Montreal foodie looking for recco's in T.O
Exploring Toronto on Friday, Sat and Sunday. Driving back to MTL on Monday.
Looking for recommendations in the Distillery District.
I also found a couple of interesting food options in the old Portuguese Quarter (Dundas Street West): Brockton General, Enoteca Sociale, Black Hoof Cafe, Atlantic, Porchetta & Co. Can anyone comment?
Would also likely want to pay a visit to Bar Chef for cocktails. There's hardly a serious cocktail place in Montreal.
And how about the food options in/around Pacific Mall?
Anythings else really good that can't be had in Montreal?
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Distillery District
55 Mill St, Toronto, ON M5A, CA
The Black Hoof
928 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6J, CA
Bar Chef
472 Queen St W, Mount Forest, ON , CA
Enoteca Sociale
1288 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6J, CA
Brockton General
1321 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6J 1Y1, CA
Porchetta & Co.
825 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON , CA
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estilker
Aug 4, 2011 11:19 AM
It's been more than a month, but I wanted to report back on our trip.
Friday lunch in Asian Legend around Pac Mall. (my friend and her parents choice). Quite happy with xiolongbao and the snow pea shoots. Onto Pac Mall were we had some bubble tea, egg waffles and bought some interesting candy (cheese kitkats and green tea aero). Later on headed downtown and had drinks at Bar Chef. Had a cocktail with Mezcal and Tequilla. Also had some nachos that were in fact tortilla's that were fried with a chunky corn tomatoe, onion, cilantro salsa. Very fresh.
I was doubting about Black Hoof because it seemed we could get this food back home, but then it seemed this restaurant was all over magazines and newspapers. So when we passed by, there was no line-up and decided to try our chances and see if it lived up to the hype. And yes it did!
It's quite a boisterous dining room and we were sitting quite close to our neighbours, so everyone ended up talking to each other. In fact our neighbours ended up ordering what the table next to them did and we ordered whatever they ordered because it looked so great.
We ordered the duck liver mousse, a gigantic portion and the house pickels (carrots, radishes) and some bread. Then the smoked beef tartare. Absolutely raw but with a good smokey flavour, came with slices of bread with herbed butter and egg yolk smeared all over them, then we had the pork belly with scallops. There was some type of caramelized kim chee sauce. This was absolutely great, savoury, spicy a bit sweet. I would go back just for dish alone (and not share it with anyone). We were full by then but the waitress conviced us to try the pork carnitas tacos. Was she ever right! Slow cooked pork, a crumbled chicharrón and a smear of avocado and coriander.
I also had the Kentucky vs Morocco cocktail, best described as mint julep with some Eastern spices. Also had a Manhattan, with the wonderful Antica Formula vermouth and aged rye and house-made bitter. This one was perhaps slightly too bitter for my taste . I was pleasantly surprised to see the Pares Balta Blanc de Pacs wine. This white wine is made with the same grapes used for Spanish Cava and I had it a couple of years ago in a great seafood place in Boston and had been tracking it down ever since. So later I found it in an LCBO and brought home a case.
The service was excellent, very knowledgable. We were never rushed, in fact we ordered a new dish after we finished the previous one (and copied the table next to us). We also had dessert, but not quite sure what it was. I believe shortcake with creme anglaise, passion fruit coulis and goatcheese. It was a good light finish to a very satisfying meal. I highly recommend Black Hoof and will go again on my next trip to Toronto.Next day we did the tourist thing and had a peameal bacon sammie at St Lawrence Market, bought some Old Smokey mustard at Kozliks (highly addictive) and then went to the Distillery.
