608283 Tue Mar 31 08:08:47 -0700 2009 5 23 Ontario (including Toronto) 0 4553950 Had the opportunity last week to dine at 93 Harbord one night and the Harbord Room the next. Pleasant surprise at one, disappointment at the other. 93 Harbord was a great experience for all four of us: completely unpretentious welcoming staff, lovely room with good acoustics and comfortable seating, and reasonably-priced high quality food. We had lamb tagines, vegetable tagine, and the fish special, which on this occasion was halibut. Spicing and seasoning were spot on, and the halibut was perfectly cooked. Recommended and will definitely return. We were really looking forward to our first visit to the Harbord Room, but their failure to respond to an email reservation request was an inauspicious beginning. One we had that sorted, we had to contend with high chairs and tables that demanded shoehorning to get into them, and a room that was too loud for four people to converse. We tried a beet and char salad (best plate of the lot), salt cod croquettes (adequate), the burger ( ordered medium rare, but was both overcooked and cold-- sub-standard bar food) steak frites (enjoyable) and an under-seasoned and under-flavoured vegetable risotto with hazelnuts. Service was punctual but not warm. Despite the reasonable prices, at the end of the evening we all said 'meh' and would likely not return. Tue Mar 31 08:08:47 -0700 2009 180653 sinjawns 1 4556000 Too bad about Harbord Room. I had a decent meal there on Thursday night (though I wouldn't order the lamb nor the aphrodisiac cocktail nor the pots de creme dessert again), with very good service. However, I enjoyed an amazing burger and fries and Bloody Mary for brunch on Sunday. Unfortunately, service on Sunday was beyond terrible -- we got sick of hearing the clueless server apologize! She didn't ask how I wanted the burger cooked, but it came at the perfect texture and temperature. Agree with you about the high top tables - even skinny petite people have trouble getting in and out. Haven't been to 93 yet nor Harbord House. Tue Mar 31 18:04:23 -0700 2009 4553950 14906 Food Tourist 1 4567157 Funny, my husband's had lunch at Harbord House and really enjoyed it. We had a meal at 93 Harbord, oh, six months ago, and although the food was nice, and certainly inventive, the whole service thing was incredibly pretentious and fake-foody, at least to me. My friend wasn't very hungry, and ordered a seafood appetizer then a soup, and had to ask for some bread to have with her soup--twice. Not impressed. Oh, and it was very very noisy. I'm still looking for really great tajine and couscous dishes. Sat Apr 04 09:33:21 -0700 2009 4553950 280006 WWanderer 2 4567192 Did your husband eat at Harbord House or Harbord Room? They are two different places, both on Harbord -- the OP was writing about Harbord Room. Sat Apr 04 09:45:39 -0700 2009 4567157 12124 TorontoJo 3 4567420 Right you are Jo-- these are three different places. There is a distinct lack of creativity in the names of restos along Harbord, wouldn't you say? Easy to confuse them. I am really surprised to hear that anyone finds 93 Harbord service pretentious-- as noted, my experience was the exact opposite. That's they way it goes, I guess. Sat Apr 04 11:26:59 -0700 2009 4567192 180653 sinjawns 1 5209397 Did another pass through 93 Harbord recently: another very good experience. A special, cornish game hen (normally a dry and tasteless affair), was spatchcocked, crisp-skinned and flavorful. Grilled eggplant with coriander was creamy perfection. Calamari, served as whole tubes, a little on the rubbery side. Salmon was the only available fish, so we took a pass; tried the chicken with pomegranate sauce. Nicely done. Service was almost flawless; good wine advice. We also appreciated the warm and cosy room on a chilly night. Total cost for 2 with a moderate bottle of wine, no desserts, incl tax and tip: $130 Thu Nov 26 04:29:37 -0800 2009 4553950 180653 sinjawns