Dining over the long weekend

The long weekend is the perfect time to get out and enjoy life! During the weekend, I ended up visiting three different restaurants. Even though they were all ones I had been to before, I had some new experiences!

I went and had lunch at Viet Thai Restaurant. We have our favourites by now and order the same time every single time we get in there. That includes lemongrass chicken and beef noodles. The service was very quick this time and for 2 people, the total bill was about $30.

I also went for dinner at Baton Rouge. I had forgotten how expensive this place is simply because their portions are way too big for one person. They have a 16oz prime rib, and that's the only size you can order. Once we were seated, we ordered drinks. Then we had about a 10 minute wait between ordering our drinks and getting the server to come back so we could order our meal. Also, this place is really loud so you can hardly hear what your server is saying. The food is good, but just too much, so you have to take things home and get a huge hole in your wallet. For 2 people, the total bill was $80.

Finally, I went for a quick lunch to Boston Pizza. There was only one other group of people in the restaurant when we arrived, which I thought was kind of weird. I usually order their chicken sandwich but thought that maybe I should try something different, so I tried one of their pizzas. The "meateor" pizza was a meat pizza. However, there was a lot of oil and water under the pizza which made it a little soggy. I wasn't impressed and I think the next time I'll stick with the chicken sandwich. For 2 people, the total bill was $30.

Elephant & Castle Irish Pub, Downtown Toronto

When you walk in to this restaurant the first thing you notice is the size. It seems like it goes on forever. There's a lounge area in the back with pool tables which I'm sure gets busy on weekend nights. Today I went there before going to the Princess of Whales theatre for a show. The atmosphere in this place is great! It's typical Irish pub. Chelsea was playing on all the screens to that pre-occupied me for a while, but we were seated by a fire and the bookcase. The tables are really small so we had to put some of the stuff on the table on the extra chair. Service at this place is another issue. I heard people behind us complaining about having to wait 35 minutes for their lunch so I knew we were going to have a bit of troubles. Luckily, the only troubles we had was getting the bill, which took 2 attempts and about 10 minutes before we actually got it.

I had the roast beef dip, which was yummy. The fish and chips looked good, as did the platter that had cheese, bread, and cold cuts. I decided to try their apple berry crumble which was delicious! However, the coffee isn't that great. And when I asked for milk, I got an empty milk carton, and more cartons of cream.

I would consider going back for a drink after work.

Too see more reviews of Elephant & Castle, go to ResToronto Reviews.

New Restaurant in Square One - Lemongrass

A few weeks ago, Lemongrass restaurants expanded their franchise into Square One. The mall has been in dire need for another restaurant, so Lemongrass is a welcome addition.

I went with another individual and we entered the restaurant from the mall entrance. Beware, as there is also an entrance from the outside. Since the two entrances are in completely different places of the restaurant, it can be confusing at times as to who should be seated next.
The decore of the restaurant is very stark. Dark wood, bright yellow, and white are the colours that make up the atmosphere, and it is very modern. Not much to my tastes. Plus there is dance music with thudding beats playing a little too loudly in the background. As this is a Thai restaurant, the dance music didn't seem to fit.

The first encounter we had with our server wasn't too pleasant. He seemed kind of pissed that we wanted to order drinks actually. I just ordered a soda, but the person I was with tried ordering one of their specialty teas only to be told that those aren't offered in this location. Why are they on the menu if you aren't going to serve them?

Speaking of the menu, it is huge! Everyone should be able to find something to eat at Lemongrass (assuming that they HAVE it). There is spicy and not spicy, vegetarian, and stuff full of meat/seafood/chicken/etc. I ordered the lemongrass chicken lunch special. It came with soup and rice. I tried the wonton soup as I love wonton soup, but it tasted kind of funny to me and I couldn't finish it. The lemongrass chicken wasn't what I expected of it. It was served in a red, sweet sauce. Is that lemongrass? I've had lemongrass chicken from other restaurants before and it's not served in any sauce. I wasn't too impressed, but the person I was with enjoyed her noodle dish.

Once we were finished eating, our server suddenly decided to become interested in us making sure we didn't want any more food and we were ready for our bill then bringing it promptly. Perhaps it was the fact that most of the lunch crowd had cleared out by then and he was in a better mood?

Overall, I wasn't all the impressed. They do have an extensive menu though so if I do go back I'll make sure to try something new.

See more reviews see ResToronto Reviews of Lemongrass.

Lunch before theatre - downtown Toronto

I love King Street in Toronto where the theatre district is. There is a whole block of restaurants for you to choose from before catching the show. Unfortunately the hours of some of those restaurants aren't quite condusive to eating before the show.
Before heading to the theatre this time, we were in a bit of a rush. We had 45 minutes to make the show so we wanted someplace quick. We ended up in Dunn's Famous Delicatessen, between Princess of Whales Theatre and Royal Alex (which is where our show was). We asked them if they could get us in and out in 45 minutes and they said no problem, so we were seated. This restaurant is long, but surprisingly not that narrow. It's nice and clean, with wood tables and benches. You can sit near the window (I suggest sitting there), or all the way at the back of the restaurant. It has a fairly pleasant atmosphere. And the washrooms are nice, clean, and don't make you want to hurl when you use them.
The two others I was with ordered their a deli sandwich, coleslaw, and a pickle. I had a chicken burger. The food was brought out quickly and was pretty tasty. If you like pickles, I suggest getting one when you are there. They are huge!
The service was so quick, that we actually had time for a coffee after our meal because we had been served so quickly.
I would definately consider going back if I'm in a rush and just want plain sandwiches/burger type food.

