L'unita , Yorkville

134 Avenue Road
416-964-8686

A chic Italian eatery, L'unita is not a typical over-sized plate of pasta type place. It has that intimate feel with modern touches and casual atmosphere that would make you want to eat here 7 days a week. The food is very fresh and the pasta is house-made. My rocket salad with procuitto and pecorino cheese was a perfect start followed by a lovely plate of grilled tuna and char-grilled lemon which gave the tuna a nice smoky flavour. I was able to sample the house-made pasta and although slightly overcooked, the sauce was rich and delicious. If you are looking for a good place to have drinks, they have a great bar. L'unita has received very good reviews as they should. Not overly expensive, it is a must try.

Canoe Restaurant, Downtown

Canoe
54th TD Tower, 66 Wellington St. West
416 364-0054

Canoe was always one of my favourite standby's but I was so disappointed in my last meal there. We started with the Yukon Potato Gnocchi with Crispy Sweetbreads and Foie Gras. It was tasty but very rich and far too heavy for an appetizer. I was glad a opted to share it. I then had the Cumbrae Farms Beef Tenderloin with “Cheeky” Pot Roast, Molten Cheddar Cauliflower & Black Truffle. There was far too much happening on the plate for me to enjoy it. The flavours were not well balanced and the sauce was overly reduced. Jason has the Bison Tenderloin with Hedgehog porriage and potato gnocchi which was good but again, too rich and not well balanced with flavour. I would have chalked it up to a bad night but I have heard from others who have been there recently that they too were disappointed.

C5, Downtown

C5
located in the Royal Ontario Museum
416.586.7928

We had low expectations for C5. I am not a huge fan of the new Crystal addition to the ROM so I think I went with this in mind. I had not read any reviews either, which is sometimes for the best. So my first reaction sitting down was that I didn't like the atmosphere. The room is very contemporary with big white walls and white modern leather furniture. It was a too bright when we entered but they dimmed the lights and that helped. I would still say that the atmosphere wouldn't be my choice as I tend to prefer cozy, intimate restaurants.
But the food...WOW! We were really impressed by the food. I had fresh porcini mushroom linguini with parmesan foam and Jason had the charcuterie plate to start. My pasta was cooked perfectly, with the right amount of sauce and a very flavouful foam on top. Jason charcuterie plate consisted of foie gras pate, Bershire pork terrine and Niagara sausage. Both dishes were delicious. For our mains I opted for the Vindaloo Dorset lamb with cauliflower puree and spatzael while Jason had the 60 day aged Cumbrea's ribeye. Both cooked to a perfect medium-rare and both juicy. My vindaloo was flavourful with a touch of spice but not overwhelming spicy. For dessert we opted for some Cheese Boutique cheeses, which were fresh and lovely.
For wine we had a wonderful red wine, Kangarilla, from South Australia's McLaren Vale region. Overall is was pricy but well worth it.

I would highly recommend that you try C5 for yourself.