TIFF eats!

I'm wondering where the stars will be dining during TIFF this year...

I know the Windsor Arms Hotel will be packed tonight for the Artists for Peace and Justice Awareness Bash...and Demi Moore is likely to be there.

I'll be doing a photo gig there next month, so I'm looking forward to that but for now, where else in the city can we spot the celebs?

Sassafraz? Bistro 990? Rosewater Supper Club? One? Lobby?

They'll most likely be heading to the snootiest places in town and least likely the most flavourful venue s...but stars don't really eat, do they?



Photo from last year's TIFF by Photohogger.

Elephant & Castle

Location:

212 King Street West, Toronto

Cost: $50 with tip

www.elephantcastle.com



As far as pub food in the city goes...this place has got to have the blurst (read: worst).



It's got a great atmosphere for after work or late night drinks, but I've got to say the food is absolutely mediocre.

So, the mahi sandwich with fries was just okay...which is not saying much.   

It certainly was better than the chicken skewers, which were...disssssguuuust. 



Unless you like your chicken pinkish....



The bruschetta was alright.



And the fish fritters with chips (crisps) was sub-par.



Thank Guinness for beer!  I'm happy my half pint of Guinness was so generous...I needed it!

Quesada's

Location:
234 Wellington Street West, Toronto

Cost: $8-15

www.quesada.ca

My friend who'd just moved to Toronto from Calgary treated me for lunch at this place; I'd heard many good things about the food, so I was excited to try it out.

Let me first say though, that I have yet to find a really tasty burrito. Burrito Boyz failed to impress. After three tries and various combinations, it still hasn't wowed. I'm still wondering what the fuss is about. But I digress.

Back to Quesadas...

A narrow space on the corner of  Wellington and John which outlines their ordering procedure on the far end of the wall prior to the assembly of burritos.





I ordered a small spicy chipotle chicken (hot) ($5.35) which claimed to be "tender chicken marinated in our own spicy chipotle heat".  I must confide...there was no heat in this whatsoever.



The hot sauce helped some...but  I still wanted the flavour to come from within the burrito.  Is that too much to ask?  Thank goodness for sauces!



My friend ordred the Chile-lime shrimp, "burrito in the buff" which is the burrito minus the tortilla.  AKA, a salad.



And a Tango Mango Odwalla drink:





Fully packed during lunch, the burritos must be impressing some people.  My quest for a tasty burrito however, continues...

By The Way Cafe Round 2

Location:

400 Blor St West, Toronto


Cost: Approx $20

www.bythewaycafe.com

Recently went to BTWC again for a friend's birthday brunch gathering.

The french toast stuffed with apples and brie sat very well with the birthday girl.



(I ordinarily flock towards french toast, but can't do brie and didn't feel like regular french toast that day - *gasp* I know).

Instead, I ordered the omelette with chorizo, jalapenos and onions (minus the cheddar). I still can't believe it comes with a Montreal bagel, too!



I was really glad for the spicy chorizo and jalepenos in the omelette 'cause otherwise it was lacking a bit of something...some herbs? Thyme? Oregano? The other girls who ordered omelettes said the same of their omelettes..that it was missing a little somethin'.

My friend ordered the burrito...which was quite good although again, needed a little hot sauce in my humble opinion.



My veg friend who couldn't eat eggs that day was at a loss of what to order that didn't have eggs in it...waffles would have been a better choice than the baba ganough that she ordered with pita. As an appetizer shared between..many...it would have been great, but as a meal for one it faired well below average and the eggplant tasted a bit burnt or if you'd rather, overly smoked. A definite disappointment.

Something a little more veg friendly for breakfast instead of salad and other more lunchy-type options would be better. Possibly the waffles are the only thing that qualified in this case.

The OJ, on the other hand, was splendid.

And the cheesecake seemed to be a hit amongst the others.



Looks like the baba ganough isn't deflecting the customers at all; BTWC is a much happening place...with a constant stream of patrons flowing in and out. With their lovely, sunny patio and friendly service, it surely is a nice brunch spot in the Annex.

By the Way Cafe

I'm sorry, but this place is just begging for a text message review.

Something like this perhaps?

~

Loc:

400 Blor St W, TO



BTW, i wn 2 dis plc on Blr St W 4 brnch 1 Sat morn aftr yoga cls & ws plsntly surpsd by da cozy atmsphr & frndly srvic. Da scrmbld egs totly hit da spot.



but OMG u guyz Twngns Erl Gry rely sux!



