Toronto Restaurant Tips by grandmaR

Restaurant Name: Ruth's Chris Steak House

I didn't feel like going out to eat the first night there. I had seen the Ruth's Cris in Baltimore when I was commuting, so I decided that this would be a good opportunity to try it out.

The food was pretty good, but very expensive and not overwhelming in quantity. My dinner cost $51.19 Canadian ($58.87 including tip).

Favorite Dish: I had fresh asparagus ($7.95), petit filet ($27.95), hot tea, hot rolls and amaretto freeze ($6.30). All prices in Canadian $$. The total in US$$ on my credit card was $40.48.

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Theme: Steakhouse
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$31-40  » Currency Converter
Phone: (416)955-1455
Address: 145 Richmond Street West, Toronto, ON
Directions: In the Toronto Hilton
Website: http://www.ruthschris-toronto.com/

Restaurant Name: Metro Toronto Convention Centre

Since the hotel didn't give me a free breakfast, I ate the rolls from dinner the night before in my room, and then after I registered at the convention, I had a bit of breakfast while I looked at the seminar schedule. This also enabled me to miss the opening speeches.

Favorite Dish: I had a fruit cup ($2.67 CD), juice ($1.36 CD) and a Danish ($1.83 CD), for a total of $6.74 CD.

I decided to try not to eat at the Convention Center again - not because the food was bad or particularly expensive, but because the lines were so long.

I did have lunch at the Convention Center on June 9th, and it cost $11.90 CD.

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Theme: Local
Comparison: about average

Address: Convention Center

Restaurant Name: Movenpick Restaurants Of Switzerland

I went back to the hotel at lunchtime, and walked around in the area to find a place to eat. This Movenpick place looked interesting. Apparently it is a sort of a chain, as there are restaurants with this name in various places in Toronto.

Movenpick Restaurant 416.535.8711 650 Dupont St
Movenpick Restaurants 416.366.5234 165 York St
Movenpick Restaurants 416.926.9545 133 Yorkville Ave
Movenpick Restaurants 416.245.2887 245 Dixon Rd
Movenpick Restaurants 416.482.4895 3501 Yonge St
Movenpick Restaurant - Le Marche 416.366.8122
1500 - 111 Richmond St. W (BCE Place)

I'm pretty sure I did not eat at the La Marche location (the tip group title that I've put it under). I sat at a table and was waited on like a regular restaurant. Not knowing Toronto, I am assuming that I ate at the 111 Richmond St. place W which was near my hotel which was at 145 Richmond St. W.

Favorite Dish: Specialty: Schnitzel and rösti potatoes

I had Gruyer Toast here for lunch. I love cheese. It cost $10.75 CD including tip, which I think was a little much to pay (even if it only works out to $7.42 USD), but it was good.

The website says:
"Winner of the Best International Dining Award, Mövenpick, a Swiss restaurant, houses four restaurants under one roof. Swiss specialties include rösti, (fried potatoes), rahmschnitzel (pork schnitzel with cream sauce) and herring marinated in red wine. Giving it international flair are dishes such as salmon lasagna, pepper steak, curries, and steak tartare. Theme evenings whisk you off to Italy, the seacoast, Switzerland and gourmet land. For an intimate dining affair try the racelett (cook at your table) in a cozy corner of the Grape and Cheese Wine Bar. Open from 7:30 a.m. to midnight daily, Mövenpick is partially wheelchair accessible."

$$-$$$

4 Star Rating

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Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: about average

Phone: (416)366-8122
Address: 111 Richmond Street West, Toronto, ON
Directions: Located at street level in BCE Place

Restaurant Name: Manchu Wok

Because I spent so much money last night at dinner, I wanted to balance out the expense account. The way it works is, they give you an amount for breakfast, lunch and dinner automatically. (It's about $20 USD/day - not a princely amount.) If you spend more than that, then you have to submit credit card slips, up to a maximum for the city you are in.

So I knew I wouldn't be reimbursed for the whole dinner price at Ruth Cris's, but I can recoup that by eating cheaply other times.

Favorite Dish: I had Combo 4 - whatever that was, and Chinese tea. Total $6.42 CD. I also spent $1.99 CD for ice cream afterwards.

Apparently there is another Manchu Wok at
200 Wellington W, Toronto (416) 596-7176

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Theme: Chinese/Dim Sum
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: (416)348-8726
Address: Toronto Eaton Centre, Toronto, ON

Restaurant Name: Mega Wraps

For lunch today (6/8/99), I got off the bus that took us to the other end of the Convention Center and walked across the street to an underground food court. I do not know the address.

Toronto seems to do a lot of living underground. There are underground tunnels everywhere. I guess it protects people from the snow in the winter.

