Iliana & Sergey's Palette: 2014

We chose Aragvi for a family gathering on a Thursday night. It is not a type of place you would just randomly walk into: located in a small strip mall on Sheppard, it is not immediately noticeable when you drive by it. At the same time, the promise of authentic Georgian (not US Georgian like chicken and corn on a cob, rather the ex-Soviet Georgia origin) cuisine enticed us.

NOSE
The restaurant space is elongated with a small curtained store front. We had a reservation for nine and got a stretched table next to the window. It is a bit cramped inside, to be honest. The interior is simple, reminded me of a banquet hall - chairs dressed, artwork on the walls and yet a TV in the corner. I'd say, the total capacity of this place is about thirty.

SWIRL
The simple menus are loaded with traditional Georgian dishes as well as some more conservative options like house, Greek or Caesar salads. Our waitress attended to us promptly and provided some suggestions to start. She assumed we can speak Russian - a small community restaurant we thought. We chose the appetizer platter and a large hachapuri (cheese pastry).

PALATE
The platter arrived very promptly and we started exploring the assortment. It had pkhali, izpanahi, eggplant rolls, marinated peppers, mushrooms and babagaoush. Izpanahi became an instant favorite. It is a flavorful Georgian spinach salad with ground walnut, spices and herbs. An absolute delight with their freshly baked bread. We asked for a few portions of sacivi salad (cold chicken in walnut sauce) as well – a worthwhile dish. Just as everyone arrived, the hachapuri (cheese pastry arrived). It was mouth watering - served as a fresh breaded, heavy cheese based pizza.
We also decided to try their harcho soup, which ended up a bit too spicy for our taste, although it was definitely a hearty meal with loads of veal and rice. This soup can make an entrée of its own, considering the size of the portion. A great choice for under $10 if you like spicy! Lamb lula kebab with rice was our second main dish. The grilled meat was very flavorful with some smoky notes and herbaceous hints coming through. The white rice was not the best choice in retrospect. It was a bit too plain; their roasted garlic potatoes might have made a better selection.
A bottle of Mukuzani semi-dry wine topped our order list. The wine is lightly oaked, but ultimately not too memorable. Most popular Georgian wines are of a sweet variety such as Kvantchara, Kintzmarauli or Alazankaya Dolina -Aragvi has all.
Our table also ordered tarhun juice. We had to try it, due to its washing-liquid look. It turned out to be a pleasant anise-flavored lemonade.

FINISH
We would recommend this place for a taste of something different. The restaurant is popular with locals (it was full at some point of the evening even on Thursday night) and the food is aplenty. The dishes are heavier than usual on average, but make for a great dinner alternative. One more option is to order some takeout to try it out prior to plunging all in. There were several takeout orders coming through as we enjoyed our meals. Our own leftovers made for a great lunch the next day too – the portions are generous.

18.4.14

Ni Ji Sushi

https://plus.google.com/105659321460482599928/about?gl=ca&hl=en

SHORT & SWEET

We found ourselves in Scarborough on Good Friday at around lunch time. Not too many places were open and we particularly wanted to get some sushi. Ni Ji Sushi was open, to our great delight. It is a neat little neighborhood restaurant with affordable prices and quick service. The interior is semi circular. There is plenty of seating options and private rooms. We truly enjoyed how much light got into the restaurant through the large windows and the easy-going interior organization.

Our choices were mainly focused around tuna and salmon varieties. The fish as well as all the condiments and rice were fresh and flavorful. It was so fresh that it was too fragile when eating.

Not the absolutely best sushi we ever ate, but considering the affordability and atmosphere, definitely worth checking out.

9.4.14

Tappo Wine Bar

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4.4.14

Bonimi

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30.3.14

Indie Ale House Brewing Co

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Crêpe Café, Keswick

http://crepecafekeswick.blogspot.ca/

SHORT & SWEET

We noticed Crêpe Café in Keswick absolutely randomly, but it is quite a find. If you enjoy crepes, owner-operated restaurants and reasonable prices - this place should be on your list for the Georgina region.

