Mistura

http://www.mistura.ca

Heard of this place due to its famous chef, Massimo, and had marked it on our radar for some time now. Mistura is normally quite pricy, so we figured for $45 each at Winterlicious, we should taste some decent dishes.


APPEARANCE
a tinted bottle, elegant labelonce poured, 
you can see the rich golden colour
Dark from the outside, bright orange sign with playful writing, Mistura is hard to miss on the dark corner of Davenport with Valet parking signs at the front. Once inside a lady traded our coats for a metal number - making us feel important.

SWIRL

smooth and lively - some obvious legscan lightly feel the vanilla character
Walking further inside the long room, we felt like we are part of a magic show - mirrors, long white table cloths, high contrast spot lights, interesting glass structures with candles dancing as the air moved. We sat at an elegantly laid booth table with a long, narrow tablecloths stretching from one side to the other width-wise (a bit restraining, I thought). The paper sheet menus for winterlicious didn't belong there much. With the large Mistura wordmark (in case we missed it), a thick black frame close to it and plenty of text to follow - the menus didn't do their interiors justice, as they cram any available space.

NOSE
citrus, melon, as well as a strange 
unidentifiable aroma
Our polite waiter was in no mood to chat. We were asked to order all at once. I asked for their Tuscan Onion Soup, Trofiette main dish, and a Pistachio Panna Cotta. I asked for advise between their Cave Spring Riesling and 2011 Italian Pinot Grigio, and he recommended the ladder. I asked for 1/4 L and Cheri did the same but for a 2009 Caliornian Merlot. We got some warm bread, so the balsamic & oil dip to the side, as well as the tomato tapanade, came to use.The restaurant ended up filling by 7pm, and the crowd seemed on the older, mature side, and some seemed to be regulars.I have to add, we kept on picking up a cologne (perhaps one of the Polos), sadly we thought it was one of their staff.


PALATE
a bit dry and herbaceous to start, medium-bodied, oaky character
To begin, I got my soup - a light version of French Onion Soup. It had parsley and a bit of pecorino on the crostini floating, which I had trouble chasing and cutting it into smaller bites. Cheri's Braised Quail had a bone sticking out and the rest cut nicely and laid on the polenta, with squash and onion on the side. The meat was a bit dry, but Cheri quite enjoyed it.Next came my Trofiette Pasta - seemingly home made, as they were all so different, I was genuinely amused by the shape. Unfortunately it was a bit too chewy. The pasta came with plenty of cauliflower, some ricotta, parsley, a hint of truffle and perhaps some walnut. It was a bit too very heavy for me to finish and I was definitely getting a bit un- enthusiastic with every dish having parsley. Cheri's small Pork Loin came topped with a bit of Apple, Kale, Chestnut, with some Squash Puree and Onions. The pork was nowhere close to being lean, lard was a good third of it, but overall interesting flavour combinations.

FINISH
a long aftertaste perfect for those with a sweet tooth
Desserts were the best part! My Pistachio Panna Cotta cream reminded me of my grandma's pudding. It was topped with mascapone some fruits and mint springs. It was under subtle orange polenta cake and strange candied oranges on the side. Cheri's Warm Walnut Cake was delicious - crumbed and served in a cup, covered in salted caramel and topped with mascapone and a few fruits - beauty.
Oh, we had to google what Mistura meant (thinking it had to do with Mystery) but it turned out it is a Portuguese word for Mixture/Fusion. The interior would have been a perfect match for Mystery.

Overall.. a Chardonnay needing some work in the midst 
of the experience. 

Wish

http://wishintoronto.com

Winterlicious…a great way to discover places I would not normally visit. Will not visit because they are too far, because they are nearby but not noticeable enough, because I’ve never heard about them…lots of reasons to miss a potentially great spot. We visited Wish display at the recent Interior Design Show opening night so when the place came up in the winterlicious list, the decision making process was quick.

APPEARANCE
Light pink, very clear
Hidden between a Japanese restaurant and a hotel, Wish is easy to miss – Charles East around Yonge is a very condensed area to begin with. Their winterized entrance was a hard plastic swing door along with a transparent polyethylene curtain leading straight into the dining area. This section appears to be the covered version of their summer patio and lots of light along with soft couches and street furniture makes it fill very warm despite minus 20 on the street. I sat in the closed up section which does look more like an actual café.

NOSE
Floral with some citrus
A lot of somewhat distracting details start to catch my attention as I settle down. There is a deer head above me, a huge letter R next to the bar and a street wall imitation (with windows and rustic bricks) occupying the far side of this tiny space – a bit of an overload.

SWIRL
Longer than typical legs
The Winterlicious menu is straightforward, three choices per course. It took me couple minutes to figure out what I want: Mini Pate with Crostini and Onion Jam, Baked Salmon with Quinoa Salad and a Cream Coconut Tart for dessert. The lemon infused water appeared on the table before I took off my coat. That’s where the swiftness ended unfortunately. Each other item took progressively longer in making its way to the table.