Go to ResToronto Reviews to see more reviews of Dunn's Famous Deli

A crappy lunch at Lucy's Seafood

I've been to Lucy's Seafood before for dinner, and gave it an overall ranking of 7/10. If I were to review based on my lunch today, it would be much lower.

We didn't have to wait at all for seating, but we were seated in an elevated booth that for some reason was really hard to get into. I had to go wash my hands before eating because we had just come from getting a pumpkin for Halloween, so my hands were dirty. The washroom was dark and not the nicest. I decided to order and appetizer (popcorn shrimp) and a salad. My mom ordered coconut shrimp and the soup. Our food came very quickly (I would give service an 8/10), but boy was I not impressed with *what* came. My popcorn shrimp were plentiful and pretty tasty. The salad on the other hand? Bad lettuce and not enough dressing. Gross!!
My mom's soup was ok, but she was only given 3 coconut shrimp (for a price of $7.50!?). Our bill came out to $32 for lunch. It was ridiculous. I'd probably rate the food I have a 4 or 5/10.

Not a good experience overall. I won't be going back for lunch.

For more Lucy's Seafood reviews, check out ResToronto Reviews Lucy's Seafood reviews.

Lunch in Buffalo on Thursday, Dinner in Mississauga on Saturday

My mom and I took a trip down to Buffalo, New York on Thursday for some shopping and mailling. In the Wallden Galleria, we decided to try our luck at the restaurant Ruby Tuesday. I'm actually surprised that this restaurant hasn't found its way into Canada given the success of Kelsey's and other similar type restaurants. This place had the fastest service I've had for a long time! I went to the washroom before sitting down, and by the time I had returned, there was already a drink waiting for me at the table. Our waitress was fast throughout the whole meal. There was a lot to choose from on the menu, including a very extensive burger list (I guess burgers are their specialty?).
I had the chicken BLT burger and I was content with it. It was tasty, and of course, arrived very quickly. Before we were even fully finished, our waitress left the bill on our table. Quick quick quick!! Top marks for service at this restaurant!

Then on Saturday, we went to another family favourite, Happy Court. While not the more visually appealing restaurant, it's very consistent. The food is always the same, and so is the service. I enjoy their won-ton soup and that's always my first stop at their buffet. This visit I noticed some new items in their buffet, so it's nice to see them trying new things. Specifically the tiramisu dessert, that was great! I've never paid the bill there so I'm not too sure about its value in proportion to the food.
For more reviews of Happy Court, see ResToronto Reviews for Happy Court.

Final lunch @ Korean Grill House (Korean BBQ) in Toronto

My final day at work today saw a group of us at the Korean Grill House on Queen Street West in Toronto. I've been to Korean BBQ before and quite enjoyed it so I was looking forward to this restaurant. We had made reservations so once we got there we were seated immediately. Unfortunately, since each table has a grill in it (or more than one grill), you can't move tables around to sit with a large group. Our group ended up taking up 3 tables. We ordered the all you can eat meat, with extra short ribs. You're given quite a selection of food! There are all the regular Korean/Asian foods, like kimchi, sprouts, tofu and sticky rice. Then there was chicken, beef, and pork (as well as the short ribs) to cook on the grill.

That is the main reason for coming to this place. It is a lot of fun to cook your food, even though you may think that you could do that at home, so why bother coming to a restaurant. But the service here is excellent. They are very quick with bringing more meat, more rice, more drinks, more napkins, anything you need really.

The atmosphere is somewhat less appealing. I found it kind of dark and dingy looking, and the chairs aren't that comfortable.

The cost of the food is a little pricey, but you leave with a full stomach (and then some!!!).

For more reviews on Korean Grill House, see ResToronto Reviews for Korean Grill House.

With a name like Superior, it has to be good?

I was downtown for some theatre on the weekend (Canon theatre), and walking along Yonge Street I saw the restaurant Superior, which is fairly close to the Canon. We walked into the restaurant and the entrance is fairly impressive. There is a massive wooden bar located to the left, and stairs to a second story section of the restaurant.

We were seated on the first floor of the restaurant, near the middle of the restaurant, and were one of 3 other tables full in the entire restaurant. This was slightly weird, as it was noon and the street was very busy, so why was there no one in the restaurant?

The menu was very limited, and I was pretty disappointed with it. I didn't know what half of the items were, and the things I did know were not quite to my taste. This is definately not the place to go for people that want simple food. I ended up ordering the steak sandwich, which was pretty tasty. Our waiter was attentive, as he should be since no one else was in the restaurant.

I would return to this place if they beefed up their menu. For more reviews on Superior, see ResToronto Reviews for Superior on Yonge.

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.