George Street Diner

Date Visited: Breakfast on Saturday Sept 6, 2014
Company: +Will and then +Stuart

Will and I had previous attempted to go to the George Street Diner one other time before, but on a late Saturday morning, the wait can be pretty long for this small restaurant. We saw The F Word recently which had a few scenes in there so we decided that we had to try again! We attempted to get there before 11AM this time since we had to go to Riot Fest all day and needed to do some drinking beforehand also. We were lucky that even though we were sat at the bar, another group was just leaving their table and we were able to quickly grab it before anyone else came into the diner. It took a few minutes for someone to come clean the table though and ask us for drink orders. The waitress didn't realize because she sat us at the bar which is kind of our fault for not saying anything... but also hers because like I said, this place is not large. It worked out because +Stuart joined us later on at the table, but they don't have any thing to accommodate a party larger than four. I enjoyed the diner atmosphere with the bar on the side and a row of booths but there's hardly any walking space in between the two, I don't know how they can work here!

We asked what kind of drinks they had and and I ordered a Caesar and +Will got some white wine and lemonade combo called a Ramona Shandy which were actually the only 2 drinks they told us so I'm not sure what else they have. Their Caesar is definitely one of my favorites I've had in the city so far, very simple but with some character too. Not very much hot sauce in it but it really lets you taste the veggie flavour, perfect vodka amount, and the bean was a cute garnish. I also tried the Ramona Shandy but it wasn't really for me, not sweet enough.

Their breakfast menu is quite limited to the staples dishes you're used to seeing at any restaurants with some Daily Specials written on the chalk board up front. I decided to go for one of those, their Special Omelette, I read that it had some Spinach and Goat Cheese in it and that was good enough for me. Unfortunately though, the cook that took my order messed up and made me a Western Omelette instead as I noticed when my plate came. Both the waitress and cook apologized thoroughly about it and said they can make me a Special Omelette but I hate wasting food and just felt bad so I just had the Western Omelette I don't mind Western's but it's sometime I can make at home very easily so I'm not very inclined to order it out. Overall, it was made very well, the omelette was pretty big but their large plate made it look a bit empty. It would have been nice to have some cheese in the omelette as its just quite plain otherwise with the ham, onion, and peppers. They gave us some jam on the side for our toast which was pretty tasty and home-made I assumed. The home fries were large, season pieces but I think they could have given a bit more. Their portion size left you comfortably full, I finished my whole plate along with the drink and didn't have to stuff myself. At less than $20 including tax+tip for my meal, I really can't complain as you really do get your money's worth, but it is kind of hyped up to be more than it is.

Food: 3.5/5 - Not the classiest joint but you get pretty good food for the price, very typical diner.
Decor: 3/5 - Love the red outside and interior decor but it's just so small!
Service: 2.5/5 - It was so-so, a few mishaps but they weren't awful.
Willingness to go back: 3/5 - It's so close to Will so I'm sure we'll try to go again if we want some cheap breakfast... if the line isn't too long that is.
Overall: 3/5

Website: http://thegeorgestreetdiner.blogspot.mx/ 

Shipwreck Lee's

Date Visited: Lunch on Sunday Aug 31, 2014
Company: +Will

Will and I went to Tobermory for the Civic long weekend and enjoyed an adventurous few days in the quaint and beautiful town. Tobermory is actually quite small and all the main restaurants and shops are in a central location which made finding places to eat pretty easy. We knew we had to try their local White fish while in town and the most visible spot for fish and chips was Shipwreck Lee's. It has a huge outdoor patio with an AYCE Fish and Chips sign so it's really hard to miss while entering the harbour area.

We went to the entrance and saw a few spots opened so we seated ourselves, the pirate dressed waiters were quick to notice and brought us menus and waters. This would be great on a sunny day but unfortunately it was a cloudy weekend so the patio was a bit chilly. As we were looking at the menu, our waiter explained to us that their special was the Georgian Bay White Fish & Chips which is fresh and right from the waters here. The AYCE is Alaskan White Fish which is frozen. We both ordered the 1 piece which was $12.95.

As we were waiting we smelled other orders of chicken and ribs which made us even hungrier, and the portions were very large. We also enjoyed seeing tourists being entertained by the pirate waiters, doing little tricks and posing for photos. Even though it's a pretty tacky spot, the waiters play into their parts and have a fun time doing. It's a good spot for families as they have a kids menu and they would enjoy the show the waiters put on. They're also pretty quick with turning customers over as I assume they get really busy. Our wait wasn't very long and we both got our plates with a packet of tartar sauce on the side.

