A family friend recently moved back to Toronto and is living in Liberty Village. Our catch up date was the perfect opportunity to check out Porzia, which has been on my restaurant wishlist for over a year now. I always need a lot of motivation to make the trek to Parkdale but so far, every trip has been worth it.

Atmosphere: I stopped by Porzia on a Monday night to take advantage of their fixed price menu and ½ priced bottles of wine. The restaurant was softly lit and buzzed with conversation providing a cozy feel. Since it was a Monday night, the pace was relaxed and it was the perfect atmosphere for a long conversation over great food. We lingered for a good two hours with our wine. Bar stools are lined along the bar. A long bench runs along the opposite wall and tables are well spaced out.

Service: As is often the case, I was running late. Walking into Porzia, the hostess directed me to the table where my friend was already patiently waiting. Our server gave us plenty of time to peruse the menu and explained how the fixed price menu worked. Based on our order and tastes, she offered a great wine recommendation that we both enjoyed. The service was very friendly and professional.

Food: The Monday night deal is a total steal. For $33 you get an appetizer, a pasta and a main course. For two people ordering, the pasta is a larger shared portion. I’m sure I’ve already mentioned the ½ priced bottles of wine, all bottles of wine. Between the two of us, we shared the Artichoke Fritti ($10), Horse Carpaccio ($16), Cavatelli ($13 x2), Bone Marrow ($18) and Octopus ($23). The meal would have been $93 a la cart vs. $66.

To start, the portions were small. Each dish was beautifully plated on gorgeous floral tableware but if you’re seriously hungry, you’ll need to order quite a few dishes to fill up. I was happily full at the end of our meal but I feel like The Fiance would’ve still been peckish.

Our two starters set a great tone for the meal. The artichoke hearts was lightly battered, fried, sprinkled with salt and pepper and served with a basil aioli. Biting into each piece, every layer was crispy. With the horse carpaccio, the flavour was more gamey than beef but I wouldn’t have known a difference if I wasn’t told. The slices were thin and had been lightly seared on the outside. Served with fried slices of salsify and a flakey tuna added layers of texture to the dish, colour to the plating and mild flavours to balance the boldness of the horse.

The cavatelli with fresh spring peas and pancetta was one of my favourites of the night. The peas were plump and fresh, the pancetta was juicy and the whole dish was buttery goodness. The pasta itself was a touch too al dente for my taste but still delicious. I wouldn’t be able to pick a favourite between the octopus and bone marrow. Both dishes were amazing. The octopus was tender, perfectly seasoned and I loved the apple slaw. I savoured each spoonful of buttery bone marrow. Our server also brought a refill of crostini that we easily finished up. Assembled on the crostini, the snails added a nice chewiness to each bite and the cotechino provided an acidity to balance the richness of the bone marrow.

Every dish I had at Porzia was thought out, excellently executed and beautifully presented.

It takes an exceptional restaurant to bring me out to the Parkdale neighbourhood, which partially explains why it’s taken me this long to stop by Chantecler. The last time I was in the area, the weather was warm and we walked along Queen after eating at Grand Electric. I’m glad Chantecler takes reservations, because the weather that night wouldn’t have made for a pleasant wait outside.

Atmosphere: The dining space is crowded with a bar along one wall and high tables along the other. A large wooden table, comfortable for 8, snug for 10 occupies the space at the the front window. That’s where my party was seated, around the end. It was snug, and we did have to move around anytime someone had to leave their seat. Walking to the washroom downstairs was also quite a feat with puffy winter jackets hung on the back of seats. Be careful, the bottom stair was slightly shorter than the others. During our meal, the group occupying the rest of our table turned over once, just as we were getting dessert. The restaurant was loud to the point where my throat was a little hoarse the next day. It was hard to hold up a conversation over the music.

Service: Overall, the service was friendly but there were a few hiccups. It felt like we were being asked for our order as soon as we sat down. Then after we had the time to go over the menu and decide, it was awhile before our server had a chance to come back. We were celebrating my friend’s birthday and I had asked if it was possible to have any customized touches to dessert when I was confirming the reservation. They were able to light a birthday candle in the sundae, which was awesome. When the dessert was brought over, I think there was some confusion as to whose birthday it was (I didn’t get a chance to tell our host) and the server walked by with the sundae, and walked away and came back. It was pretty funny cause my back was to all of this while the birthday girl saw everything. Besides those two points, everything arrived quickly, with an explanation of the dish and we were well tended.

Food: We started the night off with a couple of cocktails, gin and grapefruit for myself and the birthday girl, and a Penicillin for the BF. He loves scotch, I’m not a fan. So we enjoyed our pink fruity drink while he sipped on his.

