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.

An Afternoon in Unionville: Old Country Inn for Homey Austrian Fare

We finally had a hot sunny weekend in Toronto so we decided to explore Unionville, a quaint historic district in Markham. I imagine it is always pedestrian friendly but we happened to visit during its annual Jazz festival where the main street was closed off for a number of sound stages. I loved the relaxed feel of the area, with visitors and locals alike enjoying the jazz and also Toogood pond, a small body water not far from main street. We took a walk around the pond where we saw kids fishing, families having picnics, and other locals just enjoying the hot summer weather in the fields and along the picnic tables. It's certainly a nice retreat from the busy life of Toronto! I was surprised to see turtles in the water and this strange bird along the shore (and a white one in the marshes) - no idea what it is, and so far google has not told me, but we were intrigued none the less. Someone local must know!

Main street is populated with little shops, ice cream parlours, and patios galore. We decided to stop in the Old Country Inn, drawn by the Austrian fare of schnitzels, bratwurst and the like. I always long to relive (re-eat?) my exchange experience in Munich, where I had actually stayed with an Austrian family. My host-mom's food was always delicious - they became very familiar with my declarations of "yummy!"

The Old Country Inn is a 127 year old house that appears to be a local favourite, it was packed for jazz fest with reservations from at least a week in advance. Lucky for us, the manager found us a table inside after a very short wait (honestly, it was just too hot for patio). I had liver dumpling soup and rindsgulasch - rump roast cubed and simmered Hungarian style. Tony had potato soup and a delicious jager schnitzel, cutlet in a creamy bacon mushroom sauce. We finished with the sacher torte, famous Viennese style chocolate cake, layered with marmalade! Our dinner was satisfying - comfort food is always my love - and very reasonably priced as our bill came to under $60. You would think that such a tourist area would have much higher prices, but I'm not complaining!

We loved Unionville and the Old Country Inn - we will certainly visit again to try other items on the menu. A warning to any future visitors to jazz fest - the evening is simply packed, with traffic lined up blocks out from main street to get in! Be sure to drop by early with the entire family.

Seafood Fix: Rodney's Oyster House

I had lunch with a friend Friday where we traded stories about the crazy amount of money we spend on dining out and entertainment - everything has to do with food and drinks it seems! She mentioned her love for oysters which reminded me how long it's been since I have had raw oysters - partly because Vancouver's the only place I "trust" fresh oysters. So while Tony and I were looking up places to eat Friday night, we decided to try out Rodney's Oyster House, yes indeed related to Rodney's in Vancouver.

The restaurant's decor is as if you are dining dockside, all within the expected cheesiness of course - nets and wood planks alike. The waitress was quick to offer us a mixed platter of oysters to start - perhaps after seeing our perplexed look at the oyster menu likely leading to slow decision making. We were thrilled when she brought by a good mix of oysters to our liking: kushis from the West coast, raspberry oysters from PEI, some New Zealand oysters and also some clams (raw clams are fantastic if you have not had a chance to try them). The raspberry oysters were a nice surprise, I'm not sure I've ever had them before since I generally stick to West coast, but I would have them again. The oysters were also accompanied with a platter of sauces from a mild shallot sherry to jalapeno hot sauce - Tony tried them all while I favoured the sherry with some lemon and horseradish.

For mains, we each had a cup of soup - New England clam chowder and corn chowder, followed by dungeness crab! We often eat lobster when we are out (I LOVE lobster) but rarely do we have crab. It was simply prepared - steamed I think - the crab meat was sweet and delicious, with the legs pre-cracked (Tony loved that!) and easily parted from the shell. In fact, the meat was so sweet it was better without dipping in butter - how rare is that!?

Rodney's is by no means a cheap meal, but the oysters are reasonable and the staff are quick and courteous. We saw some family outings as well as some dates - it's a place suitable for all. Next time you're craving an oyster fix, why not try it out and see for yourself. Apparently they bring in fresh king crab that is exceptionally sweet - the waitress had us salivating thinking of the taste because it seemed we had not experienced something as good as she described. We're hoping they might bring in stone crabs one of these days, too!

Our Favourite Japanese Restaurant in Toronto: Ematei

I was recently thinking about what cuisine I could have everyday, and I think Japanese food alone takes that prize. I'm not sure I could even have Chinese food everyday, although I suppose there is enough variety for me to get by! As most people know, Vancouver is my haven for glorious Japanese food, particularly tapas at Hapa Izakaya, Kingyo, Guu and the like. In a city as big as Toronto, we just assumed there would be something similar.....but we were wrong. Not to be disappointed for long, Tony came upon Ematei in his unrelenting research online; and lucky for us, it happens to be conveniently located just off Queen on the surprisingly quiet St. Patrick street.

