In Prince Edward County, the opinions about the Drake Devonshire are mixed – it’s a nice place to hangout (in an area where there’s not a lot of bars or places close early) but it feels too “Toronto”. In fact, locals are baffled by why Torontonians want to escape to the county just to hang out in the city again. To be fair, the venue is nothing like the multi-floor Drake Hotel downtown or the retro Drake 150 in the financial core. To start, the sprawling building overlooks the lake and the décor is lighter and whimsical. For another, the food is much better than the Drake Hotel.

The asparagus almondine ($14) is a simple starter, the spears of asparagus lightly roasted and topped with slivers of toasted almond in brown butter. A squeeze of lemon adds a hit of acidity, but otherwise the nut and vegetable are the prominent flavours. It’s a little plain as a starter, and works better as a side.

Their warm dandelion Caesar ($14) is on the other side of the spectrum - packed with flavours: the slight bitterness of the dandelion, garlicky dressing, a faint umami essence from the bonito flakes, sweetness from the dry crispy pork floss pieces (in lieu of bacon) and salty pecorino sprinkles. It’s tasty, but best shared as an entire dish of the Caesar would be fairly overpowering.

Perhaps, the sole starter, I tried, that could stand on its own is the salt cod pierogies ($12). The chewy soft dough was a tad thick, but there was plenty of salt cod mashed potatoes inside. I’ll admit, the slightly fishy filling requires getting used to, but once you add some of the tangy crème fraiche or thick apple sauce, it gets tastier.

  

Overall, the Devonshire prepares fish pretty well. The trout’s ($28) skin could be crispier, but the meat was moist and flakey. Being an oilier fish, it was properly paired with a refreshing vegetable medley consisting of roasted red peppers, zucchini, and green onions. Once in a while, you’ll also get a sour crunch from the fermented green beans.

For me, the lamb rigatoni ($24) incorporated too many frou-frou items - hen of the woods mushrooms, pine nuts, and spruce? Sure, I guess the spruce and the mint will help alleviate any of the lamb’s gaminess, but all together the elements detracts from having the rigatoni become that rich homey dish that’s notorious with pasta.

Although I found the Prinzen chicken ($27) dry (it could have been the piece of breast I cut from the side), my friend found it was cooked well. For me, it was the saffron spaetzle that stole the show: soft and chewy with a well toasted crust – exactly what I crave with this German pasta side dish.

You won’t leave hungry with an order of the pork schnitzel ($26) – I lost count of how many pieces were actually included with the dish. To be fair, I wouldn’t classify it as schnitzel as the slices were way too thick. If they’re named breaded pork cutlets with honey mustard, it would be more accurately described.

The truffle and cheese fries ($11) were okay – it’s hard for fries to be terrible, but the Devonshire could ensure they arrive hotter and there’s more truffle oil if you’d classify these as “fancy fries”. Meanwhile, the hakuri turnips ($9) were surprisingly good – the mini root vegetables remained crunchy having been lightly poached and then sweetened with burnt honey.

Drake did not save the best for last … the tiramisu ($10) and lemon meringue tart ($10) were merely passable. Although they were plated nicely, the desserts taste like something found in a buffet – and we’re not talking the one at the Bellagio here. The lemon meringue had a nice toasted top, but the lemon custard was thick and almost plastic-like, while the tiramisu so heavily orange flavoured in lieu of espresso.

For being in a location where guests may be visiting to celebrate occasions, the Drake Devonshire certainly doesn’t treat these events with much care. In town for a bachelorette, my friend informed the host about the celebration and asked for a bottle of wine to be brought to the table as a surprise (a present from a friend who couldn’t attend) and to do something festive for the dessert. Neither worked out as planned: our waiter came by to tell us the wine requested wasn’t available (in front of the bride, so any surprise element was ruined) and her dessert came without fanfare. Note 1 to Drake’s management: please set-up some sort of communication system between staff members (hosts, waiters, and the kitchen are a team).

They tried to make up for this by comping her dessert and giving us tickets to use at the photo booth. Only when we went to take the pictures, another staff member came by to hush us as there is a guest room located right beside the booth. Really, why would a manager appease disappointed diners by giving them something that they can’t use freely and could potentially make another guest’s stay worse? Note 2 to Drake’s management: make sure your “make it right” solutions actually serve their purpose.

Maybe the County natives have it right – sure the Drake Devonshire has a ping pong table and funky artwork – but can’t you get that back in the city? If you’re looking for a place to hang out and have a drink after dinner, the restaurant is an ideal place. But, if you really want the County charm of laid-back hospitality, you may need to head elsewhere.

