Living in Toronto, my family used to visit Niagara Falls a lot. Whenever we hosted out of town guests, a drive to see the falls was guaranteed. My favourite part of the trip was always a stop at one of the 24/7 American diners that had made their way across the border. Today, I can get my all day breakfast fix right in the heart of Toronto at the Denny’s near Yonge and Dundas.

Disclaimer: All food and drinks reviewed below were provided complimentary. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

I was surprised to learn that Denny’s had 73 locations across Canada, including 3 in the GTA. The Hubby and I stopped by the downtown location a few weeks ago for dinner after some window shopping in the area. We were seated and handed menus by our server, who was cheerful and friendly. At 6pm on a weekday, most of our fellow diners were students lamenting over their recent exams. Our booth was clean and comfortable, but the restaurant decor did feel dated with muted neutral colours and warm yellow lighting. Our server was attentive, checking in on us throughout the night.

I was also surprised at the plethora of menu options Denny’s had to offer, way more than just omelettes and toast. From burgers, to pasta, to fish and chips. The menu also featured lighter dishes like the Fit Fare grilled salmon that had less than 15g of fat and was under 550 calories.

Even with all the choices, The Hubby couldn’t resist all day breakfast and ordered the Lumberjack Slam, which included two fluffy buttermilk pancakes, a slice of ham, two bacon strips, two breakfast sausages, hash browns, toast and two eggs cooked any way. All of that food was served on two hefty plates arrived. He ordered his eggs sunny side up and they were cooked perfectly with golden, runny yolks. Personally, I would have liked the hash browns to be crispier. The stack of pancakes, topped with a ball of butter, was soft and soaked up syrup like a sponge. Delicious. Portions were very generous and this was a lot of food for one person.

Sticking to the breakfast section of the menu, I chose the less traditional Steak Skewer Skillet. Served on a sizzling pan, my dish had a bed of seasoned red-skin potatoes, roasted bell peppers, onions and mushrooms, topped with a skewer of bite-size steak pieces and two perfect sunny-side up eggs. The skewer was brushed with a sweet bourbon sauce that really flavoured the meat. I enjoyed the plentiful amount of vegetables and found the red-skin potatoes very sweet (almost mistaking them for yam).

Alongside dinner, I sipped on a thick, creamy strawberry milkshake that was more dessert than drink. This was an indulgence worth an extra hour at the gym.

With over 40 locations in Western Canada, Ontario’s sole Fatburger opened this summer in Thornhill. The Hubby saw a Groupon for the burger chain that enticed us to make the trek north (a whole 15 minute drive).

Atmosphere: Fatburger had the decor of an old school diner, red leather chairs included. Each table was stocked with condiments and a napkin dispenser. Top 40 music played on the speakers and many of the diners were families.

Service: For a fast casual restaurant, I was impressed by the service and efficiency. After placing our order at the counter, we grabbed a seat and our tray was delivered to us. While we ate, I noticed the manager was constantly cleaning tables, tucking in chairs, and putting things away.

Food: The Groupon we had was for two original Fatburgers, which have a 6 oz patty. To mine, I added the optional toppings of caramelized onions, pickles and banana peppers. The Hubby chose the onion ring, which made his burger true to the name. I liked how they served the burger stacked, ready to be squished.

Overall, I found the burger to be pretty good. The toasted bun was soft and light and the patty, while thin was juicy. The selection of complimentary toppings was wide and had a good variety. My only criticism was that pieces of my iceberg was bitter. Some leaves close to the root were included. Also, the small portion of fries was disappointing.

Fatburger has specialty burgers on their menu like Hawaiian and California, which differentiates them from similar burger joints.

My eyes light up when a new restaurant opens in my neighbourhood. While there’s plenty of Asian fare in North York, Western cuisine is harder to come by, especially brunch. I usually make the trek down to St. Clair or Dupont when the need for waffles or hollandaise sauce kicks in. Thus, I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into the brunch menu at the newly opened Union Social Eatery.

