September 29, 2008
Fionn McCool’s
Location: 70 The Esplanade, Toronto, Ont
Type: Irish Pub
After a long night of trying to find somewhere to go and have a drink with some friends, we ended up finding Fionn McCool’s, and what a horrible night it continued to be.
Atmosphere
The pub itself looks big on the outside, but on the inside it is really quite small, more or less it’s because of poor design. The bar is directly in front of the entrance, there is a little area to stand in front of the bar if you wish, but no one was there when we were there. There is a live band, the group that was playing when we were there was actually pretty good, the only problem was that the volume was too loud! I was literally yelling at my friend sitting next to me, and he still couldn’t hear me. We were trying to act out to our waiter what we wanted, but he just waited until the song was done, or there was a quiet moment. So we probably had a good 20 minutes of conversation and jokes while the band was on break, pretty much defeating the purpose of us going out and having a good time.
Service
Horrible. As I said, we were out looking for somewhere to go, we didn’t want to wait in the long line up at the place next door, so we went Fionn McCool to quench our thirst. Unfortunately, we should have stayed in line for another half hour next door, because it took the same amount of time for our waiter to come to our table, and another 15 minutes before we actually got the drinks. I was pretty hungry and wanted some food, so when he came back with the drinks I was calling him to bring a menu, too bad for me that he didn’t hear me because of the music. The next time he came to our table was about 15 minutes after we had finished our first round of drinks, and the kitchen is closed, lucky me. Well we got to order a second round, and then a third before last call, the waiter came to collect his tab, we paid, and about half way through our third round another waitress came up to us and told us that it was time to leave. Hmm… So we were like can you give us like 5 minutes to finish up, she stood beside us, and literally after one gulp grabbed the glass out of my hand as well as everyone else, and said that we have to leave now. After some yelling and complaining, we left.
Not Recommended! Unacceptable service, and a loud atmosphere, makes this pub a place to avoid. There are much better establishments in the same area which I would highly recommend.
September 24, 2008
La Reserve Restaurant
La Reserve Entrance
Location: 8432 Leslie Street
Type: Italian
After some amount of searching for an Italian restaurant in the Markham/Richmond Hill area, I finally found the perfect place for my girlfriend and I to celebrate our 6th month anniversary, La Reserve.
Atmosphere
Absolutely romantic, you can’t really tell from the outside, but as soon as you open the doors, it shines in elegance. The evening which we went it wasn’t that busy, there were three other groups all sitting around the large white piano, and we were the fourth. Candle lit tables in a dimly lit room certainly enhances the mood, along with the soft classical music in the background. The waiter was well dressed, prompt, and very friendly, especially since I had trouble understanding the menu which was in Italian.
Food
We opened up the evening with a glass of wine, and they do have quite the worldly selection. The food was delicious, for the appetizer I had the ‘Cocktail di Gamberoni’, which is 5 jumbo shrimps served with their cocktail sauce, and my girlfriend had the ‘Insalata Cesarina’, which is romaine lettuce tossed in their in-house Caesar dressing. Both were pretty good, fresh not too bland, but personally nothing special. For the main course, I had the ‘Cappone Vecchiomondo’, which is grilled chicken with cherry pesto over it, the chicken was moist and flavorful. My girlfriend doesn’t eat that much so she got an appetizer portion pasta, the ‘Spaghetti Integrali’, which is spaghetti served with mushrooms and vegetables, definitely didn’t taste like the spaghetti that I can make, much better.
Price
Expensive, don’t go here if you are on a budget. Appetizers average at about $20.00, while a dinner plate will run between $30 and $50. Add in a couple glasses of wine, maybe a dessert, and your bill could easily run you around $150.00 for a couple.
Overall the evening was ok, the food was above average, it did cost me a bit, but the atmosphere was perfect. I would recommend this restaurant to couples who are looking for an extra special evening together, this is not a place to go out “just” for dinner, unless you have lots of money, than by all means.
