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Positano 633 Mount Pleasant Road; (416) 932-3982; www.positanorestaurant.ca (Number of visits: One)
On a recent movie/dinner trek to Mount Pleasant Road, between Eglinton and Davisville, we had to make a concerted effort
to pry ourselves away from the excellent Simple Bistro (See review of it below.) Since this was our first visit to
Positano, what follows can be considered a preliminary report.
Our meal started well, with a substantial, chewy bread, served with a warm tomato and basil dip. But the main courses weren’t
impressive. The angolotti stuffed with spinach was ok, but the tomato sauce rather bland. A salmon poached in parchment paper
arrived at the table almost raw and had to be sent back for more time in the steamer. The medley of vegetables was abundant:
tomatoes, roast potatoes, asparagus and fine strips of things like red peppers, carrots and parsnips (I think).
It struck me that Positano, with its somewhat funky decor, makes for a welcoming neighbourhood haunt. Regular
customers received effusively friendly greetings from the management. For us, it looks ok for an occasional visit,
but not someplace we’d rush back to. The service was competent and professional in a folksy way, nothing particularly
polished or sophisticated about it.
Pricing: Medium
Alizé 2459 Yonge Street; 416-487-4449; www.alizerestaurant.com (Number of visits 4-5)
Our history with this place is somewhat mixed. On first visits, a few years ago, I was delighted with the pasta. Next few
times, the fare didn’t seem so good. The sauce on chicken pasta, as I recall, tasted watery and powdered. On our most
recent visit, the gazpacho was excellent. I’m told that’s because the tomatoes were fresh and the ingredients
weren’t blended so much as to lose their distinctive tastes. The bread was blah, though. Main courses of steak/frites,
baked halibut, and chicken with honey/dijon glaze were declared good. The capellini with goat cheese included a minimal portion
of the latter. A dessert of crèpes, promised with fresh fruit and crème anglaise, turned out to be one crèpe with canned blueberries and
a gluey syrup that could have been crème anglaise or just about any non-descript dribble.
The service in this small, attractive setting could best be described as cheerfully neglectful. It took a lot of effort
on our part to get water and bread to the table. Same for the bill and the dessert. Nothing to rave about, in sum, but not
a complete write-off, either.
Price range: medium
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Previous Reviews and "Updates"
Coppi Ristorante 3363 Yonge Street; 416-484-0436; www.coppiristorante.com (Number of visits: 3)
Although this restaurant has been nestled securely in our neighbourhood for nearly twenty years, we’ve only recently
started frequenting it. Was it the valet parking that conveyed the impression that the place would be outside our price range?
It isn’t, we find.
So we're enjoying excellent meals there. The calf’s liver is unbelievably delicious – and that’s
coming from somebody who ordinarily avoids liver. Amazingly tender veal comes in a white wine and lemon sauce. Succulent cornish
hen sports an enticing touch of charcoal from the brick oven. Very good pastas include ravioili stuffed with beef cheeks and
mushrooms, and spaghetti (spelt for our anti-gluten companion) puttanesca. We’ve also heard good things about the red
snapper baked in layers of sea salt (but be aware that it will be priced according to the market of the day).
By way of appetizers, we especially liked grilled octopus on pea greens and fava beans, and mussels with tomato sauce ,
parmesan and breadcrumbs. We found the caesar salad a bit blah, though, not as fresh or crisp as that served at some other
places.
The desserts, so far, haven’t excited us much either. Various sorbets offer lots of tangy flavour and the tiramisu
is ok but the lemon tart isn’t nearly as tasty as the one served across the street at the Olive Oil Boutique.
Service at Coppi, under the expert eye of manager Alessandro Scotto (whom, it turns out, we know a little from another
life), is smooth and professional. The story behind the restaurant is that owner Fausto di Bernardino was named after
the famous cyclist Fausto Coppi who dominated the sport in the 1940s and 50s. Signor di Bernardino’s strong feelings
for his namesake carried over, not just to the naming of the restaurant, but also its decor. You may or may not like the huge
black and white photographs of sweaty cyclists and their admirers gazing down on you while you dine. But you’ve gotta
admit that a distinctive and stylish ambiance is achieved. It’s one of those motifs that you might think would
never work but it obviously does.
Price Range: High medium.
