Zoe's Toronto

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Le Canard Mort

http://lecanardmort.ca/

Waiting the regular Lady Marmalade line, we couldn't ignore the duck gesture sketch logo next door. So we made a reservation on their half-price drinks day - Wednesday.

APPEARANCE
dark plum purple
Big open door-windows, flowers, white, careless, handwritten type on black background with a spiral, gold, duck sketch on the door.

NOSE
rip black cherry and berry aromas
It was empty and kind of spacious inside - dark red and green tones all arround, felt very right. We were the first people to come in at 6:30. The waiter, greeted us and asked to pick our spot. We sat by the window, where you can hear the busy queen street. He instantly offered to close the large windows, but they added a nice fresh breeze I wasn't willing to give up.

SWIRL
honeysuckle, prune, trces of oak
He handed us two pieces of paper each (not the weight a menu deserves) with their duck logo nicely screened back in the background, as well as the restaurant name (fighting a bit with the items). Reading through the simple, well-spaced type, we decided to try many appetizers because they seem to be the playground for chefs. The main courses are somewhat typical due to their price and portion. That, and some wines. Asking for their wine selection, the waiter read a few off a private list and I asked to take a look at that used-up paper.
After his attempt to explain to me what is a Charminer variety, I decided to order it. Cheri asked for their Primitivo wine.
To start, we ordered their Duck Confit Poutine and Tomatoes Grilled Asparagus & Chevre Salad
(due to their beet, pear salad being out).

PALLETE
gentle, fresh, medium body, round
Our wines made their way quickly. My Charminer (which is really a bled of Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer) turned out to be fruity, light with a bit of a zing - exactly what I felt like having. The Pimitivo was a heady deep red.
The music playlist was a bit random, but as couples started arriving - it was getting really cute and cosy.

The Duck Confit Poutine arrived in a deep bowl-like dish. The shredded duck was a bit on the dry side, but the brie in cognac made up for it. Topping it with mushrooms and peppercorn really work well. The Salad was not too special, the asparagus was a bit too raw, but the balsamic vinegar and chevere made it work.
As we lingers on our plates, we heard our waiter recommend a few wines to the side tables and also talked about their sweetbreads. So we asked for their Estrada Creek Chardonnay and Cab Franc/Merlot with our sweetbreads. The Chardonnay was clean and crisp (not too impressive). The CabFranc/Merlot was great - oaky and a bit spicy. The Crispy Fried Sweetbreads also made their way. We picked the blue cheese aioli option, which was a great contrast with the sweet, slightly hot and garlicky bread sauce. The breads themselves were nothing special, they looked like fried chicken balls and came with a lovely arugula salad.

FINISH
good mouthfeel, easy-drinking style
For dessert (there was no menu) we took their cheesecake, as the waiter recommended. It was kind of neat - a build-it-yourself style cheesecake. Cream cheese paste surrounded by a cranberry-raspberry filling and pie crumbs on one side. Not presented very cleanly, but really fun to eat.

overall.. a tasty Petite Syrah

Peter Pan

www.peterpanbistro.co

My second and last place to check out during this year's Summercilious.
We randomly decided to try it out for our Saturday lunch. To be honest I was always intrigued by the place, because of it's name and location but the long white table cloths and wine glasses intimidated my friends last time and we never made it inside.

APPEARANCE
pale, hint of green
A small, cute corner restaurant in the heart of Queen West, leon-lit name, some plants seen though the reflective glass front.

SWIRL
mineral acidity, hints of tropical fruit
Once inside, it is definitely not intimidating. Yellow walls, some paintings, round chairs and white table cloths on one side, dark-red walls, custom-made angular booths with mirrors on the other side and along the bar. Quite the contrasting mix of styles - adult & child?
We had made a reservation earlier this morning, so we were asked to sit ourselves on the back patio - which is kind of hidden and out of the way, through a dark tunnel. Once there it is small, intimate and cosy. Again, flowers and lots of green, not very maintained, but natural. There was a tall, old staircase in the middle, leading to nowhere (really) along Peter Street - perhaps where Peter Pan learned to fly.

NOSE
light, herbaceous

We sat down at a relatively small, circular table near the street side, with the sun peaking through the leaves. We picked our items out of their fixed menu. I asked for the Wild Mushroom Strudel, while cheri got the Sesame Chicken Salad. For our main, I got the Chilled Poached Salmon, and cheri had their Southern California Soft Taco. To go with our food and this warm, sunny Saturday afternoon, I decided to ask our waiter of his advise. He didn't have much of an opinion when it came to wine choices, just said the obvious. So I went with a glass of Lindesmans Semillion Chardonnay, while cheri had a class of Argentinian Malbec.
Not a long wait at all, we got water instantly, followed by warm slices of bread and our wines. Our waiter was a very simple, humble guy (casually dressed too) and not much into talking, but did a great job keeping our meals coming throughout. I can't complain. Our charming (at first) spot turned out to be very noisy with the bus de-tour on Peter Street. 

PALATE
crisp, clean, racy acidity
My Mushroom Strudel was pretty good, however a lot more pastry than filling. I think it was microwaved and the tarragon sauce was a bit too intense for me. Cheri's salad of mixed greens topped with chili glazed sesame chicken was great - light, tender and flavorful. Our mains arrived soon after. My Salmon was really chilled ( I guess for convenience purposes) I was not a fan of that, especially having the skin left on it. (grossed me out a bit) The grilled asparagus was the best part. There was also a small pile of pear, mango mix - refreshing, I enjoyed its addition. Cheri's California Soft Tacos with pulled smoked chicken was impressive, unlike its presentation. Cooked in a root beer BBQ sauce and with cheddar and guacamole, I wished it was more than just one. Accompanied with a side of plain mixed greens, the chicken was a bit dry.
Lastly, we ordered our desserts. I asked for the waiter's advise and he pointed me to the Chocolate Fudge Brownie and cheri - their Tiramisu. And so, they quickly made their way to us. Nicely presented with flower leaves on top, my brownie was probably store bought (or so I hope). It was dry, bready, cold and tasteless. Cheri's tiramisu was a bit too mushy, but overall pretty good. (perhaps home-made)

FINISH
sour, undeveloped
All bus noise was an obvious accident waiting to happen. And it did next day - the result was a TTC buss crashing into a building just a few meters down the street. A necessary evil, to save the cute, back patio ambiance.
Any restaurant wanting to do well, should put their best foot forwards on Summerlicious. I don't know why they wouldn't?! Microwaved and store-bought dishes are out of question. - that is my advise for naive little Peter Pan.

overall... a typical Sauvignon Blanc.