light meals, desserts, and full course dinners. You get good quality food and good service. Just avoid going Friday and Saturday night.

7-West also serves brunch on the weekend. There is small one-pager, in addition to the menu, with traditional brunch fare with affordable prices. Drinks are bit high (Diet Coke for $3.00) but I had the granola with fruit and yogourt for $6.00 and my brunch date had eggs, peameal bacon, with a chick pea green salad and service, presentation, and quality of food was good.