Mini-reviews of Toronto restaurants

This restaurant review section will expand over the next few months. I hope I won’t expand with it.

Divino Pizza

After perennially-packed Terroni moved out in late 2010, Divino moved in in early 2011. But the newcomer has never managed to fill Terroni’s very large  shoes and whenever I go there — mostly to pick up takeout — I wonder how much longer Divino can hang on. Divino definitely has some good dishes — the [...]

The Monk's Table on Yonge St.

The Monk’s Table is one of those places where you get the feeling that everyone is trying very hard to be a regular, even if they’ve only really been here two or three times before. In theory, the Monk’s Table should be great. The food is supposed to be way better than the average pub [...]

Bang bang shrimp at Harry's Social Kitchen

Yonge and St. Clair is way overpopulated with sushi joints and Italian restaurants. We desperately need a diner or a Lady Marmalade or a Rushton, but it seems we’re not indy enough or the rents are too high or both, which means, instead, we got Harry’s Social Kitchen. Maybe I’m bitter because I had high [...]

The Holy Chuck signature burger

Call me old fashioned, but when a burger, fries and shake get up into the $20 range, I expect either a little bit of atmosphere or an extraordinary eating experience. Given that Holy Chuck, the new(ish) burger joint at Yonge and St. Clair is a classic flourescent-lit, order-at-the-cash-and-eat-in-an-uncomfortable-chair-at-a-table-that-may-or-may-not-have-been-wiped-clean type of place, the onus was on [...]

New Groupon for Amaya Indian Room

by AnnB on January 28, 2012

I’m a fan of Amaya although I sometimes find their curries a bit too saucy. I’ve currently got an unused Groupon for Amaya Bread Bar so I’m going to pass on this one for the Amaya Indian Room. You might be interested, however.

Trevor for foie gras in Toronto

by AnnB on November 27, 2011

The interior of Trevor's Kitchen and Bar in Toronto

My daughter really wanted some foie gras for her birthday dinner so I set her to work, scouring the internet to find where in Toronto they did it best at a price that wouldn’t bankrupt me. After extensive research,  she suggested Trevor. Even though the reviews were a bit iffy, I agreed to give it [...]

XocoCava: Best croissants in midtown Toronto

by AnnB on November 13, 2011

I’m from Montreal so I don’t kid around when it comes to croissants. When I say Xococava’s are the best, that means they are absolutely, undeniably the best, beating Patachou hands down for both butteriness and flakiness. The only drawback is that Cava, first and foremost a chocolatier, doesn’t open until 10 a.m. The other [...]

You don’t go to Wylie’s for the decor. You go for a pint and a curry — a Thai curry. Because, go figure, this place is some kind of strange hybrid of English pub and Thai / Malaysian restaurant. But wait, it gets even more complicated. Wylie’s also does Indian curries, and some of those [...]

Capocaccia Café: Pizza all the way

by AnnB on August 15, 2011

We usually get the Giuseppe and/or Dante, both white pizzas, to take out, as eating in causes the bill to add up really fast. While the pizzas are not cheap, they are excellent quality so worth the splurge. Alas, not everything on the menu offers great value. We’ve been really disappointed by the Charcuterie plate, [...]

Given the fact that La Passione Italiana, a slightly grimy looking eatery at Yonge and St. Clair, has been able to survive in a neighbourhood packed with more pricey but more attractive Italian restaurants for years, I figured it must be offering pretty good value. When I finally did check it out, thanks to a [...]