Zelda's Restaurant Patio and Bar

Date: October 2 2010
Location: 692 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M4Y 2A6
Website: http://zeldas.ca/


My friends and I were walking along Yonge street and looking for a restaurant to fill our empty stomachs. We spotted the sign "ZELDA" which caught our attention as we are all gamers. Once we stepped into this restaurant, a friendly feminine male waiter came and served us. After a minute, we noticed a waiter wore a T-shirt saying "Legally to be Gay" and another topless waiter who only wore a tie. That's how we realized we stepped into a restaurant which is operated by a group of gay men. ^o^


Alright, enough with the drama and let's go back to the food. Zelda's Restaurant has a very good selections of food on their dinner menu includes burgers, pastas and vegetarian dishes. I was very satisfy with the food and my friends dishes were all delicious. Another special thing about Zelda's Restaurant is the bill or receipt was bought to us in a high heel shoe lol.

Down-Home Market Meatloaf

Country style with lean ground beef, blend of herbs & spices, topped with balsamic glaze and served with home style gravy $12.99

Mexicana Fish Tacos

Basa fish fillet pan-fried with authentic Tex-Mex spices & fresh lime, wrapped in two flour tortillas with tomato salsa & shreed lettuce, served with crisp nacho chips, guacamole & sour cream $10.99

The Classic Zelda Burger 

8oz. of juicy 100% never forzen lean ground beef, homemade with our special blend of herbs and spices & served with all the fixin's $9.99

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

with melted cheddar or Swiss cheese, served on tasted whole wheat, rye or egg loaf with crisp bacon, and peameal bacon $12.99

NYS Steak Co.

Date: September and October 2010
Location: 5892 Main Street Stouffville Ontario L4A 2S8
Website:  http://www.nyssteakco.com/

My C.C. and I recently visit Markham and the Stouffville area for a day trip. It was a fun day and we visited so many places. We visited a restaurant called NYS Steak Co. for dinner. I have seen the advertisement on a local magazine before and finally I have a chance to visit. 


Originally I though NYS = New York Steak, but later on I found out NYS = "Not Your Standard" which is the principle of this restaurant. After we sat down the owner of the steak house came and greet us. He offered an off menu $40 Prix  Fixe Dinner with selections of their specialties. 

Appetizers/Starter

Lobster Bisque

My mouth was fulled with rich lobster favor and the soup contained lobster meat

House Salads

Red and green leaf lettuce, tomato, red onion and fennel with a balsamic and citrus vinaigrette

A typical salad but the dressing is just right for me not too sour

Gnocchi

The owner of the restaurant called it N'YO-kee

It was freshly made on the day of our visit and it tasted excellent

Chewy but soft and it just tasted perfect in the rose sauce. 

Entrée

Half Lobster

This is not just a hard boiled Lobster where you can see water dripping down

The chef spice up the lobster with garlic and "baked" it, so the meat was not soggy

Kansas City Steak 34 ounce

This was one of my favorite cut of the night. 

The steak were very tender and juicy though not as tender as tenderloin

**All their steaks are aged for at least 35-42 days **

Top Sirloin 23 ounce

This was still an excellent cut. A bit more chewy compared with the Kansas

Vegetable Side

Risotto Side

Mushroom Side

Dessert

**All their dessert are made in-house FRESH**

Crème brûlée

My favorite and it was a huge one

Very creamy. Love it!!!

Biscotti

Most of the biscotti I got the the supermarket were way too dry

This one has the right moisture yet very crunchy

Blue Berry Cheese Cake

I was so full already, I couldn't describe it anymore but it tasted excellent

Apple Flutte

Danny's Fish & Chips

Date: January 2010

Location: 4721 Hwy 7, Markham, ON L3R 1M7

I don't usually have fish and chips for lunch but Danny's Fish and Chips is the place I love. Their fillet were not greasy and perfectly breaded. Each meal was prepared fresh after order has been placed. I tried their fries before and they were perfectly cooked, not soggy. There is always a special menu for $5.99 with a choice of (1) Catfish (2) Tilapia (3) Pollock-2 fillets, all comes with the "chips". Fries can be substitute by onion rings with extra $1. I ordered their Pollock and Tilapia before. My C.C. loves the Tilapia. This time I wanted to try their Cod fish with garden salad for $8.95. Another good thing about Danny's Fish and Chips is, you can have all you can drink coffee.

Open Clean Kitchen

Lot of people came in for lunch and ordered take-out

Dinning Area

Cod & Garden salad with Italian sauce

Cod fillet tasted firmer than Tilapia (it comes with 3 individual fires. Ha Ha)

Tilapia & Onion rings

It has a strong fishy taste, perfect for fish lover!
I found their onion rings better than the fries

Cora's Breakfast & Lunch

Date: July 2009

Location: 3760 Hwy 7 Unit 2, Markham, ON L3R 0N2

Website: www.chezcora.com

This place is packed with people on a weekday morning at 10am. The restaurant is decorated with giant hand printed fruits posted on the wall. All of the meal comes with large quantity of fruits which is something I love. We ordered the Cora's special and Benet Dictine. Their fruits are fresh and I like the Benedict as I can choose how well the pouch egg is cooked.

