Ask any guy under 30 in the GTA about All Star Wings (and Ribs, supposedly), and you're sure to receive something along the lines of "soooooo good". Personally, I don't like wings. I've found feathers in them, they look like chickens, and they're just generally yucky. BUT the All Star fingers, available in the same (full page small font five column list of) flavours that the wings are, are absolutely scrumptious!
The service, although much friendlier since its early days, is still along the lines of "appalling". Surcharges are rampant, knowledge of anything other than the most popular wing flavours is rare, and getting malt vinegar (which they have) from a very pretty waitress is near impossible.
Don't let this scare you away. If you want to scream at a TV (or one of an entire restaurant-full) for the duration of your popular sporting event (unfortunately I have yet to see Ping Pong), you've found a new home. If there's no game, the food's amazing. And a bad date? You can't hear anything across the table anyway!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Hockey Sushi
Off of Center St in Thornhill (between Dufferin and New Westminster) resides the best all you can eat sushi place in the GTA. Among my friends and family there is much debate about the "best" place to go. My parents will only go to Maki Sushi, but my heart belongs to hockey. The rolls are warm and squishy (the rice is soft), the salad dressing rocks, and the service has much improved since the days of ordering 120% of what you wanted, knowing you wouldn't receive 20% of it.
Hockey Sushi has one of the more extensive menus, including teriyaki, sushi, various makis and handrolls into the mix of their lunch and dinner menus. Soft drinks and tea are included in the price. I highly recommend the mango roll, beef ribs, and vegatable (or would that be a green?) salad.
I could go on and on about my love for hockey sushi, but I"ll summarize it as this: I bonded with a boy over the fact we were both VIP at hockey (they have special cards for people like us).
Price: Sushi (benchmark) Dinner: aprox $20.10, lunch is aproximately $14
Hockey Sushi has one of the more extensive menus, including teriyaki, sushi, various makis and handrolls into the mix of their lunch and dinner menus. Soft drinks and tea are included in the price. I highly recommend the mango roll, beef ribs, and vegatable (or would that be a green?) salad.
I could go on and on about my love for hockey sushi, but I"ll summarize it as this: I bonded with a boy over the fact we were both VIP at hockey (they have special cards for people like us).
Price: Sushi (benchmark) Dinner: aprox $20.10, lunch is aproximately $14
North Restaurant
Also at Young and Steeles (same plaza as Best Dragon!), there's a restaurant called North.
It has a stone sign (well, rocky-looking), a covered patio, and christmas lights year round. The inside was a recreation of what is most probably a Persian marketplace, and was surprising and impressive considering most restaurants in the area. We walked in at around 10, but I would assume earlier you should consider reservations.
Food: I had chicken kebob (that would be its English translation), although it was a flat chicken breast, marinated in saffron. The bismati rice was the epitome of "fluffy" and a joy to eat! (I squeezed a lot of lemon on everything, but the red spice found on the table was great too). JT had a Persian equivalent of Greek salad (where the onions, tomatoes and cucmbers are mixed up together), and fries (order for the table, it's worth it!)
The service was pretty slow, but the manager was apologetic, and told me to bring all my friends next time (which I will!)
Price: About the same as sushi ($18 for my dish)
It has a stone sign (well, rocky-looking), a covered patio, and christmas lights year round. The inside was a recreation of what is most probably a Persian marketplace, and was surprising and impressive considering most restaurants in the area. We walked in at around 10, but I would assume earlier you should consider reservations.
Food: I had chicken kebob (that would be its English translation), although it was a flat chicken breast, marinated in saffron. The bismati rice was the epitome of "fluffy" and a joy to eat! (I squeezed a lot of lemon on everything, but the red spice found on the table was great too). JT had a Persian equivalent of Greek salad (where the onions, tomatoes and cucmbers are mixed up together), and fries (order for the table, it's worth it!)
