Showing posts with label seared scallop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label seared scallop. Show all posts

Danforth Sidebar (Toronto)


I hate to stereotype, but who else finds restaurants located close to live performance venues meh? Their strength is their location, while the food is merely decent and service passable. Dine along the strip of King West where the Princess of Wales Theatre, Roy Thompson Hall, and TIFF reside, and you’ll know what I mean.

Sadly, Danforth Sidebar fits the stereotype… being close to the Danforth Music Hall has its downfalls. Perhaps the dish that best showcases my point is the pan seared scallops ($23). The dish’s presentation was pretty but look closely at the scallops and they are unevenly done. Ultimately, they are a tad overcooked, but tastes good.

Yet, good luck trying to add another scallop onto the dish if you arrive as a table of five. The answer is simply, “no”. At first, I thought it was a joke, but it’s sadly not - the reason being the dish hasn’t been priced out per piece. Perhaps it’s my finance background, but can’t the equation be simply solved as $5.75 each ($23 divided by 4)? Rather, the answer is no as Danforth Sidebar doesn’t care to keep guests happy or increase their bill totals.

Their menu’s naming convention could also use some work. It lists the cauliflower cotija ($17) as “corn puree, pickled cactus leaf, jalapenos, cotija cheese, hot honey, warm corn tortilla”. Sounds like an incredible vegetable packed queso dip, sign me up! What arrives is a skillet of watery stir-fried vegetables sprinkled with cheese… what? Why was this not listed as ‘cauliflower tacos’ when there’s a similar item called ‘barbacoa tacos’ on the menu? It’s in fact tacos and not a dip.

If that weren’t bad enough, the cauliflower was too mushy and for something listing corn as the first ingredient there wasn’t much of it in the dish. Once I got past the queso disappointment I found it made an okay taco - at least it had nice flavours from the pickled cactus leaf and hot honey.

The short rib poutine ($21) had the makings of a great dish with a large slab of tender short rib, thin potato fries, large chunks of cheese curds, and a beefy gravy. The beef just wasn’t seasoned enough so the poutine didn’t elicit that sinful richness you normally find in the dish.

Under seasoning was a similar sentiment for the striploin in their salad. Thinking a 5oz steak was too small for a main, we added on more steak (another 4oz) to the steak salad (total cost of $27 with the addition). Steak salad plus steak was a great hack as the kitchen ended up substituting the hanger steak (what normally comes with the steak salad) for a full striploin instead. And the steak could have been delicious if it just arrived saltier and hotter.

The salad itself was delicious combining cherry tomatoes, crunchy cucumber, avocado chunks, and a creamy dressing. With a full steak, the kitchen should have plated it on a larger dish as the tiny side plate made it difficult to cut the meat. Also, having the cold salad on one side and the striploin on the other would also mean the meat wouldn’t cool down as quickly.

One draw to Danforth Sidebar is their reasonably priced wine – a bottle of prosecco was only $36! So maybe it’s less of a pre-show dinner spot and more apt for a round of after-show drinks.

Overall mark - 6 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 161 Danforth Avenue


Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System

  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!


Is That It? I Want More!

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K.Dinner's Private Monday Evening Events


Nowadays, chefs have a number of options to become an entrepreneur, beyond the typical work-and-save or partner with an investor options to open a brick and mortar location. Food trucks keep some roaming and mobile, but my personal preference is the “pop-up” type meals where chefs take over another restaurant.

The newest entrant is Chef Ken Yau, who’s Monday night K Dinners take over Café Fiorentina, a day when the restaurant is normally closed. With seatings at 6:00pm and 8:30pm, a communal table about ten people will gather to break bread over 7-courses of seafood ($80).

Chef Yau touts England’s The Fat Duck as an inspiration for his menu. The famed Michelin star restaurant by Chef Heston Blumenthal is known for their molecular gastronomy using modern equipment and techniques to create one-of-a-kind dishes.

The influence was best showcased in the amuse bouche and first course. For the starter, a truffle-sized orb is perched on rocks and you’re advised to delicately place it inside your mouth, whole. Bit through the thin chocolate-like shell and a flood of sweet pear juice augmented with citrusy yuzu floods the mouth, further contrasted with a salty relish on top.


This is followed by fried fish skin dusted with salt and vinegar sushi rice, which puts any extreme flavour chip to shame, and green tea powder that’s supposed to bring bitterness to the fold (although you really couldn’t taste the matcha since it was drowned out by the vinegar).


