Toronto Restaurant Times
| January 3, 2009 | Posted by caroline under personal, storytelling |
I have a dirty little secret to share. It’s a little embarrassing, because it makes me sound stuck up.
I have developed a horrid
attachment to GOOD FOOD!!! I think I come off like a sheikha, and my significant other always shakes his head at me because of the way I make choosing a restaurant or eating a meal SUCH a big decision. But there are reasons for this, I tell ya!
I have learned that eating, and satisfying a hunger or craving, can make or break your day. I know, I know, there are people starving out there who can’t afford a meal, and that’s why I used to make a habit of visiting for-profit charity corporations such as The Hunger Site on a daily basis (not as regularly these days, sad to say).
That being said, it has not stopped me from perusing restaurants and getting finicky about the specifics. I am still up for a good meal at the local hole in the wall (I leave my critic’s hat at the door, hanging loosely from a charming old rickety coat hanger). The only reason I have the god-given right to judge is because I spend my own and other people’s savings on these restaurants. They are not cheap! In fact, even when I was making next-to-nothing at my previous job, my friends-in-law (not through marriage, rather those friends with wallets funded by the law) would gawk. Yes, the key to fine dining is to find cheap rent and live on the edges of the core.
My point is, there is some delicious food out there. And you’re paying not just for the food, but for the experience. The components of a good meal can come right down to the bathroom.
We went to a lovely place tonight, and I don’t think I want to name it because it ended on a sour note. It shares more than just its dark furnishings and location with the likes of restaurants like Ki, while going beyond face value and reputation with a confident and actually reliable menu.
The Food
I say that because each and every one of us (8 ppl) was floored by our meals.
Starters of crab cakes, tuna tartare, quail rolled in bacon..all displayed impeccably, divided for sharing. This was convenient, clean, and all very special for a night out.
For mains? The cod fell to pieces more willingly than that which I had on the West Coast, at Rock Cod Cafe in Cowichan Bay. Is it possible that this Toronto restaurant could serve me something fresher than something I ate with a view of the water?? (And let me say, Rock Cod Cafe was some good waterfront cookin’).
Not only that, but my rack of lamb was so tender, I actually felt like we were alone in the room for the first few minutes of my meal. Everything around me just turned into background noise. I had it medium and it was served with sauteed spinach.
Even the simple tomato mayo was remarkable. One of the chefs we had the pleasure of dining with tonight said that it’s simply a mix of ketchup and mayo. You learn something new everyday! I even wanted to stick some of my leftover Yukon Gold fries in my purse. I might’ve, by mistake, of course.
The Wine
We decided not to order wine to match our meals tonight, as we noticed the restaurant offered a wine we had once in 2007 and haven’t seen anywhere else since. That wine is Charles Baker Reisling, 2006. I look for it on every wine list, and my lover and I once spent an afternoon considering buying a case of it from its Niagara vineyards. But we’re not really that badass. Anyway, I suggest that wine to anyone searching for a sweet white for sipping. Apparently it is high in ‘residual sugars’ which explains my affinity to it– I typically nurse colourful cocktails and sugary so-called ‘girly’ drinks. But my beer-guzzling lover also loves the Charles Baker, so there must be somethin’ to it 
The Service
Consistent, friendly, actually charming..he described the special so amiably that he reminded me of a small town radio broadcaster. I had a passing crush on him and liked it when he helped me put on my coat. He laughed with us, joked with us, and walked away at the right time. He might’ve topped off my glass a little bit more than I’d have liked, but he probably just did it for the sake of having something to do. The restaurant was not packed, for no reason besides our own late reservation.
The Flaw
Gosh…everything else was so good that I don’t even want to talk about the flaw. Sigh. I shouldn’t have gotten started. But alas, I must continue.
We were celebrating G’s birthday, and her sister brought a cake along. It was a delicious little thing, made with a ‘lemon curd’ as she put it. She works with pastries at a Toronto bakery. Oh, by the way, our table was home to three people in the restaurant industry– three chefs with some interesting stories and takes on Toronto restaurant movers and shakers. As for myself, though it’s not my forte, I am currently the editorial assistant to the restaurants editor at a website that tends to get around, if you know what I mean! I don’t really have any pull, but I hear bits and pieces.
Anyways, it was strange…when we finished our meals, killed our desserts, and licked our spoons of cappuccino foam…lo and behold, the bills each had a $4 surcharge, for each person. That meant $36 in total (we had a 9th join after dinner)…for what, you ask? For the cake that was cut and placed on our plate. Yeah! Go figure! I mean, I’ve had some good, expensive cake and pricey, not-so-good cake, and it can be anywhere from $4 per piece to $15..but I’ve never had someone charge me to place a piece of cake on my plate? Apparently the cutting of the cake amounted to more than the wholesale cost of the cake itself.
Sure, the raspberry almost-coulis and one or two blackberries and blueberries arranged next to the dessert was great but..please, don’t flatter yourself, my dear chef! It was really the cake that we came for, not the restaurant’s added frills.. and anything else should’ve been complimentary. It wasn’t really the price that threw us off. It was just the idea of charging for such a simple thing. Yeah so that was something to get annoyed at.
But all in all, if you’ve not Google’d all the items on the menu that I’ve mentioned, I’d be happy to share the restaurant name with curious readers. It really was a good night, I’m just being cranky and looking for an excuse to relive the things I eat.
That whole cake fiasco is ridiculous.
Though, it is a business – and nothing is free.
That said, a blade through a bakery treat isn’t as difficult as say… a wet saw through granite. But they charged you the price a contractor would charge for a 2 ft cut through the stone.
Its unfair.
And I’m rambling now. I should be sleeping, its 1:57am!
Gnight Caroline