Oliver & Bonacini Café Grill (Bayview Village)

A friend of mine recommended me to try out O&B Cafe Grill for quite sometime now and after doing some Christmas Shopping at the Mall, we decided to stop by their Bayview Village location.

 Thankfully on this busy Christmas Eve, they had a table for 5. My sister ordered the Fettucine Alfredo (3/5), made with egg noodles, Parmigiano-Reggiano cream and peas, topped with roasted chicken. For $16, this was a fairly decent portion. The noodles were nice and tender, but I was not a fan of the sauce as it was tasteless. The chicken was quite dry as well and the peas were hard.

Both my mom and brother had the Sunday Special [$23], which was a Roasted Black Angus Strip Loin, with Yorkshire pudding, Buttermilk mash and Pan gravy (3.5/4). The strip loin was cooked to a perfect medium rare, and was juicy and tender. As you can see from the picture there was a layer of fat that had to be taken off. You can also see the burnt baby carrot on the left, I mean this ain't no 5 star restaurant but how could you miss that ?! The buttermilk mash was nice and creamy and the Yorkshire pudding was crispy and very moist on the inside. We had to ask for more of the Pan gravy, as the dish was kind of dry.

I had the AAA Canadian Cheeseburger (3.5/5) [$17], which came with a huge pile of Yukon Gold Fries. Although I asked for it to be cooked to a medium rare, it came almost to a well done, but was still very juicy. It had a nice char on it, which I enjoyed. The fries were crispy and thick. I would've liked it if the bun was topped with sesame seeds.











My dad had the Piri Piri Half Chicken (3.5/5) [$24] with Roasted New Potatoes, Spinach, Artichokes, Tomatoes and Zucchini. There was an option for mild or spicy, and my dad opted for the spicy. The Chicken came on a sizzling hot plate, that did not sizzle at all when it arrived. The Chicken was overcooked and dry in some areas, while it was moist and juicy in others. The chicken and potatoes were both aggressively seasoned which my dad wasn't a fan of as it made him want to drink water every 10 seconds.


For Dessert, we decided to try
the Four Tasting's of Chef's Favourite Desserts (3/5) [$15.25] which consisted of a Mini S'more, Lemon Posset, Carrot Cake & little Eton Mess. My favourite out of the four would have to be the Carrot Cake as it was light without being too sweet. The Eton Mess on the top left was tasty as the Toasted Meringue added a nice crunch. The S'more was a tad too sweet in opinion, especially with the toasted marshmallow on top and the berry compote. The Lemon Posset looked very good, but I was disappointed instantly when I put my spoon in and noticed how watered down it was. Instead of a nice creamy, smooth custard like texture, this was

literally like liquid milk and I could move my spoon around no problem.
There were no traces of lemon either except for the zest on top. I would like to give it a rating of (1/5), because honestly it was that bad.

We had two scoops of the Passion Fruit Sorbet (3/5) [$7.25], which had a better consistency than the Posset did. The flavours were very strong which I enjoyed.


The food my family and I had here was quite substantial, and definitely did not wow us. For the price, we did expect a little more presentation
as well as consistency, I mean who
wants a half an inch of fat clinging on to their meat?
Or burnt baby carrots? Small fixes would've
done the job. The staff were friendly, but we did
have to ask 3 people to fill our water as they forgot.

The Good:

• Nice Vibe
• Spacious

The Bad:

• Need to be more consistent
• Food is quite average
• Pricey for the quality

Anna Maria Pizza & Pasta (Williamsburg, New York)

Prior to my trip to NYC, I made sure
I included about 5-6 pizza joints to visit during the week I was there. I mean, NY is known for it's Pizza. No? Anyways down to the food. After having been to Best Pizza twice in the past few days before, we decided to stop by Anna Maria Pizza and Pasta which was down the street from where we stayed.

Feeling somewhat guilty of breaking her 'diet', my sister went for the Vegetarian (3.5/5), which was generously topped with large slices of Avocado, Freshly Diced Tomatoes, Onions, Green Peppers and Ricotta Cheese. Even with all the ingredients and moisture from the veggies, the pizza was not soggy, and the crust was light and crispy. The sauce was pretty tasteless, but the abundance of veggies made up for it.


I went with the Buffalo Chicken Pizza (2/5), which was too salty in my opinion. The pieces of chicken were very dry and the large amount of cheese added more saltiness to it.
The pie itself was again nice and crispy.

 
On the other hand, we really enjoyed the Chicken Parm with Spaghetti (3.5/5) as the noodles were nice and tender, and the Chicken Parm was nice and Crispy even under the amount of sauce. The sauce was nice and zesty and did not overpower the dish.


Anna Maria is a decent spot for a quick snack or lunch fix, and they offer a variety of pizzas and pastas. The staff are friendly and the service was quick when we were there. They have a few tables for dining in and their decor isn't the best of the best, but for a quick slice, it'll do.


