LA CARNITA

501 College Street, Kensington Market Area, Toronto, On., (416) 964-1555, Open Sunday and Monday 5:00 - 10:00 pm, Tuesday to Sat. 5:00 - 11:00 pm

On a Friday evening in March, my son Mark and I decided we were hungry after viewing some cars for sale in Vaughan.  It was getting getting close to supper time and we felt like something not too heavy. We came upon La Carnita on College Street (famous for their tacos) and it seemed like the right choice.  The signage is terrible but Mark had been here before so he knew of it.

When we arrived the entry was full of people waiting for seating, fortunately we were able to sit at the bar rather than wait.

We reviewed the bar list for a quick pre-meal drink and I chose the strawberry margarita. It was tangy and refreshing and the bar tenders were great.

Mark had the Who Shot Ya, with bourbon.  It did have a kick to it.

After a couple of sips we reviewed the food menu.

We decided to choose a variety of tacos. Mark chose the crispy cotija and in cod we trust. While I chose pollo frito and carnita.  All of these choices were absolutely delicious.

We also decided to complete our meal with tortilla chips with ancho chili powder and quacamole.

The tortilla chips were crisp and tasty and the quacamole was exceptional.  All in all we enjoyed our meal here and would recommend it to anyone who likes good tacos.  They were unique and loaded with flavour.  It can get very crowded in a hurry here, but it is worth the wait.

http://lacarnita.com/

CHEESECAKE FACTORY

Forum Shops at Caesars, 3500 S Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas Nevada, (702) 792-6888, Mon-Fri 11:00 am to 11:30 pm, Sat-Sun 10:30 am to 12:30 am

Beverly Hills, 364 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, Ca. (310) 278-7270, Open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week and late hours Fri. and Sat.

We went to two cheesecake factories while on vacation.  One was in the forum shops area of Caesars, the other was in Beverly Hills just off Rodeo Drive.  They are absolutely amazing restaurants!!

CAESARS

While examining their giant menu we decided on a nice Berringer Cabernet Sauvignon which is sold here under their label.

After we ordered our wine, a basket of fresh breads arrived at our table.

Their menu is quite extensive and varied, which makes selection so hard, however my wife and I chose the same dish, herb crusted salmon.

Despite being so covered in herbs, it tasted divine and not a bit over done.  The mashed potatoes under the fish were melt in your mouth and the asparagus spears were cooked perfectly and not mushy.  This meal was excellent!

Normally I avoid dessert after such a large portion, but since it was the Cheese Factory, I had to indulge.  So we examined the dessert menu of cheesecakes and other desserts.

Since the mains were so large we decided to split the dessert and chose the Tiramisu cheesecake.  It was light not heavy and spectacular!!!

My wife accompanied it with a coffee and I had a double espresso.

The meal was incredible and any dishes I saw come out of the kitchen were impressive.  The price was very reasonable for what we had.

BEVERLY  HILLS

We also managed to have lunch at the Cheesecake Factory near Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills - it too was amazing!! 

My wife had the fetuccine alfredo it was divine!

I had a half turkey sandwich and salad (the pic did not turn out well).

 We absolutely enjoyed both cheesecake factories and would certainly return.  They are well run, have great food and service and are very reasonably priced - a winning combination!! They have become one of our favourite restaurants!!

http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/

DIMMI BAR AND TRATTORIA 

140 Cumberland St.,  Yorkville, Toronto, On. (416) 975-1100, Lunch and Dinner 7 days a week

Three of us went to Dimmi late on a Sunday evening in May.  It was Mother's day and we arrived at about 8:30 to find the restaurant packed with patrons.  It was a very warm evening and the front patio was quite busy so we went inside.

side patio

There is a front and side patio.  The doors were open this evening and there was a mild breeze.  The inside was full of patrons at 9 o'clock.

We ordered a very nice, reasonably priced Chianti.

A nice selection of bread arrived that went well with the herbed olive oil at our table.

Mark (http://www.markallen.ca/) my son ordered the scallop dish on a bed of creamed chick peas and black olives drizzled with a reduced balsamic vinegar, for an appetizer and it was delicious.

He ordered gnocchi for a main and it was tender and a good portion.

My wife ordered the salmon.  It came with a wonderful salad that had a very tasty dressing.

I chose the evening's pasta special.  It was outstanding.  It included a half lobster tail, artichokes and calamari in a rose sauce that was fabulous. The fetuccine was perfectly cooked and melted in your mouth.

The three of us enjoyed our meals immensely.  The food was well presented, nicely cooked and very tasty.  The service was quick and efficient and the atmosphere was busy but at the same time unhurried. The prices were reasonable for the quantity and quality. We will definitely return to try other menu items here.

Well done Dimmi.

http://www.dimmibar.com/yorkville/home

SCADDABUSH KITCHEN AND BAR 

382 Yonge Street, in the Aura Condo, Toronto, (416) 597-8838, Mon-Wed and Sun. 11:00 am to 1:00 am, Thurs. - Sat. 11:00 am to 2:00 am,  

Having been by the new restaurant Scaddabush a couple of weeks ago we decided to try it on a Sunday evening.  It is a large and complex restaurant with many seating choices.  

We examined their menu - which is quite large and selected some choices.

We decided on a nice Ripasso wine to start.  It was nice and smooth.

Having reviewed the appetizers we decided on sharing a plate of fried calamari.  The coating was good but they were quite chewy.  

For his main Mark decided to try their chicken avocado BLT on freshly baked flatbread, tomato, pickled red onions, romaine, piccante aoli and house fries.  He really liked it but found it was a lot of food.

My wife had the grilled tomato caper salmon with a white wine sauce, parsley butter potatoes and green beans.  It was delicious and nicely cooked.

I decided on the pasta (which is made in house daily).  I decided to try their pasta called Zucca which was a butternut squash ravioli with grated Grana Padano cheese, hazelnut butter cream sauce, roasted squash and fried sage.  They were melt in your mouth delicious and it was quite a large helping.

The service here is efficient and friendly and the atmosphere is upbeat.  Our server was personable and efficient and when I mentioned that the calamari were very chewy he talked to the manager, who then took it off our bill.  This was a nice touch and an indication that they are concerned about their reputation and customer service.  The wine was reasonable and the prices for the food were also in line with the market.  Worth returning to to try other selections on the menu.

http://www.scaddabush.com