QueenSpecific

Rated this place:

787 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON, M4M1H6

Unexpected Art Gallery: After reading in the Globe & Mail about an art exhibit going on in Queen West, I made an effort to locate the little window gallery they discussed.

Attached to - and sponsored by - Dufflet Pastries, I must have walked past their window displays a million times without noticing it. But now, after enjoying a little cultural break to my shopping trip, I'll never walk past it again without checking it out.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• urban art
• secret art gallery
• free culture

John Steinberg and Associates

Rated this place:

585 King St W, Toronto, ON, M5V1M1

Good Hair Day: After reading the reviews and seeing candice's great new haircut, I decided to treat myself to a visit. Alicia gave me a fantastic cut - and even walked me through the styling tips along the way.

The fees are scalable - so you can pay $40 to see a junior stylist all the way up to a visit with Mr. Steinburg himself.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Salon
• stylist
• hairdressers

Gandhi Roti

Rated this place:

554 Queen St W, Toronto, ON, M5V2B5

Totally Addicted: They have perfected the Roti. Every variety I've tried is amazing. When I go away on vacation, I get more antsy to return to Gandhi Roti than to my own apartment

Trust them, they mean it when they say hot. The owner has lots of funny stories of people trying to be macho and ignore his warnings when they order 'extra-hot'.

The portions are huge and usually last into lunch the next day.

Best filling: Matter Paneer

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Cheap Eats
• roti
• Roti restaurant
• spiciness
• Matter Paneer
• Indian Restuarant

Sushi Island Japanese Restaurant

Rated this place:

571 College St, Toronto, ON, M6G1B2

Good Food - Bad Experiences: I would give this place such a higher rating if they only treated their customers a little better. The food is good, but they seem to be under the belief that every single person they seat is there to attempt to rip them off. Everyone I know who's been there seems to have a bad Sushi Island story.

Now, I completely understand the need for policies for leftover food and sharing in all-you-can-eat joints, and I'm sure some people do try to take advantage. But, I've avoided the place after some bad experiences of being accused of sharing (when I didn't) and for them trying to charge a leftover fee for leaving a few pieces, when the reason was that I was ill.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• sushi places
• All You Can Eat Sushi
• All-you-can-eat sushi

Thin Blue Line Cheese

Rated this place:

93B Roncesvalles Avenue, Toronto, ON, M6R2K6

Best Cheese Shop: This cute little shop on Roncesvalles has the most amazing cheeses - and, best of all, informative staff who are always willing to explain, make suggestions, and offer samples (even if those waiting behind you aren't so patient).

They also carry other canned goods and gourmet items at fair prices. I found the same brand of Tomatoes that I used to go to Little Italy to buy at a cheaper selling price.

If they have it in stock, be sure to buy the smoked blue cheese.

Grace Restaurant

Rated this place:

503 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M6G1A5

Romantic Date Spot: Everything about the meal was perfect. Perfectly dressed, fresh salad. Perfectly cooked Halibut. Perfectly chic decor.

The lemon tart, though, transcended perfect. Grace's lemon tart is the platonic ideal of a lemon tart. The crust is so thin and delicate. The filling is fresh and lemony without being overpowered by sweetness.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• date restaurant
• Lemon tart
• Comfort Food

Art Gallery of Ontario

Rated this place:

317 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON, M5T1G4

Cheap date: Wednesday nights after 6 pm is free! The renovation is stunning - which is nice after the disappointing ROM opening.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Cheap Date

The Bay Furniture Outlet

Rated this place:

5555 Dundas St. W., Etobicoke, ON

Furniture store: Most of the stuff is hideous, a smaller number is so bad it's good, and rarest of all are some stunning pieces - but the discounts are so steep that it's worth a few visits now and then to see what's in stock. 85% off new furniture and appliances (it's where Bay Floor models go to die)

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Furniture Store

Not My Dog

Rated this place:

1510 Queen St. W, Toronto, ON, M6R 1A4

Dive bar: It's a cool and arty casual bar in Parkdale with excellent independent music nights and friendly service.

Unit 102 Theatre Studio

Rated this place:

46 Noble Street, Unit 102, Toronto, ON, M6K 2C9

Indie venue: This is the most underground of underground theatres. There's something awesome going on every weekend, whether it's comedy/music/theatre. It's hard to find if you don't go with someone who "knows". They've recently gone through some renovations to expand the space - and the resident cat is gone, but the place still retains their indie charm.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Indie Venue

Cuisine Bangkok

Rated this place:

1616 Ste-Catherine O., Montreal, QC, H3H 1L7

Pad thai: I used to love pad thai - but after going to the Cuisine Bangkok stall in Faubourg I cannot enjoy any other one the way I used to. No other pad thai lives up to this. When I come to Montreal I eat there as much as I can - and get one to go as well!

