Bison + Poutine= Stampede

As the trend of “high-end” burger joints dominate Toronto, with various reasons why their burgers are worth paying a premium for, whether it's house made fancy toppings, or whether the cow your meal came from was pampered night and day, chowing down on tasty grass with organic substances, the guys at Stampede are offering affordable and delicious burgers focused on bison.

Parts and Labour

Put the team of the Social, Oddfellows and Castor Design together and out comes Parts and Labour.  Uber trendy with a splash of punk rocker rawness all don

e with an urban artsy feel.  Cylindrical light fixtures and bright coloured pot lights hang from the ceilings with an abundance of car parts as in windshields and mirrors throughout the 5000 square foot space which is bustling with energy.  This is a great addition to the mix of restos in Parkdale from Cowbell, the Local Kitchen and Mitzi's Sister making this a strip as a destination for culninary delights and fun times.  This Friday, P & L is full of parkdale hipster types with their scarves around their necks, thick black glasses and checkered shirts, and ladies with fun t-shirts and stilettos on, it's definitely kicking tonight. 

I've fallen for the Local Kitchen and Wine Bar!

The Local Kitchen not to be mistook as the pub around the corner on Roncevalles or the restaurant on the Danforth  was celebrated as one of the hottest new restaurants for 2009. And it definitely lives up to it's reputation - I will possibly go on record to say it has been one of my favourite places that I've tried so far!

Mitzi's Sister

Mitzi's Sister has been one of my favourite Parkdale dining spots for years.  You can go there for dinner to find an eclectic mix of folks listening to live music, playing board games and dining on good eats.  Lazy Sunday brunches are good there as well.  When I say eclectic crowd, Mitzi's is located in the heart of Parkdale so it draws many interesting folks from all walks of life and you can just enjoy a casual meal there while people watching and guessing peoples' stories.

Vroom vroom - Cadillac Lounge

There are many gems in Parkdale and one of them is the Cadillac Lounge. You can't miss it when you are on Queen Street just passed Dufferin - there's half a pink Cadillac protruding out the store front.

the Parkdale Drink

This is a cute resto/bar/lounge/ hangout in Parkdale which is owned by Catherine Thai who has been a local Parkdale resident for most of her life. Her family also owns Saigon Flower (near the Drake Hotel) which has been a staple on the Queen west strip for over the last 20 years so they seem to know a little bit about the neighbourhood and it's needs.

I've had a good-bye party here so the drinks are good and reasonably priced, I've stopped by and checked the scene out at night and it's seems to have a lively crowd sometimes with a DJ spinning good beats and recently my department dined at this place for winterlicious and the overall consensus is to definitely come back again!

Julies Cuban- off the beaten track

I love Julies Cuban because it's on a residential street filled with houses and it's like a little secret discovery when you come upon it. It's really charming and comfortable with it's checkerboard tablecloths and homey atmosphere. There's a wall of turquoise shelves filled with antique radios, classic boardgames, retro records, old books and photographs which makes me feel like I"m stepping in someone's home. Plus the service there is unpretentious, inviting and so gracious. In the summer, there's a little patio that you can enjoy people watching and the BEST mojitos in the city and a great place to take a date!