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| - Very likely, one of the best -- the very BEST -- restaurants that I have EVER been to in Toronto. Without a doubt, this is very quickly going to get on every list of Where to Eat in the city.
Went here for a Valentine's Day prix fixe menu last night for the first time. Every detail of their delivery just blew me away. A few details... Location is in the entertainment district, right beside the theatre. You'd think its a tourist trap, some kitschy little spot that caters to overdone theatre goers who are looking for any remotely satiating food. Not in the least. The restaurant is so beautifully done on the inside, and if you can ask to steal a look at the private dining room look up at the chandelier. You'll see how the "hummingbird" theme weaves itself through the decor.
The staff... We had a 10:30pm reservation. Grave yard shift for Valentine's Day. Last seating of the night. And yet, everyone, from the person at the check in desk, to the shift manager, to the bartenders, to the busboy, to the waiter were super energetic, friendly, chatty, professional, upbeat, everything. From a management perspective, something very right is happening in your human resources department. How a place can successfully hire an entire staff where every single person delivers the exact same positive experience is amazing to me. (Really... How do you screen for hospitality like that in an interview?).There were probably about ten to twelve staff that we interacted with during the night and they were all consistently on their A-game. Super professional service. It is noticed.
The food... Christ. If it wasn't Valentine's Day I would have proposed to my plate. It was just so, totally delicious, and for a prix fixe menu at that. The guacamole and tortilla chips, taro chips, lightly salted, with pomegranate seeds in the guac. Amazing texture, perfectly salted, and there was this light spice on the taro and corn tortilla chips that were amazing. I could have had a bowl of these for myself.
The Camarones a la Diabla. Huge, delicious, shrimp just fell off the shell, perfectly marinated, not too greasy, filling, generous portions.
This dish, which I cannot find on the menu now, but you need to ask the waiter about... A cast iron skillet with cheese and meat sort of stuck to the pan, which you smear onto this ultra soft tortilla. I've never had anything like it but I was smiling as I was eating this the entire time. How a dish can make you feel (and even before I drank my cocktail :). Totally amazing.
The main course... Chipotle Arrachera con Frijoles. Also, just amazing. The cast iron steak pieces are just perfectly cooked, and the accompaniments you can stuff into a tortilla are so satisfying. There was also a bowl of, I think, sopa del dia with beans. The weather outside was around -31 Celsius with windchill, and I think we may have tried to smuggle a bowl back to our car to eat on the drive home! Warm, satisfying.
Finally, for dessert, I'm pretty sure it was this concoction that may have only been there for Valentine's Day, but another dish worth asking for. Churro ice cream sandwiches. Really? How much do I love the entire Latin culture and the creator of churros at baseline? And now an ice cream sandwich in that? Presentation was beautiful. A stick of edible raspberry flavored marshmallow, and a stick of dark chocolate Valentine candy. Why? Just because it adds to the flavors and presentation.
The drinks, we had one pisco tequila and another pink colored tequila cocktail. Delicious. Perfect, and the pisco one smelled as good as it tasted. Final touch? The check, such a creative way it's presented.
It's the details. The attention to service, presentation of the food, the manner of the people in the restaurant -- like it's their home, even when it's the last seating on a busy night.
I can't say enough about this restaurant. The cost: 30 minute drive, -31 Celsius weather, 10:30pm reservation, finding parking downtown, $150 bill for two with drinks... But truly, truly, worth every cent.
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