The Works

http://www.worksburger.com/

Cheri and I decided to spoil ourselves on our bike ride home, after our weekly beach volleyball. Cheri had previously checked this spot out with a coworker - randomly seeing it from the street. He was eager to bring me here ever since.

APPEARANCE
bright, new, fresh, entertaining label
The Works is new to the St Lawrence area - taking over the corner of Wellington and Church, across from Toronto's flat-iron building. This area needed a more reasonably priced spot, which is not Pizza Pizza. A bit after we arrived, their brightly lit patio area became our top prize. 

NOSE
citrusy, apple, honey
Entering, the main room was transparent - divided by low cubicles of fenced wire. The interior was put together in the chaos of walls from scrambled brick chunks, copper pipes everywhere, industrial lights and an imposing metal dimensional W, suspended by chains. Hip spot, part of the gourmet burger trend invasion, no doubt. We breezed through, following the hostess, as we made our way up a long staircase.

SWIRL
pear, mineral in character
Their second floor patio kept consistent with the heavy interior - bar made of scrambled brick locked in concrete, metal tables and a daring metal roof frame. Their menus are like old brochures - dark paper, loaded with information and their bold stencil serif typeface filling all the space it can. Can't argue that fit a lot of information on one tabloid piece of paper. It went over the steps of ordering a burger. Our appetite was too pushy to wait for us to go over it all.

Step 1: we decided to go all out and pick their Lean Domestic Elk
Step 2: we went for a topping of Neil Young (one of their 10 favs)
Step 3: whole wheat bun 

Step 4: side of Spicy Die Cut Chips and a side of Cucumbers
Step 5: enough already

It didn't take long for our water to arrive - arrive in style - a large-liquid-measuring-cup style, that is. Not many burger joints let people indulge in beer, so we had to take advantage - a Mooshead IPA, please!
As we waited and froze on their windy patio, we enjoyed the view and vibe of the area. Also, I was quite entertained by their salt and pepper shakers - faking to be lightbulbs. In the waiting, I indulged myself on a trip to "Ladies Waste Removal", right by the "Family Compost Zone" - that would all be by their take-out zone.

PALATE
crisp, well balanced, full-bodied
What is inside Neil Young, you may wander? Well that would be grilled eggplant, avocado, salsa loco, and feta. Our waitress seemed to have picked a white bread bun for us, but we didn't even realize until half-way though. The Elk was really not game-y nor bloody (thank god) but rather tender and lightly smelly. The burger was really great. I quite enjoyed the side of those spicy, crispy chip-fries. As for the cucumbers, lets just say do not order fresh veggies in a burger joint. They were old and dry… probably filtered the fridge for a good day.

FINISH
sweet and refreshing

We definitely had a great time - quite enjoyed the spot. We need to try it for a sunny lunch, for surez. Also, plenty of topping combos to try.

Overall.. a new-age unoaked Chardonnay

Korea House

My co-worker is a bit of a foodie and also an avid enthusiast of Asian culture. At the very least, I wanted him to share some of his experiences at the local eateries, but he ended up naming a few good ones in the process. Ma Cherie had a surprise prepared for me in the evening somewhere in Ossington/College area and the weather was splendid, so we picked our bikes and went up Euclid to explore Korea Town.

APPEARANCE
clear like water, unassuming 
A myriad of small and seemingly family owned places are scattered around the few city blocks forming Korea Town. Our place was across the street from PAC Mart – a big supermarket with some interesting choices to explore one day. Korea House does look relatively upscale comparing to surrounding eateries. All seems to be in the right place: high quality food photos, clean logo and non-shabby outside trim. We might have walked in here on our own if in the area by chance.

NOSE
some mushroom smell
Its 18:30, the place is somewhat empty, but there is humming and tension in the air. Small staff is running around like in anticipation of a large client intake. Maybe they are just preparing for us… At any rate, we got a neat cabin in, what seemed to be, a stylized Korean village set up - exposed roof rafters, korean writing-saturated wallpapers (which ma cheri approved of) with promotions and photos glued here and there around us.