~

Going to BTWC again this Saturday for a friend's birthday breakfast...will post more on that soon.

Grazie Ristorante

Location:

2373 Yonge Street, Toronto

www.grazie.ca

Went to Grazie recently for a friend's birthday dinner.  The place was packed and as is the case with a lot of restaurants in the city, they don't seat you unless your whole party has arrived, and they don't take reservations.  



We ended up waiting I think a little over a half hour but let me tell you, it was fully worth it.  And, I'm not even going to try to remember each dish....they were all too good to be true, so instead, here are the pictures...









 



 







The food is incredible!  Large portions and such intriguing flavour combinations.  I'm so glad I was with a bunch of dear ones who like to share 'cause it was really nice to try everything.

Thank you, indeed!

Mistaan Catering and Sweets

Location:

460 McNicoll Ave, Toronto

Simply the Best. Samosas. Ever.

As Miranda Priestly would say,

That's all.

Nando's

Locations:

939 Eglinton Ave E
Toronto, ON

815 Britannia Rd W
Mississauga, ON

Growing up in Africa, I remember eating Nando's chicken and absolutely loving it, so when I first discovered a Nando's in the east end of the city, I was thrilled about the prospect of once again tasting the flame-grilled Peri Peri saucy chicken. Now this was pre-Foodhogger but I recall it not being as tasty as my memory had me believe...I walked away disappointed a little.

Then recently, I found a Nando's in Mississauga and those same childhood memories came flooding back; I just had to try it again. This time it did not disappoint...there was heat, there was flavour and there was plenty to go around.



The spicy fries were mighty deeelush.



The rice was nowhere near as good as it was back in my childhood days.



And there's definitely nothing spectacular about the salad...definitely could have done without it entirely!



But it's possibly the sauces that make Nando's Nando's. The sauces! First the garlic...



And then the all-important hot sauce...



The chicken was great...and we'd ordered some skewers as well...



We got a hot and a medium spiced chicken, but either they'd gotten mixed up or it was all very hot (although not hot enough for some).



All in all; satisfying and a fair recreation of my fond memories....I suppose the only thing missing was the African scenery...

ki

Location:
181 Bay, Toronto, ON

www.kijapanese.com

**Updated with pics**

181 Bay, Toronto, ON

Went to Ki for a friend's surprise 30th birthday party.















Everything was paid for...the drinks, the appetizers and the cake! The sushi, the popcorn shrimp, the chicken wings...everything was absolutely delicious! You know I'm not a sushi connoisseur by any means but I tried everything and it tasted goooooood (and we'd already had dinner at Mercatto earlier!).

With it's gorgeous interior, it makes a nice date place...romantic with flattering lighting, haha.

Fusaro's Kitchen

Location:

147 Spadina Avenue, Toronto

Cost: $10-15 for lunch

www.fusaros.com

This is a long overdue post; I guess because it's such a frequented lunch spot for me that I simply thought I was having a home-cooked meal at times!

If you don't get there by 11:45am at the latest, be prepared to wait in a long line up that runs out the door!



The pre-made pizzas, sandwiches, quiches etc are all very good - a pizza slice will only set you back a few dollars and is way better than Mama's Pizza. I really like the croissant with chicken, olives and feta (a bit o' cheese never hurt anyone)...although it's a tad salty.



The panini's and pastas are made to order and add $2 for a side salad...



Their daily specials are listed on the fairly new blackboard on the side (Fusaro's has undergone some interior design changes in the last couple of years - going from orange walls with black and white photography to plain blue walls with the menus on blackboards - for a more minimalist look or realistically, more spatially accommodating for the sheer volume of the lunchtime crowd.



I've had many a pasta dish here and I have never had a bad experience.



I have heard from my yoga instructor however, that she gained weight eating the salads here (So, note to self, and to you reader). It's all that dressing - which they actually do put a bit too much of .

I even hosted a birthday brunch here a few years ago (the Evite was aptly titled: "Let's get some f*****ckiin freeeeeench toast" a la 40 year old Virgin).