The Red Tea Box 696 Queen Street West; 416-203-8882 (First visit)
Joanne Kates of The Globe and Mail has often recommended this as a great place for tea. A recent visit to an art
gallery nearby finally gave me an opportunity to try it myself. While the place didn’t live up to my fondest imaginings,
it did turn out to be a very different downtown tea time experience.
The front of the dim, narrow shop is crowded with tables displaying the various pastries on offer. Towards the rear of
that section, a couple of tables are available for customers but, being practically on top of the cash register, they don’t
look very inviting. So I was glad when the server led me further back, through a breezeway leading past the kitchen.
We came to a little patio – about four tables – that wasn’t usable because it was such a damp day, then
up a few stairs and into a structure at the very rear of the premises, where the server seated me at one of five small tables.
It felt like you were playing house in somebody’s garage or basement: a cement floor, painted red but much scuffed;
walls and ceiling a light green that shrieked of end-of-line paint sale; cast-off furniture, some of the chairs
featuring thick padding with chrome trim (à la 1930's?). Most of the wooden pieces looked
like the kind of stuff that’s been mouldering behind your parents’ furnace for years. Not the sort of thing that
would get an antique dealer slavering. But you could see that a decorator’s eye had been at work, trying to impart an
artsy look to it all. Cushions and paper lanterns and flowers had been distributed throughout to provide colourful accents
to the predominant green.
The menu describes elaborate "high teas"(for about $28), which include an astounding assortment of goodies. Not having
anyone to share such a spread with, I opted for a single cup of tea and a piece of chocolate-banana cake with butter cream
frosting. Unable to find anything that looked like a normal tea in the list of exotic varieties on offer, I asked for
help from the server, who recommended the Ceylon tea, as being the closest to English Breakfast. My "one cup" turned
out to be a little pot, that served about two and a half fillings of the small china cup on its mis-matched saucer. The
tiny milk jug looked like a teapot from a child’s tea set. The tea was very pleasant. As for my sweet, the so-called
buttercream frosting proved impossible to eat. You might as well have sat down with a brick of lard and started spooning it
in. Stripped of its icing, the cake was ok, nothing special. No hint of banana as far as I could tell.
The place is so quiet that there was nothing to do but listen to the conversations of other customers. A mother and her
daughter were planning some big event, possibly a wedding. The mother was oohing-and-aahing over her large bowl of soup; the
daughter was attacking a delectable looking sandwich. At another table, an elderly couple were enjoying an outing with their
forty-ish son and his wife. The four of them discussed some home renovation plans, then their various diets, the father’s
bread-making routines and so on. Eschewing any baked goods, they were all exclaiming appreciatively over the different teas
they had ordered.
The hostess who had greeted me on entering (presumably the proprietress?) was very gracious, and I found the service to
be friendly and obliging, if a little amateurish. Next time, I’d like to take a companion so that we could sample more
of the menu. In the meantime, it struck me that this was certainly a cozy place to crawl into on a rainy afternoon. Compared
to the ambiance of the rest of Queen Street West, the experience almost felt non-commercial – except for the bill: $17
for a piece of cake and cup of tea!
Price Range: High (as tea and pastries go)
The Olive Oil Boutique 3334Yonge Street; 416-484-6100 (Number of visits: Three)
If you’re looking for something a little different – light and casual – this new eatery might fit the
bill. It started about a year ago as a delicatessen-cum-coffee shop, serving things like light lunches, with a heavy emphasis
on oily Italian dishes. The croissants were Italian-style too: lighter and fluffier, not as buttery as the French, the "chocolate"
version containing Nutella. Much of the energy of the operation went into promoting and selling special kinds of olive oil.
That didn’t seem to work out, so the proprietor got a liquor licence, renovated a little and started opening for
evening meals. The result offers an experience that isn’t exactly what you’d call fine dining. It’s more
like a funky neighbourhood restaurant such as you’d find in Europe. Two big tv screens in upper corners provide the
necessary fix for sports and news addicts. Meanwhile, the owner prowls the premises, jovially greeting everybody and making
sure that things are running smoothly. The service is brisk and super friendly.
We’d visited several times in the previous era, but this was our first time for an evening meal. So far, things are
looking good. A few standard plates are offered – veal Marsala, for instance -- but the menu emphasizes things like
pasta, pizza, wraps and salads. The pizza was excellent – beautiful crust and very interesting flavours. A wrap containing
turkey, eggplant and so on was very tasty, although the turkey content was minimal and the wrap itself was a bit dry and flakey.
