Dining Out Does You Good

For me, going out to dinner and discovering new restaurants is one of the great pleasures of living in a big city. Sure, it can be pricey and a place has the potential to suck. But dining out is one of the few times I feel like I'm really slowing down and enjoying things as opposed to thinking about all the stuff I should be doing or letting my mind go on autopilot via television or computer. 

I went to Tati Bistro last night and had a very nice meal of roasted beet salad and crispy-skinned pickerel (plus some tasty bread). I had the dilemma of ordering a la carte or going for the prix fixe, which, at $25 for three courses, was a hard deal to pass up. Sidecar, a restaurant in Little Italy, also has a reportedly excellent Sunday-Wednesday prix fixe for $22. These types of deals had me thinking that more people should be trying out little neighbourhood places like Tati as opposed to going to the chain restaurants that seem to be infiltrating Toronto at the moment (for a great reflection on this trend, see this James Chatto article in Toronto Life). Maybe it's just me showing my yuppie colours, but Jack Astor's on a Saturday night? Or any night? Really?! (Cut to exasperated sigh)

For more ideas on dining on the cheap (and being a little more adventurous, food-wise), check out this Toronto Star story by my friend Corey Mintz, who is an excellent writer and eater.