Harlem Underground

Date Visited: Winterlicious Dinner on Wednesday Feb 5, 2014
Company: High School friends get-together of 5

There seems to be some force of nature that decides to make the weather go crazy every time my friends from high school and I decide to get-together for a dinner downtown Toronto. On this occasion, our reservation for 7 dwindled to group of 5 that made it out on the night of a huge Toronto snowfall. We took the GO Train, TTC subway, and street car to make our reservation at 7PM at Harlem Underground at Queen West, go us :)

We entered from the snow and wind to the warm and cozy Harlem Underground. There were sheets insulating the doors and heaters blasting this small, hip restaurant. We were seated in a corner where I believe the heat was right under our seats, which made it scorching the whole time we were there. There was another section beside us in the back which made the restaurant a bit bigger than it looks. The decor is very urban, although hard to appreciate at night with the dim lighting. Definitely something like you would find in the Queen West area, their menus are even plastered on vinyl.

Their drink special of the day was Sangria Pitchers which were $2 off from regular. We ordered the White Wine Fruit Punch with Sprite to share with the table. Each of our glasses came with some berries and we got a medium sized jug filled with our deliciously-looking Sangria. It was a great drink with the perfect amount of alcohol mixed in. I love that they let you customize your Sangria because this way you get exactly what you like!

To start, I choose the Catfish Lafayette which were deep-fried breaded morsels of catfish with a sweet chili sauce and chipotle-type mayo on the side. The pieces were very light and bite-sized for dipping and sharing (although no one else wanted to try them). The catfish was very tender and steaming once you bit in. I really enjoyed this dish, the flavour was nice with the different sauces and wasn't too heavy to start off the meal (despite how it looks).

For my main, I had to get the Southern Fried Chicken and Waffles, it was the reason why we came! They had a lot of great options to try on their Winterlicious menu, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to finally try the southern combo of chicken and waffles. The plate came with 2 drumsticks, 1 thigh, 4 waffles, a small salad, and 3 sauces on the side (sweet chili, syrup, gravy). It was an overwhelming looking plate filled with lots of colour and appeal. I first smothered my pancakes with the maple syrup then did the same with the gravy and chicken. I don't mind my foods (sweet and savories) mixing at all so that was the only way I found to eat everything! The pancakes were heavy and filling so I had minimal bites of that and focused on the chicken during the meal. The chicken was extremely juicy and cooked perfectly. The skin was crispy but could have had more flavour, I think KFC or Popeye's chicken has more than Harlem's. It didn't seem very southern/Caribbean either. The gravy was a delicious addition to the chicken though and gave it a bit more oomph. In the end, I was actually underwhelmed by the taste of the dish and the maybe the hype? I think the novelty of having chicken and waffles was more big of a deal than actually eating it. I'm not the biggest fan of waffles and syrup to begin with and I thought it was just a filler on the plate. The chicken was good (not great) but it would have been better paired with a different side.
For my dessert, I got the Almond Chocolate Kisses with no idea what to expect with the name. It ended up being a small chocolate cookie decorated with icing sugar. It was crisp and hard on the outside but moist in the center. The almond flavour was very prominent but the chocolate was very rich and I couldn't even finish this small dessert.



Food: 2.5/5 - Overall, food was a bit bland for a restaurant known for flavourful soul food. Extremely filling though!
Decor: 3/5 - Liked how it looked but wayyy too hot in there!
Service: 2/5 - Mediocre, a bit slow.
Willingness to go back: 1/5 - Would maybe go to the other location as it's closer but nothing pulling me back here.
Overall: 2/5
Website: http://www.harlemrestaurant.com/#underground 

Buster Rhino's

Date Visited: Late lunch on Sunday Oct 6, 2013
Company: Grabbed a meal with +Will after he dropped me off in Oshawa.

I got a ride from Will back to Oshawa after the weekend and we decided to grab some lunch before he started making his way back to Toronto. I looked up on my phone to see what kind of places we could go on a Sunday and decided on Stuttering Johns. I wasn't actually sure if it was open but knew that Buster Rhino's was nearby enough to be our backup plan. We arrived in downtown Oshawa, parked right in front of Stuttering Johns and of course it's closed. We made our way up the street to Buster Rhino's, a similar type of restaurant, known for its Southern BBQ. It was about mid-afternoon so the place wasn't very full but about 4 tables were taken, we grabbed a seat near the back where football was playing on the big screen. The restaurant is very spacious with ample walking room between the tables. There were some people working on some construction near the back in a separate room... maybe an expansion?

There were paper menus already on our tables so we checked out our options as it was our first times there. The menu was simple and helpful, advising some favorite dishes and providing 'combo' options that come with a side and drink. They had all the classic BBQ items and sides but at reasonable prices ($9.50 for a sandwich combo!). I went for the Beef Brisket Sandwich with Onion Rings (Staff Favourite) while +Will went for the Pulled Pork Sandwich with Fries (Most Popular).

I also ordered a Chocolate Milk with my meal as it comes with a drink but it tasted a bit skunky and the waitress was very nice in returning it for a water upon my request and taking it off my bill (even though it didn't make much of a difference in the price!). Our orders arrived and were very hot off what they came from. The Beef Brisket was smoky and had great tenderness, it was simple (beef on a bun) but delicious. The Pulled Pork also was an excellent choice and I can see why it's so popular, it's sweet and packed with meat. The onion rings were a bit on the greasy side but it's expected as they were pretty thick. The fries and onion rings were also coated with a lot of salt which made them very addicting. We were extremely stuffed and satisfied with our meals afterwards, hit the spot! 

I really like how Buster's has their own special events and keeps customers updated on what's going on in each of the restaurants. I follow them on FB and Twitter now and they're very active in informing people of promotions, deals, and events they have. It's refreshing to see!

Food: 3.5/5 - Authentic southern BBQ at great prices!
Service: 4/5 - Genuine waitress with great attitude and care for the customers, loved the service.
Decor: 3.5/5 - A bit too spacious but nicely lit and good space. 
Willingness to come back: 3.5/5 - Have to try their famous ribs!
Overall: 3.5/5
Website: http://www.busterrhinos.com/