Cutting into the fish, it broke through easily and unveiled a juicy white filet. The fish was very tender and soft, it melts in your mouth. It doesn't have a very 'fishy' flavour, I think anyone would enjoy this. I was also very impressed on the lack of greasiness the fish had, it didn't soak my fries with more oil. The fries were okay, pretty average but perfect portion size because I was left very satisfied.

Food: 4/5 - Great fish and chips, would recommend to everyone!
Decor: 3.5/5 - Tacky but fun at the same time, great for the summer.
Service: 4/5 - Super quick and the waiters are very knowledgeable.
Willingness to go back: 4/5 - Definitely would return if I was in Tobermory.
Overall: 4/5

Website: none

Avli

Date Visited: Dinner on Saturday Aug 16, 2014
Company: +Stephanie

+Stephanie and I were hanging out in Scarborough on the weekend, attempting to do some hiking at the Bluffs and I suggested going to the Danforth for some dinner afterwards as we were kind of close-by. I really wish I had more chances to visit the Danforth because Greek is possibly one of my favourite types of food. We found a parking spot a few blocks from the core of Greek town and walked down trying to decide where to go with all the options we were presented with. Avli seemed like a small, busy (but not packed) restaurant on the strip and we were appealed by their 'World Famous Dips' sign. They had their menu specials presented outside their door and were surprised how cheap it was... Little did we know that it was their Lunch Specials and they forgot to change the sign.

We started with some World-Famous Dips and ordered a combination of 3 for $16.50 instead of $6.50 each. It also came with Grilled Pita for which we got an extra order for $2. An order was 2 round pitas and we though it was too many but we actually used all of them. We tried the Kopanisti (Feta Cheese, Roasted Red Peper, and Olive Oil), Skordalia (Creamy Potatoes with Olive Oil and Garlic) and Melitzanosalta (Eggplant with Onions, Parsley, and Garlic) to try ones we've never had before. The plate was presented with some cucumbers and olives on the side which were a nice addition to eat with the dips. Some of the pita looked a little burnt but still tasted OK, it was thick and held together well with the various dips and also delicious on its own. When we ordered our dips, the waitress warned us about the Skordalia, saying that it has garlic in it... aka there's LOTS of garlic in it. The creamy potatoes was basically only for the texture which was nice and smooth but the kick was from the garlic flavour. The Melitzanosalta was an fun one because I tasted something different in each bite, it was sour, eggplanty, sweet, and refreshing all in different instances. The Kopanisti was the thickest and richest of the three, mostly from the feta cheese, the red pepper gave it a nice orange hue and subtle flavour. You could get really full off that one alone, so it was nice to have all three to complement each other as they were all so different.

We were able to have a good taste of the dips before a manager came back to let us know that the $12 Chicken Souvlaki 'specials' we ordered from the front menu was only for Lunch. Our waitress had told us we could still get those prices because we couldn't find them on the menu and had to show her what was written  outside. The manager I guess didn't allow that so we said didn't want them anymore (since we already were pretty full from the dips). She then mentioned that they had a dinner with one chicken skewer for $13 instead of the $17 one, we decided just to order those instead.

We go got our Greek Salads shortly, it was a small appetizer plate topped with lots of feta cheese and the standard ingredients. I didn't like how shredded the lettuce was and the dressing was rather plain and flavourless. I also tried to save most of it for the main meal since there are usually no vegetables with Souvlaki plates.


So at this point, we were pretty full already so when we got our very hot plates, I can't say that the appealing food added to our hunger. The plating looked bland with all the brown colours and the placement made the plate look empty. The potatoes had amazing flavour though and melted in your mouth, it was over-cooked but the taste made up for it. The rice on the other hand was also over-cooked but was pretty bland and dry. The chicken and tzatziki was not bad, it was really hard to tell when you're stuffing yourself. It wasn't too dry and had good flavour, I tried to add some tzatziki to the rice but it made it even more dry, nothing could save it.

Overall, I was left unimpressed by Avli, if we hadn't had ordered the Chicken Souvlaki's I think I would have a different impression because the dips were amazing. I think they have some other interesting dishes on the menu that I wish we had room for to try instead of the Souvlaki. The dips really fill you up so I would be mindful of that for the future.

Food: 2/5 - Torn here because I was left with a bad impression from the Souvlaki but the dips were actually good!

Decor: 2/5 - The tables where we were near the window were pretty close to each other in the small restaurant.

Service: 3.5/5 - Very sweet waitress we had, manager was less nice but good timing between dishes.

Willingness to go back: 2/5 - Depending on the nature of the meal, definitely know how not to order here as it left me ridiculously full and hating myself.

Overall: 2.5/5

Website: http://www.avlirestaurant.com/home