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!

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!