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Charles "Retro" S.'s Profile
Ottawa and Toronto
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1. Art Gallery of Ontario
Toronto, ON M5T 1G4
Canada
(416) 977-0414
Category:
Museums
Neighbourhood: Downtown Core
Fabulous building, cool exhibit, great visit.
Apparently I am incapable of spending more than 90 minutes in an art museum when travelling. I arrived at AGO at 4:00, they close at 5:30.
The exhibit of abstract expressionists on loan from MOMA is…More »
2. National Gallery of Canada
What's with the four star reviews, Ottawans? The National Gallery is a five-star museum.
I jogged to the National Gallery on a snowy Sunday afternoon in early December. I only had 90 minutes till closing time so I did the speed tour of the Canadian…More »
3. Beckta Dining & Wine
Back in Ottawa and I couldn't miss a return visit to Beckta.
My colleague and I shared an appetizer of lemon ricotta gnudi What in the world are gnudi? They were a pasta filled with ricotta accompanied by a sauce of mushrooms, Jerusalem…More »
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/21/2010
Worth a trip to Ottawa!
In Ottawa on business, a friend suggested Beckta. (Thanks, Laura!) It was a… Read more »
4. Play Food And Wine
Keep in mind I only ate lunch at Play. And it was a quick lunch as I had a meeting to race off to. But it was a great lunch at what I think is good price in Ottawa - two plates for $20.00.
I started with a terrific squash soup with tasty bits of…More »
5. La Palette
Toronto, ON M5V 2B3
Canada
(416) 929-4900
Category:
French
Neighbourhoods: Alexandra Park, Queen Street West
La Palette was more than a restaurant, it was a fun evening:
- The owner was behind the bar and talked to us before we sat down, even showing us some of the dishes as the headed from the kitchen to the customers.
- Stephanie, our waitress, was super…More »
6. Metropolitain Brasserie
Had lunch with two work colleagues.
The service was good, the food was better. I had a salade nicoise with a grilled tuna steak on top. Extra anchovies? You bet. It was outstanding.
The atmophere is French Bistro. The prices seemed high by US…More »
7. Marché Restaurant
Toronto, ON M5J 2T3
Canada
(647) 350-6999
Categories:
Canadian (New),
Modern European
Neighbourhood: Downtown Core
Just received this message from Marche about their plans to open in the U.S.:
"We do, in fact, have plans to expand to the States over the next few years, but in the meantime, if you ever find yourself back in Toronto, a piece of U.S. identification…More »
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/21/2010
Hey, first-to-review Matthew, get with the program. Marche is better than you have any reason to… Read more »
8. Porter Airlines
What a great flite from Ottawa to downtown Toronto. Quiet, comfortable Bombardier plane; breakfast on board; and best of all, landing in downtown Toronto with a free shuttle to the Royal Yorke Hotel.
I didn't realize what a treat flying into downtown…More »
9. Sheraton Ottawa Hotel
The Chateau Laurier and Westin were booked -- the reservation people said my trip coincided with the Tulip Festival -- so it was the Sheraton for me.
My room was large, quiet and comfortable. Excellent shower, comfortable bed, quiet a/c, big screen…More »
10. Luxe Bistro
So I'm back in Ottawa for a conference, and 14 of us go to Luxe for dinner. 11 guys and 3 women (who were very good sports). I suggested Luxe since I had enjoyed it so much last May, and I figured that steak (plus some seafood) would appeal to the…More »
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/21/2010 First to Review
You ought to be required to get a note from your cardiologist before they let you in the door at… Read more »
Recently updated lists from Charles S.
