Hopgood's Foodliner

Formerly from the Hoof Café (which is unfortunately no longer in existence), chef Geoff Hopgood (@chefhopgood) opened his own restaurant in February. Located in Roncesvalles along with popular spots such as The Westerly and Barque, Hopgood's Foodliner focuses on contemporary renditions of chef Hopgood's childhood favourites...comfort food from the Maritimes. The restaurant is named after a supermarket chain owned by chef Hopgood's family in the east coast.

Hopgood's is divided into two dining rooms by an open kitchen in the middle. Designed by chef Hopgood's younger sister, Sarah Hopgood, the restaurant has an industrial-themed decor: dark grey walls, white brick walls, exposed ducts, and metal bar stools. 

Regular menu items can be found on the chalkboard. Our server recited about eight specials to us that night.

Evaporated milk cans and Triscuit boxes on display. 

Pappas Grill [VLOG]

Nicki from View The Vibe (@ViewTheVibe) and I headed down to Pappas Grill for some Greek food during The Taste of the Danforth a few weeks back. I do not go to the Danforth often and when I do it's almost always for my Messini fix. I haven't been to too many Greek restaurants in the area so I was glad that Nicki was taking me to Pappas Grill that night.


Taking advantage of its awesome location right at the corner of Bloor and Arundel, Pappas Grill's huge patio stretches from the front of the restaurant all the way to the back. What's even better is that the patio is extremely spacious and not narrow at all - it could easily fit three rows of seating with ample room in between tables. 

Who wants to be stuck inside during the Taste of the Danforth? Especially on such a beautiful day and that lovely patio? Nevertheless I figured I should go and take a picture of the decor inside. I really like how all the windows let in all that natural sunlight.

Watch Nicki's Eye on the Vibe Blog of our dinner :) Man did we ever have a tough time with the Greek names O_o The vlog will also show us having gelato for dessert at Dolce Gelato (@DolceGelatoTO) (Dolce Gelato will be a separate post).

The Crab Cake is a MUST at e11even

I was invited to a tasting at e11even two weeks ago and like any tasting event, I prep by eating a very light lunch since there's usually a ton of food at tastings, and this one was no exception. Hey, I'm not complaining though ^_^  I really enjoyed the food at e11even (they serve classic North American dishes with a twist) especially the crab cake, which is, get ready, THE BEST CRAB CAKE I'VE EVER HAD. That's right people! But more about that later =D

e11even is Maple Leaf Square Entertainment's follow-up to Real Sports Bar and Grill and is a fairly new restaurant that opened back in November 2010. Although new to the restaurant scene, e11even has already created quite a buzz on Twitter; similar to School (@schoolville) and Table17 (@table17), e11even (@e11evenToronto) is very active on Twitter - they engage with everyone . Love that.


The decor at e11even is very modern with dark wood, contemporary furnishings, and plush banquettes. Once you're inside e11even you will see this beautiful bar. 

I was seated at this very long, 20-person communal table made from excavated hemlock timbers. This table stands out in the room; the rustic feel as well as the pure size of it makes a really strong statement.

How cool is this? Wine list via iPad. Over 600 bottles and 30 wines by the glass from e11even's wine cellar. I had so much fun playing with it =)

Viva Frida!

It's Tweetup timeeee! ^_^  I've heard so much about Frida Restaurant (@FridaRestaurant) on Twitter that I knew it was just a matter of time that I went and got myself some Mexican deliciousness. So last month when Mack (@M3foods) and I were brainstorming on our next possible Tweetup location (we take turns organizing hehe) I suggested Frida. And one thing led to another, the next thing I knew I was sitting with 10 others at Frida last Tuesday, having a great meal along with non-stop conversation, thanks to Troy (@OakleyInc) (sorry I had to add that hehe).


OK guys, Frida is not Burrito Boyz. Nothing against Burrito Boyz of course, just trying to make a point that Frida is not a fast food Mexican joint, far from it actually. First of all, Frida is located in Forest Hill and is a more upscale Mexican restaurant. It is small; the decor is very contemporary, mellow, and relaxed yet elegant as well. I personally really like the modern feel of the red accent seating and the blue and white tiled wall. 


There's Alfonso (@msgfonz) and Ed (@phoenixrageZERO) on their phones :)

I also like the black and white photographs by the entrance; it ties in really well with the black tables and chairs and the white napkins.

