24.1.13

Ocho

http://hotelocho.com/food.html

Ocho is a hard to miss lower level lounge/restaurant visible from Spadina. Cheri had once brought me here quickly, and we decided the place never got the attention it deserves. So we made our way after work, on the Thursday before IDS.


APPEARANCE
fizzy, blush
Entering from the side, this place is quite minimalistic - the tall ceiling, glass entrance on a brick building. No obvious logo to feel sure we are going the right way.

NOSE
simple, slightly crisp, peach
I entered and went down the short flight of (industrial-like) metal stairs. The bartender on the other side greeted me and let me pick a spot. As I settled down, I noticed there were a lot of people sitting by themselves on laptops or just enjoying the company of a drink. The ambiance was set with the upbeat Buena Vista Social Club playing the in the background.  It felt trendy. On the side of the dining area was a split-level loft area with sofas - a bit of a lounge.

SWIRL
candied oranges, tropical fruit
The waitress handed me their elegant leather gatefold menu, with their logo debossed in the middle - tres chic. I was curious to know more about their Muskoka Mad Tom IPA as well as their Blanche de Chambly. She clearly though the Blanche de Chambly is a better option, as I am more than happy I listened to her. It was floral, white and smooth. Cheri went for his usual Thornbury Cider - crisp, acidic, refreshing. We decided to share an Ocho Salad and their Puff Pastry Tart.

PALATE
an interesting combination of crisp and sweet, complex palate, medium-bodied
We got some bread accompanied by a small bowl of balsamic, oil and pepper. The mixture was somehow quite watery, but we were glad to calm down our appetite. 
Their Ocho Salad has nicely presented - candied almonds on the peek, underneath a generous piece of goat cheese, followed by a large amount of spring leaves and rivers of raspberry vinaigrette. On the side there were plenty of fresh raspberries as well as half an avocado. Honestly, I though there were one too many flavours going on. Definitely no cheap salad to make, perhaps it was the large amount of goat cheese that contributed to my opinion. Perhaps, a bread on the side would have also helped de-intensify the dish.  
The Tart came as another heap, with passionate balsamic strokes everywhere. The puff pastry dish was baked with broccoli, chestnuts, blue cheese, pickled apples and romaine hearts. A very experimental chef indeed. I think removing the pickled apples would definitely help, and making the blue cheese just a hint. It was just too many surprises at every bite, I was rather afraid of what is next.  On the bright side, I think that the fact that all the ingredients were in large chucks was a good idea - to make sure nobody can have them all ingredients at once.

FINISH
short but heavy, butter scotch
We made our way to the rest rooms - very cold, but modern, dark and clean. On the way, I saw the stairs leading up to the hotel rooms.
As were leaving, I noticed a fellow designer from school hanging out there. He let me know the artwork on the walls changed every few months - local artists. Currently there were simple colourful circle crops.

The minimalistic interior was a nice contrast to their dishes.

Overall, a sweet, opinionated, pink Muscat.. perhaps from Provence.
Hotel Ocho on Urbanspoon

23.1.13

Shanghai Cowgirl

http://www.shanghaicowgirl.com/

On a very cold and somewhat dim Tuesday evening we found ourselves with an urge to find a warm and filling place to eat. We visited Shanghai Cowgirl before on our way to some event at Drake and one more time for takeout recently. The meal was a very enjoyable experience both times. It is probably the closest place to where we live and definitely deserves some recognition for their efforts in burger making.

APPEARANCE
dark, ruby red (color is a bit too saturated)
Not very well lit from the outside, but with a huge glass window and metal frames occupying the whole wall, the place is relatively easy to pass by without noticing. This facade could be more memorable. Another thing to mention is the overall lack of color in the outside appearance.


NOSE
cherry, high in alcohol, heavy, hints of smoke 
Walking in, the place hits you with art covered walls. We noticed that this art was different every time we came. It also appeared to be from the local artists which was very appealing to us. The inside of Cowgirl breathed hipness, it was relaxing and dim with simple fixtures and matching crowd.

SWIRL
long legs, high viscosity, more tannin aromas coming through
We glanced over the simple one page menu. Few burger choices (maybe a bit too few for a place specializing in this) and several traditional options. Our waitress came by to offer some beers. Maybe we were still not warm enough or just a bit slower in the evening, but it took us few minutes to figure out that “Blonde” was a brand of beer from Amsterdam brewery and "Export" was simply Molson Export, rather than potential list of options to choose from. We found it difficult to figure out without mentioning of brands. At the end, we ended up going for Burger of the Day (peameal, cheddar onion) and a Shanghai Cobb salad. Both chosen mainly for their names. Sounded like something the place would be particularly proud of.

