ABERDEEN TAVERN

432 Aberdeen Avenue, Hamilton On. (905) 523-7707, Closed Monday, Tues. - Sat. 11:30 am to 11:00 pm, Sun. 10:00 am to 3:00 pm

On a nice Thursday evening at the end of April we decided to try Aberdeen Tavern.  We had driven by many times and had heard a lot of good things about it and it seemed time to see for ourselves what good things were happening here.

There is a lovely outside patio that is always busy during the summer months.  In its previous life it was a bank and a quiet restaurant, but the new owners breathed new life into the space and it is quite different now.

The bar space is large and inviting. The layout works well.

The three of us were seated at a table near the bar area and were immediately greeted with a rather classy menu folder.

We selected a bottle from an extensive list of wines. It was one of their house reds Quattro Fontamara red and it was quite smooth and reasonably priced.  

We then selected our appetizers. My son Mark chose (as he always does) the pork belly - it was the Hoisin Glazed Pork Belly - he was quite impressed.

My wife and I chose the caesar salad - it was unique and delicious because it was not drenched in caesar dressing and had wonderful pancetta slices, garlic croutons and some parmesan.

Their list of mains caters to most tastes and has nice variety. 

Mark chose the butternut squash ravioli and enjoyed it.

My wife had the Lake Erie pickerel, it was surrounded with very flavourful accompaniments including olives, bacon puree and artichoke.

For my main I felt like a good pasta - and they did not disappoint.  I chose the shrimp and asparagus linguini. The linguini was perfectly cooked, the shrimp were tasty and tender in the white wine and butter sauce.

The three of us thoroughly enjoyed our evening here.  The space was very inviting, the meal was unhurried, the clientele were enjoying themselves and the atmosphere was great.  We will definitely return to enjoy more wonderful meals and evenings here.  Outstanding!!

http://theaberdeen.ca/

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/

LE PAPILLON ON FRONT 
69 Front Street, St. Lawrence Market/Old Town (416) 367-0303 Closed Monday, Mon. to Thurs. 11:30 to 10:30 pm, Fri. 11:30 to 11:00 pm, Sat. 11:00 to 11:00 pm,  Sun. 11:00 to 10:00 pm

After trying several times to make a reservation on Saturday evening (we usually call too late) we finally were successful.
It is a beautiful space with exposed brick, aged woods and floor and blends into the St Lawrence Market area well.  

We found the wine menu and food menu very easy to follow.

Basically there are several nice appetizers, crepes and mains.  Also, there are a couple of specials on a board at the entry.
We decided to start with a Bordeaux that the waiter recommended.  It was an outstanding 2010 vintage red Bordeaux and not very expensive.

For appetizers my son Mark (http://www.markallen.ca/) chose the Crevettes, shrimp sauteed in a tarragon garlic butter broth.  They were large and perfectly cooked and the sauce was divine.  We later soaked up some of the broth with bread (that arrived late).  

My wife and I chose the Escargots smothered in garlic parsley butter.  The escargot seemed smaller than I remembered them from a previous location they occupied.  Nevertheless, they were delicious.

My wife and I also ordered a shrimp appetizer to share and they were great.
For our mains Mark ordered the pork tenderloin from the menu with a forestiere (bacon and mushroom) sauce with potatoes and vegetables. He really enjoyed it.

My wife and I chose from one of the specials it was a pan fried ocean perch with vegetables.  It was delicious. The fish was tender and sweet and perfectly cooked.  The rice was a good match for this fish.

We really enjoyed our meals here and will definitely return to try some other choices on this extensive menu.  The only criticism we had was the appetizers were not served hot enough and we received our bread after the appetizers.  Hopefully next time we will leave enough room to try their desserts.




http://www.papillononfront.com