Porter Airlines

Rated this place:

Toronto City Centre Airport, 1 Bathurst Street, Toronto, M5V 1A1

Title: This is definitely the best way to travel. Minimal lines, great service, so convenient for those who live or work close to downtown, and the free bottled water and tasty treats are the icing on the cake! Also, without the hassles and stress that are so synonymous with airports, you really are able to just relax.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• downtown airport

William Ashley China

Rated this place:

55 Bloor St W (Manulife Centre), Toronto, ON, M4W1A5

What a girl (and guy?) wants!: Registering at Ashley's felt like a true a rite of passage. I went in a girl with mismatched glassware and came out a woman destined to have pinstripe crystal pitchers and elaborate pie servers. My bridal registry experience at Ashley's has been wonderful from the start - aside from having the best selection of formal china, kitchenware, and everything you can image in the world of home-decorating, the staff are friendly and knowledgeable. They want the process to be as smooth as possible for you (and them), and so far I have no complaints. I can easily track my registry online and can add any items I want to the list either online or at one of their stores. Top 3 bonus features: The truffles they feed you after you've registered, the little customized cards you get in the mail every time someone buys you a gift, and the free year-long parking at Manulife Centre for the bride and groom.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• formal china
• wedding registry

Jalouse Hair Michael Rutledge

Rated this place:

2467 Yonge St, Toronto, ON, M4P2H6

Great Hair Day: While always satisfied but never truly swept off my feet by many Toronto stylists, I decided to follow the raving word-of-mouth reviews about Jalouse and book a blowdry with Bruna - the fact that she was completely booked up for two months was an inconveniently good sign that she has to be doing something right. The salon itself is small, friendly, and has a touch of obscurity to it that makes you feel like you're special enough to know about it (it's across the street from Centro above Ron White). Bruna did a fabulous job styling my hair - she read what I wanted and was able to give my straight hair a healthy bounce and shine. With reasonable prices, friendly service, and an incredible lineup of hair professionals, Jalouse has risen to my top list of favourite Toronto hair salons.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Exposed brick
• Midtown salon

Holt Renfrew & Co Ltd

Rated this place:

50 Bloor St W #300, Toronto, ON, M4W 1A1

Splurge here: Holt Renfrew is like that girl you know who just has it all - you can't help but love her but are secretly jealous of everything she has at the same time. Holts carries all things beautiful. Pricey, but beautiful. Purses, beauty products, shoes, evening wear, bathing suits, classic menswear, funky everyday clothing by top designers and more are all in one place and are presented in a fashion that evokes high-fasion, even if it's not. I like the location on Bloor Street the best simply because it captures the feel of a classic New York-esque department store (think Bloomingdales).

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• shopping
• Designer Clothing

Le Gourmand

Rated this place:

438 Richmond Street West, Toronto, ON, M5V 3S6

Gourmet lunch: Le Gourmand never ceases to amaze me. While this is my go-to place for gourmet sandwiches/salads, I happened to try their pasta special: gnocchi pasta with carmelized onions and other succulent veggies, all perfectly afloat in a hearty meat sauce. It's a meal for two for less than $10. Also worth mentioning is their curry chicken wrap, which is packed with green apples and smothered in yellow-y goodness. It's filling, perfectly toasted, and wonderful. Wash things down with one of their GIANT chocolate chip cookies and you'll be set for the rest of the day (week).

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• gourmet lunch

The Rosebud

Rated this place:

669 Queen St. W., Toronto, Ontario, M4M1G6

Short ribs are tall on flavour at Rosebud: You can definitely feel the intimacy of The Rosebud from the moment you walk through its small entrance off Queen West. The entire place was glowing from the candle-lit booth-style tables that line its narrow walls. The place was packed with young Winterlicious-goers dining on generous servings for $35/person. I started with melt-in-your-mouth cod cakes complimented with pepper-infused mixed greens. Next was the main attraction: braised short ribs that were stingy and rich and swimming in a wonderful sweet-onion gravy, atop fluffy mashed potatoes. I was too full to even try my creme brulee - but my entire party was impressed by its generous serving. Overall, The Rosebud offers a great dining experience. The one drawback was that the place cleared out by about 10pm on a Saturday.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Romantic Restaurant
• restaurant for group dinners
• Ribs

Li'L Niblets & Baby Sprouts

Rated this place:

1654 Avenue Road , Toronto, ON, M5M 3Y1

Everything under one roof: This place is a genuine one-stop shop for all of your baby and childrens' gear. They've got baby accessories galore (both fashionable and practical - because you always need a steady balance of both), and lots of clothing options for all sizes and seasons. I love wandering through the store in search of gifts for my nephew. Given at times this place can get pretty hectic, the service is wonderful and personable. Little Niblets is not cheap-cheap but it is convenient, current, and cute!