We shared what was billed as a lemon cake, but it seemed more like a tart to us. No matter, it was heavenly: delicious, creamy
lemon filling, with crunchy almond topping. Plus, it had been warmed to perfection – not too much, just enough to make
it totally seductive.
Update: we recently tried a chicken parimigiano open-face sandwich. Loads of tomato sauce slathered over
the chicken -- which was ok -- but that thing underneath: a warmed-up linoleum tile?
Price range: Low medium.
Steakfrites 3185 Yonge Street (former location of Mezza Misto); 416-488-0081 (Number of visits: One)
It mystifies us that, within the past ten years roughly, two perfectly acceptable restaurants haven’t been able
to make a go of it in this location. Will this one, by some inexplicable stroke of good fortune, fare any better?
First impressions do not bode very well. Since we dined here on just the third night after the opening, however, this
can be considered a preliminary report.
The new decor has brightened the premises with white walls (formerly red), crammed with framed posters celebrating
all things French. Attractive as that may be, the place was packed on the night we attended and the noise was horrendous.
How do owners accomplish this with a barely-known restaurant? Certainly the clientele could not have been spontaneous
drop-ins from the neighbourhood. Is there a website where people can get deals for dining at newly-opened restaurants? Do
the owners pack the place with family and friends, like papering a house for the opening night of a theatrical production?
Or maybe they call in out-of-work actors to pose as diners...?
The gustatory experience did not live up to all the buzz. We found the steak and frites to be ok, but not exceptional.
I’ve had juicier, more generous steaks. The frites were a bit dry. Desserts that we tried were ok (lemon tart) and mediocre
(warm apple tart). Bread? Not very interesting. No question, though, that the prices are very reasonable.
Given that the place is so new, we had to put up with lots of glitches in the service. We hope to return when things should
be running more smoothly and when the crowd and the noise have fallen back to a more tolerable level.
Price Range: Medium-medium
Agostino's 2497 Yonge Street, 647-351-0507 (Number of visits: one)
We don't usually review a restaurant after only one visit, but the prospects of our visiting this one again in the near
future aren't great. If a repeat visit does occur, though, we'll update this review.
We found the meal mediocre, especially by comparison with other very good restaurants in North Toronto (see Osteria
below, for example). A dish of fettucine with Bolognese sauce tasted odd. That could have been because the meat sauce appeared
to be made with pork rather than beef but, even so, the flavour wasn't very appealing. Fusili with shrimp was bland in the
extreme and the shrip content amounted to a total of three items. Cesar Salad was crispy enough on the palate but the romaine
lettuce looked somewhat yellowed with age. While the price was certainly acceptable (about $60, including one glass of wine),
the service didn't do much to enhance the experience: one server polite and competent, if not exactly personable; the other
server conveying a chippy undertone.
Price range: Medium
Osteria 3249 Yonge Street; 416-545-0000 (Number of visits: three or four)
The decision by owners of Sapori, one of our favourite neighbourhood restaurants, that it was time for
renovations and a change of name caused some dismay hereabouts. What was going to happen to the cozy ambiance and
the food we had come to like so much? Well, we happened to be the first diners on the opening night of the
restaurant's new incarnation and we've been back two or three times since. Which should tell you that all is well. We're especially
pleased that the same two charming and welcoming young men oversee the proceedings.
The room has been opened out by the removal of the wine storage area, making the place somewhat more airy and roomy. And
most of the pricier items have been removed from the menu. The overall impresssion is of a less tony, more accessible eatery.
The makoever seems to have worked; it's rapidly becoming very popular. To make sure of a spot, you should get reservations
or arrive early, as we always do. So far, we've tried only the pastas and they have been excellent. One dish of melt-in-your-mouth
gnocchi turned out to be the perfect treat for a member of our party who was recovering from periodontal surgery!
[Note: Several restaurants in the Toronto area have some version of "Osteria" in their name, so make sure that you've
got the right one if you're phoning.]
Update: This has now officially become our favourite North Toronto restaurant. Others may be
more posh or more fashionable, but this one offers the best dining within our price range. The decor may not be as cozy and
upscale as in the previous incarnation (Sapori) but never mind; the slightly lower prices make the breezier, more open atmosphere
entirely agreeable. On a recent visit, we tried something new for us -- the veal marsala -- and it was scrumptious.
