An Auld-y but a Goodie

The Auld Spot Pub

I'm on the way home when one of my girls texts me - "NEED to go for a drink!" which can only mean a terrible workday needs to be remedied by a few pints and some serious girl talk. Generally we hit the local pub, but today I was in the mood for something a bit different. A cozy atmosphere, a great selection of craft beers on tap and a menu without the usual assortment of boring quick serve pub fare. 

Luckily there is such a place a short drive from her office so off we go to the Auld Spot Pub! After finding parking on the Danforth (ugh!) we dash across the street and out of the cold into the welcoming room. Long and cozy, the ceiling is adorned with white twinkly lights and the room is packed full of people enjoying themselves. So many people that we are almost S.O.L. on getting a table. Luckily, as we are looking around trying to figure it out,  a table leaves, another is seated and a we grab a few stools at the bar to wait our turn. I order a St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout, my friends order a St-Ambroise Apricot Wheat Ale  and a Stella Artois - all yum choices! 

Our stomachs were happy when a few minutes later we were seated at a table and some eating and gossiping could begin! To fill our bellies we ordered up some Poutine and Chicken Drummies - both awesome choices to go with the drinks. The poutine is house-cut fries topped with home-made gravy, the drummies a perfect balance of hot and sweet and nice and crispy. The tri-fecta of a great girls' night - good friends, good bar snacks and good beer (oh, and really cute waiters!).

Really my only complaint about the Auld Spot is that when you're not sure about what to order for your next pub, the cute server explains what each beer is like - to someone who is super-impatient and has tried them all already it's torture! Because, of course I can't interrupt the cute boy (rude!) so I have to listen to them all. Oh well, if I have to chat with him a bit longer I guess I'll survive.....

View Larger Map

Auld Spot Pub

www.auldspot.ca

347 Danforth Avenue
Toronto, ON M4K 1N7
(416) 406-4688

Some mornings a half grapefruit just won't cut it....

The Patrician Grill 

Oh, I love a great diner, and if it has been around since forever, even better! Anywhere that has the same menu up since 1973 is a place I want to be. And if I can sit in a vinyl booth and drink a whole pot of coffee without getting the stink eye I've found a new home.

Whenever I crave a greasy spoon breakfast before hitting St. Lawrence I have one destination in mind - The Patrician Grill. Bacon, REAL homefries, Eggs, lots of coffee - what else does a girl need? How about a stool at the counter where you can watch the action? This is very much a family run joint, with everyone involved and when I was there on Saturday Grampa took a corner too quickly and nearly landed in my coffee. He righted himself and charmingly cracked a joke - I bet he's a heartbreaker! You can tell that these are people who love what they do and love each other by the bantering and bickering as they run around the floor taking care of their customers.

The menu is easy - burgers, awesome fries, a classic club - don't come expecting to find the latest fusion trend or special imported coffee beans, hand roasted and ground just for you. If you want a classic diner with great food - go now, just bring cash because these guys don't do debit or credit. They are however, remarkably pleasant about sending you down the street to the ATM (nothing worse that getting halfway through your brekkie and realizing you can't pay for it!)

The Patrician Grill 

219 King Street East

Toronto, ON M5A 1J9, Canada

Get Directions

(416) 366-4841

Whoops!

So I found out today that my last post about Table 17 may have in fact made me sound like a big douchebag. To be clear, we were not going to leave her a $3 tip - we really just were not paying attention and tossed some cash at the bill when it was explained to us that they only took one GC per table. Before leaving we would have sorted it out and left her a proper tip. Having been a waitress for so long, I would never stiff someone unless they were intentionally difficult and I would have spoken to management before to make sure they were aware of the type of staff they had on the floor.

thanks for reading!

Dinner and an Insult!

So I had a most unusual experience last weekend, it was honestly the first time I have been so thoroughly insulted in the name of “Customer Service”

It makes me laugh, but it also makes me not want to return, which is a terrible pity because right up to the 11th hour I had a lovely time. Beautiful room, wonderful food, non-intrusive service. Exactly what you want for a Saturday night date.

Here’s the play by play – I had received two gift certificates from a good friend for Table17, a (not so) new restaurant in Riverdale that has been getting excellent reviews.

I called – booked a table (9:30 was the earliest!) we were good to go.

Oh, I don't want to write about this one....

The Ceili Cottage

Because if I write about it, people might find out. If people find out, they WILL go. If they go it will be busy – and then I’ll never get a seat at the bar. Which is totally ridiculous on my part, because this place is capital A awesome and no amount of swearing friends to secrecy will keep it from becoming the busiest pub on the east side. At this point my only hope is that people can’t find it. I mean, for a new “buzzed about” restaurant it’s remarkably well hidden – even more so when you consider that it’s located about 2 feet from Queen St. E. I myself drove past it at least 15 times before I found it, and 8 of those times I was actually trying to find it to go meet up with friends.

