Dyne

http://www.dyneonavenue.com/

Cheri took us here for one of our monthly anniversary celebrations.

As a mater of fact we didn't make it that lovely Sunday when we booked our reservation for - we knocked on locked doors and then took a stroll thought the quiet, winding streets in the area. A week later, on Thursday evening the doors opened for us.

APPEARANCE

a balance between red and yellow tones, label up to standard

Dyne is inside a small brick building with a romanesque-style front window on Avenue Road. There is a tiny patio to the left of the tall flight of stairs leading to the entrance. Dominating black branded side wall and the branded window made us feel like we are going to a luxurious but vintage place - the wanders of CopperPlate Std.

NOSE

strawberry, mature bouquet

We first entered a short wooden corridor with candles and business cards before the main black curtains. As we made our way though and realized that the hostess was right there listening to our small remarks - beware. She quickly asked to take out coats. The interior was bright and modern - back booths along the walls, chairs across, wooden tables, black frames and details on the white walls. Cheri and I sat side-by-side, as usual, observing the room. We were the first ones in. 

As we settled we were introduced to their elegantly spaced menus. We were happy to see the names of the Chef/Owner as well as Chef de Cuisine on it. Another few tables settled in. As we were reading through, we heard the chef introducing himself to another table. I sat looking at him - he was very casual in jeans and a white tee. I kind of wish we'd get to talk to him too. I guess he heard my wish as he made his way over to us. Richard Andino introduced himself and apologized for the reservation mistake which happened to us. He gave us an honest excuse, which didn't matter much to us. We felt warm and special by his personal touch.

SWIRL

hints of vanilla, leather coming through

Our waitress was back asking for drinks. We just asked for the red and white wines which came with our deal - a simple Sauvignon Blanc and a Merlot. We asked for the Lobster cold appetizer and Cross Cut Ribs hot appetizer. For mains we took their Mackerel and Duck. 

We waited around enjoying the occasional spanish song, but overall fusion mix - getting a bit too random. It is hard to miss the interesting large photos on the wall - a sharp horizontal Japanese knife, followed by a squirted ketchup bag - strange, and rather morbid, not particularly appetizing imagery but passionate.

The waitress came around with a plate of tapas. She called them Pinchos. We had to try. They were lovely - dried Japanese pepper with anchovies and herbs on a scewer, dipped in olive oil - spicy and bitter.

I asked if their chef is Spanish. She explained that the owner/chef is Philipino, while the Chef the Cuisine is Portuguese, but they both love Spanish cuisine. 

PALATE

gradual smooth impression, slightly acidic, light aroma of roses

The first dishes arrived. The Lobster dish had the smooth texture from the unique blend of - avocado, lobster, papaya, chunks of lobster with scattered macadamia nuts and a balsamic vinaigrette. Too bad it had quite a few chopper cilantro leaves - I hate having them ruin this dish for me. The Cross Cut Ribs, is what the waitress recommended as their popular dish. To be honest I was not fully impressed. There wasn't much meat and it was a bit chewy, but had a lovely rub. It came with a side of rice and kimchi.

Our main dishes were quite worthwhile. Cheri loved the rare Duck fillets. They were fanned out on a thin base of orange flavoured amaranth with strokes of a chocolate sauce around. Hints of churizo sausage added another level of complexity.

My Mackerel was beautifully smoked - sweet apple hints and drips of green-pepper sauce. Came with a side of a few asian pear slices, I think. 

FINISH

smooth, interesting, continuous

The food spoke of flavors. Every dish had a story behind it, I was impressed.

The dessert options were presented but they were just lacking in personality next to the mains. We shared their Enseimada - a puffed pastry topped with chocolate ice-cream, chocolate hazel-nut sauce, surrounded by a line of peanuts with a few mint leaves and a ball of mascapone.

Definitely an upcoming spot in Yorkville.

Overall.. a savory red Rioja.

Burgernator

http://theburgernator.com/

In exploring our quick dinner options, we walked up Augusta. The idea was to have something good and relatively healthy. I remembered about the burger place recently opened with original design - I used to pass it on my way to work.Behold the Burgenator - an army themed burger joint!

APPEARANCE
ruby red, very dark and viscose
Inconspicuous from the outside (kind of camouflaged) and yet distinctly different, the place definitely attracts attention. Lots of well executed white type and small imagery occupies black walls inside.

NOSE
a hint of cherry, some cured meats
We spent first five minutes just walking around in awe and literally reading the walls. Everything, from quirky menu items to "you'll be back" type next to exit, was screaming with originality and a sense of good design touch. An interesting interior element - large sheets of plexiglass covered in writing about their locally sourced milkshakes and never frozen patties.

SWIRL
long legs with more intense smells coming out
A very friendly Lebanese owner (he chatted with us aftermath and we established his nationality) greeted us and offered to seat ourselves. Atmospherically, this place was definitely a step up from your regular burger shack. We made our choices, paid on a check-out repurposed iPad and seated ourselves.

