Chicago Pizza Kitchen

Since I was still hungry on Saturday night I went for pizza with my boyfriend at Chicago Pizza Kitchen.

Some friends recommended trying their infamous deep dish pizza. I never tried it before unless you count Pizza Hut so decided to give it a try.

Here were the garlic sticks. Doesn't it look like a meal itself. When it arrived we thought it was a mistake. Even got the table next to us all curious. They were asking us what did we order and whether it was good or not. It was good but very filling for an appetizer. Not bad since we were told it would take at least 25-30 minutes to prepare the pizza. Great starter to begin the meal.

We ordered a large stuffed pizza pie with prosciutto, salami, black olives, sun dried tomatoes and mushrooms. It was huge and delicious. Of course we didn't finish it either. But it sure tasted good the next day with all the sauce soaking into the pizza bread.

TOTAL BILL $53...EAT HERE NEXT!!!

Benihana

At 5:30pm on a Saturday, me and my friend went for dinner at Benihana located at the Fairmont Royal York. My friend wanted a sushi fix but sadly when we left it was just a tease. Did not satisfy her sushi craving at all.

The hostess asked if we had any reservations. We replied no. He told us the teppanyaki tables were all booked up. Luckily we were primarily there for the sushi so it did not apply to us.

We got a small little table right near the entrance.

Both of us have never been to this restaurant before but apparently it was known more for its teppanyaki rather than sushi but we didn't care for table cooking that night.

For our starter we decided to go with the oysters. When it arrived I have to say it was the smallest oysters I have ever ate. Think I got ripped off. $15 for 4 tiny oysters. Honestly it wasn't even appetizing at all. It had that unpleasant fishy smell. At first I thought it was rotten but it was just the way it was prepared. Another negative aspect was the fact that it tasted gritty. Don't think they scrubbed the shellfish properly since it felt like I ate a bunch of sand mixed with bits and pieces of tiny rocks.

The sushi menu was very limited. There were only around 5-6 options available. So we ended up pretty much ordering all the rolls.

Here is the spider roll, dynamite roll and spicy salmon roll. Tasty but just not enough.

My friend also ordered the salmon toro sashimi.

One thing that irritates me is when restaurants tip themselves. How do they know whether they deserve that tip?

With Benihana the service was good so it didn't bother me as much that they tipped themselves however, the portion was too little.

I was not stuffed but not starving. Just about right till a few hours later I was hungry again.

I think Benihana was overpriced. For only 5 dishes, grand total, including tip and tax, amounted to $83 for only 2 people and we weren't even full.

Wonder whether the teppanyaki is any good since it was all booked before the restaurant was even opened. Still I'm pretty sure it will cost way more than the sushi.

TOTAL BILL $83...MAY EAT AGAIN?!

Orgasmic Chocolate Cake...Round 2

I finally made my second trip for that orgasmic flourless chocolate cake at Terroni. This time I went to the Adelaide location instead of the midtown location. The place was enormous. Three times bigger than the previous location I went to.

I brought a friend along and it was her first time trying it. We ordered my favorite cake and also tried the special, the chocolate tart with Grand Marnier. Yes we are addicted to sweets. Although it's a restaurant with plenty of food options on the menu we were there primarily for the cake.

The tart was too rich for me. One bite and I was done. It just didn't stand up to my cake.

My chocolate cake was delicious and did not disappoint at all. My only criticism was not enough white chocolate other than that the cake was super fluffy and mmm mmm goooood.

Wished I order 2 of my cake instead.

At least I satisfied my craving so I was very happy:)

TOTAL BILL $18...EAT HERE NEXT!!!

Crepes a GoGo

I've never been to Paris before but at Crepes a GoGo it sure felt like I just walked right into the city of l'amour.

For a while my friend has been dying to try the creperie place so finally we got to "gogo" for some crepes today.

Upon entering the restaurant we were warmly greeted by the waiter with a "Bonjour!". Felt like I entered a cafe in Paris. Never have I been greeted in French before. The place is really tiny and it was packed. The seating was very limited. I think it can only seat up to a maximum of 18 people. Luckily didn't have to wait long for a table.

Their limonana is a must try. I was reading the menu and the waiter recommended it. He offered a small sample and asked whether I would like it hot or cold. We got both and I have to say it was definitely something I never tried before. It was a mixture of lemon juice, cane juice and fresh mint leaves. All made from natural ingredients. At first when I saw the word lemon I was hesitant whether to try it since I don't like lemons nor even lemonade for that matter. But thought I would give it a shot. It was very refreshing and sweet. I think the sweetness came from the sweetened organic cane juice so it was not citrusy at all.

