I had assumed the wagyu was sirloin, but it was so tender/silky it could have been tongue!
Will talk to my friend - I’ll bring the wine!
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We tried Puerto Bravo recently. The menu has a focus on seafood, most of which does not appear sustainable, so we were limited in what we could order. What we tried was generally good, though not necessarily head and shoulders above other Mexican restaurants in a similar price bracket.
Street corn: corn kernels, queso fresco, mayonnaise, butter, lime, chili powder - delicious mix of sweet, sour, and a bit of spice.
Carne asada (singles): grilled beef (ground but hand-cut), asadero cheese, onions, finely grated cabbage, minced radish, avocado salsa, red salsa - very tasty and just a tad salty.
Dorados de Pescado (comes with 3): crispy tacos (like flautas), haddock, potato, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, queso fresco, avocado salsa, pickled onions - very good, the fish was mixed with potato inside the deep fried tortillas.
Carlota - maria cookies, lime, condensed milk, cream cheese - and a tinned peach on top - very nice, tangy from the cream cheese, so not too sweet.
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New Bibs announced.
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Which restaurants do you consider equivalent to a Bib, that have been overlooked?
Michelin seems to have ‘expanded’ the definition of a Bib for Toronto.
For example, Grey Gardens is MUCH pricier than the Bibs in other Michelin guides (and the Toronto ones).
Probably need to set a price limit for a ‘meal plus a glass of wine/beer’ (per person) to get a realistic comparison.
And should a non-licensed place be considered - or let’s drop the beverage issue.
How about $50 per person (before tax/gratuity) for 2 courses (or three small plates) - adding dessert, maybe $65.
Plus a requirement that the food is ‘served’ and/or ordered at the table - which actually eliminates some of the existing Bibs (e,g, Sumilicious).
It’s just too arbitrary a category right now.
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I agree.
Also, there’s no way that Chica’s, Pai or Mother’s is at the level of Bar Vendetta or Fonda Balam.
Pai is basically fast food to my palate.
With our current inflation, with a mediocre chain pub burger and fries costing $20-$30, standard pasta mains costing $20-$32, steak frites costing $40-$50, Indian curries costing $16-$30, dim sum in Chinatown running $30/person, it seems a 2 course or 3 small plate Bib meal is usually going to be closer to $60-$75 Cdn before tax and tip.
I like Sara.
Yes, I know it doesn’t have a Bib, but at least it’s recommended.
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I think they removed the dollar value on Bibs: https://guide.michelin.com/ca/en/article/features/the-bib-gourmand
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According to Michelin, a Bib Gourmand denotes ‘destinations that served “good cuisine at reasonable prices”. Namely, a three-course meal with starter, main course and dessert, within a fixed price range (which today stands at €36 in most European cities, US$40 in American cities, HK300 in Hong Kong and Y5,000 in Tokyo).
So, let’s say $55 Cdn for 3 courses.
Sara would be around $85 ($20 starter, $50 main (or $20 *2 for two small plates), $15 for dessert) so is too expensive to be a Bib – but then Grey Gardens fails this test as well (even with the cheapest starter and pasta)!
As I said above, this category is inconsistent (being charitable).
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I’d think with our Canadian social safety net and food prices, our Bibs that offer food at the standard US, French or British Bib level will be more expensive than the conversion from $40 USD.
The Euro conversion also translates to between $50 and $55 Cdn. As does the HK$. The yen is under $50 Canadian. So I’ve already ‘rounded up’. Plus I’ve excluded taxes, which are typically INCLUDED in European venues (and lower almost everywhere else).
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I understand that.
I think our dollar, even with the conversion, doesn’t go as far, as it would in the UK, France or the States when it comes to how good of a meal can be purchased for $55 Cdn.
I have not travelled to Hong Kong, so I have no experience with respect to how good a meal could be at $55 CAD.
I was surprised how delicious some meals were in Shinjuku and Kyoto, when I kept to the equivalent of $40 CAD.
Most of my own meals in the EU in 2017 and 2019 were in the 40 EU or less range.
I felt I could find a very good meal in Rome in 2017 and Munich in 2019 for less than I could find a very good meal in Toronto.
I haven’t visited France since 2015. I tend to splurge in London.
In terms of me mentioning social safety net, I’m including the fact our meat and dairy cost a lot more than they cost in the States, and our FOH and BOH are paid much better than they’re paid in most parts of the US.
I realize FOH and BOH are typically paid well in Northern Europe and parts of Southern Europe . I have no idea how FOH and BOH are paid elsewhere and how that relates to the price at a bib elsewhere.
Lake Inez is really good. Their peas dish is fabulous.
Not sure it’s Michelin worthy however (whatever that may mean).
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I am trying not to diss BlogTO. It cracks me up when their writers come up with a topic that was discussed on CH or HO.
There are only so many topics, and not too much discussion about restaurants online, I guess.
Fonda Balam has been on our to-try list for some time. Since there are no reservations at it is usually packed, we chose a Monday night to walk in. At about 7:15, there were lots of empty seats. The seating is all counter-style, so no tables per se. The food was very good overall and worth a repeat visit.
For cocktails, we tried When Doves Cry [left] - cazadores tequila, mezcal, ancho Reyes, Campari, grapefruit, lime - citrusy and spicy. We also sampled the special agua fresca [right] - smoked lime and jalapeño - amazing. Good enough to order again enhanced with a shot of mezcal.
We tried the two seafood starters. Vuelve a la Vida combines octopus, crab, Nordic shrimp, cucumber, red onion, jalapeño, avocado, and spicy clam and tomato sauce. It was a huge portion, accompanied by saltines and tortilla chips. Nice, kinda like a seafood cocktail that collided with a bloody Caesar.
Even better though was the ceviche de coco. This was more of a crudo, with the sweet Nova Scotia scallops at the last minute added to young coconut, red onion, avocado, tarragon, and a coconut lime leche. Fresh, tangy, and also accompanied with some lovely chili spiced tortilla chips and saltines.
Perhaps the finest taco option was the pollo pibil - fresh corn tortilla, chicken roasted in achiote, sour orange and banana leaves, charred tomato, habanero salsa and pickled red onion - complex and multifaceted flavours running through moist chicken.
Very good was the taco de lengua - fresh corn tortilla, tender cubed beef tongue, salsa verde cruda, onions, cilantro - rich and satisfying.
There were a number of birria options and we were directed to try the quesabirria con consommé as a signature dish. It features two corn tortillas, filled with beef birria and cheese, then fried until crispy. They are served with lime, onion and cilantro, salsa roja (spicier) and salsa verde - you open up the tortillas to add these in - and a bowl of rich consommé for dipping. The overall effect is delicious, if a bit greasy and messy.
By this point, we could only fit in the postre del dia - dark chocolate pudding with canela (like cinnamon), cookie, and goat milk caramel cream. The chocolate was nice and dark and the caramel cream was light and not too sweet.
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Glad you visited!!
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