Ematei offers traditional Japanese fare and is deliciously satisfying - ALWAYS my "go to" place when I've had a long/tiring/bad day at work. In fact, it is by far our most frequented restaurant in TO . We've noticed the patrons are largely Japanese, a good nod to authenticity. Our best discovery has been nabe - Japanese hot pot! I had not had it before Ematei and can say we have it 95% of the times we are there. Nabe is a unique experience allowing everyone at the table to socially cook and share food - nothing new for fans of Chinese hot pot! Our favourite at Ematei is the Chanko Nabe, a miso broth filled with tofu, chicken balls, beef, shrimp, scallops, assorted mushrooms, vegetables and noodles. Sound like a lot? It is! And somehow, Tony and I manage to survive eating it on our own. But I have to say, it is best enjoyed with 4+ people, because then you can taste the rest of Ematei's delicious menu - from staple sushi/sashimi, rice and noodles, to grilled tapas on the special menu. Our favourites include the grilled black cod, sashimi dinner, oden (assorted fishcakes & daikon in broth, only available in winter), butter eringi mushroom, and miso grilled eggplant. There are still many items we have not tried on the menu because I am always crave the hot pot! Not to say we dined our way through all of Tokyo, but our hot pot experience at Ematei is better than some places we tried in Japan....no small feat.

Please try Ematei if I have not yet taken you there personally! Be warned that it is often busy, so don't be surprised if you have to wait. Meanwhile, I wait with baited breath for Guu to open in Toronto....but it won't replace my nabe!

Kenzo: The Story of a Noodle House in Downtown Toronto

I love noodles - anyone who knows me can vouch for that. We were thrilled when we saw that a noodle house was opening close to home a couple weeks ago; and better yet, a Japanese noodle house! We passed by every day wondering when it would open its doors....little did we know that the red banner outside the door was an indication that they were open for business!

On our first visit to Kenzo, we had miso ramen, shoyu ramen and takoyaki (octopus dough balls) - the basic noodle bowls reminded us of the efficient yet delicious meals we'd have along the Tokyo subway on our last holiday. We ended up chatting with the owner after telling him the OPEN sign should be lit! He is an endearing man who was overwhelmed by how busy his little venture has become. He has sold his North York and Marham locations to focus on this new, high traffic location. They were so unexpectedly busy the first week that they ran out of noodles! He also showed us the intended full menu - Kenzo is not just a noodle house afterall, the menu was to include izakaya including charcoal grill skewers. He told us about the special charcoal that needs to be imported and other ingredients key to Japanese stock and dishes....we couldn't wait to try it out. Today, we made a return visit and were happy to find that the menu was almost completely ready. There are some familiar options like pork belly and enoki mushrooms wrapped in bacon (in fact, there are many bacon wrapped options!), and also some exotic ones like chicken heart.

While I wouldn't consider Kenzo extraordinary, it satisfies in flavour and the basic qualities of a noodle house: fast, simple, and affordable - you can have a bowl of ramen for $6 and splurge for some skewers at $3 each for some variety. I think ramen and takoyaki will become a regular part of our diet going forward!

Prague Fine Food Emporium: A Family Style Gem on Queen West

I have mentioned Prague in the blog before - I LOVE this little Czech deli. I still remember the first time I stumbled upon this place while exploring the Queen West area - I had not had Czech food since backpacking in Europe back in 2004. I loved it then, and imagine my delight to find this little gem!

Prague offers the ultimate in homemade comfort food in generous proportions - truly fine food for an incredibly low price. There is something on the menu for everyone, whether you are adventurous or prefer something more familiar sounding: roast duck with braised cabbage, beef with bread dumplings soaked in sauce, classic perogies and roast pork, and my favourite: tripe soup. This week, we stopped in for brunch with Lorena and Calvin and of course, it was as good as always. Our bonus was that the soups are offered as early as 10am! I CRAVE the tripe soup, it is rich in taste and absolutely amazing. We have also had liver dumpling soup in the past, and it was a pleasant reminder of the delicious meals Lorena and I had while traveling. On this brunch day, I had a savoury palcinky (like a savoury crepe) with smoked salmon and two poached eggs. Tony's Czech hot cakes were topped with blueberry compote and sour cream - they were adorable little pancakes and delicious (of course) to boot.

This is truly one of our favourite spots in Toronto and I hope you will go and try it! It closes on weekdays at 7pm, and even earlier on weekends, so make an early run for dinner. And not to worry, breakfast starts at 7:30am!

A GREAT Deal in Greek Town: Pantheon

Those who know me also know that I rarely venture out of the downtown core - there are so many food options already, there has to be a really good incentive for us to brave the weekend drivers. And despite the many cultural plots in the city, we have not spent enough time exploring Little Italy, Little Portugal, Korea Town and the like. This past weekend, we made our way to Greek Town on the Danforth, to a restaurant called Pantheon.

Logistics first: the Danforth is a lovely neighbourhood that is VERY busy on a hot summer day - reservations recommended, as is taking the subway (we spent +30min looking for parking!).

