Tea at the Four Seasons

We're keeping up with our afternoon tea tradition just before the Christmas holidays. This year we ventured to Lobby Bar at the Four Seasons.



The three tiered platter they serve with tea was delicious, and I was pleased that the amount of tiny samples was enough to satisfy my hungry belly! The service here was exceptional. I really enjoy tucking into afternoon tea, it's a nice way to change things up a bit, and to start into the Christmas spirit.

Le Select

In October, we visited Le Select, a quaint French restaurant adjacent to my office. This restaurant is known for their repeating award winning wine list.



The atmosphere here is exactly what you'd expect from a classy French restaurant, with the upscale decor, prompt service, and tasty looking menu.



My aunt had the PAVÉ DE BŒUF « AU POIVRE », which is a centre cut filet with a peppercorn, brandy and cream sauce, and it was decadent. I had the GIGOT D’AGNEAU AU JUS, which is leg of lamb with lemon and rosemary sauce, and it too was mouth watering. The wine paring certainly lived up to the award winning status, however as we browsed the textbook they call a wine list, there was no prosecco by the glass, so we simply had to settle for cava, which brought me back to Barcelona in an instant.

Needless to say, this restaurant was thoroughly enjoyable and is a solid guarantee for a great evening anytime. Highly recommended!

Brassaii

I have walked by this alley way that leads into a small courtyard for months. At the back of the courtyard is a very typical building. Walking by with friends, they'll point down there and say, "They have the BEST fries in Toronto!", or "This place has fantastic breakfast and brunch, not like the all day breakfast places!". But that typical building down the alley hasn't stood out for me as a place to check out, but I'm sure glad we did.



Brassaii should have some of those massive search lights dancing out front with red carpets rolled out, because it is far more deserving that its modest exterior. The Toronto International Film Festival even held a private party there the weekend after we visited, so its quality speaks above its modesty.

Unfortunately they were painting the patio, so we couldn't sit outside for what will likely be the last time we go out this year when it's still warm enough to sit outside. Inside was grand but comfortable. The building used to be a warehouse, and the open space is maintained as much as possible. The colours are various washes of grey with plenty of windows which creates a refreshing sort of warmth in the large space, and allows emphasis on the beauty of the unique and minimalist pieces.





Like Milagro, Brassaii doesn't serve dinner until 5:30pm, but their bar remains open from lunch onwards, so we had a choice of 2 Prosecco wines to enjoy while we chatted the time away. Their menu has both a al carte choices and prix fixe choices, as well as daily specials for each day of the week. We were both excited we chose to go on the day they have the fresh lobster roll special! So naturally, they were out. Our server recommended the nicoise salad or duck confit, but I went with the house made sausage ravioli with fennel, and Chela went with the house made pappardelle (which is a type of pasta we learned) in a tomato sauce with capers, olives and eggplant.

Both were to die for, probably the most impressed I've been since we started our dinners! There's something to be said for fresh homemade pasta, that's for sure.

The dessert menu has many delicious goodies listed, far better than a list of sugary stuff you know came frozen. Chela had (and shared) their flourless chocolate torte, served with mint and ice cream. Other tasty looking items were the apple crumble with butterscotch sauce, carrot cake with candies walnuts, and white chocolate orange crème brulée. I had the strangest craving for port, but didn't see it on the menu. I asked our excellent server if they carried port, and he proceeded to bring me two samples of port so I could choose the one I liked best.

Everything about this restaurant was flawless and enjoyable. The staff was extremely knowledgeable and pleasant, the atmosphere was very calming, even the music was great (pop and rock songs sung in a jazz/lounge remix). The menu is diverse but not overwhelmingly large and the prices are very fair. I highly recommend this spot for any occassion.

Milagro

We followed our craving for mexican flare at Milagro this month. This restaurant is very close to both of us, so we got there shortly after 5pm, after our work day.



Silly us, the restaurant doesn't open for dinner until 5:30 pm! But they were kind enough to give us a seat on the patio and serve us water, so we could relax comfortably until they opened.

Milagro is in fact a brand of tequila, so the restaurant has an extensive list of margaritas, and an entire menu dedicated to tequila. I had glass of the classic sangria (they had about half a dozen different concoctions!) and Chela had a margarita.

We started off with the homemade corn chips and guacamole (watch out, the server offered it like it was complimentary...) and we received the biggest mountain of guacamole! Six people could easily share it. Chela had the atun jalisco, which is pan seared tuna with cactus in a spicy tomato sauce. I had the pollo con mole poblano, which is chicken in a traditional mexican sauce made with several dozen herbs and spices, including chocolate! Sounds a bit wacky, but the hint of dark chocolate with no sweetness gave the sauce a silky smoothness and softened all the spices so they blended harmoniously.

The service here was excellent and the atmosphere was very relaxed; you really feel like you're taken care of here. The decor inside is a pleasant blend of contemporary and traditional Mexican, with whitewashed walls and colourful tidbits. You aren't overly bombarded with violent colours and the structure is open and spacious letting a breeze in, so you feel like your in the tropics.

I enjoyed it so much I returned a week later for sangria and appetizers. The sangria wasn't as full bodied the second time around, but the appetizers were to die for! We had papitas diablo (small caramelized potatoes and onions with spices), and tostadas vallarta (crispy tortilla flats topped with crab meat, tomato, cliantro and lime). This time they brought out homemade tortilla chips without the guacamole, and this indeed is complimentary. This has become a favourite appetizer snack spot!

Barootes & Quotes

This venue is actually 2 venues, and it took us a while to figure out where we were. Barootes is the upper level from the sidewalk and is finer dining. Quotes is the lower level from the sidewalk and has more pub fare. After a quick glance at Barootes' prices, we were headed to Quotes!



