Canyon Creek

1900 The Queensway, Etobicoke, ON                                               RATING: Average to Good

“A Hit and a Miss”

My husband and I had reservations at Canyon Creek on New Year’s Eve. We arrived to a packed lobby but were promptly led past the crowd of people to a booth in the bar area. Make reservations, people!  I usually prefer being seated in the main dining room of a restaurant because the bar area is often loud and cramped; but the booths in the Canyon Creek bar were spacious and comfortable. Our servers were knowledgeable, pleasant and efficient.  We split an appetizer, both ordered mains, drinks and desserts and the bill was $100 before the tip. Quite reasonable.

The appetizer we split was the Cool Ranch Ribs. Five medium sized pork ribs that were deep fried and served with a ranch dipping sauce.  They were definitely fall-off-the bone ribs as promised, but they were also quite greasy which shouldn`t have been surprising given that they were deep fried.  It was an ‘okay’ appetizer, but I couldn`t get past the grease dripping from my fingers to really enjoy the experience. I would never order that particular starter again.  

My husband's main course choice was the Coffee Crusted Steak that was accompanied by steamed carrots, golden beets, and buttery mashed potatoes.  Our server informed us that this particular steak is coated in crushed coffee beans and then blended with brown sugar to cut the bitterness of the coffee. It`s finished off with a tangy BBQ sauce.  An odd combination but my husband was game to give it a try.  He found it noticeably spicy and after I sampled a taste I was unpleasantly surprised by the fact that it could have been any type of meat underneath that spicy exterior because I couldn’t taste the steak. This was surprising because there was nothing in the description that indicated it would be spicy. When we inquired as to the mystery ingredient in the coating, we were told that it was the tangy BBQ sauce.  I don’t think so.  What obliterated any flavour of steak was not a tangy flavour. Maybe the chef reached for the ground pepper instead of the coffee grounds in error. In any case, it was a shame because at $23.95 it was an expensive searing of the tongue. 

My main course was from the Simply Steaks section of the menu, and consisted of a 7 oz top sirloin steak accompanied by buttery mashed potatoes.  This restaurant relies heavily on top sirloin as their primary cut of steak.  It is a less tender, more flavourful cut of meat and my steak didn’t disappoint because it was perfectly cooked to medium rare and was as tender as a top sirloin can get.  I couldn’t fault the mashed potatoes because they were melt-in-your mouth delicious. My main was definitely two thumbs up while my husband’s was one thumb down.

For dessert I was looking for something rich and chocolately.  I was on the verge of ordering the Double Chocolate Brownie but the server wisely explained that it was a more cakey brownie as opposed to rich and fudgey.  I dodged a bullet there because I ended up with the Molten Chocolate Cake that nicely tamed my chocolate craving.  A scoop of vanilla ice cream finished off this delicious dessert.  

My husband ordered the Banana Coconut Cream Pie.  Now this was an odd dessert because we were expecting a triangle wedge of pie.  It IS pie, right?  But it was pie in a jar.  Layered like a fancy bar drink, the top layer was whipped cream, then coconut cream beneath it and a layer of crust at the bottom of the jar.  Interesting and tasty, but it would have been nice to just have a piece of pie.

All in all, this was a good experience for me, and a not-so-good experience for my husband who ended up with several hours of indigestion from who-knows-what part of his unfortunate meal.  

I gave this an Average to Good rating which is a balance between our very different dining experiences at this restaurant.

Restaurant website: http://canyoncreekrestaurant.ca/sherway/

Far Niente Nappa Grill

187 Bay St (At Wellington St.), Toronto                                                     RATING: Fair to Average

“Poor to average food, too-small portions”

I lunched at Far Niente with three coworkers during the week before Christmas. We were seated in a comfortable booth and given the specials by an attentive, pleasant waitress. Each of us ordered a main course only, no starter, which was a mistake because the main course was not filling enough for any of us to make it through the afternoon without snacking. 

Two of us had the special of the day which was northern pickerel in a roasted red pepper sauce accompanied by couscous and steamed arugula. I hadn’t eaten pickerel since my uncle Walter caught one out of the back of his boat in Northern Ontario when I was a kid; so I was anticipating the taste of this unique mild white fish. It was indeed nicely cooked: tender and moist. The sauce was fine, the couscous okay, but the steamed arugula was not edible. Why serve such an incredibly overpowering bitter accompaniment? Neither of us enjoyed that part of the meal and pushed it around our plates after one small bite. It was an average meal at best. 

