DUKE OF YORK 

39 Prince Arthur Avenue, The Annex, Toronto, On. (416) 964-2441, Lunch, Dinner, Late Night 7 days a week

Went to Duke of York for nachos and beer on Saturday evening with my son Mark.  The Duke of York is located on Prince Arthur Avenue near Yorkville.  In a group of restaurants that include Bedford Academy, Fieramosca and Opus.  It is a very lively bar with a welcoming feel and easy going attitude.

The inside is warm, homey and is composed of a variety of different rooms and a nice bar.  There is an outdoor patio at the back that is open in the summer.  The downstairs was hopping with a birthday party and there were large groups coming and going throughout the evening.  There were many U of T students here, since it is located on the edge of the Annex and the University.

They have a good selection of beers, including the regular choices, as well as some craft brews and some UK choices.

Mark decided on a Moosehead.

I chose a beer I hadn't had in a while, Boddingtons Pub Ale.  It was cool, creamy and delicious.

We ordered  a small order of nachos, which although large were lacking in flavour, salt and cheese.  Despite a variety of toppings it was bland and dry.

We saw an large pretzel being ordered at the bar and decided to try one.  It was very good and filling and the cheese sauce was a good accompaniment.

All in all it was a typical pub experience, with a typical pub atmosphere and food selections.  The service was okay, the nachos needed serious improvement to have any taste.  The curried wraps that were passed around as hoers d'oeuvres were very tasty though.

http://york.thedukepubs.ca/index-home.php

THE BLACK BULL 

289 Queen Street West, Toronto, On (416) 593-2766

We decided to have a snack of nachos and a libation after a bit of walking on a beautiful 12 degree celsius evening in January on my favourite street in Toronto - Queen Street.  So we came to the Black Bull - this is the first patio to open in spring on Queen Street in Toronto.

random Queen Street Busker

Tom and Katie decided to have beer - it looked ice cold and delicious.  They have a lousy selection of beers!  They really depend on their location and their summer patio and really that is it.

I had some red wine - didn't feel like beer today - it was a Jacobs Creek and was just OK.  It was the only red wine on the menu - this is supposed to be a bar!!

Since we were going out for dinner later we decided to just share a plate of Nachos with chili.

They were accompanied by sour cream, guacamole and salsa on the side and were great to share because they were covered in a mountain of cheese.  We didn't have anything substantial here but what we did have was OK.  The service could have been faster, it was way too slow - since it was not busy at this time on a late Saturday afternoon.  Ordinary pub food nothing special.  We have been to far better pubs in Toronto.

 

JACK ASTOR'S BAR and GRILL 

133 John Street, Entertainment District, Toronto On., (416) 595-9100, Open 7 days for lunch and dinner, Fri. and Sat. Late night.

We decided to go to Jack Astor's on John Street in Toronto.  It is a very large and active restaurant in the summer season with a very large and busy patio.  It is quieter in the winter.  When we arrived we were given a table in the middle of the hallway to the kitchen just inside the front door.  It was a virtual freeway (poor restaurant design).

One of us had the Bouillabaisse soup that looked rather watery but was good.

We weren't that hungry so we decided to order appetizers and salads.  One of us ordered the pulled pork poutine.

We shared two orders of fried calamari.

Two of us shared lettuce wraps that were very substantial, some of it had to be taken home.

Two of us had chicken grilled caesars salads.  They were quite filling.

One of us had a regular caesar salad.

We shared a bottle of Berringer California cab sav - always a good choice.  We found the menu has been much the same for years.  It is substantial and filling, but could use more imagination.  Our waiter was very efficient and friendly.  One thing we noticed at the end of our meal - a large group of people were patiently waiting to get seated, while a group of hostesses were chatting.  There were many empty tables and these people could have been seated much quicker.  

http://www.jackastors.com/

GRACE O'MALLEY'S

14 Duncan Street, Entertainment District, Toronto On., (416) 596-1444

We went to Grace O'Malley's for a rest after some boxing week shopping for libations and nachos.  It was a quiet Thursday early evening when we arrived.  

My son ordered a pint of Guiness.  My wife and I ordered a glass of California Merlot. 

The nachos with chicken was enormous and very filling.  It contained chicken, black olives, lots of cheese and jalapeno peppers and some vegetables.  We could not finish it.  It was a quiet oasis during a hectic day shopping.  The wine however was not quite what I expected from a California wine.
There was a well equipped stage near where we were sitting. There was a well designed bar and a variety of seating.  It's menu is pub fare with a Canadian twist.

STONEWALLS 

339 York Blvd, Hamilton, On (905) 577-0808 Mon-Thurs 11:30am - midnight,  Fri 11:30 - 2:00 am, Sat 10 am - 2:00 am, Sun 10 am - midnight

Went here a number of times for nachos and their irish nachos, which were quite tasty.  Three of us decided to try it for a full lunch meal.  It was after the lunch rush and there were several patrons still eating.  There was only one waitress, travelling back and forth from the kitchen trying to serve quite a large area of the restaurant, and she was run off her feet.
They have Country Music DJ's on Thursdays and live entertainment on the stage on Friday and Saturday.  There are TV's tuned to various sporting events scattered around the restaurant and bar area.  They also have an events calendar on their website.

I ordered a roast beef on a bun au jus with fries.  The roast beef was piled high, but was very chewy and I had to take some out of the bun because it was too hard to eat.  The fries were gummy and there was a lone pickle on the plate.  I had a glass of iced tea that was totally flavourless. 

My son had something called "road kill" chicken melt, which consisted of grilled cajun chicken breast, topped with avocado, salsa, bacon, lettuce, tomato and melted swiss cheese all on a toasted bun with chipotle aioli and sweet potato fries.  It was a mess to eat although somewhat tasty.

  My wife had the baby beef liver and caramelized onions (she didn't think it was baby beef liver).  It was somewhat overcooked and was plopped on a mountain of mashed potatoes with an overwhelming amount of gravy.  I don't think we will be returning here for food any time soon.  There are better places in Hamilton to eat lunch.

There is free parking and a patio facing the street.

http://www.stonewallshamilton.com/

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

ONE DUKE 

1 Duke Street, Hamilton, On (905) 540-3853, Open 11:30 - 12:00 or 1:00 weekends

On a cool October night we decided to get some good comfort food, so we went to One Duke in Hamilton.  We have been here before for their chicken and shepherds pie, but the menu has changed, so we tried some new dishes.  I had the special which was a fish fry of ocean perch, coleslaw and fries for 10 dollars.  My son had a chicken dish with a sweet and sour barbecue sauce, garlic mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. I enjoyed the fish and coleslaw, but the fries were a little dry and tasteless.  I should have had the mashed potatoes instead.  My son really enjoyed the chicken, which was tender, with tasty sauce and great mashed potatoes. My son also tried a new featured beer with pumpkin flavouring.  I had a Kilkenny Irish beer. It was a good dinner on a cool fall night just before Thanksgiving.

One Duke has changed hands and appearance over the years but it has finally found itself, unfortunately it needs a bit of renovating, it is looking very tired and it has a lot more potential. It was almost full and the two waitresses were working hard to serve a large number of patrons.  Unfortunately the large patio was closed, due to the cool night, but it is a good spot on a warm night.

long patio for good weather

busy bar area

chicken with garlic mashed and grilled asparagus

fried ocean perch with fries and garlic bread

      

Rickards Cardigan ale, pumpkin flavour

                                                         http://www.oneduke.ca/