A Cozy Experience at Union Restaurant

The Ossington area is bustling with lots of options, but one we have not had a chance to not check out was Union. It was not top of mind, but as I scrolled through my Twitter for ideas this weekend, I noticed the daily menu posted on Thursday and was sold. Thankfully, we were able to secure a reservation for Saturday night!

We were a table of 5, but Tony and I opted to do a selection of the starters for our meal - we always opt to try more food than less :)

Elk Sliders - seeing elk on the initial menu sold me to call, and these sliders were delicious. Served as little meat balls on toast, was actually quite juicy.

Lobster Roll - perhaps odd to consider as a starter, but this creamy sandwich was tasty and sweet. It would have filled me up if I had it on my own as a starter.

Seared Scallops and Risotto - proportion of scallop to risotto was great, and although tasty overall and loved the scallops, I found the risotto a little hard.

Along with some starters, our friends ordered the pasta du jour to share, pappardelle with braised beef. It was nice to have something a little more substantial along with the assortment of starters. If we were to go again, I think we'd do 2 starters and one main to share - the trout sounded quite good, hopefully it will be on the menu again!

We also had two lovely desserts (be sure to save room for it): maple cherry bread pudding and apple walnut cake. I liked my bread pudding more but both were good, not too sweet and was just what we wanted to wrap up our meal.

Union was a great experience, and a perfect place for us to take visitors - unpretentious and cozy with good food selection championing "eat local." I could definitely feel the Parisian bistro inspiration, easily something found in Montmartre. This is a great restaurant to check out with friends or for date-night!

Union

72 Ossington

416-850-0093

www.union72.com

ATLANTA: Fun, Food and Drinks at Top Flr

I rarely rely on restaurant recommendations found in hotel magazines but with not a lot of options, I decided to start browsing. I wanted some decent food at a good price for a group of girls from work. In my quick read through, I happened to come across the menu for Top Flr. I TOTALLY judge a book by it's cover, because the cool name stopped me, and the menu seemed appetizing enough at a reasonable price. I decided the short ride to mid-town for dinner would be well worth it! I should mention that the random magazine I was reading in the hotel room actually had the WRONG phone number for Top Flr, that was very frustrating as I was trying to call and make reservations. Thank goodness for mobile internet these days because I was determined to give the place a try!

Top Flr was the perfect place for 7 girls to have a fun dinner - the restaurant/bar is a cool 2 storey house, and has a young, urban chic (but unpretentious) vibe. We were welcomed with a cocktail list, but our server's suggestions for bubbly cocktails were more enticing (I had a St. Germain...sold by the "elderflower").

Now the main event, food. Top Flr is probably best enjoyed family style, ordering a selection of dishes for the table to share...but we opted for a modified version, grouping off to share certain selections. Marie and I shared the tuna tartar served on flatbread. It wasn't quite what I expected (I think I overlooked the "flatbread" part in the description) but it was very good with a bit of spiciness. As my main, there was no doubt I would have the smoked duck breast.

It was prepared just perfect, very tender and delicious. I think I shared a bit but I mostly gobbled it up quickly myself :P I was sad no one ordered the hand cut pappardelle (probably my favourite pasta) with rabbit confit, but one of the girls did treat me to fresh tagliatinni with shrimp, tomato and basil....and it was DELICIOUS! I am a super pasta snob and totally judge if the pasta isn't freshly made because you can't definitely taste the difference! We also had fantastic sides to share - I recalled somehow that the mac n cheese was notable, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try (thanks Amber for sharing with me!). It was indeed very good, and not too heavy as mac n cheese often is. It was JUST the right balance for a side dish, done with cheddar, gouda and panko crust. Yum!

Finding the right "social" place can be a delicate balance of food (not too polarizing), cost (not too pricey), and ambiance (not too noisy but lively enough). I was relieved Top Flr ended up being a good choice, a lot of pressure to pick a good place for the group...and I only judged by a quick read of the menu in a random magazine. Sometimes, it's just a gut feeling :)

Top Flr

674 Myrtle St., Atlanta, GA

404-685-3110

www.topflr.com

Vancouver: Tapas off the Beaten Path at Judas Goat

Vancouver is one of our favorite cities to visit and eat - we get delicious, fresh food for much less than we spend in Toronto. Perhaps it just appeals to our preferences, with great seafood and sushi options! Only making it out for a couple days each year has limited our "tasting" experiences as we always want to visit our favorites, but we met up with our friends Jen and Andrew this time around and had the chance to visit Judas Goat, in Blood Alley Gastown, for a fabulously fun dinner!

