Cabo Eats: Campestre

Date Visited: Dinner on Monday May 4, 2015
Company: Walk-in for 4

So... it's been a while, but I'm back and ready to hit the restaurant scene again... and just in time for patio season! I was in Mexico the first week of May and had spend the most of the month prior at the gym and trying to eat better in preparation. I was pretty lucky to to be able to try lots of the restaurants in Cabo San Lucas as we didn't stay at an all-inclusive. But instead of blogging about all of those places, I thought I'd just pick one that really stood out to my palate :)

Campestre is the spot where I thought we got to try the most authentic Mexican food, it was filled with locals and located off the beaten path. Our Cabo expect Laura suggested it when we asked for a cheap, authentic Mexican restaurant to check out, and it also happened that two of her local friends work there. It took about 10 minutes to get there from our hotel via taxi into some dirt road streets away from downtown. We were dropped off and entered a fairly large open restaurant with ample tables and even more floor space. It was about half-full for dinner and I didn't see any tourists there. Luckily they still had some english menus. We also got started off with some chips and salsa for the table. The portion of salsa was hefty compared to other restaurants, there was also a spicy salsa that was more liquidy. The tomatoes in the mild one were extremely fresh but light in flavour.


To start, I ordered the Bloody Merry (according to their menu) while the boys got beer and Laura got a Beer and tomato juice combo drink. I hadn't ordered a Caesar as of yet the whole trip so I was very excited to see how it would taste. The drink looked fancily dressed but more importantly it tasted amazing. Almost exactly like a Caesar but with more of a kick of different spices. The prices here were cheaper than anything we had seen before too which made things even better!

Their food menu had a lot of options with some photos to accompany. The one dish that stood out to me though Grilled Steak Tampioueña with Quesadilla, Enchilada, Guacamole and Rice, mostly the photo beside it looked delicious. The plate I got however, looked even better. The steak was perfectly grilled a medium-well (just like how I asked) and extremely tender. It was a thin slice but had a lot of character with some fatty and muscly parts on the edges and tons of flavour. I thought I had gotten a tortilla on top but turns out it was filled with cheese! One difference I noticed from home was that their tortillas are flakey and layered unlike a soft taco shell. Also their quesadillas are mostly just all cheese, no veggies inside. The Enchilada was great too, I could only finish one of the two but I loved the red sauce and cheese on top. The guacamole was a nice addition to the plate as well as the rice, which had a lot more flavour compared to other plates I'd had.

Overall, I was very happy with my choice of dish... even happier the next night where I got to drunkenly finish my leftovers. Like many of the restaurants we visited in Cabo, the service was quite slow, we were sitting a while just waiting for our bills before we could find anyone to flag down. But despite this, they were always accommodating and even nice enough to call us a taxi to pick us up since there was no way we could flag one nearby. I would definitely recommend this to anyone going to Cabo that wants to try a local authentic restaurant, I'd try to come back here anytime I was in the city.

Food: 4.5/5 - Best meal we had in Cabo and cheap prices!
Decor: 3/5 - Pretty cute restaurant.
Service: 2.5/5 - Really friendly, but pretty slow. Little bias since Laura knew our servers though
Willingness to go back: 4.5/5 - Totally worth the trek.
Overall: 3.5/5

Website: http://www.restaurantcampestreloscabos.com/#_=_

El Catrin Destileria

Date Visited: Dinner on Friday Nov 14, 2014
Company: Reservation for 6 (but actually we had 8)

+Stanley was back in town once again and planned a group dinner to catch up with everyone. I suggested El Catrin in the Distillery District and a lot of people seemed to also been wanting to check out this spot. El Catrin opened last summer and I've been hearing some mixed reviews of all different aspects of the restaurant. Apparently, you can only make a reservation online for 4 people here and we had about 8 confirmed attending. Stanley called in closer to our date and changed our reservation to 6 which we were allowed to do... we had 2 were coming later into the night. I was the 6th person to arrive on the Friday night, and found the entrance a bit confusing...I had no idea the entrance was behind the infamous heated patio. Nonetheless, I searched the area which actually wasn't that huge and found my friends in a half booth/half chairs table. We were luckily able to squeeze another on the booth and fine another chair for our extra 2 people who came later, our waitress was very accommodating even though it was very busy.

The waitress explained the menu to us and said that their portions are a bit smaller because they're for sharing. For us, we just decided to get 2 orders each :). But to start, we got the Guacamole which was made for us table-side and served with unlimited tortilla chips. It was really awesome to see someone mixing the ingredients right in front of us, a little awkward but still cool! The flavour was great, we got it spicy so I couldn't taste the lime as much but I think they have a great recipe. There was also some salsa and limes on the table that apparently were there when my friends sat down but didn't have any chips, maybe they were for tacos? Each of the salsas were different with varied levels of spiciness.

