Reds Bistro

I'm prejudiced about Red's Bistro, as it is a SIR Corp owned restaurant, and I think highly of their service conducts, having worked at another of their restaurants, Jack Astor's during my University career.



I wasn't disappointed in my expectations. I always find with SIR Corp, you know what to expect and they deliver every time. But they didn't have prosseco.

Tia had the beef tenderloin, and I had the veal daily special. Both were fabulous, and we enjoyed them with the recommended accompanying wine. Everything about this restaurant was a 10. Aside from being a bit pricey, everything was delicious and the experience was pleasurable.

Cafe Arepa

My aunt Chela and I have been on a hunt for good Venezuelan cooking, which is a surprising rarity in all that Toronto's ethnic communities have to offer. While browsing online for restaurants to visit this November, I found a small one that opened not too long ago, called Cafe Arepa.





An arepa is a traditional Venezuelan dish made of cornmeal, and kind of looks like an English Muffin. You can prepare them in any way you feel creative.





I washed down my Pabellon arepa with an amazing raw brown sugar cane lemonade. Chela had the pork and tomato arepa and quite enjoyed it.



The cafe was chic and quiet, pretty nice for not being a formal restaurant. The servers are ethnic and can answer many questions about the traditional cuisine. We had a nice time here, and enjoyed browsing this area of Queen street with its artsy boutiques on our way to the cafe.

Sassafraz

It's Winterlicious time again, so we booked Sassafraz on Chela's request, as she's always had and interest in checking this spot out.



I had been here before one evening for drinks, and sat out on the patio to watch the night life go by. I wasn't overly impressed that night, and since then I haven't heard great things about this venue. It was a pleasant surprise when my aunt and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves in the posh ambiance with pleasant service. The food was delicious too!

We enjoyed a glass of our signature prosecco each to start. For our mains, I had the 6 oz. Canadian Beef tenderloin with grilled onion "smashed" potatoes, pea puree and lobster butter Americaine, and Chela had the Pumpkin Risotto with truffle infused wild mushrooms. Everything was delicious and impecable. The restaurant was completely packed and that affected our service a bit, but our server was very attentive and friendly. This is a great spot in an upscale area, with prices to match. We have been to other restaurants with the same enjoyable atmosphere and service, with better menus, for lesser prices.

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!