While waiting for our food, I was listening to the staff speaking in French. I was attempting to see how much I could decipher but given it's been quite some time since I last took those French classes in high school I couldn't make out anything. Also coupled with the fact that they were speaking pretty fast I didn't have a chance at all so I diverted my attention to the live music. There were musicians playing that accordion theme you would normally hear in a movie of a cafe in Paris. Don't think I'm describing it correctly. Let's just say the music was lovely and went perfectly well with the Parisian ambience.Wonderful setting for a first date or in my case, a place to hang out with a friend.

The crepes were freshly made right in front of you. I was able to snap this photo right from my seat. Love my iPhone 4. I was able to zoom in without having to move an inch.

We ordered their signature crepe which was called the Big Ben, rolled with mozzarella and raspberry jam. It was delicious. The crepe was paper thin and although the filling was very little however, it was packed with full of flavor so it made up for the small portion. Sorry didn't take a picture since there were people waiting for a table so they were standing right next to our table and casting their shadow over my food. But I was able to take a picture of the other crepe we ordered. Here is the crepe Mademoiselle filled with goat cheese, red onions, smoked salmon and maple syrup. It was tasty but it was a teaser. Just wanted more but we couldn't eat too much since we had our massage appointment right after so it was suppose to be a light lunch. This was truly the right place for it. But I left yearning for more.

If you are looking for a Parisian experience then I highly recommend you to "gogo" to this delightful shop. French speaking staff, French music and sweet and savoury treats is a perfect way to start off the day. When you leave you might end up speaking Francais for the rest of the day.

Merci Sue for recommending this hidden Yorkville gem. We have to "gogo" again and this time it will not be a teaser:P

TOTAL BILL $19...MANGER ICI LA PROCHAINE!!!

Table 17

I rarely go to Leslieville but when I do go so far it's only been for brunch. I love brunch. Even though it's a combination of breakfast and lunch still I love the fact that you don't have to wake up so early for it. I noticed that Leslieville is filled with numerous spots for brunch.

I decided to give Table 17 a try. I have to say it did not disappoint at all.

Here is the Sloppy Giusseppe. I have no clue how you even pronounce that second word but it was yummy. It included two fried eggs served with Bolognese sauce and fried polenta and a side of green salad.

The 2 remaining plates were the French toast with cinnamon creme anglaise and a few pieces of fresh berries and a grilled Cuban sandwich which consisted of Black Forest ham, house roasted pork and Havarti cheese with mustard and pickles and a side of fries. It was all delicious. My favorite dish out of all 3 was the French toast. Although it was a bit burnt it was light and tasty. I love sweets so this was a great treat in the morning. To me, it was my reward after a 90 minute hot yoga class. I am not at all flexible nor can I tolerate hot temperatures but that hot yoga class was a killer. All of my efforts and hard work wasted with this meal but oh so worth it. I just can't say no to good food.

We also ordered 3 sides with which were the thick cut double smoked bacon, Merguez sausage and potato rosti. My favorite was the potato rosti. It was crispy just the way I liked it. It's so fattening but tasted so good.

Lastly, we ended our meal with a slice of pumpkin cheesecake. Originally I wanted the cinnamon bun however, they were all sold out or something so we settled for the cheesecake instead. The crust was flaky but the filling was not that great to me. Then again when it comes to cheesecakes I never really like the filling I always head straight for the crust. Yup I'm a crusty kinda gal.

TOTAL BILL $55...EAT HERE NEXT!!!

Table 17

782 Queen Street East

(close to Broadview)

416-519-1851

Vertigo Lounge

This was by far the worst restaurant EVER!!!!!!!

I bought a voucher for Vertigo Lounge. Paid $25 for $60's worth. To me, the worst thing I ever spent money on. Not even worth $25 to me let alone $60.

I took my cousin to this restaurant since I wanted to redeem my voucher.

Upon entering the place there was no host to be found. We saw a waitress hidden behind a curtain but too absorbed in doing whatever she was focusing on to even notice us.

We stood there for a few minutes and still nobody came to greet us so we assumed we had to find our own seats.

There was only one table of 8 in the restaurant yet nobody bothered to come seat us. Should have seen the sign from there.

After seating ourselves at a table, another few minutes passed by before the waitress finally came to greet us. She apologized for not seating us earlier and went to grab us some menus.

We were given complimentary bread but no butter or any topping to add to it.

Now for the thing that really peeved me off.

