Tuesday, March 16, 2010

What Do You Like?

With so much to choose from, it's not always easy making a restaurant choice, especially if you're not sure what you're in the mood for. So we sometimes rely on the recommendations of others. Tell us what you like (or don't like). Describe your experiences and favourite places.

Tell us where to go!

Sunday, March 14, 2010

March 2010 : Southern Accent

At the table: Nad B, Nad R, Vijai, Tanya, Shara (me)

This month was my pick. I found Southern Accent, a Cajun restaurant, on http://www.toronto.com/. We were oh-so-happy that Tanya could join us from Ottawa!

After showing up over an hour late, we were greeted warmly with smiles - like arriving fashionably late to a dinner party! Parking is at the back of the restaurant with a quick walk through a short, narrow alley to the front door on Markham Street (somewhere around Bloor & Bathurst in Toronto close to Honest Ed's).

The restaurant itself is actually a converted house - warm, cozy, comfy. The decor is fantastic - lights and quirky lampshades, coloured light. Canopies, scarves, knick knacks galore, old books, wonderful art and all kinds of dangly things. If you reserve in advance, a fortune teller is on-site to tell you what your future holds (at a cost of $30 for 15 mins.). The washroom was tiny but oh-so indulgent (can`t speak for the guys washroom). Love the vanity!

So onto the food! Great selection of Louisiana classics on their a la carte menu, but also a great prix-fixe menu - a 3-course meal for $25! We ordered a mish mash of appetizers to could sample and share: blackened shrimp with pineapple dipping sauce, fried calamari atop a rich garlicy cream sauce, organic greens and avocado bruschetta. All was awesome, but the shrimp was memorable - in a blackened, crispy herb crust; aside from getting black stuff stuck in our teeth, it was fantastic!

4 out of 5 of us had the jambalaya which Nad R accurately compared to pilau (Trinidadian rice dish) and calaloo (Trinidadian spinach & okra soup). But it was good. I would have liked to see more shrimp in the jambalaya (you get 2 shrimp almost like a garnish). The only restaurant I've had jambalaya at before is Jack Astors and I prefer their's to Southern Accent's. Tanya's hubby also makes a good, but spicy one!

I had the pavlova (hardened meringue) for dessert only because I had no idea what it was. It was extremely sweet - like cooked marshmallows. I got a couple nibbles off of the other girls' pecan pie which was good, but not warm as I would have liked it. Vijai's creme brulee was good, but again, not warm as I would have liked it. Tanya had the pineapple sorbet - I think that would have been a satisfying choice for me.

Overall, the food was good. Our server was ok. The atmosphere was great. The drinks were expensive - $10 for a 3 oz bourbon sour that went down way too fast (because it was yummy). Nad R got her caesar just the way she wanted it, even though we could literally see our server's brain start to hurt when she described the chemistry of her perfect drink (and it doesn't come garnished with any "pickled items" -  she's been spoiled by the Shoeless Joe's caesar!).

Overall, what I liked best, aside from the charm, was that we were there for over 3 hours and only got the bill when we asked for it. We never at any point felt rushed and they kept the coffee coming at no extra charge..... hospitality with a cherry on top!

February 2010 : The Fifth Grill

At the table: Neera, Taish (Neera's hubby), Nad B, Nad R, Bibi, Shelley (Bibi's sis)

Neera chose The Fifth Grill for February - part of the Winterlicious event in Toronto. The girls got to experience fine dining by way of the restaurant's Winterlicious prix-fixe menu and from what I heard it was fantastic.

Unfortunately, I was not able to attend but hopefully you'll find out more about the experience from the other girls' comments. I imagine this was such a treat - the prix-fixe menu was $45 for a 3-course meal!

Did you miss Winterlicious? No worries, Summerlicious is around the corner!

January 2010: Pho Mi 99

At the table: Nad B, Nad R, Bibi, Neera, Shara, Shari

This was Nad R's pick this month. A Vietnamese noodle restaurant - Pho Mi 99 - in the Cooksville area of Mississauga. Bibi invited a surprise guest - Shari from high school! Was a nice surprise. We all ordered something different - some of us ordered noodle soup, I ordered a dry noodle bowl with chicken and veggies. It came with salad and a spring roll as well. My meal was yum!! Very good, huge portions - I had to take 1/2 of it home.