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

Midtown

Rated this place:

552 College St, Toronto, ON, M6G1B1

Bar: Midtown is really an ideal spot for all types of people and moods...the location is, fittingly, midtown, which makes it a convenient outing for most people, the music is great, you can hang out in the front bar-area or there's always an option to dance it up too. All these qualities make it also a great place for birthday celebrations!

Flip Toss & Thai Kitchen Inc

Rated this place:

141 Harbord St, Toronto, ON, M5S1H1

Pad thai: This place isn't the fanciest restaurant on the block, but what it lacks in decor is certainly made up in quality cuisine...try inexpensive dishes like the pad thai or rice paper wraps. The pad thai is filling, flavourful, a bit spicy, and fresh.

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

Fusaro's Kitchen

Rated this place:

147 Spadina Ave #108, Toronto, ON, M5V2L7

A Healthy Portion of Goodness: I can't think of anything wrong with this place other than the food addiction it's inflicted upon me. The moment you walk in you're bombarded with warmth, amazing scents, and tons of people waiting in the cafeteria-style line for their lunchtime grub. Everything from the salads, to gourmet pizzas, to the daily pasta options, to the veal sandwiches look amazing. I opt for the grilled chicken wrap - grilled or 'panini-ed' of course. It's filling, bursting with flavour, and a relatively health-concious lunch item. I highly recommend this place, for take-out or for dining in - just don't go there starving because you're likely going to have to wait in line (bonus tip: they often have free garlic bread on the counter for those in line).

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Lunch
• Chicken wrap

Over The Rainbow

Rated this place:

101 Yorkville Ave, Toronto, ON, M5R1C1

Designer clothing: The store is small enough to make you feel like you're having an intimate shopping experience but just large enough to hold all the hottest labels. The jewelry at the front is also pretty funky.

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

Yamato Japanese Restaurant

Rated this place:

18 Bellair St, Toronto, ON, M5R2C7

Teppanyaki: Upscale yet affordbale sushi and teppanyaki...the chicken and vegetables are fired up to perfection before your very eyes, and the atmosphere is perfect for a group dinner!

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

Aji Sai Japanese Restaurant

Rated this place:

783 Danforth Ave, Toronto, ON, M4J1L2

What a treat - all you can eat!: So, imagine you're out for lunch with friends, you're starving, and you grab a booth at a cute Japanese restaurant on Queen West and start pulling together an itinerary for your lunch order - when - suddenly - you all notice that the meal is actually all-you-can-eat! Such excitement and possibilities....I addded some meat (literally) to my ordinary sushi order and ended up with 4 chicken yakitori skewers, 12 pieces of sushi, spring rolls, and a salad for under $13 - and on Mon-Thurs the lunch is only $10.99. This place is one of the best all-you-can-eat spots I've tried. It's fast, serves pretty hearty portions (but still smaller than an ordinary place), and the food was excellent. No wonder we had to wait at least 10 minutes for a table!

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Sushi
• All You Can Eat Sushi

Bloor Street Diner

Rated this place:

55 Bloor Street W, Toronto, ON, M4W 1A5

French onion soup: It is traditional and wonderful...there's that crispy, bubbly, and crusted cheese, the sweet and salty onion broth, all enveloped in that large and mighty soup bowl. Definitely a warming treat when the temperatures drop!

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• French Onion Soup

Fune Japanese Restaurant

Rated this place:

100 Simcoe St, Toronto, ON, M5H3G2

Japanese restaurant: It's truly one of the best Japanese restaurants in the city. The sushi is fresh and the food is presented beautifully. The Ebi dinner in particular is wonderful - giant shrimps and vegetables grilled and seasoned perfectly and accompanied with a ginger dipping sauce.

