five doors north

i have driven by five doors north about five thousand times, always meaning to 'give it a try sometime'. i have totally been missing out. located in the yonge-eglinton-davisville corridor, this restaurant, with 5 multi-coloured doors hanging outside, is a quirky hotspot for locals. casual but cool, five doors north is a spot to return to again and again.

a small group of us went for dinner, and were all more-than-pleased with the atmosphere and delicious food. it is a great place to go with a group, as there are lots of plates worth sharing. the hand-written menu is complete with interesting choices, while the chalkboard boasts their succulent specials. can't go wrong here!

bear with me, as i try to remember what we all ate!!

2088 yonge street
midtown toronto

i had the lovely roasted beet salad
with scallion aioli and lotus chips
meant to share. did not happen.

rk enjoyed the grilled calamari with
tomato chili jam and pesto (off the secondi menu)

ay ate the BBQ baby back ribs with crispy matchstick potatoes 

their gorgonzola gnocchi is a infamous dish! rich and savoury, you can't go wrong!
ms ordered it as an app and i had it as my main

jd ordered the sardines

 grilled lamb chops with roasted garlic and caramalized onion juice

spicy seafood stew with mussels, calamari, shrimp and stripe bass

rk ordered one of the daily pastas

great atmosphere. upside down lamps all around, funky feel.

i definitely plan on returning to five doors north. strongly recommend this wonderful place!

el rincon mexicano

with new mexican joints popping up all over the city, it should be easy to get a last-minute reso at one of the many establishments, but not so. after many phone calls to various places, we were finally able to find an available table at el rincon mexicano restaurant (653 st clair west).  while the decor was overdone and a little cheesy, the food was delicious. it was one of the first summer evenings of the year, and we opted to be seated on the back patio. feeling reminiscent of a caribbean resort, it was a fun atmosphere.

we started with the guacamole ranchero
their mashed avocado dip served with chips and salsa
this was really delicious and a perfect way to start the meal

can't go wrong with ice-cold corona

housemade pico de gallo...spicy!

rk ordered the tacos a la parilla (soft tacos) with beef.
it came with:
rice, refried beans and salad

having a corn allergy makes mexican dining somewhat challenging, however the staff were accommodating in bringing me flour-tortillas. i had the vegetarian tacos (tortillas filled with rice, refried beans and grilled veggies. topped with shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, feta and sour cream)

menu

would we go back? maybe, but we would both rather explore one of the many new places around the city.

sidecar

who knew loving and adoring a puppy took up so much time? i have been absent from a culinary cabaret, but i am back. i have so many reviews lined up you'll be blown away.
about a month ago, af and i headed out to see joshua radin in concert (again) at an intimate venue on college street. before the show, we headed to sidecar for some pre-show dinner. i have heard a lot of hype about sidecar and was happy to finally make it there. we enjoyed a quick, delicious meal with fresh ingredients that were palette-pleasing. i would definitely head back, and perhaps dine on the back patio which seemed to have a great atmosphere.

we each ordered a glass of the 2010 angel's gate reisling

delicious bread, great texture and flavours

incredible salad (that they split into two bowls for us)
chopped jicama, red onion, cucumber, tomato, radish, feta, creamy oregano dressing

i ordered the tasty steak frites: AAA 8oz centre cut top sirloin, hand cut fries,
tangy roasted garlic aioli

af indulged in the papardelle:
braised short ribs, aged cheddar, king oyster mushrooms
with san marzano tomato sauce with spanish onion 

overall, we were both very pleased with our whole evening (especially because we had great seats to the concert and even got to meet joshua radin afterwars)! thanks sidecar for starting it off on the right note, we will be back!

joy bistro

saturday morning, i headed down to leslieville for a lovely brunch with the one and only bj.

it had been far too long since we had been to 'our spot'. we hadn't seen one another since december!

as always, joy bistro served a lovely breakfast. ever the hotspot,  i was lucky 'b' arrived a few minutes early to secure the best seat in the house: one of the cozy half booths. yummy food, hot drinks and a great vibe means i will definitely be back soon.

joy bistro is located in the leslieville area of toronto, right at booth and queen east.

always essential to start the morning with a latte

....or a cappucino

the restaurant was busy but our food was perfection.
we each ordered the 'leslieville eggs benedict' 

slow roast peameal bacon (regular crispy bacon for me, please), spinach, sauteed tomato,
Yukon gold rosti potato (yum!) and green onion hollandaise

we will absolutely be back to joy bistro! definite recommendation! with so many excellent leslieville choices, make sure you don't miss this one!

in other news....this little girl is the culprit for my absence! meet izzie, my new goldendoodle  puppy!

