Pure Spirits Oyster Grill and Bar

A girls afternoon Winterlicious lunch turned into a bday lunch/get together with some good friends.


In the heart of the Distillery, when you walk into Pure Spirits Oyster Grill and Bar, I felt there were some good vibes. Friendly staff, and decor with character, the sunlight shines thru the glass windows. The original facade of a distillery lines the walls, with big steel doors, and even a vault in the back.


For $20, the Winterlicious menu

Crispy fish cake, traditional tartar sauce, arugula salad, orange salad
or

New England style clam chowder, aged cheddar bread

or

Baby spinach salad, roasted beets, spiced nuts and roasted mushrooms, blue 

cheese dressing 

Herb fired flat iron, crispy frites, caramelized onion and forest mushroom sauté, peppercorn jus

or

Pan seared white fish, saffron risotto, rosemary scented tomato stew

or

Organic farmed chicken stew, yukon mashed potatoes, roast garlic puff pastry

Vanilla crème caramel

or

Dark chocolate tart, whiskey chantilly

or

Trio of mini desserts

One things I did like was that we weren't limited to only ordering off the set menu, like some other restaurants. 

We started with some of the market priced ($2.50 - $3.75 per peice) of Oysters. 

The smaller ones from New York, the larger ones from PEI (i think).... 

I never knew oysters tasted different. 

And that we eat them alive!!!

Oysters must be eaten alive, or cooked alive. The shells of live oysters are normally tightly closed or snap shut given a slight tap. If the shell is open, the oyster is dead, and cannot be eaten safely.  Cooking oysters in the shell kills the oysters and causes them to open by themselves. Oysters that don't open were dead before cooking and are unsafe.

For the first course, we got the Fish Cakes and the New England Clam Chowder. 

Unfortunately, the soup was very salty. Is it supposed to be? 

Next was the main courses.

"A chicken pot pie that exploded" - Creamy and full of chicken. Underneath, mashed potatoes.  It was pretty yummy.

The guys who had the steak really enjoyed it.....

The white fish with saffron risotto. The fish was very fresh and clean tasting. Smooth and crispy on top.  The 'risotto' was more like some rice pan fried. I like that it was also seared on top, but didn't have much taste. It was a good compliment to the fish, but nothing spectacular.

Dessert!

So it was Patrick's bday. And they decorated up his dessert.....

But, at first they thought mine was the b-day dessert....

So they made my Dark Chocolate tart fancy with powdered sugar etc. Also see the green candle with white cream on the bottom. 

Brian's same chocolate tart had no powdered sugar or strawberry on top. Just a dollop of white cream.

Aie, disappointed that they made mistakes and lacked consistency (also when they were delivering the dessert). 

But, it was very good. The cream was very fresh.

Why is it broken?!

Overall, not sure if I would like to come back here for a regular meal. The food seemed okay, but lacked consistency, presentation (see the broken dessert, and the uncleaned plate for my soup) and some quality. Maybe it's like that with all Winterlicious restaurants, they just don't try as hard. They really should, because this is the opportunity to gain new customers.  


Likes: 
Oysters, Chicken Stew, atmosphere, venue, the creme on the chocolate tart


Dislikes:
Presentation, salty soup, bland tasting risotto


everything else was meh

Guilty Pleasures VI at the Drake

As part of the Winterlicious festival in Toronto, The Drake was hosting an event called Guilty Pleasures.  It was the 6th year that they did it, and here was the description that made us SO excited for about 4 months waiting for this day:

The annual Guilty Pleasures event at the Drake Hotel offers Winterlicious fans a sophisticated and fashionable dining event, with brunch and a chance to shop.

Fresh juice, scones and croissants are just some of the delicious offerings served at the svelte hotel, where you can indulge your taste buds, while browsing original fashions and accessories. The Beauty Bar is open for fashion tips and make-up consultations, and guests receive take-home treats on the way out.

[and all for $35]

We immediately decided to make this an annual thing. and we missed our +1 that was traveling around Asia.

So.
We get to the resto and our seats already had our grab bag full of stuff (Flare Magazine, 3 lipsticks, 2 cadbury slims, 1 expensive water, 1 pack of gum, notepad and pen) and a very nice pile of danishes, croissants, scone, muffins with butter and cherry jam.

 Flaky croissants, and fluffy scone. yumms.

The waiter then came around with some orange mimosas and coffee!

Then we go our second course, a really really good granola yogurt parfait with fresh berries

We had a choice of three courses, a Goat Cheese tart, buttermilk pancakes and Eggs Benedict.
Knowing me, of course I got the Eggs Benny.

A very creamy and lemony hollandaise, and crunch fries. It was very good. It was a sausage underneath instead of a ham.
yum.
I wonder if they have a brunch, because I want to go!

During our meal, there was a fashion show and a draw for a necklace.

My only complaint is that there was no salt and pepper and when i asked, he brought me two salts: one in regular shaker, and one in a marble fancy shaker. Very confused, and I ended up with waaay too much salt on my eggs (i couldn't see if something was coming out of it)

Afterwards we did a ton of shopping with great deals from some Canadian designers like Kania .

The Boiler House

After at least 2 years of noticing this restaurant, I finally got a chance to try it on the weekend.

In the heart of the distillery district, the Boiler House has a very industrial feel, but at the same time warm and inviting. 2 levels of the restaurant, allow for lots of space and tables, but not the most practical with the buffet station down below. tip: request a table on the bottom floor (I think we were just lucky)

On the upper floor, a live jazz band intermittantly play music. Although noisy, it's keep the vibe of the restaurant, and I believe due to the high ceilings, the noise drowns out, and still can carry on a conversation with my friend, her daughter and our moms.

