Yorkville

[Pebbles]

Any suggestions for a girls get together in Yorkville - nice restaurant, martinis etc, nothing too expensive!!! Nothing to stuffy either.

[Googs]

The Rooftop is upscale cas. Friendly staff and even nicer patrons. Outdoor patio for summer, lovely fireplace nook in winter, I've always found it to be the most relaxing place in Yorkville. But then I've always had good luck at Pangaea as well.

[artificialard]

Commenting on some suggestions:

Flow was great but I think belongs in the 'expensive' category. We went less than a month after opening and had the most impecable service in recent memory which is a huge thing for me. I have something to say about every dining experience and the service was literally flawless which is an absolutely rarity in Toronto. We also felt very comfortable despite going there in very casual attire sometimes.

Sushi Inn is surprisingly inexpensive for Yorkville but you get what you pay for which is very, very standard Japanese food. Bento boxes, salmon rolls, etc. There's nothing you can't find in any other part of Toronto.

Pangea - already mentioned in another thread at more length that we experienced dreadful service there before.

We've always wanted to try the Hyatt's rooftop bar but wonder about the atmosphere - is it very 'suit and tie, Bay st.' crowd ?

[tasoid]

Regarding the dress code at the Hyatt, almost all hotel restaurants are casual in Toronto as they have to cater to hotel guests that may want to pop in for a casual drink..Even at high end places like Canoe or Bymark, jeans would be fine..

[shuuze]

Caren's is lovely, great cheese plates, fondue and the 'spicey mac and cheese' is great as well. (Belgian/French)

Michelle's Brasserie is divine - fantastic patio and the bacon wrapped dates are to die for. (French)

If you want cheap, cheerful and plentiful Italian try Toni Bulloni's (bad name, great food).

Dimmi's is also good (Italian). Friendly servers and something for everyone.

If you really just want drinks and atmosphere, the patio on Amber is lovely (not cheap, but nice).

For a lovely view, check out the bar at the top of the Hyatt.

And I agree with everyone...Hemingway's and Remy's have gross food. I go only for drinks on the patio and to people-watch.

[tasoid]

Carens is great, interesting wines as well..

[xtal]

I'd skip Remy's. My only experience there was atrocious service (so bad, we thought it was a joke), average food, and highly overpriced drinks.

On top of all this, our group of 20 was the sum total of people there. At least the decor incited a few laughs (not intentional on the part of the decorator, I'm sure).

[Blueicus]

Yeah, Remy's is awful (at least I can attest to the patio part). Went there for a party of 30+ (reservations were make long in advance) and we get served that what amounted to one and a half servers that seems to disappear to nowhere for half hour intervals. The food was pretty bad and took forever to come out too (not to mention cold since no one bothered to give them to us since we ordered in such a way that the food could've just been brought out whenever it was done), fries felt like frozen, burger was dry, the fusilli was bathed in a small pool of oil, etc.

[OnDaGo]

Carens would be my choice ... very lady freindly place and lovely front and BACK patios...

[doubledown]

Flow restaurant and lounge, it's in the old Movenpick location on Yorkville Ave. I'm going in on Thurs for summerlicious.

[mummy2Luna]

Flow is really quite delicious. Relaxed ambience, outstanding service, reasonable $$ (for Yorkville).

[phoenikia]

I'd consider going to Sushi Inn for dinner, and then head over to Remy's,Amber or Lobby for drinks afterwards.
There is also a new martini bar in Hazelton lanes where the Lox Stock and Bagel used to be-it's busy at the end of the shopping day, but I'm not sure what it like at night.
Dimmi has reasonable Italian food in a nice setting- but I don't remember if they make martinis other than the traditional ones.
Caren's Wine Bar is another option if you're happy with small plates rather than a dinner...nice drink menu and great atmosphere.

[squeaks]

The Duke of York serves decent food, for a pub. I had a tasty tuna melt there a while ago. The atmosphere is nice, too.

[komjug]

Hemingway's is pretty reasonable - everyhthing is good but the food. Unless deep frying is your style. But you can have a salad and talk a lot.

[phoenikia]

Re Hemingways- it is the worst bar food I've had in Toronto.

I shared a dip platter, the deep fried appetizer platter, and nachos at Hemingway's about a week ago with 6 friends....it is awful.
The dips are much worse than what you get at a supermarket - what I suspect was supposed to be Roasted red pepper dip looked a lot more like Kraft French Dressing....served with fairly stale whole wheat pita triangles. There was a small portion of hummus- no real taste of garlic or lemon or lime....and a very boring tzatziki.
Even for deep-fried food, I wouldn't suggest it.The deep fried platter had spring rolls, calamari, wings, and fries....very disappointing spring rolls and wings.
The nachos are no worse than what you would get at the Firkin or Tortilla Flats... they were the most edible item I tried- but I wouldn't go there just to order them.
Their very purple Sangria (I suspect they are using something similar to Grape Fruitopia as the juice part) is pretty bad too.And the Cosmo was disappointing- very harsh. Stick to beer, if you go.

[cream]

Must agree with torontoeh, Cafe Nervosa is a great place to have a good meal in Yorkville. Not outrageously priced and the pizzas are amazing!

[torontoeh]

http://www.cafenervosa.ca/ Good value, great calamari. Pizzas are always good. Nice sized restaurant but not a lot of people watching. I think it is one of the best consistent dinner values in Yorkville.

[Googs]

Yorkville & expensive go together. The better question is where in Yorkville can you get bang for the buck. Me personally, I like Pangaea. Worth every penny you spend and not once will you feel compelled to sit bolt upright.
http://www.pangaearestaurant.com/welc...