This restaurant had a real classic "Cheers" feeling to it. There were neat quotes on all the walls and decor, like "Body builder - strong for nothing" and "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." - Benjamin Franklin. The menu was extensive and put a finer twist on the pub grub.

We each had a glass of wine with our meals. Chela had a kung pao chicken stir fry, and I had crab cakes. The food was actually a bit bland with that try-to-cover-up-deep-fry effect, and turned out to be typical pub grub after all. We should've known they would be deceitful wizards-with-words in the menu descriptions, because of the quotes theme and all.

We consoled ourselves with grand marnier cheesecake for desert. It was typically delicious. The service was nice, they were cheerful and maintained the pub-like atmosphere. With the quality of the food and the prices in mind, we won't be going there again.

Queen Mother

This month we had dinner near Chela's birthday, so this was a nice treat! We went to Queen Mother, a quaint cafe that's been on the block for decades, in a building over a century old.





The menu here is interesting. They are outgoing yet trendy with ingredients, such as sweet potatoes and quinoa, but they prepare it in a non-intimidating fashion, finding the right mixture with common foods. This attitude is probably what's kept the restaurant in business all these years. Like Madonna, it's always trend setting but never over the top. There are yummy looking vegetarian dishes as well, that are far more exciting than steamed veggies, and a lot of their dishes have Asian influence.

The venue is nice; it has that grand and peaceful atmosphere older buildings always develop. The inside being so trendy provided a smooth balance with the structure, so the place hummed with calm and happy energy.

I was positively starving when we arrived, so naturally it was about 10 minutes before someone came over to ask if we wanted a drink! But getting to the important part, I started with a white bean dip with roasted garlic and lemon, and taro and sweet potato chips. They were awesome!

For dinner, Chela had the Pad Thai, and I had the grilled scallops risotto. I truly never knew scallops could grow that big, they were like steaks! Everything was very flavourful and satisfying, the way fresh, hearty ingredients should be.

The dessert bar was just behind us, and we salivated over the various cakes and squares, but we were both so stuffed, we had to pass on dessert.

Separating the back of my chair and this tempting dessert bar was a general walkway. Servers were regularly passing by, which was ok. What was not ok was the wobbly board my chair was on, and the violent shaking factor of my chair with each step someone took behind me. If you visit Queen Mother, sit in a booth.

Terroni

I heard through the grapevine about a very unique and authentic Italian chain: Terroni. We visited the Financial District's location on Adelaide st.



The menu does in fact remind me of dining in Italy (they actually note on the menu that they will not modify your order), and the ingredients were superb. Our server was wonderful and recommended a very nice red wine. Being so reminded of Europe, I was enticed to order two courses, and my easy going auntie agreed. (It didn't help that I just couldn't decide.)For the primi piatti, Chela had the penne with spicy sausage, and I had gnocchi in a tomato sauce. We went with pizze for the second course (instead of secondi), and I had buffalo mozzarella, spinach and prosciutto toppings, and Chela had a spicy sausage and spinach pizza.

We were far too full for any desserts afterwards! The food was fantastic and fresh, the service was wonderful as well, and the prices were extremely reasonable. This chain must be very popular because it was positively packed by 6pm, with a line up out the door for a wait, on a Monday evening no less! However, I do find it curious that this chain is so desperately popular... I rather question the decor.

The atmosphere was unique; packed, busy, noisy and friendly. A surprising number of families with small children were out, which is typically unseen at an Italian restaurant, but it added to its authentic European feel. It was a really nice change of pace. The decor was unusual; the tables were about 4 inches apart from each other, and the architecture was a patterned combination of contemporary, romantic, gothic, pop art and renovations. On one wall was a majestic stone fireplace (a table of a soccer team of eight-year-olds in front of it), the adjacent wall had tacky signs you'd see at a dive, and a tattered curtain draping over the entrance to the kitchen and covering gaping holes in the wall, and there was an exquisite, luxurious, contemporary, dark wood (possibly mahogany?) bar at the entrance. It sounds peculiar, but it wasn't bad at all. If you head over there knowing what to expect, you can really appreciate this unique atmosphere, and allow the vibe to take you all the way to Italy. But you'll know better than to go there for a secluded, romantic anniversary dinner.

Winterlicious - Bistro 990

The end of January/beginning of February is Winterlicious time in Toronto! Many posh, snobby, over priced (but of course, decadent) restaurants join the promotion with a prix-fixe menu that us common folk can afford. It's a great way to experience finer dining in Toronto: the social atmosphere gets you out and about in the dreary Winter season, and you can sample typically expensive restaurants, so when a special occasion arises you'll know a great place to go, and you won't be just guessing!

Our original restaurant of choice was Canoe, but the entire duration of the promotion sold out too quickly for us! So we chose Bistro 990 out of the over 130 other restaurants.





From the prix-fixe menu, Chela started with the leek & potato soup with caramelized onions and ermite cheese, the entrée was slivered beef striploin and shrimp, warm potato and romaine with a grainy mustard sauce, and for dessert, crème brulée! I too started with the leek & potato soup (it was chilly outside that evening!), my entrée was the seared yellowfin tuna Loin, mussels, in black olive linguini marinara, and also, the crème brulée.

This restaurant was as nice as any you'll find in Yorkville, and the service was the sterotypical French with a snooty air, and a bit slow. Overall, I didn't find it exceptional, but the atmosphere was very nice and cozy, in an elegant way, and I know the food is wonderful, so I'd consider it a safe bet to take someone out for a fine meal.