Suzie "Lil' Miss Cupcakes" G.'s Profile

SoCal/Mexican eats on the Danforth? Now this is a much-needed addition to my 'hood. The Danforth is obviously filled with Greek restaurants, but those who don't know the area as well may not realize that we've got a wide variety of other cuisines as well, from Thai to Italian to Chinese to Japanese...and now some Southern-California-style Mexican food! I didn't even realize how much we were missing it, but now I don't know how we went on so long without it!

I had the delicious Chipotle Pulled Chicken Burrito (served with guacamole, win!) with a side coleslaw. As some other reviewers have noted, the slaw was definitely on the vinegary/peppery side, but I thought it complemented the dish really well. My boyfriend had the Veggie Fritter Tacos which I stole a bite of and enjoyed, too. We started the meal off with a plate of taquitos - a dish I'd somehow never tried before! Basically, they're a Mexican version of spring rolls, filled with potatoes and other goodies and deep-fried. Um, yum.

Service was friendly and prompt - definitely still signs that they're a new restaurant and super eager to please. I'll be back when I need a break from my other Danforth standards...and I need to try a mojito next time, and some dessert!

I'm not so sure I should be reviewing Juice & Java, as it doesn't need to get any more popular than it already is. I'm currently sharing a table with a stranger, just because there were no available seats. But, I am eating a rather delicious crepe, so I figured I should spread the love a little bit.

Juice & Java is a lovely cafe in the Beaches if you're looking for somewhere to eat some good food, drink some good tea AND get some work done. Wifi's free and reliable here, and it's never too noisy so you should be able to focus alright. I'm sure it'd be a great place for brunch with friends or a coffee/tea date, as well.

Food options include a variety of crepes and sandwiches - I definitely recommend the brie, apple, bacon & applesauce crepe that I'm gobbling up right now. They also have a good variety of loose leaf tea, which always wins points from me. I hate coffee, so I can't speak to that...although, I should note that the stranger I was sitting with just left, and she barely touched her coffee which is still sitting here 3/4 full. Read into that how you will.

Great atmosphere and décor? Check. Great company? Check. Great...yeah, okay, that's about it.

East! seriously looks way too pretty. It's quite deceiving. I love Thai food, but what I really love is authentic Thai food and this just wasn't it. My boyfriend and I shared the veggie spring rolls to start which were only average. I then had their original pad thai with chicken while he had the curry pad thai with chicken. Again, disappointingly average on both accounts. The sauce on my pad thai was particularly odd. It was actually decently tasty, but way too far from what pad thai sauce should taste like in my opinion - it was almost like a red, sweet and sour sauce, rather than being remotely peanut-flavoured!

Considering the stylish vibe of the restaurant (and its great location if you plan on seeing a movie afterwards), the prices were quite reasonable and the portion sizes were also decent. But would I plan a repeat appearance? Nope, there are many other nice Thai restaurants in the city I'd rather give my business too!

Finally got to try out the newly opened Dough Bakeshop last week and it was definitely everything I wanted it to be and more!

To make our first visit a well-rounded one, my roommate and I bought a variety of goodies: a loaf of brown bran bread, a pair of chocolate brownies, and a bag of fresh pizza dough...all for $10 even! We made the pizza that very night and although homemade pizza even on store-bought crust is delicious, this fantastic dough definitely made a huge difference. For only $3 you get a bag full of yummy dough, just waiting for you to roll out and make an awesome pizza on. (Oh, and the dough is stored in an adorably old-school light teal fridge, marked only with a sign that excitedly says "Pizza Dough!")

For the bread we went with a rather basic pick, but it was still super good. I've made several sandwiches with it since we brought it home, all of which have been way better than any sandwich Dempsters could make me! Oh, and the brownies? Mmm! They were very perfectly chocolately and had bits of chocolate chips/chunks baked in as well - a great touch.

