S A M S H I M I

Sunday, 17 November 2013

Simple Bistro :: Birthday Dinner with Family

Complimentary Bread & Butter

Salade de Lyonnaise - Lyonnaise Salad ($11)

classic French frisée salad with lardons, panko fried egg à la vinaigrette aux herbes de citron

My grandmother had the Salad de Lyonnaise, but I had a small bite. The vegetables were deliciously marinated in dressing and the crispy poached egg was a definite favourite!

Salad de Betteraves - Beets Salad ($11)

roasted beets, goat cheese, acidulated shallots à la vinaigrette de shallot

My father had the Salad de Betteraves. He said it was delicious and all the components harmonized well. I also had a taste and agree with his comments. The salad was also very refreshing.

Moules au Fenouil- Fennel Steamed Mussels ($11)

steamed mussels with shallots, red pepper au crème de fenouil à l’estragon (fennel tarragon cream sauce).

*Also available as a main course!

My grandfather had the Moules au Fenouil. I also had a taste (tasting everything!). The portion was quite generous for $11! The sauce was a delicious cream sauce that wasn't heavy at all and went well with the mussels.

Escargots Fricassée ($11)

sautéed escargots and mushroom, aux herbes de Provence and grilled crostini

My Uncle Jim and I both ordered the Escargots Fricassée. I really enjoyed my appetizer. The sauce was creamy, but not overly heavy. Additionally, I was expecting only a few escargots but the portion was quite generous. Additionally, eating the sautéed escargots and mushrooms with the grilled crostini was delicious! When I ran out of the crostini I used the bread. It was still just as delicious and the sauce blended well with the bread.

Pétoncles - Scallops ($25)

pan seared scallops, purée de pommes de terre, orange and fennel salad, bacon lardons

My grandfather and I had the Scallops. It was delicious! The orange and fennel was a refreshing change to the buttery scallops and buttery mash potatoes. The portion was quite filling. Overall the dish was quite balanced in terms of flavour components and I would most definitely order it again!

Steak and Frites ($25)

pan seared striploin au red wine jus, patate frites, and homemade garlic Aioli

My father had the Steak & Frites. I didn't have a taste, but he said it was good. He commented the steak was very tender. My aunt kept stealing the frites (to the point that the owner noticed and gave her a complimentary side of frites!)

Côte de Boeuf - Beef Short Rib ($25)

braised beef short ribs in secret sauce with crispy fried polenta and ratatouille

My Uncle Jim had the Côte de Boeuf. I didn't ask him about comments, but he finished dinner happy so I'm assuming it was delicious!

Jarret d’Agneau - Lamb Shank ($25)

lamb shank braisé au jus, potato gratin and roasted légumes de saison

My mother ordered the Lamb Shank. She said the meat was quite flavourful and the meat was tender. The scallop potatoes were deliciously buttery.

Simple Bistro is a quaint French restaurant located in the Yonge & Ellington area. The owner Yasmine Chung helped me with the reservations and answered all my questions via email. All appetizers are $11 and all entrees are $25. A fixe prix menu that includes your choice of appetizer, entree, and dessert is available for $40/person. We did not try any of the desserts as I brought a birthday cake. Simple Bistro was wonderful as it didn't charge an additional cutting fee or charge an extra service charge for parties larger than 6.

The restaurant has two floors; the bottom floor has a Parisian style decor, whilst upstairs had a modern red and black decor with crystal accents. The top floor can be reserved for private parties at no extra charge as long as $1000 worth of food is ordered (on weekdays; email Yasmine for weekend quotes). The food was delicious, portions were extremely generous, the price was reasonable, service was great, and the atmosphere was appropriate. The one downside was since there was no drapes or carpets, the noise level was a little loud as there was nothing to absorb the sound on the bottom floor. I'm so glad I went to this restaurant for my birthday and will most definitely be returning in the future. I would highly recommend Simple Bistro to anyone looking for a great French restaurant for a classy friend gathering, celebrations, or a date.

Simple Bistro

619 Mt Pleasant Rd

Toronto, ON M4S 2M5

416.483.8933

website

MoRoCo :: Birthday Afternoon High Tea with the Girls

Assortment of Finger Sandwiches

*the mango curry sandwich was removed due to dietary sensitivities

Fresh Scones

served with Devonshire cream, lemon curd, and an assortment of seasonal preserves

Variety of Mini Pasteries

Truffled Mac & Cheese

truffle cream, Fontina, & aged white cheddar cheese

Tuesday - Thursday: $35; With Champagne: $43

Friday - Sunday: $50; With Champagne: $58

MoRoCo Chocolat

99 Yorkville Ave

Toronto, ON M5R 3K3

416.961.2202

website

Saturday, 16 November 2013

Ferrovia Ristorante :: Wong²

Bread & Hummus Spread

Bruschetta Pizza ($9.95)

marinated tomatoes, red onions, garlic, fresh basil

Soup of the Day ($5.95)