Another coworker had the Crispy Chicken which were deep fried chicken pieces, with an average tasting coleslaw. Average. The last of the four of us ordered the Fish n’ Chips, which was beer-battered haddock, and fries that looked mouth wateringly good. He’s a guy, so he didn’t go on and on about the food, but I could tell that he was really enjoying that meal. I was almost tempted to hand back my pickerel and ask for the haddock, because it looked that good. 

I would say three thumbs down and one thumb up for this meal. Good wait staff and comfortable seating, too-small portions, and prices are not cheap – we split the bill four ways and each paid $32. No alcohol, only a main course. And I had a bagel in the mid afternoon because I was still hungry. This is definitely not my favourite restaurant, so if you can choose another location, and there are many to choose from in the financial district, do so.

Restaurant website: http://www.farnienterestaurant.com/

Jump Cafe and Bar

18 Wellington St. West, Toronto, Ontario                                                             RATING: Excellent

"Healthy AND delicious!"

This is an ‘Oliver & Bonacini’ restaurant; but who cares about the fancy frou-frou name? It’s the quality of the food and the efficiency of the wait staff that is of prime importance in a busy restaurant in the financial district. Fortunately this restaurant came up trumps on both counts. 

I went with two colleagues during the busy Christmas season and it was hopping. Service was fast and efficient, and the wait staff endlessly pleasant and knowledgeable. They need to get people in and out in a reasonable amount of time, but at their ...ehem.. prices, the food had better be good. And it is. 

I ordered the Roasted Organic Chicken Breast that was accompanied by quinoa and mushroom salad, along with a date and lemon sauce. What a pleasure for the palate. I usually order quinoa with trepidation because it can be bitter and just plain awful, but it was not. Flavourful! Oh so flavourful with the mushrooms adding tender chewiness, and the date sauce bringing a sweetness that wasn`t overpowering. The chicken was mouth wateringly tender. I ate every speck of food on my plate and could barely concentrate on the conversation. My colleagues made similar work of their dishes. One had the chunky tomato soup with accompanying BLT sliders. She was initially disappointed that the `sliders` had no beef! But once she got past that expectation she proceeded to clean her plate and pronounced the sliders a success.

One word of warning, this venue isn’t going to satisfy a big man with a big appetite because the portions aren’t large; but they are perfect for people who don’t want to feel like they need a nap to recover from a massive midday meal. Thank you Jump. A last sad comment is about the desserts. All three of us women were looking for a rich dark chocolate cake and the only item that came close was black forest cake, which is no substitute for an orgasmic slice of melt-in-your-mouth dark chocolate cake. We finished our meal with coffee, and Jump made no dessert sale on this day. 

Restaurant website: http://www.oliverbonacini.com/jump.aspx

Nami Japanese Restaurant

55 Adelaide St. E., Toronto, ON                                                                 RATING: Excellent

"Sushi restaurant for the non-sushi diner"

Plenty of people end up at sushi restaurants who don’t like sushi, and I count myself as one of them. Nami was the choice for our company Christmas lunch partly because they have a private room at the back of the restaurant, and our boisterous group needed the privacy. But also, most people seem to like sushi. Sadly, I do not. But this restaurant was not a disappointment because every single food item I consumed was delicious. 

Nami’s private room is actually separated from the main dining area by traditional Japanese sliding paper-covered doors. Shoes are removed, and – horrors! - it looks like you’ll be sitting cross-legged on the floor; but never fear, because there’s a cutout under the table so you’re actually sitting as if you’re seated at a ‘normal’ table.  It’s a blessing because most of us don’t have the knee endurance to manage an entire lunch with folded legs. 

The menu was full of sushi options that I quickly skimmed over. For starters I ordered the Appetizer Tempura. I'm always impressed when deep fried food items end up being not greasy because it defies logic; but thankfully the Nami chef has mastered the art of non-greasy deep frying because the tempura was moist and, YES, not greasy. It meant that I wasn’t left reaching for my napkin to wipe grease from my fingers (shamefully I was using my fingers and not the chopsticks). There was a nice assortment of deep fried vegetables and shrimp with a watery dipping sauce that you’ll want to keep pretty close to your mouth or you’ll need a Tide stick after your meal. 

