Mitzi's Cafe

100 Sorauren Avenue, Toronto, Ontario                                                   RATING: Good

"Neighbourhood Delight"

This restaurant sits smack dab in the middle of a vibrant bedroom community in upper Parkdale. Built into the main floor of an old house, the huge front windows let in a lot of light and the surrounding trees gives it a homey yet still urban atmosphere. We arrived shortly after their 9 am opening which was fortunate because it filled to capacity quickly, including the eight or so tables on their covered patio. Clearly their baked goods were well sought after because I watched a steady stream of customers arriving for take-out  muffins, bagels and pastries. The table beside us ordered the french toast with banana and whipped cream which had me shamelessly ogling. 

Within seconds of being seated we were served delicious bottomless coffees and left to peruse the chalkboard menu. I didn’t want anything elaborate because I’m watching my calories so I chose a basic Mitzy’s breakfast consisting of poached eggs, bacon and rye toast. The meal came with a side of mini-potatoes that were tossed in a dark sauce which I can’t comment on because I didn’t try it. A complete no-no for a food blogger but I just plum forgot about my duty to try everything on my plate. The poached eggs were served in a tiny bowl set in the middle of the plate. They were perfectly cooked because the yolk was soft and runny, although they didn’t ask my preference so it’s a good thing I like them cooked that way. The only downside to a runny poached egg served in a bowl, is the likelihood that they were cooked in a pot of boiling water with vinegar added to keep the white attached to the yolk. You guessed it, runny yolk and vinegar is not appetizing but I come across this unfortunate combination fairly frequently.  Mitzy, please I beg of you, invest in a proper egg poacher because not everyone likes eggs that taste like vinegar.  

The bacon was well cooked and delicious, and the rye bread was either homemade or purchased fresh from a local bakery. It was finger smacking good to the last crumb.  My breakfast mate ordered the same meal as me, except her eggs were in an omelette. They must have used 8 eggs in her dish because it could have fed three people. She barely got half way through before requesting a doggy bag. It seemed like there was a teenage boy behind the grill who was anticipating his own breakfast, but I will quote my husband and say "never complain about there being too much food".  Fair enough.

We sat for 2 hours and watched as a line formed and then disappeared. Never were we encouraged to hurry up and finish so they could seat someone else. 

My breakfast came to just shy of $14 for a basic bacon and egg breakfast with coffee (the latter is separate).  That’s not cheap, but the quality of the food is good and the atmosphere is pleasant. 

I would definitely give this establishment my repeat business.

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

Spoon & Fork, Japanese and Thai Cuisine

1233 the Queensway, Toronto, Ontario M8Z 1S1                                                            Rating: Average to Good

"Overeaters' Delight!"

I’ve never been a sushi lover, but having spent six months in Thailand in the 1980’s, I love Thai food and always enjoy seeking out new Thai restaurants. My husband and I had achieved a life milestone and chose The Spoon & Fork on the Queensway for our celebratory dinner. It was an opportunity for him to enjoy some sushi and for me to indulge my love of Thai food. 

We made reservations for 7:30 pm and given that it was the eve of a long weekend we fully expected the restaurant to be busy. Upon arrival we reminded the harried hostess of our request for a booth and promptly received a sarcastic wise crack in response. Not a great first impression. We were eventually seated on the mezzanine level of the restaurant that overlooked the main floor. The ceilings are very high and the room somewhat cavernous, which unfortunately resulted in an unholy din that became even more alarming as the restaurant filled to capacity around 8pm.

There are two dining options at Spoon & Fork. The usual a la carte menu, or an all-you-can-eat tasting menu for a flat rate of $27.99. A word of warning! Read the fine print on the menu, because if you choose the all-you-can-eat option and don’t end up eating what you order, a bill will be presented at the end of the evening for the uneaten dishes. The obvious negative result of the flat rate is that it’s very difficult to avoid falling into the trap of overeating. We definitely dove head first into that particular trap.

We ordered several appetizers including vegetable and shrimp tempura, won ton soup, Thai dumplings and coconut shrimp. My husband ordered a variety of sushi while I tucked into an 8 piece avocado cucumber roll. I was completely stuffed after the appetizers, which had me in a bit of a panic because we had teriyaki beef, green curry chicken, pad Thai, pineapple fried rice with chicken, beef and shrimp still on the way! The beef teriyaki was cooked to perfection and melted in my mouth. The pad Thai was a beautiful blend of lemon, peanut and garlic flavours with tender shrimps over rice noodles. We enjoyed the tempura which was nicely cooked although a bit more oily than it needed to be. The coconut shrimps were slightly overcooked making the shrimp too chewy and the deep fried coconut coating a bit tough to get through. My husband quite enjoyed his green curry chicken and found the sushi to be fairly good. Not fantastic, not horrible, but good. The Thai dumplings were lovely, although the peanut sauce was too plentiful and too sharp a flavour for such a mild dish.   

After the appetizers, I began eating like a machine in order to clear the plates and avoid an extra bill at the end of the evening. I wasn’t sure how seriously they took that threat, but I wasn’t about to test the waters. At the end of the meal I practically waddled out of the restaurant and even a late evening march around the neighbourhood with our dogs didn’t liberate my overstuffed stomach. I freely admit that it was a discomfort of my own making.