Next time I visit I'm eager to try their yummy looking bagels, as well as some other sweet treats. Oh, and some more pizza dough, of course!

After reading the fabulous reviews on Yelp and being in need of a café to work in on Friday afternoon, I visited Hank's for the first time last week. It was everything I wanted it to be and more...and I didn't even have lunch there! Not that the sandwiches and soups didn't look fantastic, but unfortunately I had already had my midday meal. Next time I'm in the area, however, I'll definitely be sure to get lunch there as well!

I instead ordered a delicious loose-leaf white tea (which I totally can't remember the exact name of, probably because I couldn't pronounce it in the first place, but it was incredibly wonderful) and a Red Velvet Cupcake. Oh yes, I came to this place without even knowing they had cupcakes, and then they surprised me by having gorgeous-looking chocolate, vanilla, and red velvet ones just waiting for me in the baked goods case! Obviously, I couldn't resist. Anyway, the tea was lovely, came in a super cute elephant tea pot (see my uploaded photos to check it out for yourself!), and provided me with 3 very generous cups of tea. Good value here, folks. And then the cupcake, mmm. A very solid red velvet cake, with some nice cream cheese icing on top that wasn't too sweet. The only slightly bum note was that the frosting seemed ever so slightly hardened on the edges, but it was still delicious so I'm letting it slide.

In addition to the fabulous eats and drinks, Hank's offers free wifi, friendly employees, a laid-back yet classy atmosphere, and awesome tunes. During my stay I heard gems from a wide variety of artists, including Pearl Jam, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Violent Femmes, David Bowie, Beastie Boys, Johnny Cash, and Death Cab for Cutie.

I'll be seeing you again soon, Hank's, don't you worry...

My roomie and I had a hankering for chicken balls the other night, so we decided to order from the closest Chinese restaurant to our apartment that also had their menu online. Number One Chinese Restaurant (a bit of a cocky name, but, we'll let it slide) fit that bill, and fortunately they satisfied our hankering quite well.

Alongside our order of chicken balls (1 order = 12 chicken balls, woo!), we also ordered sweet 'n' sour wontons, sliced beef with green peppers and onions, steamed rice, an egg roll for the roomie and a spring roll for me, all of which totaled up to about $22 after the 10% pick-up discount and tax. A good price, and overall the food was very yummy and plentiful with lots of delicious leftovers for the days to come. The chicken balls were great and served with their traditionally awesome red sauce; the wontons were crispy, totally unhealthy and amazing; the beef dish was super flavourful and even better than expected because carrots and red peppers were thrown into the mix as well; and the rice was, well, generic white rice. Unfortunately neither of us were pleased with our appetizer choices - I even threw out the second half of my spring roll which was filled with some pretty disgusting ground chicken. Next time I'll just skip to the main course.

As per any good Chinese take-out meal, we finished off with a fortune cookie each, both of which, I'd like to note, had totally bizarre fortunes. The roomie's: "If you've got it, flaunt it." Mine: "Don't let friends impose on you." Huh? Thanks for those pearls of non-wisdom, Wing's Fortune Cookies.

Best souvlaki on the Danforth, HANDS DOWN. You can't beat this ridiculously delicious meat that is always juicy and spiced to perfection.

Asteria is the best place to go for a no-fuss meal that is super yummy. The place is family-run and there's nothing fancy about the décor or the menu, but they sure do know their Greek food. You can have your basic souvlaki (chicken or lamb) or gyro on a pita (with tomatoes, onions, and tons of tzatiki, of course!), or if you're feeling hungrier, go for the full meal which adds a Greek salad, potatoes, and rice alongside your choice of meat. I should note, too, that I'm very picky about my Greek salads (particularly the dressing) but Asteria gets this just right, also.

There are vegetarian options at Asteria, as well (I've heard that the moussaka is good!), but personally I've never tried any of them because I find it way too hard to stray from my beloved chicken souvlaki! The prices are very reasonable, and I always get a full meal's worth of leftovers when I get the dinner meal (and although I'm not a very big eater, you'll likely have at least some leftovers, too).

