THE KEG STEAKHOUSE and BAR 

26 The Esplanade, St. Lawrence Market District, Toronto, (416) 367-0685 Dinner and Late Night seven days a week.

On Saturday night in early November, we decided to have dinner at the Keg in Toronto on the Esplanade - behind the Sony Centre.  Bon Jovi was playing a couple of blocks away at the Air Canada Centre, so the area was unusually busy.  We have been to this Keg before, for appetizers and drinks before a Leafs game a few weeks earlier and we wanted to try it for a full meal, since it had such a comfortable ambiance.

 While reviewing the menu we ordered some beer and wine.

A nice fresh warm loaf arrived with butter to get us started.

Our son Mark ordered the bacon wrapped scallops with a martini sauce as his appetizer and he enjoyed them, though they were rather small.

Our son Thomas ordered the baked garlic shrimp with herbs, Jack and cheddar cheeses for his appetizer.  He found them delicious.

I ordered the escargot stuffed mushroom caps in a curried butter sauce.  These are always amazing and the butter bun is great for mopping up the remaining sauce.

My wife opted for the caesar salad - it was cool crispy and delicious.

Mark ordered the Creole Chicken with shrimp and scallops sauteed in Creole seasonings, accompanied with garlic mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables. He really enjoyed this dish.

Thomas had the Teriyaki sirloin steak done medium rare with garlic mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables.  He found it very satisfying.

My wife had the Zesty grilled salmon fillet basted with a sweet and mildly spiced sauce, with rice pilaf and seasonal vegetables.  She said it was very good.  I tasted some of it and she was right.  It was a delicious piece of salmon.

I had a perfectly cooked sirloin with baked potato and butter, with seasonal vegetables - it was classic keg - the steak was tender and the taste was pure steak!

We all completed our dinners with the classic keg dessert Billy Miner pie, a mocha ice cream on a chocolate crust with hot fudge, caramel and almonds.  It doesn't matter how full you feel there is always room for this dessert which tastes lighter than it looks.

At this point we were treated to a nice surprise.  When we first arrived, our very efficient and personable waiter asked whether we were here for any occasion, or just dinner.  I had mentioned that we were here to celebrate our sons' birthdays (they were both near the end of October).  They received complimentary Billy Miner pies with sparklers!  This was a nice surprise which we did not expect.  

Also, the restaurant General Manager arrived with two cards wishing them happy birthday!  

A very nice touch, which we all really appreciated and will certainly bring us back.  Thank you Keg Esplanade, it was a very enjoyable evening.

http://www.kegsteakhouse.com/en/locations/ON/toronto/esplanade-keg/

BUCHANANS CHOPHOUSE

BUCHANANS STEAK AND SEAFOOD 

6039 Fallsview Blvd., Niagara Falls On., 905-353-4111, 

After a little gambling in the Fallsview Casino we decided to have dinner.  It is rare to find a real restaurant that is not a tourist trap in Niagara Falls - this is definitely a real restaurant.  Unfortunately it takes some effort to find it, since it is located within the Double Tree Resort and Spa on Fallsview Avenue.  It is located on the mezzanine (upper) level above the beautiful lobby inside the hotel.

The interior is clean, well designed and quiet.

During dinner a guitarist played smooth, soothing jazz tunes (a couple behind us decided to dance during one of

the tunes).

Before we ordered, a basket of delicious and fresh bread arrived.

We ordered a bottle of Robert Mondavi Woodbridge Merlot which is always a good choice.

The menu is quite varied and simple to follow.

We decided on fried calamari as an appetizer.  They came with a nice sweet dipping sauce and were very good.

Both of us decided to order from the seafood selection on the menu. For our mains, my wife ordered the salmon.  It arrived on a bed of flavourful rice and vegetables including bok choy, which we both really like. (a piece of my fish selection (pickerel) is visible in the bottom of the pic). 

I chose the pickerel (walleye) and it was perfectly cooked and covered in a delicious simple sauce. My selection came with bok choy and alfalfa sprouts and the rice as well.

There was a special this evening - a 6 ounce lobster tail with melted butter for 9 dollars.  We decided to share it and it was wonderful.

We ended our savoury meal with a simple espresso, it was done perfectly.