PALATE
Fruity, berry taste
A very neatly arranged jam jar along with four slices of crostini and a small taster plate of onion jam and grain mustard was my first course. A truly enjoyable experience for an appetizer! The pate was dense inside and of perfect consistency. The onion jam was a bit too difficult to eat with the large fork provided. There was a lot of pate so I quickly ran out of crostini. Not amused by a thought of eating fatty pate on its own, I asked for more. To my surprise, waitress made a smiling proposition to give me four more pieces for $1. I said yes while thinking of how odd it is to charge for this. At any rate, it took too long for the crostini to arrive so once I got my second course I let the waitress know that I will be fine without. The Baked Salmon paired with quinoa salad was good! Cooked just the right amount of time, quinoa was shaped on my plate and sprinkled with citrus. I believe some cranberries were mixed into it as well. The salmon itself was also nicely prepared but could use a bit more spice. The later was fixed with some salt and pepper promptly added to the plate. I cannot say I found the Coconut Tart particularly interesting – a simple creamy desert with a crumply crust.

FINISH
A great potential, but needs some refinement. Somewhat of a confusing aftertaste
I liked the place overall. It does seem very tiny and overloaded inside. At the same time, I am pretty confident that in the summer and with their patio properly functioning, the feel will be completely different. The food was good, but the service a bit lacking (might be due to Winterlicious). We will be back here in a few months to take a look again. Maybe a dinner this time, with ma cherie.

Overall... a young rose Pinot Noir

Zooma Zooma

http://www.zoomazoomacafe.ca

Recommended to us after our visit to the family owned Calamus winery, we made our way after tasting some beautiful white wines.

APPEARANCE
light and lively
Not the easiest to find on Lincoln's busy Main Street, our friend was quick enough to spot the slab-serif "z" in a small red circle. From the outside, beige blue siding with blue and white details, the best part was the halved bowling pin door handle.



NOSE
rose petal, honeysuckle
The interior inside welcomed us with magenta red walls and a hand painted purple texture on top. Perhaps their inspiration was taken from the orchid flowers on the tables. My favourite part was the skylight area in the middle of the room with vinyl disks stylishly used for the interior decoration.


SWIRL
nectarine, litchi, hint of oak
As we settled down on one of their circular middle table, our menus arrived. Yes, Cheri felt special noticing the rectangle at the menu's header being almost the same wooden texture as our table. The young waiter let us know that their daily special was Breaded Parmesan Chicken and their daily soup - Cream Broccoli.
For drinks, ma sœur got a glass of the Calamus Pinot Gris we just tried, while I decided to give their Echos (Tawse) Riesling a try. Not one of my bright ideas, the Riesling was citrusy, dry and plane. The Pinot Gris was quite lovely though, sweet, peachy, off-dry. I slightly pushed Cheri for the Kensington beer, none of us had heard of it. He is not a big beer fan so we ended up switching. The Kensington Augusta Ale was great, smooth with a floral nose, I really enjoyed it.
I went for their special, with soup instead of salad in the side. Cheri got the Smoked Salmon Croissant. We also asked for their House Frites for the table. With light music in the background and lots of energy in the room, we waited. (perhaps it was the awesome company adding)

PALATE
a buttery character; smooth, a bit heavy and spicy; 
truly delightful
Turns out I also got their House Frites on the side anyways. The Breaded Chicken was between thick buns, with tomato-onion salsa - a very heavy dish. The broccoli soup was great, a tad spicy but perfect for the chilli day. It came with dried, flat bread topped by sesames. Their Frites were pretty good, they came with sea salt on them and two sides - an interesting curry-mayo and smokey ketchup. Cheri's Smoked Salmon Croissant had cucumbers, red onion and a creamy dill sauce to go with the smoked salmon - light and delicious. The croissant was a bit on the hard, crispy side, but I thought it was better than a fresh, tender one which would've flattened after the first bite.

FINISH
all comes together into a beautiful light aftertaste
Great ambiance, company, food and alcohol choices - definitely worth coming back!

Overall, a unique oaked Gewutraminer, definitely a new favourite.

Ocho

http://hotelocho.com/food.html

Ocho is a hard to miss lower level lounge/restaurant visible from Spadina. Cheri had once brought me here quickly, and we decided the place never got the attention it deserves. So we made our way after work, on the Thursday before IDS.

APPEARANCE

fizzy, blush

Entering from the side, this place is quite minimalistic - the tall ceiling, glass entrance on a brick building. No obvious logo to feel sure we are going the right way.

NOSE

simple, slightly crisp, peach

I entered and went down the short flight of (industrial-like) metal stairs. The bartender on the other side greeted me and let me pick a spot. As I settled down, I noticed there were a lot of people sitting by themselves on laptops or just enjoying the company of a drink. The ambiance was set with the upbeat Buena Vista Social Club playing the in the background.  It felt trendy. On the side of the dining area was a split-level loft area with sofas - a bit of a lounge.