I never knew what or where "Blood Alley" was, feels like one of those unique destination that I should have known about having lived there for 4 years, but I chalk it up to being a newer destination (no idea true or not). The popular Salt Tasting Room is also located there, tucked away in Gastown. There are no signs, at least none that we saw, and so Tony and I drove around several times before concluding the restaurant had to be located down this sketchy looking alley. Judas Goat is a small, modern restaurant, with large windows and bar seating opening up to the alley. The rest of the restaurant is made up of a share table and several small round tables along a banquette. My one complaint about the restaurant is I wish we had bigger tables for all the food we were about to have!

Six of us at dinner was just perfect to try everything we wanted - thankfully everyone is a good eater (which one of my friends aren't??) and we proceeded to check random stuff of the menu. It was another case of order by "elimination," where we mostly just agreed on what we didn't want. The menu is divided into Bocadillos (here was a re-invented Spanish sandwich) , Hot, Pressed/Potted/Cured, Salads, Condiments and Sweets. We ate almost everything on the menu - that's the beauty of tapas! Some of our favourites were:

• Braised pork belly: while I feel like pork belly is everywhere these days, I'm not quite sick of it yet. This pork belly was prepared very similar to some Chinese dishes, (fatty and saucy!) and of course, we had to have seconds of this!
• Warm lamb cheek with cabbage and white truffle oil: it smelled so delicious and just melted in your mouth.
• Cacciatori from local artisan butchers: this was ordered on our second round, since none of us were sure that this was - but it ended up being a good plate of cured meats to nibble on, plenty to go around.
• Rabbit rillette with carrot panna cotta: rillette is a pate like preparation of meat, which was very good and the carrot panna cotta was surprisingly delicious, Jen and I really dived into it (and maybe just the two of us!).
• Scallop tartare with pork rinds: when we ordered this, Jen described it as "crunchy." The pork rinds were indeed VERY crunchy, like "can't hear yourself" crunchy...but very good! At least I was a fan, and have had an odd craving for it since then.
• Potted prawns with pistachio butter: The pistachio butter was deliciously rich, although it was hard to share the 2 prawns in the "pot," so of course, we had seconds!
• Foie gras with rhubard foam: foie gras is rarely, if ever, better than in Quebec, but this was quite good indeed, and I particularly loved the rhubard foam - very unique and added a nice, unique flavour!

Judas Goat was a really fun place to eat and I loved that each dish was served and prepared quite differently with unique flavours paired together - rabbit and carrot (haha!), foie gras and rhubarb (do geese eat rhubard?) etc. It appealed to our particular preference for indulgent meats and spreads. I recommend going with a group so you can maximize what you eat...but be warned that you'll have to sit and eat intimately - the two little round tables we shared table simply weren't big enough for all the food we ordered! Thanks for introducing us to this fun place Jen & Andrew!

Origin - A New Tapas Adventure. Delicious!!

There are many many delicious restaurants in Toronto, and I can't say we have been to them all, but Colborne Lane is one of our favourites - see my experience with the best dessert in the world, no joke, it's worth every penny! Imagine my excitement when I heard gastronomy genius Claudio Aprile was opening a new, more affordable restaurant. It didn't open in time to celebrate my birthday, but Tony still managed to score us a reservation. We were happy to experience Origin with our fellow foodie friends, Jon and Stella.

Origin's menu is divided into 5 sections: Snacks & Sides, Raw Bar, Mozzarella Bar (surprisingly, my favourite), Chilled, Hot, and Sweet. The beauty of eating with more people is you can eat more items! Instead of picking what we wanted, we did the reverse - between the raw bar and hot menu, we eliminated the items we didn't like and went from there :)

Our extensive tasting experience included:

Smoked cod croquettes - one bite snacks

Shrimp seviche

Tuna salad with pear, avocado in ponzu - this was one of my favourites, it was sweet and fresh

Wild striped bass crudo

Spicy beef hand roll - was good but difficult to share. Reminds me of the ebi shooter at Blowfish, everyone needs their own!

