La Bettola Di Terroni

Date Visited: Dinner on Friday Nov 8, 2013

Company: Date night with +Will

Will and I decided to go a bit fancy one Friday and have dinner at La Bettola, a nice Italian place just up the street from his. We passed by many times before seeing classy people with their fancy wines and dishes through the windows. I was excited to check it out as Will had gone before and said it had excellent authentic Italian food. We didn't think to make a reservation that night which was probably a poor choice. The hostess that greeted people at the door asked if we wanted to sit at La Bettola or Osteria, which is apparently a different restaurant but they share the same kitchen (and apparently staff). It was a bit confusing when she asked us that but Osteria to the right would have been a 20 minute wait and Bettola to the left only had bar seats open as they had a large reservation at 8PM. We just decided to sit at the bar as we were quite hungry. There were other couples seated at the bar as well but there were also many free tables we could have sat at and been out by 8PM for.  

We were given water by the bartender from jars they have stacks of in the back. Taking a look at the menu, it was very different from what I had seen online. I can understand if the menu items may change but the pricing was very off. After some compromise and figuring out what things were, we decided on 2 starters and 2 mains. We also got some bread to start but I wasn't a fan, it was hard and the outside tasted burnt. The oil they gave for dipping also tasted odd. 

+Will first got the Prosciutto Platter (can't recall the real name) which was very large and consisted of Prosciutto on a bed of arugula with pretzel and bara-like tortilla. I had had prosciutto a few weeks earlier and was turned off of it from the smell so I thought I would only have a bit of his starter, but I actually ate about half of it. The prosciutto was the best I've had, it wasn't too salty and had great texture and freshness. The arugula added a nice flavour to it also. I didn't really enjoy the pretzel things because they were too hard and had strong seed in them I didn't like. The round, soft and fluffy bread thing on the other hand, was great and paired very well with the meat. I got the Leek & Potato Soup to start and that was very delicious as well. It was quite thick and heavy but had good flavour. It maintained a hot temperature through my eating also. 

For my main, I got the Ravioli con Ricotta e Scamorza which consisted of 4 pieces of ravioli stuff with cheese with some tomatoes on the plate. It was a very small portion but at this point I wasn't too upset as I was quite stuffed from the starters. Despite the size of the dish, the ravioli itself was delicious and stuff with lots of cheese. The dough was fresh and had good proportion to the filling. This was the first time I had a dish like this but I'm glad I got to try it. Will got the Pizza topping with Arugala, Mozzarella and Sun-Dried Tomatoes which was a chef special that day. The portion of his pizza was large, even though it was thin crust, it was like the size of a medium pizza. Pizza was definitely the way to go by looking at what others were also ordering. Some people were ordering just a few dishes to share but most ordered a pizza to themselves. The pizza was delicious, it was crispy and had great combination of flavours. The tomato sauce was minimal but was sweet and tangy. The crust was great and a bit over-cooked but I still enjoyed it. We took most of the home and enjoyed it for breakfast the next day.

Overall, I think La Bettola Di Terroni is a nice classy restaurant if you want to splurge for the night. I noticed every woman I saw there was wearing a bold statement necklace and men also were well-dressed. It caters to that type of crowd and I think you should be prepared to spend. I would suggest getting the pizza for sure though, completely worth the money.

Food: 4/5 - Some average dishes but most were spectacular.

Decor: 3.5/5 - Lively atmosphere with modern chic decor and wooden accents, wasn't a fan of the bar seat though.

Service: 3/5 - Not bad at all, pretty quick with dishes.

Willingness to come back: 2/5 - Wouldn't go out of my way to return for a full meal... until I start making a bit more money.

Overall: 3/5

Website: http://labettola.ca/

Top Notch Fish & Chips

Date Visited: Lunch on Sunday Nov 3, 2013
Company: +Will and +Lilian after attending the Nike Warehouse Sale

After some mad shopping at the Nike warehouse sale in the International Centre Mississauga, +Will, +Lilian, and I started driving around to find somewhere to have lunch. As none of us were familiar with the area, we just decided to stop at the first place we saw. After passing a lot of empty buildings and closed restaurants on Eglington, we finally found something in a large plaza we were wandering. Top Notch Fish & Chips was tucked away in the far corner of this plaza but seemed to be creating some traffic with people coming in and out, not too bad for a Sunday.