PALATE
clay, savoury, heavy tannins
Now our meal - I got myself the Sergeant burger and ma cherie went for the turkey option (The Resistance). The vanilla milkshake made from local ice cream was ordered as well. Five more minutes of staring around and chatting about the place and our burgers landed on the table. The milkshake (which came two minutes before) was delicious! I am no big fan of ice cream, but this was truly well balanced. Not too sweet, just liquid enough to be enjoyed through the straw and not overly cold. A real delight. My Sergeant burger was relatively small (4 oz patty) and looked lonely when served in a metal tray without fries. Very tasty nonetheless. I would only complain a bit about dryness, but I find most beef burgers dry anyway. Grilled bun accented the charcoal notes in beef and made it well rounded. I added some relish to it, but probably should have dropped more condiments in. Since the patty was small, it would have helped for me to ask to grill it lightly.Ma cherie's option was more interesting - masala turkey burger with some curry. The meat was more tender and indian spices made the overall taste interesting. It was definitely loaded with sauces and veggies. She added some mustard as well. I would recommend hers over mine any day. Although, to be fair, my burger was only $5 comparing to $8.50 for the Resistance.Both burgers went well with the milkshake.

FINISH
A heavy, but well rounded aftertaste. Lighter than what was originally expected. 
A bit more chatter on the way out with our host/restaurant owner. The place was designed by a recent immigrant lady from York University from start to finish. We agreed that it was quite an accomplishment – original and well balanced.I was kind of tempted to try their Burgenator challenge from the Burgers of Mass Destruction side of the menu. Uh, well...next time...the writing on the wall told us to be back and will gladly oblige.

Overall... a relatively young Chianti, I would say.

The Stockyards

http://www.thestockyards.ca/

We kept on hearing about Stockyards from quite a few folks and had plans to check it out at some points soon. So on a cold Sunday evening we finally made our way to St. Clair…to realize we already visited the place - during the “burger week” in Toronto last year. It was packed back than so we simply grabbed a burger, bought some beer (from the closest LCBO) and devoured it in the local park. In all the rush we did not even fully register the name in our minds.

APPEARANCE

dark, rudy, popular

Dark on the outside with a round sign, the place can easily be passed by. But it is not - by a lot of people. It is permanently busy here. You will likely have to wait (there are benches both inside and outside to accommodate the eager, hungry crowd). McDonalds across the street was not as busy - a good sign. 

NOSE
plums, earthy with a sense of age
The interior is nicely decorated with old deli equipment, vintage mirrors of irregular shapes on the walls and lots of aged wood. I especially liked the ceiling lined up with reclaimed planks. Even the lamps hanging from the top were original. Puts you in the right mood for something tasty! 

SWIRL
hint of pepper, but lacking more nuances
The waitress was pleasant, but not overly chatty. There were lots of people to serve and they seemed a bit under-staffed. The menu is very simple and easy to read, a plain nicely spaced sheet of paper one is not afraid to put grease stains on or run some pen ink - our waitress did so to show us the things they are out of, including onion, slaw, etc - with a grocery store next door, really? We asked for BBQ Beef Brisket to share with some fries and an authentic looking soda in a glass bottle to chase it up with. Also we decided to give their home-made lemonade a shot.

PALATE
full-bodied, overwhelming, unbalanced
Hmmm…we ended up with a Pulled Pork Sammy served in a heavy pan and fries. We were not too sure if we were thinking brisket and asked for pulled pork, it was too busy to think or hear clearly.
Ma Cherie is not a big fan of pulled pork, but we already waited for close to an hour (in between the lineup, sitting down, waiting to be served and actually getting the food) so we made up our mind to eat and drink. We decided to come back and simply grab something to go next week. The pulled pork had the typical bloody hint and there was loads of it - in strings and chunks everywhere. It was quite saucy so the bun ended up soaking it all and being squishy. It hit all the points it probably should (lots of meat, sweet BBQ sauce and grilled buns), but was lacking in taste. It simply was a decent pulled pork sandwich, simple as a bicycle. Not really sure what we expected, but that was not it. The vintage looking soda in a glass bottle was nice and not overly sweet. At the same time, the homemade lemonade was on a sugary side and we didn’t quite enjoy it as much.
And we did end up coming back in a few days and ordering a BBQ Beef Brisket and Cider Braised Pork sandwiches to go, tho. Once again both came loaded with meat, probably even overloaded. I would suggest sharing, we were barely able to finish both of these. Ma Cherie was saying a place like this makes people become vegetarian. Once again, we failed to find anything overly special about the food – came as somewhat of a disappointment given the hype about this place. I would say I preferred the apple cider. We also got a side of their recommended home-made coleslaw – again quantity, over quality.

FINISH
unenthusiastic, disappointing
We cannot argue the venue was impressive – warm and filled with people, it was glowing in energy but that unique, secluded feel has a long way to go in making it to our mouths.

Overall.. a heavy, home-made attempt at a Cabernet Sauvignon