SPUNTINI

SPUNTINI RISTORANTE & BAR

LOCATION:

116 Avenue Road Toronto, ON M5R 2H4 (416) 962-1110 RATINGS: Service: 3 / 4 Ambiance 3 . 5 / 4 Food: 3 . 75 / 4 Price: $$$

We made our way to Spuntini for a wonderful romantic dinner. The interior was small and intimate, full of candlelit tables nestled into the cozy exposed-brick room. The dinning area was bustling, as Spuntini attracts a multitude of people ranging from businessmen and families to celebrities during TIFF. Sputini is know for its large and interesting wine list, with selections from various price ranges moving from affordable to high end.

As you all know AM and I both love carpaccio, so we had to order the CARPACCIO DI MANZO. The thinly sliced tenderloin was served with the traditional arugula, parmigiano regiano shavings and olive oil dressing. It was so fresh and tasty, we could have each ordered our own plates.

Next came the POLPO ALLA GRIGLIA grilled Moroccan octopus served on a bed of Romano bean salsa. It was divine: firm yet tender at the same time, it had a nice charbroiled flavour that intertwined well with the bean medley. 

The mains continued to impress. I ordered the GAMBERI AND CAPESANTE. All of my favourite ingredients on one plate: large pan-seared scallops and shrimp with crimini, shiitake, and portobello mushrooms, and roasted green onions tossed in a Pernod cream sauce and placed on a bed of linguine. The cream sauce was rich, yet very delicate; the pasta was cooked perfectly; and the seafood was large and plentiful. MMMM, I'm drooling just thinking about it. 

AM ordered the BISTECCA SOFIA ALLA GRIGLIA. The grilled 12 oz sterling silver strip loin was cooked to a nice medium-rare served  and with a natural jus reduction  that really brought out the flavour of the meat.

Would we go back? YES please!

STANDOUT DISH OF THE NIGHT:

Gamberi and Capesante

MESSINI AUTHENTIC GYROS

MESSINI AUTHENTIC GYROS

LOCATION:

445 Danforth Ave

Toronto, ON M4K1P1

www.messini.ca

RATINGS:

food: 2.5 / 4

Price: $

Messini is one of the most popular spots on the Danforth to grab a quick Gyro. The portions are large and the price is very reasonable. There is always a line up of people waiting to order but they are fast and you will never have to wait too long for a take-out order.

We ordered one carb-free GYRO PLATE, which came with a side fries and tzatziki. The portion was plentiful and the chicken was juicy and full of flavour.

We also ordered one CHICKEN GYRO fully loaded with fries, red onions, tomato and tzatziki. It was a solid authentic Greek gyro, how can you really go wrong?

Would we go back? Yes

GRAND ELECTRIC

GRAND ELECTRIC

LOCATION:

1330 Queen Street West

Toronto, ON M6K1L4
www.grandelectricbar.com

RATINGS:
Service: 3 / 4
Ambiance: 3 / 4
Food: 3 / 4
Price:$


We arrived at Grand Electric at about 8:00 on a Saturday night, the usual crowd and line up were waiting outside. The crowd helped us to locate the restaurant as its in a fairly non-descript building with no signage anywhere to be seen. After waiting a few minutes we were taken to the funky back patio where we sat at a communal table and ordered off the electric old fashioned movie display. At first my friend KS thought I may be a little crazy for making her come all the way from the burbs to eat here, but as the food arrived she quickly understood the allure of Grand Electric.   

We started off with the amazing SPICY SQUID. The squid was sliced into small, lightly battered rings   which were then tossed in their famous spicy sauce, and placed on a deep fried taco shell. The squid was topped with crema fresca, avocado, thinly sliced green onions and jalapeño peppers. Every element on the dish came together to make every bite interesting and tasty. This Spicy Squid really blew our socks off.

Then came the tacos, we ordered 2 BAJA FISH TACOS and 2 PORK BELLY AL PASTOR TACOS.

The BAJA FISH TACO was KS' favourite of the two we had. The lightly battered fish resembled a piece you would get at a fish and chips restaurant. The warm, juicy, crispy fish was topped with a light slaw julienned radishes and their house taco sauce. The taco shell was a little small in contrast to the large piece of fish, which resulted in one messy taco. Overall, the taco was great.

The PORK BELLY AL PASTOR TACO was my favourite of the night; I really loved the contrast between the rich fatty pork belly and the sweet and sour flavours in the pineapple slices. This taco was packed full of flavour.

Would we go back? Yes!