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• pad thai

Jardin du Cari

Rated this place:

21 St. Viateur West, Montreal, QC, H2T 2K7

Roti: It's all about the hot sauce. It's spicy - but without losing the amazing citrus flavour. I would buy bottles of this stuff if they sold it.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• roti

Bily Kun

Rated this place:

354 Mont-Royal est, Montreal, QC, H2T 1P9

Bar: It's a nice comfortable bar with trendy decor and good beer. There is a great piano player there on weekend afternoons.

Maple Produce-CLOSED

Rated this place:

225 Roncesvalles Avenue, Toronto, Ontario

Fresh Produce: There are so many small grocery stores lining Roncesvalles and Queen; but, most of those ones leave you picking through days-old produce looking for one that looks even remotely decent. Everything at Maple is fresh and fantastic. And, no fruit flies!

I love the bushels of fresh herbs at the cash desk for $0.99. You get twice as much as those little packages you can find in grocery stores, and they're so much fresher.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• produce
• fruit
• vegetables

Cafe 668

Rated this place:

885 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON, M6J 1V9

Vegetarian restaurant: The food was always good but the new location is beautiful too! The service is fantastic and the food is delicious - especially the eggplant in coconut curry sauce! They also have a great selection of organic wines.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• vegetarian restaurant

Banjara Indian Cuisine

Rated this place:

796 Bloor St. West, Toronto, ON, M6G 1L7

Indian food: I grew up in the suburbs - and until now I was yet to find a Toronto indian restaurant that could compete with Mississauga/Brampton. Banjara is '905' good. The service is great and they participate in the bring your own wine program. My favorite is the baingan bharta.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Indian Food

Brar Sweets & Restaurant

Rated this place:

199 Advance Bl, Brampton, ON, L6T4N2

Indian buffet: Most indian buffets have a selection of 8-10 dishes - as a vegetarian, I can usually only eat half of those. Brar Sweets is all vegetarian and has a huge wall with a selection of over 20 main dishes - and they're all fantastic. Go hungry!

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• indian buffet

G.U.F.F.

Rated this place:

1152 Queen St. E, Toronto, ON, M6J1J5

Antique: The store is full of quality used furniture. Everything is very clean and in good condition - and the prices are very fair.

La Merceria

Rated this place:

506 Adelaide St. W, Toronto, ON, M5V 1T5

Everything store: You could go to a other stores and sort through a million items looking for the right table setting or bed linens, but why bother when the perfect ones are waiting for you at La Merceria. They don't have a wide selection, but they don't need it when everything they carry is just want you wanted. I have no idea how I have never heard of this store until this week. It is now my go-to shop for anything I need for myself - or the perfect gift for anyone else.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• everything store

Pizzeria Libretto

Rated this place:

221 Ossington Ave., Toronto, ON, M6J 2Z8

Pizza: It's definitely the best Pizza Place in Toronto, with casual Italian ambiance (I'm a huge fan of communal tables), fantastic service, and the best pizza I've ordered in the city. In addition, they have a strong commitment to authenticity and quality, which they detail on their website. They also have strong green commitments - for one, if you order take-out, you bring your own tupperware.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Pizza

Tati Bistro

Rated this place:

124 Harbord St, Toronto, ON, M5S 1G8

Mussels: The restaurant is adorably decorated and the mussels were perfectly cooked.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Mussels

Lolita's

Rated this place:

1326 Davie Street, Vancouver, BC

Mexican: The cocktails were fantastic, and the service was amazing. The highlight for me was the queso fundido - Mexican Fondue. It's hard to go wrong with melted cheese.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Mexican

Asa Sushi

Rated this place:

2178 West 41 Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V6M1Z5

Sushi: It's excellent quality sushi at affordable prices- the salmon was the best I've ever had. They also have an extensive list of tasty fusion rolls.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Sushi

The Barefoot Contessa

Rated this place:

3715 Main Street, Vancouver, BC, V5V 3N8

Clothing store: Very feminine and vintage-inspired clothing and accessories by local designers.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Clothing store

Spank Clothing

Rated this place:

2082 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V6J 1M9

Clothing store, Shoe store: The store is filled with modern, affordable clothes. They also have a chain of shoe stores.

The store carries very classic shoe styles with the twist of unexpected colours and details. They have brands like Seychelles, Jessica Simpson, and Marc Jacobs. They also have a line of clothing stores.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Clothing store
• Shoe store