Tag Archives: Italian

Late night Pizza

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Late Night Pizza

 

One of my favourite pastimes is to disregard all of the self-imposed dietary restrictions I place on myself during the day, and indulge in a late night pizza snack following a debaucherous night of drinking. My favourite city to do this in is Montreal , as that city boasts a plethora of extremely cheap ($1 or less!) pizza joints that satisfy those late night desires. My favourite jaunt was definitely 1+1 (or what I referred to as Une plus Une) on St. Laurent just south of Avenue des Pins which served up a tasty slice for $1 plus tax.

Toronto has it’s own calibre of late night pizza joints that offer a far greater variety than their Montreal counterparts if not nearly as reasonably priced. Let me say upfront ,so you understand my tastes, that for these late night ventures my ultimate slice of pizza consists simply of pepperoni and cheese with my own generous additional sprinkling of hot red pepper flakes:

Amato’s

For a little while I was on a big Amato’s kick. With several locations around the city (St. Clair West, Yonge just south of College, Queen West and College West) Amato’s really caters to the downtown crowd. With a huge variety of slices Amatos definitely covers the gambit as far as tastes are concerned. And the pizza is pretty tasty too. However at $3+ a slice this “snack” turns more into the second dinner I shouldn’t be eating at 2 a.m. just before bed.

Cora

Located at Harbord and Spadina, Cora Pizza was one of the first “underground” restaurants I was exposed to as a teenager. University of Toronto students would boast about being the only ones in the city to know about this fabulous spot. That feeling holds as you enter and notice the display of photos of seemingly regular customers adorning the wall. The pizza itself is ok but too doughy for my liking. Haven’t been here much lately as it is too far north for my post-drinking downtown crawls.

Pizza Pizza

Isn’t this the McDonald’s of pizza? Why even review this generic, ghastly decorated joint? Well, I admit it. Pizza Pizza is one of my guilty pleasures of an already guilty pleasure! Like I said, my favourite slice is the simple pepperoni with tons of hot pepper flakes and in-store Pizza Pizza is still one of the best for it. Though I enjoy the slice, the garlic dipping sauce is one of the most nauseating things I have ever smelled or eaten.

John’s Classic

Located at the corner of College and Clinton, John’s is the closest to what I’ve been looking for since returning from University in Montreal. It also helps that it is a 3 minute walk from my apartment (much like 1+1 was in Montreal). With a limited variety of slices, John’s serves up a nice thin crusted pizza with all the right trimmings. I have twice been here where I was offered a second slice absolutely free. The pizza itself is quite tasty and is the perfect size to fill your aching belly before drifting off into sweet, sweet, drunken sleep.

Reviewed by Aaron

Sierra Grill

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 2901 Bayview Ave (Bayview Village)
416-224-1700

Food is a big part of my (Jewish) identity. This place has food and I mean large portions. Located at Bayview and Sheppard, in the parking lot of Bayview Village, a posh mall with designer names and posh labels, Sierra Grill, formally known as Sunshines is a Jewish paradise of food, flavour, and fun. The food is not “Jewish” per se, but most of the clientele is Jewish and the preparation and style of the food is “Jewish style”, schtuppy, rich, large portions, and filling. The menu had Jewish jargon, so that was comfortable. Known as the best and largest salad bar in Toronto, I opted for the salad bar as a meal and my partner opted for a large Seafood medley with unlimited salad, potatoes, all for $16.95. Entrees are between $12.95 and $18.95 and the salad bar as a meal is only $12.95. I was stuffed as I gorged on sauteed vegetables, like eggplant, zucchini, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, and green peppers. I also took advantage of the many other salads like chick pea salad, cous cous salad with vegetables, and many stir fried vegetable dishes. In addition to the salad are a variety of fruits, fruit salads, breads, desserts, soups, marinated and sauteed vegetable dishes. I was so stuffed, I felt full for the next two days. The ambiance is loud, like a mall. The tables are far apart- enough for intimate conversation, but be prepared to speak loudly. There were no lineups and reservations are not required. The restaurant is very large and sits over two hundred people. The salad bar consists of five areas, and the food is fresh, colourful, not greasy, and very flavourful. It is not super spicy but not bland either. The prices are a bit high but the portions are large and be prepared to be stuffed. Drinks are expensive but large quantities. Overall, it was too loud and had that “food court” ambiance. The decor is pleasant, very “dining room” type of theme- woody, bright lights, and people everywhere.