For my first order, I got the Vegetarian Mini Burritos with Sautéed Corn, Zucchini, Tomato, Mushroom, Tofu, and Black Bean Puree.  The Burritos were so small and cute, they almost looked like Taquitos, the 4 pieces were quite a bit of food though and good for sharing and sampling. There was nothing really special about them, just a bunch of cooked vegetables stuffed in a tortilla and grilled. The salsa is what really gave it some life as the vegetables were bland otherwise. I tasted a lot of mushroom and corn but it was interesting as unlike a real burrito, there was no rice or even much bean puree to hold it all together.

For my second order, I got the Tacos (which I've heard great things about)! +Laura, +Brian, and I all got different kinds so it worked out perfectly that we could each try one of the Baja, Gobernador, and Pollo Con Mole Tacos. The first one I tried was the Baja Taco with Crispy Fried Cod and Chipotle Lime Coleslaw, the fish was very tender and light, not too greasy. The coleslaw paired nicely with the fried fish and added all the flavour it needed. It was a pretty decent sized filet, I wasn't very hungry after finishing it. Next, I went for the Gobernador with Sauteed Shrimp, Lobster, Chipotle Aioli, and Black Bean Puree which was my original order. I found the texture interesting, very creamy but with the bean puree, it wasn't all smooth. I was impressed on how much filling you were given in the taco because shrimps were dropping everywhere. The seafood was fresh and cooked perfectly. Lastly was the Pollo Con Mole Taco with Pulled Chicken, Crema Fresca, Cotija Cheese, Xni-Pec, on a Corn Tortilla unlike Flour like the rest. I didn't really enjoy this one, the chicken was a bit dry and dull, and I didn't like the Corn Tortilla either. I was also very full at this point and not sure it I just needed to stop eating...

Lastly, I'll talk about the lovely drinks I ordered. They have an an awesome assortment of tequilas and I couldn't resist trying some of their cocktails. In the beginning of the night I started off with a Watermelon Fire which was very tasty and the name speaks for itself. It was very refreshing and a great choice for the watermelon lover. Later in the evening, I went for the Cucumber Devil. I love cucumber drinks so I couldn't resist ordering this one. It had the flavour I was expecting but also a lot of kick! There's peppers in there so not suited for those who can't handle spice, none of my friends enjoyed it. Also, the drinks all price around $10 so not the cheapest of dinners.

Food: 3.5/5 - Better than I was expecting, I don't think it's as overpriced if you know what to order and have people to share with. 

Decor: 4/5 - Loved staring at that colourful mural all night long, felt like I was in old town Mexico

Service: 3.5/5 - Surprisingly good, very accommodating to our large group and good wait-time between each course.

Willingness to go back: 4/5 - Definitely left with a good impression and would like to return.

Overall: 4/5

Website: http://www.elcatrin.ca

Bannock

Date Visited: Lunch on Sunday Jul 6, 2014
Company: Summerlicious reservation for two.

While browsing through the many menus Summerlicious has to offer, I came upon one with some interesting items that intrigued both +Will and I. We decided that we had to make a reservation for lunch and see if their take on these items were actually good or not! The location is very close to the Eaton Centre but easily missed with all the scaffolding surrounding the exterior. The restaurant has a very urban look and was pretty busy when we got there at noon on a Sunday. We were seated to the main dining area which was already very lively, and they also had another grab-and-go section with pre-made sandwiches that you could sit at also.

What were the menu items that intrigued both Will and I you ask? Well for me, it was the Iced Bloody Caesar Soup because I actually love Caesars and always try to order them if available. For Will, it was their Bulgogi Hawaiian Pizza, a combination of one of his favourite foods, Hawaiian Pizza and one of his most eaten foods (because there Bob's Bulgogi is steps away from his apartment). After walking by their kitchener serving area, I saw quite a few odd combinations and takes on foods being made (at least for brunch) so it would be interesting to check out their regular menu (Canadian comfort food, they say). After our orders were put in, they were surprisingly quick in serving us.