The food at Spoon & Fork was good; there was no doubt about that. But the experience was overshadowed by the clack and clatter of dishes and people shouting to be heard over the noise. Plus we had the added stress of having to eat everything we ordered. At $27.99 per person, I’m sure the restaurant is doing well, because we noticed that the more expensive food, such as the beef and shrimp, were presented in small portions whereas the rice and noodle dishes were plentiful. Our bill for one drink each plus the all-you-can-eat rate was $90 including tip. Yes, those drinks were pricey.

I gave this an Average to Good rating; however we agreed that we would not choose this restaurant a second time because the food wasn`t good enough to compensate for the awful atmosphere. Well done on the food front, Spoon & Fork, but some noise cancelling headphones should be handed out with the menus upon arrival.

Restaurant link:  http://www.spoonandfork.ca/queensway.php

Taste of Thailand

5310 Dundas Street West, Etobicoke ON                                                     Rating: Fair

"Shrinking Portions and Expanding Prices"

On a bitterly cold February evening, my husband and I decided to order in to avoid heading outside in search of food. We had frequently ordered from Taste of Thailand in the past, but stopped a few years ago and for the life of me I couldn't recall why. I wish we'd remembered because it would have saved us from a big disappointment. Our order for two people came to $52 dollars for three dishes plus some steamed rice. If either of us had been really hungry there would have been no leftovers. And what happened to the complimentary shrimp chips with accompanying peanut sauce?  

I wouldn’t mind the price if the food was as good as it used to be and as plentiful as it used to be. No and no. The food isn’t fresh, and it can’t be blamed on the delivery time because it arrived quickly. The steamed rice had clearly been sitting in a pot for hours, and the pad thai was a lump of congealed rice noodles with a tired orange slice. But my biggest beef was with the Chinese Broccoli and Shitake Mushrooms, because the container had very little in it and it was $11.95!  I usually need my arm twisted to choose anything containing broccoli so the fact that I used to like this dish speaks volumes. But this order was a bunch of stems floating in a watery liquid. No thanks.

Taste of Thailand, you've cheaped out and we won’t be ordering again. “Fool me once shame on you...”

http://www.tasteofthailandcuisine.com/

Bier Markt

199 N Queen St, Toronto, ON M9C 4Y1                                                                           Rating: Fair

"Schnitzel Special isn't so special"

We met a couple of friends for dinner at the new Bier Markt across from Sherway Gardens. It was in the old East Side Mario’s location where we had dined several times so the place was nicely familiar. It was fairly busy for a Tuesday night, but we didn’t have to wait for a table. The server warned us that if it had been a Saturday night, we might have waited for hours. All I can say is that I am grateful that I didn’t have to wait for this particular meal.

Who would go to a specialty beer establishment and order wine? I would. What can I say except that it was a lovely chardonnay and I was in the mood for wine. My co-diners all ordered beer and had no complaints. A couple of them tried some complimentary tasters in cute little glasses, which was a nice touch. The wide variety of beers is definitely a draw, and the wait staff know their beer. 

With drinks safely ordered, we spent several minutes staring at the menu before admitting to each other that we were at a loss as to what to order. We were distracted by the possibility of ordering a whole roast pig at $58 a person and wondered how it would arrive at the table, but this item needs 48 hours notice. I guess you’d have to be a repeat customer to know that it’s even on the menu. Fine by me, because I wouldn't want to be looking at a pig's face while digging into a slice of pork. 

My one friend ordered oysters and mussels. The oysters arrived in a large bowl of ice. Six oysters at $3 each so it was $18 for six bites of seafood. Each oyster was covered with a large dollop of horseradish, an act that has always puzzled me when it comes to slugs and such. Take my opinion with a grain of salt because I am obviously biased, but I don’t like slimy bits of rubber-like raw creatures covered in a searing hot sauce sliding down my throat. However my friend, like many people, loves seafood and quite enjoyed the oysters and mussels at Bier Markt. Fair enough.

Three of us ordered the Schnitzel special which was a serving each of pork, veal and chicken schnitzel on a bed of fingerling potatoes with a side of asparagus. Having been told that it was a substantial portion, I decided to forgo the appetizer. It was one of the rare times that I have not finished a restaurant meal when I was still somewhat hungry. The schnitzels were all overcooked, dry and flavourless. It was surprisingly difficult to tell which was the chicken, pork or veal. Unfortunately, each piece of meat was covered with a different flavoured jam. That's right folks, JAM. Blackberry jam on the pork schnitzel, tomato jam on the veal, and lingonberry jam on the chicken. You would think that jam would have given those dried out bits of meat some flavour and that might have been the case if the jam had actually tasted good. It did not. I scraped it to the side of the plate and attempted to continue sawing away at the meat but eventually gave up. The fingerling potatoes were not memorable, perhaps because there were so few of them.  

Not a satisfying meal, which was surprising because everything about the place smacked of a ‘you want it, we got it’ attitude. But they don’t got it, and I don’t want it. I doubt I’ll visit a second time. This restaurant was rated Fair because only one out of four of us enjoyed our meal.

http://www.thebiermarkt.com/

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/

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/