Sunday, July 30, 2006

Sunday Lunch at Shopsy's in Mississauga

My mom and I decided to go out for lunch today. Someone had recently left a review for Bobby's Hideaway in Streetsville, so we decided to try it out. I haven't been there since they remodelled their restaurant, so around 12:45 we took off. When we arrived, the parking lot was completely full! There was not one parking spot to be hard. That should be a testament to their food/service!

We passed a bunch of other restaurants heading north but most of them were closed. We eventually found ourselves north of the 401 on Erin Mills Parkway, in an industrial section of town. There was a new mall built there and it has about 4 restaurants. Shopsy's is where we ended up. Being an industrial section of town, there weren't many people in the restaurant. This ment that we were seated quickly, and our server was attentive. I ordered a club sandwich, which although it was a little dry, was just what I expected. Their fries weren't the best fries in the world, but they were ok. We also tried the onion rings, which were better than the fries. The food is a little overpriced, but I expect that from Shopsy's. As for the atmosphere, it was kind of sterile, but it as clean.

For more reviews, see ResToronto Reviews for Shopsy's in Mississauga.

Saturday, July 29, 2006

A Family Favourite - Peter's on Eglinton

This is one of my family's favourite restaurants. We make return trips here all the time and never get sick of it! Usually there is a line to get in, but if you wait late enough (or you go on a long weekend), you can get in fairly easily. The average age of waiters and waitresses is quite a bit older than any other restaurant. And you can tell that these people are experienced. They have also been working there for a long time because every time we return, we see the same people.

The inside of Peter's has chandeliers, multiple types of wallpaper, stained glass, but is still somehow appeasing to the eye. Or maybe I've just gotten used to it.

Their most tried item on the menu by my family is their deli sandwiches. These sandwiches are so big that they are impossible to eat like a real sandwich. Peter's puts other restaurants to shame in terms of proportion and value. We always come home with a Styrofoam container because we can never finish our meal. But if you aren't in the mood for a deli sandwich then there are tons of other items on the menu that you could have. I had the fish and chips, which I think is the first time I've tried it. The fish was light and fluffy, which made it possible to eat both pieces. I also really enjoy the open faced roast beef sandwich. They also provide you with buns before the meal (which I don't suggest eating, you need to leave room for your huge meal!).

For more reviews on Peter's, see ResToronto Reviews for Peter's on Eglinton

Sunday, July 23, 2006

After Theatre Lunch - Bistro 333 in Toronto

After a day at the theatre, some friends and I decided to go for a very late lunch/very eary dinner. It was just after 4pm and the restaurants in the Entertainment District were just starting to open. We wandered along King Street looking at menus to decide which restaurant to visit and settled on Bistro 333.

We were the first patrons inside of the restaurant (there were a couple on the patio). I can't imagine this place when it is busy, it must get fairly loud because it's a very open space. Our server was pretty good, but I noticed that when another group came in, they got glasses of water an bread to start their meal, which we did not. But our meals came in record speed. I guess it helps that we didn't order anything fancy. Two of us ordered ceasar salad, and one ordered a chicken mango wrap. My salad was great, the dressing was homemade and vinigrette based, like real ceasar should be! I also tried some of my friends fries, which were great.

For more on this restaurant, check out ResToronto Reviews for Bistro 333.

Friday, July 21, 2006

Summerlicious at Barootes Casual Dining

A group of us went to Barootes Casual Dining for Summerlicious. It's the restaurant right over Quotes Bar & Grill (and I think they are owned by the same people). While Quotes is more like a place to grab a quick lunch, Barootes is a definately for dining.

It was raining when we arrived, and we were graciously offered a place to put our umbrellas so we didn't have to take them with us to the table. We were seated quickly because we had made reservations. The person serving us drinks wasn't very good, and thankfully he wasn't our server. He forgot what drinks people ordered, and for the orders he did remember, he gave the drinks to the wrong person. One thing I thought was funny was that rather than telling us to wines they had specially, they told us we could go up to the bar and look at them. I'd rather be told than go running around the restaurant.

The summerlicious menu had food that I was interested in, so I didn't even look at their regular menu. For $25, I had crab cakes, steak & fries, and tartufo! The steak was probably the beste part of the meal, but the tartufo was very good too! The service throughout the meal was consistent. For the most part, our water glasses were topped off (near the end, they weren't). When multiple people paid with credit cards, we had enough pens on the table for each person. Little things like that were handled very well.

As for the atmosphere, the place is fairly dark because it has dark stained wooden beams running across the ceiling an it isn't well lit except for at the tables. I loved the paintings on the wall. They were all very colourful, and very interesting!