The restaurant's one failing, as with all Italian-themed eateries, is that the dessert menu is a big yawn: tiramisu,
crème caramel, tartuffo and sorbet. This time, though, we decided to go for the tiramisu
and it turned out to be quite acceptable, although not by any means erasing the memory of the divine confection served up
by Madame Rota at the late and lamented Dante's.
Price range: Medium
Richlees (1959 Avenue Road) (416-483-9818) www.richlees.com Number of visits: several [Note: this place has had an over-hauling and a revised name but we haven't yet had a
chance to check out the changes.]
Occasionally, I have found the "Mediterranean cuisine" here a bit too elaborate, in a sort of European style
-- for instance a salmon that was gucked up with too much overlay. But we enjoyed a recent visit very much. Strangely,
though, all the bread (with a liver pate) was hard and dry in a way that didn't seem intentional. Then came a
very good mixed green salad with pear and a tasty dressing. For main dishes, a sirloin steak with veggies for one
of us, and gnocchi in a cream sauce for the other. The gelato for dessert -- mango and raspberry -- was bursting with flavour.
This place has a decidedly Old World ambiance -- chandeliers, wood, mirrors, carpet. It's a magnet for the well-heeled
geriatric set of North Toronto. You'll have to decide for yourself whether or not you're comfortable with that. The service
is classy and smooth, the only discordant note being cutlery that I find rather chintzy.
Price range: Upper Medium
Delux (92 Ossington Avenue) (416-537-0134) Number of visits: 2
Normally, we like to visit a restaurant more than twice before committing our impressions to this website. Since this eatery,
however, is situated in a part of Toronto that we don't often visit, we're gonna make some comments now, in case it's
a long time before we return to it.
A very stylish, hip place -- bare brick walls, minimalistic furniture -- this one dishes up what appears, for the
most part, to be very good food. On my recent visit, I had steak frites. The latter were not the skinny French ones
I was hoping for but they were good. It disconcerted me a bit that the steak was presented sliced but the flavour was acceptable.
A pannacotta for dessert -- pretty much a bland, pudding-like thing -- was sweet but not very interesting. On my first time
there, I had a more enticing pastry, as I recall.
The service by the young wait staff is professional in a cool, casual way: tight-fitting t-shirts and designer jeans
on the guys. Only problem on my recent visit was that, being the first customer of the night, I had to listen to their chatter
and their heavy rock music while they sat at the bar, warming up to their duties. Later in the evening that, obviously,
wouldn't be a problem.
Price range: High Medium.
Chega (3391 Yonge Street) [CLOSED]
MoRoCo 99 Yorkville Ave, Toronto. 416-961-2202 (Number of visits: 2, plus some takeouts)
I stumbled on this place by accident. It’s off the street and up a few steps, in the interior mall that also
houses Yorkville’s venerable The Coffee Mill. The MoRoCo premises used to be occupied by an art gallery. Now it’s
a taste of Old World elegance – all black and silver and grey, with sparkling chandeliers. You sit at a table on one
of the velvety banquettes and you feel swathed in quiet, luxury. The service is discreet and smooth.
The specialty of the house is chocolate. As you enter, there’s a display counter where you can buy all sorts of chocolate
treats. In fact, the first time that I dropped in, to investigate the place just out of curiosity and to check out the menu,
the attendant at the counter presented me with a just-poured glass of hot chocolate as I turned to leave. It was a very different
kind of hot chocolate from what we’re used to at our skating rinks in North America: not nearly as sweet and milky but
packing a much stronger chocolate hit. MoRoCo’s truffles are squarish with hard, shiny exteriors, not the buttery, soft
kind, but they’re very good. The chocolate croissants, the only items not made on the premises, are from Rahier, on
Bayview Avenue – possibly not the best in town but certainly much better than what you get at your neighbourhood Starbucks.
The menu for meals seems to emphasize somewhat lighter fare but there are some more substantial dinners. On our recent
visit, Jane had stuffed chicken breast. The chicken itself didn’t have tons of flavour but the stuffing and the accompanying
veggies were very tasty. My steak sandwich on a baguette (with salad) was unbelievably good – very tender meat, dripping
with flavour. The baguette was crunchy, airy perfection.
But it’s mainly the elaborate, imaginative desserts that get your attention at MoRoCo. We’re always complaining
that the North Toronto restaurants have completely run out of good dessert ideas. (Any one for: Tiramisu? Crème Brulé, Tartuffo? No thanks!) And yet – irony of ironies –
we didn’t order a dessert at MoRoCo. We did take home some delicious cookies but we must return sometime just for the
desserts. They look amazing. Expensive though: about $14 each. But they look bounetous enough for satisfactory sharing.