Fior di latte with mushrooms and truffle oil - honestly, how can anything with mushrooms and truffle oil taste bad? This was a selection from the mozzarella bar, which was surprisingly delicious and very unique.

Bufala mozzarella with pear, pine nuts and honey was also delicious, a unique sweet taste.

Cured wild salmon

Chinois duck wrap - Stella and I both zoned in on this item right away!

Grilled rock hen - also one of the favourites. The rock hen was juicy and tender, the accompanying dates and olives added a unique flavour.

Calamari - this was probably the biggest dish, plenty to share!

Miso glazed black cod - which sounds really typical, but this was really quite delicious, served in a mushroom broth and crispy soba (the waiter insisted we eat it).

Shrimp in black garlic butter - yes, as good as it sounds! Even the chickpeas, which I am normally not a fan of, were crispy and delicious.

Chorizo - to be honest, was pretty boring, I don't remember what it tasted like.

Wow...that was a lot of food, right? Don't worry, small bites for us all,

we were able to try everything! There was still room for dessert, so we indulged in the unique dulce de leche (milk candy) with hot chocolate cake and soft serve. A funny story about the cake, actually, ours came with a "happy birthday," so I thought it was because Tony told them it was my birthday (albeit late), but it was actually meant for the couple next to us...and we just happened to order the same dessert! Cake's cake, right? :) I also want to mention there are FLOATS on the sweets menu, something to try next time.

We had a great time at Origin - great food and great company with really chic yet casual decor. However, we did have some food envy - tables around us had whole lobster entrees, apparently a special that we were not told about. In the end, I guess it just looked like Chinese style ginger and onion lobster, but still - we never would have turned down lobster! Ultimately, if you like trying lots of different things, you have to check out Origin, an affordable tasting experience. Don't forget the mozza bar, a unique offering and better than you think, I guarantee!

A New Brasaii

It was a busy "eating" weekend for me. We went to Lee on Friday, a regular favourite, which was a little "off" this last time particularly in service, and to Prague for brunch on Saturday with some girls, which is always satisfying (even though they were sold out of my favourite tripe soup, I brought some home frozen). On Saturday, I was celebrated my birthday at the soft opening for Brasaii over drinks and small bites. I have been to Brasaii in the past for brunch, which was delicious. The restaurant is simple and modern and a great place for a party. It was only on calling that I discovered Brasaii had been closed for renovations and this weekend would be part of the soft opening. The event coordinator offered us a couple options, from plated dinners at multiple price points in the dining room or private room, to more casual hors d'oeuvres in the lounge/bar or even dining room. In the end, we settled on a casual lounge setting with a selection of food tapa style, allowing more options for the group vs fixed menu of chicken/beef/salmon (a little boring, right??). Our final menu selection was:

- mini grilled cheese, done with mozza vs cheddar, and served with ketchup....totally brought out the kids in us!

- shrimp tempura with spicy mayo

- panko crusted mini crab cakes, probably the best tasting of our selections

- sliders, a big hit, and must for parties with lots of boys...have to keep them full!

- mini philly cheese steak sandwiches

Our high table was perfect, right next to the bar, and the staff brought our food in waves, suitable to the casual atmosphere we were going for. The drinks menu was delicious (although the descriptions a little long), I particularly liked the bad moon rising martini and balsamic bramble cocktail.

The new Brasaii is a bit more glamorous than before and more flexible for different social occasions. The restaurant/lounge was filled up with a dress-to-impress crowd around 11pm, so it's definitely a good place to stop by on a night out. The private room looked like a nice space, but in the end, we were glad to have our high table on the edge of the main dining room. There is also a new outdoor patio area, reminiscent of Cheval's rooftop patio, which I've always liked. Brasaii will be a good place for drinks this summer!

Thanks to my friends to came out to celebrate - let me know what you thought of the new Brasaii!

