A server makes a dinner very special. At Serrano 82. 

A server makes a dinner very special. At Serrano 82. 

A great restaurant is a combination of many things. First of course, for almost everyone, is the food. Second in importance for me is value, what I get for the price that I pay. Third comes service, being treated efficiently, gracefully and respectfully. And then...
Chef Pablo. Proud. Passionate. Polished.

Chef Pablo. Proud. Passionate. Polished.

Back in December 2021, I said to Don Day’s Wife, “A pizza parlor with no pasta and no delivery. Not a snowball’s chance in hell it’ll survive. I give it one year, absolute max!” The place I was talking about was called Bennu. They recently celebrated their third...
We like it. At Sakura.

We like it. At Sakura.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen him pick up an empty plate from a table without saying the words. “Did you like it?”  He, of course, almost always, gets a positive response and, almost always, he beams. The guy I’m talking about is Gerardo. A guy we call Gerry. Not...
Solving two pozole mysteries.

Solving two pozole mysteries.

So there we were in the Mexican state of Guerrero, perhaps the world capital of pozole, and I had two mysteries to solve. First, how did Thursday become the traditional day to enjoy pozole? Second, where in Zihuatanejo would I find the best? I may have solved the...
Knotty but nice. San Miguel’s new Asian restaurant.

Knotty but nice. San Miguel’s new Asian restaurant.

I thought I was back on Queen Street in Toronto last night. It wasn’t just that we were the only people over the age of 40. There was a buzz, a vibe, an energy, an atmosphere that you don’t see in San Miguel restaurants unless you go out at close to midnight which we...