The Queen and Beaver Public House

The trend to Gastropubs is long overdue in this city. For every great dining experience there are a dozen terrible to mediocre restaurants that are mysteriously busy. Go figure. People are lemmings.

This summer a new pub opened on Elm St, in the class of a “Gastropub” and I have to tell you, it does live up to it’s self-ideal. On a busy Saturday night we found a small table in the upstairs room which feels much more like a living room – a living room dreamt of by many of the men in my life: giant couches, a big-screen tv to watch the game, a great wine and drink list and food that has been crafted with an eye to detail.

Double Deuce Saloon

Back in my “ahem” younger days, I enjoyed a good night on the town as much as the next girl. What I did NOT enjoy so much were the usual trappings – long lines to get in, snotty doormen, and a Saturday night crowd out to get blitzed and “Woo Hoooo” it up. Being in the industry and knowing almost everyone allowed me to skip the first two problems, but there was no escaping the dreaded Saturday Night Douchebag – a plague which afflicts every club and bar of any success.

I wish this was my Local!

After working in restaurants for more years than I care to count, I am amazed at people who jump into this industry to try their luck. More often than not, they are totally unprepared for how hard it is to be successful and their best efforts fall short.

Last weekend then, it warmed my cold heart to meet the owners of the Local Kitchen and Wine Bar. Only their 8th day, this charming boite was already bustling with birthday parties, dinner parties and couples having cozy dinners. The tiny dining room felt warm and inviting, like it had grown up in the area, evolving into it’s current assortment of hanging laundry, photos and vinyl LPs in the back waiting for the parents to go to bed and the party to start. I swear they stole the turntable from my parent’s rec room!

Oh, the bloom of love...

I’m in love, I’m in love, I’m in love and I don’t care who knows it! It snuck up on me with no warning – I mean the rumors were flying and buzz was good but I’ve never been one to follow the pack. Even now, days later I still feel a glow when I think of my beloved – in my heart and in my belly.

You see, this is no ordinary love. It is one cradled by arugula and topped with a lemon ailoli so delicate it teased me all afternoon – never coming too close but never straying far from my thoughts. Last weekend I stopped by a recent entry to the burgeoning Toronto BBQ scene that has been on everyone’s lips (sorry I can’t resist a good pun!). The Stockyards has been creating quite a lot of press since opening in April, and despite the construction that has been causing problems up and down St. Clair they have been doing a brisk business spreading their love to all who enter.

Now, I know what you are thinking – arugula doesn’t sound like BBQ. And you would be right. No where close to BBQ. But on that fateful Saturday afternoon I didn’t feel that I had the time to devote to properly enjoying a lip-smacking plate of pulled pork, so I skipped right to the pork belly with a BAT. A bacon, arugula and tomato sandwich – perfectly griddled cibatta bun topped with a gorgeous lemon alioli, peppery arugula leaves, a few slices of crunchy oozy fried green tomatoes and some of the smokiest, thickest bacon this side of well, anywhere I’ve ever been. It’s been on my mind day and night since then and I’ve had to spread the word of my new love to all around me.

As I waited for my sandwich to be crafted I had to resist the temptation to steal an onion ring from the order that was waiting for it’s sandwich lover. Lucky for the person who ordered them it wasn’t a long wait. The handmade rings and fries were the picture of perfection and I’m still not sure how I resisted reaching over the narrow bar to the prep area and stealing a few.

I can hardly wait for our date on Friday….


View Larger Map

The Stockyards Ltd

699 St Clair Ave W, Toronto, ON M6C 1B2

(416) 658-9666 ‎

thestockyards.ca

Novelty Foods Gone to Far?

So last week I was at the CNE and I noticed this crazy new trend. Perfectly portable (ok, and possibly not so portable) foods have been violated! Well, what else would you call having a stick shoved up your crust?

Every type of food imaginable was on a stick. Some of them quite frankly were miracles of food engineering. Potato chips on a stick? Cinnamon buns? The biggest head scratcher of all was pizza on a stick. Yes, that’s right. Mamma’s Pizza, that purveyor of old school slices decided it was time to bring some innovation to the humble pie. Blob shaped crusts topped with not too much sauce or cheese stood at attention across their Food building counter like so many pepperoni faced soldiers. Other counters displayed sausages, meatballs, fudge… fudge? Not fudge, that standby of things unchanged, of memories from fair days of childhood, one remnant of days gone by, of times where things seemed simpler, less gimmicky. I mean really, what other explanation can there be for adding a popsicle stick to a slice of chocolatey goodness than pure bandwagoneerism?

Of course there are the classic items, the cotton candy and corndogs, the ice cream dipped in chocolate and rolled in peanuts that will always transport me back to opening day of the CNE with my family. Spending the day looking forward to the moment when my Nana would give in to my pestering and stop in front of the small booth and hand me my own Sundae on a Stick. It still brings a smile to my face to think of the day spent trekking through exhibits and the midway, all building to the finale of the day, a sweet, cold treat enjoyed with the sun shining down on us.