SWIRL

candied oranges, tropical fruit

The waitress handed me their elegant leather gatefold menu, with their logo debossed in the middle - tres chic. I was curious to know more about their Muskoka Mad Tom IPA as well as their Blanche de Chambly. She clearly though the Blanche de Chambly is a better option, as I am more than happy I listened to her. It was floral, white and smooth. Cheri went for his usual Thornbury Cider - crisp, acidic, refreshing. We decided to share an Ocho Salad and their Puff Pastry Tart.

PALATE

an interesting combination of crisp and sweet, complex palate, medium-bodied

We got some bread accompanied by a small bowl of balsamic, oil and pepper. The mixture was somehow quite watery, but we were glad to calm down our appetite. 

Their Ocho Salad has nicely presented - candied almonds on the peek, underneath a generous piece of goat cheese, followed by a large amount of spring leaves and rivers of raspberry vinaigrette. On the side there were plenty of fresh raspberries as well as half an avocado. Honestly, I though there were one too many flavours going on. Definitely no cheap salad to make, perhaps it was the large amount of goat cheese that contributed to my opinion. Perhaps, a bread on the side would have also helped de-intensify the dish.  

The Tart came as another heap, with passionate balsamic strokes everywhere. The puff pastry dish was baked with broccoli, chestnuts, blue cheese, pickled apples and romaine hearts. A very experimental chef indeed. I think removing the pickled apples would definitely help, and making the blue cheese just a hint. It was just too many surprises at every bite, I was rather afraid of what is next.  On the bright side, I think that the fact that all the ingredients were in large chucks was a good idea - to make sure nobody can have them all ingredients at once.

FINISH

short but heavy, butter scotch

We made our way to the rest rooms - very cold, but modern, dark and clean. On the way, I saw the stairs leading up to the hotel rooms.

As were leaving, I noticed a fellow designer from school hanging out there. He let me know the artwork on the walls changed every few months - local artists. Currently there were simple colourful circle crops.

The minimalistic interior was a nice contrast to their dishes.

Overall, a sweet, opinionated, pink Muscat.. perhaps from Provence.

Shanghai Cowgirl

http://www.shanghaicowgirl.com/

On a very cold and somewhat dim Tuesday evening we found ourselves with an urge to find a warm and filling place to eat. We visited Shanghai Cowgirl before on our way to some event at Drake and one more time for takeout recently. The meal was a very enjoyable experience both times. It is probably the closest place to where we live and definitely deserves some recognition for their efforts in burger making.

APPEARANCE
dark, ruby red (color is a bit too saturated)
Not very well lit from the outside, but with a huge glass window and metal frames occupying the whole wall, the place is relatively easy to pass by without noticing. This facade could be more memorable. Another thing to mention is the overall lack of color in the outside appearance.


NOSE
cherry, high in alcohol, heavy, hints of smoke 
Walking in, the place hits you with art covered walls. We noticed that this art was different every time we came. It also appeared to be from the local artists which was very appealing to us. The inside of Cowgirl breathed hipness, it was relaxing and dim with simple fixtures and matching crowd.

SWIRL
long legs, high viscosity, more tannin aromas coming through
We glanced over the simple one page menu. Few burger choices (maybe a bit too few for a place specializing in this) and several traditional options. Our waitress came by to offer some beers. Maybe we were still not warm enough or just a bit slower in the evening, but it took us few minutes to figure out that “Blonde” was a brand of beer from Amsterdam brewery and "Export" was simply Molson Export, rather than potential list of options to choose from. We found it difficult to figure out without mentioning of brands. At the end, we ended up going for Burger of the Day (peameal, cheddar onion) and a Shanghai Cobb salad. Both chosen mainly for their names. Sounded like something the place would be particularly proud of.

PALATE
as expected a smoky and leathery taste;

could use more subtle notes and undertones – taste is a bit too blunt, masking the details
It did not take long for both items to arrive. We ended up sharing the Blond, its citrusy taste seemed like a great match for both dishes. The burger was huge with its 8oz patty and a load of stuff inside. Somehow, even though the patty was a bit pink on the inside, it still was somewhat dry and bland. This remained a mystery to us. It was tasty overall, but could use a bit more edge to it. Few strips of bacon could be a great addition. With regard to the Cob Salad, it was simply too loaded. There was an egg, meats, vinaigrette, tomatoes – lots of taste to say the least. It was definitely filling, but I would have preferred it to be a bit simpler.

FINISH
a truly great experience with a filling aftertaste
Enjoy responsibly!
We definitely enjoyed our visit. Maybe a few finishing touches here and there could make it perfect. We also asked our server why Shanghai was in the name. No real reason apparently (no Asian roots) – simply the name that sounded good for the founders.

Overall, a well rounded Rioja.