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.