MBCo

This is new little trendy import from Montreal in the heart of Yorkville. There was a lot of hype when it initially opened about how lovely and delicious everything was, so I stopped there for a quick lunch the other day. Admittedly, the sandwiches are made fresh; I had a chicken, leek and brie sandwich, which was... OK. Desserts were also nice. That's about all I have to say. Eventually, it would be really nice if one day I got to eat at the original...

Sambuca Grill

This is one of the ubiquitous restaurants that line Baldwin St, behind the hospitals. It's supposedly a little Italian place, and we dropped by for a light early dinner. We ordered panini... now, I thought panini was strictly those Italian sandwiches that were pressed flat and grilled; if so, these were not panini that we ate. The sandwiches were quite adequate, and the balsamic vinagrette for the salad was OK too. I can't really say anymore about the rest of their menu, since I only had a sandwich and not a panini....

The Thirsty Cactus

This is actually a little tex-mex bar/resto in Dundas, a suburb of Hamilton. It was a pretty good place to settle after a hike on the Bruce, though our server was one of my friend's old patients, so that was kind of weird. We all had fajitas, which certainly weren't as abundant as one is usually used to in most of those chain restos (like Kelsy's, etc), but certainly filling, and under $10! So, not bad....

The Yellow Griffin Pub

A neighbourhood pub in the Bloor West Village, on Bloor St, east of Runnymede. This was a place that we broke the rules; we've been there twice in the past month. But it's hard not to; when we heard that they made burgers like they do at The Works in Ottawa, we had to go check it out. And then we had to bring some more friends to check it out. I suspect we'll have to make a couple more forays out this way for a few more visits. So here they have 35 different burger toppings to choose from, and then you've got the choice of your patty: beef, lamb, pork, chicken, turkey or veggie. Then you get a choice of side: fries, sweet potatoes, salad, potato salad, coleslaw, onion rings, sauerkraut... Hello! How can life get any better than that?

Indian Biriyani House

Another little nook on the stretch of Dundas W, just west of Elizabeth Ave. They mainly served their food cafeteria-style on styrofoam plates that they then re-heated in the microwave (uh, I was just a little bit disturbed that they reheated my food on styrofoam....). However, they did make their naan bread fresh, and it was honestly quite yum! Certainly the naan itself made it worth eating there...

Indochine

An Asian fusion place on Dundas W, just west of Elizabeth Ave. We noted they had an AWESOME dinner deal, with a spring roll, a main and a pop for about $7-8, which is what drew us in a few weeks ago. And actually, it was a great deal. We were stuffed by the end of it. I think we had some mango shrimp and some chili chicken, both of which were really good, in light of the price. We would definitely go there again, though it may be some time yet, due to the rules.

The Hungary Thai

This was a little fusion restaurant of Hungarian and Thai food (unsurprisingly) that we went to a month or so ago in the south end of Kensington Market. It wasn't really fusion; it more like they had a Hungarian menu and a Thai menu. I must say though, we all opted for Thai food. I don't really recall it being -that- superb. Besides the fact that I am still on the hunt for the perfect pad thai, it wasn't here that I found it. Though they had a pretty good house salad.

You are what you eat

Since moving back to Toronto, I note that people get into the routine of eating at the same places all the time. Which isn't bad; certainly, familiarity with your particular favorite nook is important. However, living in one of the most culturally diverse places in the world leads to many different cuisines right at your doorstep. There is, of course, also the issue that many, many restos open in Toronto every year, and, sadly, many fail. These are the attempts of the small business owner hoping to 'make it' in the dog-eat-dog world of the restaurant business. I think based on both of those facts it is incumbent on us to try to support small business, and get to know the world-at-large better by partaking of meals at as many of these places as possible.
In that vein, I am (trying) to not repeat eating at restaurants, allowing me and my money to support as many small businesses as I can. This of course, doesn't include planned (by other people) dinners where they pick (one of) their favorite restaurants.
Also, I must say, my favorite place to eat in Toronto still is, hands down, Butler's Pantry. I eat there rarely (unfortunately), but it still wins in my heart as the best place to eat in the city.