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!

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