This week I had the opportunity  (and time) to visit two new restaurants and naturally I would like to share them with you.

Restaurant #1: The newly opened Caplansky’s at 156 Cumberland. Yes, The Deli King,….Zane Caplansky, has brought deli to Yorkville and this particular location is the launch of their first franchise!

The space is bright and colourful and has some fun features like a pickle on the front doors and pickle wall paper too.

As for the food: I sampled the Turkey Reuben (exclusive to this location),  BBQ Beef Brisket and a Smoked Meat Reubensque. Of course, I liked all of them! I wish I could tell you I liked one more than the other, but I can’t.

The media event that I attended, also had some fun swag that was brilliant…Pickle Socks in a Mason Jar.

Restaurant #2: It’s called Toast and it’s a pop up restaurant that will be open every weekend throughout the month of May (9 am to 3 pm) in the Distillery District (45 Mill St).

You pick the type of bread and then pick either savour or sweet toppings. Easy Peasy and DELICIOUS

Sweet options include: Nutella Cheesecake Mousse, Birthday Cake Batter, Carrot Cake Whipped Ricotta, Salted Caramel Milk Jam, Ball Park Peanut Butter.

Savoury options include: Green Goddess Goat Cheese, Huevos Diablos, Pudina Cream Cheese, Hummus 2.0, Grilled Corn Mash.

One bread with one topping is $6 and well worth it. I couldn’t decide between the sweet or savoury so I decided to go half and half (Huevos Diablos and the Salted Caramel Milk Jam).

Then you can sit down and enjoy your Toast!

The three woman behind this concept use to work for The Steve and Chris Show (Joanne Lustead, Amrita Singh and Lindsay Agnew) and while travelling to San Francisco saw a similar concept. Oh how I love these types of stories.

Congratulations to both restaurants. Hope to see you again soon!!

 

The other night I dined at 70 Down Restaurant and Lounge, which opened only 3 months ago. They are located at 70 Yorkville – which gave me the perfect opportunity to shop a bit before dining. Always a great combo!

My meal started off with the perfect cocktail that was refreshing and perfectly balanced!!

As soon as I saw the ingredients I knew I had to order it. I was not disappointed. It was so perfect that I had to use all my willpower not to order a second one.

70 Down has positioned itself as “Mediterranean Middle Eastern meets Modern Tapas” .  I kind of like that idea so we embraced it and started off the meal with Moosear (shallot pressed yogurt with Himalayan salt, dressed with micro arugula and thyme leaves). I must admit – I fell in love with this creamy goodness.

We also ordered  Turshy which is the cutest assortment of pickled cucumber gherkins, carrots, eggplant, cauliflower and garlic, garnished with a chili. Another great dish.

The meal continued with Bolani which is a crispy dough crust stuffed with smashed potato and caramelized onion. I was delighted to see that it came accompanied with more of the Moosear (that yummy pressed yogurt).

One of my favorite dishes of the evening was a simple charcoal broiled tomatoes. So simple and so good.

The waitress suggested we try her favourite dish which was The Moroccan Fish Tacos. I can see what it was her favourite.

 

Believe or not, we tried one more dish called Bontu. Who knew that beef and onion dumplings topped with a tomato beef sauce and topped with yoghurt, garlic and mint COULD BE SO GOOD. I MEAN – REALLY REALLY GOOD. (sorry to use caps and shout but I wanted to make a point. Forgive me?).

We finished the evening with Bistrani – a saffron pistachio ice cream with sprinkled with good quality pistachios. It was the perfect way to end the evening.

70 Down is an incredible place to EAT as well as a happening lounge on the weekend. I was more than impressed with the management and Chef Jimmy who took the time to chat with us about their passion for food.

Already looking forward to my next visit!!

For more information:

Website: www.70down.ca

Address: 70 Yorkville Avenue, Toronto

Phone: 416 323 3696

Twitter and Instagram: @70Down

Disclosure: The meal was complimentary however all opinions are my own.

The Good Press opened this week in the heart of Yorkville. I will tell you about their concept in a sec,  but first I want to tell you a GOOD story.

I was chatting with the owner  (Andew) about the different types of “cold press” machines and as he was talking…I was thinking “I know this guy”. When he mentioned the words ” my other location” – I asked him “what other location?” and he said “Sunshine Wholesome Market”. I then said “OMG – I met you 7 years ago when I was a food sales rep with Big Ups”.

What a small world!!

OK now back to the opening of the Good Press!! Here’s more info….

The Good Press offers a range of healthy options featuring: • Antioxidant-rich açai bowls • 8 oz. and 16 oz. selection of cold press juices • House-made nut milks

• Smoothies • Energy-boosting shots • Wraps and salads • Entry-level cleanses.

When I snapped a photo of these vegetables, I discovered from their friendly staff that these veggies are ORGANIC.

They also sell juice (in glass bottles) that have the cutest names with interesting flavour combinations. Ya gotta love it …i.e Pear Me the Details.

The menu is quite extensive – and takes up a good chunk of their wall. There is truly something for everyone!

Hope you get a chance to visit them one day soon!

For more information:

The Good Press 87 Yorkville Avenue Toronto

Hours: Monday to Sunday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Twitter and Instagram: @goodpressjuice

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thegoodpressjuice.ca

I’m not so comfortable writing this blog post as it’s not going to be the upbeat type of blog post you are use to. But I feel, I must share with you my thoughts on how much I spent recently for a butter tart and a coffee….in Bracebridge Ontario. That’s right…Bracebridge. This is not about an over priced restaurant in Yorkville or on Bloor St!!

The restaurant that I went to is well known for their butter tarts. I must admit I’ve  been going every year for the last 4 years. Therefore, I shouldn’t be in shock when the cash register says I owe this amount for a normal cup of coffee and one butter tart!! BUT I AM. I CAN”T SEEM TO GET OVER THIS.

Now that I’ve disclosed how much it costs to have a butter tart and a coffee…let’s talk about their perfect butter tart. There are no words to accurately describe this butter tart.  So I’m not going to even try.

Even though this butter tart and the coffee is OVER PRICED…they run out. So please get there early if you too feel like spending $7.35 on a coffee and a butter tart!! (you have been warned)

By the way this cafe is so famous that there’s no phone number on their website!! That’s how much business he does.

Here’s the info you need to know:

Marty’s World Famous Cafe, 5 Manitoba St, Bracebridge, ON

It’s that time of year to enjoy some hot chocolate. So I put together a list of a few places and off I went.

First on the list was Jet Fuel Coffee Shop  (519 Parliament St)

Can’t say I was impressed: it was watery. I would go back for their coffee though in a heart beat.

Second stop was The Grind House (281 Augusta) in Kensington Market. I ordered their chili hot chocolate and thought it was  simply divine. Not to sweet, not to chocolately, not to spicy. It was well balanced and perfect (in my humble opinion)

Third stop was MoRoCo Chocolat ( 99 Yorkville Ave) in Yorkville. This white hot chocolate was certainly pretty but man oh man was it sweet. Not to mention a small cup (12 oz) was over $7. I know they use REAL chocolate and I know they are in Yorkville but still…..I was kind of shocked.

 

Fourth and final stop was Aroma Espresso (went to the Forest Hill location at 383 Spadina) Love the fact that they put a huge chunk of white chocolate in the bottom of the cup and then add steamed milk in order to produce the perfect cup of white hot chocolate.

Here’s proof of the white chocolate that they use:

I am now looking forward to my next crawl! I think it’s time to do a ________ crawl.

PS really meant to go to Soma (443 King St. W) but never made it. Who knows there might be a hot chocolate crawl part 2. Ya never know.