SWIRL
alcohol coming though, slowly releasing the smell
Few minutes in we had our water to calm down the thirst. We started to research the menu shortly. The offering was more pleasantly executed than in the absolute majority of smaller places we visited lately. The list was not overly long and supplied by pictures corresponding with dishes. Some entries could use a bit more description. Our waitress (and I suspect the owner) was brutally efficient. There was a picture of today’s special (Don Katsu) on the wall. Looked like meat and rice which we promptly asked for. In addition, we inquired about the seafood pancake (Hae Mul Pa Jeon), but settled with a vegetable option instead. The waitress vanished and we were left alone.
The food started arranging within minutes…It did not look like what we ordered and was served to an empty table nearby which we shared the cabin with. The plates with steaming goodness filled the space, but there were no one to eat it. We patiently waited for our meal for another 10 minutes toying with a petty crime idea. The kimchi on a neighboring was calling for attention. But we waited and soon enough our meal arrived. My co-worker did warn me that there will be free side-dishes to supplement the main course, but all our stuff arrived at once and these small dishes came last.

PALATE
light to drink, simple, but refreshing taste
Our vegetable pancake looked more like a large omelet loaded with pan fried bell peppers, onions and zucchinis. If we were not at a Korean place, I would have confused it with a traditional western omelet sans ham. Our waitress cut it with scissors into pizza slice sized pieces. It came with a soy-sauce based side. The beef with rice looked exactly like presented on the picture and was served with a barbeque sauce. The beef had a nice crispy coat of corn/bread. We had three small plates given as side dishes: kimchi, marinated zucchini and sprouts. I would highly recommend the fluffy, egg pancake (don’t even know why its called like that…definitely an omelet). The beef on the other hand…I wish the waitress/owner was not as busy and spent a bit of time recommending something more exiting. The dish was exactly what was expected. We did not end up finishing the abundant white rice which accompanied the meat. Side dishes were delicious! From what I understood, they just get refilled on the house if depleted, but we had a show to catch so there was no chance to test it.


FINISH
tingling and biting notes on the tongue
A lovely place in the middle of Korea Town! We did not try their traditional alcoholic beverage unfortunately and had no time to experiment with dishes further. It is authentic enough to have a taste of Korean culture, but not overly intense nor expensive to push foreigners away.

Overall, a commercial Soju widely accessible and quite decent.

Czehoski

http://www.czehoski.com/

Oh it was one of those days, where the smell of summer takes over the city - fresh, warm and sunny. Needless to say what happens with the patios. Cheri and I took a stroll along lively Queen Street after work.

APPEARANCE 

trendy label with a sense of age, rose-orange hue
From the outside, the clean bold Czehoski typeface on the aged sign with paint deteriorating from it, is a memorable juxtaposition. The wooden-glass front spoke of another decade.

SWIRL

light tears, with typical aroma of strawberriesWe walked into a narrow lot, wooden booths on one side, bar on the other. Overall cool and dark, but with trendy lights and open pipes on the ceiling. I was not to anxious to spend our evening here. The waiter took us up a steep fight of stairs leading to a bright loft-like room. Tall ceilings, white walls, photo-realistic vibrant paintings, a random canoe and some greens. That's a totally different feel. Another wooden set of stairs led to some small open concept space, which I was curious to find out is a private dining area.

NOSE 

more define aroma of raspberry and red currants, perhaps some sweet jelly beans tooWe were told their patio is currently full, so we decided to start out inside and move out as space opens up. We sat on their wooden tables, next to a mom and a son having a meal. We took a quick glance at their small dark drink menus, which turned out to have all the dishes too. We were both glad to see their chef's name mentioned at the end - Nolan Witkowski.
Our casual waiter with his thick-frames glasses and trendy hat, in jeans and yet a formal vest was ready to tell us how cool and hip everything is (in case we didn't feel it yet). Inquiring about their Babcia's Pierogies, he simply had to say that they are his "all time favorite". This was probably the last time I asked for his advise. We were happy to hear Wednesday evenings was their half-off bottles of wine night. We just had to take advantage of that. Before we had the time to decide on anything, we followed our waiter's wobbly walk through a narrow corridor leading to their outside patio. Yes, they got me - very hip indeed. It wasn't just the joyful crowd of people, but the mix and match of different art and materials, which managed to come together into one sweet spot to hang out in. It was made up of aged wood under our feet and used as benches, blackboad-chalk art in front of us, a steep roof side radiating heat behind us, followed by a stone-arranged wall. The uniform, black patio furniture was just perfect to keep the area stylish and not over-the-top.

