Canoe
66 Wellington St W, TD Tower
Toronto, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Western
Date visited: May 2011
I've always wanted to try Canoe. This place is impossible to get reservations for Winter/Summerlicious so the bf decided to "surprise" me by taking me there for my birthday. Well, not quite surprise .. I kind of knew it was coming .. plus he asked me if going there a week later than my birthday was ok since the place was all booked up :)
Food: 4.75/5
When you come to Canoe, you order what your heart desires. And my heart (and stomach) wanted Mozzarella! I had the bufala mozzarella and the bf had woodland mushrooms. The woodland mushrooms were fantastic!! It came in a small ramekin but there was actually quite a decent portion. My cheese portion was quite large for an appetizer. It was tasty, not overpowering. I think if the portion was cut in half (and the price :)) then it would be better. I was getting sick of it near the end of it. For our mains, I ordered sturgeon and he had the deep sea char. Both came with pureed potato (his mixed with water cress, that was delish), but mine came in a an absolutely fantastic sauce! Both our fish was wonderfully cooked. The only thing I didn't like was the small chunk of braised beef my dish came with on the side. For dessert we ordered the Niagara apple cake. It was definitely something different. Not sure if I'd order it again tho.
Service: 4.25/5
Service here was great. There was a "main" waiter for your table, and other people who refill your bread and water, take away your empty plates, bring your dishes, etc. Our waiter came at sporadic times. Sometimes I wouldn't see him for 20 minutes, sometimes only a few minutes in between. My biggest gripe is the wait for our entree. Probably over an hour! Fortunately we milked our appetizers for a while.
Atmosphere: 5/5
On the 54th floor of the TD Tower, you get a spectacular view of downtown Toronto. And it being dinner, I saw the most beautiful sunset ever. Beside the CN Tower and Lake Ontario, there was this pink, half sun that was setting over Toronto. Gorgeous. There's a glass view on most parts, depending on where you're sitting. We were lucky and got the GREAT view. The seats were nice and cushy, the table was spacious and the atmosphere was great. An open kitchen lets you see what the chefs are up to. Washrooms are standard TD Tower ones.
Price/Value: 4.5/5
No where else (other than the CN Tower) can you get such a view and fantastic food. I have to admit it's quite over my budget (bf paid .. thanks hunnie .. love you), but I don't go to these kinds of restaurants that often. The total damage was over $150 for 2 people: appetizers, entrees, dessert and a beer.
Overall dining experience: 4.5/5
Everything was worth it here. Especially the view. And the food. Service is great too. Would I come back? Not every day, week or month. Maybe once a year. When I can afford it. But I can be sure that I will have a wonderful time.
Le Papillon
169 Front Street E
Toronto, Ontario
Cuisine(s): French
Date visited: March 2011
We went (read:forced him) to watch Bugs Bunny at the Symphony when it was in town. It was a great show and since we were all pretty and dressed up, decided to go somewhere nice nearby. I've always wanted to try Le Papillon out since I pass by it everyday, so we went!
Food: 4/5
I was feeling a bit extravagant and wanted an appetizer to start. Bf wasn't really feelin' it but I convinced him to get a bowl of mussels. Mmm mm whee were they good! Bf ordered the meat pie and I got the chicken crepe. We both didn't really like the meat pie but my crepe was really good! I'm sure all the crepes on the menu were good. Too bad it didn't come with waffles instead :)
Service: 3.5/5
Service here was com si come sa. Our waiter started off attentive to begin with but then he kind of lagged later on throughout our meal. But, he did top off our water right when it was hitting low. The food came out in decent time (15-20 minutes) after we ordered. Nothing special about the service.
Atmosphere: 3.5/5
We got smushed in the corner of the restaurant, right near the door. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I was seated in the middle of the place. I actually don't remember too much about the decor or the atmosphere. Very high ceilings and lots of floor space, that's about it. Didn't try the restrooms.
Price/Value: 3.75/5
I think if the bf's meat pie was better, I would have given this place 4+ stars on the food. The mussels were really good, as was my chicken crepe. But there was something about the meat pie that really set my rating lower .. I think it was a bit dry and lacking flavour. But overall, $15-$20 for a Francais place? Not bad. I think our total damage was $75 for 2 people.
Overall dining experience: 4/5
Nice French place to go to. Not sure if I'd go back but the crepe was really good. If we do we'd definitely order another crepe, maybe even 2! Didn't find anything particularly special or amazing that I liked, except for the mussels. But, it's a convenient, posh place to hit up if you're nearby the Sony Center.
Casa Imperial Fine Chinese Cuisine
4125 Steeles Ave E
Scarborough, Ontario
Cuisine(s): ChineseDate visited: April 2011
Mom complains that we don't take her out to dim sum. So I decided to take them to Casa Imperial. We tried to go once but the wait for dim sum was ridiculously long. But this day, we went early, a little before 10 and there was lots of parking space and tables!
Food: 5/5
If this place doesn't constitute as the best dim sum ever, I don't know what does (well, with exception of the wicked place my Aunt took me to in HK. THAT was rockin 5/5 stars). Everything came on sparking white plates, beautifully arranged and mm mm good. I think we had 7 dishes. The usual .. har gow, mini bbq pork buns, fried squid, shrimp spring rolls, deep fried tofu, chicken feet, etc.
Service: 5/5
Service here is great. They pay attention to minor details, like clearing your plates should you have scraps on it; checking if your tea pots are filled up; promptly removing empty plates. There's no loud clanging of dishes like at other smaller dim sum places. Our dishes came out exceptionally fast (it's one of those places where you have to mark it down on paper), maybe 5 minutes after we ordered it.
Atmosphere: 3.5/5
This place used to be an Italian restaurant, which explains the old Victorian style everything in the place. I don't like going up stairs to get to my seat, and I had to walk up a flight for our table. The decor was fancy but I wasn't particularly fond of it. Thing is, you could TELL everyone around you was a bit well off; this place wasn't cheap and you're not gonna find loud cheap people here so it was nice and relaxing. Didn't hit up the restroom but Mom heard rumours that it's haunted (boo!)
Price/Value: 4.25/5
There's no denying: this place is not cheap. But, the food and service certainly do not disappoint. I have to say this is the best dim sum place I've had in Canada. I may not be able to tell the difference between this place and something better, but I can definitely tell the difference between this place and our usual place. Surprisingly, the damage for 4 people was only $55 + tips. Quite reasonable, I would think. Dinner may be another story tho.
Overall dining experience: 4.25/5
I have to admit, damn good food and good service. Had a splendid time here with my family and I would like to go back. Not all the time, but maybe for special occasions. Good luck paying the bill for those who have their wedding here .. we saw $800-$1800/table wedding packages here ;)
I just read Derek Miller's last post.
I cried :(
