Winterlicious – Stonegrill on Winchester ★★1/2

Posted on December 23, 2011 by Danthanh

Price: 30-50+

I came here for one of the Winterlicious events last year, my group came right before it got busy so we had the place to ourselves essentially. Service was nice but again, it wasn’t that busy. By the time it got crowded, service was considerably slower. Food was good, I had the AAA tenderloin while another friend had salmon. Both were nice but I would recommend the tenderloin (I am a meat eater, ha ha). Each dish comes with a side of vegetables and mashed potatoes, again, this was good. However, it is VERY small so you may want to order a side dish like calamari or see if you can order more mashed potatoes.

In general, Stonegrill didn’t particularly wow but it’s a nice restaurant with good ambience and friendly enough staff. Good place to bring co-workers or your boss, family (perhaps not children though), friends and dates.

Dress Code: Semi-Dressy.

Website: http://www.stonegrillonwinchester.com/home.php
Location: 51B Winchester St., Toronto ON M4X 1AB
Telephone: (416) 967-6565
Hours:
Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday to Thursday: 5:00pm-12:00am
Friday to Sunday: 5:00pm – 2:00am

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Baton Rouge ★★★1/2

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Danthanh

Price: $30+

This place totally surprised me! I came in expecting it to be really bad since my mentality is “when has a restaurant attached to a mall ever been good?” So far I had their soup of the day (it was tomato soup), shrimp cocktail, grilled calamari, ahi tuna salad, filet mignon (8 oz.) and new york striploin (14 oz.). Meat dishes come with a salad (house or caesar) and potato (mashed or baked). They all taste good but when ordering their meat dishes, they generally undercook. So I recommend when you order medium, say medium- well. They also ask for you to cut into your steak to see if its cooked to your liking so you can change it if anything.

If you are eating here for the first time, I recommend the shrimp cocktail (delish but you only get 5 jumbo shrimps) for $15 I believe, filet mignon with mashed potatoes and if your starving, add in the ahi tuna salad! This order alone will probably cost you over $60-$70, so its a nice place for special occasions, family dinners, dates and such. For seating, I recommend a booth…its just more comfortable.

Note: I have gone to the Front Street location but I still prefer the one at Eatons.

Website: http://www.batonrougerestaurants.com/
Location: Various locations. Review for 216 Yonge Street (Eaton Centre), Toronto M5B 1N5
Telephone: (416) 593-9667

Hours:
Monday to Thursday: 11am-11pm
Friday: 11am-12am
Saturday: 11:30am to 12am
Sunday: 12pm to 10pm

Winterlicious: Wildfire Steakhouse & Wine Bar ★

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Danthanh

Price: 40+

I tried going here once during winterlicious but despite having reservations, had to wait over an hour for a table. Luckily my friends and I decided to go to another restaurant that was also partaking in the event. Wildfire actually called us when we were about done our meal, saying they were now “available”, so I think we made the right choice.

However, my friends and I decided we should try again another time since we were curious how good it could be to have such a long lineup of people willing to wait. I found it to be a disappointment, not worth the hassle of walking blocks to get there from the subway.

I did find the interior and live jazz band to be kind of nice but the tables felt overcrowded. The service was slow but staff was relatively friendly. Food was a bit mediocre to be honest, I had crab cake as an appetizer and filet mignon as main. Crab cakes were dry and a friend told me they tasted like the ones you buy at the grocery store, frozen and tasteless. Disappointed with filet mignon as well, I asked for medium rare but got rare instead.

I also felt kind of rushed by the servers and since a party next to us was celebrating someone’s birthday, we didn’t get much attention. Overall the restaurant is just too out of the way, so I have no idea why people hype it or would even wait over an hour to patron here. Dress code is business casual to dressy. For dates and dinners with friends. Not sure about business though since it might be too loud.

Website: http://www.wildfiresteakhouse.com/
Location: 3438 Yonge St., Toronto M4N 2M9
Telephone: (416) 483-4800

[Will try to find pictures]

Quinn’s Steakhouse & Irish Bar ★★★

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Danthanh

Price: 40+ depending on order.

I had steak and chicken here and it was okay. I think this place is better for grabbing drinks, appetizers and desserts. I do like their crème brûlée and champagne, it was delish! They have wine & champagne by the glass. Its very dark inside so its kind of a more laid back and gives an intimate atmosphere. Quinn’s also has a bar area too so it can be a good place for dinner dates and group lunches/dinners. There is a more mature crowd here.

Website: http://quinnssteakhouse.com/
Location: 96 Richmond St. West, Toronto M5E 1J1 (Sheraton Hotel)
Telephone: (416) 367-8466

Barberians Steakhouse ★★★★

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Danthanh

Price: 50+

Went here with a friend awhile back for lunch. It is pricey, but was it worth it? YES! We both got the 16 oz. Rib Steak that they are apparently famous for – recommended to me by the waiter. I had mine with mashed potatoes while my friend had onion rings (they are huge).

I thought the service was very good but it might have been because we went so early (there was no one there at the time) but I liked that we had the waiter’s undivided attention and received such fast service. I was actually worried at first since the whole floor was empty but it was all for naught as I enjoyed my perfectly cooked medium-rare steak. Haha

Note: The washrooms are tiny and the restaurant itself is very traditional in design. Great for family dinners, dates and corporate dinners.

Website: http://www.barberians.com/
Location: 7 Elm Street, Toronto M5G 1H1
Telephone: (416) 597-0335
Hours: Monday to Friday – 12 to 2:30pm and 5pm to 12am, Saturday and Sunday – 4:30pm to 12am