This was definitely not a tourist trap restaurant (it is very good food at a fair price).  Its is definitely worth the effort to find.  We will soon return to try some other items.

http://doubletree3.hilton.com/en/hotels/ontario/doubletree-fallsview-resort-and-spa-by-hilton-niagara-falls-IAGDTDT/dining/index.html

ST. LAWRENCE MARKET

We went to the St. Lawrence market to check things out.  It has been a long time since we have been here.  Things sure have changed - especially the prices and selection.  There are some wonderful stalls to visit.

Just look at these roasts and steaks.

Do you want marinated meat on a stick?

How about some olives?

How about some treats, cakes and pastry?

Does caviar turn you on?

Do you cook with olive oil?

This only a small selection of stalls in this amazing market.  You have to visit here when you are in this area of Toronto.

BEDFORD ACADEMY 4 out of 5

36 Prince Arthur Avenue, Toronto, On., M5R 2J9, (416) 921-4600 Mon - Fri 11:00 - 2:00, Sat - Sun 10:00 - 11:00

Went to the Bedford Academy after seeing the BYOW ad on their website.  I emailed them to find out the details and they responded right away with the details indicating that I had to bring the receipt that showed it was purchased at the LCBO, come after 5 pm and pay a corkage fee of $5.  After checking the menu in advance online we had noticed that they called themselves a gastro pub.  The food was definitely different from a pub, but they had a laid back pub like atmosphere.

We came at about 6 pm and were greeted and seated in the dining area, which seemed cramped with too many tables.  We ordered some appetizers and the waiter opened the wine that we had brought.  It was a nice Chianti.  We shared our apps including calamari fritti with Chipotle aioli and pomes frites.  I ordered the dry rubbed char grilled pickerel fillet on a grilled vegetable salad drizzled with garlic butter.  The pickerel was awesome, but there were too many grilled vegetables in the bowl and they overwhelmed the taste of the fish ($19).  My wife ordered the butternut squash ravioli with caramelized apples and brown butter sauce ($16). She liked the ravioli, but it was in too much oil.  My son had the prosciutto wrapped beef tenderloin with truffled potatoes and seasonable vegetables, and he liked it ($19).

The room was very noisy due to a group that really should have been in the bar area.  Also, we were sitting at a very dark table and my flash wasn't working, so the only pictures I could get were of the room itself, and even these were very dark.

The service was very good, and I like the BYOW touch.  We will probably try the Bedford again either in the summer on the patio, or on a brighter day, when we can see our dishes.

We have been here many times since our first experience and have come to like the Bedford.  The service is excellent and everything we have tried here is fabulous.  They have improved their wine selection and have kept the $5 corkage on Saturdays.  Their specials are always unique and tasty and we find their prices reasonable.  We would recommend you try this restaurant.

http://www.thebedfordacademy.com/

IL FORNELLO (King St.) 3.5 out of 5

214 King Street West (416) 977-2855  Hours Open 11:30 Mon -Fri , 12:00 Sat -Sun

We have been here a number of times and have not been disappointed.  This time we came just before the peak hours. It can get very busy here, because it is next to the Princess of Wales Theatre in the Entertainment District.  Despite the fact it is quite a large restaurant, it fills up very quickly after 6 pm and it is recommended to have reservations.  Since we were early, we were served very efficiently and quickly.  We began, as we always do here, with their olive bowl of marinated black and green olives and crostini, which we shared (a delicious and inexpensive appetizer).  We ordered a nice Ripasso wine, at a reasonable price, and decided to try the salmon dinner.  It was delicious and extremely hot when it arrived (I like my fish hot).  It was a generous portion of fish and was perfectly cooked.  It was accompanied by a lemon garlic dipping sauce (served on the side).  The rest of the plate consisted of a generous portion of  French beans and fingerling potatoes.

We completed the meal with desert.  My wife had a slice of cheesecake which was soft and delicious.  I had the raspberry chocolate tartuffo with whipped cream.  We also had a cappuccino and espresso.

although it is a large restaurant it fills quickly

olive bowl with garlic, rapini, and crostini

Ripasso wine and olives, a great combination of flavours

grilled salmon, French beans,  and fingerling potatoes

raspberry, chocolate tartuffo with whipped cream

lfornello.com