Rather than extend the previous thread, I thought I would start a new one for this year.
I’ll start us off by noting that Lake Inez opened reservations for their Mystery Patio dinner experience for reservations (we just snagged a table for June 23). For those unfamiliar, this is a 6-course meal with a cocktail and wine pairings. It’s usually delicious, fun, and very entertaining.
A few nights ago, we needed a patio close to the opera and one of the few now open was Sud Forno. While offering less variety than other Terroni locations, our experiences in the past have always been pretty good.
The patio is located in the alley beside the restaurant. It is covered over top, but is otherwise very much open air. Service was a little slow, but we got out in time for the opera.
Glasses of wine:
Good idea! Thanks for starting a new thread!
The one on Hazelton and Yorkville recently renovated their patio and the covered area should open soon (the main entrance area is already open)
We went to Lapinou’s patio with friends on Saturday night. It remains very comfortable. The heat lamps will make it very warm if there is a chill in the air. The extendable canopy overhead will block sunlight, but not a heavy downpour. It can get quite breezy if the wind direction is right.
Lapinou started off more eclectic and inventive (our favourite phase), then shifted towards more traditional French bistro (steak frites), and now has swung to a bit more modern French bistro. Food remains very good and the French wine selection is also extensive. Servers are friendly, though the service itself was a little slow. Having a larger party, we sampled much of the current menu.
Cocktails:
[Not pictured] Le Solstice - charred pineapple infused rum, Bacardi 8 year rum, lime, pineapple, cardamom, cinnamon (on the egg white on top) - also very tropical and delicious.
The wines-by-the glass are available as 3 oz pours, if you want to do lots of sampling. We tried:
Thankfully they brought back their amazing house-smoked ham…
There were three raw options (not including the oysters):
Two of the warm apps followed:
Then two salads:
We had two regular mains:
They also have larger shareable mains:
We ordered two sides:
And all three desserts:
I enjoyed brunch on the Union Patio this morning’s. I had the Swiss Train Ride (Croque Madame, $24) and a cappuccino.
They let us stay for 2 h. In the past, it was a 90 minute table.
Ventilation was great. I’ll be back.
Booked a table at Ascari Enoteca (the original Queen East location) and arrived just in time for the thunderstorms last night. They drained our table, moved it in again the building wall, and dried off all the seats and table surfaces. After that, everything went fine. All the food remains very good to excellent and they have a great wine selection.
We ordered a bottle of an orange wine: Ampeleia Bianco 2020, Tuscany (trebbiano, malvasia, ansonica) - very nice, caramel-y, tartly tannin-y and cinnamon, with a bit of apricots.
Finally got around to trying le paradis
They have small sitting area outside The weather turned so ended up inside
Had the following
Beet salad, bocacini salad
Duck breast I tried no pic was decent
I had the veal kidneys. Slightly over cooked but I haven’t had these in ages maybe so my reference is off
Finished off with Catalan cream again my reference is off. A busy spot for a weekday filled with regulars
Haven’t been to Le Paradis in over 2 decades. I actually had a kidney dish there, which was very good at the time. Do you recommend we revisit?
I’ve lived a few blocks from Le Paradis for 8 years, but I haven’t been in over a decade. I had dined there at least 2 times between 2002 and 2013. It used to be one friend’s favourite restaurant in the city. I don’t like kidneys, so I wouldn’t have ordered those. I probably ordered duck, seafood or steak frites.
I was turned off that the owner had views on the opposite side of the political spectrum from mine, in 2020 and 2021.
I will be leaving the neighborhood this month, and it’s unlikely I will visit Le Paradis over the next couple weeks.
The bistro patio I have been meaning to visit is Maison T. It’s a nice little patio. I hope to visit this month or next. I also want to visit Pompette soon.
Le Baratin’s patio opening was held up by the city’s red tape for the CaféTO programmes. The takeout food @rstuart and I enjoyed last weekend was very good! I will revisit Le Baratin for takeout or patio.
Maison T was pretty good when we went., but perhaps not worth putting on a high priority for a repeat visit.