We did a sake tasting at the The Ontario Spring Water Sake Company (in fact we bought the bottles of the tasting flightm same price and more sake). Each sake had it's own distinct flavour profle, and there is some explanation inside how the sake is made. Also had a couple of Mill Street beers at the Pure Spirits Oyster House patio and some snack. Both the food and beer are overpriced and not memorable. That night we headed to Weezies for dinner in Corktown only to find that the restaurant was empty. Not a good sign on a Saturday night. So we opted for Gilead's Bistro instead. This was a mixed bag really. The maitre d' was from Quebec so we spoke French with him. He was very accomodating, let us sit at the bar first and then sought out a table for us (because technically they were fully booked). He also let me taste 2 wines before deciding. They have a very good selection of Canadian wine, but the bubbly from PEI we tried was not good. Now the food was supposed to be tapas style, but we decided we share some charcuterie and a salad and then everyone orders their own dish. The charcuterie was OK, but the liver mousse was nothing compared to the night before. Also the asparagus salad only had 2 asparagus. The waitress taking our orders was bad. Not only couldn't she pronounce charcuterie in French (OK, this is a bit of a pet peeve of mine, but if your menu says 'assiete of charcuterie', you have to teach your staff how certain words are pronounced in French, especially if you are doing French bistro style food), she got orders wrong and when she brought my steak, she had no idea what kind of cut it was. Also I had to ask for mayo and when she brought it, she raved how good the home-made mayo actually was. So why wasn't it part of the Steak + Frites in the first place? It is the traditional condiment. The hanger steak was cooked perfectly and the fries were lovely. But I don't see how this dish can be shared (tapas style) and it was the size of a main course. All in all, not so bad but not great either. The service was iffy (except for the maitre d', and yes I think we did get slightly better service because of the QC connection). But with memory from Black Hoof fresh in mind, we ended up comparing and decided Gilead's was a dissappointment. If we'd eaten at Gilead's before Black Hoof it might have been different.
On Monday we wanted to go to Little Nicky's Donuts, but unfortunately they were closed. Headed to Porchetta & Co instead for a sandwich. I had mine with truffle mayo, the GF with marinare sauce. Very nice, the pork crackling provided the needed texture. We also took out some great pastries from the Caldense Bakery across the street. After walking around downtown, we headed again on Dundas Street West (really liked this area, like the Mile End of Toronto). We were tempted by Campognolo but decided to continue to Brockton General. Just before Brockton General, we hit Enoteca Sociale and we're hungry by then. We had the Arancini and grilled octopus as starters (with a glass of Bisol Prosecco Rosato, big fan of their regular prosecco and this rose bubbly did not dissappoint either) and the papardelle with braised rabbit and pasta with arribiata. The wine pairings were absolutely spot on. For dessert Semifreddo, coffe and Chamomile liquor. Was this ever good. Made with grappa, a lot of sugar and pure floral chamomile essence. I will try to find this (good luck with our SAQ), or make it myself (I made my own limoncello, so why not this?)A very fun trip with a lot of good food!
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The Black Hoof
928 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6J, CABar Chef
472 Queen St W, Mount Forest, ON , CAEnoteca Sociale
1288 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6J, CAPorchetta & Co.
825 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON , CA -
aser
Jun 20, 2011 09:54 PM
Around pac mall here are a few things you def can't find in MTL.
Graceful Vegetarian - great vegetarian cuisine, using a lot of gluten as mock meats. Sounds gross but it's not. They do an excellent job at it, would be good to go for dim sum to contrast a porky/shrimpy dim sum meal at Yang's, Casa Imperial/Victoria, Lai Wah Heen, etc......
Ba Shu Ren Jia - authentic Sichuan, your tongue will be scolded. Quite delicious, but not for the faint of heart.
I haven't been but Charles raves about Brilliant Chinese Restaurant, which is right by pac mall.
Also in Scarborough is a great little hole in the wall called Gourmet Garden. Do a search here if you're into Malaysian food.
If downtown for Chinese food, my preferred choices are Xam Yu (seafood) and Swatow for wok hay dishes (water spinach, salted fish & chicken fried rice, wonton & brisket mein).
Tien Thanh has great pho, I go weekly due to my soup noodle addiction. Others in the pho/bun bo hue faves for me are Pho Dau Bo, Pho Con Bo, Que Ling.
Buster Rhino's is a good rec but only if you have access to a car. Would be a good place to hit driving into Toronto. If not, the alternate option is Stockyard's, which is w/i the city. They serve an excellent in & out style animal burger.
If you like sushi then Zen would be a good place to visit for omakase, do not think you can find that in MTL. Ematei offers great homey cooked food, along with Guu for izakaya fun.
Lots of Korean options around in North York on Yonge from Sheppard to Clark. Mot Na San, Oh Geul Bol Geul, Cho Sun Ok, Sariwon, Seoul House. Yes the names will be impossible for you to remember unless you write them down.
