Location:
225 King St. W. Toronto
Cost: approx $50 for two
http://www.peneloperestaurant.com/home.html
I love Greek Food. Sure, it's just meat and potatoes...but that is precisely why I love it. There is something very comforting about Greek food. How can it go wrong?
At Penelope, it doesn't.
Around the King Street area, dinner options grow sparse the more times you dine out and very quickly the "Il Fornellos" and the "Urbans" of the downtown core give way to our very instinctual and basic needs. Such as meat and potatoes. Such was the case when we remembered Penelope, the only full-out Greek restaurant in the heart of the city. Much like Penelope herself, we exercised patience and loyalty and reserved our hunger pangs (whilst making our way down King street past all the upscale dining venues with their Winterlicious sandwich boards) for the simplest dinner of them all: the chicken souvlaki dinner.
Once there, we were allowed to be picky selective and were seated at a corner round table (even though there were just the two of us).
Our server and the manager (it seemed) were on hand to take our order and offer us drink choices. The manager recommended the Greek beer, Keo, which we thoroughly enjoyed and I highly recommend it (I'm more of a Guinness person myself, but Keo was very refreshing.)
And we already know that there would be one chicken souvlaki dinner (with a side of pita bread...just 'cause) and then to mix things up, an item from their dinner specials that day: swordfish.
Both mains arrived at our table incredibly quickly. My (usual) request for chilli flakes and/or hot sauce (which sually ends up being Tabasco, which I don't really consider hot sauce) was greeted with hearty props from our server who has been working there for 7 years. 
As expected, the chicken, rice and potatoes were glorious. The side of veggies bordered on frozen-then-over-cooked-and-greasy and I'd have preferred a side of Greek salad (this reminded me of the time The Healthy Greek didn't have Greek salad !)
The swordfish was surprising good and a huge portion, at that! This time, the Greek salad was in attendance and I couldn't complain. 
There were some serious left overs for taking home and an overall feeling of wholesomeness that only Greek food can provide.
It's nice to know that in a city full of restaurants with big attitudes, big plates and tiny, tottering portions, there are restorative places like Penelope. It's true then, for Penelope and for us, patience certainly was a virtue. 
Le Sélect Bistro
Location:
432 Wellington Street West, Toronto
Cost: Approx $130 for 2
Every once in a while, you come across a really outstanding dining experience. One where there is not a single thing out of place or out of line.
Le Sélect is that happy place.
Within minutes of me running in to check if they had any room for dinner (I know they like to take reservations for lunch and dinner and it looked like the place was already packed with the Friday dinner crowd) and getting the A-Okay, to parking the car, we were being seated in a cosy corner by the window (and the heater).
Our server, Aleah, was attentive, not in the least bit snooty, and catered to our menu-questions with honest insight. None of the "I absolutely love everything on the menu"... she actually didn't care for some of the items, which was refreshing. Kudos to her.
We started with the antipasto (grilled eggplant, mushroom salad, artichoke, guacamole, and fingerling salad, $11.95) which was so flavourful I wanted to lick the plate!
Then we ordered the seared fillet of Pickerel with a red wine sauce lardons and chanterelles ($28.95) paired with a glass of Rhone wine ($12.25) (they have a gigantic wine list)
And the striped bass fillet "a la plancha", olives, tomatoes, chickpeas and artichokes ($26.95) paired with a glass of Chateau Pesquie ($10.75).
Both of our mains were absolutely delicious. The bass was slightly more flavourful than the pickerel because of the olives and chickpeas, but both dishes were yummy.
Both were divine....the lychee sorbet is made fresh and I thought it would look really nice in martini glass, like the lychee martini.
I suspect Le Sélect Bistro is more french bistro than a bistro in France, and 'cause I've never been to France, I like it. I also suspect I'm not the only one.
Ravi Soups
Location:
322 Adelaide St W, Toronto
Cost: $10.99 (used to be $9.99) for combo (soup & half wrap)
Soups shouldn't cost more than a few bucks, right? Wrong where Ravi soups is concerned! But, consider it the HIGH end of soups where your soup eats like a meal...isn't that what Campbell's Chunky soup advertisers want you to believe?
