COCO LEZZONE 

137 Avenue Road, Yorkville, Toronto, (416) 975-1717, Lunch Tues.-Fri. 11:30 am to 3:00 pm. Sat. 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm, Dinner Mon.-Sun. 5:00 pm to close, Valet service Fri. and Sat. $12

Went to Coco Lezzone on Avenue Road (a recent addition to the area from Little Italy) on a Saturday evening in May.  It was a beautiful, sunny, warm day and we had an early reservation for 7.  As soon as we arrived we were immediately ushered to a wonderful table with open windows facing the street.  It was a great spot for exotic car and people watching.

We began by reviewing the menus for food and wine.

For our wine we ordered a reasonably priced Montepulciano.

Shortly after we were seated a wonderful basket of assorted breads arrived, along with a dipping bowl of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. They were replenished later during our meal.

For our appetizers, we ordered a very nice cold cut board with a variety of salamis, cheeses and pickled vegetables.

The four of us nibbled on these.  Mark, our son ordered the beef carpaccio that was very good.

For her main, my wife Trudy ordered the Chilean sea bass which was pan fried and came with lemon and a caper and dill aioli. It was quite a large portion and we all had our first taste of it.

Mark ordered the gnocchi arrabiatta with hot banana peppers and parmigiano cheese in a pomodoro sauce.

Thomas, our son ordered the tagliatelle with double smoked bacon, mushrooms and garlic in a light cream sauce.  He found it delicious and very filling.

 For my main I had the pasta special which was capellini with lobster in a light rose sauce.  There were some large pieces of lobster hidden in the pasta and it too was very filling and delicious.

The staff here are friendly and efficient and create a welcoming environment. Our waiter was very quick and efficient. The food was delicious and the dishes were well presented and filling.  We will be back to try more of their interesting menu.  Their website has extensive pictures of their glamorous interior.  We really enjoyed our dinner here!

http://www.cocolezzone.com/

QUATREFOIL RESTAURANT 

16 Sydenham Street, Dundas On. (905) 628-7800 Tues - Sat  12:00 pm to 2:30 pm and 5:00 pm to close     

Located in the heart of Dundas, the Quatrefoil has become the restaurant that is attracting a lot of attention in this town and the GTA.  It is run by the husband and wife team of Fraser Macfarlane and Georgina Mitropoulos who met as sous chefs at Scaramouche, a legendary restaurant in Toronto.  They converted a Victorian house to a calm but glamorous and sophisticated fine dining venue.  Their creations are based on fresh local ingredients with a French flair. 

The seating varies from quaint tables to large beige leather banquettes and benches.  There is a bar for patrons who are waiting to be seated.  There is also a large patio for summer evenings and afternoons and it can be quite busy outside in the summer months.

We made a reservation for Friday at seven and it was packed when we arrived.  There were five of us (we were celebrating my younger sons birthday) and we were ushered to a wonderful banquette in an alcove.  The noise level was low considering the number of diners in the room.

There is also seating upstairs, which can be reserved for large parties.  There is a good wine list with a wide variety of choices and prices.  We ordered two bottles of French 2007 wine ($55 a bottle) it was smooth and delicious.

After we were seated a wonderful selection of breads appeared that melted in your mouth.  They were house made.

We began with an amuse bouche of goat cheese and lentils served on a large boat like spoon that was gratis, it was an unusual way to start a meal

Four of us had the cauliflower soup which was divine and full of flavours that we could not even describe.  One of us had the seared sea scallops which were large and melt in your mouth with fennel, chorizo, fingerling chips and romesco sauce.

cauliflower soup - divine!

scallops cooked perfectly

I had the Barramundi fish feature which was encrusted with potato and baked.  It was served with fingerling potatoes and young beets, carrots, and other ingredients too numerous to mention.  This dish was substantial and had such a variety of flavours on the plate, it was hard to tell the taste of the fish.

barramundi fish surrounded in various flavours

Two of us had the Cumbrae's beef tenderloin with mushrooms, roasted leek , cheek cromesquis, smoked potato puree, bacon crumble which was perfectly grilled medium rare.