Someone else got the calabrese, like so:



Salmon & eggs:



Eggs florentin:



Not a lot of people know about the brunch on Saturday, but it's lovely and not at all like the cafeteria-style-lunch-time atmosphere. The food, on the other hand, is just as good :)

TRAVEL: Palm Beach, Pizza Girls

Location:

114 S Clematis St
West Palm Beach, FL

www.pizzagirls.com

Probably the best. pizza. I've ever had.













We craved this pizza, not days later, but hours later.....honestly. Go.

Aji Sai

Location:

467 Queen St. W, Toronto

It seems Queen street is constantly reinventing itself...new restaurants...new condos....new yoga studios. There are the staples: Gandhi's, New York Sub, Subway and then the newbies: Leslieville Cheese Market and the maybe not so new anymore, Aji Sai Japanese restaurant.

These were the sorts of dishes we shared around...

I've been to Aji Sai twice now, and both times were hits...it's a great work lunch spot especially if you're one to share.

Lola's Commissary

Location:

634 Church Street, Toronto

Cost: Approx $25 pp

www.lolascommissary.com

I think seeing "sexy potatoes" on their online menu (although I think it's actually "sexy sweet potatoes"  on the menu) is what sold us to eat here. That, and the recommendation from a friend at work whose paintings also hang in the restaurant :)
Our gaggling girlie troupe landed on the (beautiful) Lola patio for brunch this past Sunday and never before have we been able to so freely enjoy a brunch in such a large group (8).  Mil"dread"'s wouldn't seat us, other brunch places don't take brunch reservations but at Lola's Commissary (open 6 weeks, now), it's not a problem. 



We took a while perusing the unique menu and daily specials which were such a mix of dishes that we had to take another few minutes to decide. 



 In the meantime we got some drinks...


The service is friendly and accommodating. The food is fancy brunch fare (a tad pricey but tasty to boot) and gorgeously presented!

As usual I got the (straight up - challah bread dipped in egg custard) french toast due to my loctose-intolerancy and not being able to stomach the cheesecake french toast.  I also got a side of fresh fruit ($6) and a side of sexy potatoes to share around ($6).



The other items ordered were as follows.

Multigrain waffles with a side of berries, dense and filling...



The egg white frittata (goat cheese, mushrooms, spinach and hemp pesto)

 

Eggs Lola: poached eggs, ancho chicken, torillas, avocado, creme fraiche



Lobster and goat cheese omlette



Roasted trout with quinoa and tabouli



 Beef hash brunch feature

 

Therese DeGrace (executive chef) came out to greet us which was super. She's wonderfully warm and took the time to chat with us, which was really pleasant and so uncommon in the city!


The interior of Lola's is sort of industrial chic with brick, wood, high ceilings and tall windows. 



The paintings in the dining hall lend a certain mellow sweetness to the vibe with the upstairs catering to more of a loungey atmosphere with funky retro seats and laminated fantastical art on the walls.



Even the washrooms are spa-like and immaculate, with artwork adorning almost every surface (including a wall outside the restaurant).



The complimentary Nutella Cheesecake dessert was delish and perfect split eight ways.


Lola's is a definite must-try in the Bay/Bloor area - the patio alone will make you want to spend your whole afternoon there. We certainly did! And unlike so many other places in the city, our patronage was welcome! We're already planning our return!

Dimmi Bar & Trattori

Location:

140 Cumberland St, Toronto

Cost:
$9-15 for a pizza

www.dimmibar.com

We walked around for about an hour before deciding on a place to have dinner. Somehow the places on Yonge St. (Green Mango, Friendly Thai) didn't appeal to us and Craft Burger further North didn't entice everyone. Finally, after checking the menus at Nervosa Trattoria and Hemingways, we decided that Dimmi's had the best options (or maybe by then we were just really, really hungry).

(I didn't want to lug my giant camera along all day, so these photographs are courtesy of my friend A.R.)

We ordered a couple of pizzas to share around: The Bruschetta ($9), the Funghi ($15)...and the Margherita ($11) to go. And my friends got the calamari ($12 which came with a side salad); they claimed it was tasty and filling (I refuse to eat calamari after a horrible - mostly exaggerated- life-changing experience).

The Bruschetta pizza was quite tasty and moist which was what was lacking in the Funghi mushroom pizza. The Margherita also tasted good (flavourful with the basil, which I love) on the drive home (I had to try a slice!).

Our service was attentive in a nice, non-intrusive way...perhaps the standard for Yorkville restos? All around a quaint little restaurant in Yorkville with, I'd say, reliably good food.