PALATE
as expected a smoky and leathery taste;
could use more subtle notes and undertones – taste is a bit too blunt, masking the details
It did not take long for both items to arrive. We ended up sharing the Blond, its citrusy taste seemed like a great match for both dishes. The burger was huge with its 8oz patty and a load of stuff inside. Somehow, even though the patty was a bit pink on the inside, it still was somewhat dry and bland. This remained a mystery to us. It was tasty overall, but could use a bit more edge to it. Few strips of bacon could be a great addition. With regard to the Cob Salad, it was simply too loaded. There was an egg, meats, vinaigrette, tomatoes – lots of taste to say the least. It was definitely filling, but I would have preferred it to be a bit simpler.

FINISH
a truly great experience with a filling aftertaste
Enjoy responsibly!
We definitely enjoyed our visit. Maybe a few finishing touches here and there could make it perfect. We also asked our server why Shanghai was in the name. No real reason apparently (no Asian roots) – simply the name that sounded good for the founders.

Overall, a well rounded Rioja.
Shanghai Cowgirl on Urbanspoon

11.1.13

Cheesewerks

http://www.cheesewerks.com/

On an unusually warm January Friday evening we made our way to the recently opened cheese themed restaurant at the footing of Bathurst street.



APPEARANCE
attractive golden-straw colour, clear and chilled
Yellow colour dominated the outside appearance through the huge glass panels and neatly designed signage compensated for somewhat generic looking building above the restaurant. Bathurst is somewhat darker in this area, across the street from Thompson Hotel so the bright yellow spot was definitely standing out.

NOSE

pear and citrus aromas, a bit of cinnamon smell
A bright open concept space with a lot of light and a TV screen occupying the wall. The place did create an initial impression of an excellent chillout spot for a group of friends or strangers to come together and do something social. To no surprise, right underneath the TV panel (which was tuned to Food Network channel), there were board games for everyone’s use. Posters on the wall also told us about game nights and trivia challenges occurring there quite frequently. Great idea! We were trying to make our way to Snakes and Lattes with friends for quite some time with very limited success rate – the place is always booked. Maybe we will end up here instead.

SWIRL

pear and more citrus, added notes of vanilla
A lot of distractions around almost made us forget why we came here. Eating a four course cheese meal was the goal. A pleasant waitress sat us down in the corner giving us few minutes to accommodate ourselves. The place was empty and felt colder because of that. We briefly talked about the cute water bottle and called the waitress to start us up.




PALATE

light on the tongue, some crisp acidity
Two grilled cheese sandwiches with a mix of smoked and aged cheddar made their way to our table within 5 minutes. It would be great to get a lengthier explanation of why these cheeses were chosen, but the waitress did tell us the dish is called Cookies and Milk. The grilled cheese sandwiches were accompanied by a side of rustic tomato soup. Two glasses of wine – red and white – also were poured for us to enjoy. Once again, it would have been amazing to get a bit more background into why those were the wines chosen for the pairing. We have been to Sandbanks winery last year, but could not recall anything specific about their wines. The red was Baco Noir and the white was simply called Dunes, we presumed it was a mix of Gewürztraminer and maybe a Chardonnay. While instantly regretting for not bugging the waitress about the wines, we turned our attention to the meal. The sandwich bread was nicely textured and almost felt homemade. The soup was very enjoyable as well (maybe could have used a bit of onion powder). I was a bit distracted by the radio playing in the background and the Food Network showing a documentary about Red Path sugar plant.

When we were done, an emmental and white wine fondue arrived along with a large selection of condiments. Very nice and enjoyable meal, maybe there could be a bit more cheese – we ran out with half a tray of goodies still left untouched.At that time we were already starting to feel a bit full, but Shanghai macaroni with asiago cheese plates came along. Pork and garlic flakes with some chives inside – a very hearty meal which ma Cherie could not find strength to finish unfortunately. So I had to help her out. No big deal since I found the meal delicious anyway. To top it all up, two plates with three pieces of cheesecake each were served shortly thereafter. The pieces were perfectly shape and hopefully made on premises although the waitress did not share any info on that with us on that.


FINISH
a bit heavy, with great potential
We were exceptionally pleased by the food and the place itself. It did fill up pretty quickly and by the time we were leaving, there was no empty tables left. It definitely became a lot warmer (both physically and metaphorically speaking) with more people around. We loved it and are thinking of potentially brining our friends over at some point.
PS: I would still take down the TV and turn off the radio not to spoil the aftertaste.

Overall, an unoaked Chardonnay that could use some finishing depth. 
A bit heavy, but with a great potential.

Cheesewerks on Urbanspoon