The accompaniments included the typical bowl of miso soup with floating cubes of tofu. This unfortunately was a bit too salty for my taste, but miso by its nature is a salty soup. I dug in, making a mental note to purchase a bottle of water on my way back from lunch to deal with the after effects of excess salt. 

The salad bowl that was plopped in front of me appeared to contain iceburg lettuce and nothing else (is that even possible, because who serves iceburg lettuce anymore?).  But the type of lettuce didn't matter because the dressing was that mystical Japanese dressing comprised of sesame, ginger, lemon and I don’t know what other ingredients; but it always leaves me wanting to lick the bowl.  I didn’t, but I really wanted to.     

My choice for the main course was the teriyaki salmon and it was mouth wateringly tender and not overly salty, which can be a danger with teriyaki anything.  Thankfully the Nami chef understands the delicacies of salmon and I was reaping the benefits of his culinary skill. 

No dessert, and especially no rich dark chocolate anything was offered up, so I went away with that particular craving intact. Lastly, I never mentioned the wait staff, all of whom were incredibly patient and knowledgeable. Overall I would give this restaurant a well-deserved Excellent rating. Go to Nami, non-sushi lovers. You won’t regret it.

Restaurant website:  http://namirestaurant.ca/

Fox Bistro, Raddison Hotel

640 Dixon Road (neat Pearson airport), Etobicoke, ON                                        RATING: Poor

"Beware weary traveller!"

A group of my friends decided on the Fox Bistro as a good dining location that was central to all.  While waiting for my group to arrive, I ordered a glass of wine at the bar located at the back of the dining room. It was a glass of Wolf Blass Chardonnay for $10. I gave the bartender $15 and waited for change. Realizing that I wasn't going away, he came back to tell me that he had to go find change but it would take some time. Seriously? So I told him to just keep it and he didn’t even say thank you, not even a smile. Rude and surly set the pace for the waitstaff at this restaurant. 

My friends ordered the minestrone soup for their appetizer. None of them finished it because it seemed to be right out of a can, and not a good can at that. I chose the Caesar salad which was a mistake because the lettuce was swimming in a cheap dressing. They must have a dumpster full of uneaten meals out back because this food was not good.  I’m not sure who the ‘chef’ is, but I had an image of a couple of teenagers working the grill with vats of sauces and pre-made entrées at the ready. 

I chose the salmon as my entrée and if the fish hadn’t been pink I wouldn’t have known it was salmon because of the insanely spicy sauce that was doused over the top of the poor fish. It could have been a slab of soggy Kleenex and I wouldn’t have known because of the shock to my senses and a seared palate.  

The third course had promise because it was chocolate cake and if it had been a really good rich dark chocolate cake, I might have forgiven all.  But given my experience so far, I was afraid to take the plunge.  I asked the waiter if it was mousse or cake and he said, ‘both’. Ok, that was a little helpful but I wanted a bit more information so I tried again and asked if it was dark chocolate, and he sneeringly said, “well it’s not white.”  Maybe he was having a bad day, but in my worst moments as a waitress I would have made a bit more effort than that.  I ate the cake because I was desperate for something good to come out of that meal but it was a poor imitation of a chocolate cake and full-on stale. I doubt they make anything from scratch in this restaurant nor do they use fresh ingredients. 

Pull up your socks Fox Bistro because your food is pathetic. You have a captive audience with all the unsuspecting travellers passing through Pearson, so please start serving up some decent fare because you’re giving Toronto a bad name.

Thyme 4 Pizza & Pasta

890 The Queensway, Etobicoke, ON                                                     RATING: Average to Good

"A Little Gem"

We finally found a decent cheap Italian restaurant in Etobicoke. This restaurant, which has been at Islington & The Queensway for 15 years, is a fine place to grab some Italian without paying top dollar.  We booked a table for two and in hindsight we’re lucky we did because there was a line at the door the entire time we were there. Seating for approximately 40 people, pleasing decor (although the big screen TV on the wall should go). 

The wait staff are very pleasant; however, one nit is that our waitress, when asked to recommend a wine to accompany my meal, said she didn’t know anything about wine. That was a surprising response. 