STANDOUT DISH OF THE NIGHT:
Spicy Squid

BANH MI BOYS

BANH MI BOYS

LOCATION:

392 Queen Street West
Toronto, On M5V 2A9
(416) 363 0588
www.banhmiboys.com

RATINGS:
Food: ☆☆☆
Price: $


I somewhat expected my trip to Banh Mi Boys to be all hype for I have had Banh Mi before and didn't think that it was something to rave about (for those of you who do not know, Banh Mi is a meat filled Korean sandwich). Boy was I wrong!
Tasty tasty tasty. That's how I would describe my meal at Banh Mi Boys. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. This is a great place to stop in for a snack or even a quick meal. Most of their tacos, steamed boas and sandwiches are between $4 and $7. The portions are not large but if you add some yummy kimchi fries or papaya salad you will be just fine.

The KALBI BEEF TACO was served with purple cabbage slaw, kimchi, pickled carrots and cilantro, topped off with incredibly tasty marinated beef. They use a house-made Chinese pancake for a base instead of a tortilla taco, which was a nice change and added a flaky texture. Make sure you grab some napkins, it can get quite messy.

The PORK BELLY STEAMED BAO was served with pickled cucumber, carrots, radish and cilantro. The pork was a little tough, but the flavour was very nice and melted together with the soft, chewy steamed bun.

The KIMCHI FRIES.  At first we were not so sure how we were going to feel about them, but they were very delicious. It's amazing how well the kimchi,  pulled pork, sweet hoisin sauce, cilantro, tangy mayo and green onions went with the hot, crispy fries. It was a nice size portion - all three of us shared it without a problem.

We also had to try the GRILLED CHICKEN BANH MI; after all, thats what the place is named after. The sandwich comes served on a warm roll with a crunchy crust, but has a soft and fresh inside. The sandwich was stuffed with well marinated grilled chicken, pickled radishes and carrots, and cilantro. It had such a great balance of textures and flavours. 

Last but not least we tried the SQUID TACO. The lightly battered tender squid was mixed with was the pickled veggie slaw, tangy mayo and cilantro. The sweet squid and the picked slaw worked really well together. One thing Banh Mi Boys has truly mastered is combining ingredients that help build flavours and fulfill a nice textural profile.

Would we go back?? Yes. Hopefully very soon!

STANDOUT DISH OF THE NIGHT:

Kalbi Beef Tacos

JOY BISTRO BAR

JOY BISTRO BAR

LOCATION:

884 Queen St E

Toronto, ON

M4M1J3

www.joybistro.com

RATINGS:
Service: 2 . 5

Ambiance: 3

Food: 2 . 5
Price: $$

Last week I went out for dinner with two of my favourite foodie friends. We didn't really have a destination in mind, so we decided to walk along Queen Street East to find a menu that called out to us.  We love going to restaurants where we can share a few plates, so Joy Bistro seemed like a great option.  The simple menu provides many 'in' foods such as fish tacos and grilled flat breads.  The service is very friendly, but they fell flat on one of my biggest pet peeves: our water glasses always ran empty. A minor issue, in light of the great night. The decor is relaxed with a beautiful large patio, hanging lights and an out-door fire place. 

We started off with the LOBSTER QUESADILLA. The quesadilla was packed with lobster, charred corn, chorizo chutney, and lime cilantro sour cream. We were pleased with the large chunks of lobster that were evenly placed throughout the quesadilla, and the cilantro sour cream, which added a nice fresh, cool flavour to balance the chorizo chutney. 

Next, came the THAI GREEN CURRY PEI MUSSELS. We were still busy eating our quesadillas, so they sat on the table for a few moments. When we got to them, they were quite cold, so we asked our waiter to heat them a bit. We were a little nervous about his reaction - we hate doing that - but he complied without a problem. The Thai green curry sauce ( one of the three options available for the mussels) was vibrant, flavourful, and packed a little heat. We made sure to soak up all the leftover sauce with the lightly toasted French loaf. 

THE FISH TACOS came with grilled pineapple, jicama slaw, avocado and spicy sauce. The jicama slaw was what really drew us in. The fish was crispy - which is not always easy to achieve - and not too battered, which we liked, but DF found that the corn tortilla was an overwhelming flavour and thus the toppings got lost in the thickness of the shell.

We also ordered the WILLOW GROVE FARM'S PULLED PORK SANDWICH (or 'sango') a term for sandwiches which DF and VF have adopted and which, by the end of the night, they had the waiter was saying it too. The slow-cooked pulled pork was coated in a sweet tequila BBQ sauce. We all found the sauce to be a bit to sweet and a little tangy, but we used some sauces from the other dishes to make this a little more our taste. The slaw and fries, on the other hand, were really nice and saved the dish for us.

Would we come back? Yes. But only for a beer and shareable plates. No sangos.

STANDOUT DISH OF THE NIGHT:

The Lobster Quesadilla