At Ravi Soups your soup contains ingredients fancier than basic peas, noodles and chicken broth....instead, you will find wild rice, curried lentils, thai basil and lemongrass. 
It's ironic that we should have ended up at RaviSoups the day after my Mildred's Temple Kitchen mishap, 'cause as it turns out Ravi Kanagarajah is the former Mildred Pierce soup guru! However, here there is none of the snootiness that MTK expansive temple was festooned with.
There is a bit of a line-up but it moves quickly as the 'to-go' soups are packaged into brown paper bags and delivered to the eagerly awaiting.
Back at work, our soups and wraps are still piping hot and ready to be devoured.
My porcini mushroom and wild rice bisque (the only non-dairy soup on the menu) was a bit greasy looking with all the truffle oil, but looks are certainly deceiving 'cause it was deeeeeliiiiiicious! 
Very hearty with all the chunks of porcini mushrooms; overall a really nice flavour. A little hard to digest for some me, they say porcini mushrooms can have that affect on people.
My "roasted free-range chicken with roasted yams, baby spinach, caramalized onions, tomato chutney and chipotle mayo" wrap was divine! The combo was certainly a lot of food; I saved half my wrap for later. 
The Chicken hot pot soup - a winner according to my friend who had it.
The Corn Chowder, garnished with crab, crispy shallots and thai basil:
I have not heard a single negative thing about RaviSoups! If you want soup, this is where to get it - it's really worth the $10-13 for lunch. If that's a bit steep for you, I hear everything (incl. the combos) are half price on Fridays between 5 and 6pm.
Hey, Soup's on!
Happy Valentimes: Butler's Pantry
Location:
591 Markham St. Mirvish Village, Toronto, ON
Cost: $28 incl tip
www.butlerspantry.ca
How fitting a name for a place that serves everything that could possibly exist in a Pantry! (On a side note: A butler's pantry was commonly used for the storing, cleaning and counting of silver by the butler...).
Whatever the name, this cosy nook in the Annex serves brunch until 4pm.
And forget the Butler, who's the chef? His pantry must be huge! There's such diversity to the 2 page menu, that we're too confused to know what to order. There are a lot of indian inspired dishes which made us question who the chef was. Apparently the owner is from Bangladesh and married to an Egyptian lady and they hired a chef who was working in a palace in Egypt! He must have been well versed in international foods 'cause although the brunch side of the menu is simple...Eggs Bene, French Toast, Omlettes, Scrambled Eggs, Scones....it's the other side that amazes us: Bul go gi, Tandoori penne, Biryani, Seafood Quiche, Jambalaya, Khowsway (a Burmese dish) , Shepherd's Pie, Veggie curry pie, Moroccan Veg Tajine! And the list goes on...with loooooads of vegetarian options included! It's incredible...we wanted to order it all!
We especially wanted to try the Zuchini pancake but learned they were out of it but our server also confided that she enjoys it paired with a beer as a greasy pub meal since it's very similar to potato pancakes (latkes). Worked out well then 'cause I don't like latkes.
We finally decide on the chicken bastilla pie and the french toast.
Another thing to note is that the main dishes (except for a select few) are served with a fresh garden salad and Butler's famous dressing (pictured below).
Also, and as you know by now, a must for me is an Earl Grey tea, which arrives in a lovely ceramic teapot. The loose-leaf bagged ORGANA tea is divine...almost candy-like in its sweetness.
It doesn't take long at all for our food to arrive!
The Butler's French Toast at $7.25 (side of bacon - $1.25) is a steal! Such a humongous portion ; it's ideal for sharing. It comes with two thick slices of bread, a generous helping of fresh fruit and dallops of whipped cream. The toast is not at all soggy even though the maple syrup has already been drizzled on top. It's just the perfect consistancy. A must for anyone who, like me, loves french toast. 
The Chicken Bastilla Pie is a popular order and we wanted to try their version of the famous Moroccan dish - which is pastry stuffed with chicken, omlette, cinnamon & almonds. For $10.25, it's a hearty meal for one; which we split into two. It was very tasty, albeit on the salty side. Traditionally the cinnamon appears on the top of the pie along with powdered sugar...but in this case it was incorporated into the filling, which was nice but altogether a bit too "cinnamony". 
