La Societe

Ohh la la .. La Societe is the new 'see and be seen' hotspot opened in time for patio season and will certainly be a destination for Toronto film fest.  It has taken over the former location of Dynasty Chinese restaurant on bloor and the lower courtyard patio as well making it the only patio and large restaurant in the new renovated stretch of Bloor attracting the shoppers, tourists, whos who and wannabe 'socialites'. 

Greek town for my birthday

A group of my lovely colleagues took me out for some greek feasting as one of my pre-birthday fetes!  They knew that I loved being in Greece in the summertime and thought it would be an appropriate way to kick off my birthday celebrations!We chose Pappa's Grill on the Danforth being one of the landmarks in Toronto's Greek town and it's one of the more beautifully designed restaurants on the strip. 

The Best Spaghetti in NY

The description on the menu was spaghetti, tomato, basil. Very basic and simple. When it came - it was like a big reveal as it came on a white plate covered and when the cover was lifted, basil and tomoto spices wafted up and the dish was fantastic, amazing. People claim it's the best they have ever had. Period. Fantastic, amazing are adjectives that describe the restaurant we were at.

Tunisian delight!

My friend Jess and I ventured on an east end adventure to Coxwell and Danforth even after we heard that there was a shooting at Coxwell station the day before. We were committed to finding Djerba (pronouced 'jerba', the 'd' is silent) la Douce which is a restaurant slightly off the beaten path that Jessica had been to and has claimed to be a 'must try' for me. We found it 2 blocks away from Coxwell station- it was a no frills restaurant that you may miss if you're not looking for it.

Merci Mon Ami

Today was Taco Tuesday at Merci Mon Ami which is one of their weekly specials. My co-workers, Lily, Tonya and I decided to partake and check this cute place out in our Liberty Village work neighborhood. Merci Mon Ami has been a successful catering business since 2003 and opened it's doors to the public a year and a half ago with a quaint little patio and intimate indoor area where there are communal tables.

Think Global, Eat Local

So Kristina and I met up for a delicious dinner at Globe on the Danforth.
Globe Bistro is seductive in it's decor with chandeliers dimly illuminating the restaurant from the high ceilings to their minimalist art and chocolate furniture. They have upstairs seating with booths and even a tree that according to some of their staff people reserve as a spot to propose under. I would say this is a perfect place for a romantic date or a catch up with a small group of friends because of the intimate feel you get.
The philosophy of this restaurant is "Think Global, eat local!" where they source all their ingredients through local vendors and farmers.

Crushin' Summerlicious

I went to Crush for lunch on Summerlicious. I actually never really liked the restaurant from previous experience but I thought I would give it one more change and no- I still don't like this place.

Pho sure!

Every culture seems to have their version of soupy comfort whether it's chicken noodle soup,
Chinese congee, Japanese miso, or in Vietnam - it's pho pronouced correctly as "phhaaa". Pho is traditionally a beef broth that has different types of thinly sliced meat and rice noodles. It's served with a plate of raw bean sprouts, basil leaves, limes and mini chilli peppers which you can add discretionally to your piping hot soup along with hoisin sauce and the spicy red hot sauce (spicy sauce) to spice it to your tastebuds.

Eating with your hands - Ethiopian dinner

There was this restaurant that I used to go on special occasions in Montreal called Le Nil Bleu which served Ethiopian cuisine and had quite a romantic setting with a waterfall in the restaurant so I was excited to set up a dinner in Toronto to this cute spot that I've been eying for a while. It's on Queen West sandwiched between the Drake Hotel and the Gladstone with a big patio that's perfect for people watching! So my friends Matt, Stacey and Julie (who was in from Winnipeg) and I went to Addis Ababa where we got prime corner seats on the patio to enjoy the weather and the people walking by. This restaurant has been around for 19years and has a jazzy live band play for dinners as well.

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 Drake Hotel

I have not been the biggest fan of the Drake hotel due to it's pretentious overcrowding and the influx of tourists to 905 crowd however I will say that recently I have been there on a few occasions and I think it deserves some honorable mentions:

Loire

Loire is the newest addition to the Harbord street crew and of course I had been eying it for a while and was hoping for an opportunity to get there. My friend Nathan proposed we go there on a Tuesday night for a late dinner and I have to say I was quite impressed with not only the ambiance, quality of food, service but the people as well.
A little bit of background- the restaurant is owned by two childhood bestfriends who grew up together in France's Loire Valley region. It was the perfect setting rich with foods and wines and serves as inspiration for their Toronto restaurant now.

Momo's Middle Eastern Cuisine

My friends and i had two goals for the evening - 1st - to enjoy the weather on a patio 2nd- find some good middle eastern cuisine and we were pleased to find Momo's on Harbord street that catered very well to our wishes!
Momo's has been around the block for 13 years so while the signage looks a bit dated - the quality of food is nothing to complain about - as things usually do- they get better with age.

Tati- Allez cuisine!

So there have been rumblings between my friends that Tati is the best kept secret on Harbord Street and based on that - my friend Derek and I decided that it would be our task to evaluate whether there's truth in those statements.

It's Back to School time!!

School is the new kid on the block in Liberty Village with renaissance chef Brad Moore as the man behind the concept and menu. Thematically decorated with apples at each table, chalk boards, encyclopedias and lunch boxes adorning the warehouse and themed events such as Detention (3:30 -7pm-drink specials), and Private School (monthly late night parties with featured DJs), this place brings new blood to the what was known in the neighborhood as the Warehouse Grill.

A little FUZION in your life

As we were biking through the Church village, my good friend Natasha and I decided to park our bikes and have dinner at Fuzion as it was the ideal spot to stop, relax and be zen as the sun was setting. Fuzion is set in a gorgeous 120 yr old Victorian house with a huge wraparound terrace.

Liberty Village's Carole's Cheesecake

So my co-workers and I had been highly anticipating all these new restaurants opening up near our work including the franchise Carole's Cheesecake. We walked by as the construction was nearing it's end and peaked in the windows to see the lunch specials and one day we noticed that it was finally open to the public!

Utopia!

Utopia is defined as 'an ideally perfect place' and that's how I feel about this regular spot of mine. When I feel like a satisfying lunch or dinner for an affordable price - this is the restaurant of choice. They have a variety of burritos and burgers to choose from - all delcious in their own ways and they come with a delicious side of salad, coldslaw, french fries or rice and beans and you can always get the half and half option as well all for under $12!






You definitely won't go hungry as their portions are huge and they have a good beer selection and patio as well - so it's great place to chill out in the sun with the kind of casual cool atmosphere you would always be comfortable in.






Here are the things I adore:
- that they have 3 kinds of poutine
- 5 kind of nachos and the servings are huge
- They serve Tiger (Singapore beer) and Sapporo
- Tofu croquettes are delicious
- Chicken and Mushroom and Potatoe and curry chickpea burritos are amazing
-White bean and tofu quesadilla is my colleague's favourite meal!
-Utopia Burger - oh my word!!

I can't help coming here and finishing everything on my plate! YUM!

Utopia- 586 College Street
College and Clinton
**** stars (out of 5)

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!