Beacher Cafe, The

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2162 Queen E
(416) 699-3874

A major disappointment! From what we thought it would be, we thought it was some deep jazz cafe with lots of cool, diverse dishes, with some funkiness. When we got inside we found spacious tables, a beautiful outdoor terrace, all resting on top of a hill in the eastern tip of the Beaches. The artwork is stunning and it resembles a gallery where customers can purchase the art if they so desire. The food is BLAH! Really nothing special, and there is nothing vegetarian at all. I had a pathetic vegetable and rice stiry fry that lacked flavour. The plates were nice but that’s it. The staff are friendly but nothing spectacular. The ambiance is nice, it had me wanting to come back. My food was warm and the stir fry sauce was plain soy sauce, how boring. I was hungry after that meal, so I was very disappointed. I really had high expectations for this place. It is a great neighbourhood place and they have lovely art on the walls (for sale too) but the food is BLAH.

Nevada [Sept 2002]

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1963 Queen E
(416) 691-8462

 

A brunch delight, a large and beautiful terrace and a large menu with some vegetarian options. (mostly pasta dishes and very few brunch items). Located right in the heart of the Beaches on Queen Street east, this two floor large restaurant has a large variety of food for everyone. I went with about five friends and my friend’s dog and we were all very happy with the price and the portions. Brunch is about $7.95-$10.95 and there is a variety of vegetarian dishes. I enjoyed an egg white omelete with a variety of garden vegetables. Other friends had large portions of eggs with bacon sausage and toast (typical brunch fare) and were quite satisfied.

Portions are large, the food is flavourful, colourful, and the presentation is nice. The plates are extra large, decorative, and artsy, and the service was slow and disorganized but it did not bother us on that nice fall day in September 2002. Tables are close together on the terrace so there was a lot of squeezing into small places. For some heavy set people, this could present some problems. The place is funky and cool, a mixture of a pub type ambiance, a large Bistro, and a family restaurant, all wrapped into one. Decor and ambiance is better than mediocre food. Nothing to cry home about. I may go back once per year but will not be main hangout. Would only recommend on first date where mood and setting is more important than food.
Nevada accepts all cards, open late, perfect for summer and early fall dining. Offers weekend brunch.

Brownstone Bistro

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603 Yonge
(416) 920-6288

How can I sum up this restaurant? Great food, trendy decor, friendly staff, but very slow service, but when I went last summer 2002 to Brownstone, the waiter failed to mention that all of the food we ordered was not available so they got creative and made up their own dishes. To our surprise, the food we ordered contained nothing that we expected. The food itself was fresh, tasty, and flavourful. The prices are high and the head waiter had major attitude. He argued with us that he ran out of the food we had ordered so he had his team of chefs make something completely different. He never notified us that the meals we ordered were not the meals we received. The service was very slow and the head waiter was very rude to us.

In sum, I would never go back to Brownstone ever again because they are disorganized and they do not listen to their customers. The head waiter kept on telling us how we did not understand that he ran out of the food needed to prepare our dishes so he made us alternate dishes. The problem was that none of the waiting staff informed us. Too stressful, too pricy, too long a wait, this place was a great disappointment.

Future Bakery

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483 Bloor W
(416) 922-5875

Located right in the heart of the Annex at Brunswick and Bloor, this cafeteria style cafe is funky, urban, trendy, and has a beautiful summer patio (terrace) where people can chill and gather with friends for light food and good coffee. Similarly designed like Marche Movenpick, this place has kiosks that serve coffee, cake, pastries, grilled items, all divided into three main areas.

The vegetarian chili is a bit watery but excellent nonetheless. There are no waitresses (unless you request table service by the patio). For the most part, Future Bakery resembles a mini “Marche Movenpick” where people order and wait for food.  Dishes are served quickly and efficiently. Salad selections are plentiful and affordable. Many dessert selections (huge pieces of cake, pie, and squares) are offered ($4-$7 per slice). Future Bakery does not make their own desserts. 

Open very very late and often times very crowded. Mostly caters to the University of Toronto scene.  A great place to hang out and people watch. Offers both table service (outdoor patio) or takeout.

Serra

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378 Bloor W
(416) 944-9211

You want a trendy place with tiny portions, oversize plates, with a pretentious atmosphere, then try Serra in the Annex. With small glass tables, close together, the place serves Italian meals, very elegant and high-end cuisine at expensive prices. I had a pasta dish with tampanade and sauteed vegetables. Since I am on a low carboyhydrate diet, there was no problem since the portions were tiny. The bread was exquisite with different dips ranging from a spicy humus in a tiny little dipping bowl to a funky tapanade. The plates are oversize, the prices are ridiculous and the food is very very good. The pasta dish was fabulous, exploding with the aroma and flavour of olive oil, delicate herbs and spices, chunks of olives, garlic, tomatoes, artichokes, and grilled eggplant.