The salad it came with really balanced out the saltiness of the pie and the "Butler's Famous Dressing" was fantastic!
Looking more like a gravy than a dressing, it had a nice sharp taste to it and paired really nicely with the onions in the salad.
The next time you're strolling around the Annex, keep the Butler's Pantry in mind. 
Happy Hallowe'en!
Shutow
Looks like Swatow was shut down on Monday due to a cockroach infestation!
Arggh!!!
Arggh!!!
Harbord Fish & Chips
Location:
147 Harbord Street, Toronto
Cost:
$8.99 for the Halibut ($11.99 at Chippy's)
As far as I'm concerned, you can't go wrong with eating a good meal of fish n' chips once in a while. And it's pretty hard to mess up deep fried fish and strips of potato. The real issue is how much you are paying for eating the deep fried goodness. At Chippy's you pay an arm and a leg and are lucky if you get to rest the other arm and leg on a stool inside the tiny compound (especially if it's raining outside!); it's also pretty hard to eat battered fish from a chinese take-out container.....okay, so I guess it's not that hard to mess up deep fried fish and fries, but don't get me wrong, I'll still eat at Chippy's if I'm ever craving some fish n'chips in the west-end. For the East-enders, the ultimate fish and chips place used to be mom n' pops' Woodgreen Fish n' Chips, which I believe has shut down (can anyone confirm this?). I'd love to try British Style Fish & Chips on Dundas/Coxwell which I've heard is superbly authentic.
However, around the Spadina/College area and at Harbord FnC, you can get deep fried goodness for less and a place to rest your whole being (on the picnic tables outside). The joint also feels very sea-shore-ish; with the mom n' pop serving you piping hot fish atop fresh fries (on paper), which you get to douse with vinegar and salt the way you please, but be cautioned, the tarter sauce comes in wee lil' packets.
The fish sits fresh and tender inside a wonderful deep golden interior of golden crust, whilst soft, yellow, starchy pods of potato poke out of the breaks in the crispy, skin-covered edges of the chips.
With the right amount of malt vinegar, salt, ketchup and tartar sauce (and a beer if you can manage to sneak it in as we did this time) you're all set for a trip to fish n' chip heaven.
Trimurti
Location:
265 Queen Street West, Toronto
Cost: $10-15 per entree
www.trimurti.ca
Trimurti is one of the other Indian restaurants on Queen street nestled somewhere in between Babur and Little India Restaurant AND India Palace (all of which I've eaten at, at some point or another). This was my first time trying take-out at Trimurti (sitting in wasn't any better).
I ordered the chicken biryani ($10.95), which although tasty was a tad on the greasy side. Lahore Tikka House's chicken biryani is still better (but nothing beats Mom's!).
The butter chicken ($11.50) came looking more red and tomatoe-y than buttery; and those who ordered it agreed that it wasn't the best they've had. It's a huge quantity that arrives in the take-out container, and doesn't include rice, so be sure to get a separate order of rice ($2.95).
Someone else got a Mulligatany soup ($3.50). The literal translation in Tamil for mulligatany is "pepper-water" but the variation at Trimurti was made with lentils and chicken, which was a bit strange.
The pakoras ($3.50) were overly greasy and not very flavourful.
Trimurti definitely has some competition being one of the three indian restaurants on Queen Street. I'd say, opt for Little India Restaurant or India Palace (which are both very good) when trying to decide which Indian place to try on the busy South side of Queen Street. Or better yet, save your taste-buds for the trip to to the East side and enjoy a veritable feast (albeit in a portable) at Lahore Tikka House.
Madras Palace: Take 2
Location:
1249 Ellesmere Road, Scarborough, Toronto
Cost: $40 for two (incl. tip)
www.madraspalace.com
The last time we went to MP, we had some service issues, but we've since realized that the key is to go when it's not crazy busy because the food really is exceptionally good.
This time we got there for dinner around 6:30 and while there were still quite a few diners preoccupied with their dosas, we still managed to receive plenty of attention from our servers.
