4/5 stars
775 Corydon Avenue
Previsit:
I always forget that this place is even on Corydon, although I always notice it when I'm walking down there. You've probably seen it - it's the wood building next to the 7-11. Since it's not exactly a typical restaurant I felt a little awkward walking in but the girls at the front were very helpful in directing us up to the restaurant part of the set-up (upstairs). It's not a very big venue so I would recommend timing your arrival not too close to breakfast but before the usual lunch rush - we got there at around 11 or so and it was great. One thing that was a little lacking was service in terms of checking on the food and taking payment (although I could always go for not paying).
The Meal:
What's so cool about this restaurant is that it is (a) vegan friendly, and (b) fresh! (as you may have guessed).
I ordered the eggs and meat - that's how it was described on the menu. The eggs were great - I think they might have been the kind that have extra omega-3 - and they have a variety of toast (whole wheat multigrain, white multigrain, sourdough rye, etc.). You get the choice of sausage, so I got bison sausage - it was quite flavourful and much leaner than the usual breakfast sausage. I also got pan-fried potatoes that were done with rosemary - my least favourite spice - but it was done well so the flavour wasn't overpowering.
My partner got the eggs benny (benedict), which were served on scones instead of an english muffin. The hollandaise sauce was rich and the bacon was crispy. This dish was also served with potatoes and Scott agreed that the rosemary was a nice touch - you could barely taste it.
Drinks:
We ordered the hot chocolate which was made from scratch I'm pretty sure. At the same time, I would definitely order one of their juice combo drinks next time - they sounded tasty (and again fresh).
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Bellissimo Restaurant and Lounge
3.5/5 stars
1-877 Waverley Street
Pre-visit:
I have been to this restaurant before, but not for a very long time. I was apprehensive about going here because I know someone who got food poisoning from chicken at this restaurant on a previous occasion. This place is pretty popular so I highly recommend having a reservation - especially if you have a group larger than 4. It is a business casual atmosphere, so don't show up in sweats but you don't need to dress up to go. Also keep in mind that the lighting is dim plus the walls are a darker brown so it can be difficult to see the menu - perhaps don't take your grandparents here.
The Meal:
The menu is quite extensive with a large variety of appetizers, salads, pasta dishes and other entrees.
Appetizers
I highly recommend the Pane Fritto if you are wanting an appetizer. It is a dish consisting of a number of small pillows of cooked dough seasoned with butter and garlic, served with a bowl of warm marinara sauce to dip the dough in. If you like garlic bread or pizza this is most definitely the appetizer for you, and it's great for sharing because it's a very large portion. Just keep in mind that you also get bread before your meal so save room! We also had calamari to start. It was tasty but it wasn't any more spectacular than any other restaurant in my opinion.
We all had Caesar salad in addition to these appetizers. The dressing had a large amount of garlic in it, but the salad was well put together with not too much dressing. Something different about their Caesar salads is that they are served with grape tomatoes and olives as garnishes which changed the flavour of the salad but still worked.
Entrees
My partner had the vitello parmigiana (veal parmigiana) - a standard Italian entree. The veal was massive! It took up the majority of the plate. Even though it was so large, the meat was well cooked. The marinara sauce used was rich in flavour, and was also used on the pasta side dish served with the meat. If you do order this, just be prepared to bring some of it home.
My brother ordered the spaghetti with meatballs. The pasta was cooked well - as it should be in an Italian restaurant - and the marinara sauce made another appearance on our table. The stand-out part of this dish is was the meatballs which had a 6-8 cm diameter! It was quite funny when the dish came out because you could barely see the pasta because the three meatballs were covering the majority of the dish. You may question the quality of such large meatballs but they were very tasty with just the right combination of seasoning. Again, a portion of this dish came home with us.
My mother had the Pesce Asiago, which is a seafood pasta dish. Although this dish had a lot of flavour, it was not something that stood out as being different/original.
My step-father had the Pollo Marsala - chicken breast stuffed with spinach, caramelized onions, and bacon, which is wrapped in prosciutto. This sounds really good to me, and I will probably order it next time I go there if it is still on the menu. My step-dad does not share my enthusiasm - he won't order it again, he's going back to the veal parmigiana. I think that it might have been the sauce that took away from this dish - a marsala wine sauce. An alternative idea could be that the designated side dishes would have better complimented the chicken done like this. It is supposed to be served with potatoes and vegetables. In place of this my step-dad got the penne with marinara sauce (which I have now decided is probably their specialty based on the number of times appeared on our table).