NYC 2009: A Vibrant and Delicious Lunch at The Modern Bar Room

I always seem to save a great meal to look back on after we return from traveling. On our last day in NYC, we had a wonderful brunch at The Modern, found at the MOMA. I have said before restaurants that feature something other than JUST food usually loses some of the "taste," such as turning restaurants in towers and often museum restaurants; The Modern, however, was fabulous. We were lucky to sample yet another Michelin star restaurant on our short visit to the Big Apple and another James Beard award winner (best chef in NYC!).

Our Menu from the Bar Room:
Flounder tartare with yuzu juice - a firm tartare that was refreshing and unique. This dish surprised us at how simple and tasty it was.
Liverwurst (pate) with pickled vegetables - although I was not a big fan of the pickled vegetables, the liverwurst was delicious and very filling.
Poached egg in mason jar with Maine lobster - this was highly recommended on several food blogs. It was indeed a very beautiful and delicious dish. Eggs seem to be the latest ingredient to show up in various forms on fine dining menus.
Braised tripe with chick pea in a sort of ratatouille - this was very hearty and delicious! Felt like French home cooking.
Duck breast with pistachio sauce - I admit my duck craving was from the amazing meal we had at Momofuku Ko, this couldn't compare, but was served with a delicious sauce. Pistachio is another ingredient we've seen show up in several places.
For desert, we had a beautiful concord grade sundae, served with meringue. It was lightly satisfying and a great way to top off our already amazing meal.

I think every item on the menu at The Modern is worth trying - we looked around at our neighbours' dishes and they were all very tempting, the soup seemed especially popular in the chilly weather. This is surely a restaurant we will visit again. The Bar Room was vibrant and lively, filled with patrons of various ages and backgrounds. Surely everyone was there to enjoy the delicious French inspired cuisine! Make this a visit whether or not you are on your way to MOMA (we were very disappointed that the Tim Burton exhibit was sold out).

Blue Plate Special at Jump - Great Deal and Great Place for Friends

I'm happy to have more friends move to the big city, and even more so when they love to eat as much as we do. Last night, we had a lovely (albeit late) dinner with two pairs of our newly wed friends that are new to the city...what better welcome and relief from the stresses of moving than food!

Jump Cafe was the beginning of Oliver & Bonacini restaurants, known famously for Canoe. It is located in the heart of the financial district - a blessing for the weekend as there is always capacity for last minute reservations. I like Jump because the food is good and the menu has a wide range of options, particularly suitable for groups and if you're not sure of everyone's tastes. I also love that it offers great value in the blue plate specials - a 3 course meal for $35 - probably one of the best deals you'll find downtown for a nice dinner. The term "blue plate" came from the depression era in reference to low priced dinner specials (thanks wikipedia!).

Last night, 5 of us took in the blue plate - Tony of course splurged on the dinner special instead, an impressive lobster sheppard's pie. The great thing about the blue plate is that there are options - to start was a choice between butternut squash soup (I have had it in the past, and it is delicious), crab cakes with chipotle tartar sauce, or broccolini and baby spinach salad. The soup special of the night happened to be New England Clam chowder, which I love, and the waiter was happy to substitute for me. When it arrived, however, there were no clams. I'm not generally one to complain about my food, I just won't return, but the waiter had spent a good minute "selling" the special with details of the delicious clams...and really, clam chowder with no clams?? As expected of any good restaurant, they were happy to replace my soup and a new bowl came back freshly cooked full of clams and assorted vegetables - I wonder if they made it from scratch! Regardless, good service is a check. For my main, I chose lamb - which was delicious...and now that I think back, I never had a chance to ask Matt and Amber how their chicken or snapper was! Again, great options all around, whatever your preferences. I had the chocolate torte for dessert (although I was too full to finish) and the others tried panna cotta and the cheese plate, which apparently had a lovely Quebec cheese - can't go wrong!

Overall I think Jump has good food and great value. The one major downside is how slow they are - we arrived just before 9 and dinner didn't come until at least 10:30 or so....it was a late night, and good thing no one was starving (I think)! Last time, my table had whiled the night away over a bottle or two of wine, so I would suggest a group visit and lots of drinks if you decide to stop in on the weekend, not a bad excuse to catch up with friends - just don't make plans to rush off! I'd like to believe they are much faster serving the weekday crowd, but I'll have to wait for someone to tell me.