Maёzo opened two months ago and already the venue has hosted a number of birthday and corporate events. Their spacious open-concept dining room with fold away windows is certainly conducive for large groups, but the well-spaced tables and booths also allow for intimate dinners – I, for one, am glad to not hear neighbouring conversations. Owner, Amit Sukhwani, wants patrons to be comfortable (thanks to his history of hospitality from Aruba) and is bringing to Canada the flavours of India with a twist.

For example, for mac ‘n’ cheese lovers, their masala macaroni ($8) will hit the spot. It’s not as sinful as the typical mac ‘n’ cheese, but the masala sauce still incorporates enough cream to make it satisfying, without being too heavy. The sauce has a manageable level of spiciness and is balanced out by the tomato’s acidity. Sharing is encouraged as the appetizer is substantial – it could even work as a main. Amit laughs when I comment on the size of the bowl, he agrees it’s a generous portion and does so to ensure no customer leaves hungry.

The monsoon basket ($12) arrives filled with crispy pakoras encapsulating a variety of vegetables within the batter - spinach, onion, potato and carrots from what I could make out. They’re dropped in oddly shaped balls allowing for a bunch of jutting edges creating more crispy surface space. The appetizer arrives with the traditional sweet and sour tamarind chutney, but if you order the lamb, they are go equally well with the chimichurri sauce.

Although I enjoyed all the accompaniments with the lamb chops ($28) – the spicy rice is like “dirty rice” to another level and the chimichurri a cross between the tangy Argentinian variety and the spicy Indian mint chutney – the actual lamb is merely decent. The meat is rubbed in a nice medley of spices, but needs to be saltier. Moreover, the thick slices combined with the bone located in the middle of the chop means the centre arrives rare and makes it difficult to cut with a regular dinner knife.

I generally don’t like butter chicken – often it’s too creamy or just tastes like tomato sauce. So, when I took a bite of my husband’s butter chicken ($18) I was pleasantly surprised with the well-balanced sauce. The family recipe the dish is based on doesn't go too crazy with the cream, instead also incorporating various spices to give it interest. Moreover, the cubes of chicken breast are juicy and tender. The gravy goes especially well with the spicy South-Indian tomato rice accompanying the lamb, Maёzo should consider having an “upgrade” option for those who want an extra flavor bomb. 

Amit explains that Maёzo, in Sindhi, means fun – a feeling he hopes guests visiting the restaurant will experience. The cheerful Top 40 pop songs that play throughout the dining room certainly creates a jovial atmosphere. Their weekday specials may also help - on Monday to Friday (from 4-7pm), the restaurant has $5.99 drink specials (bottled beer or a glass a house wine) and appetizers are 10% off. It’s a great opportunity to gather a group of friends and head to their central downtown location for a night of maёzo.

As an establishment you have to decide: are we going to be a full-service restaurant or casual walk-in? Once you start taking reservations and proceed to warn patrons about the 15-minute grace period and two hour seating limit, you’ve slated yourself into the full-service category. It also means you need to spring the extra minimum wage hours to hire a host or hostess.

Upon arriving at La Carnita, we awkwardly waited at the empty hostess stand. After two food runners passed us with no acknowledgement and a line of other diners started forming, my husband approached the bartender to inquire about a host, only to be told that they have one and to just go back and wait.

A waitress passes dangerously close to us, takes one look and decides to walk back the other way. Finally, after a few minutes, someone who must work downstairs at Good Fortune (he’s in a tropical shirt while La Carnita staff swathed in black) stops and greets us. He’s cheerful and advises that they all “share” in the job – oh poor delusional soul, you most certainly do not.  That same waitress that avoided the line in the first place, suddenly approaches and offers to show us to our table if the other guy tells her where to seat us. Take a deep breath, stay calm…

From there the service improved, the waitress that seated us quickly took our drink orders and provided good suggestions. The Peach Don’t Kill My Vibe ($13) she liked was rather refreshing filled with fruity flavours that hid all hints of alcohol. Whereas, the Spring It On ($13) we chose ourselves had none of the promised St. Germain or cucumber - it’s really best classified as gin with simple syrup.

Yet, when I wanted another cocktail and stopped one of the runners, I was informed he couldn’t take the order and would go find someone else. After five minutes and no follow-up, I decided to skip the second drink, our food would be finished soon anyways.

Having ordered practically all the tacos, their fish ones reign supreme. The best was the grilled fish tostada ($9.95) which starred a thick slice of perfectly cooked Arctic char; it was still jewel-tone in the centre. The light smokiness from the grill went well with the sweet corn salsa and hint of Diablo's Fuego hot sauce in the background. But, it’s messy. The crispy tostada has no chance of holding up against the heavy fish – consider replacing it with a regular tortilla wrap instead.

