Casa Mendoza

I saw some reviews and heard that one of my favourite restaurant might be sold to a condo developer. Booooooo!!!

Therefore, I was compelled to blog about this hidden lil gem.

Casa Mendoza is an oasis hidden from the bustling streets of Toronto.

It is located close to Lake Ontario and offers a breathtaking view of the city's skyline.

I discovered this restaurant when I was searching for a place to celebrate my anniversary. I noticed that they had dinner and dancing along with a great view of the city lights. It sounded perfect.

When me and my boyfriend first arrived it didn't look so perfect on the outside. It looked like one of those bed & breakfast places you find along the highway.

Nevertheless, we walked in. We were warmly greeted by a hostess who then led us to our table. We asked for a seat by the window since the place was empty and we did come for the view but surprisingly, we were told the place was booked for the night. She wasn't kidding. After we received our first dish the place was piling with patrons.

The restaurant had a huge terrace out at the back of the restaurant. It faced out to the lake and there was a spectacular view of the city night lights. You can even clearly see the CN Tower lights illuminating from the skyline.

We started off with the escargot which was oven baked in mushroom caps with garlic, butter and mozzarella cheese. It was cheesy gooooood.

Here we have their home made gnocchi with fresh lobster meat and wild mushrooms in a dungeness crab cream sauce. It was divine. I couldn't get enough of this dish. It was the best gnocchi I have ever tasted. You can feel the tender loving care put into this magnificent dish.

Lastly, we had one of the house delights, a seafood platter for two. Our jaws dropped when our server brought this plate to our table. It was a huge mountain of seafood. Normally if you order a seafood platter most places only provide one of each shellfish. Here, they were not skimping. It was truly a house delight. There was lobster, tiger shrimps, sea scallops, mussels, calamari, and Alaskan king crab legs served on a bed of Spanish rice. It was scrumptious. However, we couldn't finish the seafood medley since there was just too much.

During the course of our meal there was a live musician playing the piano. It was a perfect anniversary dinner. Although the place doesn't appear elegant or glamourous it just has that warm intimate feeling that makes it perfect.

There was dancing at 9pm but we were stuffed and ready to go home and just unwind (well more like unbutton my pants lol) so sadly we didn't stay for the event. Hopefully next time we can make another trip. I just hope the news isn't true. I hope they will remain open for a very long time.

TOTAL BILL $133...EAT HERE NEXT!!!