Five Star Nation (24)My five star restaurants around the US and Canada -- and now Scotland -- in priority order. Some are super fancy like Beckta's. Some are inexpensive: Pazzora, Luzmila's, Royal Street Deli. Some are super hip: Il Gabbiano and Bodegas Campostela. And I included Fig in Charleston. I gave it four stars because Charleston is blessed with so many great restaurants, but it would have gotten five stars in DC.I never did a review of Pok Pok in Portland. What could I add to the hundreds of five-star rave reviews? But it is an extraordinary experience -- if you don't have to wait in line. Finally I have to add Astrid y Gaston (in Lima and Bogota) and Rafael (in Lima), Yelp-gnomes, get busy! All of these restaurants are worth going out of your way for. |
The good stuff. (27)This is the stuff that makes life easy. Contractors. Workmen. Hardware and plumbing stores. This is the anti-nail salon, anti-waxing, and ant-spa list. |
San Diego (30)We moved to San Diego (Sandy Eggo? Dan Diego?) in late September, so expect this list to grow and the ratings to change as we go back to restaurants a second and third time. I'm still at the gee-whiz stage where everything seems great (except the DMV). We are still trying to find our regular places for everything and appreciate all the Yelp advice. I've listed the restaurants in my priority order. |
ATL (18)I visit Atlanta regularly. Here are some hits and misses. There are so many great restaurants in ATL. This is a small, unscientific sampling. |
Edinburgh (19)My son and I spent 3 1/2 days in sunny Edinburgh with sunny weather almost the whole time we were there in mid-April. I never imagined that the food would be so good in Edinburgh, but it is. And the sights are great. But the best are the Scots themselves. I have never met friendlier people in my life. Everyone wanted to talk, went out of their way to give directions, and loved explaining Scotland and the Scots to outsiders.Americans and Canadians might need the following glossary for discussing food with Scots. "Good" means "only ok." "Very good indeed" means "good." "Brilliant" means "very good." Oh yeah, and I am not making this up: the national dish of Scotland is the deep fried Mars bar. |
Richmond (14)My son is a student at VCU so my wife and I exploring Richmond each time we visit. Thanks to Yelp, we have eaten well here. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is worth a trip to Richmond. (The Museum of the Confederacy is not: it is abominable both for its glorification of the Confederacy and for its poorly displayed contents.)I have a feeling this list will grow over the next three years. If you have any restaurant suggestions, please let me know. |
The bad stuff (12)Loser nation. My list of the worst ever hotel (Millennium in Cincinnati), restaurant (Rasoi Indian Kitchen in DC) and other losers. I omitted places where a single employee appeared to have messed up or where the review is about the restaurant in a museum. I don't want to be unfair, but I do want to be vindictive. Le Pain Quotidien (French for pain in the butt) made the list for attitude alone. |
Anacostia (3)Time to get to know DC. We spent the major part of a day as tourists in Anacostia. We started at the Big Chair on MLK Avenue, on to the Frederick Douglass home, lunch at Uniontown Bar and Grill, and finished with the Anacostia Museum. We also drove by St. Elizabeth's. I've lived in DC off and on for over 30 years and had read about St E's in the paper regularly, but had never seen it. |
Museum fever (10)I love museums! |
Baltimore (6)I really like Baltimore. It has real character and a sense of itself that DC lacks. |
See all 15 lists »
"I run -- so that I can eat more."
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626 Useful, 236 Funny, and 378 Cool
La Jolla, CA
Yelping SinceJanuary 2009
Things I LoveYelp compliments and comments.
Find Me InHome in San Diego
My HometownATL
When I'm Not Yelping...I'm jogging.
Why You Should Read My Reviews"Stingy with the Stars"
My Second Favourite Websitehttp://foreignpolicy.com followed by http://slate.com
The Last Great Book I ReadArrival City by Doug Sanders
My First ConcertAllman Bros
My Favourite Movie My Last Meal On EarthBeckta (Ottawa), Pok Pok (Portland), or Astrid y Gaston (Lima)
Don't Tell Anyone Else But...The fish taco is to SD what the Po' Boy is to Nola.
Most Recent DiscoveryBlink Restaurant and Bar in Calgary
Current Crushrunning along Harbor Dr., San Diego