Monday, Oct 22, 2007, 1:45 p.m. - Hakotel

3038 Steeles Ave W, Toronto, M2R 2S9 416.736.7227

Like the Israeli fruit, the sabra, this sit-down/takeout restaurant is rough on the outside, yet sweet on the inside. The establishment does not present well; it is hidden away in a darkish alcove, in a rather sketchy strip mall, with Russian hip-hop music blaring from the video store next door. Inside, there's a cheesy mural of Jerusalem on the entire west wall. (Shouldn't it be on the east wall!?).

But everything else is good. The servers are friendly, it's clean, the food is excellent, and an overall worthwhile experience. The washrooms are in the basement, past the supplies, but are clean and well maintained. The prices are reasonable. There is a good selection of Middle-Eastern-style food (falafel, shwarma, and the like in pita or lafa, great toppings, etc). It has the best shwarma I've tasted in Toronto (kosher, of course).

I checked the Toronto DineSafe inspections. No problems.

Sun., Oct 14, 2007, 7:30 p.m. - Chicken Nest

3038 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON, M6B 4K2 416.787.6378

The Chicken Nest is a good, basic restaurant. I found their food good and the service good. Parking is pretty easy (on-street, rear-parking lot, and an underground lot are available.) Based on the way people are packed in, perhaps a better name than Chicken Nest would be Sardine Can. The entertainment is the conversation of the people sitting next to you -- it's hard not to hear when you're sitting back-to-back.

No one at my table left unhappy -- but no one was raving. The chicken fingers were good. The shwarma plate was tasty. All the servings were ample. The chicken and ribs dinner was really big -- it could have been split between 2 average eaters! My main complaint about the chicken and ribs was the rib sauce was a little too sweet. Again, the service was good, for example, without asking, the waiter brought us extra napkins and moist towlettes, and the water jug was replaced by a full jug before it was empty.

The men's washroom was acceptable. That is, not dirty, not smelly, but a little disheveled (peeling paint, had to take the paper towels from the top of the dispenser, cubical looks like it was made by a graduate of woodworking 101).

Ultimately, if you like chicken, and are looking for something good, this establishment can work. If you don't like crowds and noise, stay away. And I don't recommend taking a client here for dinner on a Sunday night.

Dinner for 3 (three main courses, 1 pop, nothing else), including tax and tip was about $83.

I checked the Toronto DineSafe inspections. No problems.

Sun., Sep. 2, 2007, 8:30 p.m. - Bistro Grande

1000 Eglinton Av W, Toronto, 416.782.3302

In my opinion, this is the most upscale kosher dairy restaurant in the city. Therefore, I have very high expectations.

Making reservations was easy. I live about 1 km from the restaurant, so I walked, but the parking in that area is generally easy. Upon entering, I enjoyed the the decor, the sumptuous aromas, the low-key hub-bub of activity. What I did not enjoy was that it took close to 20 minutes for someone to greet us (we were on time for our reservation). They were busy, but I expect my existence to be acknowledged -- I'm a guest, for goodness sake! A suggestion for the owner: As much as I like to see my friends and acquaintances, in a setting such as this, I would prefer not to have to see (or be seen) when waiting in line. I think it would be a little more private and comfortable if there was some kind of "mechitza" between the aisle where people are waiting and the dining area.

After we sit down, things get better. The table is nicely set. The menu has lots of selection, but not so full that you can't figure out what to get. We were three in our party, and one ordered the Sea Bass special, one pasta, and another selected pizza. On the table was lots of bread sticks, butter, and tasty bean spreads. That's good, because our food didn't arrive until a full hour after we arrived.

Our server was very good -- informative, knowledgeable, and caring, but not too chatty. One could see how hard he was working, but it never showed when he came to serve us or check out how we were doing.

When the food came, we had mostly very good reviews. The sea bass with fingerling potatoes and steamed vegetables was wonderful. The generous serving of pizza was very good. The soba noodle pasta was also tasty, but a bit heavy on the noodles, and light on the vegetables. The "New York Style" cheese cake with raspberry coulis was excellent -- fluffy, good sweetness, good size.

The washrooms were very clean and well stocked.

