THE ROOF LOUNGE 

The Park Hyatt Hotel, 4 Avenue Road, Toronto, On., M5R2E8, (416) 925-1234, Open for Lunch, Dinner and Late Night

Went to the roof lounge for drinks after a nice meal in Yorkville.  We arrived at the 18th floor bar and were quickly seated in the leather couches in the bar area.  Our waiter handed us a menu of drinks available.

We ordered some wine. After the wine we had several elderflower martinis, pairing Grey Goose La Poire with St. Germain artisinal elderflower liqueur, finished with prosecco and a sliver of bosc pear.  They were absolutely wonderful!!

Once a space was available on the outside patio we were seated at a view that is nothing short of spectacular. It is very mesmerizing and beckons one to linger!!

After our drinks we were shown the cigar menu!  Tom had one of the shorter cigars - a nice touch!!

If you find yourself near Bloor and Avenue Road, we recommend you have a libation at the Roof Lounge it is well worth the visit!!
http://parktoronto.hyatt.com/en/hotel/dining/TheRoofLounge.html?itemDesc=fboutlet&itemId=1003224

MALUCA WINE BAR RESTAURANT 

142 Lakeshore Rd. E. Downtown Oakville, (905) 842-6111, Dinner 7 days a week

We made reservations for Friday at 7 and the lads and I met for dinner and drinks at Maluca on Lakeshore road in downtown Oakville.

It was already starting to get busy and by the time we finished our appetizers it was full.  On the table there was a bowl of curried popcorn, which went well with the libations we started with.  

During our meal, we ordered several bottles of wine including a nice cabernet from California.

Since this restaurant's menu is mostly based on sharing plates, we ordered several - there were six of us.  Among them we had a couple of delicious trays of charcuterie (although the slices were extremely thin).

We also had a couple of platters of seafood that included calamari, the smallest scallops I have ever seen and a couple of deep fried smelts.  These trays could only be shared by two people.  We also selected a couple of mushroom pizzas that were very cheesy and loaded with toppings.

For mains most of us chose their burger.  The burger was juicy and filling and it was accompanied by roasted potatoes.

One of us ordered a nice salad. It was delicious.

He also had the mussels with pasta - it had a good amount of mussels on it.

Although we were all well fed, I found the platters rather small and we had to order quite a few of them.  The trays were unique but small.  I have had better sharing platters elsewhere. The burger was tasty and filling. We found our server very efficient and friendly.  The atmosphere and clientele that frequent this establishment made the evening very pleasant.  The place has a comfortable feel to it.

However, the best part of the evening was the company of the lads being together again!!

INSOMNIA 

563 Bloor Street West (The Annex), (416) 588-3907, Toronto On., M5S 1Y5 Open for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Late Night 

Located in the Annex section of Toronto near Bathurst and Bloor, Insomnia is open from breakfast to late night.
The inside is funky but refined, with a large bar seating area and a variety of seating options. My son Mark, my wife and I came on a hot Saturday evening in June at about 7 pm and were seated promptly near the front of the restaurant.  Because it was hot the windows facing Bloor Street were open.

Mark and I began by having a cold Pabst beer while my wife had a glass of pinot wine.  We then ordered a couple of appetizers.  My son began with chicken tacos in a soft tortilla with avocado, picco de gallo, lettuce and chipotle aioli.

He enjoyed the tacos and would order them again.  My wife and I split an order of calamari fritti that were served with a juicy lemon and tzatziki.  They were tender and delicious. 

For his main Mark ordered the butter chicken with broccoli, roasted tomato and coconut rice.  It was delicious and filling.

My wife ordered the grilled salmon, potato kale hash, sugar snap peas, citrus beurre blanc.  She really enjoyed the salmon which was perfectly cooked and a generous portion.

I had the spice-crusted chicken supreme with garlic mashed potatoes and buttered broccoli.  The chicken was very tasty and arrived piping hot.

The meals were going so well we decided to order the evenings featured dessert.  A blueberry cheese cake with whipped cream and fresh blueberries.  It was delicious and light.

Our server who had a flower in her hair was very personable and efficient.  The food was well prepared and quite delicious.
They have a great martini and cocktail list, however they need to improve their wine list by adding some Californian, Italian and French choices.  Also, the room was quite noisy due to its acoustics, but it added somewhat to the atmosphere.

We will definitely come back to try some more of their dishes and enjoy the atmosphere.




http://www.insomniacafe.com/

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/

MILESTONE'S GRILL AND BAR

Entertainment District,  132 John Street,  Toronto,  M5V 2E4,  (416) 595-1990

On a rather mild Friday night after visiting the Distillery district we decided to have dinner with the gang at the Milestone's on John Street.  It is our favourite one and is always buzzing.  We arrived at around 7:00 to find the place packed, but we were seated quickly in a large booth (there were 6 of us).  We ordered two bottles of Beringer Merlot as we scanned the menu.

We decided to share a couple of appetizers, so we ordered the phyllo shrimp (my favourite app here) and Milestone's famous hot spinach and artichoke dip.  They are fabulous appetizers that are easily shared.

After the appetizers were enjoyed, we ordered our mains.  One of us had the Portobello Mushroom Chicken, which has a double breast of chicken with sliced portobello mushrooms sauteed in olive oil with fresh basil, roasted garlic and reduced Reggiano cream over capellini.  It was tender and delicious, and the vegetables were crisp and filling.

One of us ordered the same dish but with mashed potatoes instead of capellini.  

One of us had the Cajun Shrimp Diane which has a generous portion of Louisiana style shrimp Reggiano cheese, scallions and roasted mushrooms in a lightly spiced garlic cream sauce.  Served with steamed Asian greens, roasted grape tomatoes and basil cilantro jasmine rice.  I have had this dish before and it is filling and delicious.

One of us had the Asian Steak Citrus Salad, which is a new addition to the menu.  It was a large salad with a generous portion of spiced steak and ingredients that blended together very well.

I had the grilled chicken caesar - one of the best chicken caesar salads available anywhere.  It had tender pieces of grilled chicken (not dry) combined with a wonderful and flavourful crisp pancetta.  The sauce was very tasty and not over done.  The greens were crisp and fresh.  The ciabatta crustinis were absolutely delicious, as was the mixture of shredded Regianno and Asiago cheese.

We only had room to share one desert it was a giant chocolate cookie with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.

To top off a wonderful meal we ended with their most famous cocktail - THE MILESTONES' ORIGINAL BELLINI.  It is a fabulous mixture of white rum, peach liqueur and sparkling white wine, crushed ice and topped with sangria.

the gang

A meal at Milestones is always enjoyable, whether it is in summer on the patio or winter inside.  

http://www.milestonesrestaurants.com/