Foodie Travels | The Crooked Cue

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Something about summer time and the casual-ness it brings really made me crave good ole pub food.  If you know me, you'd know that I am an avid wine drinker.  It's quite embarrassing how much time I spend researching it and planning for it but thats a different matter.  On this one occasion, I was in the mood for beer and burgers and sandwiches.  Yummyyyy.  

I think a big part of being a 'foodie' is to not only appreciate fine dining, creative cuisine and the like.  It also includes not being averse to the classics - like sandwiches and beers.  

I went to a pub/resto/pool hall in Port Credit, Mississauga called 'The Crooked Cue.'  It's quite well known amongst this neighbourhood.  We sat outside in the patio area.  Might as well take advantage of the beautiful summer weather while it lasts!  

The service we had there was quite friendly and open.  They have a large and eclectic drinks menu - mostly beer.  What I loved about it was that they gave a good description of the beer, where it was from, and what it pairs well with.  It made choosing a drink very easy.  I went with a british one, Boddington's.  If you watch the TV Show 'Friends' you'll know that they make a big deal out of how amazing this beer was and that was the main reason why I wanted to try it.  The verdict - it was amazing.  The food that we ordered was also very delicious.  Special shout out goes out to their fries, they must put butter in it, they tasted so much better than normal fries.  The only downside to going to this restaurant is that they have an age restriction.  It's alright that they do, that they only want to attract a crowd over a certain age but it's not clearly stated on their website.  After 9 PM, they only allow people who are 21 and over.  

JD Smokehouse Prime Burger - Eight ounce ground prime beef, onion straws, smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, Jack Daniels Sauce, tomato, lettuce, dill pickle, sesame or multigrain bun

Veggie Jump Sandwich with Added Bacon Strips - Zucchini, fire roasted red pepper, red onion, tomato, guacamole, Ciabata bun

Overall, it was a great experience.  Would I come back? Yes for their drinks menu.  

Are there any good pubs in Toronto that serve great food?  Let me know! I'd be interested to visit.

Foodie Travels | Food Adventures of the Past

If you are like me, then good food is a very important part of your life.  I love going out for dinner because it makes such an event of an otherwise dull day.  It introduces a glamour into one's life.

Good restaurants are hard to come by so I hope this list helps you.  These are my 'foodie travels' of the past, restaurants I have been to over the past year and a half.  Please accept my apologies for the rubbish quality of the pictures.

REDS Wine Tavern - A restaurant that was recommended to me by a friend.  Pictured above is their 'Crispy Potato Flatbread.'  I would go there for the sole purpose of having that flatbread again.  It was so delicious.  They used a Chimichurri Aioli that was absolutely heavenly.

Playa Cabana Cantina
A wonderful little mexican restaurant in The Junction, Toronto.  They have a chain of restaurants under their 'Playa Cabana' name.  The ambience of this restaurant was ahh-mazing!  The food was also incredible, we had Chicken Tacos (Pollo Tinga), Oysters, and Tres Leches.  Someone once said to me that Oysters should not taste fishy, they should taste like the sea.  These Oysters were fresh and did very much taste like the sea.  We also had Haddock Tacos (Pescado) and they were so fresh, succulent and delightful.  Man, does this place know how to do seafood well.  They also made my favourite mexican drink: the Mojito.  This restaurant is definitely worth another visit!

Blowfish Restaurant and Sake Bar

This is a restaurant that I was dying to visit for a while.  Overall, it was a good experience. The ambiance was so beautiful and service was satisfactory.  Would I go there again? Probably eventually to indulge on their Sake variety but I'd like to try other gourmet asian restaurants before coming back to this one.  I had a (yummy) Pomegranate Mojito and shared a variety of their Sushi Rolls. There are two circumstances under which I would not recommend you to go there: do not go if you are going with people who are not willing to spend money on food, and do not go there if you expect it to be like an all-you-can eat restaurant.  This place is gourmet asian food.   The last comment is that they have two locations:  King & Bathurst and Bay & Adelaide.  I went to the King & Bathurst location.  I would be interested to get a better sense of their crowd and the general whole experience by going to the Bay St. location.  

JOEY Restaurant Eaton Centre

JOEY is a wonderful chain of restaurants.  They have locations all over Canada and America.  After visiting their Eaton Centre location, I can see why they have been so successful.  I went there with my friend for a Valentine's Day lunch.  Upon entering and while we were waiting to be seated, we were served a sample of their 'Pesto Shrimp Flatbread.'  It was absolutely delicious and a perfect way to get a customer's palette started even before they are seated.  Service was really friendly.  We ordered Yam Fries & Truffle Lemon Aioli (YUM), Crispy Chicken Sandwich and Soup, and Chicken Fettucini Alfredo.  I would definitely go back there for the location and for a pleasant dining experience.