As a plate of mussels are brought to the table, Yau explains he works with a company that can cultivate them in small batches with customized flavoured growing environments. This batch of PEI oysters were grown with yuzu so no condiments are needed.


Sure enough, as one’s brought to the table, the typical sea-like aroma is replaced with the light scent of lemon. As it hits the tongue, the oyster’s juices are all at once citrusy, briny, and sweet.

Refreshing elements continue with a squid salad. Pickling the squid makes it a bit chewy but the firmer texture and sour flavour is rather interesting. Sitting in a bed of saffron clam sauce, the savoury creamy condiment helps add a touch of richness to the otherwise summery course. Meanwhile, the salad was everything but lettuce: juicy tomato slices, tomato water mixed with Riesling and juniper jelly, crunchy fava beans, and crisp radishes.


The following seared scallop was one of my favourite bites of the evening, the meaty seafood wonderfully cooked so that it remained delicate and sweet. Crumbled segments of finger limes (citrus caviar) transformed the cauliflower purée into a smooth and crunchy concoction that made me yearn for another spoon.


At the centre of the table, on a salvaged piece of wood, sat a lemon, morels, bunch of herbs, and a dark liquid. It wasn’t until the middle of dinner these were combined into a carafe filled with rocks and caramelized onion consommé (prepared over four days) and steeped to create an intensely flavoured French onion soup with a tom yum flair thanks to the white soy sauce, Madeira wine, and sherry vinegar.


With the rich broth came warm crusty bread and a generous portion of whipped brown butter flavoured with capers, anchovies, and sherry vinegar for spreading onto the bread. We all agreed that we should have stuck with one slice (boy were we full at the end), if only the butter wasn’t so enticing.


The following seafood risotto was another one of my favourite dishes of the night. In Chef Yau’s version, in lieu of rice the risotto is made entirely from finely diced seafood (halibut, clams, prawns, etc.). Starch is added through pieces of fried potatoes, which also help add a bit of crunch to the creamy dish and everything is further enhanced with a thickened lobster sauce. It was wonderful, but a tad salty so would be even better if the seasoning was toned down.


After such an amazing risotto the poached halibut was a mediocre ending. While I enjoyed the beurre blanc sauce dotted with plump mussel and crispy duck and chicken skin, the flavours were too close to the previous risotto. Moreover, the fish was left resting too long and the temperature lukewarm at best.


Chef Yau should consider re-ordering the dishes (serving the halibut earlier on) or changing the fish’s accompaniments to something fresher and brighter. Regardless, in either case, the halibut needs to be hotter and the seafood risotto should definitely be the last dish.

There was a sense of weariness when the dessert was presented, already Chef Yau prefaced the dish by stating desserts aren’t his thing. One taste and I agreed – there was too much going on in one dish: braised cherries, granite, creamy mascarpone, and thyme. Also, while sherry vinegar was already used throughout the menu, this favourite ingredient even made an appearance in the dessert and completely overpowered everything.


I understand, chefs cannot be good at all things – after all, pastry chefs often dedicate their whole careers to perfecting desserts. If this isn’t your forte, just keep it simple (one friend commented how grilled peaches with ice cream would have been a great ending) or outsource the course to someone else (Japanese cheesecake anyone)?

Renegotiating the seating arrangements with Chef Fiorentina are also required. Despite the restaurant being closed, the table was set in the basement on a table with bar stools. After three hours, the room became stuffy and warm and stools are best suited for a quick sandwich or ramen, not a long multi-course dinner.

Despite the somewhat rocky ending, I was pleased with the overall experience at K Dinner. Having eaten at his premiere meal, I’m sure the kinks will be worked out as the operation matures. In speaking to Chef Yau, his word-of-mouth advertising is a success with his Monday dinners are already booked into mid-October. Small private dinners are coming to Toronto and eaters are devouring it.

Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada

Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System

  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!


Is That It? I Want More!

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Aria (Toronto)

Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 25 York Street
Website: http://ariaristorante.ca/
Type of Meal: Dinner


Aria is located in Maple Leaf Square a bustling area filled with people and lights connecting to Union Station and the Air Canada Centre.  Conversely, the restaurant is a tranquil environment with soaring ceilings, spectacular light fixtures, dim lighting and hushed conversations. For me, it’s not the venue you’d visit for a quick bite before a game or concert; but, if you’re not pressed for time and money also isn’t a concern than the restaurant certainly offers a better chance at scoring a table than the rowdy Real Sports.