Finally, I ordered the Pollo Ripieno - chicken breast stuffed with asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, onion and chevre cheese. The chicken is also crusted with pecans (yum) and then topped with a caramelized honey sauce. Thus far the description is probably sounding pretty good and it was tasty. My issue with this dish were that I couldn't really taste the stuffing or the pecans due to the copious amounts of honey sauce. Also, the sauce started to harden on the plate which made it harder to function. The side that came with the chicken was a pasta, vegetable stir-fry. I wasn't a huge fan but my partner said it was good - perhaps it's just because I had a whole lot of sweet stuff in my mouth.
Dessert
Again, we didn't really have a lot of room in my stomach for dessert, and neither did everyone else.
1-877 Waverley Street
Pre-visit:
I have been to this restaurant before, but not for a very long time. I was apprehensive about going here because I know someone who got food poisoning from chicken at this restaurant on a previous occasion. This place is pretty popular so I highly recommend having a reservation - especially if you have a group larger than 4. It is a business casual atmosphere, so don't show up in sweats but you don't need to dress up to go. Also keep in mind that the lighting is dim plus the walls are a darker brown so it can be difficult to see the menu - perhaps don't take your grandparents here.
The Meal:
The menu is quite extensive with a large variety of appetizers, salads, pasta dishes and other entrees.
Appetizers
I highly recommend the Pane Fritto if you are wanting an appetizer. It is a dish consisting of a number of small pillows of cooked dough seasoned with butter and garlic, served with a bowl of warm marinara sauce to dip the dough in. If you like garlic bread or pizza this is most definitely the appetizer for you, and it's great for sharing because it's a very large portion. Just keep in mind that you also get bread before your meal so save room! We also had calamari to start. It was tasty but it wasn't any more spectacular than any other restaurant in my opinion.
We all had Caesar salad in addition to these appetizers. The dressing had a large amount of garlic in it, but the salad was well put together with not too much dressing. Something different about their Caesar salads is that they are served with grape tomatoes and olives as garnishes which changed the flavour of the salad but still worked.
Entrees
My partner had the vitello parmigiana (veal parmigiana) - a standard Italian entree. The veal was massive! It took up the majority of the plate. Even though it was so large, the meat was well cooked. The marinara sauce used was rich in flavour, and was also used on the pasta side dish served with the meat. If you do order this, just be prepared to bring some of it home.
My brother ordered the spaghetti with meatballs. The pasta was cooked well - as it should be in an Italian restaurant - and the marinara sauce made another appearance on our table. The stand-out part of this dish is was the meatballs which had a 6-8 cm diameter! It was quite funny when the dish came out because you could barely see the pasta because the three meatballs were covering the majority of the dish. You may question the quality of such large meatballs but they were very tasty with just the right combination of seasoning. Again, a portion of this dish came home with us.
My mother had the Pesce Asiago, which is a seafood pasta dish. Although this dish had a lot of flavour, it was not something that stood out as being different/original.
My step-father had the Pollo Marsala - chicken breast stuffed with spinach, caramelized onions, and bacon, which is wrapped in prosciutto. This sounds really good to me, and I will probably order it next time I go there if it is still on the menu. My step-dad does not share my enthusiasm - he won't order it again, he's going back to the veal parmigiana. I think that it might have been the sauce that took away from this dish - a marsala wine sauce. An alternative idea could be that the designated side dishes would have better complimented the chicken done like this. It is supposed to be served with potatoes and vegetables. In place of this my step-dad got the penne with marinara sauce (which I have now decided is probably their specialty based on the number of times appeared on our table).
Finally, I ordered the Pollo Ripieno - chicken breast stuffed with asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, onion and chevre cheese. The chicken is also crusted with pecans (yum) and then topped with a caramelized honey sauce. Thus far the description is probably sounding pretty good and it was tasty. My issue with this dish were that I couldn't really taste the stuffing or the pecans due to the copious amounts of honey sauce. Also, the sauce started to harden on the plate which made it harder to function. The side that came with the chicken was a pasta, vegetable stir-fry. I wasn't a huge fan but my partner said it was good - perhaps it's just because I had a whole lot of sweet stuff in my mouth.
Dessert
Again, we didn't really have a lot of room in my stomach for dessert, and neither did everyone else.
Step'n Out
5/5 stars
157 Provencher Boulevard
Previsit:
Unlike Hermano's, I had heard a lot about this restaurant before we went their. The neat part about this restaurant is that the menu always changes so the food described in this blog may not be available to order when you go:) You will most likely need a reservation - I made sure we did (it was a special occasion). To do this, call and you will probably get their answering machine - just leave a message with your name, plus the date and time you want to book; you will get a call back confirming. Be aware though, the restaurant is run by a couple and so they do take holidays (for example, around Christmas time). Also, the place can be booked, which puts restrictions on when you can get a reservation.
Ambience:
I really liked the atmosphere in the restaurant, it was quite quaint. The entrance is not very big, but once you get into the restaurant the tables are well spaced so you don't feel like you're sitting on someone else. The walls are covered in photos and memorabilia to do with shopping, France, shoes, movies, etc. Also, the colours are warm - dark red and cream coloured (patterned) fabrics with hardwood floors. There is also an upstairs, but we didn't get to see it.