Italian minestrone

Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio ($13.95)

shaved Parmesan cheese, cracked black peppercorns, lemon juice, and baby arugula

Seafood Linguine ($18.95)

tiger shrimps, calamari, bay scallops, mussels, capers, fresh basil and a tomato wine sauce

Warm Mushroom Salad ($12.95)

baby arugula, charred onions, goat cheese, honey truffle balsamic dressing topped with a grilled flat bread

Ferrovia Ristorante

7355 Bayview Ave

Markham, ON L3T5A6
905.695.0110

website

Friday, 15 November 2013

Smash :: Birthday Celebrations & Dissappointing Reevaluation of Smash

Ahi Tuna Wontons ($14)

seared & sesame crusted / peanut dressing asian slaw / wonton cups / horseradish aioli

The Ahi Tuna Wontons are always a hit for me - as such, I almost always order these when visiting Smash. Seared Ahi Tuna is one of my favourite ingredients. The Ahi Tuna Wontons are crunchy (due to the wontons), savoury (due to the asian slaw), and finger-licking good (overall). The asian slaw is peanut buttery and reminds me of Thai cuisine. The seared tuna is a refreshing change, though I wish the pieces were slightly larger as they tend to disappear in the mass of delicious asian slaw. If you ever visit Smash, I highly recommend trying this out.

Mushroom Linguini ($16)

pesto cream / field mushrooms double smoked bacon / caramelized onions / green peas

Normally, the mushroom linguini is not made with penne (as pictured). However, my favourite pasta is penne so I asked for the substitution. My friend Fontaine & I have been doing this for quite sometime ( since my birthday last year - its my birthday again! Birthday pasta!) - though we haven't visited Smash within the last few months. Prior to this visit, the penne was not whole wheat - and it was good - hence why we continued asking for this substitution. Unfortunately, the sauce does not agree with whole wheat penne. Mushroom "Penne" was sadly disappointing this visit as the sauce and the pasta did not coexist in harmony and the pasta was slightly undercooked (and I am for one who enjoys their pasta slightly structured). It would have been appreciated if more peas were added to have their presence more well known on the plate. More so, we arrived at 7:45pm and we were not served our food until 8:45pm. Despite being starved from waiting for our food the Mushroom "Penne" sadly arrived lukewarm and hunger could not cover the bland taste. Granted that this is not the regular menu item, Smash lists whole wheat pasta as an option for an additional $2 - so it would be expected that they should be able to perfect the harmonization of whole wheat pasta with the sauce (my suggestion: more sauce - and perhaps slightly thicker/creamier - to sufficiently coat the pasta).

Smash Burger with Salad Side ($14)

cheddar cheese / onion chips / smash sauce

Luckily, the boys enjoyed their burgers. There were no complaints from them and they were happily sedated though they did complain about the wait.

Seafood Penne ($22)

mussels / shrimp / fried calamari / tomato concasse

The "Seafood Penne" is also a "custom ordered" dish that is not part of the menu. On the menu it is listed as Seafood Risotto. My friend Joey was also disappointed with her meal as it also came warm, but she felt that the pasta was bland and equated it similar to a college student's first time cooking tomato sauce pasta. Granted that it's not a regular menu item like Fontaine's and my Mushroom Penne - it's expected that pasta should be able to cooked well for $16-$22 a dish.

Smash Mini Donuts ($7)

dusted with cinnamon sugar and served with chocolate & caramel sauce

We had difficulty ordering the donuts as the waiter did not come by our table to ask us about dessert after our meals. We had to flag down a busgirl to find a waiter who would take our order. Nonetheless, Fontaine & I are restaurant-doughnut fanatics and enjoyed it. We didn't use the chocolate sauce but enjoyed the caramel sauce option. Fontaine commented on how little caramel sauce we received (right) as it was only good enough for a few doughnuts. However, it was already difficult enough to find the waiter so we just ate the rest of the doughnuts with the excess of cinnamon sugar (which we appreciated).

Banana Chocolate Toffee Cake ($7)
w/ chocolate & caramel drizzle

Thank you to the waiter gifted me with this complimentary birthday cake! The gesture is very much appreciated. I shared my cake with all my friends and all of them really enjoyed the cake. They commented it was moist, tasty, and just the right amount of sweetness. Personally, I enjoyed it - but in moderation. I throughly enjoyed the first 2 bites I had - but afterwards it became slightly overwhelming for me and I was glad I had friends to share the cake with. I was surprised with the whole banana chunks within the middle of the cake - but personally I felt the cake was overly moist (to the point it was slightly mushy/pudding like).