The service was pretty slow, but the manager was apologetic, and told me to bring all my friends next time (which I will!)
Price: About the same as sushi ($18 for my dish)
Best Dragon (Chinese)
This authentic Chinese restaurant at Yonge and Steeles has been there since I was born. I grew up eating Dim Sum with its original owners under a different name. They specialize in "seafood", but I long ago selected my favourite dishes.
The restaurant has been recently made-over, but is still very casual. A Chinese friend (JL) was impressed with the quality of the food and the restaurant, and a significant proportion of diners are usually Asian.
It was JT's first time at a Chinese restaurant, and ordered a rice dish (and was not enthused). My sweet and sour chicken with pineapple (it comes in a pineapple!) is the best in the city! (JL ordered a terrifying chicken dish I wouldn't even know what to call).
My (non-Asian) family recommends:
- hot and sour soup (I dilute the spice with more sweet and sour sauce, or water)
- sweet and sour chicken
- chicken in a phoenix nest
- BBQ pork slices
- Mu Shu lettuce wraps
- Sizzling Beef
Dim Sum:
- har gow
- shrimp chow fun (my grandmother LOVES the bbq pork chow fun)
- shesh a bow
- deep fried eggplant with shrimp
- ginger squid
- pork spare ribs in a hot pot
Price: less than sushi (expect to spend $12/person for lunch, and more or less for dinner depending on how many dishes you order, each dish is about $15, but enough to share with a family of four)
The restaurant has been recently made-over, but is still very casual. A Chinese friend (JL) was impressed with the quality of the food and the restaurant, and a significant proportion of diners are usually Asian.
It was JT's first time at a Chinese restaurant, and ordered a rice dish (and was not enthused). My sweet and sour chicken with pineapple (it comes in a pineapple!) is the best in the city! (JL ordered a terrifying chicken dish I wouldn't even know what to call).
My (non-Asian) family recommends:
- hot and sour soup (I dilute the spice with more sweet and sour sauce, or water)
- sweet and sour chicken
- chicken in a phoenix nest
- BBQ pork slices
- Mu Shu lettuce wraps
- Sizzling Beef
Dim Sum:
- har gow
- shrimp chow fun (my grandmother LOVES the bbq pork chow fun)
- shesh a bow
- deep fried eggplant with shrimp
- ginger squid
- pork spare ribs in a hot pot
Price: less than sushi (expect to spend $12/person for lunch, and more or less for dinner depending on how many dishes you order, each dish is about $15, but enough to share with a family of four)
Glow Fresh Grill And Wine Bar
The first restaurant as part of the commitment.
WHAT A TREAT! Shops at Don Mills is a cute little area, reminscent of Lincoln Mall in Miami. The area has many shops, and a few restaurants (and lots of parking, it IS North America). This particular restaurant had a bit of an older crowd (40-60) than others in the area.
The décor was unlike anything the ranters and I had ever gone to. The lights (and thus the ambiance) changed colours, very much like a lava lamp or the CN Tower. There were periods that felt calmer, and others were more lively, but the atmosphere was loud and fun the entire time. The "Fresh Grill" theme was present throughout, with designs representing rivers and plants throughout the restaurant. There was one TV at the bar (I have come to dislike TVs in restaurants, I find they hinder conversation).
The key question: food.
My dish (the mediteranean seafood fettuccine) was mediocre... I would best describe it as "pesto". My friends, however, highly reccommend their dishes. JT had the goat cheese stuffed chicken, and KL had some form of pasta (pomodoro maybe?).
The service was slow (annoying) because they had recently re-opened after some kind of natural disaster, and they were training a lot of new staff. Unfortunately the manager was very rude (20 year olds in a restaurant with 40+...), but once the waiter stopped neglecting us, we managed to get our appetizers (to the best of my recollection, I highly recommend the green dip). The restaurant was giving away (what I would call dessert shots). My favourite was the chocolate fudge, JT's were the Bailey's Cream Cheesecake and the lemon one. By this time, however, many of the tables had left (note it was around 10:45, we had been there for over 2.5 hours) and the waiter was more than willing to let us try all of the flavours, and gave seconds of our favourites! (All in all, a great example of the service recovery paradox).