The price for dinner for 3, with main courses only, 1 glass of wine, 1 dessert, tax and tip was $115.

While it started out not great, I left feeling happy!

But everything isn't rosy. I checked the City of Toronto DineSafe inspections. They display the inspection results from Nov 2005 to April 2007. Mostly good. Back in March 2006 there were a few incidents that they corrected, such as:

IMPROPER MAINTENANCE / SANITATION OF NON-FOOD CONTACT SURFACES / EQUIPMENT Operator fail to provide accurate indicating thermometer(s)
Operator fail to properly wash surfaces in rooms
INADEQUATE PEST CONTROL Operator fail to provide adequate pest control

Sun., Sep. 2, 2007, 11:30 a.m. - King David Pizza (Bathurst)

3020 Bathurst St, ON M6B3B6 416.781.1326

Easy access. Pleasant to walk in. Friendly & prompt service. Very good pizza. A little pricey -- about $21 for an extra large with 2 toppings -- but in fairness, I think that's the going rate in this town for kosher pizza.

A quick general and not-too-related comment about pizzas in TO. A few months ago, I was in Manhattan & NJ, and tried a few pizzas there. I would have expected something a little better there . From my small sample, every one was either greasy or slimy or both. Even the worst pizza in Toronto was better than any pizza I had there. I'd love recommendations for the next time I am down south.

I checked the Toronto DineSafe inspections. No problems.

Fri. Aug. 31/07, 8:45 am - Dairy Treats

3522 Bathurst St, Toronto, 416.787.0309

I normally come here for meals, but they have a bakery section, too. So my goal this morning was to get some treats for Shabbat.

There was 1 spot available in the parking lot, so I was lucky to get it. Otherwise, I don't know where I could have parked too easily. The establishment is good to walk into. Clean. Not crowded. Friendly (The owner tells me a joke). Easy transaction.

I purchased some bagels, danish, a chocolate ring cake, and some onion buns. Generally, the taste of the food items was fair -- nothing special. The onion buns were brimming with onions -- good marks for that. The bagels were good -- very quintessentially "Toronto" style bagels, you know, fluffy, with good amount of seeds, slightly sweet.

The Toronto DineSafe inspection reports show no problems.

Sat. Aug. 25/07, 10:30 pm - Tov-Li Pizza & Falafel

3519 Bathurst St, Toronto (1/2 way between Wilson & Lawrence), ON M6A2C7, 416.784.9900

It's Saturday night in the summer in the big city, 1 and 1/2 hours after Shabbat ended. I drive north on Bathurst from Glencairn, and nothing's open. Not Col. Wong, not the 3 pizza places south of Lawrence, not the yogurt place. The only place open is Tov-Li. So, why? Is it the COR that's telling the restaurants to not open? Is it the Rosh Yeshiva's telling their kids not to go out on Saturday night? Anyone know the answer?

So it seems that Tov-Li is my only choice, unless I want to drive to Steeles. It's very crowded with the mostly-under-30 crowd. Parking was OK. The space is pleasant, considering the crowds.

In this establishment, you order and pay, then the cashier scrawls your order on a strip of ripped paper. If you know, you have to hand that piece of paper to the server who will then prepare the order. If you don't know, you could stand there confused for a while. Mr. Tov-Li, I gotta tell you that the queuing model you're using is asinine. I guess it's good for you if you want to keep really tight control on who has paid, or you don't want to have people walk out because they feel they're waiting too long. But it isn't about you. It's about the customer, and I don't like it. At a certain level, it seems that there is a lack of trust. Perhaps I don't like it because that little torn piece of paper looks so cheap. Perhaps it bothers me because you're making me do some extra work that you should be doing. Also, I don't always want to make a commitment before I see what you've got. I might want to order something extra as I am standing in line -- but I won't because I don't want to go back to the cashier. I can't recall there being other restaurants that operate like this, so it behooves you to make sure people understand what you're doing. I remember the first time I was there, it wasn't obvious how the system works. You might consider putting up a few signs that explain your system. As a suggestion, you might consider distributing the slip of paper to the food preparation people yourself.

