T.O. restaurants... [General]

2008 Sep 19
Going with the wife next week to T.O. for a conference and it happens to be our anniversary, so a great restaurant would be nice. Any recommendations? I'm not super in tune with Toronto's restaurant scene these days.
We were going to try Colborne Lane but a few bad experiences from friends have turned us off. And going to Grace and Canoe for business dinners so that is out.

Thanks!

2008 Sep 20
Have you been to Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar yet? It's lovely, a bit more casual than the typical fine dining atmosphere, and is small plates so allows you to sample a range of the menu.

www.blogto.com


2008 Sep 20
One of my personal most enjoyable and memorable meals of all time was at Susur - if you are ok with spending around $300 for 2, the 7-course tasting menu is a fabulous experience IMO. Alternatively, the chef, Susur Lee also has a lower end restaurant simply called "Lee" which is also supposed to be good - I haven't been there though so I can't say for sure :)

2008 Sep 20
Susur Lee is no longer working in Toronto. His restaurant, Susur, was closed when he moved his operations to NYC, I believe. They've reopened a restaurant there called Madeleine, into which he's got some input (I'm not sure how much), but the reviews have been quite mixed.

If you want to go all out, I think that Splendido is the place to hit up. I personally could never afford it, so I haven't been, but it redefines good service and has a fantastic tasting menu, from what I've heard. I think a dinner with wine pairings for two would probably run in excess of $500, though.

More in my price range, I agree with Candice: Jamie Kennedy's restaurants are fantastic. I used to go to the Jamie Kennedy Gardiner for lunch sometimes and absolutely adored it. His beef brisket poutine has completely ruined me for french fries prepared any other way.

2008 Sep 20
Draft Dinner - If I read that right you will be eating at Grace and also at Canoe? Please report back, I am especially interested in Canoe. And if you're into sharing after your trip, remember the OF Travel Wiki would love your recommendations.

2008 Sep 20
Interesting - the Susur website indicates that "Susur" in Toronto has closed, however it seems that it has simply been replaced with "Madeleine's" (named for Susur Lee's mother) which is now open in Toronto - not NYC. The website also indiactes that "Lee" is still open.

www.susur.com/

2008 Sep 20
I have a review of a bunch of Chinese restauants in Toronto. You can check this out at:

ottawafoodies.com/forum/313

In addition, you may also want to check out Empire Court inside Hilton Markham for Chinese entrees and dim sum (hey, Chinese food inside Hilton!). I also remember I ordered a very good black forest cake from one of the restaurants inside (you can have Sunday brunch there too).
www1.hilton.com


2008 Sep 21
For outstanding beer, wine and artisanal cheese selections, go to Cafe Volo right down town on Yonge St. And the food is also extremely good.

2008 Sep 21
Susur Lee is still cooking at Madeline's until mid-October, according to the G&M: www.theglobeandmail.com


2008 Sep 21

The Harbord Room is delicious and very reasonable! www.theharbordroom.com/

2008 Sep 22
Maybe you'd like Peruvian food on your anniversary. My wife and I went to the Boulevard Cafe on Harbord St. one year for ours. It's just down the street from the Harbord Room.

boulevardcafe.sites.toronto.com


2008 Sep 22
Thanks for all the suggestions!

Looks like the anniversary will be at Splendido for the tasting menu and going to try Cava tomorrow night. Shoud be interesting!
Staying at the Drake, and their restaurant is actually pretty good as well.

Zym: Been to Bar Volo a few times, awesome beer selection for sure.

2008 Sep 23
Two recent places I have been to that were good include:

Cowbell: Simple French-Influenced with focus on Ontario products. Good sausages, pates, and cured products. Moderately expensive but not high end.

Torito: Tapas place in Kensington, reasonable prices. Very good food, but still not executed like tapas in Spain.

2008 Sep 23
Its been several years since I have been to Splendido, but it is an excellent restaurant and one I keep wanting to get back too - something about $$ gets in the way. I think you will have a great time. The other restaurant I would have recommended was Scaramouche.

Enjoy yourselves!

2008 Sep 24
Daft Diner One place I could recomend is Oro - an Italian eatery on Elm Street across from the Delta Chelsea. I could also recommend a night cap at the Panorama Lounge in the Manulife building. There was actually some discussion on Toronto restaurants in this forum last winter: ottawafoodies.com

2009 Jun 5
Reviving the thread...

Went to Black Hoof last Saturday. Probably my best T.O. restaurant experience. Totally deserving of the hype. Cool little place, totally unpretencious, no reservations. Looks like a cross between a lounge, a deli counter and a diner.
Got there around 7pm and got the last table.
Service ended up being excellent and attentive.
Wife and I started with the large charcuterie plate, very very good. Everything was made in-house, from the smoked duck breat and snout to tail terrine, to the rabbit rilettes and the horse sausage. It was served with nice Thuet bread and in-house, pickles, mustard and pickled veggies.
Next up were some roasted marrow bones. Awesome.
Horse sammy was excellent.
After that was the foie gras on brioche served with onion compote. Really good, and a generous foie gras serving.
Had a nice Oregon Pinot Noir that was excellent and well priced. Actually their entire wine list was well priced (for Toronto standards...).

