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:Yorkville:
I walk by Carens everyday on my way to work. It caught my eye because it says wine and cheese. Two of my most favourite things.
I never thought to go because I'm not a huge fan of restos in Yorkie. But Kitty posted about Carens on her Facebook. So it caught my interest again and held it, at least until I finally went.
BEST.PATIO.
And that is saying a lot. Spoke Club's patio has long been a favourite. Their food sucks, but their drinks are amazing and the patio is killer. Well, was. Carens wins.
The back patio is a hidden treasure. Respect it. It's a little piece of heaven.
Carens is great wine, impecable cheese, and pass-able mains.
Kitty and I shared the Okanagan pinot. BC wine is my favourite.
She had the crab cakes, while I had the baked brie. The crab cakes were alright. But my brie and phyllo was off-the-charts. I loved it.
I had the stilton burger, and she had the special. The special last night was black cod. I am a black cod snob so this cod did not work for me. Fishy on a bed of bland Israeli couscous. My burger, on the other hand, was good. But the meal was too heavy. My fault. Stilton, 10 ounces of beef, sauteed mushrooms, and an onion bun. And of course I paired mine with potato gratin. In retrospect, perhaps I should have gotten the salad.
While the food wasn't amazing, the service (which was great) and the ambience more than made up for any lack lustre moments. That is, until I tried to make a booking. Management isn't all that business savvy. Apart from quoting a RIDICULOUS minimum for a party of 20, and only one round of emails, I never heard from them again. They just lost a BIG night out. That's okay, their loss - someone else's gain.
Great restaurants are food and business. If your food can't back you, your business should...
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