The Good:

• Great for a quick bite
• Friendly Staff
• Authentic

 The Bad:

• Space is small, especially during busy lunch hours.
• Food is average

Miller Tavern (Hogg's Hollow Yonge Location)

 Miller Tavern has been around for many years, with locations in the heart of Downtown Toronto on Bloor, and North York. After a shopping trip at IKEA that was close by, we were fairly hungry,  and wanted to catch the Leafs game so we decided to stop by Miller Tavern for Lunch.


To start, we had the Miller Lamb Poutine (3/5). 
Aside from the fact that the fries were crispy and
were made out of Yukon Gold Potatoes, there was
absolutely nothing special about this dish. Not that I was hoping there to be something special anyways....but for the $12 price tag..this most certainly was not worth it. The lamb was dry and chewy and and the cheese curds were not squeaky at all. The lamb gravy had no taste and was fairly bland. For $12, I could've gotten 3 even tastier poutines at New York Fries... Just Saying.....
But hey at least the Leafs were winning!

The Tenderloin Steak Kebab with grilled vegetables, pecan wild rice and avocado yogurt sauce (4/5) was a great hit. The 10 oz tenderloin steak was grilled to perfection, slightly charred on the outside, while maintaining it's tender and juicy medium rare interior. The grilled vegetables were tasty, although I would've preferred bigger pieces, as they were sliced quite thin. The pecan rice was decent, but was chewier for my tastes. Loved the avocado yogurt as it was both light and refreshing.












Both my siblings decided to go with a burger each, starting off with the Miller Burger (3.5/5), made with freshly ground beef, topped with aged cheddar, smoked bacon and caramelized onions. The patty was thick with a decent char on the outside. Although slightly overcooked, it was still juicy. My sister was not a fan of the tiny piece of smoked bacon, but the caramelized onions were nice and added a nice sweetness to the burger. she opted for the Sweet Potato Fries (3/5) instead of the regular
yukon gold fries and was quite disappointed because it was soggy and not quite crispy at all.

My brother on the other hand, went with the
Cheeseburger (4/5), which was much better than
the Miller Burger. Made with the same thick fresh ground beef patty, this was charred nicely on the grill and was cooked to a perfect medium rare making it more juicy. My brother decided to stick with the Yukon Gold Fries, and they were pretty average, like the ones in the Lamb Poutine. They were definitely crispier than the Sweet Potato Fries which are a plus.

My mom had the Chicken Penne (3.5/5), which
was quite tasty. The pasta was cooked to a perfect
al dente, and there was enough sauce to ensure it
wasn't dry. The chicken was juicy, but out of the whole dish, we only found like two pieces. This was
quite substantial, but it did the job.

My family absolutely loves deserts, especially
cheesecake, so we got two to share. The Berry Cheesecake (4/5), was creamy and smooth, while
maintaining it's soft texture. The berry compote
topping wasn't too sweet, so it didn't overpower
the taste of the cheesecake. The cheesecake itself
was light, so it wasn't very overwhelming. The graham crust was so not thick either, but still ensured that the bottom was not soggy.

The Raspberry Sorbet (4/5), was light and refreshing without being too overly sweet. It had the right amount of tartness, and was bursting with flavour. For $7.50, I would say it was quite pricey, but nonetheless it was a great way to end the meal.

The Deep Dish Peanut Butter Pie (3/5), was too sweet for our liking. Composed of a cookie crust, the pie had a Reese's peanut butter cup flavour filling which was quite tasty, but really it was one
of the sweetest deserts I've ever had. I think everyone needed an extra glass of water after this. The brown butter Bourbon Creme anglaise was light, but it didn't really add much as the whole pie itself was overpowering with it's sweetness.

The Vanilla Creme Brûlée (4/5), was much better as it wasn't overly sweet and was nice and smooth. The sugar crust on top was very well done as it wasn't too thick and cracked with the touch of the spoon. The vanilla custard had a slight bitter taste to it which I enjoyed as it balanced the sweetness.

The Banana Caramel Crunch (3/5), on the otherhand, was not that great.  Composed of popcorn and a scoop of vanilla icecream topped with bananas, caramel syrup and a layer of chocolate, this was quite disappointing. The popcorn was soggy and chewy due to the large amount of caramel syrup, and overall it did not have that crunch the way it was advertised. For $8.50 this was totally not worth it, and I am glad it is only on their seasonal menu.












Miller Tavern is a decent place for a quick bite, especially if you're looking for a nice steak or fresh seafood. Their servers are very friendly and the seating is cozy. It is quite pricey, but the ambiance makes up for it.




The Good:

• Portions are Decent
• Servers are Friendly

The Bad:

•  Quite Pricey
• Food is inconsistent at times