The server who help me was pleasant and efficient. I ordered a falafel. The toppings looked interesting, but for the most part were not very tasty. The falafel balls were dry and also lacked much taste. The pita was overstuffed, and so, of course, it fell apart. I don't like falafels that I have to eat with a fork (or my fingers). I would rather you charge me $0.25 cents less, and make it a little smaller -- or just supply larger pitas.

One last indignity. After ordering, I tried paying with my charge card. The cashier swiped it, then said "Your card just took down my machine". Thanks very much. I don't think so. But, go ahead, blame it on me.

I checked the City of Toronto DineSafe site, and they had one conditional pass in April 2006, and that was cleared up a few days later. The problem was:

FAILURE TO ENSURE / PROVIDE FOR PROPER EMPLOYEE HYGIENE / HANDWASHING Operator fail to provide separate handwashing sink(s)

Other than that, there have been no problems. The most recent inspection was May 2007.

Mon, Aug 27/07, 1:30 pm - Joe Boo's

7241 Bathurst St, Thornhill, ON L4J 3W1, 905.886.8686

As always, very good. I got a quarter chicken on a bed of brown rice with a drink -- under $10. It was filling and excellent and pleasant. Top marks for a takeout place where you can eat in.

See my other posts.

Fri, Aug. 24/07, 10:00 am - Amazing Donuts

3772 Bathurst Street (NW corner of Bathurst & Wilson), Toronto, ON M3H 3M6, 416.398.7546

A friend told me that he comes here to buy his challahs and pastry for Shabbat, and he really likes it! I am glad he told me about it, because I would have never thought that a doughnut place would sell challah and treats for Shabbat, and it's wonderful to have more options!

I also want to say that I think that the fact that our community can support a kosher doughnut shop proves that we are so fortunate to live in a time and place that provides such a great range of kosher eating opportunities.

But down to business... Parking in the lot was not easy -- I had to park around the corner. There is an opening that looked like a door but wasn't. I had to look for the door (not a good sign that they want people coming in). I walked in. It isn't what I'd call clean looking -- it not that it's dirty, it's more disheveled -- boxes piled up on the floor, papers stuck on the wall in the "office" area, some of the flooring coming up. The smell is definitely of frying oil and something sweet. Maybe the odour could be justified by saying "what does one expect from a doughnut shop?", but the fact is, I've been to other doughnut shops that don't provide for these olfactory sensations.

I was the only one in the shop. The service was good. The server was pleasant and helpful. The range of challahs was limited. The range of pastries was also fairly limited -- some small cakes, about 12 flavours of muffins, and some cookies. The prices were fair. I purchased a couple of challahs and some muffins and a small chocolate loaf. For the most part, definitely not amazing taste, although I liked the coffee muffin and the lemon-poppy muffin. My family enjoyed the chocolate loaf -- it was called "lite" which was an interesting choice of a word, considering the density and sweetness. If you like a sweet challah, you might enjoy their challah, as long as you don't mind the faint smell of deep-fried oil.

If I didn't keep kosher, I can't think of why I would come here. I will assume their doughnuts are pretty good (maybe even amazing). I'll try those another time. As for my friend who recommeded this store, I have to go back to what I said at the beginning of this post about being fortunate to live in Toronto with the great selection we have. There is something for everyone -- but this one isn't for me.

I checked the Toronto DineSafe rating. All the inspections listed (from Dec 2005 - May 2007) have passed.

Tue, Aug 21/07, 1:30 pm - King David Pizza (Thornhill)

531 Atkinson Ave, Unit 3, Thornhill ON, L4J8L7 905.771.7077

It's not all about the food. The food is pretty good. I had a slice of eggplant and hot pepper pizza -- really good. The parking is easy, it's in a strip mall. The place is not really what I'd call spotless, but it isn't too dirty.

But what bothered me today was the service. I got my food and I went to pay.
"Do you take MasterCard?", I ask.
"Yes". After about 5 minutes of unsucessfully trying to process the payment, the server calls over a more experienced server (someone there longer than 2 weeks).
"Do you take MasterCard", I repeat to the new server.
"No." OK, I take out my debit card. And start to process it. Four minutes later...
"There's something wrong with the machine, do you have cash?"
After foraging around in my wallet, I found a crumpled $20 bill, get my change, and continue with my slowly cooling meal. I wish it had stopped there, but 'twas not to be! The server comes up and tells the whole room that my bill is counterfeit. I look at it, it looks OK, but I give her another replacement bill.
"How can you tell?", I ask innocently.
"Oh, I can tell. Look, it's smaller, " (by about .5 cm!) "look at the writing!" (It's an old style 20, without all the fancy anti-counterfeit markings).
After leaving the restaurant, I went to the bank to check the bill. It was OK.
Perhaps the owner should consider some staff training.