Cumbrae's fillet cooked medium rare with potato  puree

Two of us had the Willowgrove Hill boneless pork chop crispy belly, mustard greens, sweet potato, cranberry and peppercorn glaze.

boneless pork chop with greens and sauces

We all decided on the same desert; the creme brulee with ginger bread and orange sorbet, it was delicious and filling (notice the birthday candle).  We had the French press coffee to go with the desert. 

creme brulee with ginger snap and sorbet  

macaroons and chocolates - complimentary

The meal, which seemed more like an event, ended with the server providing a complimentary selection of macaroons and chocolates and the bill.  The service was very professional and everyone worked as a team from the greeters at the door to the waiters and waitresses in the restaurant. Though expensive it included two bottles of wine and a gourmet selection of food that turned the evening into a celebration, not just a meal. (Just think of what 5 leaf tickets would cost).


http://quatrefoilrestaurant.com/

 SPENCER'S AT THE WATERFRONT 

1340 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, Ontario L7S 1B1, (905) 633-7494, Mon - Sat 11:30 to close, Sunday 9:30 to close

Went to Spencer's at the waterfront in Burlington for my son's birthday.  There were five of us Monday for dinner.  We have been here before for drinks and apps, but never for a full dinner.  We arrived at about 7 and the restaurant was more than half full.  We were ushered to a banquette table which was comfortable for five people.  I ordered a couple of bottles of french Merlot wine and we began ordering apps, including the warm olive selection, lobster dumplings kaffir lime caramel, scallops and pork belly cider braised fennel.  They were all absolutely scrumptious!  We slowly savoured the apps and ordered our mains.  My son (birthday guy) and his girlfriend ordered the red fife and ricotta gnocchi with cauliflower chantrelles, poached egg, brown butter.  My wife and other son ordered the arctic char with cauliflower risotto, chorizo and brown butter.  I ordered the heritage chicken with salsify, gnocchi, sweetbread, maitake, brussel sprouts.  All of us thoroughly enjoyed our meals.

For desert my sons and my wife ordered the smores cheesecake covered in a chocolate shell.  My son's girlfriend ordered the sorbet. They raved about the delicious desserts.  My wife and I had the cappuccino and it was delicious.

The ambiance of the restaurant and its location added to the enjoyment of the evening.  Monday night when every one moved a little slower, made it enjoyable and calm, which allowed us to enjoy each other's company with no rush.

It was one of the best restaurant experiences I have ever enjoyed.  The only drawback was the cost.  But you only live once!!

lobster dumplings app

scallops with pork belly

warmed olive selection

arctic char and cauliflower risotto

chicken - absolutely divine

gnocchi with poached egg

foamy cappucino

selection of sorbet

smores cheesecake

http://www.spencers.ca/

ANNONA at the PARK HYATT YORKVILLE  

4.5 out of 5

We came here specifically to have the Summerlicious menu and it was quite tasty. We began with the lobster and green pea fritters and they were yummy. My wife had the pan seared halibut which she thoroughly enjoyed. I had the grilled 8 oz angus rib eye steak which was tasty and cooked perfectly medium. The accompaniments to both mains were well matched and nicely done. We had a choice of 2 deserts and they were just the right touch and very rich. It was very good value for 35 dollars . Service was attentive without being too eager.  The bread basket accompanying the meals here is unique and varied. Summerlicious is a good gateway to explore restaurants as we would never have ventured into this one without it. The result is, we found a very good restaurant which we will soon return to.

Well it hasn't been long 2 weeks in fact after summerlicious and we came back.  Like the last time the greeting and seating was quick and efficient.  This time we chose our meal from the menu not price fix (although they do have one regularly).  We began with appetizers, my son and I had the scallops with preserved lemon and caper sauce warm beets and arugula.  They were delicious but slightly cool (I like seafood to be very hot when served).  My wife had arugula with Bosc pear salad, parmigiana regianno  in lemon grapeseed dressing - it was heavenly.  My son had the surf and turf which included a 4 oz fillet medallion, shrimp and scallop peppercorn jus,  lobster mash with spring vegetables.
My son enjoyed it thoroughly, though the steak may have been slightly undercooked.  My wife had the chicken with seasonal mushrooms with steamer creamed potatoes and seasonal vegetables, everything on her plate was delicious.  I had the special,  a combination of grouper and blackened cod with asparagus and pommes croquet - absolutely delicious and very substantial.  We had a nice bordeaux with the meal and decided on Proseco instead of desert. At this point the waiter realizing we had not ordered desert brought a complimentary martini glass filled with strawberries and cointreau for us to share- it was a nice touch.

chicken with seaonal mushrooms and steamer creamed potatoes

combination of grouper and blackened cod with asparagus and pommes  frites

scallops with preserved lemon caper sauce warm beets and arugula

http://hyatt.com/gallery/torphannon/