Delux Bistro in Trendy Ossington

Ossington is the newest up and coming area for food - we've had a great experience so far at Foxley (yummy Asian inspired tapas) and have heard good things about Pizzeria Libretto with an oven flown in from Italy. We decided to try out Delux with our friends Abby and Denis this past Friday, something a little off the beaten path.

Delux is shabby-chic, true to the cool vibe of the Ossington area.

Our dinner highlights:
Cubano sandwhich - yummy "appetizer" that is definitely for sharing (enough to be a meal). It is a hearty dish, comfort food at its best.
Snapper prepared just perfect with a bit of crispy skin and served in a creamy boulabaise broth - delicious!
Sablefish - my favourite! Sablefish is normally a very meaty fish, but it was prepared to JUST the right temperature and for the right time because it was incredibly tender and silky.

Delux is a good place to catch up with friends - it offers a relaxed casual atmosphere with light hearty food. I'm curious how often the menu changes since it does not have a wide range, although there were dinner and appy specials. The food was good, but just above average given our many choices in the city; however, we did enjoy our time there and think it is worth checking out.

Nota Bene - Never Go Wrong!

I've been to Nota Bene several times, a regular and reliable spot for us. The chef, David Lee, is of Splendido fame, and although I haven't been there myself, I have only heard great things. Nota Bene is the more affordable option, and sufficiently impressive for me already!

For starters we had the steak tartare and soft shell crab salad. I can't say I was enticed by the soft shell crab initially (it's not a Japanese restaurant!) but the batter was very light and it was pretty good! The steak tartare reminds me of my favourite from a restaurant in Calgary (The Living Room) - I think it's the capers that add a unique flavour I like.

Nota Bene doesn't boast a wide range in their regular menu, but they feature delicious daily specials that change season to season. On my first visit, the special was lobster for $29 - what a deal! That's when I became a fan! Last night, the special was braised lamb with penne...and it delivered to expectation as always. Most notable on the menu, however, is the suckling pig & boudin noir tart. I have never seen or tasted anything like it before - suckling pig is incredibly tender, and paired with maple-smoked bacon and truffle vinaigrette...it's simply irresistable (and yes, that is blood sausage!). It is quite a heavy plate, I don't think I could ever finish it myself, so I am always glad when Tony orders it and I can have a bite :) While we didn't order any sides last night, it is generally a "must do" at Nota Bene - the onion rings come a plenty and are enough for a table of 4 and the rapini is delicious and is affectionately loved by the chef. While on a diet several years ago, David Lee apparently ate a lot of rapini and believes it is a vegetable that deserves more recognition.

Nota Bene is casual chic and suitable for any occasion: drinks at the bar, a fancy night out, or just simply for the good food. While it is a lively restaurant, I love that it is not too noisy to have an intimate conversation if you wanted. So next time you don't know where to eat, you can count on Nota Bene for good food and a good experience.

Delicious Tapas at Lee for Girls Night Out!

I was happy to visit Lee with some friends visiting from the West this past weekend....and glad that they had a good foodie experience! Lee is one of our favourite spots in Toronto - one of our first visits there had the server disproving our adament insistence to order 6 dishes between Tony and myself. We told her we had big appetities, and she was convinced we wouldn't have been able to finish it all (plus it wouldn't fit on our table)....and she was right. We underestimated the good portion sizes, especially for 2 people! The restaurant is best enjoyed with 4+ people so you can sample more dishes. It is a casual/funky restaurant that is reasonably priced and was well suited to our girls' night out. I have been numerous times (including my last birthday) and always have a good experience. The drinks are yummy and refills come fast and often - try the ume martini if you want something a little different. The King West location is also convenient for a post-dinner night out.

Menu favourites:
Singapore Slaw - 17 ingredients! As my friend reflected "imagine needing 17 ingredients to make a salad!" It was delicious as always and loved by all. This is a favourite at Lee and a MUST have.
Braised Beef - one of my favourite dishes, the beef is falling-apart tender. Especially good for any boys you bring along to dinner to prove that tapas can be filling!
Black Cod - this seems to be the new "it" fish at restaurants, and it is delicious at Lee, done just perfectly and includes plenty to go around for 4. You can't eat at Lee without trying this dish.