The owners of MP, the Purushothams opened the restaurant in 1991; the first South Indian eatery in Scarborough. For this reason, you don't really mind the decor, which has already undergone an update into its current look of Floridian-style cane seating, dark green walls and wood paneling. Sure they could benefit from a sleeker design in keeping with current trends, but that would certainly risk losing it's homely, authentic feel. Although, I must say they could turn up the dial on the light switch and their bathrooms could use some revamping.
If you only need to wash your hands however, there's a sink placed conveniently on the same floor at the back of the restaurant. Anyone who's been to India knows that it's very common to have a sink in the corner of the dining room for convenience and hygiene, especially because South Indian food really requires the use of fingers for eating.
But, on to the food!
We already knew what we wanted, so we got a masala dosa to start, a Kerala fish fry (I admit, this is the same thing I had last time I was there!), the chilli chicken masala, one chapathi, some plain rice, a beer and we knew we'd have a coffee after.
I timed the wait, thinking it would be a long time before we got our dosa, but less than 20 minutes later, our crispy pancake arrived, piping hot!
The potatoes are spiced just enough to satisfy any pangs of longing for back home. Every finger-ful of dosa that's dipped into the separate compartments of coconut, tomato and cilantro chutney creates the perfect savoury combination on your tastebuds. The sambar is so incredibly tangy that you needn't have any accompanying dosa to go with it, it's delicious on it's own. It's just heaven on a thali (plate).
Everything went down really nicely with our Kingfisher Indian Beer.
We sure cleaned up well!
Next up was our Kerala fish fry, chilli chicken, rice and chapathi.
All I can say is Yumyumyum!
The Kerala fish fry was must better presented this time and the king-fish was fresh and well marinated, tangy and spicy very spicy. Also, curry-leaves are my all-time favourite herb (Karuveppilai in Malayalam or Kari Patta in Hindi are leaves that grow on small tree plants native to India). I love it fried and garnished like this, in everything, and hate to see it wasted on someone's plate! The aroma and flavour of them really highlights a lot of Indian cooking. It's sort of like the bay leaf in coconut milk curries. I also lovelovelove bay leaves.
Sigh.
Okay, moving on.
The chilli chicken was incredibly hot and spicy, but oh-so-delicious! The curry was dense and the chicken perfectly cooked to fall off the bone. We both felt our pores open and sinus's clear during this meal!
You will not have fully enjoyed a meal at Madras Palace without leaving with an excellent cup of
coffee.
I think you really have to know your stuff when you go to MP - or go with friends who know the food. I've read too many negative things about the food on Restaurantica because people don't know what to order! You don't order mattar paneer here, if you want mattar paneer, go to Lahore Tikka House or Babur! If you want really authentic Kerala/South Indian cuisine, this is really one of the best places to get it. The other place is Saravanaa Bhavan, but that's for another review.
I Love Sushi
Location:
494 Queen St. West, Toronto
Cost: $34 - 44 per platter (61-64 pieces)
www.ilovesushi.ca
Contrary to this post's title, I don't love sushi. I opt for it only when I get crazy pregnant-woman cravings. I am also not pregnant.
However, when you're working late and the options are pizza or sushi. And you're lactose-intolerant and you don't feel like grease, sushi sounds mighty good.
I Love Sushi is very popular at work and cheaper than most sushi places and for the value, it certainly isn't bad take-out (I've never eaten at the restaurant). They have a kick-ass website too.
Our company ordered a couple of platters - one veggie and one seafood, a couple of tofu salads ($3.50) and a couple of containers of edamame (boiled soy beans with salt - $3.95).
The platters arrive full, I just couldn't manage to capture a shot before everyone jumped in on the rolls!
The seafood platter.
The veggie platter.
The tofu salad, which was really, really delicious; the tofu was smooth and flavourful, the lettuce (albeit iceberg) was crispy and fresh.
And edamame is always a yummy snack.
I've had good sushi experiences at Ichiban Sushi, Ho Su, Sushi on Bloor and Kuni Sushi Ya in Baldwin, but I'd definitely like to try the more upscale sushi bars like Blowfish, Sushi Train (conveyor-belt sushi) and Hiro, but as I said, sushi definitely isn't my forte, so you'll have to tell me what's best.
