Anderson Valley Bourbon Barrel Stout

Malty of malt!

So much malt flavour.

Super dark in colour, and easy to drink, I would go for this again. 

6.9% ABV. Cheers to Casey for bringing this across the border!

Alvar

Alvar Chardonnay Gewurztraminer 2011

Tastes fresh, and very simple. It's not very sweet and not very dry either. Very drinkable as an accompaniment to a meal (currently consuming it with pasta), but nothing to rave about in my humble opinion. Chardonnay (and its weirdo mixes) are not my favourite anyway. 

Would I drink it again? Maybe... I didn't buy this bottle, so I don't know how much it costs... but maybe if it was cheap enough. This was a donation from my brother, so cheers to him! 

Eat Fresh Be Healthy

Eat Fresh Be Healthy (185 Dundas Street West, Toronto)
647-258-8808

Bianca found this place online, and it seemed to have good Yelp reviews. Based on the name of the restaurant, I thought it would be some sort of lettuce wrap place. Boy, was I wrong.

First off, the only option is prix fixe. You can't get individual items. Given that you get a three-course dinner for $25, I thought it was pretty reasonable in terms of pricing.

Silky shrimp bisque

I was pleasantly surprised that it came with a hunk of crab, too. The bisque itself was very flavourful and quite delicious. It was great because I was hankering for some seafood after visiting the new aquarium.

Bianca had the pan-seared quail appetizer. 

I tried a bit. It was pretty awesome. It was decorated with pomegranate, grapes, and starfruit. I think there was arugula or some sort of leafy vegetable underneath. There were two pieces, and Bianca seemed full after her first course.

Ontario braised lamb ribs

Bianca noted that the meat was quite tender and falling off the bone. I liked the presentation.

 Cracked spice rub chicken supreme

I liked the spices and the variety of vegetables that were served. I soaked each bite of the chicken in that meat juice on the plate. I'm not sure if it was because of my dunking or not, but no forkful of meat was dry.

Bianca's roasted butternut squash and coconut panna cotta

She seemed to like it.

Mango ice cream

I liked the wafers sticking out. 

Would I return? Yes! The food tasted excellent, the service was very friendly, and the prices were more than reasonable for what you're getting. The kitchen area is out in the open, and you can see the chef working hard at creating the meals. The establishment is a bit small, but we didn't have any trouble getting a seat on that Wednesday evening. It's a bit on the dark side inside the restaurant, but other than that, there are no complaints. 

Mexico Lindo

Mexico Lindo (1618 Bayview Avenue, Toronto)

(647) 436-4340

Nachos fiesta! We were really hungry. I was a fan of the peppers with the nachos.

Negra modelo.

Comes in a stumpy bottle. It was very drinkable. Goes down easy, and non-offensive. It's ever so slightly malty, and more sweet than bitter.

Mexican platter... or at least that's what I think it was called.

The rice is whatever. The refried beans are tasty, but I like refried beans. The chimichanga is my new favourite thing. I don't know what it's supposed to taste like, but I liked the one I had. 

Would I return? Yeah, I would. Mexican food is sparse in Toronto. The prices aren't too outrageous (for Toronto) and gives good portions. We had to wait a bit for service as we took the last table to make the restaurant completely full. I liked the food, and the menu items seemed straightforward. The environment is very casual.

Total damage: approximately $28 for my drink, meal, and third of the nachos.