MyWorldReviews.com

Canoe

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Canoe Restaurant is located at the 54th floor of one of the TD Towers in downtown Toronto. It has a reputation of being one of Canada's premiere restaurants. On a nice day, the view is quite good. When making your reservations, try to request a window seat! (We did not do this, and weren't able to appreciate the view at all).

I was somewhat disappointed in Canoe. The quality of the food was very good for the most part, but everything was very heavily flavored with salt. Each dish I tried was very salty. The decor was fairly upscale, but I didn't think it was as impressive as it could have been. For example, the ceiling was partially unfinished, so you could see ductwork above. While I'm sure this was done to give it a "modern" feel, I found it distasteful.

Cost

Expect to pay approximately $100 per person, without wine. $100 will probably purchase you an appetizer, main entree, and dessert.

Dress

Many of the men were in suits, although others just had a dress shirt and nice pants. As usual, women have more flexibility - just keep in mind that it's a fancy place, and dress appropriately.

Parking

You can conveniently park underneath the TD complex. The parking entrance is on Wellington, which is a one-way street, so you will need to be going westbound from Bay Street, towards York. The cost of parking varies depending on the time and day.

Service

I was quite impressed with the service. There was ample wait staff, and everyone I spoke with was friendly and helpful.

Reservations

Reservations are required.

Items Ordered

Clementine

When we were seated, there was a Clementine placed on the table at each place setting. I thought it was a nice and festive touch.

Pumpkin panicotta, deep fried bay leaf, cranberry

This was a nice unexpected treat! The pumpkin panicotta was like a very thick pudding. It had a slight pumpkin flavor, and it really went very well with the cranberries and the deep fried bay leaf. The deep fried bay leaf was crispy, and broke apart easily.

Bread and Chick Pea Paste

We were provided with three varieties of bread (white, sourdough, and a darker type), and a small dish with chick pea paste and oil in it. The breads were very good, but really nothing extraordinary. The chick pea paste also wasn't anything unique or special.

Grandview Farms Venison Loin

Cape Breton Chanterelles, Potato Gnocchi, and Niagara Concord Grapes

This dish contained two pieces of Venison, which were cooked medium. The venison was sittingon a bed of mushrooms, a couple sweet potato cubes, and an unknown paste that tasted like a Risotto. Although everything was very salty, it was also very good. The venison was superb. The gnocchi were average, and there were only three of them in this whole dish.

The venison certainly gets top marks for presentation (as does everything else at Canoe) - it looked beautiful. The size of the dish in the picture here may be deceiving - the portion size was appropriate for one person to eat, and still leave room for dessert.

St. Canut Farms Roast Organic Suckling Pig

Mustard Spaetzle, Fordhook Greens and Drunken Raisins

This dish was a big disappointment, and it is the reason that Canoe received an 8/10 instead of a 9/10. (Everything else was certainly 9/10 quality).

This dish consisted of three separate pieces of pork, each prepared in a different way. It was served on a bed of noodles. The pork itself was tough, and was very difficult to cut with the provided knife. It was also difficult to chew (certainly not what I had expected from such a high caliber restaurant). A small piece of pork was shaped like a cube covered in some kind of tasty sauce. The third piece was breaded and tasted like something I didn't like, possibly horseradish. The noodles were very good and flavorful, but contained so much salt that it was difficult to eat. There were a couple of pieces of vegetables as well, but I wasn't sure what they were.

Pan Roasted Mushrooms

Lemon and Thyme

This was an "add-on" item that was shared by everyone at the table. There were a variety of roasted mushrooms in this dish, and they all tasted quite salty. There was really nothing spectacular about the mushrooms, which was disappointing. I had assumed they would be served in a more flavorful sauce, or prepared in a more interesting manner.

Dark Chocolate Pot de Creme

Osi di Morti & Cocoa Nibs

This was a fantastic dessert. It could not have been better. It was a cup of a velvety chocolate cream (almost like a pudding, but far more creamy). The chocolate had three fruit pieces on top that had a very strong sweet fruit flavor. The chocolate cream itself was exquisite.

Warm Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake

Mulled Ontario Pear, Toasted Almond & Balsamic Vinegar

Although this was an excellent dessert, I was a little caught off guard by its presentation. The "Cake" part of the dessert is quite small, and is hidden under a thin piece of hard caramel. It is served with a small scoop of ice cream, and a mulled pear. The "cake" is really more of a rich pudding or a heavy mousse than a cake. It is fairly soft and liquidy, without any solid form. It was very good, but I thought it was a little out of place when served with the pear. The pear was also very good - it was sweet and soft, but it also felt like a strange combination to be served with the "cake".

Latte

This was a typical latte - it was really no better than Starbucks or anywhere else.