Are there any restaurants that you think I should visit?  Let me know!

Foodie Travels | El Catrin

I recently went out with my girlfriends to an amazing restaurant in the Distillery District here in Toronto.  It has such a cool vibe and so much character.  I highly recommend going there to take in the sights of the downtown core.  The restaurant we went to was called 'El Catrin' and it's mexican cuisine. I do have to say right off the bat that if you're planning to go, go early and call for reservations way ahead of time.  They get busy and according to our server, people end up waiting hours to get in.  Luckily, we went early enough that we didn't have to wait for very long at all.

The ambience at this restaurant is awe-inspiring.  We sat in the patio and the atmosphere was very social, hip and just lots of fun to be around.  As the sun set, they turned heaters on to warm up the area (thank god!)  The service was good, our server was nice and knowledgable about what the restaurant was known for.  I wouldn't say it was extremely friendly and doting, but i'd definitely go back.  To eat, we just had small bites and shareables, kind of like a tapas style of eating.  It was very inviting and helped to keep conversation up.

I took pictures of the walk up to the restaurant and the food we had there, enjoy!

Our view as we were waiting in line.

Inside, where we were seated.

Guacamole En La Mesa -  Avocado, Tomato, Onion, Cilantro, Serrano Chilli

Started off with just guacamole and tortilla chips.  A server came by our table and mashed it in front of us, which was a cool idea to communicate to customers that the guac is fresh.  It was amazing, we pretty much scraped the bowl at the end of the night!

Cheers with White Wine Sangria! Yummmm!

Ensalada Destileria - Grilled shrimp, green papaya, mango, toasted pecans, frisée, tajin sour vinaigrette

This dish was such a refreshing and complex.  It had so many different aspects to it that blended with each other really well.  Extremely flavourful!

Queso Frito - Queso Freso, Grape Tomato, Avocado and Mint

This was a hit amongst everyone on the table.  An absolute delite, although the green sauce on top of the cheese was spicy for some.  It was amazing.

Pastelito De Cangrejo - Crab fritter, Papaya, Mirin, Crema Fresca, Mole Negro Vinaigrette

This dish was pretty much crab cakes doused in a heavenly goodness of flavours.  (That was a flowery way of saying it was good wasn't it?)  There was a Mole Vinaigrette on the bottom of these cakes and I really do wish they were on top because the taste was amazing and I just wish we got more of it!

We actually got a few more things on the menu, a two piece Mini Burrito and Churros with Cajeta (a type of Caramel), Chocolate and Strawberry Sauce.  It was divine!  I would definitely like to go back and try more from their drinks menu because they seem to have very interesting mexican-inspired cocktails and more tacos.  Always more tacos.  It was a very fun evening with the girls and i'm looking forward to going back soon!

Foodie Travels | Oliver & Bonacini

Having good food and wine is really important to me.  Growing up, i've never been one for partying or clubbing but authentic and well made food and good quality wine has always been exciting to me.  And so, this is how my travels as a 'foodie' began.

One of the most talked about restaurants to visit in Toronto has been the Oliver & Bonacini Cafe Grill.  It is owned by the Oliver & Bonacini Restauraunts Company and was founded by Peter Oliver and Michael Bonacini.  They are responsible for amazing restaurants such as Canoe and Auberge Du Promier.  These restaurants have been providing excellent and celebrated dining experiences in the GTA for over 25 years and have helped secure Toronto's name in being one of the best cities for an outstanding culinary experience.

While their other restaurants are fine dining, the Oliver & Bonacini Cafe Grill is a mid-range yet gourmet restaurant.  The location I went to is in downtown Toronto on Yonge and Front.  It's in the heart of the downtown core and the atmosphere inside reflects the extravagance of city life.  The ambience is clean, white (in chairs and tables), and the innovative architecture is catered toward the trendy professionals that most certainly frequent the restaraunt.  I love it so much, I've been back twice already!

The service i've experienced there have been nothing short of outstanding: very helpful, informed about the menu, and friendly.  On one occasion, I was sick when I went and the waiter that assisted us was so attentive and repeatedly inquired if i'd like tea or anything else to rid me of my flue.  I really appreciated that!

The menu has something for everyone no matter if you're vegetarian or a meat eater.  They also have a thoroughly researched wine menu. (I really appreciated that)  If you're just getting into wine, this restaurant would be a good place to start for great recommendations.

The heart of this restaurant company though isn't in their accomplishments, it's in their food.  Here's a few dishes that either i've had or my family/friends.

Chefs Special - I believe it was Spiced and marinated Lamb on a bed of Spinach and Potato Puree

Pizza Margherita - It was delicious!

Classic Vanilla Bean Creme Brule

Shrimp and Scallop Linguine

Butternut Squash Ravioli