Atmosphere: Union Social Eatery has taken over the space that used to be Estrella Taqueria (who used to be Smokey’s). There was a new paint job, some of the decor has changed but overall the restaurant layout has stayed consistent. Tables were lined against the store front with doors that could be opened for fresh air, there’s plenty of booths and room for large groups. Music was loud and the atmosphere relaxed.

Service: The Hubby and I met my friend and her one year old at the restaurant. Our server could not have been more friendly and accommodating. She checked up on us often, made silly faces, and was great at taking care of our table. Unfortunately, our food took almost 30 minutes to arrive. We were the first customers that day at 11am, not early for brunch and few tables were occupied shortly after. If there wasn’t a small child keeping us busy and entertained, the wait would have been painful and far more pronounced.

Food: While we focused on the weekend brunch menu, Union Social’s full food menu was available to order from as well. Each plate was served with fresh watermelon slices and a shot of strawberry yogurt. I chose the breakfast burger ($12.95) while The Hubby had the Eggs Benedict with Pancetta ($14.95). Both dishes also came with a side of smashed potatoes.

For what was plated, I thought the menu prices were a bit high. Both dishes were satisfying but had a list of pros and cons that overall left me feeling meh. Between the two, the eggs benedict was better seasoned and stronger flavours. However the hollandaise sauce looked like it was baked, had formed a crust and was not even remotely liquid. This was pretty disappointing and wasn’t stated in the menu description. I also found the yolk not runny enough.

My breakfast burger was the more filling choice and I enjoyed each bite, but it wasn’t a dish I couldn’t cook at home myself. I would not have missed the small shot of strawberry yogurt.

Overall, I need to re-visit and try their regular menu before settling on a final opinion. On brunch alone, It feels like there are still wrinkles to be ironed out in the kitchen and the hollandaise sauce needs a facelift.

Normally, I reserve meals at expensive steakhouses for a special occasion. However, we were able to score a great deal for Ruth’s Chris Steak House during their Gift Card promo which made a visit for regular date night, more reasonable. With over 140 Ruth’s Chris Steak Houses worldwide, mainly in the US, and 5 in Canada, their sizzling plates are well known. While service was lovely and the steaks were good, I wasn’t convinced they were as good as the price tags were high.

Atmosphere: The Toronto location of Ruth’s Chris was in the basement of the Hilton hotel. There was no natural light but plenty of overhead lamps provided a warm, cozy glow to the dining room. Each table was rotated offset from those around it, creating a private space even in the middle of the room. Perhaps a touch outdated, the decor still felt elegant and timeless, reminiscent of an old boy’s club or university alumni room. Plenty of masculinity. Many tables around us were from out of town or celebrating special events.

Service: All of the waitstaff who took care of us that night were professional and efficient. As soon as a drink was empty, someone was there asking if we needed another. Our steaks arrived sizzling (as promised) and sides were all served together. When we ordered only one salad, our server asked if we were splitting the dish and made sure it would be served as such. With each course we were offered fresh ground pepper and all together had a lovely experience.

Food: When ordering at Ruth’s Chris, potato ($12 each) and vegetable ($12 – $15 each) dishes are separate items. No sides were included with any entrees. Each side is a very generous portion and more than enough to share with two people.

As is our tradition, The Hubby and I ordered too much food. We started with one order of the Caesar salad, the dish was split into two portions and served individually. I found the leaves evenly dressed and my plate was covered with shaved parmesan. For sides, we ignored the vegetable selection and ordered both Shoestring Fries and Onion Rings. We managed to eat half of each, but wasn’t even close to finishing. The shoestring fries were fantastic, thin, crispy and well seasoned. I was eating these by the mouthful. The onion rings (not pictured) were massive, wider than my fist, crunchy and not oily.