Price: About the same as sushi. (Moderately high for my dining budget, expect to spend $20+ on the main course)
Time to go: on a hot summer night, when walking around after dinner would be refreshing, and you can still enjoy the lighting!
WHAT A TREAT! Shops at Don Mills is a cute little area, reminscent of Lincoln Mall in Miami. The area has many shops, and a few restaurants (and lots of parking, it IS North America). This particular restaurant had a bit of an older crowd (40-60) than others in the area.
The décor was unlike anything the ranters and I had ever gone to. The lights (and thus the ambiance) changed colours, very much like a lava lamp or the CN Tower. There were periods that felt calmer, and others were more lively, but the atmosphere was loud and fun the entire time. The "Fresh Grill" theme was present throughout, with designs representing rivers and plants throughout the restaurant. There was one TV at the bar (I have come to dislike TVs in restaurants, I find they hinder conversation).
The key question: food.
My dish (the mediteranean seafood fettuccine) was mediocre... I would best describe it as "pesto". My friends, however, highly reccommend their dishes. JT had the goat cheese stuffed chicken, and KL had some form of pasta (pomodoro maybe?).
The service was slow (annoying) because they had recently re-opened after some kind of natural disaster, and they were training a lot of new staff. Unfortunately the manager was very rude (20 year olds in a restaurant with 40+...), but once the waiter stopped neglecting us, we managed to get our appetizers (to the best of my recollection, I highly recommend the green dip). The restaurant was giving away (what I would call dessert shots). My favourite was the chocolate fudge, JT's were the Bailey's Cream Cheesecake and the lemon one. By this time, however, many of the tables had left (note it was around 10:45, we had been there for over 2.5 hours) and the waiter was more than willing to let us try all of the flavours, and gave seconds of our favourites! (All in all, a great example of the service recovery paradox).
Price: About the same as sushi. (Moderately high for my dining budget, expect to spend $20+ on the main course)
Time to go: on a hot summer night, when walking around after dinner would be refreshing, and you can still enjoy the lighting!
A Commitment to Trying New Things
There's one particular friend in my social circle that kept driving girls night to be located a particular restaurant. At one point in time, I loved the restaurant, but after several weeks in a row, and sometimes more than one meal there per week, it started to get... boring.
A few months or so after this "boring" stage hit, a friend and I took a stand. We were, absolutely, postively, NOT going back there. It stirred up some drama amongst the five "usuals" (let's call them ranters). Throughout this week, we pondered what it would be like to cut the rope and just do it--go somewhere new! That particular Saturday , the ranters I had booked dinner with decided we would FINALLY go somewhere new.
At this moment, the "commitment to trying new things" was born. We were not going to go to the same restaurant twice--until we had exhausted every choice (within limits, I'm a picky eater) in the Greater Toronto Area.
Yesterday I decided I would put the commitment to use, and RANT about the restaurants we visited... and hopefully ease GTAers desperate for a change out of their old restaurant routines.
A few months or so after this "boring" stage hit, a friend and I took a stand. We were, absolutely, postively, NOT going back there. It stirred up some drama amongst the five "usuals" (let's call them ranters). Throughout this week, we pondered what it would be like to cut the rope and just do it--go somewhere new! That particular Saturday , the ranters I had booked dinner with decided we would FINALLY go somewhere new.
At this moment, the "commitment to trying new things" was born. We were not going to go to the same restaurant twice--until we had exhausted every choice (within limits, I'm a picky eater) in the Greater Toronto Area.
Yesterday I decided I would put the commitment to use, and RANT about the restaurants we visited... and hopefully ease GTAers desperate for a change out of their old restaurant routines.
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