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

House Of Chan Steak N' Lobster

Rated this place:

876 Eglinton Ave W, Toronto, ON, M6C2B6

Steak: It's one of the best steaks in the city, hands down. The steak is tender and flavourful and seriously filling. But don't just fill up on the meat - the Asian-inspired side dishes are all part of the experience. Pair your steak with Chinese goodies like Lo Mein and stir-fried veggies. The potatoes are also spectacular. This midtown steakhouse is certainly worth a visit.

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

Bagel World Coffee Shop

Rated this place:

336 Wilson Av, North York, ON, M3H1S9

Bagel place: This place is traditional and reliable, two very important qualities in restaurant that specializes in bagels! But there's so much more to Bagel World than merely bagels - their spreads and platters are incredible, the eggs and onions are legendary, and the twister bagels are big enough to use as footballs. The Wilson location has recently been renovated but there's still an old-school charm to the place. The new Bloor (at Spadina) location seems to be attracting a younger clientele.

Ichiban Sushi

Rated this place:

635 College, Toronto, ON, M6G1B5

Fast sushi: This sushi bar/Japanese resto on Spring Garden is the perfect place to get good-quality sushi for reasonable prices and fast service. We were in a huge rush and the waitress calmly served us delicious dynamite rolls, unagi maki, ebi maki, chicken terriyaki, salad and soup in a matter of minutes! I'm sure it's a great place to go for a relaxing dinner as well!

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• fast sushi

Want Boutique

Rated this place:

1454 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON, M4T 1Y4

Dress shop: Want always has unique dresses that you won't find in the department stores. Aside from racks upon racks of stunning dresses, they also sell interesting accessories and other cute finds (like adorable sweaters).

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Dress Shop

Zellers Inc

Rated this place:

1355 Kingston Rd, Pickering, ON, L1V1B8

Party decoration store: Chain stores like Zellers really come in handy when it comes to bargain party supply shopping. Zellers met all my Halloween-shopping needs with extravagant black-orange boas, festive napkins, pumpkin candles, and even a giant scarescrow (a true Halloween necessity!!) - all at 30% off...the one at Dufferin and Lawrence is open late, so you've got plenty of time to get lost in the aisles and great deals.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• party decoration store

Dazzling

Rated this place:

291 King St. West, Toronto, ON, M5V 1J5

Asian restaurants: Dazzling is a great find in that endless block of King Street restaurants running between John and Spadina. Everything at this place looks and tastes great - spicy soups, tender rice paper wraps, noodle dishes piled high, steaming hot dumplings. The atmosphere is also a nice compliment to, and escape from, the hustle and bustle of the Entertainment district....there was a lounge singer at the front, but the vibe becomes gradually quieter and more personal as you approach the back.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Asian restaurants

Four Seasons Hotel Toronto

Rated this place:

21 Avenue Rd, Toronto, ON, M5R2G1

Place for a drink: The Avenue bar at the Four Seasons Hotel is one of the best places in the city to grab a drink. Whether it's the small tables overlooking Yorkville Ave. or the traditional drinks and wait staff, this place just exudes confidence and charisma.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• place for a drink

The Chocolate Tulip

Rated this place:

1251 Yonge St, Suite 102, Toronto, ON, M4T1W6

Flower shop: This flower shop is a very special place. Not only is it filled with gorgeous floral arrangements and plants, but it will also forever be filled with fond memories for me and my fiance since we got engaged in this very shop!

m0851

Rated this place:

3526 blvd. St-Laurent, Montreal, QC, H2W2V1

Leather store: Don't let all the numbers confuse you - this place is known for its simple leather styles. Everything is so well-made and fashionable. They have nice leather jackets in assorted colours, purses and bags ranging in sizes, and beautiful leather accessories. If you're looking for high-quality leather that's fashionable yet timeless, I suggest this shop!

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

Med

Rated this place:

3500 St. Laurent, Montreal

Mediterranean cuisine: Everything from the ambiance to the food are wonderful. As the name suggests, Med features Mediterranean cuisine, with a splash of Montreal stylistic flavour....Med is a must-try.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Mediterranean Cuisine