Midi Bistro

We visited Midi Bistro for the first time this past Saturday, and I must say that I was left with quite the impression. Here's why.

Midi Bistro is a small establishment located on McCaul and Elm St. Its exterior doesn't look like much, as I've walked by the restaurant hundreds of times over the past 6 years that I've lived around the area and had only dared to venture in for the first time this past weekend.

A few things to know about the bistro: they serve French cuisine, they specialize in mussels, and they have a pretty solid wine selection. (I am not exactly a wine connoisseur, but the way that the waitress who introduced it had me convinced!). And as a side note, Midi Bistro participates in Winterlicious/Summerlicious events in Toronto every year.

http://www.yelp.ca/user_local_photos?select=HluFgWBSIr3tYmiptZMo0w&userid=DNlzbI54zCOa4to-vTWBJQ

Their interior is pretty cozy with some nice and simple decor. It's just like what the reviews online had entailed regarding their atmosphere and ambiance. I'd say that the restaurant is a pretty good for romantic get-togethers and casual socializing.

We got here around 6:30 PM and had apparently beat the "rush hour" since they got pretty busy at 7 and 8 PM. I'd recommend coming here at 6 PM or do brunch or it'll get really noisy and busy in the restaurant.

Ann likes their star-light decor by the window. It adds a nice touch to the ambiance. 

This is their menu.

And their drinks menu.

They provided complimentary bread and butter, we wished it was toasted though!

Since Ann and I are still on a pescatarian diet, we stuck to their seafood options. We ordered:

Appetizer: One pound of "pistou"-flavored steamed mussels with fries.

According to their menu, pistou seasoning is made from white wine, pesto and parsley.

Drink 1: Glass of white wine - 2010 Pinot Griglo La Delizia "Delle Venezie" Friulvini (Italy)

Drink 2: Glass of red wine - 2008 Minervois Domaine Pujol Izard (Languedoc - Fr.)

Main: Plat du jour (Chef's Daily Special) - which was Pan Seared Steelhead Trout some sort of sauce and steamed veggies. I forgot what the waitress said.

Main 2: Saumon a La Cannelle - Pan Seared Cinnamon Crust Salmon Fillet, Light Saffron Sauce

Bon Appetit!

Here's what I thought of the food:

The mussels were alright. They were a little smaller than usual, but the taste was subtle and made for a good appetizer. I had really wanted to try what the waitress said was the chef's favorite, which was mussels with the Catalane seasoning. It consisted of chorizo (sausage), shallots, paprika, and cream. Sounded delicious!

We ordered the wine because I heard that French cuisine goes well with wine. As we were amateurs to wine, we ordered one white and one red. The waitress said that the white wine we got was a bit dry, which I wasn't sure what she meant by, but she also said it was a bit sweet (that sold me for sure).

As for the fish, I can't really comment since I am not a big fan of seafood. All I know is that it was cooked well with subtle flavors. Though, without their sauce/veggie sides, the trout and the salmon kinda tasted the same. Might be because they were both pan seared.

Overall, we had a pretty good experience at Midi Bistro. The waitress was always around just when we needed her and she was more than helpful with recommendations and suggestions. Granted that their menu is a bit expensive but they do offer a pri-fixe brunch on weekends for $15. I haven't tried that yet myself, but I'd highly recommend it. When you're there, do give their mussels a try, since it is their specialty afterall!

Southern Accent

The past 2 weeks was Toronto's Winterlicious event and the only restaurant that I went to was Southern Accent. It was a solo mission since Ann couldn't go because she had to work on the day when our friends wanted to go. Regardless, it was a great experience.

Many of my friends enjoy the Winterlicious/Summerlicious events every season, but we usually have a difficult time in choosing a restaurant. How we ended up at Southern Accent was actually quite the coincidence since two of my friends that I went with actually picked the same place separately.

The night before we dined at the bistro, I did some last minute studying of the menu and it looked legit. The prix fixe menu had something in each course that I had wanted to try and boy did I hit the jackpot. I'll explain later.

This was the outside of the restaurant. Lots of lighting, hard to miss right?

Or so I thought, but I wouldn't have found it if my friend hadn't guide me. It's hidden on Markham St. just slightly south of Bloor.

This was our table, the atmosphere is pretty nice for a get-together. It's not exactly what I'd call romantic if that's what you are looking for. There's just too much "Christmas lights" and strange decor for that.

Shortly after we all arrived, we talked about what we planned to get. I stuck to the plan and ordered: Southern Combo (appetizer), Nawlin's Combo Chicken and Lamb (main course), with Creme Brulee (dessert).

My appetizer was amazing. There were 4-5 different things on the plate and their flavors really complimented each other. The calamari was great and that's saying a lot because I don't like calamari (I ordered it because it looked like a better option than the other appetizers).

I was actually almost full by the time I finished the appetizer. The Southern Combo could've been a meal itself since the portion was huge for fine dining. My friend deviated from the plan (he originally wanted the Southern Combo too) and regretted his decision in changing his order to Seafood Cornbread. Lol, this isn't the first time that this happened. Last year we went to Cafe Moroc and he changed his order from steak to salmon (another big mistake on his part). Lesson to be learned here is to always stick to the plan!

This thing... is the Chicken and Lamb combo. Or what I'd like to call, 2 main course on the same plate. At any other fine dining places, they would've placed lamb and mash together and call it a dish with the chicken, veggie and jambalaya together as another. But no. This beastly thing was the best main I've had for fine dining.

And to finish the night off with Creme Brulee. Pretty standard stuff, except they plated it with some fruits on the side. Eating this only made me realize that I only like what's underneath the caramel crust of the Creme Brulee.

I'd definitely recommend this place to anyone, which I have so far. My overall experience of it is... simply superbly sublime. I haven't been to many Winterlicious/Summerlicious places but this is the best one yet.