My mom came to visit me last weekend from Montreal so she asked me where I wanted to go eat while she was here. Knowing I'm a real foodie, she trusted me to make some stellar picks. Of course I was so caught up in school work that I waited until the last minute and all the places I was thinking about were of full all weekend :( I'm telling you if you want a get a table at one of the new trendy places in Toronto on a Friday or Saturday you better make sure to get a reservation well ahead of time...or you may be greatly disapointed. My mother then suggested a place I had never heard of... a place she had been a couple years earlier on a prior visit to Toronto...called Biffs Bistro. I wasn't too sure about it cuz I had never heard of it and I'm always on top of knowing what's best out there!! But, in the end i must give her all the credit because it was the best place we went to eat out of all 3 nights she was here.. Way to go mom!! I know where I get my good taste in food from ;)
This is one of the restaurants owned by the Oliver and Bonnicini group. First of all the service was attentive and top notch throughout. True we were pretty much the only ones there in this great big open space and it was still early for supper on a sunday since I had to get my mom to the airport (we were told the restaurant just started being open for supper sundays so it hadn't caught on quite yet..) However my mom assured me the last time she was here it was packed. I can only imagine the amazing vibe this place must have on a full night. Such great ambiance in this place...and for my me and family, that's half of what makes or breaks a restaurant!
Now to the foooooood....So consistently good. I made sure to take more than just 1 pic this time for you guys. I was super excited to show you guys what we ate. Too bad I can't have one of those fancy cameras cuz I really don't think my blackberry camera does justice to the quality and presentation of the food.
First they brought to our table some classic french cornichons (baby pickles) and fresh grainy mustard along with our bread basket. Made sure to get a pic...totally bistro style.
cornichons and fresh grainy mustard
As an appetizer I had this perfect salad that combined all the right flavours of sweet, salty, crunchy, chewy.. It was a roasted beet, spiced pecan and cheese salad. I had never heard of Ciel de Charlevoix cheese. It's a Quebec cheese that my mom assured me was terrific, and since my mom is as quebecois as you get, and is a cheese fanatic on top of it, I took her word for it. I was not disappointed. It had a bit of a bite but not as strong as a blue cheese and was firm yet melt in your mouth delicious. Complemented the sweetness of the
beets.
I followed that up with a seafood bouillabaisse (basically seafood stew). Coming from Montreal and having eaten at many a french restaurant, I have encountered some good and not so good versions of this dish. This one was definitely one of my favorite. What I especially appreciated about it was that they cooked the large morssels of fish and seafood seperately then the waiter added the fish broth over the whole beautifully presented concoction right in front of my eyes. The fish was topped with a cheese covered baguette crouton. I savoured every last bite..and of course soaked up the rest of the spicy broth with bread until I polished the bowl..mmmm!
bouillabaisse...I want more!!
My mom opted for one of her staple favorite dishes - the mussels - always a must at a french bistro. These were a la Provencal (in a tomato, garlic and thyme broth) They were huuuge! - I swear the meat in those shells were 3 times the size I'm used to. Needless to say she was very pleased by the portion...and the quality. The broth was savoury as again, we both dipped bread in it to finish off when she was done! She ordered some signature thin cut french fries which came with a side of fresh housemade rouille (also a classic french sauce made up of olive oil, chili peppers, and garlic) It paired great with the fries.
mussles, fries, and rouille
We shared a nice bottle of white bourgogne alligote which complemented our seafood dishes perfectly. No room for desert though.. But what a great finish to an amazing weekend with my mom. It's times like this that I really appreciate my french heritage and my family's love for good food..
....oh and did I mention that I love food?!
So just go, and try the desert for me...let me know what I missed out on!
Biff's Bistro
4 Front Street East
416.860.0086
It was indeed a wonderful dinner. Thanks for the pictures and for the memories!
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of Biff's Bistro. Thanks for sharing your French food experience. Bouillabesse is a specialty from the south of France (Marseille).
ReplyDeleteCathy
French course