The Meal:
Appetizers
I started with the raspberry, goat cheese and almond salad - it was great! The goat cheese was served warm in small disks coated in sliced almonds, which was a big selling point for me - so creamy. Despite this, the best part of the salad was the raspberry vinaigrette which was homemade. It was delicious and not too potent in comparison to the usual vinaigrette that you buy in the store.
Another of the appetizers that we had was the spicy chicken gumbo. Be aware, when they say spicy, they mean it - it will definitely clear your sinuses. There were several slices of different peppers (especially banana peppers) in this tomato-based soup in addition to the chicken and chunks of other vegetables.
Entrees
My partner had the tenderloin steak, which seems to be a staple on the menu because he had had it the last time he was there. The meat was cooked to a perfect medium rare, and the quality of the cut was fantastic. For the steak lover, this is a great dish to get - safe and satisfying. It comes with potatoes and asparagus as the sides which were also cooked well. Especially considering that asparagus can be touchy, they did a very good job of ensuring that the hard parts of the end were not included in the dish.
I was slightly more daring when choosing my entree, although I went with a crepe (something that I love). The crepe in this case was filled with seafood and covered in a creamy mushroom sauce. I knew that this restaurant was classy but I wasn't sure what type of seafood would be in the crepe or how much. I was very surprised that not only were there shrimp and scallops in the crepe but also large pieces of crab and lobster - so tasty. The mushroom sauce seemed an odd compliment to this dish in my mind but when I tasted it, there was no doubt that it was fantastic.
Dessert
Unfortunately, we didn't have room to have any dessert. The menu looked delicious though and we could see them from our table so I can say for sure, they looked scrumptious.
Wine
There were a number of wines on the list that I wanted to try. We ended up choosing the Koonunga Hill by Penfolds - it's a red, and dry if you are wanting to try it.
157 Provencher Boulevard
Previsit:
Unlike Hermano's, I had heard a lot about this restaurant before we went their. The neat part about this restaurant is that the menu always changes so the food described in this blog may not be available to order when you go:) You will most likely need a reservation - I made sure we did (it was a special occasion). To do this, call and you will probably get their answering machine - just leave a message with your name, plus the date and time you want to book; you will get a call back confirming. Be aware though, the restaurant is run by a couple and so they do take holidays (for example, around Christmas time). Also, the place can be booked, which puts restrictions on when you can get a reservation.
Ambience:
I really liked the atmosphere in the restaurant, it was quite quaint. The entrance is not very big, but once you get into the restaurant the tables are well spaced so you don't feel like you're sitting on someone else. The walls are covered in photos and memorabilia to do with shopping, France, shoes, movies, etc. Also, the colours are warm - dark red and cream coloured (patterned) fabrics with hardwood floors. There is also an upstairs, but we didn't get to see it.
The Meal:
Appetizers
I started with the raspberry, goat cheese and almond salad - it was great! The goat cheese was served warm in small disks coated in sliced almonds, which was a big selling point for me - so creamy. Despite this, the best part of the salad was the raspberry vinaigrette which was homemade. It was delicious and not too potent in comparison to the usual vinaigrette that you buy in the store.
Another of the appetizers that we had was the spicy chicken gumbo. Be aware, when they say spicy, they mean it - it will definitely clear your sinuses. There were several slices of different peppers (especially banana peppers) in this tomato-based soup in addition to the chicken and chunks of other vegetables.
Entrees
My partner had the tenderloin steak, which seems to be a staple on the menu because he had had it the last time he was there. The meat was cooked to a perfect medium rare, and the quality of the cut was fantastic. For the steak lover, this is a great dish to get - safe and satisfying. It comes with potatoes and asparagus as the sides which were also cooked well. Especially considering that asparagus can be touchy, they did a very good job of ensuring that the hard parts of the end were not included in the dish.
I was slightly more daring when choosing my entree, although I went with a crepe (something that I love). The crepe in this case was filled with seafood and covered in a creamy mushroom sauce. I knew that this restaurant was classy but I wasn't sure what type of seafood would be in the crepe or how much. I was very surprised that not only were there shrimp and scallops in the crepe but also large pieces of crab and lobster - so tasty. The mushroom sauce seemed an odd compliment to this dish in my mind but when I tasted it, there was no doubt that it was fantastic.
Dessert
Unfortunately, we didn't have room to have any dessert. The menu looked delicious though and we could see them from our table so I can say for sure, they looked scrumptious.
Wine
There were a number of wines on the list that I wanted to try. We ended up choosing the Koonunga Hill by Penfolds - it's a red, and dry if you are wanting to try it.
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