During Winterlicious, Aria was offering a 3-course menu for $45 - the perfect opportunity to try this relatively expensive restaurant. Unfortunately, the dishes offered are not part of their regular menu, so if something sounds delicious you will not find it during a regular visit. However, the meal did provide an indication that their chef puts together hearty dishes which although are simple, ties together flavours quite nicely. 

The seared scallops had a beautiful crust as you’d expect. Done a touch on the rarer side it was barely cooked throughout and quite tender. Sitting on a bed of cauliflower puree, which was smooth and creamy (anything but healthy), it worked as a nice sauce to spread onto the scallops.


At first, I was a bit hesitant to order this appetizer on account of the raisins, pine nuts and capers described on the menu. Fruit and nuts with seafood seem like a bad combination and capers only really go well when done in moderation. I was pleasantly surprised with the finished dish; each of the elements weren’t overpowering and actually worked pretty well with the scallops. The raisins had been soaked and not overly sweet, the pine nuts also just a slight bite to it, while the capers must have been mixed into one of the purees as there wasn’t one in sight.

While the braised veal cheek didn’t have the most impressive plating, the meat itself was absolutely delicious. Having been braised for hours it fell apart with a simple poke of the fork and simply melted in your mouth. Soft stewed chestnuts added a nice earthiness to the beef with some sweetness from the pumpkin and potato mash. For my taste, the mash was a tad too sweet as I tend to like more savoury dishes but it wasn’t a deal breaker.


With the green chard leaves topping the veal cheek, I managed to find a piece that hadn’t wilted in the sauce and realized the chard was roasted beforehand.  This roasted piece added such a nice contrast to the meat that I wish more of them had lasted… perhaps scattering some of them around the plate rather than directly on the meat could accomplish this?

Lastly, I ended with the bonet chocolate dessert from Piemonte (a region in Italy), following our waiter’s recommendation. The dome is a mix between a chocolate mousse and panna cotta texture and sits on a disc of chocolate cake. Sitting in a pool of butterscotch caramel with a scope of amaretto gelato beside it, the dessert was rich and decadent. Thankfully, not overly sweet dark chocolate was used for the bonet, which paired nicely with the sweet caramel sauce.


The passion fruit panna cotta also interested me as it had pop rocks in it – who doesn’t like these little candies? Luckily for me, my friend ordered it and generously offered me a taste. Boy it was good! A nice smooth base and then ever so slightly the pop rocks activate, causing a pause while you just hold the dessert in your mouth and let the tingling feeling erupt. The coconut macaroon cookie on top was soft, chewy and not too sugary; for a person who doesn’t like dried coconut I found the macaroon quite tasty.  Alas, this dessert was the better one in my opinion – inventive, fresh and surprising. What a great way to end the meal.


Service was professional and attentive, with wine and water glasses filled discretely without interrupting conversations.  The only inconvenience happened when I had to visit the toilet and found they were located outside in the office building which required pass card access. With no hostess at the podium, I had to interrupt a waiter who accompanied me to the door to swipe me in. For such an upscale restaurant, they should have seriously considered making their own toilets to avoid such a hassle for their guests.

Overall, I was satisfied with my meal at Aria and surprised with the poor rating they’ve been receiving on Urbanspoon. Most visitors complain about the portion sizes (yes a bit on the smaller side), cost (indeed during non-Winterlicious periods is expensive) and overuse of salt (didn’t bother me a bit). So, I heed the warning once again – if you’re looking for a meal before a game or concert this isn’t the optimal venue. But, if you’re seeking a quiet serene environment to really focus on your guests and conversations, Aria is perfect for that. Of course, if their pricing is what’s stopping you from visiting, then there’s always Summerlicious in July!

Is Winterlicious worth it?

As a special feature to the Winterlicious blogs, I will attempt to calculate the savings being offered (based on my meal selection).

Winterlicious - $45

Regular menu - $61 - scallops* ($14), veal cheek* ($35) and bonet* ($12)

Savings - $16 or 26%

* All the items aren't on their regular menu; prices based on the calamari fritti, braised bison and other desserts

Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10

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____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!