For our mains, The Hubby ordered The Cowboy Ribeye steak and I had the regular Ribeye steak, both cooked to medium. My ribeye was a beautiful pink throughout. With the bone-in Cowboy, the steak was rarer closer to the bone as expected. Both had a delicious rendered fat cap and a charred exterior sealing in all the juices. The steaks were mildly seasoned and relied heavily on butter. This was a good quality steak, soft, tender with lots of meaty flavour. However, we’ve gotten pretty good at cooking steaks at home, which sets the bar higher when we’re eating out. I wasn’t blown away by Ruth’s Chris.

We ended the night with a slice of Cheesecake and Blueberry sauce, a sweet final note for an already indulgent meal.

This is Part 2 of my on Chef’s Plate, a meal subscription service. Part 1 covered my main thoughts on the program and this post will showcase another example of the food and recipes Chef’s Plate delivers.

Disclaimer: Products reviewed below were provided complimentary by Chefs Plate. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine and not indicative of the opinions or positions held by Chefs Plate.

The second recipe I ordered from Chef’s Plate was the grilled flank steak with roasted radicchio. Similar to the lamb burger, the meat included was top-notch. All of the instructions were clear and simple to follow. When I first unpacked the ingredients, I was worried that the portion size was not enough to fill The Hubby and I. After our meal though, while we weren’t stuffed, we weren’t hungry either.

Left to my own devices, I wouldn’t have thought to pair the steak with a jam reduction but the sweet flavour balanced well with the savoury beef. Radicchio is also an ingredient I usually shy away from (and pick out of my salads). This recipe introduced a method to make the bitter vegetable more palatable. While I still didn’t love it, I liked the experience of trying something new.

Overall, my second meal with Chefs Plate was consistent with the first. Chef’s Plate provided high quality ingredients and an easy recipe to produce a quick, delicious and nutritious meal.

Being on vacation for all of June meant I could only squeeze in one Summerlicious meal this year. After looking through all the menus, Bestellen’s spoke to me the loudest. Charcuterie appetizer and steak entree, it was really an easy choice.

Atmosphere: Compared to the storefront, Bestellen had a surprisingly large dining area that was narrow and long. As we were shown to our table, we walked by the steak aging room that showed off beautiful hunks of meat, my kind of eye candy. The lighting was dim, while not ideal for photos, it was romantic and intimate. Decor was a masculine with dark walls, exposed pipes, natural wood planks and a giant mural of meat.

Service: Our server was friendly and accommodating. He checked up on us frequently, asked about beer refills and was generously a great experience. Our food arrived without any delays and I felt looked after.

Food: The Hubby and I usually try to order different menu items so we can share and try more dishes. At Bestellen, we maintained this strategy for the appetizer and dessert, but we both wanted the steak. I started with the Grilled Squid appetizer while he had the Charcuterie.

The squid was cooked to just done, making it very tender and easy to chew. It was lightly seasoned and really carried the flavour of the Romesco sauce and fennel. The charred scallions added an edge of umami to the dish, a light refresh start. Considering this was a set menu for $35, I was impressed with the size of the charcuterie plate, there was 2-3 slices of each meat, plenty to share. While not a full offering, I found the plate to be a good sample of what Bestellen’s full menu has to offer.

All three of us ended up ordering the Dry Aged Striploin entree with crispy fingerling potatoes, salsa verde and charred rapini. Again the portion was generous for the price and the aged steak cooked to a perfect medium. The meat was an excellent cut, tender and juicy. Of all the summerlicious meals I’ve had, this was hands down the best beef dish. In fact, even compared to a popular steakhouse I visited later that month, Bestellen had them beat.

For dessert we split the Chocolate Budino and Lemon and Pistachio cake. The square of cake was served hot warm with candied lemon strings and sherry cream, a rich but not overly sweet plate. The budino on the other hand was thick, chocolatey, topped with fresh whipped cream and decadent. Any chocolate lover would have been satisfied.