Price Range: High medium
Simple Bistro 196 Mt. Pleasant Road, Toronto. www.simplebistro.com (Number of visits: 3 or 4)
Our first visit was on a warm summer night when the small premises were so crowded and noisy that we de-camped
to another place up the street for dessert. Which is not to say that the fare at Simple Bistro wasn't
worth putting up with a bit of commotion. It's good French cooking, within a relatively moderate price range. The service
is lively, efficient and professional, without over-emphasis on charm. My second visit was early on a winter night when
I was the sole occupant until two businessmen arrived. The steak/frites were everything I dreamed of. Given that there was
no problem with noise this time, I felt it my duty to give the dessert menu a try. A lemon tart was exquisite.
Update: the so-called "Black Forest Cake." Our server reacted with shocked indignation when we inquired
cautiously whether the cake might come with synthetic whipped cream: "We don't serve anything synethtic!" Turns out that
there isn't any whipped cream of any kind. It's more of a mousse confection, topped with a cowl of marzipan. Lots of kirsch-soaked
cherries, though. A delectable dessert if you don't have your heart set on traditional Black Forest.
Price range: towards the higher end of medium.
Il Fornello King Street, Theatre District, Toronto. (One visit)
If your idea of a good experience of Italian cuisine is a quiet little place, where the sweaty proprietors exert themselves
over delectable dishes which they personally deliver to your table, Il Fornello ain't for you. A huge place,
bustling with activity, it appears to specialize in serving the middle-class couples and family groups who want a not-too-expensive,
but fancy-seeming feed, before heading for a night of theatre. The plates are arranged with great style, the service
is brisk and the atmosphere is hopping.
But the food disappoints. My penne with chicken, spinach and mushrooms was supposed to have an oil dressing but it seemed
watery. I didn't like the taste but maybe there was some spice in it that doesn't agree with me. Jane's spaghetti
carbonara with chicken was very bland. Carrot cake was hearty, though. Bread was good too (two slices brown, two slices white).
Not having reservations, we were escorted to what was obviously one of the less desirable tables -- right in front of one
of the main serving areas. But Jane loved being able to watch the preparation of salads, pizzas and desserts. In fact her
many questions about it all elicited some smiles and good cheer from our middle-aged waitress who, otherwise, seemed disinclined
to show any sign of friendliness whatever.
Price Range: Medium
Some Background re North Toronto Eateries:
Ever since Dante Rota closed his fabulous "Dante’s" at 3353 Yonge Street, about eight years ago,
we have been looking for a new favourite in the neighbourhood. "Dante's" was perfection. We constantly marvelled at our
good luck in that the distinguished Signor Rota had, in his last years before retirement, deigned to open a little eatery
near us. In his heyday, he had been the chef at the "Three Small Rooms" at the Windsor Arms Hotel in downtown Toronto. No
less an authority than the Globe and Mail’s restaurant critic, Joanne Kates, had credited him with bringing Italian
cooking to a much higher level in Toronto.
We loved popping into "Dante’s" on a moment’s notice, weeknights or weekends. We usually went early, so reservations
weren’t obligatory. Not being the gourmand in the family, I can’t supply an elaborate explanation of what made
the cuisine so good. But I do remember hearing rapturous sighs about the fact that everything was very fresh, very original,
very authentic. It was here that a culinary stick-in-the-mud like me was encouraged to try something as daring as calamari
deep-fried in batter. I actually got to enjoy them and haven't tasted any as good since.
Mostly what I remember, though, were the desserts made by Signora Rota. Her homemade tiramisu was nothing like the ersatz
version that restaurateurs now try to pass off as the real thing. Hers was a heavenly cross between cream and cake, oozing
chocolate. Simply to look at a plate of it told you that it was too rich to finish by yourself; we usually shared one. Another
of Signora Rota’s concoctions that I loved was her zuccotto, a dome-shaped thing, with, as I remember it, a chocolate
outer shell and a creamy filling involving sponge cake.