PALATE 

semi-dry, light fizz tickling the palate, hint of licorice coming through
Our eyes finally reached their wine cart. We didn't fret too much in picking their Californian Cab Sauv (Beringer '11). It was a great choice - fruit forward, lightly oaked, just the right temperature. Our Popcorn appetizer arrived right on time. We received a large bowl of popcorn with dried bunches of thyme sticking out, some rosemary, grated parmesan, soft grilled garlic cloves and yes, that nutty brown butter feel. Cheri didn't realize he was eating thyme, a spice he thought he dislikes, but loved every bit of this dish. We ended up talking about what a genius appetizer popcorn makes (cheap and easy to make), too bad it is not often a choice.. so much possibility.
Next our Queen West Garden Burger and Babcia's Pierogies made their way. I have never had pierogies surved at the right temperature. They always end up burning me.. the usual had to be repeated. I got a bit upset and ended up cutting all of them in half to cool down to a temperature when their flavor can speak up (it took a few other attempts before that happened). They were hand rolled and stuffed with sweet potato. To my surprise, didn't feel the described smoked gouda nor roasted garlic. There was little braised red cabbage under them and a unique creme fraiche on the side, with hints of orange zest.
The Queen West Garden Burger had a black beans patty with hints of cumin and havarti melted on top. We asked for a side of salad - zesty with plenty of muster seed, even though vegetarian, it was a hearty dish.

FINISH

the added sugar leaves the palate with a thirsty, refreshing aftertaste
Overall the casual, relaxed ambiance really made us appreciate this Queen West groove, and of course the unique meals served by quite the character had a big role to play. We can't wait to bring a couple of friends there soon.

Overall, one of those trendy Rosé blends people get hooked on in early summer.

The Chickery

http://www.thechickery.com/

Ahhh...the aroma. I think we first noticed this small place on Camden by the aroma - this unforgettable aroma of roasted chicken. Also, the memorable rooster graphics were hard to miss. Chickery was an instant candidate for lunch sometime soon. Especially since we both work nearby. We only hoped that this is not an overpriced KFC going through a rebranding effort.

APPEARANCE

bright yellow, very light
Lots of glass and somewhat of a rustic look overall. The details of this modern loft seem to be paying homage to a small, southern town eatery. We first noticed some vintage cola containers near the door. We loved the theming from the custom barn-style incandescent lamps hanging from the ceiling - these lights looked like they might have been reincarnated from their past life as hen warmers. There are two styles of wood - not very well blended though-out. One type is covering some of the walls – it is artificially aged wood, dyed in light violet. The second, authentic type, we noticed under the counter - with barn nails holding some of the boards together. Another, not-to-miss element was the type. Some on the walls had guiding principles about Chickery – generic content, but cute style of writing.

SWIRL

no long legs, chilled wine leaves some moisture on the glass walls
We walked up and ordered their quarter chicken (white) and chicken fingers sandwich. The price seemed relatively high at first, but we realized that it all included one side which was not such a bad deal after all. The cashier was pleasant, but definitely in no mood to chat – understandable, considering the stampede of people around us. According to her, the most popular menu item was their pulled chicken sandwich, but we set our mind of something else already. We came there at 13:10, but it was likely packed at around noon. It was still busy at this later lunch hour. We grabbed the number and sat ourselves on the side, the bar stool area was all busy. Next to us were two ladies from an ad agency, hoping the ambiance to spark some creativity in them.

NOSE

light citrusy smell breaking through, crisp    
The wait was looong. We sat for about 10 minutes before our food appeared. It looked like quite a few folks were waiting anxiously for their orders to arrive. At some point, the waitress activated and served all the tables almost at once. My quarter chicken was served on waxed paper on a metal tray with a side of bbq sauce. Looked great, a bit small though. Ma Cherie's sandwich had a bit more presentation to it – the sandwich halves were pierces with thin slices of radish and carrot on a toothpick. A definitely loaded meal!

PALATE

tong biting, crispy taste; earth tones, but very light overall
I found my chicken not overly dry, but Ma Cherie disagreed. It was still very tasty with an original rub and with their excellent bbq sauce. A simple, but genius meal. Well cooked throughout and not burned at all. The sandwich on the other hand, was not simple at all. It had pickles, cut greens and a piece of buttermilk breaded crispy chicken inside. Cajun mayo inside and a bbq sauce on the side had it work Maybe a tad difficult to eat due to all the goodness packed in and the chicken sticking out of everywhere. Nonetheless, I had a few bites and enjoyed it quite a lot.