The In Cod We Trust ($5.79) combines the typical deep fried battered fish with crunchy red cabbage and green apple slaw. There’s plenty of flavours thanks to the lime crema and “Voltron” sauce (a spicy soy drizzle). Sure, fried fish tacos are practically a staple item at every family restaurant in Toronto, but La Carnita does them well.

Although it was included in the menu description, I wasn’t expecting the coconut milk used in the tostada de ceviche ($7.95). Hence, at first bite was thrown off by the sour cream taste and consistency of the ceviche. In hindsight, it wasn’t terrible, incorporating plenty of cubed tuna and bits of tomato and cucumber. It just didn’t look appetizing and if it weren’t for the crispy shell, the mixture would be way too soft.

I’d go back for the pollo frito ($5.79), a thick crispy chicken tender smothered in a nutty sweet mole, hot sauce, crispy green cabbage, and refreshing pico de gallo. It was way better than the carne asada ($6.79) which despite having great flavours, I still couldn’t get over the odd soft texture of the meat (too much powdered tenderizer perhaps?)

The daily special ($5.25) wasn’t any better. That evening featuring pulled pork with mango salsa. The spicy salsa was delicious, but even with all the flavours couldn’t save the terribly dry pork.

If you craving meat, I’d go for the ancho BBQ wings ($15.95), the crispy edges smothered in a poblano lime barbeque sauce that’s thick and flavourful, almost like mole. With seven to an order, there’s also plenty to go around.  

By the end, I wasn’t sure whether to stay for a slice of the Sweet Jesus ice cream cake or just grab something on the way home. Our waitress was awfully friendly and the food came at a respectable pace. Yet again, we did have less than half an hour left to the strict two-hour seating limit. In the end, we decided to leave while things were still good. 

On the way out, sure enough, another line had formed by the hostess stand. Poor patrons, where’s the delusional guy in the tropical shirt when you need him?

While the name Dicken’s Café may paint a picture of a quaint idyllic eatery with Victorian tables and a library across one wall, the real restaurant, located in a non-descript Chinese mall, reads differently. In fairness, it’s hard for anywhere to be idyllic when during the first thirty minutes of the meal you’re serenaded by a choir of crying babies that sing at a constant falsetto. Luckily, once 8:00pm hit and the performance ended, the atmosphere calmed down and improved.

With various dinner specials, you’ll leave holding your stomach for under $30 as the meals arrive with soup, dessert, and coffee or tea. Some even include an extra course: your choice of a sizeable salad or baked escargot. Having snuck a bite of my friend’s escargot, you’ll barely noticeable the lima bean sized snails. Rather, the most prevalent flavours stem from the extremely garlicky mashed potatoes on the bottom. As for the salad… well, it’s salad.

Dicken’s does borscht well, incorporating large chunks of carrots and cabbage in a beefy tomato base. It has that light hint of spiciness in the background that seems synonymous with the Chinese version of the typical East European soup; the heat goes well with the toasted sweet dinner rolls.

From afar, the pan fried ox tongue ($20.99) looks gorgeous, but the cow’s noticeable taste buds on the sizeable slices of tongue made me a little queasy. After getting over it and trying a bite, it admittedly tastes like really tender brisket but denser and gamier - I still prefer this cut done thinner or chopped and incorporated into a taco. Perhaps the baked linguine with shredded ox tongue, ham and chicken ($19.99) would have been a better option, which mixes slivers of the ingredient amongst tons of other proteins.

I’ll just stick with the braised ox tail in wine sauce ($20.99), where there’s sizeable chunks of fall-off-the-bone tender meat, which still have plenty of the soft chewy collagen bits I love. The sauce of the hearty stew is well flavoured and there’s certainly enough of it to spoon over the large mound of rice.

Too full to even try a bite, I was nonetheless impressed with the size of their chicken steak and pork chop in onion sauce ($20.99). Trust me, you won’t leave hungry.

The dessert for the evening was a tiny sliver of strawberry mousse cake – about a quarter of a normal piece. Truth be told, we were already stuffed (some with doggy bags in tow) so we really didn’t need more than the three bites. And there’s only so much I can take of the fake Neapolitan ice cream strawberry flavour.

Although Dickens isn’t exactly a serene and picturesque restaurant, for a Hong Kong café, they have decent service and make an effort with their presentation. Overall, the food is prepared well – incorporating enough flavours and the accompanying vegetables and starches not overcooked. With their reasonable pricing and large portions, Dickens will attract many families. Take it from me, if you’d rather skip the opera portion of the evening, plan accordingly with a later reservation.