Regarding this dessert, one evening the Rota’s son Carlo, who is now a very successful actor (Little Mosque on
the Prairie, etc.) but who often waited on tables then, explained to us that the word zuccotto came from the same root
as zucchini, the latter being a smaller version of a somewhat similar shape of thing. Carlo’s presence
on the scene exemplified the family-aspect of the enterprise. Quite often, there was a gathering of relatives and friends
at one of the back tables. Whenever the Rota’s other son (I don’t remember his name) arrived with his wife and
baby, all business had to stop while Signora Rota paraded the baby from table to table to be admired.
Trying to put those happy memories behind us, we keep heading out to sample whatever pleasures the neighbourhood eateries
have to offer now. Although we’ve never hit on anything as wonderful as what we experienced at "Dante’s", we have
found some places that we enjoy on a regular basis. Here follows mention of some of them. Lots more to come soon.
Sapori 3249 Yonge Street [Re name change and other innovations, see review of "Osteria" above]
This is one of our favourites, for now. As at all Italian restaurants, we usually have two pastas: one chicken and one
seafood. One time recently the chicken pasta was unbelievably good; the next time it was good but not superlative. Beforehand,
they bring you a crispy little loaf, just out of the oven, soaked with garlic. Like all Italian restaurants hereabouts, however,
there’s no imagination or flair whatever when it comes to dessert: the monotonous run of things like creme caramel,
creme brulé, various ice creams and sorbets, and, of course, the inevitable tiramisu (so-called).
The Sapori service has a personable, professional, upscale feel to it. We like the ambiance very much (except for the kitschy
art). It’s cozy, with lots of dark wood, walls painted to look like stone, high-backed wooden chairs. With the wine
cellar on view at one side, it has very much the feeling of a hideaway tucked back on some side street in Europe. I especially
like the hefty cutlery. Usually we go early, when the sound level isn’t any problem. On one occasion, though, when we
dined later (around 8 pm), the place was packed and the noise, to our consternation, was intolerable.
Price range: Medium
Ristorante 101 3265 Yonge Street, 416-481-8101, www.ristorante101.ca (Number of visits: several)
OUT OF BUSINESS
Parmigiano 3186 Yonge Street, 416-489-6688, www.parmigiano.ca (Number of visits: several)
We loved this place when it first opened, about five years ago. It’s in the spot where Ranleigh Avenue ends at Yonge.
The location is a bit notorious because, when the previous establishment occupied the premises, a car driving along Ranleigh
went straight through the intersection and ploughed into the restaurant, ending up in the back of the room. (I don’t
recall whether there were any casualties.)
You’d never guess at that history, given the current ambiance. It’s warm and welcoming, with linen tablecloths,
tables quite close to each other. The food has always been good. But it became much too popular for us within a few months
of opening. It’s nearly always too crowded on weekends. Some people like to be in the midst of a hive of activity at
a restaurant; we prefer to crawl into a quiet corner. We have always found the service to be fine but I recently went for
lunch on a weekday with a friend and the waiter was a bit snippy.
Price Range: Medium
Soho Bistro 3202 Yonge Street, 416-488-676 www.sohobistro.ca (Number of visits: several)
This is the place we drop into when we want something simple and casual. They do a very good burger, with fries or salad
for $10.95. The burger’s thick and tastes homemade, not like the processed burgers you get most places. Sad to say,
though, we haven’t much liked anything else we’ve tried here. The pizza’s fat and soggy. To look at the
website, you’d think the place was the epitome of style and flavour but it strikes us that the menu is far too
ambitious (all sorts of meat and fish dishes) for anything other than the microwave treatment. Besides, you don’t get
the impression of any vast staff in the kitchen. The service, however, is cheerful and unpretentious. If the room
gets full, the noise can be terrible, as there’s nothing to absorb the voices bouncing off the hard walls and floor.
But you can avoid that problem in the summer when the patio’s open.
Update: We've tried some of the salads, with chicken or seafood, and liked them very much.
Price range: Medium (except "Low" for us, given that we usually have just burgers)
Mezza Misto 3202 Yonge Street, OUT OF BUSINESS
The Monkey Bar and Grill, 3353 Yonge Street, 416-486-2288, www.themonkeybar.ca (Number of visits: a couple)
This is the restaurant that took over the premises of "Dante’s". We understand that the chef/owner is a protegee
of Signor Rota’s. We visited the new place once or twice when it first opened, about seven years ago. The food was very
good but it’s too pricey for us on a regular basis. We might go back once in a while, on special occasions, except that
it’s always packed. It’s one of those places that has really caught on with the cognoscenti of North Toronto who
have lots of $$ to throw around.