The bruschetta appetizer was a good size for two people and we were pleasantly surprised. Quality olive oil, ripe tomatoes and a hint of garlic on their own focaccia bread. As a main course I ordered the Fusilli Vodka and it was the right amount of creamy with the right amount of tomato – a tasty rosé sauce. The pasta was clearly not home made which wasn't surprising. My husband had the Fettucini al Pesto which he said was good. Although he did ask “where’s the Pesto?” after his first few bites. Our main courses were less than $15 and the entire meal came out to approximately $55 which included drinks, split appetizer and our main courses. You can't ask for a less expensive, decently tasty Italian meal. 

We heard through the grapevine that the quality of the food isn't what it used to be when the owner was the chef; however we would still recommend this restaurant if you're looking for cheap Italian in Etobicoke.

The Musket

40 Advance Road, Toronto                                                                                 RATING: Good

"Comfort food at its best"

We’ve been to this German restaurant many times and it never disappoints. The atmosphere is dated, but that’s part of the charm. It's service with a smile and pleasing to the palate. You have to be ready to step back into 1960s Toronto which is when this restaurant put up its decorations. If you're lucky you can be treated to an elderly gentlemen with an accordian. 

Atmosphere aside, the menu is typical old world German fare. On this occasion my husband and I both ordered the Jaeger Schnitzel and it was delicious. Crispy coated and covered in a rich mushroom sauce. It comes with purple cabbage called Rotkohl which was perfectly cooked  as well as fried potatoes. It’s comfort food at its best.

Restaurant website:  http://www.musketrestaurant.com/

The Open Cork Eatery & Lounge

2101 Dundas St.E., Mississauga                                                                            RATING: Poor

"Very Poor Food"

We went to the Open Cork for the first and last time. The décor was pleasing, but that's pretty much the only positive comment about this travesty of a restaurant. The food was appalling and the service disappointing at best. 


I ordered the Grilled Calamari with Pernod caper tomato sauce for my appetizer and my husband ordered a Caesar salad. The calamari arrived and it would have easily fed three people. That`s not necessarily a bad thing, but this was three slabs of charred overcooked calamari. My first bite tasted like charcoal and it had that unfortunate texture that all overcooked calamari has, rubber. But this was burnt rubber. I couldn’t eat it and when the waiter came to ask how we were enjoying our appetizers I told him that it was overcooked and burnt. He then explained to me that this was the way it was meant to be cooked. Sorry, but it’s not. He took it away and quickly came back to ask if I wanted another order prepared and I said no. He said, ‘no charge’ so I agreed thinking that I would see how they prepared it a second time and if it was equally as terrible it didn’t matter because I wasn’t going to be charged.  You can see where this is going to end.... 

The second order of calamari appeared quickly and it was not charred. It was relatively tender and decently cooked, so my focus changed to the sauce it was floating in. Imagine cheap thick bottled tomato sauce with 20-30 capers thrown in, then add some undercooked crunchy green peppers and that was the sauce. I struggled through about half, but It was truly terrible.  

For a main course I ordered Mediterranean Spaghetti and my husband ordered Fettucini Primavera in a cream sauce. The sauce in his dish had the appearance of brown soupy broth. Note to the ‘chef’, if you cook mushrooms in butter and then add a cup of milk, it will turn brown. And you have to THICKEN a cream sauce otherwise it will be soup. Under cooked vegetables completed this dish. My poor husband managed to get through half of it before putting down his fork with a pained look on his face. 

My dish was awful. More thick tomato sauce from a jar with under cooked vegetables and clearly the cheapest spaghetti pasta that they could order in bulk. How any chef could send this food out to customers was beyond me. When the bill came, of course the calamari was on it. I guess his ‘no charge’ meant that I wasn’t going to be charged for two orders. It was a $70 waste of calories. My kind-hearted husband tipped 15%.   

Unfortunately I did not look up any reviews of this restaurant until after we returned home. A number of people have given this place a good review mostly because it has a summer patio, but there were also some bad and almost frightening reviews about the sanitation. Save your money and your palate and stay away from this restaurant.

This was my first restaurant review.  After reading the good ratings, I could not, in good conscience, let this horrendous dining experience go.  One of the worst restaurants I have ever visited. 

Restaurant website: http://www.theopencork.com/