Mega Wraps seems to have outlets all over the city. I don't know which one it was that I ate at. I've given one address at random. Some other addresses are:

Mega Wraps Phone: (416)977-6665
200 Elizabeth Street, Toronto, ON M5G 2C4

Mega Wraps Phone: (416)979-9217
439 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M5B 1T3

Mega Wraps Store 40 Phone: (647)288-0450
689 King Street West, Toronto, ON M5V 1M9

Favorite Dish: I had a gyro, a large juice and a baklava. Cost $8.36 CD.

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Theme: Other
Comparison: less expensive than average

Phone: (416)971-4242
Address: 170 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5H 3B3

Restaurant Name: BoatHouse Bar & Grill

I went down to the waterfront to try to get a ride on the tall ship that was down there, but it was too early in the year (June).

So I took a regular cruise, and then shopped in Queen's Quay and had dinner there. I met some other folks I knew from the convention, and we ate together. At the same time some folks were filming (Toronto has an active film location industry) outside where we ate.

The restaurant has patio seating directly on the lake, but we ate inside because it was a bit cool.

Favorite Dish: I had Chowder for $4.99, Hawaiian Pizza $9.99 and tea for a total of $20.80 CN including tip.

The website says:

"Open daily for lunch at 11 am, the menu is continental/Canadian cuisine served in a friendly, casual, family atmosphere. The variety of our menu ensures a meal for every taste - a great selection - from steaks and seafood to salads and sandwiches. There is a selection of vegetarian meals and a great Children's menu!

"The BoatHouse is fully licensed with a great inside bar (lakeviews) and in the summer, a lively outdoor bar.

"Lunch and dinner entrees range from $8.99 to $24.99; reservations are recommended; large groups and parties are welcome."

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Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: (416) 203-6300
Address: 207 Queen's Quay West
Directions: Located on the main floor of the Queen's Quay Terminal, lake-side in the South-East corner.
Website: http://www.toronto.com/infosite/146655/
Other Contact: Fax:(406) 203-0365

Restaurant Name: CN tower 360 Restaurant

When I was in Seattle five years previously, I discovered that if I went up in the Space Needle to eat dinner I would get my ride up free. Since then, I've looked out for big towers to eat in. The Toronto CN tower was my next chance.

Note: The restaurant rotates - it doesn't revolve. A thing rotates on an axis. Something that revolves goes around something else, like the earth revolves around the sun.

I was already at the Convention Center for my meeting, so it was pretty easy just to walk over to the CN tower. But I missed all the convention buses to the hotels, so I had to make my own way back.

These are the hours:

General Access 9:00am - 11:00pm
9:00am - 11:00pm
Information Desk staffed at 8:30am

360 Restaurant
Lunch 11:00am - 2:00pm
Sunday Brunch 10:30am - 2:00pm
Dinner 4:30pm - 10:00pm
4:30pm - 10:30pm (Friday and Saturday)

Favorite Dish: The cheapest tickets are: Look Out + Glass Floor (Taxes extra)

Adult (13-64) $18.99
Senior (65+) $16.99
Children (4-12) $13.99

I had soup, salmon and chocolate cake, and took a lot of pictures. It cost me $59.20 Canadian, counting tip. I figure subtracting the ride up that it actually only cost me about $40.21 Canadian to have dinner. And at that time with that exchange rate, it works out to less then $30 US.

See the two travelogues of views from the CN tower. One is of the harbor side which includes a picture of me taken by the waiter and the other is of the city side.

There are other places to eat up there other than the 360 Restaurant -

Horizon's Café

Coffee/Muffins 10:00am - 11:30am

Food and Bar Service 11:30am - 8:30pm
Late Night Menu 5:00pm - 10:00pm

Bar Service 7:30pm - 10:00pm

Marketplace Café

Coffee Station 8:30am-8:00pm

Food Stations 9:00am - 6:00pm
Lunch served 11:00am – 6:00pm

The Kiosk
Coffee Service 8:30 am – 5:00 pm

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Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$31-40  » Currency Converter
Phone: (416) 86-TOWER
Address: CN Tower, 301 Front Street West
Directions: Right in between the SkyDome and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Front Street, just north of Bremner Blvd.
Website: http://www.cntower.ca/
Other Contact: 416-362-5411 (rest. gift cert.)

Restaurant Name: Chicken Quarter

On Thursday, I had lunch at Chicken Quarter.

I have nothing indicated about this restaurant in my notes except that lunch cost $5.94CD. I have an idea this was in one of the underground areas, because I also bought materials to mail stuff home to myself a little after 1300 (1 pm)


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Theme: Local
Comparison: less expensive than average

Phone: (416) 204-1388
Address: 200 Front W Toronto, ON M5V3K2