Price Range: High
Piazzetta 3441 Yonge Street, 416-440-1777 www.piazzetta.ca (Number of visits: several)
The pizza’s especially good, coming from a wood-burning brick oven roaring away at the back of the room. The
pasta’s ok but we tend to shy away from this place because it has become very popular with families and it can get terribly
noisy. The service always seems a bit frantic. Don’t be fooled by the home page pictures on the website which will make
you think you’re looking at someplace on a piazza Italy.
Price range: Medium
Trio Ristorante 3239 Yonge Street, 416-486-5786 (Number of visits: 5 or 6)
The former occupant of these premises was "Mangia". The young owner had had trouble with his opening, about seven
years ago, because, for some reason, neighbours objected to his obtaining a liquor licence. Once he got going, though, it
was a very classy place, with excellent food and an understated elegance. The original owner left after a couple of years
and the chef took over as chef/owner, offering pretty much the same fare. The place deserved to be very
popular but, in the inexplicable way of the restaurant business, it wasn't.
Now the place is re-incarnated as "Trio". I get the impression that the former chef/owner is still involved in the kitchen.
The new place (about two years old) is slightly less pricey than the former one and has become extremely popular, especially
with family groups. For that reason, we don’t even try to get in on Friday nights. But one evening during a heavy snowstorm
last winter, we were the only ones in the place and it was delightful.
Price Range: Medium
Gamberoni 3238 Yonge Street, 416-482-3063 (Number of visits: 5 or 6)
This place is hugely popular. That may be partly due to the "typical trattoria" decor: small tables jammed closely together,
red and white checkered tablecloths, dark walls with touristy views of Italy. Lately, the restaurant is undergoing renovations
around the front window to make it look even more quaint from the street. As far as I can recall, we’ve never had any
problem with the food there, although I do remember that spaghetti and meatballs came with very little of the latter. The
main reason we don’t patronize the place much – apart from the crowding – is that we have found the service negligent.
We’re willing to accept that there’s something about us that causes that but a friend recently visited the place
on her own and had the same negative impression.
Price range: Medium
Previous Reviews:
Cravings 3393 Yonge Street, Toronto 416-322-2200 www.cravingstoronto.ca Number of visits: 3 or 4. (Date of posting: Nov 3/08)
This Asian restaurant has a somewhat upscale feel about it in every way except for the prices, which are – surprise
– relatively modest. In the short time since its opening, it has become very popular, so you might need reservations
on a Friday night.
On our recent visit, we had an appetizer of dim sum with shrimp and spinach. Very tasty. A "very spicy" sauce that came
with it turned out to be untouchable, as far as I was concerned. Our main courses – fried rice with chicken and shrimp,
and mango stir fry with chicken – were delicious.
We found the service to be charming and discreet. The decor is smart and sleek – mostly black, white and beige. The
only problem is with the chairs in the front room, should you be sitting on one of them rather than on a bench against the
wall. The back of the chair is low and slanted backwards. That doesn’t matter when you’re leaning over the table
to eat; if you try to relax and lean back at any point, however, you find yourself sprawled at a very uncomfortable angle.
Price range: low medium.
The White Truffle 139 Broadway, Orangeville, Ontario. 519-941-7583. www.thewhitetruffle.ca (Oct 27/08)
On a recent Thursday evening, a friend and I were strolling the main street of Orangeville, Ontario, looking for a decent
place for dinner. After passing up various fast food joints and pubs, we zeroed in on The White Truffle as possibly our best
choice. But I entered somewhat warily. From the window, there appeared to be a heavy emphasis on gleaming white linen and
shining glassware. That reminded me unfavourably of gussied up small town restaurants that try to pretend they’re dishing
up haute cuisine when the only thing haute about them is the prices.
Since there was only one other table occupied, we got a large round table in the window. The waitress told us that the
special was salmon and that it was very popular tonight. I was much tempted by the duck breast, as that is one of my favourite
treats. But it seemed risky to me to order it in a place where I couldn’t be sure of the quality. Too often, duck breast
has appeared with a soupçon of the microwave not far behind. So I ordered the salmon;
my friend ordered Arctic char.
A few moments later, the waitress unexpectedly plunked down in front of each of us an amuse bouche. It was something
in a creamy swirl on a cracker. I think she said it was some kind of a seafood concoction. (I wasn’t taking notes, having
not yet decided to do a review.) Very tasty. Then came some home made brown bread with, I think, hummus. We had also, at the
waitress’ casual suggestion, ordered some brocscetta, which was very good.