For me, Summerlicious has always been an opportunity to try new restaurants or re-visit establishments that has delivered in the past. Some restaurants can be overwhelmed by the volume of diners and there’s a notable drop in service or food. Bestellen was excellent, which makes me eager to visit again and taste their full menu.

This year for our group summerlicious meal, I wanted to try an established restaurant, one that has proven to deliver great meals over time. Having had lovely dinners at other Oliver & Bonacini’s restaurants, Luma and Auberge du Pommier, I had high expectations for Jump. Unfortunately, while the service and atmosphere were top-notch, the food was underwhelming.

Atmosphere: Walking into Jump, I felt the decor was masculine and contemporary. I loved the wall of scotches and the glass wine cellar. Cube pendant lights hung below the glass ceiling, which made the transition from natural to artificial light smooth and barely noticed. With the strong leather furniture, dark wood tables and dark wall drapes, I felt like a cigar and scotch neat were needed (although we went with wine for the table). Our fellow diners ranged from groups of Asian girls to older couples and families out for a nice meal.

Service: Our server was outstanding. She was friendly, efficient and professional. Water and wine glasses were kept full, each dish arrived promptly and we had no trouble having the bill split. One of my friends ordered the soup for her appetizer, didn’t enjoy it and our server was more than happy to switch her bowl for a plate of salmon tartare.

Food: As per all meals during summerlicious, I tempered my expectations. Even so, for a $35 dinner menu, I was disappointed. There was a lack of finesse to the dishes that may have been due to a busy kitchen but still couldn’t be overlooked. One friend had bones in his sea bream while The Fiance had greens that were yellow in his salad. These small details really put a damper on the meal.

We started with an order of Jump fries while we waited for our entire party to arrive. It was a good plate to share and snack on. The tomato mayo was light and still more mayo than tomato.

For appetizers, I ordered the Salmon Tartare while The Fiance had the Prosciutto Cotto Salad. Between the two, the salmon tartare, an okay plate, was by far the winner. Every component of the salad dish was mild in flavour and I expected the green goddess dressing to be more tangy than it was. Entrees were better. I enjoyed my broiled sea bream, which had a nice crispy skin and I liked the sweetness of the corn succotash. The fish was tender and flakey and the kernels of popcorn added a crunch. Both The Fiance and I liked the flavours of the Beef Cheek Vindaloo, but the piece I had was 90% tendon and hard to chew through. The level of spice was good, hot but not sweat inducing and the pilaf was a great blend of savoury and sweet.

Dessert that night was the highlight. I chose the Buttermilk Panna Cotta while The Fiance had the Peach and Passion Fruit Trifle. Both options satisfied my sweet tooth with the trifle being slightly better with more texture in each bite. The panna cotta was rich, creamy and complimented wonderfully with the drunken blueberry sauce. Each spoonful of the trifle was crunchy (meringue) and creamy (custard), and sweet (peach) and sour (passion fruit).

Based on this summerlicious experience alone, O&B has lots of other great restaurants I would re-visit or check out before returning to Jump.

All my vacations are planned around food foremost. I love researching restaurants, local eats and street food. Every trip, I like to include at least one splurge dinner. Lahaina Grill met all of my research criteria of being local, exclusive to Maui and had amazing reviews.

Atmosphere: The first thing I noticed walking into the restaurant were all the beautiful paintings. Every wall featured stunning pieces with bright colours and created an elegant backdrop for dinner. White linen tablecloths dressed each table and the room was lit with warm pendant lights. The dining space felt like a private dining room, intimate, comfortable and refined. Amongst the diners, dress code varied across the spectrum from suit jackets to t-shirts. I only wish the tables were more spaced out.

Service: Service at Lahaina Grill was superb, professional and efficient. Bread crumbs were swept away before appetizers were served, servingware was refreshed with each course and our server checked in on us throughout the meal. My water glass was never empty and we felt well taken care of.