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I considered myself a long time, devout visitor of Smash Kitchen. My family has been regulars to it's predecessor, The Bluestone, for as long as I could remember (so at least since age 10 or earlier) and have developed a relationship with some of the wait staff, especially Cliff who is an exceptional waiter. Cliff still waits at Smash during the day and to this day he still remembers my favourite drinks and menu items. My family (specifically my father's sister's family) has been visiting Bluestone/Smash every Sunday (for brunch) for as long as I could remember. They also used to go once a week for dinner. When Smash first opened, we were happy with the quality of the dishes as the ingredients were fresh and the flavours were created in perfect harmony with each other - and accepted Smash as our new regular spot.

However, recently we have felt that the quality at which the dishes have been made has declined and my aunt has stopped visiting Smash regularly for half a year now. My family would prefer to go another restaurant than Smash now. My cousin has gotten sick from the food on more than on occasion (after writing off the first experience as a fluke) and my aunt & uncle has complained of non-fresh ingredients being used. Even my parents commented on the decline of Smash's quality.

Despite their warnings, I have continued going with my friends. When I introduced my friends to Smash last year during my birthday, they were excited about the quality of food they were getting and even requested to go to Smash for dinner on more than one occasion. Having never experienced my cousin's family's woes, I have never doubted the consistency of Smash's food and service. As such, I booked a reservation for my birthday again this year. Needless to say, its saddening to leave from your birthday dinner a disappointed with the food and wishing that you went to a different restaurant to celebrate. Understandingly since we requested substitutions, I understand that the food may not be as par with its regular quality. However, since only the type of pasta was altered it was a disappointment and questionable why the pasta was not cooked to the usual quality. It almost felt like the food was prepared "cheaply" by an inexperienced chef. How hard is it to make pasta? Also, although the service was friendly, my friends and I were seated in the back of the restaurant with little attention. The initial dinner order not taken for 15-20 minutes. Food took at least an hour to arrive and when trying to find a waiter to bring cheese, order dessert, or request more caramel, none was to be found until busgirl cleaning up a table walked by and was able to flag down a waiter for one of the 3 requests. The manager/owner came around to greet us after the last doughnut remained - but by this point there was nothing he could have made the meal go better. I didn't want to comment about my disappointment in front of my friends. However, on the way out of the restaurant, it seems like my friends won't be requesting to go back anytime soon. For my birthday next year, I will be looking for a new restaurant.

Overall, I am thoroughly disappointed with this particular visit to Smash. Perhaps it was the wait & the substitutions that made the visit a little unenjoyable, though I feel at the $15-$30 entree range such small substitutions should not be an issue. Since my family members have had these complaints prior to this visit and reading some of the other negative reviews on Smash, for the prices I would much rather prefer to go to Milestones or some other establishment where the quality and service is more consistent. Although after this visit I feel adverse to visiting Smash again, I may still visit Smash in the future (as the Ahi Tuna Wontons hold a special place in my foodie heart). However, if the quality of the ingredients are not improved in my next visit, I will most likely not return to Smash.

Smash Kitchen & Bar

4261 Highway 7 East

Unionville, Ontario

905.940.2000

website :: menu

JOEY Markville :: Lunch with Grandparents & Jeannette

Lobster Grilled Cheese ($16.50)

from the Atlantic, brie, cheddar, cocktail sauce, & skinny fries

Sashimi Tuna Entree Salad ($18)
seared rare ahi, mixed greens, mango, peanuts, avocado, crispy noodles, cilantro ginger dressing

Overall, the food at JOEY is generally consistently across all franchises however, I find the most deviation occurring at this particular location. I've had the Ahi Tuna Salad at the Don Mills, Eatons, and Markville location. At the Don Mills and Eatons location the salad is enjoyable to eat and I will consistently order it as long as it doesn't change. However, at the Markville location, they introduced a significantly large amount of chilli oil/sauce that made the salad extremely difficult to eat (as agreed upon with the two other guests who I dined with that day). Upon bringing this up with the waiter, he just said "I'll let the chefs know for next time. Please continue to eat your salad." He later returned to say that the 'chef has taken note and will add less chilli oil next time' and did not offer to take the salads back to be replaced with a more edible version. Upon looking at the menu again, it doesn't even mention any chilli oil being added at all! In addition, they charged us $8 for a cup of coffee?!?!?!? Upon bringing this to notice with our waiter he just said "That's how it rang up." Perhaps due to the new nature of this location, the quality/service is not knowledgeable enough to be at par but I am extremely disappointed with the service. This location is extremely ill organized and service is definitely not at par. I will have revisit to reevaluate in the future as this is not the typical JOEY quality that I am accustomed to.

JOEY Markville

1247 – 5000 Hwy 7 East

Markham, ON, L3R 4M9

905.604.5639

website