Slightly Upscale Near Bathurst & Adelaide

[Tabinet]

My in-laws are coming to town for about ten days [yes, I have posted about this and gotten lots of great suggestions that we are going to try] and they have decided to go to one of the Summerworks plays in the Factory Theatre @ Bathurst & Adelaide next Thursday evening. I have one restaurant suggestion in mind, but my knowledge of that area is very limited.

They are very easy-going for food recommendations - they like everything [he tends to favour American foods like steaks, burgers, etc. and she tends to favour organic/whole foods - emphasis on freshness and leaning towards vegetarian]. This would be a bit of a special night for them though as they will not have their five year old son with them [and he is always with them - but I am baby-sitting]. So, something slightly upscale would be appreciated.

On a side note [as I don't want to clutter the board with posts] - with regards to the five year old...are they any spectacular [even moderately so] places for kids to eat? I guess I'm thinking something more dessert-oriented or sweets generally. Like, if you were a kid - what would be your ultimate? Anywhere downtown is fine [please note the kid is from Brussels and has been eating Belgian chocolates and waffles since he was a fetus - so he already knows his chocolate].

[Tabinet]

Well, they ended up going to Tutti Matti [I think because we had actually been there before and could speak to it personally]. They arrived 30 minutes after their intended reservation and were worried about making it to the theatre on time. This was not a problem as they said the service was perfection - very efficient, but not at all rushed.

As to the food - they were disappointed they couldn't linger over coffee and desserts, but they were both able to have starters and main dishes, even with the reduced time. As mentioned, they are not terribly verbose with food, but I was able to discern that they both had salads [different, but couldn't tell me much about it aside form them both being very good] and then for the mains they both had black cod, which was one of the specials. Again, no further details aside from it being very good.

I will say though that I have had some of the worst restaurant experiences in all my time in Toronto over the last week and a half. We ended up @ a lot of chain restaurants that I would normally never go to [in a misguided attempt to please the child who has become a frustratingly picky eater]. It only reaffirmed my already negative opinion of chain restaurants. Such a waste of money and calories!

[Tabinet]

Thanks again for all of your great suggestions. I am familar with most of these places, but I am a bit directionally challenged - so thank you for putting everything into context!

I will dutifully report back to tell you which one they chose. They aren't notoriously verbose about anything [positive or negative], but I will try to pull some details for everyone.

[EarlyDrive]

How about Tutti Matti? Solid Italian fare, nice atmosphere, and just a hop skip and a jump fromThe Factory.

[Tabinet]

Tutti Matti is one of my favourite restaurants in Toronto so it is most definitely on the list. However, I don't think that they are wild about Italian food [I've known them for almost 10 years and it's oh-so rare that I see them eating it either @ home or in a restaurant].

[pendlebg]

Thuet, Niagara Street Cafe and the Bungalow Cafe would all be within 10 minutes.

[mlukan]

I recommend The Rosebud, I'm not sure if they are very vegetarian friendly, I'm sure they have something on the menu without meat I just never order it. I guess you could take the kid to the pickel barrel which is the opposit if chowish but for kids its alright.

[Tabinet]

The kid is very agreeable to any kind of food and is generally well-behaved in restaurants, so we can take him almost anywhere. I was just wondering if there is some sort of fantastic dessert or sweets that I've been missing out on. Something with a bit of a wow factor [but for kids].

[pinstripeprincess]

rosebud? though i can't say how vegetarian friendly they are.

[Tabinet]

Well, she is not a vegetarian - she just enjoys eating light, healthy and fresh foods - for the most part. She won't eat pork, but all other kinds of meat are okay.

I've heard Rosebud is good - wasn't aware it was in that area.

[pinstripeprincess]

i can't say that i've had anything at the rosebud that i would consider light except for an app of salad. if you give them a call you might be able to get a better idea of what they've got available. though.... they might be closed this week still as there's a "gone fishing" sign on their door.

if you're interested in going a little further afield, i'd consider niagara st cafe.

i don't have any recommendations for children.... if they were mine i'd hope something as simple but exotic and delicious as a doubles would be amazing to them. otherwise perhaps one of the gelato threads could be of assistance or perhaps an ice cream thread with all the odd and interesting flavours offered by places like gregs.

[Tabinet]

Yes, I am following the gelato threads with interest. In part because I love it too - but the kid is definitely a fan of anything resembling ice cream [and he finds the heat in Toronto to be a bit unbearable].

[pinstripeprincess]

i wonder if walnut cakes from koreatown would be of interest? red bean is a little odd at times as a sweet for some. but it could be quite new and different. they also have sugar filled pancakes that are more normal sweet. how about bubble tea? i'm sure it must've made it to europe but i'm not sure if it's something he's had. all the jellies and odd flavours like taro (which i love) could be fun.

this could all be had after a meal at a korean resto or after some dimsum, both quite family friendly.

[Rabbit]

For the kid, Demetre might be kinda spectacular... gigantic ice cream confections, waffles. But be warned that Taste of the Danforth is this weekend, so that location might be jammed.

For the adults, perhaps Crush Wine Bar (crushwinebar.com). They pay attention to seasonal/local ingredients and he can get a burger.