Definitely going back.

2009 Jun 5
Nice to hear all the Black Hoof hype is justified, can't wait to go.

2009 Jun 11
Draft Diner - Sounds like an awesome meal. You should add Black Hoof to the OF Travel Wiki (if you haven't already)... or I can add it for you if you like.

2009 Jun 12
If we don't have a reservation we like to hit Baldwin Street (just north of Dundas near University Ave--chinatown.) There are several very good restaurants and you can often slip in without a reservation!) Just google it! Also, quite reasonably priced --even for the 2 or 3 high end spots. Everything from Mex/Indian/Italian/Japanese/pub/bisto/french + more.

2011 Aug 31
I will be in Toronto over the long weekend and unfortunately Lee is completely booked. This will be my first time in Toronto in several years and I am looking for suggestions, preferably some place with a tasting menu.

I was inclined to go to Colborne Lane, but several of my friends have indicated that it’s a poor substitute for l’Atelier

2011 Aug 31
Yan:

Guu is absolutely fantastic. Interesting dishes, reasonably priced and a ton of fun. Great for two or a big group of friends. I went to the Bloor location over the August long weekend and it was one of the best resto experiences I have ever had in Canada. If this place was in Ottawa I think I would be dragging my coworkers there every Friday evening.

The Black Hoof is also excellent if you are into rather adventurous cuisine.

2011 Aug 31
Yan I haven't been to anywhere in Toronto with a tasting menu but I can recommend the following two places:

Oro www.ororestaurant.com/

Biff's Bistro www.oliverbonacini.com

2011 Aug 31
Beast (thebeastrestaurant.com/) and The Black Hoof (theblackhoof.com/) were both amazing when I was in Toronto a few months ago. The Black Hoof was probably the best food I've had in years.

It is also responsible for this hilarious blog post: www.charcuteriesundays.com

2011 Aug 31
Plus 1 on Tracinho's idea (with whom i may have rubbed elbows in Aug): loud, even over the top some evenings, Guu's a fun and delicious way to spend a couple hrs. The addition of the Bloor St. location seems to have reduced the length of the line-ups, but the boisterousness lives on.

as a side-point, you don't mention if you're driving Yan, but if so and need to gass-up / eat, Colborne's Golden Rooster was our latest random surprise. Not too far off the 401, its a Thai / Canadian combo in an old home. We shared an excellent noodle dish and a curry-soup, prepared by wife-owner and served up by husband who (as reviews on Trip Advisor suggest) bears a resemblance to a well-mannered (not the scary) version of Anthony Hopkins. They also do burgers and stuff like that. Small town relaxed ambiance, GR is an excellent lunch place for adults and kids alike, certainly better than those new On Route traps. www.tripadvisor.in

2011 Aug 31
I'd like to hear more about Guu. What are your favorite things on their menu, etc.?

2011 Aug 31
Flexie, being nominally vegetarian (with somewhat relaxed restrictions in a place like Guu), i should probably defer to Tracinho and others on the broader menu selections.

Quickly, though, what i like are all the fried Udon selections and their Kinoko Bibimbap is awesome - mixed with cheese of some sort. Also really enjoyed the Oden (again focusing on the veg options like lotus root, tofu, etc.) - you rarely find oden in Canada. Another fun option is Kabocha Korokke, a deep fried kabocha squash thing with a cooked egg inside - everyone at the table looooooved that.

Channeling the spirit of the others at the table (none vegetarian), the big winners were grilled mackerel, the oysters, tofu salad, etc.

Basically, you can't go wrong if you go with a group. Just order a bunch of stuff, none of the plates are over $10 so no big loss if you get a few misses. If you're solo, go at off-peak period and ask for suggestions, or just sit next to a regular!

Some of the items are similar to what you'd find in a Jpn restaurant in Ottawa, but most are (imo) tastier and/or with a fusion slant.

2011 Aug 31
you absolutely have to hit up Guu! it is a MUST with a group of drunken friends. i have only been to the Church St location once but here are my favourites (we drank a keg of Sapporo and ate a LOT):

Horumon - pan fried pork intestines with sweet garlic soy sauce

^ by far my favourite of the night. still dreaming of this stuff! photo is attached.

Takowasabi - octopus with chopped wasabi stem and vegetables
Gyutangue - grilled beef tongue
Takoyaki - deep fried puffed octopus balls with tonkatsu sauce and mustard mayo
Tontoro - grilled pork cheek with salt and yuzu pepper

2011 Sep 1
Apparently chef and co-owner Grant van Gameren of the Black Hoof just left the restaurant: www.torontolife.com

2011 Sep 1
I am sold on GUU! Any other suggestions?

2011 Sep 1
Spoke to my sister who lives in Vancouver and also lived in Japan for 3-4 years. She told be about Izakaya (Japanese pubs). Any luck we have anything close to this in Ottawa?