When the salmon came, I simply could not believe how good it was. I had never tasted salmon like it. It had some sort of
creamy sauce which, the waitress told me, was a butter-lemon-herbs mixture. My friend said his Arctic char was very good too.
Even the accompanying rice struck me as exceptionally good – every grain distinct and just the perfect texture. Some vegetables
on the plate were fine but I seldom pay much attention to vegetables; they strike me as the kind of thing you have to eat,
so you get it over with as expeditiously as possible.
When dessert was suggested, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to prolong the pleasure. Several of the offerings involved
chocolate (not advisable at night because of my caffeine intolerance), so I opted for a warm strawberry/rhubarb tart. It was
a long time coming but, thankfully, the waitress returned to the table to assure me that it was in the works. It arrived as
a wide flat tart, on a big plate, with a dollop of vanilla ice cream on the side and some sort of coulis. The first bite exploded
in my mouth with an intense strawberry flavour such as I haven’t experienced from fresh strawberries in many a summer.
The crust was of the crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth quality.
Our waitress, a pleasant, casual woman around forty, stood by our table and chatted to answer all our astonished questions.
She said the chef/owner had considerable experience world-wide before opening this place about two years ago. (We didn’t
get his name.) I certainly hope he makes a go of it. He’s struggling a bit with a somewhat problematic venue: a long,
narrow room with a huge air duct over head. The only thing I would change immediately would be the slightly chintzy cutlery.
Lots of burgundy paint helps to make the room more elegant but a "martini lounge" at the back adds a slightly louche
touch, I think, although it’s probably meant to help draw customers. Speaking of which, I asked the waitress where everybody
was. It was 8 pm and we were closing the joint. She’d said earlier that the salmon was popular tonight. With whom? I
asked. "Oh," she said, "this is Orangeville. Our busy time for dinner is 5:30."
Price range: Medium
......
At lunch time next day, the café across the street was turning away people who didn’t
have reservations, so we returned to the White Truffle. My quiche lorraine and my friend’s venison burger were good.
His sweet potato frites added a little something special. On the whole, though, the lunch wasn’t as exceptional an experience
as the previous night’s dinner.
The Chocolate Shop on Broadway, Orangeville
Through the above-mentioned lunch at the White Truffle, I’d been debating whether to go for one of the chocolate
desserts. Or would I return to the chocolate shop across the street where I’d bought a box of truffles to take home
last night? I’d seen an appealing plate of brownies on the counter there. When our lunch waitress – a more
business-like, less friendly one this time – plunked the bill down on our table without mentioning dessert, it was clear
that the fates had decided for me.
We had to wait a while in the chocolate shop while the owner/chef finished some business with ladies who were buying several
gift boxes for friends and family. A very pleasant, middle-aged lady in a white smock and hairnet, the owner had assured us
the previous night that she makes all her chocolates herself. Now, when I asked for a brownie, an odd look – somewhat
sly or mischievous – came into her eye.
- "They’re fine," she said, waving a hand delicately over the plate of brownies, "but I’m not selling them."
- "Pardon?"
- "They’re quite fine," she repeated, "but I’m not selling them."
- "What do you mean?"
- "I mean, you should just take one."
- "Why?"
- "They’ve been sitting out for a couple of days, so I’m not selling them, but you’re very welcome to
take one."
- Determined to force payment on her, I asked, "What do you normally sell them for?"
- "One dollar, but I don’t want you to pay me."
- It turned out that I only had a $20 bill and it was finally agreed, all round, that it would be too much to ask her to
make change for the $1 dollar purchase.
So I helped myself to a brownie and my friend did too. Munching them on the way back to the car, we concurred that they
were very good. One can only imagine how amazing they might be right out of the oven.
Back home in Toronto, I found that the chocolates in my $10 box of eight were superb -- creamy and buttery. In fact
they’re the best chocolates we’ve tasted since the demise of the Belgian Chocolate Shop on Yonge Street in North
Toronto a few years go. That place turned out the gold standard for chocolates, as far as we’re concerned. I understand
the owners still have a store in the Beaches area of Toronto but we seldom find ourselves out there. It’s
nice to know now that there’s an alternative in Orangeville, which is barely any further away. Well, it’s actually
about twice as far but, when you’re in pursuit of such good chocolates, who’s counting the kilometres?