Did I mention that there was a family with a bunch of annoying, screechy kids?

There is no DineSafe rating because it is not in the City of Toronto.

Fri, Aug 17/07, 9:00 am - Richman's Bakery

4119 Bathurst St, Toronto ON M3H 3P4, 416.636.9710

For the most part, Richman's gets good marks. Easy access with good parking. The space is "bakery circa 1965ish", but clean and open and presentable. Products are displayed reasonably well. There were plenty of staff and they were helpful and friendly. It's great the way they have the prices displayed (although it might be more helpful if they had the same price list taped to the display cases so the customers don't have to crane their necks to see the prices).

The food items I bought today ranged from OK to quite good, but nothing great. To be fair, it was not a large sample of items to make a definitive ranking of their food. The cheese bun had a very faint metallic-like taste, but still edible. The chocolate buffalo was OK, but tasted a bit stale on Saturday. The poppy danish was quite good.

I checked the Toronto "DineSafe" rating. All the ratings (May 2006 - Mar 2007) have passed.

Mon, Aug 13/07, 1:30 pm - Joe Boo's

7241 Bathurst St, Thornhill, ON L4J 3W1 905.886.8686

Very enjoyable. Easy parking. The wonderful smell of the wood burning oven permeates the room. It is relatively clean. Good service. And the food is excellent! (And I don't say excellent about many places.). The prices are not inexpensive, but reasonable (approximately $10-25 per meal)

The seating is not very good, but I'll assume that's because it is supposed to be a take-out, and they perhaps are not allowed to have more seating. Don't come here with a group of more than 5 and expect to sit down together.

There is no DineSafe rating because it is not in the City of Toronto.

Fri, Aug 3/07, 10:00 am - Grodzinski Bakery

I really do like this place. I mentioned in my last entry for this establishment that I find the space very pleasing. It is also well organized, which is especially helpful, since it is self serve. I also like something that is rarely seen in many bakeries: the prices are listed right next to the goods. So, as one walks around selecting merchandise, one knows how much it's going to cost. It would be nice if other store owners raised their level of contempt towards their customers a few notches, and tried to provide this kind of helpful information!

The selection of baked items is good, and I'd say more interesting than most of the other kosher bakeries in town.

The staff is helpful and friendly. Today, however, I found it slightly annoying that as my order was being processed by the cashier, the cashier was jabbering away to her co-worker next to her. I would like it if the staff were to pay attention to me, the customer. As well, the owner seemed to be upset or anxious about something another staff person was doing, and he was raising his voice slightly to her in the middle of the store. That certainly detracts from the enjoyment of the shopping experience. I've said it before -- I appreciate that staff or supervisors sometimes get frustrated, or annoyed, or angry, but, as a customer, I don't want to ever know about these problems.

One other thing. I tried parking in the parking area behind the store. It can get nasty back there, especially when someone driving a huge SUV and someone else with a canoe on their SUV, and another mini-van are trying to contend for the few spaces. Note to owner: Please consider a sign that one can read before entering the back that says something like: "Grodzinski Bakery Parking: Note there is room for 4 small cars -- use at own risk!". While I am spending the owner's money, he might also consider a large convex mirror so one can see from the street how full the lot is.

As usual, I checked the Toronto "DineSafe" rating. They were just checked on July 23, and passed, so their last bad rating was dropped off the list.

Fri, Jul 27/07, 1:45 pm - Isaac's Bakery

3390 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON M6A 2B9 (416) 789-7587

One of the reasons I started this blog was that for many years, so often when I would leave a Kosher establishment, I would cringe from the experience, and I needed a place to vent (because my family was getting tired of listening to my stories). Mysteriously, ever since I have started this blog, almost all my experiences have been mostly positive. Go figure.