The place is a lot bigger on the inside than it seems. When you enter, you immediately come upon the counter to order with the menu right above. To the right is the long counter where the food prep is done and also where the sitting area is with tables along the window. The washrooms are in a hallway to the left and they're extremely roomy! They have a lovely patio in the front also, but it was a little cold for sitting outside. The decor was nice otherwise, they had a modern nautical look going.

The staff were extremely friendly, they brought our food to the table and made sure we had everything we needed. Will & I ordered the 4 Piece Haddock Combo which came with fish, large fries, coleslaw, gravy, & 4 bottles of Coke. The 4 big pieces of Haddock we got looked amazing, they were that perfect golden brown colour when something is deep fried for the right amount of time. It tasted amazing also. The fish melted in your mouth while the outside was crispy. The fresh lemon and home made tartar sauce gave the fish a great flavour, a perfect combination. The large-cut fries were also fresh, you can tell they use clean oil for the deep-frying. Will thought the gravy tasted weird, but I thought it was pretty normal for the type of gravy you get at a small restaurant like this. We also got 2 side plates of coleslaw for Will and I. I love this type of home made coleslaw, the large pieces of cabbage hold and maintain the bold sour flavour throughout, I could eat endless amounts of it. 


+Lilian ordered Steak on a Kaiser and Onion Rings. The kaiser was delicious, the steak was extremely tender and soft. She only topped it with ketchup and tomatoes but it really brought out the meaty flavour. The onion rings were also a nice addition to our already huge meal. The onion was thick with minimal batter but I did find it quite greasy just on the plate with no paper to catch the oil. 

We had 1 piece of haddock, some fries, onion rings, oh and 1 old-fashioned bottle of Coke to bring home that we couldn't finish, so we didn't do too bad. Everything totaled was probably around $40.

It was by-far one of the best fish and chips I've had, they did everything just right. Someone there ordered a Souvlaki dinner that I saw and that looked incredible also, so I don't think you can go wrong with anything there. Awesome joint run by a friendly staff, but most importantly, the food was great.

Food: 4.5/5 - Hefty portions & well-made food. 

Decor: 3.5/5 - Nicely lit and simply decorated.
Service: 4/5 - Friendly and attentive guys.
Willingness to come back: 4.5/5 - If I'm ever in Mississauga again lol.
Overall: 4/5
Website: http://www.topnotchfishandchips.com/

Sinatra's Italian Sandwiches

Date Visited: Dinner on Friday Oct 18, 2013
Company: Quick meal with +Will after work before heading to Toronto for the weekend

+Will had been telling me about Sinatra's ever since his team started ordering from there while working for a client in Oshawa. It's advertised to have 'the best veal sandwiches in town' and serves authentic Italian comfort food. I got to finally check it out when we were looking for a semi-quick meal on Friday before leaving Oshawa for the weekend. It's conveniently located about 5 minutes from my place but I never really noticed it until I met a friend who lives right beside it and mentioned it. It's a fair sized building located right on Simcoe St N with a huge yellow sign that's hard to miss. There's some abandoned buildings beside it, but otherwise looks like an average building in Oshawa you always pass by but never visit. Upon entering, the feeling is very diner-esque with booths along the front windows and a long counter for ordering with some visibility to the back kitchen. 


Checking out the menu, they have a couple of different options for sandwiches and a few toppings you can add for about a dollar more. I decided to go for the classic Veal Cutlet Sandwich with Provolone Cheese. After we ordered at the counter we grabbed a booth to wait for the order. The decor of the place is nothing too special, the booths were a bit uncomfortable and the decor seems extremely old. They do have a homey feel to the place though. They seem to get a lot of catering deals as there were a few people waiting for large pickup orders. Our food didn't take very long despite this factor.

