NEW YORKER DELI 

1140 Bay St. Toronto On., (416) 923-3354, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Four of us went to the New Yorker Deli on a late Friday afternoon.  We have been here a number of times and have never been disappointed.  It is virtually guaranteed you will have a good satisfying, reasonably priced, simple meal.  Two of us had the chicken pot pie and salad with house dressing.  One of us had the chicken club sandwich and one of us had the whole wheat chicken wrap.  

All of our choices were well prepared and delicious.  The service was efficient and without fault.  They are noted for making their own lemonade and freshly squeezed orange juice.  Also, each table has at least three to four different mustard choices.  My son's favourite is the honey mustard which is absolutely delicious.  The fries are delicious and filling.

located at Bay and Bloor across from Bay Bloor Radio

eerie painting of the two towers has been on the walls for years

clean and simple - notice the mustard bottles

chicken pot pie and salad with dressing - delicious 

chicken club sandwich, coleslaw, fries

whole wheat chicken wrap - need two hands to hold it 

WAYNE GRETZKY'S 3 out of 5

99 Blue Jays Way (416) 348-0099  Hours 11:30 to 1:00 or 2:00

Wayne Gretky's is a landmark in Toronto.  It is located at 99 Blue Jays Way.  I have been here many times and found it especially buzzing on a night when the Leafs are playing.  We recently went here for a light dinner and found it has gone down hill over the years.  We started with calamari friti that came with a tomato based dipping sauce, and were not worth the price.  They tasted almost like popcorn chicken.  I had a grilled chicken caesar salad and found it tasty but not especially satisfying.  My sons both had wraps and found them passable but nothing special.  The service was slow and the food was quite expensive for the quality.  For a sports bar there are plenty more in Toronto that are much better quality and value.

It is the ambiance of the place and it's hockey history that is the attraction and the food is only passable.

LION ON THE BEACH 3 out of 5

This restaurant is located in the beaches on Queen Street east.  It has a pub like atmosphere and menu, with a fairly large patio.  I had a chicken pot pie with mashed and vegetables here.  It was filling and tasty and reasonably priced.  My son had a wrap that was not very good in his opinion - he had better.  The patio was nice and shady on a hot day, however there were too many dogs around and near it (some were whining).  The beaches restaurants are not noted for their cuisine so you can't be picky here.  All in all it was not bad pub food, but the server was run off her feet and somehow managed the crowd on the patio quite well.  On my way to the washroom (they always seem to be in the basement) I noticed that the interior of the restaurant was in serious need of cleaning and updating.  Beach Bird across the street is a much better choice.

BLOOR STREET DINER  

1 out of 5

The calamari were dried out. The limes served with them looked like they were stored in a desert. The half chicken dinner had little meat and was tasteless. Server seemed like she was just going through the motions and she had no personality. The ravioli were passable, the pulled pork sandwich was overpriced. Would not come back despite the great location, best patio in the area, movie and meal deal, until things change around here.  Came here a year ago for the movie and meal deal and the pasta with shrimp was quite good - when we asked about it, the answer was "we change our menu all the time".  We'll see.

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THE BANKNOTE BAR AND SUPERGRILL 

3.5 out of 5

The Banknote has good food cheap. Have eaten here several times and had the half bbq chicken - it is always excellent and filling with an awesome bbq sauce unlike any other I have tried.  It comes with good garlic mashed potatoes and crisp steamed vegetables. You don't need an appetizer. However, the calamari and shrimp are good choices. Five dollar chianti wine on Saturdays adds to the treat. Good Value.