Oh, I might order that. Thinking of going meat-free for Lent. I’ll take a photo. 
I was looking at the prices at another place yesterday. $19 for each side dish. Fancy restaurants in the Financial District are trying really hard not to charge a full $20 for the mashed potatoes.
As you can see above, Bosk is charging $17 for a side of potatoes.
Alobar Downtown dinner prices on Feb 13, 2024.
I think pricing will likely change in the near future. As of Feb 13, 2024, the Table d’hôte ( Set Menu of the Day for people unfamiliar with the term) is $130 at Lucie.
https://restaurantlucie.com/dinner/
Library Bar’s prices are reasonable, relative to many places downtown, considering it’s located in the Royal York . They have kept their burger and fries at the going rate for a fancy pub burger in Toronto (~$28). Roughly the same price at the Oxley.
For those who may be familiar with the term - what is a “curated menu”???
It seems to be popping up all over town.
My first reaction was it might be something they previously stored in the Basement and brought up to show people.
No idea, unless it’s a maitre d’ or server telling you what you should order? Personal shopper meets server?
A food sommelier?
My friend and I had.a pre-opera dinner at AloBar Downtown at 150 York. The dining room was approximately 3/4 full on a Saturday.
Good ventilation.
The Hokkaido scallop (raw, $24) was delicious.
I liked the duck confit pappardelle ($46), although it was a little salty. I decided against the seafood pasta because I don’t like mussels that much.
My friend enjoyed the foie gras parfait ($28),
6 raw oysters ($24) and Caesar salad ($24)
We also had an Espresso cocktail ($18)
a Negroni ($18) and a couple glasses of Tempranillo ($21).
It added up. We had a nice meal.
I would go back.
Rosalinda was around half full on a Saturday at 5:30 pm.
I had the tagliolini with clam and mussel this evening. Fresh pasta in a spicy olio aglio topped with bread crumbs, four clams and maybe ten mussels. Tasty, but no way worth $44.
With the prices around town, how much do you think the pasta at Alo is worth? What price would you set it at?
I haven’t quite adjusted to the new prices at upscale restaurants since I don’t go to that many anymore, unless they offer take-out.
The pastas at Beast Pizza are currently $21-$24, the pastas at Bar Vendetta have been around $19-$31 , and the pastas at Enoteca Sociale are $19-$34. Interestingly, lesser other midrange mediocre Italian restaurants have also been in the $22-$32 range.
$40 feels like the upper limit to me for a simple pasta dish… Ingredients like truffles or lobster justify a higher price (see Buca Yorkville’s menu for examples) but a handful of clams isn’t enough. I did enjoy the food at Alobar (scallop starter was delicious), but the inflated price tag and the DJ’s bizarre and intrusive musical selections (which is another story) put me off thoughts of returning any time soon.
I suspect we will see more pastas at $28-$32 and $37-$38. It is bold to price them at $46.
The DJ is just weird.
It wasn’t loud before the Opera, but I can imagine it might get louder or more intrusive.
It’s funny to see attempts to make Bay St dining more cool or hip on a weekend, isn’t it?
Yes, that scallop was one of the best bites of restaurant food I’ve had in 4 years.
I haven’t really dined at this price point since 2020. I’m sure equally delicious bites are happening at Lucie, Edulis, etc.
Does anyone have any new ideas for a place to meet that’s well-ventilated, open mid-afternoon on weekdays, close to the Sheraton, Hilton or Royal York?
I’m leaning towards a visit to have tea at the Shangri La, since I like its lobby more than the lobbies at the Hilton or Sheraton.
If you are leaning towards hotel lobbies maybe the Delta hotel would work as its not as busy if there isn’t a conference happening nearby. I particularly enjoyed their whiskey bar as it has an extensive selection
Thanks for the idea!
My friend found the perfect spot.
Lano inside the Ritz Carlton. CO2 was in the 615-675 range which is excellent ventilation for people with immune conditions. The coffee shop/ bar/ restaurant had 4 occupied tables at 4 pm on a Saturday.
Friendly service, good cocktails.
We had the 4 choice antipasto platter which comes with 3 types of bread, a Negroni and an Espresso Martini. I will be back.
