Gusto 101

Gusto 101 is the newest and latest hotspot to take on the King West neighbourhood.  The space, an old mechanic's garage has been completely transformed into an open concept kitchen with exposed bricks, high ceilings and dim lighting.  The only problem is they don't take reservations and the restaurant was jammed packed full of hungry patrons.  

TOCA at the Ritz

In the newly opened Ritz Carlton is Toca by Tom Brody, notably from Canoe and North 44 who has also mentored under the great Tom Colicchio.  It's a simple elegant restaurant with a huge wine cellar and a cheese cave for you and your party to discover.  I was out with some fabulous ladies to chatter away and celebrate life, and when we walked in, we had the best table in the house at the center of the restaurant.  Maybe it was just me, but I was expecting some design elements to stick out or an ambiance dripping with luxury or mystere.  We were at the Ritz ... but it was just plain elegance and simplicity all around. 
The philosophy of the menu at Toca is 'Farm-to-Table fresh' with a splash of decadence which our party was looking forward to.

Table 17

Table 17 is a quaint find in Leslieville village perfect for a good catch up with your girlfriends or a dinner date.  The restaurant is divided into two rooms - the first room you walk into features a long bar and some seating and the room towards the side which we get seated in, is simple, farmhouse chic.  There's a long harvest table in the center of the room, which was used as a communal bread table tonight and the decor has kitchy ornamental roosters and charming antique chandeliers hanging. 

Nota Bene

Walking past a gorgeous and sleek exterior on Queen street west of University with a little bit of mystere and modernism with it's neon lights inside has peaked my curiosity to try Nota Bene for some time now. This restaurant sticks out like a sore thumb as it's a bit out of place as it was next to the divey jazz bar - the Rex and across from the Condom Shack store so of course it caught my eye.

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.

The Harbord Room

I had the pleasure of being taken here for another great post-birthday dinner and it was simply amazing! This place has had a lot of buzz about it since opening one year ago and it still lives up to the hype! The 35 seat restaurant is lively with engaging servers, a great wine list and a sophisticated chic atmosphere and is open until 2am -7 nights a week so a great place for late night snacks and people watching!

mmm Foxley!

One of my favourite restaurants in the city is Foxley on Ossington.

It's an ideal place to take folks who have open appetites as there's a lot of delicious seafood dishes as well as meat dishes where they use many different cuts - such as the heart and cheek. So this is not a place you would take someone who has a weak stomach or is a picky eater!

Enjoying food porn at Jamie Kennedy's

**RESTAURANT NOW CLOSED***
Last week, an old friend of mine took me out to Jamie Kennedy and we sat at the chef's table and enjoyed different wine pairings to our cuisine- it was SPECTACULAR. I would always recommend sitting and watching the chefs in action - i call it live food porn- which the chef took as the best compliment of his life- I think he was slightly exaggerating but I'll take it! The use of local vegetables such as purple potatoes, watermelon radishes and beets were incredible. The colour of these veggies were a conversation piece in itself!