Before I bought my voucher like any other customer I would browse through the menu to see if anything piqued my interest. Obviously something must have caught my eye since I purchased the voucher. Sitting at the restaurant with the menu in my hand I was shocked to see that the menu on the website was completely different from the one at the restaurant. On the site, the menu showed about 30 different dishes to choose from whereas the real menu displayed only 8-9 items. What a big difference. It was completely false advertising. When I bought the voucher I was looking forward to trying out a few certain items but only to be disappointed to discover that it wasn't even on the menu.

When I emailed a complaint to the deal site where I purchased the voucher this was the reply I was given:

Thanks for the email. We are very sorry to hear about your experience with Vertigo. We go through lengths to ensure that our vendors understand the terms of our deals and that they treat Dealfind customers equally and provide them with excellent service, so you can see why hearing news like this is disheartening, to say the least. At this point we have initiated serious communications with the restaurant. We can only hope that your relationship with Dealfind will not be compromised due to this expirence.

Thank you for using Dealfind!

It's great that they find my experience "disheartening" but at least they didn't eat the crappy food.

When the appetizers came it was not appealing at all. I understand that appetizers are not suppose to be a meal so portions are small since they are a teaser. All depends on the establishment some places can be generous and some well they are just standard and others are just a joke. Vertigo was a joke.

The chicken wings were okay considering that it tasted like something I would buy at Walmart. But at least with Walmart I would have more wings than this sad little basket of wings here.

The garlic shrimp was not edible at all. The sauce was watery. Also it made me think it was frozen shrimp which they left out to thaw all day and night and must have forgotten about it and decided to cook it up. Not happy at all.

When the entrees arrived it was even worse.

The portions were small although here it looks like a lot because I zoomed in on it but believe me in person it was really pathetic.

I figured looks can be deceiving so I was still a bit optimistic so I cutted a piece of the meat. I instantly made a face and told my cousin to stop eating and to get the bill. It was atrocious. I can't believe they even served it. The asparagus was wilted, the mashed potatoes tasted like it was made from one of those instant mixes and the meat was just horrendous.

I think the Swanson tv dinners would have been a better choice than those 2 entrees.

I asked the waitress for the bill.

She asked if we wanted to pack our food to go and I said no.

She asked if anything was wrong considering we only took a few bites out of the 4 dishes. I told her I was not happy at all.

She said sorry and just walked away.

She didn't even bother to ask what was wrong with the food. Un-freakin-believable!!!

For a restaurant that just opened, if a customer is leaving with dishes that have barely been touched they should try their very best to find out what is wrong in order to improve their menu and succeed in the restaurant business.

I was baffled by the response I got I was just fuming so had to come home and blog about it.

The only positive aspect of this restaurant was I liked their music. It would be a great place to hang out but considering the place was completely empty don't bother heading there on a Saturday night unless you like the lack of people. As for food wise, DO NOT STEP FOOT HERE!!!

Maybe I'm being mean since this is a new restaurant but it just shows they don't have a passion for food if they are willing to serve the awful food that I ate.

Thank god I didn't pay regular price. Even $25 is still not worth it for food that doesn't even compare to a frozen dinner meal.

TOTAL BILL $64 (regular price)...ONCE IS ENOUGH!!!

Desserts Plus

Nope it's not a dessert place. It's actually a cozy little Italian restaurant in the heart of Woodbridge. Located along Weston Road, this friendly joint is a favorite neighborhood spot for a family meal. Humongous portions at very reasonable prices no wonder why there's constantly a lineup at this restaurant.

Last night was my second trip to this eatery. I left with a doggie bag and enough food for lunch AND dinner the next day. Just look at the pictures. I still feel full just looking at it.

The fried calamari was crispy on the outside but not enough flavor on the inside. Don't know why it's so hard to find perfectly seasoned calamari. Nonetheless, my boyfriend pretty much inhaled the starter since he was hungry.

For his entree, he ordered the gnoochi since he was craving for it. It was cooked perfectly. Not too mushy and not over done.

I had the veal sorrento with eggplant, mozzarella, tomato and gravy with a side of pasta in an onion and bacon tomato sauce. It was delicious but oh so much food. I really enjoyed my pasta. It was cooked al dente and was full of bacon flavor. Sounds fatty but I don't care it was yummy.

Like that wasn't much food already, we also ordered a pizza with pesto sauce, mushrooms and prosciutto. What can I say we order with our eyes rather than our stomachs. Besides, we all know pasta dishes normally taste even better the next day.

In order to get a table at this traditional Italian restaurant, your best bet is to call ahead and make reservations otherwise you will be waiting for quite some time since the portions are huge and people take their time eating it.

On a side note I like to thank my boss for my new iPhone 4. If you notice, the pictures are far more clearer than my previous pictures. No more blurry pictures here. Thanks boss I love my iPhone:)

TOTAL BILL $55...EAT HERE NEXT!!!