Our sandwiches were wrapped with paper lined with tinfoil to keep the heat in and unwrapping it all to see the sandwich underneath was quite exciting. This thing was huge, there were about 4 layers of thin veal on the bun and topped with lots of sauce. You could even get free extra sauce on it! The sandwich was so delicious and fresh. The breading of the veal was crispy but the veal was still soft. The sauce was fantastic and had so much flavour, you could really tell it was homemade and authentic. The kaiser bun did a great job containing everything but the bottom did get soggy after a while.

I could only finish about half the sandwich and kept the rest for the next day... but it definitely wasn't the same as when it was just prepared. I have been craving for Sinatra's since this visit and can't wait to go back!

Food: 4.5/5 - Amazing and well worth the price.
Service: 3/5 - Nothing to spectacular but decent waiting time. 
Decor: 2/5 - Old-fashioned but doesn't really need to look fancy.
Willingness to go back: 5/5 - But the dilemma is... getting the same thing vs. something new! Either way I'm sure it'll be good!
Overall: 3.5/5
Website: http://www.sinatras.ca/

JOEY

Date Visited: Lunch on Saturday Oct 12, 2013
Company: Thanksgiving weekend reunion lunch with +Elliott, +Stanley, +Will, +Brian, & +Alex

While planning a reunion lunch during the long Thanksgiving weekend with some friends, I was trying to decide what area of Toronto was best for everyone to meet as we're all located in different areas of the GTA. While the toss-up was between Don Mills and Yorkdale Mall, both with great restaurants, Yorkdale had the easier accessibility. I tried to make a reservation on the Thursday before the planned date and JOEY responded back that their large group reservations were full and usually book up weeks in advance. This made me worry because I know how busy their Eaton Centre location is for dinner. Either way, we decided to go for a walk-in as I really didn't believe it would be full on the long weekend. So we all gathered one-by-one outside the restaurant at Yorkdale and went in to discover that the place was only about half-full to my delight.
We were seated immediately in a large booth as a server came to take our drink orders. JOEY is considered a more upscale, but still casual dining place with locations across Canada. They do cater for the more ritzy crowd and I notice that they have many young good-looking employees staffing the restaurant. This location was huge with TVs everywhere and an upstairs as well. It was a beautiful day so the sun was shining through the many large windows to show off the sharp decor of the restaurant. It couldn't have been a more fitting day to get a Summer Sangria which was on special for $6. The sangria was filled with berries and some orange coloured slush, which made it even more delicious than a regular sangria. I loved this drink and is probably my favourite sangria I've had at a restaurant so far. It's sweet and fruity where you can't even taste the alcohol :)


Their food menu is very extensive with a variety of culture (Sushi section) but also to sticking to classics. There are many interesting options and prices are mid-ranged. I wasn't feeling too hungry so I decided to just go for the Soup with Salad. The Soup of the Day was some Chicken, Vegetable, and Rice mix and it was very tasty with many seasonings. I was a bit disappointed that they didn't even fill the bowl all the way to the top and the soup was hot, but not steaming which I would have preferred. The House Salad was delicious, topped with almonds, feta, random shaved vegetables, and a house vinaigrette that wasn't too heavy. It also came with some Garlic Bread, it was a pretty big piece and the bread was nicely toasted and soft on the inside. 

+Will and I also ordered Cheeseburger Sliders to share. They had pickles and a secret sauce on them and it was all it needed really. They were so cute and easy to eat but smaller than I had expected. Nothing too special about them, it was an okay dish. They came with side of chips which were a bit bland as it had no seasoning.

Food: 3/5 - Dishes weren't bad, fresh ingredients all around though.
Decor: 5/5 - Loved the decor here, so elegant and chic.
Service: 2/5 - Took quite long to get our dishes.
Willingness to go back: 4/5 - Would definitely check out JOEY's again! Perfect place for a classy get-together.
Overall: 3.5/5
Website: http://www.joeyrestaurants.com/