At around $25 per person (and $12.95 for under 12), there was excellent choice in the buffet, and the food wasn't too shabby. I can't say it was amazing quality, but it was very good.

My only complaint was when we sat down and I was asked what to drink. I said, a coffee, and a hot water (to Waiter #1).  After about 10 mins, I noticed that everyone else had coffee, but I didn't. So I assumed the guy forgot. Another waiter came around and asked about juices. I asked for a hot water. Waiter #1 came back with a coffee and left. Waiter #2 came back with a teapot of hot water and left. I hailed Waiter #2 soon after and asked him for a mug. He looked at me confused. I'm like, where do you want me to drink the hot water? Disgruntled, he left. Then Waiter #1 came back with a tall glass mug full with hot water. Then Waiter #2 came back with a mug and left it on the table.
I was a poor child with 5 different drinks on the table and very confused.

Please excuse my horrible Blackbery photos, because I forgot my camera at home!!

The photos of the food really doesn't do it justice. I wanted to take photos of the actual buffet, but blame it on Blackberry, but my phone was frozen half the afternoon.

The potatoes were very good, the way I like them. Crunchy on the outside, and soft in the inside. The Eggs Benedict was okay. More hollendaise would have been nice, and it was a bit cold when I got around to it.  Bacon = yum. Scrambled eggs were good too.

There was also a french toast. My mom got a small plate and filled it with maple syrup so that when she has her french toast, it wouldn't mix with the rest of the food on her plate. The syrup sat in front of me at the empty spot on the table. The 1st time, one waiter took it, and I said, we're not done with that. The 2nd time, the waiter asked before trying to take it. The 3rd time, this lady took it and didn't even ask or turn back. It wasn't until my mom angrily told her that that was her syrup, and she brought us back a teapot full of it. Poor service? Good service? I don't know, but should ask before whisking away someone's plate.

They also had an omlette stand, make-your-own, and a waffle stand , which I didn't get a chance to try.

Roast beef and ham were very good. The ham was crusted on top like a suckling pig. A rose pasta, mushy perogies, and a greek salad.

They also had pastries, bread and criossant. I had an egg bread, but it was hard.

They also had fruit in additino to the yummy dessert.

The little merigune tart was very good. Lemon, and not a rock hard meriengue. Apple crumble tart, and a lemon and chocolate custard tart. The cookie was a ginger sugar cookie, with perfect softness in the middle, and crunchy outsides. Pecan pie, and chocolate pie was amazing. If you like moussey, the chocolate pie was rich and delicious.

Very parent/kid friendly.

Date friendly too.

====================



$25 pp for AYCE brunch on Sunday

Open Table Available

http://www.boilerhouse.ca


To try : 1 - brunch
2- Dinner

Petit Dejeuner

http://www.petitdejeuner.ca/
*see below post for info about the resto*

Came here for a quick lunch/brunch. There was a short line up at around 12pm. We waited maybe about 15 mins. Then around 12:20 there was no line up, and then another one when we left at 1:30pm. But they serve food really fast.

I have been here for lunch a few times (and each time ordered something from their all day breakfast) but brunch here offers a really good selection.

I am always drawn to the Eggs Benedict each time I go to brunch. I feel it's something I can't make at home, because of the hollandaise sauce. The Benny with Vodka Smoked salmon caught my eye ($14) but as you scroll down, they also have Waffles, with the Benny of your choice. The best of both worlds! ($12.95, but you only get one)

We both ordered the waffles with the benny.

The eggs benny was on top of a smoked salmon. The hollandaise was creamy and lemony. The egg was poached perfectly and liquidy when opened. I wish there was more than one.

The waffles were amazing, and I glad I tried it. They were light, crispy, and thin! So delicate.

It was a perfect ending, and complemented the apple salad side. 

see below for restaurant information
~~~~~~~~

11.20.2009

I've been here a few times for lunch. I came across this when search for a good Saturday brunch place.  I love the smallness and quaintness of it. They have a good selection of food.

Brunch is served 7 days a week.

Toast Champignon with a Poached Egg a halved bagel topped with sautéed mushrooms, bacon*, herbs and onions. Served with apple coleslaw and potato rosti. 10.95

*Vegetarian available with spinach and peppers instead of bacon

Eggs Benjamin with vodka-smoked salmon  14.00

 Ham & Cheese crêpe filled with sautéed ham, piperade topped cheddar & chive sauce 10.95

Croque Madame Ham and swiss and dijon topped with a sunny side egg 10.95

They also have no breakfassy foods

Flemish style beef stew
Lean angus beef stewed with brown beer and
served with a side salad and belgian fries   10.00

And Dinner!

Benjamin Brussels' Style Waffle - Poached egg, hollandaise & vodka smoked salmon  13.00

Steamed P.E.I Mussels “Lobster Bisque”
P.E.I mussels in a lobster soup with toasted challah,
served with fries 16

Confit de Canard - Duck Confit
Served with salad or fries and sweet and sour apple chutney
The method of poaching it in its own fat and then rendering makes it tender like pulled meats and less fatty 23.00

Now I want to go there for dinner!!!!
Hours:

Week-end Brunch Menu

Sunday - 10 am to 3 pm

Saturday - 9 am to 3 pm

Weekday Lunch menu

Monday to Friday breakfast is served from 8 am to 3 pm

Monday to Friday lunch is served from 11.30 am to 5 pm

Dinner menu

Tuesday to Friday 5 pm to 10 pm

Saturdays from 6 pm to 10 pm

$ for lunch, brunch, $$ for dinner


King and Jarvis

Bonjour Brioche

http://www.blogto.com/restaurants/bonjourbrioche