Biff's Bistro

4 Front St E, Toronto, ON M5E 1B2                                                          RATING: Good

"The French know their quiche"

Owned and operated by Oliver & Bonacini, this upscale French bistro was surprisingly quiet for a Friday lunch with my coworkers. It was my first visit to this restaurant that borders the Toronto financial district and the Front Street entertainment venues. The three of us bypassed the busy patio and headed in to the mostly empty restaurant. It's formal, caters to business folks and is air conditioned for suits and ties.

This restaurant has numerous seafood and fish offerings that looked truly delicious. But my eyes zeroed in on the Quiche Du Jour with mixed greens. I hadn’t had quiche in months and my mouth was watering in anticipation. My co-worker Nick is a club house sandwich guy and he immediately went for the Chicken Club with bacon & barissa mayo while Kelsey and I ordered the quiche. It wasn’t just your average ham & egg quiche. It was made with pork sausage that had a bit of a kick and topped with a slice of brie. The pastry was firm but literally melted in my mouth when I bit into it. I ignored the voice at the back of my mind that was counting the calories. Any time a pastry melts in your mouth, add a few zeros to the calorie count. But this quiche was worth it. The brie was young and firm, and the quiche filling was something to write home about: perfectly cooked egg and a smattering of vegetables with bite sized pieces of zingy pork sausage. It was accompanied by a side of salad greens. The dressing was a Champagne vinaigrette, but I’m not a fan of vinegar so I opted for straight olive oil. Unfortunately the salad consisted of whole lettuce leaves and nothing else, and I had to do a lot of carving and folding to make bite-able pieces. It may look nice when plated, but salad served this way is a royal pain to eat. I soon gave up trying after a few pieces unfolded just as the fork reached my mouth.

My colleagues devoured their meals.  Nick had his plate clean in a matter of minutes.  Kelsey and I were neck and neck until she took a break to answer some questions and fell behind. When the waiter cleared our plates, there was only lettuce left behind.

All in all this meal was good.  It wasn’t cheap because a wedge of quiche and some lettuce leaves were $17 plus tax and tip. 

If you’re a seafood fan and a lover of French food, I would recommend giving this restaurant a try. 

Restaurant Website:  http://oliverbonacini.com/biffs-bistro.aspx

Oliver & Bonacini Cafe Grill

33 Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontario                                                RATING: Good

"Salmon fillet, arm & leg"

I patronized this restaurant with 3 co-workers on a summer Friday afternoon in Toronto’s financial district. We chose to sit inside the restaurant in order to avoid the endless construction sounds and smells that are a Toronto epidemic this summer of 2014. 

We sat in a comfortable booth, away from the din and clatter by the swinging kitchen door.  Our server was polite, pleasant and incredibly efficient, which is exactly what we wanted and needed.

My attempt to watch calories had me ordering the grilled Atlantic salmon ($24). The menu said that it was accompanied by roasted heirloom carrots and mini Yukon Gold potatoes. The salmon was cooked to perfection, crispy on the outside and mouth wateringly tender on the inside. There was a smattering of horseradish pesto on the top that was nicely understated because it added a hint of flavour but didn’t overtake the natural flavour of the salmon. The two small potatoes, and I mean SMALL as in the size of a walnut, looked appetizing but they could have used another minute of cooking because they were too firm for my liking. What are heirloom carrots?  The two small 2-inch long root vegetables that were on the plate didn’t resemble any carrot I’ve tasted, and looked more like parsnips. They were bland and crunchy so I pushed them to the side of my plate. 

One of my colleagues ordered the Turk Pizza ($16) which was spiced ground lamb, hummus and feta on a fairly thick crusted pizza. He said there was no sauce or cheese on it, although the menu stated ‘feta’ so there must have been very little.  He enjoyed the pizza and ate every crumb on his plate.  My other colleague had the Tandoori Chicken Burger served with a mint & onion marmalade along with sweet potato fries ($16). He said it was good which was evidenced by the fact that he also ate every crumb on his plate.  Lastly, my other colleague ordered the Friday special which was shrimp & salmon cake on a nicoise salad with olive tapenade vinaigrette & caper remoulade ($17).  She wasn’t impressed with this because the ‘cake’ was actually ‘cakes’, about four seemingly walnut sized cakes (again with the walnut analogy) that were heavily deep fried so they were mostly crust.  Not much flavour and the salad that was underneath it looked fairly unappetizing (did they use iceberg lettuce?). My co-worker barely touched the salad. 

Ironically my meal was less than half the size of everyone else’s and was significantly more money.  I walked back to work feeling hungry and shocked that my lunch was $35 all-in including my soft drink. Unfortunately that delicious salmon wasn’t the last taste in my mouth; it was the bitter taste of disappointment for having spent far too much on a lunch that wasn’t worth it.  But, I would give this a Good rating because three of us devoured our food, and only one said the food was ‘okay’

Restaurant website: http://oliverbonacini.com/Jump.aspx

Jump Cafe and Bar

18 Wellington Street West, Toronto, Ontario                                       RATING: Average to Good

"A dollop of Ricotta won't do"

I arrived at Jump with my two regular lunch pals on a busy Thursday in the Toronto financial district. We were initially led to a table that was almost laughable. It was a non-starter because my friend couldn't have sat in her chair without being constantly jostled. Having none of that, we asked for a table change. Straight away we were led into the main dining area and greeted by the happiest waiter I've ever had. Farhad Bulsa. This guy is happy. He introduced his `shadow' co-worker, David, another happy guy. From start to finish this pair was a pleasure.

Comfortably seated with menu in hand, I looked at the array of options and let loose an audible sigh of relief. They had the exact item that I'd ordered on my previous visit, the organic chicken breast, with mushroom and quinoa salad.  My mouth was watering in anticipation of biting into that tender chicken. But I gave my head a shake and thought of this blog and admonished myself because I knew that I should probably sample a different menu item. Farhad walked us through the specials of the day and we all paused at the pasta entrée which was prepared with garlic, olive oil, tomato, spinach, proscuitto and goat cheese. Bingo! This sounded good. Farhad corrected himself and pointed out that the cheese was actually ricotta, not goat.  Ricotta?  That seemed odd, but we were all game to give it a try.

My pregnant colleague was having a bit of a moment and zeroed in on the rosemary fries with tomato mayo dip. Never deny a pregnant woman her fries, so we acquiesced and ordered a basket of to-die-for fries that were sprinkled with rosemary and accompanied with a bowl of tomato mayo that I could have licked clean if I'd been alone in a room with it.

Our mains arrived promptly and we dug in. But oh dear, ricotta cheese?  So disappointing. Goat cheese would have been the perfect dollop. Not this flavourless ricotta that I ended up pushing to the side of my plate. Sorry, Chef, wasted calories. 

Overall, that pasta special was a disappointment. One friend said too salty, the other said the pasta was undercooked. I'm all for al dente, but come on, you have to cook the pasta.  Lastly, the proscuitto was dry and overly chewy.

The organic chicken entrée was oh so close, yet so far away.  Nice try, Jump, but today wasn't a home run. Lastly, the final nail in the coffin of this particular meal, was seeing a slice of chocolate cake being walked by our table, only to discover that it was only a mousse.  

A poor experience, but we'll give it an Average rating because of the above average wait staff and those yummy fries. 

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

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/