Marche Movenpick (now Richtree markets)

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For a list of Marche Movenpick locations, please visit this web site
http://www.richtree.ca/richtree-locations.htm

A paradise of food, a marketplace of wonderful dishes, pasta, soups, stir fries, grilled vegetables, wine and beer, farm fresh fruit and vegetables, heavenly desserts from chocolate truffles to orgasmic crepes and Belgiam waffles, and gift items like chocolate, candy, and boxed coffee and tea. There is something for everyone here.

This place serves a large variety that pleases even the most finicky eaters. Food ranges from steak and potatoes to pizza to pasta to mussels and seafood to healthy salads and grilled vegetables.

The game goes as follows: you enter this martketplace and the waiter hands you a ticket and a map of all food kiosks. Your ticket is your credit card for all of the food in this market. You are warned not to lose the ticket or else you will have to pay $100 or wash the dishes for a couple of days. You freely visit any food kiosk and choose whatever food you want to eat. You choose a plate size and vendors stamp your card and then you pay for your dinner at the end of the evening. In total, you will get charged over 30% in tax which sucks. [This includes the PST + GST]

The only disadvantage is that the place is noisy and it almost feels like a glorified food court. You hardly ever dine with your friends or family because someone is either eating or getting up to get more food. It is rare to have everyone at the table all at once

I always enjoy the same thing, a medium size plate of lentil salad with sesame oil and veggies and grilled mushrooms and zucchini and eggplant along with a corn salad and chick pea salad. I also order from the antipasto bar: grilled eggplant, grilled zucchini, grilled mushrooms, and sundried tomatoes ($2.99 per 100 g)

I sometimes order a “made-to-order” fruit smoothie with bananas, strawberries, and other fruit. I can only complain that Marche Movenpick is damn expensive (because of the tax) There is underground parking.

Decor is like a closed in market with artificial plants, trees, waterfalls,
Water is served in a beautiful, kitschy fountain right by the entrance of the restaurant. Be warned, some nights there are lineups with waits up to one hour. Liquor licensed. Accepts all cards. A few locations across Toronto. Open 365 days per year from 7:30am-2:30am.

Annapurna

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1085 Bathurst Street
416-537-8513

Annapurna, located right at Bathurst and Dupont, in the upper Annex, is considered one of the oldest vegetarian restaurants in Canada. They serve healthy vegetarian and vegan food in Indian and Italian style. Some items to mention are three soups made fresh everyday, including French onion soup. Other dishes include the Masala Dosa, a south-Indian crepe filled with spicy potatoes, lentil puree, served with coconut chutney. They also have fresh fruit smoothies (lassis) made with yogourt, soya milk, or fruit only. I have ordered a medly or Indian dishes here and have always left feeling happy, light, and refreshed. This food will not make you feeling bloated and full but feeling energized as the food is light and healthy.

As mentioned on other reviews, Annapurna has been serving tofu and bean sprouts before it became North American trendy.

Decor is plain and simple, in a cosy, intimate dining area of less than ten tables, surrounded by books and literature on meditation, spirituality, in an earthy green and earth-toned decor. The menu is contains food that is additive-free, low salt and low fat.

The food is cheap, vegetarian, flavourful, and very creative. I ordered the daily special – a plate of soy spaghetti with a zesty tomato sauce. It was about $5.95. They have Indian drinks called Lassis (a yogourt shake with mango, plain sweet, or plain salty) and some traditional Indian dishes. They also serve non-Indian vegetarian dishes as well. Every dish is made so healthy, light, and fresh, one may forget that this place is vegetarian. This place is non-political, non-ideological, and not trendy. Prices are quite low ($5-$8 for an entree).

Insomnia

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563 Bloor St. W., 416-588-3907

Located right in the Annex at Bloor and Bathurst, this bistro/bar/cafe is named for its late, late hours. The kitchen cooks till 3:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. “Tapas” here means caesar, mesclun and Greek salads, along with crab cakes, soup and calamari. My friend ordered a thick tortilla soup and he said it was very tasty. I did not eat anything but I did take a look at the extensive menu.

They serve many French dishes, like an eight-ounce strip loin with peppercorn ($17.00), Mediterranean dishes (capon stuffed with spinach, peppers and chèvre which is $16.00) and Asian (curried mussels are $8). As you can see there are no vegetarian healthy dishes for me, so the hell with them. They do serve pasta dishes ($13.00–$15.99) and thick-crust pizzas ($11.00–$12.00).

Generous desserts are led by a flourless chocolate cake known as the Climax ($6.00). Prices are way too high for me and there are not enough vegetarian dishes but I may try this place again in the near future.