Back to Isaac's. At some point in the past year, they completely renovated the store, enlarging the food preparation area, and removing the restaurant section, and bringing the customer area to a much smaller size. Removing the sit down restaurant was a good thing -- it always appeared less than appetizing. Now, the store is very nice to come into -- bright and fresh. I arrived very late in the day for a Friday, and there was only one or two other customers in the shop, so while I was there it was not crowded. I'll have to go back to see how it is on a Friday morning at 8 a.m. The staff was friendly and not pushy. The service was good (despite one very annoying customer -- not me, another person!) Parking was, as usual, easy, as they have their own parking lot, which is connected to an auto repair shop, which has a very large parking lot. I purchased some danishes, which were OK.

I checked the Toronto "DineSafe" rating. All the ratings (Dec 2005 - May 2007) have passed.

Fri, Jul 20/07, 1:30 p.m. - Grodzinski Bakery

3437 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON

This was a pleasant shopping experience. I arrived a little late for a Friday afternoon, and I just needed to pick up a few items.

The store is clean, airy, and looks organized.

At this shop, the product is in shelves along the perimeter of the store, and shoppers get to choose exactly what they want. There are plenty of plastic bags available in which you can put your selected items. There were staff available for questions. In fact, I asked a member of the staff if they had a particular item I was looking for. She indicated that they no longer made that variety. A few minutes later she came up to me and said she would mention it to the bakers, and perhaps they would make some next weekend. Even if they don't, it was nice to get a response that made me feel they cared.

The checkout process was smooth and easy (even though the cashier didn't smile once -- at least she didn't growl). The parking isn't great, but acceptable.

I got a poppy danish (pretty good), their cheese bun (quite good, but the filling was a bit gelatinous), and the chocolate buffalo (pretty good). I also got some poppy bagels with lots of seeds, actually covered with seeds (they tasted good, and look great).

I checked the Toronto "DineSafe" rating. They have passed for the past 2 years, which is good, because in July 2005, they had some problems:

• FAILURE TO PROTECT FOOD FROM CONTAMINATION Operator fail to use proper procedure(s) to ensure food safety
• FAILURE TO ENSURE / PROVIDE FOR PROPER EMPLOYEE HYGIENE / HANDWASHING Operator fail to provide separate handwashing sink(s)

Thu Jul 19/07, 6:30 p.m. Kosher Pizza Delight

3028 Bathurst Street, North York, ON M6B 3B6, Canada, (416) 789-3443

This is a perfect example of why competition is good.

There are 3 kosher pizza places on this block, Bathurst, just south of Lawrence. This guy's the new guy. Putting things in perspective, this is a Thursday evening, at not a particularly busy time. They weren't crowded, but there was a steady stream of customers.

There were some things going on here that I am just not used to at a kosher pizza place.

1. We were greeted immediately, and cheerfully. I was not ignored -- and I don't know the owner, and I have never been in this establishment.
   
2. It was quite clean
3. After our order was taken, another server asked if he could help us
4. Before he finished assembling our falafel, we told our server what we wanted in it, and he suggested we sit down, and he would bring it to us. He did bring us our piping hot, fresh falafels, he got our orders correct, and served it with a smile.

Bonus marks: They have, by far, the most interesting falafel toppings of any falafel place I've been to in TO. Check out the roasted garlic.

Other positives: comfortable seating, airy decor.

Problems:

1. Men's washroom has no sink. In fact, it only has a toilet. For the sink, you have to go outside of the washroom to the "netilas yadaim" sink to wash your hands. That's a little weird -- but I guess the health department OKed it.
2. Parking in July/Aug 2007 will be a nightmare, as they are tearing apart the sidewalks in front of the restaurant (and all the way down Bathurst).

I checked the Toronto "DineSafe" rating. They have only 1 inspection, and they passed.

Mon Jul 16, 8:58 am - Dairy Treats

The owner knows how to run a good restaurant. To put things in context, when I come here, it's almost aways for breakfast.

I am almost always happy here. This morning was no different. Staff were cheerful upon entry. There's good food, good size portions, reasonable prices (check out the $5 breakfast special), very good service (e.g. the waitress always asks if I want more coffee). The washrooms are clean. The parking is touch and go -- usually OK, but sometimes you need to wrestle with other uncooperative customers of the few shops in the group of shops.