Pantheon, above all, was an amazing deal. For 6 people, we had 5 entrees (each enough to feed 2), a dip platter and 3 appetizers (each the size of an entree!) at $30 a person including tax and tip! We were stuffed and happy beyond belief, and some of us even had lunch for the next day. My favourites include the Orange Roughy - Pantheon boasts fresh fish, and this fish filet was BIG. At any other restaurant, your fish would come 1/4 the size of what was served here...and it was delicious. Needless to say, we finished ours. The calamari was also exceptional. Although I typically think calamari taste relatively the same, this was tender, meaty and with taste beyond just the batter. The grilled octopus was similar - served as two grilled tentacles (sounds scarrier than it is), the octopus was actually very tender and not as chewy as we have come to expect. Our livers were served with mushrooms and peppers, and also came in such large proportions we could not imagine how it was just an appetizer!

Greek lamb is the reason I started to eat lamb at all, but sadly, the roast lamb was SOLD OUT by the time we ordered dinner - 8pm! Can you imagine how busy the restaurant must be? We will definitely be back to taste the lamb in the future. Who can refuse such delicious food for such a great price! Our service was also friendly and endearing - our waiter even offered us free cakes as dessert. I am sure there are other great deals to be had in the area and look forward to more food adventures on the Danforth :)Those who know me also know that I rarely venture out of the downtown core - there are so many food options already, there has to be a really good incentive for us to brave the weekend drivers. And despite the many cultural plots in the city, we have not spent enough time exploring Little Italy, Little Portugal, Korea Town and the like. This past weekend, we made our way to Greek Town on the Danforth, to a restaurant called Pantheon.

Logistics first: the Danforth is a lovely neighbourhood that is VERY busy on a hot summer day - reservations recommended, as is taking the subway (we spent +30min looking for parking!).

Pantheon, above all, was an amazing deal. For 6 people, we had 5 entrees (each enough to feed 2), a dip platter and 3 appetizers (each the size of an entree!) at $30 a person including tax and tip! We were stuffed and happy beyond belief, and some of us even had lunch for the next day. My favourites include the Orange Roughy - Pantheon boasts fresh fish, and this fish filet was BIG. At any other restaurant, your fish would come 1/4 the size of what was served here...and it was delicious. Needless to say, we finished ours. The calamari was also exceptional. Although I typically think calamari taste relatively the same, this was tender, meaty and with taste beyond just the batter. The grilled octopus was similar - served as two grilled tentacles (sounds scarrier than it is), the octopus was actually very tender and not as chewy as we have come to expect. Our livers were served with mushrooms and peppers, and also came in such large proportions we could not imagine how it was just an appetizer!

Greek lamb is the reason I started to eat lamb at all, but sadly, the roast lamb was SOLD OUT by the time we ordered dinner - 8pm! Can you imagine how busy the restaurant must be? We will definitely be back to taste the lamb in the future. Who can refuse such delicious food for such a great price! Our service was also friendly and endearing - our waiter even offered us free cakes as dessert. I am sure there are other great deals to be had in the area and look forward to more food adventures on the Danforth :)Those who know me also know that I rarely venture out of the downtown core - there are so many food options already, there has to be a really good incentive for us to brave the weekend drivers. And despite the many cultural plots in the city, we have not spent enough time exploring Little Italy, Little Portugal, Korea Town and the like. This past weekend, we made our way to Greek Town on the Danforth, to a restaurant called Pantheon.

Logistics first: the Danforth is a lovely neighbourhood that is VERY busy on a hot summer day - reservations recommended, as is taking the subway (we spent +30min looking for parking!).

Pantheon, above all, was an amazing deal. For 6 people, we had 5 entrees (each enough to feed 2), a dip platter and 3 appetizers (each the size of an entree!) at $30 a person including tax and tip! We were stuffed and happy beyond belief, and some of us even had lunch for the next day. My favourites include the Orange Roughy - Pantheon boasts fresh fish, and this fish filet was BIG. At any other restaurant, your fish would come 1/4 the size of what was served here...and it was delicious. Needless to say, we finished ours. The calamari was also exceptional. Although I typically think calamari taste relatively the same, this was tender, meaty and with taste beyond just the batter. The grilled octopus was similar - served as two grilled tentacles (sounds scarrier than it is), the octopus was actually very tender and not as chewy as we have come to expect. Our livers were served with mushrooms and peppers, and also came in such large proportions we could not imagine how it was just an appetizer!

Greek lamb is the reason I started to eat lamb at all, but sadly, the roast lamb was SOLD OUT by the time we ordered dinner - 8pm! Can you imagine how busy the restaurant must be? We will definitely be back to taste the lamb in the future. Who can refuse such delicious food for such a great price! Our service was also friendly and endearing - our waiter even offered us free cakes as dessert. I am sure there are other great deals to be had in the area and look forward to more food adventures on the Danforth :)