EL FURNITURE WAREHOUSE 

410 Bloor Street, The Annex, Toronto, On., (778) 938-7077, Monday-Sunday  11:00 am to 2:00 am.

My sons and I decided to try a new restaurant in the Annex area of Toronto.  It is one of the newbies in the area and boasts that all dishes are $4.95.  Although a new arrival in the city, it is the tenth version of the original one, hailing from Whistler B.C..  It is based on a simple premise - cheap food that is good in an environment that is very casual and hip!!  It delivers on all fronts.  The workers wear Vans shoes, the walls are decorated in a boarder theme and boarder and extreme biker videos play on the tv screens.  It is not a typical sports bar - it caters to hipsters and has found itself in the perfect location in the Annex.

The menu here is extensive and yet simple - everything IS $4.95.

There is also a good list of drinks at reasonable prices.

Mark and I had the garlic prawns.  They consisted of large tiger prawns sauteed with garlic, onions, tomato, jalapenos, chipotle butter, avocado, grilled bread and fresh lemon.  We both agreed they were delicious.

Thomas tried the maple bacon potato skins with cheddar and mozzarrella cheese, crispy maple bacon, green onion and sour cream.  He found them typical, but worth the price.

Mark and Tom both had the pulled chicken on a bun.  It consisted of pulled chicken, smokey bbq sauce, cheddar, crispy onion strings, macho sauce (like a thousand islands dressing), shredded lettuce on a brioche bun. They both liked this.

I had the braised beef dip au jus with slowly braised beef, horseradish butter, crispy onion strings on a toasted baguette with rosemary au jus to dip.  It was accompanied by a small kale salad with fresh kale leaves, creamy caesar dressing, croutons, parmesan cheese, maple bacon bits and fresh lemon.  It was a little short on beef, but still worth every penny!

We had a Bud draft that was warm and didn't hit the spot so we switched to Mill Street Organic.  It was a much better choice.

All in all the Ferny was worth the wait (no reservations).  We enjoyed the food, the vibe, the service, the prices and will DEFINITELY return.  Well done guys!!

http://warehousewhis.ca/

RADIUS CAFE AND URBAN CASUAL DINING 

151 James Street South, Hamilton, On. L8P 3A2, (905) 393-1658 Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 7 days, Late Night Fri. Sat.

The Radius is located in one of the nicer areas of the downtown area, surrounded by a variety of restaurants and pubs.  It is a relative newcomer to the area and is a large and fabulous space.  It consists of two venues, one side is a clean and comfortable space for dining.

There is also a very large series of patios on the outside of the building, including a large street side patio and an elevated rooftop patio.

We began by trying to have our drinks and food on the street side patio but the weather was not cooperating so we went inside.

We reviewed the menu and decided on our selections.

I ordered warm olives to start.  They were delicious and very hot.  We all shared them.

Katie decided to order the taco trio.  They consisted of pork belly, chorizo, Lake Erie perch and some seasonal toppings($15).  They looked good and tasted even better.

Tom ordered the Hamilton Burger which included pancetta, potato crisps, sweet corn relish, aged cheddar, sriracha mayo, fried egg.  It was delicious and very messy (the sign of a good burger).  It was accompanied by a small bowl of mustard and a small salad ($17).

I ordered the smoked BBQ chicken wings with grainy mustard and apple slaw.  They were delicious but could have been more meaty ($12).

After completing our dinner and libations we went through the hallway to the other section which includes a very spacious yet comfortable cafe.

We had a selection of coffees including a nice Americano and took a look around this great space.

Radius is a great addition to the restaurant scene in Hamilton.  It has a very nice interior, a very spacious patio with a view, a wonderful cafe space which is large and comfortable.  It is quite a large space to service, so the wait staff get a lot of exercise, but the service was reasonable.  The menu could be more extensive and the prices are quite high for the quantity of food but we are sure they will improve with time.  Their website needs improvement as well.
Recently there have been some drastic improvements to the interior. A wall was removed to open the space, a small bar located on one side was replaced by a much larger one.  The cafe was completely replaced and has become a relaxing lounge with lounge music and comfortable seating.  It is fabulous! Well done radius!

We recently came for a dinner with our 2 sons and were very impressed with the improvements.

Calamari were great! ($15)

Trout in parchment paper

Haddock and mashed

Braised Beef

Cocktail

Pork Chop

http://www.radiuscafe.net/

CROWSNEST PUB

CROWSNEST PUB 3.25 out of 5

5 Bay Street, Tobermory On., N0H 2R0, 519-596-2575, Open 11 am to late night.

The Crowsnest Pub is located in the Big Tub harbour in Tobermory Ontario (at the very end of Highway 6 North).  It has a great location overlooking the harbour, where boats from near and far can be seen moored.  We have come to Tobermory on July long weekend for years and sometimes go  to the Crowsnest Pub.

We came here on Sunday for dinner and were seated on the deck outside with somewhat of a harbour view.

We looked over the menus, which were easy to read.

Kathy (my sister in law) chose a Sleeman for a beverage while I had a Pabst Blue Ribbon. My wife had a nice light, red wine.

We skipped appetizers and went for the mains.  We all ordered the grilled whitefish (which is fished locally).  My wife and Kathy had the fish plain.

I had mine with lemon-butter seasoning.

All mains came with baked potatoes, coleslaw, sliced tomato and dinner roll with butter.  Unfortunately all three of our baked potatoes were undercooked.  However the waitress had them reheated and they were better, but still a little hard.

 It was a rather ordinary meal.  The location and surroundings added to the experience.  We later discussed that we did not like some of the renovations that made the interior more like a cafeteria and less like a homey pub that it was before the renovations.  

They have entertainment some evenings.

All in all it was a pleasant evening in a nice location.  The service was good, the menu was reasonable (the wine selection could be improved with a wider selection), the beer was cold and the evening was warm.

http://crowsnestpub.ca/