new

Italian is probably my favourite cuisine as I simply cannot live without pasta - well, it's a close race between Italian and Korean. One of my go-to spots in Toronto for Italian is Trattoria Nervosa , tucked away in Yorkville. It's one of those places that I revisit often and order the same dishes so I assumed I wrote a blog post about it previously but I was wrong! I will share my favourite dishes at Nervosa -  the ones that I always order - in this post. Each time I dine there, the food is consistently delicious and I like the welcoming & lively atmosphere (although it tends to get too crowded there sometimes). Did I mention their service is also great? The staff is friendly and attentive and I never had a complaint. As for timing, I've been for both lunch and dinner on weeknights and weekends and it's busy most of the time. I find that the awkward times like just before the dinner peak at 5:30 - 6PM and just after the lunch rush at 2 - 4PM is the best time to ens...

If you're a Torontonian, there is no doubt that you know about Panorama - the lounge that was at the 51st floor of the Manulife Centre in Yorkville.  I've been there a few times and yes, although it has the fantastic views of Toronto and it's a romantic spot, the food offering was lacking and after just a couple of visits, I never went back.  To my excitement the venue has been reinvented as The One Eighty . What makes it different than its former venue? There's a bigger focus on the culinary experience, an elevated cocktail menu the space itself has been revamped to be both fun and luxe. The new space at 2,500 square feet is modern but comfortable with grey underlying tones with rich metals. You get both traditional and contemporary luxury at The One Eighty! The floor to ceiling windows on the North and South side of the restaurant brightens the entire space with natural light during the day and in contrast, the venue becomes a romantic setting after sunset.     Kee...

Reds Midtown Tavern or Reds Wine Tavern are fun and lively spots in downtown Toronto for wine, cocktails and food but I wasn't aware that they recently added a steak menu and introduced a new Wine By The Ounce program. Having had great experiences at the restaurants, when we were invited to check out their steak offerings, we couldn't wait to try them.    The Wines By The Ounce program at Reds Midtown Tavern is a program fit for a wine lover that wants to try a variety of different wines during their visit. There is a total of 4 California Chardonnay and 4 California Cabernet Sauvignon options. I went for 5 ounces of the Leaping Horse, California 2013 (pictured above left) with cherry, blueberry and hints of light oak whereas my sister went for 3 ounces of the Chateau Montalena from Napa Valley 2012  (above right) with ripe peach, green apple & melon. The program is very much like a wine tasting but you decide how many ounce of the wines on the menu you would lik...

Hot dogs have come a long way in the culinary world. Always the bridesmaid and never the brides at a family barbeque when paired with its hamburger counterpart, and sharing the spotlight with beer and other snacks at a baseball game, hot dogs have finally taken center stage. Let's Be Frank , a newly opened hot dog bar at College and Spadina has finally given hot dogs the attention they deserve. You may have run into them in the past as they started off on a much smaller scale at festivals, food truck and even a pop up restaurant, they've finally settled down for good.  So what exactly makes a hot dog gourmet? Some fancy mustard and high end relish? Definitely not... to turn a classic into something incredible takes some creativity and thinking outside of the box. That's exactly what Let's Be Frank achieved   with their menu of hot dogs like the Dogfather, Mac Daddy and Katsu Dog just to name a few. We were lucky enough to be invited to try a few of their hot dogs and wh...