Carribean/west indian food is another thing you're lacking back home. Check out Pam's (roti), Rap's/Spence's (jerk), Randy's (patties).......
If you have money burning a hole in your pocket, the best place to splash it at in Toronto is Splendido. They've actually started doing a tasting menu again, its absence was bemoaned by many people here.
Montreal does the whole brasserie/charcuterie thing much better than Toronto. Black Hoof is very much in the vein of Joe Beef, Le Comptoir, etc.....Basically your best bet in Toronto is ethnic food.
Lots of choices, most of them are quite affordable.
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Lai Wah Heen
108 Chestnut St, Toronto, ON M5G 1R3, CAEmatei
30 Saint Patrick St, Toronto, ON M5T3A3, CASplendido
88 Harbord Street, Toronto, ON M5S 1G5, CASariwon
7388 Yonge St, Vaughan, ON L4J, CASeoul House
3220 Dufferin St., Toronto, ON , CASwatow
309 Spadina Ave, Toronto, ON M5T2E6, CABuster Rhino's
2001 Thickson Rd S, Whitby, ON L1N, CAGourmet Garden Restaurant
4465 Sheppard Ave E, Toronto, ON M1S, CABa Shu Ren Jia
4771 Steeles Ave E, Toronto, ON M1V, CABrilliant Chinese Restaurant
7220 Kennedy Rd, Markham, ON L3R0N4, CACho Sun Ok
7353 Yonge St, Markham, ON L3T, CAGuu
398 Church Street, Toronto, ON M5B 2A2, CAThe Black Hoof
928 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6J, CA -
jlunar
Jun 20, 2011 07:45 PM
Just as a note: Black Hoof is still open, Hoof Café is closed. I really like The Black Hoof, but they don't take reservations and it's cash-only.
prima's take on Distillery echoes my own. The espresso space (if we're thinking of the same one) is called Café Furbo.
Campagnolo is a great place. I especially like their chef's bar (four seats at the open kitchen).
I find that Brockton has a very short menu - one or two mains at tops. Depends if how you like your options.
I think Porchetta is a great sandwich place, but it's pretty much take-out only. There are maybe 6 stools in there.
round Pac Mall, I'd say Casa Imperial, both for decent dim sum and over-the-top decor. I haven't been in a while though. The way everyone reports things, the quality of dimsum is as dependable as the weather. Parking is hellish if you're not early.
In Pacific Mall, I like the gai dan jie (little chicken eggs): http://www.flickr.com/photos/sifu_renka/4110383981/
and there's a guy who makes hand-pulled noodles in the food court. Both can be found in the upper level. And then there's bubble tea. I'm not sure if it's popular or not in Montreal though. I recommend starting with regular milk tea and tapioca, but the lychee black tea is also popular.
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http://www.foodpr0n.com -- food. is. love.
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Casa Imperial
4125 Steeles Ave E, Scarborough, ON M1W 3T4, CAThe Black Hoof
928 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6J, CACampagnolo
832 Dundas St. W, Toronto, ON , CA -
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prima
Jun 20, 2011 08:47 AM
Distillery District- I like Balzac's for coffee, Soma for interesting chocolates (I like the cherry bomb, balsamic, feuilletine, Mayan dome, Espresso crisp, as well as the dark English toffee) and gelato, and Brick Street Bakery for Eccles cakes and other British pastries. Brick Street also serves sandwiches some people love, on fresh baked bread. There's also a new espresso bar around the corner from Balzac that's supposed to be worthwhile- maybe another Chowhound can mention the name of the new espresso bar. Wouldn't recommend any of the sit-down restaurants located in the Distillery District. You're better off travelling to Starfish (upscale fish) or Weezie's (bistro - which you might not want since Mtl has plenty, although Weezie's serves mac & cheese with bacon, which seems very Ontarian to me), which are fairly close to the Distillery. Leslieville is also a short drive further east of the Distillery District, and has some interesting restaurants/bakeries/coffee houses.
One restaurant I'd recommend on Dundas St W is Campagnolo. I dined there last week, and it was probably the best upscale meal I've had in Toronto in 2011. Contemporary Italian using fresh, local ingredients. Out of the others you mention, I've been meaning to try Enoteca and Brockton General. Atlantic has very mixed reviews.