For coffee lovers, I recommend the Vietnamese coffee served here. Never had coffee like this before. It actually steeps in water in your cup with condensed milk at the bottom of the cup. So you steep it and then stir it up. VERY strong, but you can keep adding more water until you can "handle it".

And if you love spring rolls, there's no shortage of variety here.

I remember Neera being not quite sure of what she was eating and sent her meal back. A risk you take when you go "authentic" I suppose, but disappointing when you don't get what you expect. Neera - tell us more about it!

It was hard to communicate with our server because of language, but that was mostly our fault I think - we need to trust that these guys know what they're doing, and they did. I don't know how it compares with other pho restaurants - I know there are a lot, but this place was packed on a Sunday afternoon, food was good, pricing was awesome (I've never seen such a huge difference in price to portion ratio) and portions were unreal.

I would go back, ideally on a rainy day Sunday afternoon for the ultimate in comfort food - and so much more than noodle soup!

December 2009: Alice Fazooli's Italian Grill

At the table: Nad B, Tanya, Bibi, Vijai, Shara

We got together on Boxing Day - a chance for us to come together for the holidays and spend time with our Ottawa girl Tanya, home for the holidays. So we didn't seek out a new dining experience but instead went to an old favourite - Alice Fazooli's (in the Square One area). This is the original "girl's night out" restaurant of choice and we've seen it through many a renovation and transformation. One thing that remains consistent is the food. So consistent in fact that Nad B doesn't order anything but the Shrimp Angel Hair Pasta! A fave of mine too, but you really can't go wrong with anything you order here. Through the years, I've had everything from the fish of the day to their pizza and have never been disappointed. Although I haven't always been completely impressed either, and this would probably be one of those times.

We met for lunch and were seated at a lovely round table tucked away in a corner. Our server was very nice, prompt with drinks (Jack D & Diet Coke for me). I ordered an Italian sandwich - tons of meat served on focaccia bread. Sandwich was good, but got boring after a while and my fries were not served hot. But of course the company was good, atmosphere was cozy and you can even learn a little Italian when you go to the washroom!

Alice has a great bar. TVs and couches, booths or bar stools - the drink selection is great with Alice signatures and you can have anything on the menu served to you in the bar. We've also dined there in the summer on the patio. Best when they have live music!

In the past, I have booked this restaurant for corporate events, I've celebrated birthdays there, met friends for coffee, lunch, dinner, drinks, dessert. If you've not gone, you should. If in doubt, order the Shrimp Angel Hair Pasta!

September 2009: Axia Restaurant & Bar

At the table - Nad B, Nad R, Bibi, Shara (me)

Nad B chose Axia - an Asian restaurant in the Erin Mills area of Mississauga for our club debut.

You can choose from a variety of Asian cuisine from sushi to sizzling hot plates. The atmosphere is casual, light and airy and the service was very friendly and efficient. I had the Bento Box - teriyaki, sushi, salad - and a glass of plum wine. The food was great - my first time eating non-veg sushi and I discovered I like smoked salmon. The wine was good, but very sweet. More of a liquid dessert than a beverage, which is exactly what it's intended to be. Prices were moderate, portions were more than enough. I would go there again, maybe for dinner next time to get a better feel for the atmosphere - designed as a courtyard with an outdoor feel. I imagine the ambiance would be much different in the evening with the lighting.

It was also such a coincidence to see Nad R's mom and sisters there! Nice surprise. The miso soup they recommended was delish!

A Bunch of Girls Who Like Food

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A Bunch of Girls Who Like Food is a blog about our dining experiences through what 7 of us call our "Dinner Club". The Club is the platform in which we come together on a (almost) monthly basis - brought together by a singular common interest and experiential delight - FOOD!

Though we are not "foodies", we know what we like and believe we can communicate our experiences in a way that may entice you to discover a new dining experience yourself whether it be at one of the restaurants in this blog, or you may have a recommendation of your own (which you're more than welcomed, in fact encouraged and invited, to post on this blog). In any case, the club has facilitated a way for the 7 of us (give or take depending on the month) to get together, exhale, relax and indulge.

Feel free to add your comments, recommendations, reviews, favourite dishes, restaurants etc. to any post in this blog!