Category: Uncategorized

General Apr 18, 2009 The Waffle 1 Comment After a night of baseball, which included an encounter with Kelly Gruber and Rance Milliniks at Arriba (which incidentally was not broadcasting baseball but hockey games), I was in charge of finding a location for a breakfast and recovery meal.  Thankfully, I had brought along my CheapEats Toronto book. Near the Skydome, there was not a lot of recommendations.  One caught my eye immediately though, the Avenue Open Kitchen on Camden Street in the Entertainment District.  It caught my eye for the location (near Queen and Spadina) and for the prices listed ($3.95 for a breakfast plate before 11 am); and it was listed as a “greasy spoon”. And so we ended up there. Classic diner environment, a long and narrow room, with stools by the open kitchen and small booths by the wall, an old fridge filled with pop, newspaper clippings…

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Baseball Apr 18, 2009 The Waffle 5 Comments The Toronto Blue Jays are off to a hot start, and today the Oakland A’s were in town.  Josh Outman was starting for Oakland and was facing David Purcey.  I could talk to you about the game, a good one for sure, but you can read all about the Jays’ defeat here. I have complained before about the price of beer at the Rogers Centre.  Well, it hasn’t gone down.  The alley vendors are selling tall Budweiser (or Bud Light) cans for $9.50, and a large draught at a Bud Booth is $10. Shame, I say. I was, however, looking forward to some food.  Although I had had a snack already, I was curious about how the new offerings at the Rogers Centre would turn out. I had seen some “coming soon” signs when I came here for some WBC games back in March.  But…

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Baseball, Restaurant Apr 17, 2009 The Waffle 1 Comment We arrived in Toronto fairly early – we made good time, thanks to a combination of speed mania and pregnancy. For our stay, we rented rooms at the Renaissance which is attached to the Rogers Centre. We checked-in, settled in our rooms, and proceeded to Arriba for refreshments. Arriba is a self-described Modern Mediteranean Restaurant and Lounge.  Seems like an odd choice for a place with a view on the Rogers Centre, but hey, what do I know, perhaps baseball fans visiting Toronto are also fans of Mediteranean fare.  The view is quite neat, and having a good meal is enticing, but if you do make reservations for game time, please be aware that you need to spend at least $50 per person – $75 if the Red Sox or the Yankees are in town.  No charges for the Expos, though. We…

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Restaurant Apr 17, 2009 The Waffle 2 Comments On our road trip to Toronto, we had to stop for lunch, and Scott had pre-selected our lunch spot for us:  we were to stop in Kingston, at Bubba’s Pizzeria. According to Scott, this place, located on King Street, is standing room only when the bars are closing. It is easy to see why: Bubba is a small place.  12 people could sit at the table in the middle, a few more on stools by the window. But as we walked in today, there was one person eating a burger at a table and another one was leaving with a pizza. Scott was also claiming that when he visited his brother here when he was attending Queen’s, this was the best poutine in town. Sure enough, the store’s window was proudly displaying it’s #1 poutine in Kingston as awarded by Queen’s Journal. However,…

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Restaurant Apr 15, 2009 The Waffle 5 Comments There are a lot of Thaï restaurants in the National Capital Region.  A lot.     You can almost never go wrong, but it is quite hard to go all the way to the top.  Green Papaya – a local favourite – has four locations, and its sister chain, Hot Peppers.  Siam Bistro was a hit, before it burnt down. (They now have re-opened.) In the market, you make a pretty good choice if you end up at the Royal Thaï.  Siam Kitchen and Som Tum are also pretty good, and they both offer nice combo plates. Considering its location way out in Ottawa South, Sweet Basil is good, but overpriced. On the Quebec side, Chez le Thaï is quite good, and they have a great backyard terrace in the summer.  Le Lotus Royal Thaï on Montcalm is small, pricey, but excellent.   But without…

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