Acadia

I dined at Acadia last weekend and loved it! This quaint little restaurant is located in Little Italy and serves up some well executed, high quality food. The service was really impeccable. From our attentive waiter, who was friendly and making us laugh, to the bartender who made a point to come personally make sure we were enjoying our drinks, and then to the tasty, beautifully presented dishes, this place gets 2 thumbs up in my books. 
I apologize for the pictures. They are not the best quality (a little on the bright side) 
But here we go: We started with some delicious cocktails. We tried probably 8 different ones during our dinner. ALL of which were fantastic and refreshing. 

We started with the Kolapore Springs Trout. Which was served raw, and along side juniper capers, asparagus spear and a quail egg. The flavours in this dish were very well balanced.

Then came the Prawns cooked 2 ways. One was poached in butter, and the other fried. Again, a very balanced and tasty dish. This came along side  a rhubarb puree and marinated celery. Delish.

I was told the shrimp and grits was one of the staple menu items at this restaurant, so of course I had to try it. It was PERFECT. So full of flavour. I loved every bite and was genuinely sad when it was all gone.

This is the Veal Cheek. This was fabulous. The meat was tender and melted in my mouth with every bite. The side dishes (caramelized onion puree, mushroom medley) were the perfect pairing for the meat.

 This is the Albacore tuna, which came raw and wrapped in seaweed. The tuna was fresh and had good flavour. This came a long side tiny potatoes with dill, and a chickpea brown butter. All flavours really worked on this plate.

I loved every second of being here. It was a great atmosphere. The food was excellent quality and the ambiance was inviting and classy without being pretentious. 

I highly recommend giving this place a try.

http://www.acadiarestaurant.com/#!

Happy Eating

My Top 5 Sushi Restaurants in the City

  1)   Sushi on Bloor 

Without a doubt, this is definitely the sushi restaurant I most often frequent in Toronto. The fish is always fresh, the menu is very reasonably priced and the over all atmosphere is great. Sushi on Bloor typically has lineups out the door for their lunch and dinner rushes; with food this good, it’s no wonder why. My favorite’s from here are: white tuna handroll, spicy crunchy tuna roll and the grilled squid. If you haven’t been to Sushi on Bloor, please go. You won’t be disappointed! 

http://www.sushionbloor.com/

2)   BlowFish 

Blow Fish is a higher end/fine dining sushi experience. It is on the more expensive side but I must say the food is brilliant, and worth the dough. Everything I have tried from here is fantastic and beautifully presented. This restaurant is sleek, modern and fancy on the inside and I felt the food reflected this vision as well. My favorite’s from Blowfish are: spicy rock shrimp, giant ebi shooter, Okinawan makimono and spicy tuna makimono. They also have excellent cocktails! 

http://www.blowfishrestaurant.com/

  3)   Sushi Inn 

Sushi Inn is located in Yorkville and serves up delicious sushi. For a Yorkville restaurant, the prices at Sushi Inn are very inexpensive. They serve the classics you would find at any sushi restaurant, but here they are done perfectly. You can taste the quality of ingredients with each bite.  Give it a try! 

http://www.sushiinn.net/

4)   Aji Sai

Aji Sai is an ‘All you Can Eat’ sushi restaurant with a couple locations around Toronto. Although the service is never really that great (servers are usually inattentive and not very friendly) the food hits the spot and is pretty satisfying. They offer the classic sushi items and side dishes that you will find at standard ‘All You Can Eat’ place, but they also serve some not so typical items as well. Particularly they have some interesting types of special makimono (sushi rolls).  For an all you can eat sushi experience this is the place I usually go to. 

5)   Mi – Ne Sushi

I have blogged already about this sushi restaurant, but I definitely needed to include it on this list. Mi-Ne Sushi is located on Bremner Blvd and serves up some delicious Japanese food. Check out my post ‘An Excellent Sushi Restaurant Discovery’ to get more of the scoop on this restaurant!

http://toronto.mine-sushi.com/

There you have it. My personal favourite Sushi Restaurants in Toronto. I know with sushi, everyone’s opinions can really vary on what they like and what they don’t enjoy so much. I hope to try some more Japanese restaurants in the future, and add to this list!

Happy Eating!

Mamma Mia!

This is the easiest Spaghetti with Tuna Tomato Sauce Recipe. I make this dish ALL the time. It is stupidly easy, inexpensive and delicious. I thought I would share it with you.

Ingredients:
Spaghetti Noodles
1 can of Tuna (preferably in oil)
1 jar of crushed tomatoes 
3 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 onion (diced)
chilli flakes
dried oregano
salt/pepper


Start by bringing a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water. In a separate pan, add olive oil (to coat the pan), onion, garlic and chilli flakes. Cook until onions are softened and translucent. 

 Add the tuna to the pan. Let this cook for a minute or so. 

