best of byblos

byblos. a toronto favourite of mine. drinks and decor alone make this king-west spot top-ranking. occupying two floors of the storys building, the ambience is perfect, exquisitely decorated and worth perusing. though our favourite bartender has moved on to alo, we were not disappointed with our drinks. in terms of food, the eastern mediterranean menu, created and executed by executive chef stuart cameron, is full of strong flavours with traditional and local ingredients. we opted to order a ton of different sharing plates in lieu of main dishes, which left us more than satisfied.
a strong recommendation--check it out.

interesting and authentic cloth menus (not pictured)

evening's drinks: nightingale sour, old fashion, gulab in a chalice.
we all ordered multiples ;)

one of my favourite menu items: roasted red beetrs with pistachio and labneh (a variation of greek yogurt), served with barbari bread (pictured below)

barbari bread to dip in the labneh (above)

tuna ceviche: green schug, creme fraiche buttermilk and squid ink chip. this had a real kick to it. really delish.

another fave of mine, and a must-have when at byblos, is the guernsey girl cheese. grilled haloumi cheese (shoutout AP), on a bed of watermelon, mint and upland cress

unfortunately, my photo-taking skills were too slow, and i missed photographing the lamb ribs. though they are quite game-y, the flavour is outstanding. they were spiced and topped with dukkah, buttermilk sauce, carob molasses and red chili schung

turkish manti dumplings, definitely a go-to. the smokey eggplant and yogurt sauce with molasses has such a memorable and distinct burst of flavour. can't go wrong here.

against our better judgement, we kept ordering food even though we were full. the flavours were all so robust it was hard to know when to stop. along with the crispy eggplant (not pictured and not a favourite) we ordered the steak tartar: roasted red chili, mint, labneh and barbari bread. this was the last of dinner.

although we were BEYOND full, you can't celebrate a birthday without dessert....

we opted for a sweet cap to our glorious meal. we had the brik pastry cigar. the cigar was flaky, and willed with a tasty fig caramel with some light honey cream. 

this whole meal, overall, was delicious. after each stunning dish, we were all blown away by the intensity of the flavours. way to go, byblos. can't wait to return soon!

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!

gusto 101

happy sunday! another weekend, another toronto restaurant review.

last sunday night we finally made our way to gusto 101 down at king and portland. it is not to be missed! having just celebrated their one-year anniversary in a town that spits out new restaurants by the dozen, we knew we had to give it a go. after waiting a half hour in the crowded bar area, we were  debating whether or not we should leave. there are only so many times you can be elbowed in the ribs before giving up. luckily, we were seated before we made the decision to look elsewhere.
we sat at a great table by the open kitchen. the industrial, abandoned auto body shop that was once 101 portland is now a trendy, food-focused destination. the chef, Daniel Mezzolo, is right on point and fun to watch, even chatting with us briefly about what he was cooking up.

check it out for yourself.

they sold these cute little sacs the bread was served in

appetizers

RK and i shared the mozzarella di bufala. i would argue it is toronto's best.
roasted tomatoes, basil oil, parmigiano crisp, smoked paprika, arugula

AY and MS shared the bruschetta ai funghi
wild mushrooms, truffle oil, manchego

mains 

AY ordered the rigatoni heritage pork sausage
rapini, peperoncino, ricotta salata

MS ordered the rigatoni lucani, and was impressed by the amount of meat:
shredded braised lamb shank, tomato, fresh herbs, shaved pecorino

i loved the roasted pumpkin agnolitti
sage brown butter, marmigiano, poppy seeds
i'm still thinking about it...

RK enjoyed the recommended spinaci pizza
spinach, buffalo mozzarella, pecorina, fresh ricotta and sliced garlic

dessert

two for the table
a divine dessert, budino al cioccolato
we should have ordered 4 this was so scrumptious

overall, great vibe, great food, great service! a definite recommendation!

before we left, our amazing waiter took us up to the second story to show us the new renos. come summer 2013, good luck getting in to gusto 101

buca

finally, after a few months of waiting, i finally made it to buca. and it was amazing. 
AF, AR and i made our way down to king west last saturday for an early reservation (the only time we could get), but ended up staying the evening. buca's atmosphere is perfect: cozy and cool at the same time. buca, meaning "basement" or "hole", is just that, an exposed brick, high-ceilinged basement in an old king street building. with an entrance wedged between two buildings down an alleyway, it is a little difficult to find, but is a must-try on the toronto restaurant scene these days.

we were greeted warmly and shown promptly to our table by the wonderful host. our waiter was very knowledgeable and the manager came by to chat frequently. none of the coldness i had read about in other reviews  since they don't have an online menu, we were eager to see what we were in store for! 
buca is a definite recommendation, but it is pricy, so save up!

menu for the day

i must mention, they have an extraordinary wine list. my favourite, a white pinot noir! it wasn't on the menu, but if you ask for it, you won't regret it.

apps:

we had heard lots about the nodini, and they were delicious.
little bread knots covered in olive oil, garlic, rosemary and salt. 

amazing charcuterie. we ordered (from L to R):
 ricotta di buffala, sovrano bufala reggiano and prosciuttini
we couldn't get enough.

a definite favourite, the parmagiana di melanzane
(preserved tomato and eggplant layered with
bufala ricotta and burrata cheese)

 at this point, the manager sent over orecchio di maiale (crisp pig's ears) with fennel salt, on the house. but i didn't manage to get a photo.
mains:

AF and AR were both tempted by the bigoli:
hand-cranked duck egg pasta with duck leg, offal ragu,
venetian spices, marscapone and basil

i ordered the orecchiette di grano arso: fresh hand-rolled 
pasta with burnt durum semolina and finished with preserved tomatoes and cacio di fossa cheese

we were beyond full, but.....
dessert:

temptation at it's finest, we shared the tiramisu di buca:
espresso-soaked house made tapioca biscuits
layered with mascarpone and chocolate mousse

a little something extra...

who doesn't love a complimentary treat?

thanks for the end-of-evening champagne, another special treat.

thanks to the amazing staff, wonderful new manager and exec chef rob gentile. we had great eats and lots and lots of laughs.

definitely add buca to your 'must-try list'. hope to head back with RK soon!

rosedale diner rendez-vous

for months now, a friend and her (new) husband have been planning to attend a blog-worthy double date. after much restaurant and menu deliberation, we finally selected the rosedale diner for their bohemian style and eclectic menu items. 
we made an 8pm reservation and the restaurant was packed. it's a tight little spot, so be prepared to get cozy to the people at neighbouring tables. this family-run restaurant has graced many "best of" lists, and has certainly secured a spot with us!
see below.

menu

 appetizers:

Melted Brie a la Shum | w/ garlic & za'atar, served w/ apple fans & pita points 

Duck Liver pâté | port, crispy leeks, schmaltz, blueberry balsamic reduction

The Caesar | parmesan & herbed croutons, our famous dressing

 mains:

delicious (and very rich) poutine au canard:
off the bone duck confit & quebecois cheese curds, frites, demi-glaze gravy

steak frites: aged sirloin, brushed garlic and a bourbon compound butter with sauteed market vegetables

King Cole Duck Confit | in a cassis veal jus w/ sautéed market vegetables & herb-roasted potatoes

 desserts:

flourless chocolate tort

raspberry chocolate tartufo

thanks to TS, SS and RK for a great night out! our meals were pricey, but the food was delicious! check out their winterlicious menu coming soon.
can't wait to do it again!