New York City: Bice

Location:

7 East 54th Street, New York, NY

Upon the recommendation from our hotel, Bice was the venue for dinner one evening when we met up with some friends. If you're looking for classy Northern Italian fare, with house-made pasta, meticulous service at a high price point, look no further than Bice.

TRAVEL: Boston: La Famiglia Giorgio

Location:

112 Salem Street
Boston, MA 02113

www.lafamigliagiorgio.com/

There are large portions, and then American super sized portions. La Famiglia super sizes it.

I ain't complaining. I know how to mangi.

The food is tasty, fresh and MASSIVE.

Best bruschetta to date.

If you plan accordingly you can feed your intera grande famiglia here for under $20!

Just kidding.

Not.

Cafe Cinquecento

Location:

791 King St W., Toronto

www.cafecinquecento.com

Went here for a friend's birthday, one who is a trusted foodie with great taste, and she was right.

I loved the atmosphere and the service and the story behind Cafe Cinquecento.

The Fiat 500

Cafe Cinquecento

The menu left me absolutely TORN...there were many routes I wanted to go: there was pizza, pasta, the specials...and then....I saw BRICK PRESSED CORNISH HEN.

Our server explained it to me as follows: they cook the hen with a brick placed on top (exactly how you imagine) so that it cooks both sides crisply and keeps all the moistness within (like so).

I was convinced.

And pleasantly surprised.

Gallo al Mattone: Brick-pressed Cornish hen [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="576" caption="Gallo al Mattone: Brick-pressed Cornish hen $19"]

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Everyone else's meals looked wonderfully put together as well, and although it all took a while to arrive, to be fair there were 20 orders made! In the meantime we enjoyed rounds of bread, bowls of mussels and anitpasto plates. Yum. There was a spicy salami on there that was very memorable.

Antipasto Grande: Cured Italian meats, grilled vegetables, grilled seafood and spiced olives [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="576" caption="Antipasto Grande: Cured Italian meats, grilled vegetables, grilled seafood and spiced olives $18"]

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Calamari con Salsa di pepperoni: Grilled calamari with roasted red pepper sauce on a bed of arugula [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="576" caption="Calamari con Salsa di pepperoni: Grilled calamari with roasted red pepper sauce on a bed of arugula $13"]

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Salmone al Ferri: Grilled salmon fillet with a side of orzo [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="576" caption="Salmone al Ferri: Grilled salmon fillet with a side of orzo $17"]

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Costoletta de Vitello: Veal chop grilled with fresh herbs [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="576" caption="Costoletta de Vitello: Veal chop grilled with fresh herbs $18"]

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The only dish that didn't stand out was one of the specials: The tilapia on a bed of risotto with sausage. Which, at least, four of us agreed, was bland and the sausage tasted like Oscar Myer weiners.

Tilapia risotto special

But, the wine was flowing and it was simply a lovely evening of celebration. There also suddenly appeared a lovely vase of red roses for the centre of the table!

Roses for the birthday girl!

And, I'm still astounded that the birthday girl picked up the whole tab!!

TV, the next one's on me!

Harbour Sports Grille

Location:

10 Yonge St., Toronto

www.harboursportsgrille.com

Fish n' Chips..............check.

Fish n chips

Beer....................check.

mmmmmmmmm....beer

TVs....................check.

Over 50 TVs and 2 big screens

Random pasta dish.............check.

Pasta

Can't ask for more from Harbour Sports Grille.

Plaza Flamingo

Location:

423 College Street, Toronto

Cost: $7.95 for the lunch buffet

www.plazaflamingo.com

Plaza Flamingo is one of those places you fall upon one day, having been there years before but have no recollection of the food. Ages ago, (at least 8 years) I remember dining with the whole family and watching a flamenco performance at Plaza Flamingo. It was highly entertaining as far as I can recall. The food, however, I could not bring back to mind.

So when we were searching for a place to dine for lunch on a bitterly cold day, not only did the "lunch buffet" clapboard stand out to us, but feelings of familiarity began to stir within me. Somehow Plaza Flamingo had seemed a lot further West when I was younger; not smack in the middle of busy College street near Bathurst.

It was an easy decision once we'd seen the buffet and knew that it was all for only $7.95. Perfect.

Chicken. Rice. Pasta. Beans. Salad.

What more could one ask for, for lunch?

These fried sweet plantains were especially tasty.

I enjoyed them so much, I had them with the dessert, as well!

While the fare isn't spectacular by any means, it certainly isn't bad. And it hit the spot that day. I wouldn't run back to PF everyday for lunch, but if I was back in the area and needed a nice place to sit down and not be disturbed by what can sometimes be annoying wait-staff, this is the place!

And although it certainly wasn't packed for lunch that day, it's fairly obvious that there are a few devoted patrons who have probably been frequenting Plaza Flamingo for many years.

Those who, unlike me, have not forgotten about it.