sweetest face around

jerusalem

it was a saturday night and we were craving the food of our ancestors...middle eastern cuisine. our friends/cousins/neighbours, jw and cs, recommended jerusalem (eglinton location) as a viable, close-to-home option. we made a reservation (knowing it would be busy), but the restaurant seemed back-logged due to big parties. we were seated about 15 minutes past our reservation time, at a great spot by the window, and away from the ever-growing door-crowd (phew).
while we chatted about the excitement of the coming months, we ordered drinks and an appetizer platter to share. our piping hot pita  arrived, along side the tapas-style falafel platter. it was some time before our waitress (who seemed quite disinterested in taking our orders) re-appeared, offering few suggestions or input on our order. when our food arrived, it was tasty, but nothing spectacular.

olives, peppers and pickled radish
on the house

cheers to all that is to come!

piping hot pita

sharing plate: baba ghanouj, hummus, middle eastern salad and falafal balls
everything here was very tasty

jw, rk and i all ordered the shish-tawoo:
two skewers of marinated chicken breast, with salad and rice

cs enjoyed the lamb shishkabob, with salad and rice

meal sizes were beyond plentiful, especially for the price. we all had leftovers.
while we enjoyed our dinner, the restaurant lacks ambiance and authenticity, though is regularly overflowing by the forest hill crowd. i will likely resume my regular israeli food spots like  mashu mashu and shoom shoom.
 

joey's yorkdale

a few weeks back, the gals and i went out to celebrate the birthday of our dear mrs jw. since none of the ladies had been to the newest joeys to hit toronto, i thought it was a good choice.
the yorkdale location, while still busy, does not have the absurd wait-times experienced at other locations. for us, it was a good choice for a thursday eve. as usual, the atmosphere was trendy and the wait staff were dressed to the nines. i found our waitress to be more attentive than usual, which was a welcomed-treat. we were seated in a comfy booth on the main level, in the middle of all the action. by the time we left, the place was packed and there was a line out the door. there is definitely something to be said for early resos. food was on point, service was good and atmosphere was great. overall, a great eve filled with laughs and good eats.

none of us could resist these delicious yam fries topped with parmesan cheese, with truffle lemon aoili dipping sauce. thanks to mc for sharing.

can't go to joeys without ordering the chinatown lettuce wraps. the appetizer comes with toasted peanuts, fresh veggies and crsipy noodles. well worth jeopardizing your meal by filling up on them.
(special thanks to na of where the locals go for sharing her pic)

super-stoked voda on special 

 meal time

i couldn't resist the blue cheese sirloin, with the fully-loaded crispy mashed potato and seasonal veggies.
those mashed potatoes, in a spring-roll like outer layer, melt in your mouth.

dh ordered the grilled salmon, complete with maple beurre blanc,
crispy mashed potato and seasonal vegetables. she was also a fan of the mashed potato.

the ever-healthy mc ordered the beach salad. strawberries, goat cheese, quinoa, candied pecans,
lemon poppy seed dressing and chicken.

birthday girl jw ordered the florentine raviolo: seared scallops and prosciutto with spinach and artichocke filled ravioli, hold the tomato caper salad. delicious!

highlights of the evening (hey, we were celebrating a bday. desserts are a must!)

my personal fave, the italian donuts. lemon curd and vanilla marscapone cream. the zesty lemon flavour provides excellent balance to the sweet donuts

for jw, the molten lava chocolate souffle. wow.
the lava was piping hot and devoured within seconds. 

last but certainly not least, the 'happy ending'. chocolate decadence with dulce de leche and maldon salt.
very much capturing the 'salty-sweet' combo trend.

we had a great night, and will certainly be back to joeys!

vi pei, oh my

no question about it, this girl loves brunch. and discovering a delicious brunch spot within walking distance from home is quite the finding! the whole (quite critical) group was in agreement: we will definitely return to vi pei bistro (formerly vi vetha)

EC, BC, JW, CS, RK and i went to vi pei in the yonge and lawrence area, on a beautiful sunny march day (a tease by mother nature). there was lots of cousin-chatter and smiles all around. the service was great and the food was fantastic. the menu offered creative options for typical brunch food, plus some interesting specials. the menu was extensive, making it difficult to choose what to eat. all in all, everything was plentiful! the restaurant itself has a plain decor, but what vi pei lacks in atmosphere, they more than make up for with lick-your-plate brunch.  

brunch:

eggs nova 
poached eggs on english muffin over smoked salmon with hollandaise.
served with salad & home fries

salmon omelet
fruit smoked salmon, capers & green onion
with salad & home fries  

3 cheese omeletprepared with asiago, cheddar & mozzarella cheeses
with salad & home fries

eggs benny special
two poached eggs, smoked salmon, brie and hollendaise
served with side salad and homefries

french toast special
brie-stuffed french toast with caramelized
peaches, strawberries and bananas (WOW)
bacon and sausage

note: get there early... the place was buzzing and full by 11.
looking forward to next time!