Swatow
Location: 309 Spadina Avenue, Toronto
Cost: $25 for 3 (with one split entree)
I've got a serious case of the sleepies as I type this 'cause I've just eaten at Swatow. General Tso wouldn't be proud...but it doesn't really matter because it's not the 1800s and I've only just had his namesake in chicken.
At $12.50, we assumed that the General Tso Chicken would be a large platter fit for two to share. Good thing I wasn't too hungry! I know my friend who shared the dish with me was just being polite and waited until I urged him to finish the rest.
We both agreed that the dried red chillies in the dish were hoooo-ooot!
A steamed rice cost an additional $1.60.
My other friend dined on the Assorted Meats with Vegetables on Rice for only $6.25!!! And his plate was heaped with assortment!
The restaurant is tiny and brightly lit! And there was a line-up after we sat down. Definitely a busy spot for lunch.
While the food is tasty, I still much prefer Spadina Garden and House of Gourmet where I know I can count on going home with more to eat later!
Still, everyone who passed by when I was trying to capture the exterior (and this is the second shot), craned their necks for a fleeting glance at the menu!
Jodhpore Club
Location:
33 Baldwin Street, Toronto
Cost: $23
Way back before we knew how good Spadina Garden really was, we dismissed it and the buffet at Indian Flavour because all we really wanted was some tandoori chicken and naan. Really. That's all. So, when we arrived at Jodhpore Club at Baldwin Street - because Jodhpore had been a tried, tested and true choice (note I use past tense in this context) - we thought we couldn't possibly be let down.
Jodhpore, in the middle of Baldwin Street, is one amongst an eclectic mix of restaurants nestled within a residential area - away from the hustle and bustle of University and Dundas, nearby. The last time we'd been was in the summer of '06 and we sat outside, and I remember the food being delicious.
On this particular evening, it wasn't busy...perhaps it was the rain, or not...
As I type this, I wonder why we didn't end up simply ordering tandoori chicken and naan. That was really all we wanted, right? Instead, we asked our waitress what SHE recommended. Well, she recommended the 'special'. Which was a tava (pan) sabzi (vegetable). So I asked whether it included ALL the vegetables, especially okra and eggplant, and was assured that it did, indeed. Very well. We then took two more steps back and ordered the Hyderbad 'roadside' spicy chicken curry and whole-wheat rotis stuffed with peas. When our dishes arrived, we both thought we'd ordered the wrong dish. What we had on our table was a very rationed portion of "vegetables" which was really only cauliflower, onions and maybe some green peppers.
Hmm. We plopped a spoonful onto a plate, and then further dug around the serving dish looking for the so-called okra and eggplant. Not only was there no eggplant, there was no okra. What we found was a tiny slice of something I can only call "oak", the "ra" must have still been on the tava, ready to be served to someone else who was stupid enough to ask what the "special" was.
We beckoned to our server and asked her what our dish was to which she replied, "tava subzi". That's when I pointed out the lack of 'subzi'. I showed her the okra and said we wanted something with more than one piece of okra and not this. Her response was very clear. She asked us to return the spooned out subzi from our plate BACK into the serving dish and whisked the dish away. Aghast, we both turned to the chicken.
The measly portion and poor cuts of bone-in chicken definitely deserved the name 'roadside' Hyderbad chicken! It was overly spicy, the chilli so hot, it overpowered the palate.
And don't get me started on the roti.
Burnt, dry and stuffed with frozen peas.
Yeah.
Sometimes it's better not to stray away from what your stomach really wants.
Panago Pizza
Location:
44 Gerrard Street, Unit E, Toronto
Cost: $32 (incl. tip) for 2 small pizzas
www.panago.com
Everyone has a favourite pizza place, right? And the first time we tried Panago Pizza we swore we wouldn't ever order anything else. Unlike Pizza Pizza, Pizza Hut, Mama's and even Pizzaiolo's pizza, Panago's is truly bursting with flavours and crisp, fresh toppings. I can't remember which pizza we ordered that first time, but I remember it being the. best. thing. ever. (Note: The Magic Oven at 6 Wellesley St West is the only other place competing for number one spot on our favourite list....review to follow soon).