Hmm I would pass though if you just want to try the veal kidney. I will probably end up there again as want to support a neighborhood spot to try other dishes.
Breakfast sandwich at Emmer today. I managed to get an order in when there were only 3 people ahead of me in line. There were 15 people behind me by the time I paid. This was around 11:20 am on a Sunday.
I had an iced latte and breakfast sandwich on their park bench outside the covered patio. Also, pieces of quiche to-go.
My lucky window of a short wait time was before the 15 minute lull between the breakfast menu and lunch menu.
The Sunday crowd is a different crowd. It seems like a lot of people who like making public displays of affection are heading to Emmer around 11:15 am, and there are a ton of couples with strollers. The dads almost all are bearded, wearing baseball hats and expensive non technical running shoes with anklets. I was tempted to take a photo of some people ahead of me in line, because it looked like the dads had intentionally matched their Cole Haan and All Birds shoes with their shorts, shirts and baseball hats.
The moms with the strollers usually have long hair, usually straight , often with a lot of highlights. The dogs are usually Doodles, but today I saw a miniature poodle and this black dog with a Swiss cross collar.
It’s just weird how uniform the Sunday brunch demographic for Emmer is.
Here is my breakfast sandwich, $10 before tax.
I liked Maison T. a lot, though the price of the onion soup ($18) is pushing it. A narrow menu, but well chosen, with most main-dish prices, given the quality, acceptable. Steak-frites perfectly executed, one of the best in town, and I’ve ingested many of them. An attractive patio on Shaw Street, away from the nearby traffic, but not the NOISE of the traffic on Dupont. Unless you like patios beyond reason, I’d sit inside. Amiable service. Nicely refurbished from its previous rickety incarnation, the much-missed Universal Grill.
We took two friends to Dova recently, now that the back patio is reliably open. Food and wine remain excellent. Service was friendly, if a bit spotty (e.g., no cooling container for our wine until requested).
Cocktails remain delicious:
Brunch at Bar Koukla. I wanted the breakfast sandwich (proino koulouri) but that was not available today.
They were quick. The egg was maybe a little runny on the Dakos, which was really Toast, not Dakos. Dakos is a Cretan Rusk, not a thick slice of toast. Pretty tasty.
The potatoes and lamb were quite good. Probably a little more food than I needed today, so I will walk it off.
45 minute wait at Union on Ossington around 12 pm. The patios were packed , with 10 plus people in line, at Old School and Sisters & Co at noon.
Manita isn’t offering take-out anymore, apparently.
That menu looks interesting.
It’s too bad I’m rarely around for brunch.
The Baklava Pancakes is calling for me so hard that even the warnings of goddess Kirke would do me no good.
Baklava cheesecake is also a thing lately- at Mamakas across the street (which has $45 prix fixe lunch, and generally is better restaurant, same owner Thanos Tripi), also found in Greektown at Serano Bakery and Cafe Serano on Pape .
Here is Mamakas’ patio today. I probably should have splurged on the $45 prix fixe lunch at Mamakas.
Everything sounds good in concept at Koukla, and it could be amazing, but it’s been short on execution both times I’ve visited.
Sisters & Co has 4 outdoor 2-tops on the sidewalk this summer. No shade.
Very happy with the Char Siu Benny today. Sisters & Co also does pick-up through Ritual.
Finally tried Bar Vendetta a few nights ago. This is in the former Black Hoof’s digs and is part of the Jen Agg mini-empire. There is a small street patio out front, but the nicer patio is out back. It’s covered, but still open air. Best of all, they don’t play music out back, so you can actually hear each other talk without yelling.
There is an extensive wine list, mainly by the bottle. There are also a few fine cocktails. The food is Italian-focused, mainly a bunch of antipasti and a few choice pastas. The pastas are a bit more straightforward than the ones at, say, Grey Gardens. But they are well-executed with quality ingredients and well-balanced flavours.
We started with a couple of cocktails:
We then moved on to a bottle of 2015 pinot noir, Freja Cellars, Willamette Valley - almost minty with lots of strawberry and cherry; we all loved it.
