Canadiana Restaurant & Banquet Hall

5320 Dundas St. W, Toronto, ON                                                            RATING: Poor

"Canadiana at its worst"

This restaurant should be renamed ‘1970s Revival’ because eating here is like stepping back in time, right down to the tiny Esso Station wine glasses and parquet floors. The waitresses were old school: buxom elderly ladies who slapped plates down like they were skimming stones in the local pond. I had prepaid for a three course dinner with a local organization that had booked a holiday dinner at the Canadiana. Wine wasn’t included so I ordered a glass of chardonnay at the bar. It was $6 a glass and would have been right at home in a wineskin at a 1975 Pink Floyd concert; it was swill at its worst.  

The appetizer was a salad; iceberg lettuce, under ripe tomatoes. I chose the French dressing.  Remember back in the day when the only dressings offered were French, Thousand Island and Italian. Yup, that’s the Canadiana.  

We were offered either Salmon or Prime Rib for the main course. I chose the salmon with creamy dill sauce over the prime rib because the waitress announced that the beef had been cooked to medium. I think the ‘chef’ was asleep at the switch because cooking a prime rib to medium is tantamount to ruining a good cut of beef, although I’m not sure this restaurant would fork out a lot of money for good beef.  The salmon was predictably overcooked but it was so overdone that I ended up having to saw through that poor fish with a steak knife. Even smothering it in a creamy dill sauce didn’t add any moisture to that little guy.  

Dessert was a selection of pastries that had seen better days, but wait! I tried one of the cannoli pastries and it was good. A nice way to end a horrible meal.  I opted to have a second glass of the swill to wash down the bad food. I understand that serving a large group of people is difficult when everything needs to be ready at the same time. But don’t offer a salmon dish if you can’t manage to cook it any way other than completely overdone. And don’t offer a prime rib cooked to medium. I saw other people’s plates and there wasn’t a tinge of red on any of the beef. That’s just awful. Sorry Canadiana, but you need to try a little harder. I won’t ever go back there.

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/