Secondly, besides the decor, Frida is different in that it offers more of a refined and modern take on Mexican food but still keeping it authentic. It is upscale and sophisticated unlike that of a taco parlour for sure.

Hot Spinach & Artichoke Dip

I love this dip, the spinach and artichoke dip. Whenever I see it on the menu in a restaurant, I always have the urge to order it as an appetizer (and probably end up doing so if others are OK with it). More times than not, I am disappointed with the dip - either it is too watery, not thick enough, not enough cheese / spinach / artichoke, not hot enough, or all of the above. The chips can be a problem too - they are sometimes too greasy / oily, or just stale / hard. So far, I like the spinach & artichoke dip at Milestone's the best. It is pretty consistent; I had it watery just one time out of the many times I've ordered it, and the chips are the perfect size of dipping - slightly salted, crispy, and long in shape, which you can break up and dip again without having to double-dip. It also comes with sour cream and salsa.

Never did I think that one day, I would be making my own spinach & artichoke dip. It called out to me because of two reasons: 1) my friend was having a potluck party for new years and he told me I should bring some sort of appetizer because he got the mains taken care of, and 2) I got myself a food processor on boxing day (my one and only purchase on boxing day, online too). Isn't it beautiful? =D

South of Temperance

My office is literally a 15-second walk from South of Temperance. It opened in the summer after many delays and push backs.  I remember browsing their menu online when it opened and noticing that nothing caught my eye, so I didn't plan on going at all even though it is so close. But last month, my colleagues and boss suggested going to South of Temperance for lunch, so this is the only reason why this post exists. If it were not for them, I would've never step foot in the restaurant.


In the summer, the patio at the South of Temperance is always packed.  Doesn't matter if it's at 11 am on a Monday morning or 3pm on a Wednesday afternoon, it's still crazy busy. Apparently a lot of people in work attire in downtown does not actually have to work (not that I just realized this, but just wanted to put it out there). And before you ask me how I know it is packed and that it must be because I'm there too, well you are all wrong, I walk by South of Temperance in order to go to Winners LOL =D

Our table that day was where the open patio would be in the summer (or part of it) and during winter time, it is enclosed by some glass enclosure. I was sitting right by and man, was it cold; I was freezing the whole time, even with my jacket on. 


I would say South of Temperance is catered to the corporate crowd; you won't just wander into South of Temperance without meaning to go there in the first place for business-related mingling. It tries to give off a casual atmosphere with the high bar tables and LCD TVs, but to me, it's still a pretty "pretentious" place. You can only go so far with that when the crowd they cater to are all in business attire. South of Temperance is a typical downtown hangout for business people and you will definitely never catch me there with my friends besides for work purposes. Blah, I can't even imagine having a work dinner there; in my opinion, South of Temperance is definitely just a business lunch or happy hour place with colleagues.


South of Temperance has the same menu for lunch and dinner: Appetizer, Soup& Salad, Main Course Salads, Naan Breads, Burgers and Sandwiches...

Stonefire

I'm hardly in downtown on weekends that's why I'm always on the look out for new places to dine in the 'burbs. And in 'burbs, I mean Markham and Richmond Hill, and sometimes Scarborough too, which I refer to all as simply "Uptown" haha. You may have a different definition than me, which is understandable but considering that I'm in Mississauga, everywhere else that is not in the west end, or downtown, is termed "Uptown"  for me (except the Yonge & Eglinton area which I call "Midtown"). If I'm not in ANY of those areas, I simply do not know where I am =D 


My friend Adrienne recommended Stonefire to me a couple of months ago. It is located in Thornhill, near Hwy 7 & Bathurst. I'm excited since besides the big chains, such as Moxies, Milestones, Alice Fazoolis, etc) I'm oblivious to non-chain restaurants in Uptown for casual dining.


Once I walked into Stonefire I already feel good about it because it has an open kitchen. Haven't tasted their food yet but open kitchens are always a +1 for me. However, I can't say the same for their wooden floors. It looks a bit out of place for me; the thought of those chairs dragging on the floor haunts me.

The layout of Stonefire also seems a bit awkward. I think it's because I'm not used to seeing restaurants these days as just one giant rectangular space with booths on the sides and tables in the middle. I mean, I see that in Chinese restaurants all the time, but not in lets say, those chain restaurants I talked about before. I don't think I would feel too comfortable dining in the middle like that couple there - I would feel "exposed". Is it just me?