Cora's special

The bacon is crispy yet not dry. I love their sausage. The pancake underneath the ham is a bit oily

Benet Dictine

Love the smooth Hollandaise sauce

Plateful of fruits and potato

Eight Wine Bar

Date: July 2008
Location: 8 Colborne Street, Toronto, ON M5E 1E1
Website: eightwinebar.com

Eight Wine Bar is a restaurant located on a small street near the concern of Yonge and King. There is a bar in front of the restaurant and the kitchen is located in the basement. Therefore, the waiter has to walk up and down the stair to deliver meals. This is the third restaurant we tried during summerlicious and I have a very satisfying meal. It exceeded my expectations for a $25 menu. I got some nice bread with chick pea source after I placed my order. The bread tasted softer then its look. However service took forever, the bread bucket sat on the table just before I had my dessert. I also waited for ~30min before I got my main.

Hot House Tomato Gazpacho with Crab Salad
Cold Chilled Gazpacho which has different layer of flavours

Cured Salmon Gravlax Timbale with Avocado and sweet Corn Relish, Carrot Ginger Vinaigrette

Salmon and Avocado is my favorite combination, there is nothing better than this

Grilled Flat Iron Steak with Potato Hash and Seared Pork Belly, Summer Vegetables and Green Peppercorn Sauce

The steak was very tender and it even tasted better with the green peppercorn sauce. Excellent dish!

Pan Seared Halibut, Grain Mustard Spaeztle, Poached Asparagus and Maple Soy Butter

It was my first encounter with Spätzle and I love it. It tasted like pan fried rice roll - 煎腸粉. The Halibut was tasty and the asparagus were better then the one I cooked

Vanilla Crème Brulee with Chocolate and Coconut Biscotti
Creamy Vanilla Creme Brulee very rich in Vanilla flavour. I love the Chocolate and Coconut Biscotti too

Passionfruit Sorbet with Macerated Strawberries
Good Sorbet! Nice and chilled

Wildfire Steakhouse & Wine Bar

Date:  July 2008
Location: 3438 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M4N 2M9
Website: www.wildfiresteakhouse.com

Wildfire is another restaurant we tired during Summerlicious 2008.  For a $35 dinner menu, it had a lot to choose from. The steak was properly cooked for medium rare and the ribs were meaty and juicy. Their homemade barbecue sauce was excellent with the ribs together.  Their deserts were average and I have had better tasting cheesecake before.

Crab Cakes

Double breaded crab cakes dusted with cayenne pepper, served with a dill sauce

Heart Smart Chef Inspired Soup
Fresh carrot and dill soup, garnished with ginger 
 

Wildfire Baby Back Ribs

Basted with delectable homemade barbecue sauce and served with fresh cut fries

Sterling Silver New York Striploin 
With garlic mashed Yukon gold potatoes and grilled seasonal vegetables

Mocha Cappuccino Mouse Cake
Whipped mousse with a caramel sauce, garnished wiht mint leaves

Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake
A luscious, creamy delight, topped with strawberry coulis and fresh berries

 

Auberge du Pommier

Date: July 2008
Location: 4150 Yonge Street Toronto, ON M2P 2C6
Website: www.oliverbonacini.com

Auberge du Pommier is a very beautiful French restaurant for fine dining. I heard their food are excellent so I decide to try their Summerlicious menu with my C.C. Their dinner set dinner is $35 per person. I was very disappointed with the food. They were too salty, and dry. The desserts were not impressing as well. However, the presentation of the dishes was beautiful. I may try Auberge du Pommier regular menu. I guess their regular menu should be more tasteful then the Summerlicious one.

Bread with Olive, and Artichoke sauce

 

Potage of Heirloom Tomato & Melon with marinated bay scallops and lemon balm

The plate is very big but the soup is not enough for a small fish to swim in.
The only surprise is the soup is cold.

Tournedos de Boeuf

seared beef tenderloin with glazed pearl onions, Ontario mushrooms and creamy pommes

Poulet Roti

roast chicken with rustic Provencal bread salad, olive tapanade and golden pepper velouté

Rhubarb Consommé
Bonacini farm rhubarb nage with marinated Ontario strawberries and crispy lavender meringue

It is not a good dessert, I found it too sour, feel like I was having a soup again

Chocolat

pavé of chocolate crème with cocoa crumble, white maple syrup
and birch beer foam

 

Stonegrill on Winchester

Date: June 2008

Location: 51B Winchester Street, Toronto, ON M4X 1A8

Website: www.stonegrillonwinchester.com

I heard about Stonegrill from my friends. Most of the main dishes are served on a heated stone. The waiter said the main advantage for serving on a heated stone is the juices within the meats are all sealed up. Only meat with a moist surface would be cooked by the stone. The waiter said it is safe to touch the stone as long as your finger is not wet, however I didn't try as I was scared to be burnt. The steaks are kept warm similar to the hot pot used in Korean restaurant. Personally, I love medium rare steak so I didn’t left the steak stay on the stone for too long. The longer it stays on the stone, the more it gets cooked.

The main dishes are quite expensive in this restaurant ranging from $28 to $34. Each entree came with a small dish of vegetables. I planned to treat my C.C. a good meal. However because of the price, he ended up paying it again (Yes! He is a bad C.C.). I found their soup and Foie Gras to be very delicious. Their steak was great but I have had better steak before. I am not sure if it was the quality of steak or it was the cooking method. I found the steak to be a bit dry. Nevertheless, the scallops were excellent and tender.

Coconut based soup with fishies  
The fishies can be cooked on the stone or put into the soup. It tasted better in the soup.

Sesame Seared Foie Gras - Mango, Phyllo and Walnut Tatsoi  

The Foie Gras is very tasty, but it is not all cooked. 

People who do not like raw food may not like it.

10 Oz Certified Angus Strip Loin 

The steak is thinner than the Certified Angus Steak so not as juicy.

6 Oz AAA Sirloin and 2 Scallops

This thick strip loin is very tasty and the scallops are tender.