With the rise of social media and almost every element of travel experiences being shared, travelers are expecting more from their vacations. At times, Air BnB offers the ability to travel like a local, gleaming intelligence from hosts. So, it’s no surprise hotels are also stepping up their game, and now offer unique events for guests (or locals alike).

TOCA, located in the Toronto’s Ritz Carlton, has begun to curate a Tastemaker’s event series where culinary delights await guests. Their May Pio Cesare and Chef Oliver Glowig dinner ($195) has already sold out with just word-of-mouth promotion as diners are treated to a 5-course meal concocted by the Michelin starred chef with rare wine pairings from Pio Cesare’s family cellar.

Having had a glass of the Pio Cesare Barbera D’Alba DOC, I can see how the rich but smooth red can hold up against the acidity of tomatoes. It went wonderfully with TOCA’s signature ravioli capresi, which holds a golf ball sized sphere of soft chewy cacciota cheese in each pasta.

If you’re disappointed about the May dinner, Chef Glowig will be returning for five days at the start of November for TOCA’s alba white truffle week. Diners will have an option between a black and white truffle dinner ($150) or if you want to splurge and sit at the chef’s table in the kitchen, there’s a limited white truffle only menu ($300).

If the menu’s anything like the media preview, expect a bit of whimsy. An hour glass beaker-like apparatus is brought table side for the soup course. As the roasted chicken consommé is heated, it flows through to the top of the glassware to get infused by lemon, ginger, celery, and mushrooms becoming even more aromatic.

Afterwards, the consommé is finished off with plump agnolotti stuffed with ricotta and truffles (wow these were good) and black truffle shavings over top! Oh yes, it’s a fragrant soup that lingers on your tongue.

What really sounds interesting to me is the offsite picnics that TOCA partnered with Culinary Adventure Tours to run.

Every Thursday during the summer, guests will paddle to the Toronto Islands on a huge 18-person canoe ($150 regularly with a special Canada Day edition for $195). The trip from the downtown core to the islands should take 20-minutes and then there will be another 20-minute tour around the islands, including viewing the bird sanctuary.

After working up an appetite, diners head ashore for a locally sourced outside picnic. Think cheese and charcuterie boards, terrines, chicken roll-ups, bread, salad, and more.  Make sure to get a piece of the smoked cooked salmon – it’s such a great combination of a slight candied crust and smokiness.

On October 14^th, you can join the restaurant as they bring guests around the Don Valley to forage their own wild mushrooms and edible plants ($85). Upon returning to TOCA, you’ll learn pick through them and ensure they’re suitable for consumption before the ingredients are transformed into a meal.

Who knows what you’ll find. But, if you happen to get a medley of mushrooms, hopefully the chef will sautée them with butter and combine them with a crisp crostini topped with shaved parmesan. It’s simple but delicious.  

The crack of a shell, whiff of sea salt, and the briny sweet juices... these are things I envision with seafood. The vibrant red lobster, glistening oyster, or pale pink scallops - how does food look so beautiful?

This Victoria Day weekend, Lobster Clam Jam is pulling up at the Cabana Pool Bar and hulling  a bounty of seafood for all ages. The outdoor food festival prides itself with being family-friendly with children activities (think bouncy castles and face painting) along with adult pleasing libations.


Although Lobster Clam Jam is making its Toronto debut in 2017, it’s been held in Montreal for the past four years and even proclaimed by Food Network Canada as “one of the top Canadian food festivals to visit this summer”.

Guests will sample seafood creations from restaurants in Toronto and Montreal. Having dined at Patria, Weslodge, Blowfish, Buonanotte and the O&B restaurants, they certainly have a lot of shellfish dishes. Other participants include Jae Anthony of Seasoned Dreams, Notre Dame Gourmet, Queue de Cheval Steakhouse and Raw Bar, Buster’s Sea Cove, The Food Dudes, Bac Ky Pho and more.  

To wash down all the seafood, aside from beer and wine, they will also be selling signature mojitos and bloody Caesares. When you need a break, dance to music spun by DJ Eddie Lewis and DJ Chris Laroque. 

Interesting in going? Here are the details:

• May 20 & 21, 2017  
• $25 for an admission ticket, but free for children 12 years of age and under
• Clam tokens can be purchased for $3 each and redeemed for food dishes (between $6-$12) or drinks ($6)
• Portion of proceeds will be donated to the Starlight Children's Foundation and Sick Kids

Entries will be accepted until May 15, 2017 at 12:00 AM. Sometime the following day, I will contact winners through email with further details. Accordingly, please make sure you enter a valid email address in Rafflecopter contest site. Good luck!