This was a good experience, and I would return to check out their regular menu.

For more Barootes reviews, go to ResToronto Reviews for Barootes.

Friday, July 14, 2006

Go train not running? Dinner downtown at Marinela's

I, like tens of thousands of other commuters, was affected by the freight train derailment earlier this afternoon and had no way of getting home. So rather than try to quickly find a way to get home, I made a reservation at a little Italian restaurant called Marinela's. I hate the heat, so I sat indoors, but they have both a curbside patio and an upstairs patio that offer seclusion and charm.

The atmosphere of Marinela's is great. It's a very small restaurant, with only about 12 tables inside (that I could tell of anyways), maybe even less, and a long bar. There are lights and dried herbs attached to the roof, and a great view of the patio. The restaurant is basically in an old house.

It is a little pricey (pasta mostly costing over $15 and steaks costing over $30), but it is worth it! There is also about a page of wines (mostly Italian, not surprisingly!). I ordered a starter of brushetta, which although it isn't the best brushetta I've ever had, was still delicious! Very fresh.
My main course was the chicken fettuccine. The sauce that this pasta is served in is devine. It is a cream sauce, but there is something about it that makes it super tasty. There were also mushrooms and tomatoes in the pasta.
And of course, I couldn't resist the dessert! I had a tiramisu. Although it wasn't as good as my pasta, it was still a nice way to finish the meal.

Also, most of the other patrons decided to use the patio, so the main dining area was very quite.

The only downside to this restaurant is that all the parking near there is very expensive. It could cost you $10 for a Friday night to park just for dinner.

I would definitely go back to this restaurant (infact, this was my second time returning). And, I did manage to make it home!

For more information, see other Marinela's restaurant reviews.

Monday, July 10, 2006

Bistro 100 - World Cup Food in Mississauga!

A couple of my friends and I went out to watch the final World Cup game, and we didn't have an easy time of it!

We first went to Coopers Pub. There wasn't a seat left in the place to be had! We have gone there before for round robin play and enjoyed it. We turned around and headed south-east.

Stop 2 was the Rooster & Firkin. When we got there, there were only 2 groups of people sitting infront of the projector screen showing the game. These 2 groups took up the entire space infront of the screen and there was no place left to sit! I did overhear one of the members of these groups asking to turn up the volume - they have volume at Coopers. Then the bartender said "Then go to Coopers!". That was our clue to leave.

Stop 3 was the Mad Hatter Olde British Pub. Once again, absolutely no seats! Although, I wish we had arrived there on time because they had both a projector screen and an HD Tv!

By now, we were about 10 minutes away from game play. One of my friends and I remembered there being a pub inside of a Holiday Inn way up near the 401/403. This also happens to be where we watched the previous World Cup final (because it was one of the few places we could find open at 7am). So we found good seats at Bistro 100. It was freezing cold when we got there, but thankfully they turned down the AC for us. The place kind of reminded me of someone's finished basement. It had a bar and a widescreen tv. The server was fairly good, although he did have one slip up. He removed my friend's plate while she was watching the game (her not realizing it was gone), but she wasn't finished. He made up for it by bringing her a brand new plate of food! The menu was more for dinner than it was for lunch. And it was fairly expensive. More expensive than it should have been. I had a burger however, and it was very tasty! Also note that drinks are not free refills! I wouldn't go back, but for a tired traveller it's not a bad place to go to.

Sunday, July 09, 2006

Palm's Court - Mississauga Casual Restaurant

The family went to Palm's Court Restaurant today. There were 5 of us in total. Whenever I visit this place, I wonder how anyone managed to find the restaurant, let alone venture into it. It's in a strip mall diagonally across from the hospital, and it looks like a hole in the wall. Yet when you get inside, it's not bad looking. We were seated immediately. Most of the patrons of this restaurant are ederly. I'm not too sure if this is because the restaurant is in an area where the population is older, or because it is near the hospital.
Our waitress was kind of slow, but she did a fairly good job. However, when she brought the drinks, she managed to drop one of the wine glasses onto a plate and smash it into pieces. She was very thorough about removing anything that could have glass in it, except for one thing - the wine itself!! It's like she didn't mind re-cleaning stuff, but she didn't want to waste the money on the wine. Most of us had the roast beef dinner. It was cooked well, and had a nice selection of potatoes and vegetables along with it. It was a good sized portion.
The price wasn't too bad. I believe it was around $25 per person (full meal and drinks).
Overall, I give it a 7.5/10

For more reviews on this restaurant, see Palm's Court ResToronto Reviews