It was a given we were getting the Lettuce Meal, so the question was what dishes to order as starters. We settled on the Calamari, Steak Tartare and Spicy Popcorn Shrimp. The Calamari was very tender and dripping in the peanut tamarind sauce. The tamarind used was on the sour side, which complimented the sweetness in the caramelized sauce but overpowered any peanut flavour for me. A nice spin on calamari. Everyone loved the Steak Tartare. It’s one of my favourite dishes anywhere and the steak tartare at Chantecler was one of the best I’ve had. The addition of wasabi and peanut added a crunch and a perfect touch of heat. I’m slowly converting the BF’s opinion on raw beef and this plate definitely helped push him closer to my side. Next was the Spicy Popcorn Shrimp that was fried to the perfect plump and juicy texture. The batter was crispy and covered with freshly popped popcorn. We spent awhile trying to figure out how that was done but gave up in favour of just enjoying the dish. The seasoning had some heat, hints of sour and sweet.

That night the special was a duck leg confit, which we added to our lettuce meal. Romaine, bibb and iceberg lettuce arrived in a bowl, pickles and sauces together on a plate, a bowl of sticky rice, another plate with the duck leg with a serving of hoisin sauce and the braised beef and slow cooked pork shoulder was served in a metal bowl. The serving size was more than enough for the three of us. I liked the inclusion of bibb lettuce and could’ve done without the iceberg. Assembling my wrap, I loved the rich flavour of the braised beef and fattiness of the pork shoulder. The BF preferred the duck and I thought it was just ok. Both the birthday girl and I really enjoyed the sticky rice and was happy eating rice balls with drippings.

I had already pre-ordered the sundae dessert to end our meal on a sweet note and it delivered. A bowl of ice cream, topped high with whipped cream, caramelized bananas, with the added crunch of fruity cereal, Maltesers and Smarties. Each spoonful was like a treasure hunt for toppings. I’m not sure if this is part of Chantecler’s regular menu or a special, but if it’s an option, get it!

Note that Chantecler accepts only cash or debit payment.

Wrapping up my Summerlicious 2013 reviews is a dinner visit to Parts and Labour in the Parkdale neighbourhood.

Atmosphere: I’m on the fence about communal tables. If I’m expecting them and am with a large group of friends, they’re great. If I’m not, sharing a table can strain my introvert bubble. Seating along the bar is also available. The light fixtures, decorated with fluorescent light bulbs were an interesting fixture and added to the industry feel of the decor along with bare, painted brick walls.

Service: The service was friendly and their twitter account is well maintained. I tweeted a question about parking early in the day and had a response within a few hours. During our meal the service was okay, available when needed and otherwise unobtrusive.

Food: From the $35 set Summerlicious menu, I ordered the steak tartare to start, halibut with braised white beans, herb leaf salad and soft boiled egg for my main and the lemon marshmallow pie for dessert. I also took a bite from my friend’s order of the mackerel with dill and fennel.

The steak tartare arrived with the yolk already spread on the plate and a small serving of hand cut chips and pickles. I like steak tartare and the dish was solid. The mackerel was the more unique choice and had complex flavours with a strong dill presence. For my main, the halibut was cooked to a nice tenderness, I loved the soft boiled egg and the herb salad had a great bite to it. The beans weren’t memorable, but added a filling component that one could take or leave. My favourite course was the dessert. The lemon marshmallow pie was tangy and sweet, creamy filling on top of a nice crust.

For medium to large groups, I’d readily recommend Parts and Labour as an option in the neighbourhood. The food was on point and atmosphere was relaxed and casual. For myself, I’d like to check out their brunch menu, I just wish Parkdale wasn’t such a trek from home.

The hype surrounding Grand Electric has been loud and continuous since opening in 2011. With the warnings from friends about no reservations, hour line waits outside in whatever weather with no guarantee of seating in addition to its west end location, it’s taken me longer than planned to finally make it to Grand Electric. I wanted to make sure I was at the door when they opened for dinner service, on a weekday with sunny weather (just in case). The planning was needed. About ten minutes after we were seated at the bar, every seat was filled up. Next to Guu, Grand Electric is now on my list of restaurants that’s worth the effort to get a table.

Atmosphere: The feeling inside was very comfortable and laid back. The bar was filled with bottles of homebrews (ie. vanilla infused bourbon) for a unique assortment of drinks. I loved the built in shelves behind the bar and the record player in the corner. There was a lot of wild turkey decor. The restaurant feels like a neighbourhood gem, a place to stop by often for taco and cocktail or shot of bourbon.

