GABBY'S

GABBY'S GRILL AND BAR 

309 King Street West, Entertainment District, Toronto On., (416) 967-9671, Open for Lunch, Dinner, Late, 7 days a week.

On a hot humid Saturday afternoon we decided to visit Harbourfront in Toronto.  It was very hot and there wasn't even a breeze, so we decided to head back into the city to have some cold libations and a late lunch.  We have been to a Gabby's before on Bloor Street, but we were on King Street and figured we should try this one.

notice the humidity in the photo

We ordered a selection of beers, Katie and Thomas ordered Molson Canadians.

I ordered a Rickard's White with a slice of orange.

We were quite hungry and after studying the menu we decided to order from the sandwich section.

Katie ordered the grilled chicken ciabatta with sweet potato fries.

Tom ordered the pulled pork sandwich with sweet potato fries.

I ordered the club sandwich which had one small boneless chicken breast an a couple of small pieces of bacon.

It is obvious from the pictures that the sandwiches were very small and certainly not worth $11.50 to $12.00.  The server was rather cursory and just went through the motions.  The inside was quite empty even though the patio was quite busy.

It is basically in a high tourist zone and seems to take advantage of it, with it's visible and busy patio.

We will not be returning here in the future - we left hungry and disappointed with the quantity and quality.


http://www.gabbys.ca/

BEAVER AND BULLDOG 

2020 Lakeshore Road, Burlington On. in the Waterfront Hotel, (289) 337-9119, Sun. and Mon. 11:30 - Midnight, Tues. & Wed. 11:30 - 1:00 am,  Thurs. - Sat. 11:30 - 2 am

My wife and I went to the Beaver and Bulldog for an early dinner on a Friday afternoon in late March.  It just happened to be the last days of Taste of Burlington (which is a prix fix time for many restaurants in the Burlington area).  We were offered a meal including salad and desert and main for basically the price of the main ($14.99). This was a good deal.

We didn't have to use a $10 coupon we had - so we could use it another time.  It is a very large space that is broken up into a variety of seating areas - some of which overlook Lake Ontario and is part of the Waterfront Hotel on Lakeshore Road.

After being greeted by several very friendly staff, we were seated at a very nice banquette table.  Our waitress arrived with our menus and the good news that Taste of Burlington menu was still on.  We ordered a nice bottle of Masi wine.

We began with a nice salad with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing (unfortunately I forgot to take a picture - blame the wine).  We both ordered the same main, which was a breaded and seasoned pork schnitzel topped with a lemon caper sauce.  It was served with garlic mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

The pork was tender and tasty as was the lemon caper sauce.  The garlic mashed potatoes were delicious, however the vegetables were disappointing in quality and quantity.

We followed the main with a desert we have never had before - bread pudding.  After smelling one of them go by our table to another patron - the butterscotch smelled intoxicating so we tried it and it was absolutely delicious.

It was a surprisingly good meal for the price and in a pub not known for being a gastropub.  It has many specials throughout the week and has a nice outdoor patio that overlooks the lake.  We will definitely come back to try some other items.

http://www.beaverandbulldog.com/home/

ELEPHANT & CASTLE 3.5 out of 5

Entertainment District, 212 King St. W. (416) 598-4455  hours: 11:30am to 2:00am 

Four of us decided to have some drinks and apps at the Elephant and Castle on King Street in the entertainment district (they have 20 locations throughout North America).  We have been here many times before, for dinner specials and just drinks (good selection of draft beers).  For our apps we ordered, the bruschetta and an order of nachos with chicken.  The bruschetta was thin and kind of unusual and we didn't care for it.  The nachos were very large portion, which allowed the four of us to fill up quickly. They were delicious.

We drank a selection of draft beers including, London Pride, Stella Artois, Innes and Gun and Kronenbourg 1664.  This is a large Restaurant-Pub that has many different sections on the main floor including a long bar, a poolroom area and a large patio on the side in good weather.

It is always a lively place and can get very busy, especially after 4pm.  During the week a number of sections are occupied by various office folk letting off steam and can get very boisterous.  Service can be very slow - they could use more waitresses and bar tenders at busy times.  All in all if you want a good draft (a little pricey), some good pub food and a friendly atmosphere this is always a good choice.

bruschetta - very thin

large tray of nachos