back in action: origin

after a long and unanticipated hiatus, a culinary cabaret is back! it has been a wonderful and joyous year. between planning and executing my wedding (!!) and teaching full time, a culinary cabaret fell by the wayside. now that we are a month in to married life, this blog is back in action!

we recently dined at chef and owner claudio aprile's origin north, of the origin empire. we were happily surprised to see chef aprile himself there, on a friday night, overseeing the new season-inspired items added to their menu. 

the decor is trendy and open, the space much larger than their two downtown locations. patrons were well-dressed: mixtures of friends meeting after work and romantic dinners, with some business diners scattered among them. 

we have dined at origin north a few times and the service was quite poor. this week, however, our waiter was friendly and happy to go above and beyond to answer any questions we had, explaining the style of ordering (tapas/family style), and affirming our ordering choices were good ones! 

without further ado...

we started our with some beverages (Carlsberg and  a glass of Chianti)

origin's famous beet salad: goat cheese, pickled red onion, sherry dressing, yogurt, walnuts
this salad is not to be missed. it is remarkably fresh and always leaves you wanting more.

from the mozzarella bar: bufala with pear, rosemary oil, pine nuts and honey
such a fresh and tasty appetizer. the way these flavours come together is beautiful.

origin beef burger: smoked mayonnaise, avocado, arugula.
cooked to a perfect medium, this was one tasty piece of meat, and a menu
item they are well-known for.

origin's fries: don't miss out on these. perfectly cut and evenly-salted.
convince yourself that they go well with anything. you won't be disappointed.

the dessert menu looked incredible but we were beyond full....maybe next time.
we will definitely be back to origin soon. i'm already craving that beet salad!

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!

my name is leslie jones

leslieville dining always tends to be a positive experience. ap + ng, rk + i finally got our acts together and headed downtown for our much-anticipated double date. after waiting in line at a different restaurant, we decided to walk down queen and see what we could find. 
lucky for us, we hit gold. leslie jones is the gem of leslieville. located on queen at the corner of jones ave, leslie jones has a cozy atmosphere with food that will not disappoint. the ever-changing menu uses locally-sourced ingredients, while the old-school, open kitchen showcases chef george wensley's talents.
leslie jones is high on the recommendation list!

complimentary fresh bread and a unique chickpea based dipping sauce

appetizers

rk enjoyed the grilled calamari, marinated with lemon, capers, moroccan olives and chillies
because it was grilled, it tasted fresh and was the perfect appetizer

ng enjoyed the avocado salad with tomato, red onion, coriander, and fresh lime dressing

i guess great minds think alike. ap and i both ordered
the beet salad with ricotta, fresh pear, smoked almonds and greens
it has inspired me to start making beets again

mains

ap enjoyed her eggplant stuffed with spinach, zucchini, basil puree and goat cheese
it looked and smelled incredible

ng enjoyed linguine with scallops, tiger shrimp, mussels,
chilies, fresh herbs, spinach, tomato and white wine

rk can never turn down risotto. it was the daily special, with mushroom and, peas.
ever a critique of the consistency of risotto, he licked the bowl clean.

i devoured my braised beef brisket with dark ale, rosemary, paprika and caramelized onion. the meat was cooked tenderly and the veggies and potato were packed with flavour.

we were (unusually) too full for dessert!
it was a great evening: from the excellent service and vinyl-spinning chef to the local art showcased on the walls, leslie jones never disappoints.
we will definitely be back in the warmer weather to enjoy a drink or two on their infamous patio!

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

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!

terroni: a raving review

went to the new terroni at yonge and summerhill friday evening.
it was delicious. phenomenal vibe.
our waiter was so friendly.
a few meal shots from the eve, complete with menu description.

salad from the nightly specials. pomegranate, arugula,
nuts and buffalo mozzarella.
YUM!

HIGHLY recommend the Rigatoni Arcobaleno
mozzarella di bufala, zucchini, light cherry tomato sauce, basil

DELISH Ravioli di Zio Paperone
homemade ravioli stuffed with duck confit, fig, roasted butternut squash,
sauteed with oyster, button mushrooms and parmigiano

tiramisu

capped off the evening with a loose leaf blood-orange tea.

definitely recommend this new terroni. enjoy!
1095 Yonge St  Toronto
http://terroni.com/