I don't like the cocktails at BarChef. Harbord Room on Harbord, the Drake, Goodnight, Nyood have some interesting cocktails, as does Campagnolo.
For things that can't be had in Montreal, I'd recommend Northern Dumpling Kitchen, Ruelo's rose lychee macarons (if they have them) and John's Chinese BBQ Restaurant (specifically for the King of Char Siu- which is a special request, not the regular char siu). All 3 of these places are located in Richmond Hill, and a reasonably short drive from Pacific Mall. I would think our dim sum is better than what can be had in Mtl, but many of our local CHs think it isn't what it used to be. I still like the upscale dim sum at Yang's north of the city, regardless of what the cognoscenti say.
If you're looking for dim sum downtown, Rol San is usually the best of the cheap options in Chinatown, and Crown Princess on Bay/Dynasty in Yorkville are reasonably good bets for upscale dim sum. Lai Wah Heen used to be the gold standard for luxe dim sum, but I haven't been for years, and seems like quite a few Chowhounds think the quality has been slipping lately.
Lee on Queen West, Origin on King East, Cava and Beast also strike me as restaurants that seem Torontonian to me. Even if the restaurants are influenced by other cuisines, or restaurants in other cities, the restaurants still have a Toronto element to them, whether it's the decor, ingredients or choice of dishes on the menu.
Not sure if the Polish resto in Old Mtl is still in business, but I remember reading there weren't too many Eastern Euro options in Mtl these days. We still have reasonably good Polish food available at Cafe Polonez on Roncesvalles, and good Hungarian food at Europe on Bathurst.
For interesting brunches, you might want to check out the menu at Beast or Lola's Commissary. I also like the huevos divorciados at Easy Restaurant- out of the way if you're staying downtown, but haven't noticed huevos divorciados on any Mtl breakfast or brunch menus.
Scaramouche is a Toronto institution with a view, with a menu that always seems Torontonian/Ontarian to me.
Khao San Road is a favourite for moderately priced Thai food. I realize that there's plenty of Thai food in Mtl, but I'd guess that the Thai food in Mtl is quite different from what you might find at Khao San Road in TO. Ravisoups is also unique to TO.
Hope you have a great stay in Toronto.
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Distillery District
55 Mill St, Toronto, ON M5A, CAScaramouche
1 Benvenuto Place, Toronto, ON M4V 2L1, CABrick Street Bakery
55 Mill St, Toronto, ON M5A, CAHarbord Room
89 Harbord St, Toronto, ON M5S1G4, CANyood
1096 Queen West, Toronto, ON M6J 1H9, CARuelo
550 Hwy 7 E, Richmond Hill, ON L4B, CAHarbord
147 Harbord St, Toronto, ON M5S1H1, CANorthern Dumpling Kitchen
550 7 Hwy E, Richmond Hill, ON L4B3Z4, CARavisoups
1128 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6J, CABrockton General
1321 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6J 1Y1, CACampagnolo
832 Dundas St. W, Toronto, ON , CAJohn's Chinese BBQ Restaurant
328 Hwy 7, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1A1, CABrick Street Bakery
100 King St W, Toronto, ON , CABrick Street Bakery
1969 Queen St E, Toronto, ON , CA›3 Replies-
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re: estilker
prima
Jun 20, 2011 06:47 PM
Haven't tried Gilead Bistro, but can't remember anyone complaining about the food. Would think it's a better bet than any of the sitdown options in the Distillery District.
Here's the most recent menu at Gilead: http://www.jamiekennedy.ca/PDFs/lates...
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Distillery District
55 Mill St, Toronto, ON M5A, CAGilead Bistro
4 Gilead Place, Toronto, ON M5A, CA -
re: estilker
Gilead is a good option near Distillery. What time of day will you be at the Distillery? I think for lunch it is more casual counter service (it was when I was there on previous occasions) and they have introduced "bistro" service in the evenings which I think is more traditional server style.
Since you are driving, I highly recommend a stop at Buster Rhino's in Whitby:
http://www.busterrhinos.com/main/inde...Follow the detour info on their website, sounds like some construction in the area.
It is pretty casual spot but it is worth trying their food and much better than other food you will find off the 401.
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Buster Rhino's
2001 Thickson Rd S, Whitby, ON L1N, CA
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