The menu is fairly basic - you have your regular choices of Breakfast, Sweet, Savory Crepes and a couple of waffles. Everything is well under $10 (lots of items at $4.95 actually). We have tried quite a few of them. We are big fans of the breakfast ones - as they come with a full omelet and creamy, herby, mustard based sauce on top. The real kicker is to chat up the owner while he prepares you a custom crepe! Let your imagination go wild, he will complement the crepe with a healthy dosage of stories about his world travels (China, Russia and Canada’s North were the ones we heard).

They also have a decent choice of teas to choose from.

The café’s has tried to do a few interesting areas to the interior, which we were happy to see. Overall, the place is clean and the chairs are comfortable, and did we mention - free WiFi?!

23.3.14

J. Dee's Market Grill

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9.3.14

Peller Estates

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20.2.14

Rosewater

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11.2.14

Chocolate Tales

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28.1.14

Luce

http://www.luceonking.com

When it is minus 30 and you are strapped for time, desire to look around for a place to eat plummets like a thermometer bar in late January. Nonetheless, we spent good 10 minutes contemplating different options around King West of Bathurst. Besides a few generic looking Asian joints and some franchises, there is not much to choose from, to be honest. That was the case until we saw Luce on the south side close to King and Niagara. The place is large, but with dimmed lights outside – we almost passed it and that would have been a waste if we did.

APPEARANCE

Rustic look, gluten free and vegan options, organic choices…Luke is a very likable neighborhood café. There was no one inside on a Tuesday evening, but we enjoyed the undivided attention of our waiter as a benefit. This restaurant is owned by a husband & wife and one of the walls is decorated with their parents’ vintage photos – an adorable touch adding to the overall atmosphere. There were more interesting elements to catch our eyes: the brick walls are lined with bottles, old crates stacked by the entrance and exposed brick walls to list a few. There were retractable garage doors towards the street, which probably open-up to a lovely patio in the summer.

SWIRL
As far as the food goes, the selection is fairly traditional for a small café / restaurant. All the dishes are made by a “Sicilian cook with a temper” as the menu proclaimed – “do not rush her or she will get upset”. It is worth your time to read the simple looking menu actually. There are lots of interesting quirky jewels like that if one is reading carefully. Ma Cherie especially liked the one stating that, no alternations are possible as it would be a shame for its creator. Shortly after sitting down, our glasses were promptly filled with water and a plate of focaccia with a side of olive oil, balsamic and rosemary landed in the middle of the table a few minutes later – a lovely touch.

NOSE
We took our time selecting our dishes, while warming up in the process. Our waitress let us know that their food is know as “barcode-free” – being an organic and natural restaurant they offer free range meats and all dishes are home-made. Hearing this made us both appreciate this restaurant much more, knowing our struggle trying to cook and eat a free range chicken. I decided to give their tuna “version of a stir fry” a try. They pointed it as a “low carb” dish. Ma Cherie went for their Anchovy Pasta. Remembering the statement on the menu, we prepared to endure, however long it too. TO our surprise that was only 5 minutes before our dishes flew out. The lack of clients most likely played a part here, there might have actually been a long wait if the place was full. The dishes were full and steamy hot. Just what we expected!

PALATE
The stir fry had generous chunks of tuna and chewy pieces of fried eggplant, in a tomato base with onions, peppers and mushrooms. The tuna might have not been the best choice of meat, it did dry up the dish a lot. It was an interesting choice none-the-less. The anchovy pasta smelled beautifully. It had a tomato-base sauce as well as well as onion, olives and capers. Our polite waitress came back with parmesan and pepper.

FINISH
This is definitely a place to visit. The prices are exceptionally reasonable for the amount and quality of food you get. There is a large variety of beers (including local specialties) to choose from which we unfortunately passed on. Some of these alcohols could be a good pairing for the hearty food. This neighborhood is going through a transformation and Luce will likely benefit in the transition as more people move into the area. We would highly recommend a visit for a genuine meal with soul.

18.1.14

Still Waters Distillery

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9.1.14

Wurst (Restaurant & Beer Hall)

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