Service: Our waitress was friendly and suggested the “Jesus Juice” when I asked for a fruity drink. The bar tender was also all smiles and it was fun to watch him mix and pour. All of our dishes arrived quickly and each platter of tacos came with intros to identify them. Just make note that Grand Electric is cash only and they do not split bills (as stated on their menu) so come prepared.

Food: Now for the food. There were only two of us and I wanted to try as much of the menu as possible, this resulted in very full but happy bellies and a long after dinner walk.

For tacos, we ordered the Baja Fish, Beef Cheek and Scrapple first followed by the Pork Tinga and Chicken. I didn’t know what scrapple was before but the BF was super excited to see it on the menu. To my understanding, it’s almost a homemade spam, but the texture was softer and fried. My favourite taco off the first platter was the fish; it was buttery soft and not battered too thickly. Next was the beef cheek, I liked the kick of the jalapeno in contrast to the sweetness of the braised beef cheek. The scrapple was ok, it wasn’t as flavourful as the other two and came with a heavier sauce. Between the chicken and the pork, I liked the chicken better, with a healthy handful of cilantro and crispy texture.

We also tried a few side dishes, the Guacamole and Chips, Chorizo and Brussels and Tuna Ceviche. The guacamole and chips came with a large piece of deep fried pork rind, which was amazing. It was crispy, airy and was fought over. The chips themselves were a little oily and the guacamole was good, but I usually make mine with cilantro mixed in a bit more lime. I loved the Chorizo and Brussles dish, the brussel sprouts were roasted, salted and tasted like chips with a savoury chorizo sauce. The bottom of the dish was very salty, where the brussels were soaked in the sauce. I was a bit disappointed with the Tuna Ceviche, the portion was large but I would’ve liked more lime flavour and the sauce used was very creamy.

We didn’t have any room left for dessert, but next time I will be saving just a bit to try to the key lime pie.

Keriwa Cafe had been on my list of restaurants to try for over a year now, however when they switched from a la carte to a tasting  menu format in October, the price range was a little high for a non special occasion dinner. So when I heard that they were switching back to a la carte options, I made a reservation with the first excuse I had.

Atmosphere: The interior of the restaurant was very spacious, there is a lot of wood texture and the space is well-lit. I liked the large pieces of art on the wall, with an industrial feel using metal and dark colours. Much of the serving ware was also natural wooden pieces and clay pottery.

Service:I had originally made a reservation for 2 at 6:30. It had begun to snow pretty heavily that evening and both my friend and I were running late. I called Keriwa at 6:00 to advise them of this and they said, not a problem, but to be aware that our table was to be re-seated at 8:00. That was fine and we made it through the door at 7:00 sharp. I have no issue with our table having to be re-seated, and the hostess did let us know that when 8:00 came around, we had the option to move to the bar but that we could “figure it out when the time came”. She advised us to order only one course because of our limited time. We were a little disappointed there but it was understandable.

Coincidentally, the table next to us were 2 friends that we knew. We were able to push our tables together and try a lot more dishes, however we were again reminded that we had to leave at 8:00, and that the tables would be billed separately, again totally understandable. Except, 8:00 came and went, people came, were seated and no one needed our table, yet we were still rushed with the bill, we weren’t even offered the dessert menu but waited long enough to pay that our friends’ dessert order arrived. Our server rarely checked in on us and didn’t refill wine or water glasses. All in all, I felt like I had to scarf down my food unnecessarily, and then when it came time to pay, we sat and waited, when we could’ve been enjoying our own apply crumble. The servers seemed spread thin and the service wasn’t all that I expected.

Food: My table ordered the Duck Confit Dumplings, Pork Confit Belly (served on rye flat bread) and Bison Jowl. In addition we were able to sample from our friend’s table, the Smoked Trout, Brussel Sprouts, Whitefish, Smoked Hen and the Apple Crumble for dessert.

The stand out dishes for me were the dumplings, bison jowl, brussel sprouts and apple crumble. The broth the dumplings came in was very flavourful and the dumpling wrap was thin and chewy. The presentation of the bison jowl was unexpected, it came almost like a giant ravioli and was very creamy. The white cream sauce on this dish was amazing, we were ready to lick it off the plate, it was so creamy and buttery. This was my first time having brussel sprouts, and if they always taste like this I’ll need to have it more often. The sprouts were crunchy, fully cooked and buttery (that’s probably what made it), with candied walnuts and pear.

All of the dishes we had were great and the bottle of rose went well with everything. I loved the apple crumble dessert with toasted marshmallow topping and buried berries. The balance of sweet and sour was perfect.

I definitely need a re-visit, one that will allow me to savour and enjoy the meal at a more even pace.