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| - We were going to a concert at ACC and needed a nearby dinner spot. I used to go to Joe Badali's on a fairly regular basis back when I attended TSO concerts at the Roy Thomson Hall religiously and it was always a solid choice, so I decided to take my friends there.
The three of us were promptly greeted and led to our table. We requested a quieter area, and so it was -- the place is HUUUUGE, so there was a lot of conversation in the large room, but no music, and we certainly did not need to shout to be heard or anything like that. The place was lively without being obnoxiously loud. We all enjoyed the ambience, the decor and the atmosphere.
Our server was a chatty and attentive fellow who was able to make good menu recommendations and suggestions. He asked, of his own volition, if we were going to a show, and upon hearing that we were, said he'd make sure the food doesn't take too long to arrive.
To drink, I ordered a cocktail which combined lychee liquor with homemade avocado lemonade. It sounds like an impossibly odd combination, but it tasted really, really good -- refreshing, not too sweet, not too tart, and with enough subtle flavours to keep this odd bird very happpy. The others in our party got a beer and a Shirley Temple (which was on the house -- we didn't ask for that or anything, the server just gave it to us).
Next came the appetizers. The ceasar and house salads were passable, though nothing special. I had crab cakes, which came with a couple of interesting dips/sauces -- I kept dipping my bread into them even after devouring the cakes themselves. And yes, there was great warm bread, served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Others had garlic bread (all right) and squash soup (good).
For our mains, we all went with pasta. One person ordered the highly recommended squah ravioli, which was indeed a great dish. Another one had a little trouble picking her meal: she loves gnocchi, but all the gnocchi options came with meat or seafood, and she's a vegetarian. The server suggested holding the shrimp on one of the gnocchi (not only was he happy to offer that option, he made sure 5 bucks got knocked off the price of the dish!) He did warn us again the orange sage sauce that the gnocchi came with, and we later agreed with his assessment -- it was a bit too sweet for the dish. Nevertheless, it was still a solid dish; it was merely good, not great. Finally, I opted for a carbonara, which was quite well-executed.
The portions were not small at all -- they were perfectly generous. In fact, we ended up with a bunch of lunch leftovers simply because there was so much food (we ordered 1-2 apps and a main each).
We decided to get some dessert, since by the time we finished our main courses, we still had quite a bit of time left before the show. Because we were all rather stuffed, we just shared one slice of tiramisu between the three of us, and it was absolutely delicious. I had blueberry tea with mine, and the waiter brought me two tea bags -- Earl Grey and Orange Pekoe -- so I can decide which one I want to have with my drink.
All in all, we were all happy with our dinner. While the food is not stellar, it is quite solid, and the restaurant is just a nice place to kill a couple of hours before a concert. The fact that it's just so gigantic means that you're pretty much guaranteed a table whenever you show up, so it's a good back-up spot for the oh-my-god-i-have-no-reservations situation. Of course, it is very tourist-oriented, so it's slightly expensive and not incredibly authentic, but even as Torontonians we did not at all feel ripped-off, as you do in some touristy establishments. I wouldn't go here for food alone, but for a combination of food, atmosphere and proximity to many entertainment venues -- absolutely!
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