Add in the crushed tomatoes, oregano, salt and pepper. Olives or capers would also be a great addition to this dish (I didn't have these on hand).

Let this sauce cook for 10 minutes, so all the flavours come together. Drain the noodles and add them to the pan. Toss the sauce with noodles.

.....VOILA! an easy pasta dish in no time! 

Give it a try!

Happy Eating!

BQM Burgers

BQM  does a pretty good burger. They use quality meats and even let customers pick which cut of meat they want (bison, sirloin or chuck). They grill their burgers to order so you know it is fresh! 

This is the 'BQM Burger' with sirloin, caramelized onions, horseradish and garlic aioli. The horseradish gives it a nice kick, while the garlic aioli is light and creamy. A very good burger.

This is the "Natural Burger' which is just a straight up burger, with chuck meat, red onion, pickle and garlic aioli. It is a classic burger and it tastes delicious! The sweet potatoes are crispy, sweet and a great side dish to these burgers. 

You can find BQM burgers in a couple locations around Toronto. If you're craving a juicy burger, I think you now know where you need to go!

http://burgershoppe.com/

Happy Eating!

Scarpetta

This past weekend I dined at Scarpetta. I have heard fantastic things about this restaurant and was pretty excited to finally eat here. This is celebrity chef Scott Conant's restaurant and he has two other locations: New York and Las Vegas. I was pretty impressed with the majority of the food. Everything was fresh, and you can tell they use high quality ingredients. Let's start from the beginning, shall we? 

This is probably the best complimentary bread-basket I have ever had. There was an assortment of different types of breads, and even Stromboli (bread stuffed with mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and salami).  It was served with Olive oil, an eggplant spread, and whipped butter. DELISH!

We started with the Salumi Plate. This was fantastic. The flavours were completely balanced given the variety. There was pate's, spreads, and an assortment of different meats all served with crostini. This was a highlight of the meal for sure.

I ordered the Spaghetti with tomato and Basil. I ordered this because this is what Scott is known for. I also ordered this because it was featured on the food networks 'The Best Thing I ever Ate'. I thought the spaghetti was good. But it didn't blow my mind the way I really thought it would. This might be due to the fact that I am Italian, have grown up eating excellent Italian food from my Grandmas Kitchen, and Italy itself. It was a descent pasta dish. Not the best I've had.

This Agnolotti on the other hand was absolutely fantastic. So rich in flavour. These pillows of pasta were stuffed with short rib, bone marrow, horseradish and brown butter. This was by far my favourite thing brought to the table. 

The Roasted Chicken was pretty delicious. The chicken was perfectly cooked. It was juicy and moist. The sauce reduction added such depth to everything else on the plate. The asparagus were cooked perfectly. Everything on the plate worked well together. It was definitely an impressive entree. 

Overall, Scarpetta gets thumbs up from me! It was a memorable meal. I am excited to come back and try other things on their menu. 

If you haven't been to Scarpetta I recommend giving it a try. 

http://www.thompsonhotels.com/hotels/toronto/thompson-toronto/eat/scarpetta

Happy Eating!

Current Crave 3

Right now, I am all about the Real Fruit Popsicles by Del Monte.  This Strawberry Kiwi flavoured treat is what I have been craving lately and I can't seem to get enough. I pick one of these up at least 3 times a week, and it is soooo refreshing. They burst with fruit flavour and are icy cold (which greatly satisfies on those hot days). Every time I devour one of these popsicles, I am tempted to go back and get another one...because they are THAT good! 

 You can find these popsicles at most grocery stores, or buy them individually at convenience stores. I recommend giving it a try.

Here I am, displaying how happy I am to be enjoying one of these Real Fruit Popsicles:

Happy Eating!

Sneaky Dee's

Oh where to start with Sneaky Dee's? Well, this bar/restaurant is one of the places I most often frequent with friends in Toronto. The drinks are cheap, the food is cheap and the atmosphere is grungy, accepting and fun. The food here is more of a Mexican style. I wouldn't say the food is that GREAT but they do make a killer nacho platter.

(Photo from biteme.com)

My friends and I usually order the King's Crown Nacho platter, which is loaded with cheese, guacamole, meat, refried beans, jalapeños and tomatoes (pretty much everything you could want on your nachos). Pitchers of Sangria are an absolute must when you're here. 

Sneaky Dee's is always busy with crowds of people. There is graffiti all over the walls, which gives the place that shabby feel. There's a small patio outside which is great to chill on in the summer. And a bonus: there is an upper level that usually has live music/bands and dance floor. I personally love the laid back atmosphere this restaurant offers. 

If you're looking for a high quality fancy meal, don't come to Sneaky Dee's. If you're looking for greasy, yet tasty eats and well priced booze, come to Sneaky Dee's. 

I suggest you give it a try if you haven't been. 

http://sneaky-dees.com/

Happy Eating!