Broadview Espresso is my new favourite place to work - well, that is, when I don't need the internet to get said work done. As others have mentioned, this little café does NOT have wifi. From what I've heard, it was apparently a decision made by the owner to make this a place for conversation and contemplation, not a place filled with laptops. Fair enough.

So yes, while I do like to go to cafés to work online, Broadview Espresso is the best option when I need to do work without getting distracted by Facebook, Twitter, and, oh yeah, Yelp! The drink selection is delicious and varied, though I always find myself drawn to their fantastic Rooibos Provence loose tea. As for the treats, I've tried both their carrot cake (with amazing cream cheese frosting) and their chocolate chip cookies (the dough clearly has a large amount of brown sugar in it, and therefore is so awesome) and loved both.

All of the employees I've encountered there are super nice and chill and help foster a really positive, laid-back vibe to the shop. Their fantastic music choices also help with that, as on my first visit I was treated to a Cat Stevens greatest hits collection, and the second time was Sarah Harmer's three best albums shuffled together on someone's iPod. I love when I bring my own iPod to a café to work but don't end up using it 'cause the music choices are more perfect than my own!

Important note!: This place is cash only. And while they do have a cash machine in the basement, it's frequently broken. Fortunately there is a convenience store with an ATM across the street though, if needed.

No reviews for McCall's? The baking professionals since 1956? I mean, I know it's out in Etobicoke, but for the obsessed home baker (ie. myself), this place is definitely worth the trek.

I finally went to McCall's the other day with a friend and had to hold back in not spending all the money in my wallet. Not that things in this baking supply heaven are all that expensive, it's just that you end up wanting to buy every single type of themed cupcake liners, several colours of coloured sugars, all different shades of gel-paste food colour, and so on, as you walk through every aisle of the shop (fortunately there are only about half a dozen aisles!). There was quite a good variety of items available when I was there, although some areas seemed somewhat picked over, especially the seasonal items, so be sure to visit the shop well in advance of your holiday-themed baking ventures.

In addition to all these decorating-related items, you can also purchase all kinds of pans, trays, carrying cases, baking utensils, etc. But none of that is nearly as fun as the pretty stuff, obviously.

Also of note, McCall's offers a wide variety of cake decorating courses throughout the year for newbies and experts alike. Unfortunately, their website is horribly maintained and you'll likely have no luck in properly seeing the course schedule online, but they do have a free booklet available in the store with all the information you need, or you could always give them a call.

El Pipil is one of many clothing/gift stores along the Danforth between Pape and Broadview. Trust me: walk along there and you will encounter MANY shops that seem pretty much just like this one. Leaving aside its similarities to its neighbours, El Pipil is still very much a Danforth hot spot.

I've visited this store on a couple of occasions when in need of a gift, and have always walked out satisfied. Last Christmas I bought my mom a set of 5 pairs of gorgeous chopsticks for the ridiculously low price of $8, and just yesterday I found an adorably kitschy magnetic paper doll set ($10) and super cute cartoon animal pillow ($12) for a friend's birthday. The store has a great selection of silly pop culture-inspired fluff, pretty home accessories, and fantastic jewelery that is sure to tempt everyone's tastes. And the best part? All of that is pretty damn affordable.

Now, of course, there's got to be a reason I gave this shop only 4 stars though, right? That's because of the store's back section: the clothing area. Sure, some of these clothes are super stylin', but they're also in a way higher price range than their goods in the front. Lately I don't even bother looking through the clothing racks because I know I'll just get disappointed when I find a beautiful sweater for $100.

Still, if you're looking for a fun gift (especially for a housewarming party!), this is definitely a great place to check out. Just be sure to remind yourself that you're buying things for your friend, and not yourself - this stuff is so cute that you could easily walk out with a bag full of knick-knacks just for you.