Date Visited: Dinner on Wednesday Apr 16, 2014
Company: +Stuart, +Alex, & +Laura
During our day in Santa Monica/Venice Beach on our California road trip last month, +Laura wanted to check out the fish taco place from the movie I Love You Man. We had quite the walk from the Santa Monica Pier to Venice Beach but was finally able to find it after asking for some directions from locals without knowing the restaurant name. It was very empty when we got there even though it was dinner time. They have a sheltered patio with heat lamps and another indoor section about the same size with a large bar centralized in between, catering to both sides.
We were seated on the patio, but it was still chilly enough outside that the heaters had to be turned on. I'm surprised how many restaurants in California do this as it seems so counterproductive to me, but I guess locals like to enjoy their outdoors. Our waiter was very friendly and started us off with a plate of raw veggies and dip. The veggies we got included snap peas, radish, and jicama which were very refreshing and a light starter while we waited. We also had a fun time trying to think of the name of the white vegetable we were eating, which we ended up asking the waiter who also forgot and had to ask and let us know it was Jicama! He also offered us a second plate while we were waiting.
For drinks, we all split a pitcher of White Jose's Sangria at $33. The pitcher was more like a large mug or stein and filled about the four of our glasses evenly, it was topped with some cherries and orange slices. It was a refreshing drink with the slight taste of alcohol, not overpowering, and not too sweet either.
So for our main dishes, everyone got their famous Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos but I wanted to try something different on their menu as I wasn't really feeling tacos. They all thought I was nuts as we came to this place specifically for the 'best fish tacos in Venice Beach' (according to I Love You Man). I instead, got their Turkey Burger, which made me the center of some teasing for the remainder of the meal. I must admit though, when their Tacos came, it looked incredibly delicious. It wasn't prepped for them and had all the sides on the plate with a whole piece of mahi mahi ready for them to create themselves, I loved that. The Turkey Burger however, wasn't a bad decision, but it probably wasn't the best turkey burger Venice beach had to offer. The patty was constructed nicely but I was expecting a thicker smaller burger which looked more home-made, and the flavour was average. The fries however were extremely delicious and so crisp. It was a pretty plain meal for me. Do I regret not getting the Fish Tacos? Probably... but I can't reaallly answer that until I try them.
Food: 2/5 - OK turkey burger, very fresh ingredients in all their dishes though.
Decor: 3.5/5 - Nice atmosphere, a bit classier but still relaxed environment. Got a bit busier by the time we were leaving.
Service: 4/5 - Great service, very friendly waiter.
Willingness to go back: 4/5 - Yes for sure I would try their Fish Tacos next time I was in Venice Beach :)
Overall: 3.5/5
Website: http://www.jamesbeach.com/
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
Date Visited: Summerlicious Dinner on Monday Jul 8, 2013
Company: Get together of 5 girlfriends from highschool
On the treacherous evening of the Toronto flood, my friends and I happened to organize a Summerlicious dinner in Yorkville. We unsuspectingly ventured to the downtown area from the east end, very unaware of the chaos happening in certain areas of Toronto. Half of the group was stuck coming from Union Station and had to walk half-way up to Bloor Street. Fortunately, the rest of us took the unharmed Bloor subway line from Kennedy to Bay station where Toni Bulloni's was located. We arrived first at the restaurant and were able to settle in for quite a while, waiting for the rest of the group.
While walking from Bay station to Toni's I was able to check out the ritzy area of Yorkville, in which I've never visited before. It was seemingly nice, even in the pouring rain. The shops on Cumberland are all very narrow and close to each other. I was not expecting Toni's to look how it did on the outside as it had very unique and bold signage. Upon entering, the bar area in the front was very tight but the restaurant went back quite far. There were surprisingly only about 8-10 tables in the dining area. They knew us by reservation so we were seated immediately.
As we waited for the rest of the party, we ordered a bottle of the Summerlicous House White, the G.Maruis Chardonnay from Niagara. None of us are really wine connoisseurs so we didn't have much input into this decision. But the choice was actually very nice and light with a sweetness too (that's the extent to how I'm able to describe wine), we didn't want anything too strong.
After some more waiting, we spoke to the server about ordering and he suggested that we start with the complementary Bruschetta instead. We seemingly obliged and the waiter brought us 3 pieces. The bruschetta was a flat bread topped with tomatoes, herbs and oil. It was a nice fresh, light start to our meals. I really enjoyed the flat bread as it had a nice crispiness and was easy to eat.
Finally, the rest of our party had arrived just as we were finishing our bruschetta. They were soaked, but we were all there and could start ordering our meals :) For my appetizer, I got the Mixto Platter with prosciutto, artichoke, olives, tomatoes and bocconcini. It was a very beautiful combination of Italian delights. There was a decent amount of prosciutto that was delicious. The tomatoes and bocconcini was done in a Caprese way which I hadn't had before. It was quite light with subtle hints of flavour. This plate was a great appetizer especially if you wanted to share and try different things.
For my entree, I ordered the Scallopine de Pollo. There were many options so it was really hard to decide. We were told that some dishes had even run out. When it had arrived, it was done differently then I had expected. I thought it would be more of a grilled chicken rather than baked in a sauce. They had literally just finished cooking it before they brought it out because the chicken was still hot with every bite. The chicken extremely tender and though it was delicious, I found it rather simple. There was a nice mix of grilled vegetables on the side, with one of each kind. I found there was a lot of flavour on the plate, it was heavily seasoned but not overdone.
To end, I ordered the Tiramisu, which is something I usually don't order but none of the other desserts enticed me. When we got our cakes, I couldn't believe they were such tiny pieces. I was rather disappointed because it was probably the best Tiramisu I've ever had. The lady fingers were soaked with flavour and there was just the perfect ratio of it to cream. If all Tiramisu tasted like this, I'd have it all the time.
Food: 3/5 - Some ups, some downs, but a decent Summerlicious meal.
Service: 4.5/5 - Spectacular staff, except the one who couldn't speak English wasn't very helpful.
Decor: 3/5 - Very small, quaint and rustic. Nice atmosphere for an intimate night.
Willingness to come back: 3/5 - Their regular portions are huge!
Overall: 3.5/5
Website: http://tonibulloni.com
