In Toronto this week...

Travel, Wine Tourism, and Restaurants Forum
1

Greetings,

I’m in Toronto this week, and looking for some advice:

  • Steak house / meat restaurants (around 100-150$ for 2 with a glass of wine)
  • Meat market where I can find some dry aged beef
  • Good wine shop, more oriented on US/Canadian wines
  • Wineries to visit (not if only producing ice wine)

If you have any suggestin, feel free to share!
Thanks!

Alain

2

Not up on Steakhouses any more. Especially cheaper ones. I still like Barberians which has a good list.
Reds has meat and enough good wines by the glass that you may stay below $150.

Cumbraes for a butcher, or stroll around in St. Lawrence market.

No such thing as a good wine shop in Ontario. Any LCBO will have Ontario wines. Don’t bother with the US section. Sucks & is overpriced.

If you have a car, you can go east about 2 hours to Prince Edward county, or 1-1.5 hrs west to Beamsville/ Niagara. Both areas have many wineries to visit. Somewhat hit & miss on those that don’t require an app’t. If you search there are enough threads about Ontario wineries to visit.

3

Thanks Chris for the recs on restaurants, I’ll check them out.

St Lawrence market is on my to-do list, so hopefully will find something here.

OK, I went to a LCBO store yesterday, the selection is more or less the same as SAQ in Montreal. Which means poor choices and high prices! The French section is horrible, they have wines that you only find in supermarket in France, like JP Chevenet… except in France it sells for 3-4€, here it’s 12$!

I’m guessing that if you were to ask an Italian or a Spanish guy, they would tell you that the respective sections are also overpriced…

Will look into the different threads for wineries visit, thanks again.

Alain

4

Some Italian wines at LCBO are priced ok. I have found Quintarelli at Toronto LCBO and it’s hard to find in the US.

5

Which is why anyone with an interest in decent wine in the province doesn’t buy from the LCBO for anything but daily drinker level stuff.
Jim is right - there are a few areas priced decently, selection can be more of an issue.
Mid-level barolo is often cheaper here than in the U.S.
Same with some high level red burg (if you can get it), Germany and 1 or 2 other areas.

I think you can find better selection/ prices in certain SAQ stores, especially if your a francophile. Overall Italy is probably better here

6

I’m planning a trip to Finger Lakes (Hammondsport for wedding) followed by 2 days at the Falls, 2 days at NOTL and 3 days in Toronto. For NF I planned one dinner at AG at Sterling Inn, at NOTL Treadwells and Toronto Scaramouche and George (both I’ve read allow corkage).

Any suggestions for activities and restaurants at any of these locations would also be appreciated. Plan to see a few wineries if time permits and the Finger Lakes and NOTL. We will have a 14 year old with us.

Thanks.