Food: To start, the bread and butter was divine. The dinner rolls were pre-cut, warm and were a perfect canvas for the soft garlic chive butter. For appetizers, we split an order of The Cake Walk, a trio of fried seafood cakes, and a Bowl of Maui Onion Soup. I loved the presentation for The Cake Walk and they all tasted amazing. There was a shrimp cake with hoisin, a medallion of seared ahi tuna served on rice and a lobster, crab and scallop cake. I would be hard pressed to pick a favourite of the three. The bowl of Maui Onion soup was piping hot, gooey and had a beautiful toasted topping. Onions grown on the island were used and the flavour was so rich.

For our entrees, both The Fiance and I were swept away with the daily specials. I had the seafood special of panko crusted fresh Opakapaka while The Fiance had the land special of bone in, centre cut ribeye steak. The filet was cooked perfectly, flakey with just a light crust. The risotto was creamy and buttery. I had a great time with my dish and the portion was filling. It was hard not to compare this ribeye with the one The Fiance ordered at Jacobs & Co. Although there was a significant price difference between the two steaks, Lahaina Grill’s held its own. The outside of the ribeye was a bit on the charred side but the inside was a perfect pink.

Overall Lahaina Grill would be a great choice for a nice sit down meal; be it a special occasion, date night or a reason to switch up flip flops for heels while on vacation (although it doesn’t seem to be a requirement).

Mysteriously Yours has been entertaining diners with interactive murder mysteries since 1987. Producers Lili and Brian Caws toured their show throughout North America before settling into their current home on Yonge St., just north of Davisville. The duo have a repertoire of over 50 mysteries and the show at the theatre changes every few months.

Speakeasy! A roaring 20’s Murder Mystery is their latest production, set in a New York City nightclub on the opening night of ‘East Side Marion’s’ brand new musical. I was recently invited to enjoy a night of entertainment with a guest.

Disclaimer: All drinks and dishes were provided free of charge by the restaurant. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

Dinner
Atmosphere: The dining area was set up with tables grouped together allowing diners to meet new faces, mingle with each other and work together to solve the mystery. During the meal, the actors worked the tables and every character stopped by to introduce themselves. The actors were interactive and the crowd lapped it up. Conversation buzzed throughout dinner. There were lots of people celebrating milestones that night including a bachelorette party.

Service: The sign in process to each guest was lengthy. Although doors opened at 6:30pm, by the time everyone had picked up their name tag and sat down, it was closer to 7:00pm. Our table was one of the later ones to be completely seated, which meant our orders were taken very late. The server took our entire order, choice of appetizer, entree and dessert at once along with drinks. There was a clear inconsistency between when tables received their food and it was so busy, I had a hard time tracking down our server to place another drink order.

Food: Starting our meal was a breadbasket of various flatbreads and rolls. I loved the hummus that was served alongside the butter and the selection was great. For my meal, I chose the soup of the day, baked salmon and brownie for dessert. My friend went with the caesar salad, mushroom risotto and pecan rum tart. Of all the dishes, the highlight for me was the salmon itself. The fish was cooked beautifully, just pink, flakey and the aioli sauce was rich and creamy. Everything else was ok. My daiquiri was slushy and the house white wine was very easy to drink.

The Show
For me, the drawing point at Mysteriously Yours would be the show. Each of the actors were engaging, fully in character and delivered their punch lines on cue. I laughed more than I expected and the script was very “punny”. You can get as involved in the mystery as you want, or sit back and enjoy the show. I did the latter, so when it was time to cast our ballots for who had done it…I took a wild guess while my friend got it spot on.

Overall the night was entertaining and I had a good time. The story was well-written and each character was given the time to shine with a fully fleshed out backstory. Clues were sprinkled throughout the play and any of the suspects could’ve been the killer. Once the murder was solved though by Detective Sam Spade, it all made sense. I also loved when the actress playing East Side Marion stretched her vocal cords.