harbord reinvention
It’s been a while since I’ve seen new restaurants open on Harbord Street, but suddenly there has been a jolt of change on this restaurant strip. I checked out the Harbord Room that has been open for 3 weeks just west of Spadina. I had the most delicious soup I may have ever had (don’t tell my mum). It was tomato gremolata and lamb with chevre. I ordered it intending to share, but as my date was a little late I opted to eat the whole thing (sucka). The house wine was lovely. The decor managed to be both elegant and cozy. The entrees were rich in flavor yet not overwhelming.
The Chef, Cory Vitiello, previously the Drake’s sous chef has gone out on his own to show the world what he’s made of. Kudos to him.
The place only has about 25 seats, plus a bar… so if you want to try it you’d better get there before Toronto Life reviews it. I will definitely be back.
Cheers.
Technorati Tags:
Toronto, Delicious, Restaurant, Date, elegant, Annex, Bar
norma, where have you been?
Norma W opened up recently in Kensington Market, bringing us all kinds of funky finds. I couldn’t resist the hats.
Or the buttons.
Or the …well… let’s just arbitrarily stop there. I have to say, this place is awesome.
P.S.
Warning: Norma W’s shop is so adorably small that if you wink at someone on the street you may miss it.
Technorati Tags:
Kensington, boutique, handmade, accessories, Toronto, clothing, artist
vert
It’s fun to see a few more organic places open up. Options are good. I’ve noticed a few more organic shops and restaurants lately but haven’t tried all of them. One that I have experienced is Cafe Vert in Leslieville. They have been offering organic and healthy food for the past 2 years. It’s a cute little neighbourhood place that offers breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as a wine bar on the upper level that opens when the restaurant closes on the weekends. It’s a cozy little neighbourhood place that is open for three meals a day Wednesday to Sunday. Their coffee presentation is one of the prettiest I’ve seen. Definitely a great brunch option when there isn’t a line out the door.
Technorati Tags:
Leslieville, local, organic, Restaurant, brunch
four streetcars in a row
I do enjoy the sweet ride of a TTC streetcar now and then. Looking out the window as the world passes you by is quite a pleasure. And although these big gentle beasts are not affected by the snow themselves, other little critters do tend to get in their way.
Those critters are cars parking too close to the streetcar tracks due to snowbanks. Having sat through this twice in the last week, I can tell you how the story goes:
a) the car gets towed, but…
b) the towing has to be approved by the police, which can take some time.
c) the streetcars back up waiting for the blockage to be cleared and in the meantime pile up, leaving frustrated people standing in the freezing cold waiting to be picked up, and…
d) the streetcar drivers miss their breaks and are paid double time for working overtime because they are now so far behind schedule.
e) this even causes streetcars to have to turn around part way through the route instead of following the usual path, thus dropping off passengers only part of the way to their destinations.
This is an unfortunate and avoidable problem.
I think there should be a line painted onto the road 2 feet outside of the track (or whatever the magic number is) to tell drivers where they can and can’t safely park. This strategy combined with some signage that indicates the resulting towing would likely reduce blockages.
yummy find
Who is this adorable woman?
She, my friends, is the inventor of many a great recipe. Absolutely scrumptious Pan Asian vegetarian food, and I’m not a vegetarian. The recipes at Cafe 668 are inspired by many different Asian cuisines such as Thai, Malaysian and Chinese foods.
I would highly recommend this place to carnivores as long as they can handle a little tofu or vegetables now and then.
They recently re-opened in this funky space at 885 Dundas Street West.
Mmm
Technorati Tags:
Toronto, Pan Asian, Vegetarian, Delicious, Restaurant