Negative: When I go to a restaurant of this caliber, it is customary for the server to bring a bill to your table, showing what you ordered and the total. Here, not only do you have to go to the cashier to pay, but they have an odd habit of not letting you have the itemized bill. I don't get it... they have the itemized bill, I expect they would give it to me if I asked, but I don't want to have to ask.

I checked the Toronto "DineSafe" rating. They have always passed.

Sunday, July 15, 2007, 11:00 a.m. - King David Pizza (Bathuirst St)

I placed my call at about 10:45 to order a pizza. The told me they don't open until 11:00, and it wouldn't be ready until 11:15. I told them to go ahead.

I got there. It was easy to park my car. The restaurant was clean. I was the only customer in the shop. The staff was friendly, my pizza was ready a few minutes early, and it was very tasty!

What more can I want? The whole experience would have been close to perfect, except they couldn't print my credit card receipt because they ran out of paper on the receipt printer.

I checked the Toronto "DineSafe" rating. They have always passed.

My search for the perfect kosher shopping/dining experience continues.

Fri, July 13, 2007, 11:06 a.m. - Hermes Bakery

On Friday mornings, it would be a bonus if shopping for Shabbat was a pleasurable experience. It so often isn't. Let's get specific.

Hermes is the closest bakery to my home, so it is a place that gets my business because of 1) geography, and 2) they do make the best cheese buns in the city 3) their Kokosh is wonderful.

So what is it that made my shopping experience negative?

1. It took 2 minutes to find a parking space
2. As I walk in there were carts all over the store, blocking the aisle. Can't they find someone to keep the place orderly? To me, it seems the management doesn't place a high priority on the shopping experience.
3. Some big guy is standing in the aisle, blocking the way to the baked-goods counter, just standing there. They just re-did the layout a few years ago, yet it is still crowded!
   
4. So I queue up behind the counter, waiting to place my order. There are 4 customers before me. There are 7 staff behind the counter. The staff are walking around behind the counter, like they are all doing something important. WHY DO I HAVE TO WAIT about 3 minutes when there are more staff than customers? Note to owner: If they really are doing something important, let them do it in the back room, not where it appears that they are ignoring your customers, and not where they are slowing down the staff who are trying to help the customers.
5. A comment about the staff. Generally, most of them are pretty good (considering some of the inconsiderate customers). But there is one staff who always has the most sour look on her face -- she rarely seems happy to be there.
   
6. Today, one of the staff (maybe there were 8 people behind the counter at this point), started yelling quite loudly "where's the so-and-so order"? I think she couldn't find a piece of paper she was using to fill an order. Lady, I appreciate it's frustrating, but as a customer, I don't want to hear about it.
7. OK, I get my order. I go to the cashier. Only one of the two check-out lines are open. (Why not, it's Friday morning, the busiest time of the week!?) I am lucky, there wasn't much of a line up. (One customer behind me started to complain to the cashier about "blah, blah, blah, why is there only one cashier?" -- A genuinely good question, but I suggest, Mme Customer, the cashier can't answer your question. But I digress. In the middle of checking out my order, some boss-looking guy (he might be the owner), comes up to her, interrupts what she is doing for me, and starts jabbering away in Hebrew. Excuse me Mister Boss-Man, what happened to serving your customers? He leaves without even saying excuse me. I considered it quite rude.

I am out of there by 11:18. I am looking forward to the food, but so completely unimpressed by the customers and service. I'll shop elsewhere next week.

I checked out the Toronto "DineSafe" website. They have a pass now, as of their most recent inspection (as of Feb 21/07), but they have had a few rough spots in August 2006 and Nov 2005:

e.g. Aug 2006

• FAILURE TO ENSURE / PROVIDE FOR PROPER EMPLOYEE HYGIENE / HANDWASHING
• IMPROPER MAINTENANCE / SANITATION OF FOOD CONTACT SURFACES / UTENSILS /EQUIPMENT
• IMPROPER MAINTENANCE / SANITATION OF NON-FOOD CONTACT SURFACES / EQUIPMENT