Via Allegro Ristorante

If you want to see an award winning wine list the size of a big old book, look no further than in Etobicoke.  Via Allegro Ristorante is a great Italian restaurant with wine all over---on display, in their world class cabinets, cases, cellars, etc.  It is out of control.  Also out of control are their prices for food.  Last month we went there to celebrate a friend's birthday---I've never seen Italian food priced in the $40's and above per entree.  And if you thought price wise, it couldn't get any worse, it could and did.  The appetizers were as expensive as a main course!  I don't even want to go into details about the food here, because it IS good, but I would never go here again because it just didn't provide good value for what it was.  And I can't recommend this place to anyone because of it, either.  

Bagel World

So, I watch Food Network religiously.  One show that just got the boot is called "Restaurant Makeover" and I especially enjoyed it when it first came on air.  Then, the show started to get more and more annoying, with really egocentric interior designers, chef's with a bit too much "know how" and each restaurant I saw renovated looked more and more like the last one they did.  Ok, I'm off on a tangent here, so back to Bagel World.  I pass Bagel World every time I go to Costco Warehouse.  Located on Wilson Ave., just west of Bathurst, this morning, I took Miah there because I have constantly driven by it, and it had been on "Restaurant Makeover".  You'd think after a restaurant's been on t.v. like it has, they would keep up the inside standards not just with the decor but the food as well.  I got the small lox plate with a toasted sesame bagel and it was just, o.k.  Nothing special.  Bagel's here are thick and chewy.  Lox looked like it could use a little more color, it had a sad pale orange pallor.  And the cream cheese---wow, it was a huge ice cream scoop of cream cheese that could be spread on 5 bagels, not just my 1.  Miah got her eggs over easy but they were really runny.  Coffee was just decent.  Service was with a smile.  I can not recommend this place nor would I ever go again.  My curiosity has been sufficiently assuaged.  

Quince Restaurant

Quince Restaurant, located on Yonge St., about 3 blocks south of Eglinton Ave., was seriously impressive.  The food was creative, fresh, unique and right on target with the price point.  I went there with some expectations and I was pleasantly surprised that our meal not only met but exceeded my expectations.  My husband, Maurizio, myself and our friends, Mark and Jacklynn, went on a double date.  Something we don't do.  Ever.  Usually we tag have our kid tag along, who at 1 year old, has a mind of her own.  Thank God for friends like Sarah and Greg, who looked after her tonight like the amazing Aunt and Uncle that they are.  :)  Oh yeah, back to our meal...we started off with poutine frites, that I think they called them "Dutch Poutine".  There were healthy cut french fries, covered in gravy, tender shredded braised beef and chunks of curded cheese.  It was delicious and I wanted to eat all of it by myself without having to share.  We also had a side of rapini, that came roasted, and cooked to perfection.  Usually rapini, a.k.a. broccolini, comes tasting pretty bitter.  Even when I cook it, (and I'm such a pro, NOT!) it always obstinately maintains a bitter edge to the taste no matter how much water and salt I use to semi-boil/steam it in.  Jacklynn and Mark had the same main course of salmon and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Maurizio had the grilled veal flanks and was extremely pleased.  I ordered the chicken.  Boring, I know, but I had heard from my friend, Sandra, that the chicken here was incredibly tasty, tender and juicy.  She was right!  They cook everything in their big wood-fired oven, and my dish was $19 and it had 3 big pieces of chicken plated on top of some mushy root compote and on the side were some roasted 2 toned veggies (I think they were carrots and squash).  I was only able to eat the top piece of chicken, which was the biggest piece on my plate (the breast meat portion) and a few of the veggies.  Truth be told, I ate a lot of the bread and breadsticks from the bread basket before our food arrived because I was starving when we first got to the restaurant.  Probably to help keep me sober enough to maintain conversation because we ordered a delicious $58 bottle of wine from France, a grenache that we all enjoyed drinking.  Of course, those who know me, knows that I always make room for the big D---dessert!  I ordered the chocolate bread pudding, as did Jacklynn.  Maurizio had the apple tartine and Mark had a white and dark chocolate frozen tangine.  Service was good if a bit on the dry side, but the food came out in a timely fashion and it was divine.  I would definitely recommend this place to friends and go back myself anytime!  

William Ashley's Annual Warehouse Sale

So, my Mom and I braved the William Ashley Annual Warehouse sale this past Friday---2 days before it's final closing, and we picked up quite the bang for our bucks at this place.  I couldn't help but notice how jacked we've gotten from other stores like The Bay or Kitchen Stuff Plus for appliances like our new Cuisinart Cordless Tea Pot or the Cuisinart 4 Waffle Iron Maker.  Had I known this sale would have these appliances, I would've told my husband to go there even if it meant having to line up for an hour under the white tent outside the warehouse!  This is my first time coming here, where there has been zero line-up outside the actual building.  I think the recession the States are having have seeped it's way up to Canadaland.

Galleria Market

There's this Korean grocery store waaay up Yonge St., past Steeles Road in Thornhill, called The Galleria Market.  It is out of this world.  The prepared food ranges from a million types of pickled kimchis, but all sorts of comfort foods that bring back those childhood memories of home cooked Korean meals.  At least they do for this big kid.  :)  I come here time permitting, not to mention whenever I have a Korean food craving or am missing my Mom's home cooking and it always does the trick.  There is a bakery inside this grocers, not to mention other little shops and eateries inside.  It's a bit of Korea away from Korea and I can't recommend it enough.

The Good Bite Restaurant

Who doesn't love a good greasy spoon?  I certainly do.  And a tried and true one is The Good Bite Restaurant on Yonge Street, north of Eglinton by a few blocks on the east side of Yonge.  I went there with my Mom the other day around 11:30 AM and we had the club sandwich on brown bread, toasted, and french fries on the side.  It was scrumdillyumptious.  I've had it before and it never fails me.  If I'm in the mood for breakfast food, I always get the 2 egg scrambled special, comes with toast already buttered, choice of bacon, sausage or peameal (I get the peameal for the extra money) and home fries, but my friend, Janice, not only turned me on about this place, but gave the me the secret "in" on getting half tomatoes/half potatoes when ordering.  That way you get less potatoes and a couple slices of tomatoes instead.  It's a win-win situation as far as I'm concerned.  For under $10 including the tip and a cup of joe, you really can't go wrong.  I love this dive.  

Smitten Kitchen

So, Miah asks me one day if I've heard of the Smitten Kitchen.  I said, no, I haven't.  Well, she told me to go look online and check out this woman's blog, it's insane.  Well, it really IS insane!  This woman has a blog that not only does she give you recipes, she takes photographs of the recipes in progress and it's total food porn.  It's amazing the food looks so good.  I've already book marked quite a few of her recipes on my MacBook for future use, like the apple cake.  Heavenly...

For a slice of this heaven go to:  www.smittenkitchen.com 

It puts all blogs like mine to shame.  I merely talk about, she shows it!