The Iced Bloody Caesar Soup was exactly what you would picture, cold tomato soup with clams and seasoning. It was quite spicy as well and I had to take my time with the sips. I'm surprised how spicy they made considering soups are usually mild ways to start your meal. The flavour was good but I'm not used to having iced soups and the clams in it just felt sad and cold. I was disappointed with it and definitely will stick to Caesar drinks opposed to soups. Will ordered the Smashed Cucumber and Head Cabbage Salad to start and the one bite I had of it was absolutely delicious. There was so much flavour from both the ingredients and the dressing, it was a light and eye-appealing dish to start your meal compared to mine.

For my main, I ordered the Roast Peameal Bacon Melt with Sauerkraut, Cheddar, and Smoked Tomato Marmalade. I was pleasantly surprised with the appearance of my meal as the sandwich was pretty hefty. The flatbread was thick and warm with melted cheddar pressed between perfectly cooked pieces of peameal bacon. It was a simple but delicious sandwich where the meat spoke for its self. The sauerkraut added a nice hint of flavour admist the seemingly plain layers and I couldn't really taste the tomato marmalade. The Taro Chips were an interesting side as they are quite plain otherwise but the salt added some flavour.

I also got to try the Bulgogi Hawaiian Pizza and the one word to describe this dish is SPICY! I'm pretty sure their sauce base was just hot sauce so beware for all those who are interested in trying it. The flatbread was pretty decent otherwise, I found it a crispier than most and very thin. I was surprised on how the bulgogi was presented as it's not how it usually looks in the Korean dish: tender, sweet, and saucy. I found the meat a tad dry and just wasn't very appealing. It was an okay dish in theory but it was hard getting past the spiciness of the pizza.

For our dessert, we both choose to have the Cortland Apple Fritter but it didn't quite look like what I thought an apple fritter would be like. I was expecting sometime more wet and saucy to be honest. The flavour was quite good combined with the dulce de leche accompanying it but I also thought it was too dry. It was difficult to taste the apple flavour in the doughy, hard dessert.

Food: 2/5 - Hit and miss here, pretty disappointed with most of our choices.
Decor: 3/5 - Very slick and modern decor with a vibrant and bright atmosphere.
Service: 3.5/5 - Impressed on the speediness of our dishes.
Willingness to Return: 3/5 - I would like to give this place another try just because you expect more from Oliver and Bonacini and maybe their Summerlicious menu just didn't do it justice.
Overall: 2.5/5

Website: http://oliverbonacini.com/bannock.aspx

Cali Eats: El Toro Taqueria

Date Visited: Late Lunch on Sunday Apr 14, 2014 
Company: Walk-in for 5

After a long walk to Twin Peaks, we ventured back to the Mission District where we started to find a spot for an early afternoon lunch. There were tons of Mexican places we passed by when we were walking around the area so it wasn't difficult to find a place to eat. El Toro seemed like it was a fairly busy cafeteria style place right on the corner of Valencia and 17th, it was very welcoming with colourful signage and windows to look in. It looked like it wouldn't take us long to get food and had a table to sit, so it was exactly what we were looking for... and also some fish tacos for us to try!

Their menu was pretty simple but with lots of options, the foods are all there in front of you to awe at while the servers make your delicious plate of food. I decided to order a Super Prawn Taco Dinner, which ended up being around $8. The taco was only $3.50 itself but I wanted to add all the fixings! They also give you free nachos (which probably never get eaten after having that huge plate) and there's a salsa bar off to the side for you to try their different homemade salsas.

The plate looked delicious and packed with colourful foods, they let you choose the type of beans you want, either black or re-fried, I choose re-fried but I don't really like beans anyway. They topped it off with some shredded cheese and layer it a bit with your rice. There was nothing too special about the rice and beans, very average and just filled you up. There was a salad on the side with an excessive amount ranch dressing which was pretty okay, added some veggies to your meal. Now the taco on the other hand, was definitely the highlight of the meal... there were so many prawns, you could really taste a nice grilled, spiced flavour. They double tortilla'd it so it wouldn't fall apart which really helped but the tortilla was already pretty thick to begin with. It was a gloriously messy taco but was delicious with very fresh ingredients. Their guacamole was packed with zesty flavour and was nice to have with the nachos too. They also give you tortilla with the dinner meal but I didn't want mine.

Food: 3/5 - Prawn Taco was amazing, everything else was mediocre.
Decor: 3/5 - Quite clean and nice place to sit inside for a bit on a hot day and still enjoy the sun.
Service: 2.5/5 - Fast to clean tables, free ice water, few misunderstandings with my order, and busy line-up though.
Willingness to go back: 3/5 - Tons of taco joints to check out in the area, wouldn't necessarily go back to this one but I wouldn't complain either, cheap and easy.
Overall: 3/5

Website: http://eltorotaqueria.org/

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/