The first couple times I went to Lee, I gorged so much food I never had a chance to try the desserts - and finally, several months ago, we did! The molten chocolate cake is very satisfying - there is ALWAYS room for the cake! We didn't have it this past weekend, but I also highly recommend the creme caramel with black rice pudding...unique and delicious. Black rice pudding is very healthy as well!

Other items we had:
Orzo with crab, spinach, pine nuts; Green Curry; Seared Scallops; Chocolate Cake with blueberries.

Overall, we had a good dinner experience - minus the uber keen servers asking us constantly if we were going to finish what was on the plate (it was delicious, why wouldn't we!?). I recommend a late dinner seating vs the early one if available - they are always busy and hurried to turn the tables over. On the upside, if you ever need a good early dinner, there is generally room at Lee. Can't go wrong :)

Eating at the AGO: FRANK

FRANK opened at the renovated Art Gallery of Ontario (a Frank Gehry building!) many months ago, but despite being only a couple blocks away, we have not made our way there - largely because of mixed reviews and my bias against restaurants in hotels/museums/towers etc...I figure the novelty is always inversely related to the quality of the food since it is not their primary raison d'etre. We decided to give it a try anyways and had brunch there last week with our friend and realtor, Holly.

Our food:
- we started by munching on some fries and mushroom perogies. Although the fries were not spectacular, I did like the apple mayo it was served with!
- trout potato hash with poached egg: this was voted the winner all around - the dish was a delicious mix of smoked trout, potato, hollandaise and an expertly poached egg.
- truffled eggs: this was my original item of choice, but it turned out to be fairly disappointing despite my love of ANYTHING with truffle oil. It wasn't quite enough, and there was nothing but egg and a bit of mushrooms.
- seafood pot pie: I enjoyed this comfort dish and it was a nice change from "chicken."

Overall, I thought the brunch was good, there are a couple items I'd like to go back and try. It's a chic place to hang out on a late Sunday afternoon with friends to catch up; but, it was relatively pricey for a casual brunch. The restaurant also did not demonstrate any unique aspects relating it to the AGO or Frank Gehry other than simply being in the same building and sporting his name - it could have been a restaurant anywhere, which was a pity and waste of the space. And randomly, I loved the tea pot and cup I was served with - too bad they didn't sell it in the museum shop, I definitely would have taken it home!

A Fun Food Experience at Madeline's

Our friend Stephen is visiting for the weekend, and we wanted to take him for a good Toronto foodie experience. While Lee has always been a favourite of our's (delicious food, great value), we decided to try Madeline's, where Susur used to be located, and also features tapa style dining. We were pleasantly surprised that Susur was visiting and brought a sample of his Shang tasting menu to Toronto....bonus! Service was great - our waiter recommended a lovely bottle of sauvignon blanc and managed the order of our dishes for the optimal dining experience.

Madeline's menu: This was the highlight of our night. After a light start with the Asian and seafood dishes, we finished our meal with the true features - the meat: duck breast, pork belly, and steak skirt...leaving everyone happy, full, and satisfied!
- carpacio of bison served with garlic chips
- scallop provencal with chorizo
- roasted duck breast with honey chili honey glaze - the sauce was unique and delicious!
- pork belly with currant jam - the pork belly strips were tender and the flavours uniquely complimented by the slightly tarte current jam. hmm!
- steak skirt with peppercorn sauce - we miss our Alberta beef and this reminded us how great beef can be....very tender and of course the sauce makes all the difference!

Shang tasting menu: While we were happy to taste some of Susur's NYC menu (and even happier he was in town cooking!), this was not exceptionally unique or memorable compared with the flavour of the other items we had.
- tuna sashimi served on an oriental spoon
- prawns with ratatouille
- tofu with mushrooms

Dessert: Susur's dessert is among my favourite! I couldn't pass up the molten chocolate cake (to die for!) and the black rice puding and custard. We also tried the expresso chocolate cake - I didn't think it could compare to the molten cake, but it was surprisingly moist and also delicious. NEVER pass up dessert at a Susur restaurant!

We would definitely go again - the menu is diverse, delicious (as expected), service exceptional, and the prices fairly reasonable for the dining experience. A great place for a small party or just a fun night out with good food! http://www.susur.com/madelines/index.html