Last night we ordered from Panago's again. Unable to decide how much pizza we wanted we opted for 2 smalls after learning that one small proffered six slices. We got the 'garden veggie' with extra jalapenos and the 'tropical chicken', again, with extra jalapenos. For dips, the chipotle cilantro sounded swell and the 3-chlili shaker seemed appropriate 'cause we like it hot.
45 minutes later our pizzas arrived.
I think part of the appeal is the packaging.
Admittedly, the 'small' really was quite small, but we ended up with enough left over for work the next day. And even though the pizza looks home-made (and we actually do make pizza that looks like this), maybe that's what makes it so great because it's not like extra-large, greasy, pepperoni-filled corner shop pizza.
The garden veggie was brimming with black olives, sauteed mushroms, roasted garlic, pineapple, green peppers, fire-roasted tomatoes, red onions, jalapenos and mozarella. We got the THICK multigrain crust for the veggie and it was quite good - not very flavourful as far as crusts go, but we really enjoyed the thick as opposed to the thin crust which we got on our other pizza.
The meaty one had a sweet and smoky "tropical" sauce, grilled chicken, pineapple, green peppers, caramelized onions, cheddar and mozarella with jalapenos to top it all off. The THIN multigrain crust is new at Panago's and didn't really do much for us. It wasn't terrible by any means, but next time I'd go with the thick for sure.
Not as good as the first time, but still very good (and great the next day!), but at $15 per small pizza, it's a tad bit too pricey. It's not something we'll be ordering all the time. Oh, and don't get the chipotle cilantro dipping sauce, as delicious as it sounds, it was quite revolting.
Product: Dufflet Small Indulgences
Dufflet Pure & Sweet: Cranberries & Blueberries in Pure Dark Chocolate
Cost: $10.99
www.dufflet.com
Everyone knows the name Dufflet. It's synonymous with heavenly baked goods. If you haven't had a cake, tart or pastry from Dufflet, then there's something horribly wrong with your life. And you don't have to visit a Dufflet store to buy the cakes (although, it is fun 'cause you get to buy miniature treats for yourself other people). Dufflet cakes are available at many grocery stores such as Loblaws, The Kitchen Table, Rabba's, Longo's and Grocery Gateway (online). For a full list, go here.
But the reason to go to a Dufflet store is so that you can buy 'small indulgences' like the one pictured here. Cranberries and blueberries drowned in pure dark Belgian chocolate! No artificial flavours...really. I looked.
I bought this tin at 25% off, which is still pricey, but worth it if you really want to indulge. Just have a little handful..it's better than, say, having a whole cake.
Thai Princess is fit for a Queen
Location:
387 King Street West, Toronto
Cost: $10-15 per person
www.thaiprincess.ca
Across from MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op) on King street is a little gem of a restaurant with a giant green and pink sign. Thai Princess.
You can expect a bit of a wait if you get there between noon and 1pm. Sometimes doing take-out is a better option.
After our crazy long wait, we were blessed with the loverly window seat and started off with a couple of drinkies; a pina-colada and a mango something-or-other. Mmm.
They have a special lunch menu and a regular menu, but I don't really know the difference between the two...maybe a couple of bucks off here and there? It doesn't seem to matter to me anyhow; I always order the Thai Kha Nom Jeen (steamed rice noodles) which comes with chicken marinated in lemongrass and grilled, served over a bed of vermicelli ($9.95). I get the combo with the spring roll and minus the bean sprouts (I feel bean sprouts are filler). They can sometimes skimp out on the chicken and the salad if they're busy, so I'd suggest getting there earlier rather than later!
I find it refreshing and light for a lunch time meal and doesn't make me feel ill or sleepy afterwards, which is always a plus!
My lunch partners ordered a variety of different meals. Like, the cashew nut chicken ($9.50).
And Combo A ($6.95) ...
And the green curry chicken ($9.95)....yummy.
The service is always friendly and although it's slow to get your dishes, I feel it's worth the wait. A great place to come for lunch during the work-week.