FINISH
Could use some more maturing. Well rounded overall. 
Nice...despite the wait, we left satisfied. The place has great atmosphere and good food. We both thought we should’ve tried their fries, but shortly realized that they don't offer any. Oh well...still worth visiting again, especially to try those bleachers at the front.

Overall - a young unoaked Chardonnay

Effes Mediterranean Grill

http://effesgrill.ca/

This place was chosen to celebrate Grandfather’s 75th birthday, so it was primarily his call. To be honest, we would not have visited here otherwise – Effes is located on Keele and Highway 7 in a somewhat obscure plaza. Based on the area, people most come in for lunch - those working in the area. Furniture stores, small manufacturers, warehouses for the nearby rail juncture… Not a typical environment for a culinary adventure. But then again, who knows. Maybe it is a true “hidden gem”.

APPEARANCE
clear, pale yellow, inconspicuous and not very promising bottle
No cars parked at the front, really minimal lighting, a brick arched entrance made us feel like we are in Greece, despite the large parking lot. Their brand is nothing too memorable or heavily invested in. We shyly walked in to be warmly greeted by, presumably by the owner. From what we understood, they did not really plan to be open today. Better for us! All attention will be to our party of seven. The place looked decidedly better inside. The furnishings were somewhat simple, but very functionally set up. Not much decoration besides that - red spot lights, white walls, blue tiled ceiling putting you in the mood for some authentically cooked hearty meal. The entrants are greeted by a display of baklava in a nicely lid glassed cabinet. Grandpa ceremonially announced that these would be our dessert when the time comes.

NOSE
citrusy, interesting flower hints and rose tones
A typical family gathering for a birthday party involving all the pleasantries and the giving of presents takes a bit of time. Being in a center of attention has its drawbacks, the ratio of employees to guests was pretty close to 1:1. By the time we were actually ready to order, the waitress was already very eager to start. We did get a loaded bruschetta as an appetizer on the house in the meantime and asked for some beer and wine. That bruschetta was finger-licking good, indeed. The menu was rich with options, but could be a bit more elegant in its appearance. At the same time, it left a cozy feeling as something that was put together lovingly. The waitress herself was very nice and accommodating. She seemed to understand the needs of a big Eastern European family. No surprise, she herself was not too culturally remote from this - being from Kalmykia, Russia.

SWIRL
not very long legs hints of honey and bee wax
I ordered a lamb soulvaki and Ma Cherie went for yogurt chicken with tomato basil sauce. The lamb was served with a side of bulgur and a salad while the chicken was complimented by baked potatoes, both our choices. We also asked for their house wines- red and white to match our meals. The portion size is the main concern in Mediterranean places. We already anticipated that we will be eating what we order for at least next day for lunch. In addition, we got some platters to share with standard fare – humus, tubule, pickled mushrooms, etc. That was already filling on its own so we were afraid to face the main course.

PALATE
floral, fruity taste, some evidence of developing character
And the food arrived…lots of it. My lamb was truly delicious, with bulgur side a bit drier than I would have preferred it to be. I normally do not mind the lamb smell (occasionally enjoy it even) and this meat was really well balanced. It had just a hint of smell, enough to give it definition, but did not overwhelm. Even Ma Cherie was able to enjoy a few pieces. Bulgur could use a bit more sauce, but I should have probably addressed this issue myself. The yogurt chicken was covered in thick tomato-peppers base, and could have used a stronger character when it came to herbs and salt. The side of baked potatoes had hint of paprika, and plenty of fresh parsley. Got us talking about cooking something similar soon - a good sign. Overall the whole experience left a very pleasant feeling. It truly felt like a home-made meal.
We all took food to go, but had to go for those baklavas, as we promised. We had all the different ones with a side of their home black tea - served in the traditional Turkish tulip cups.

FINISH
light and fresh
The owner personally thanked us as we were walking out. We would definitely recommend this venue for an authentic Mediterranean fare. The place worth checking in the summer, looks like they have a decent patio.

Overall, a surprisingly under-appreciated Chenin Blanc