Earlier this week, I had the chance to check out The Carbon Bar to take part in their lobster burger promotion. This was my first visit to The Carbon Bar, and I was in awe of its space. The look was of a vintage yet updated rock-and-roll discotheque diner with high ceiling and an open kitchen. Overall, it was a lively atmosphere with a large cocktail bar situated in the middle of the dining space.

Currently, The Carbon Bar has an ongoing promotion where you can get a Nova Scotia Lobster Burger for only $20 with the purchase of an Alexander Keith's beverage. Hurry in soon, as the promotion is only available until the end of September. I had the pleasure of trying the special deal earlier this week, and thoroughly enjoyed devouring the burger. The Alexander Keith's Nova Scotia Burger was a sky-high burger with pit smoked bacon truffles hollandaise, beef steak tomato, dill pickle, and Old Bay mayo. The burger itself was quite a mouthful, and filled with large lobster chunks for the lobster lover. The bacon truffles hollandaise added a nice balance to the overall flavor, and the strip of bacon provided a good crunch. Lastly, the burger contained a surprisingly large amount of meat and coated with a lightly fried patty.




The Carbon Bar has always been on my endless list of restaurants in Toronto to eat at least once. Since we were there for dinner, we decided to splurge and got a bunch of other dishes on the menu as well. First and foremost, we got our meat fix by ordering two portions of the Pit Master Platter (minimum 2 people) ($30 per person). Note that you need at least two people to order this platter, and it was more than enough for the four of us. The Southern-US inspired platter was plentiful with pork ribs, beef brisket, buttermilk fried chicken, coleslaw, pickles, fries & chipotle mayo.


 

Corn Hush Puppies ($7) - jalapeno ranch  



Wild Shrimp Ceviche ($16) - avocado, Peruvian pepper berries, salsa criolla, coriander, serrano chili, tomatillo & lime granita 



Mac & Cheese ($11) - vintage cheddar, mozzarella, gruyère



Overall, we had a great evening at The Carbon Bar. The food was great, the ambiance was hip and lively, and the staff members were attentive. They are open Mon-Wed (4 pm to 10 pm), Thurs (4 pm to 11 pm), Fri (4 pm to late), and Sat (5 pm to late). Come for the BBQ, but don't forget to take advantage of the Alexander Keith's Nova Scotia Burger promotion (only here until the end of September).

Social Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecarbonbarto

Instagram: http://instagram.com/thecarbonbar

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheCarbonBar

Website: https://thecarbonbar.ca/

Disclaimer: The Lobster Burger provided in this post was complimentary. All other dishes were not comped and out of our pockets. All of the opinions expressed in this review are of my own.

SpiritHouse Toronto is a trendy bar offering reasonably priced food, and an extensive selection of drinks such as whiskey, craft cocktails, beer, etc ... Overall, it's a good place to go on the weekend to relax with some friends. They also have some specials for their weekly "Cocktail Hour" featuring $7 Tall Drinks, $10 2 Classics, and $3 Tacos; perfect for after work.

Beef Sliders - mustard crust, smoked cheddar, bread and butter pickles ($15)

SpiritHouse Nachos - confit duck, taro and corn chips, pico de gallo, scarmorza ($16)

Crispy Calamari - tequilla lime creme fraiche, cilantro ($13).

Churros - tequila dark chocolate and bourbon caramel dip ($5)

Address: 487 Adelaide West Toronto, ON, M5V 1T4 

A friend of mine recommended that we meet up at Hooters since they have AYCE wings on Monday. We arrived a little after 6:30 pm, and it wasn't super busy. However, the place started picking up by around 7:30 pm, and it quickly filled up when we left. Hooters can be categorized as a "breastaurant" as the waitresses are clad in tight white tank top and high waist orange shorts. A majority of customers either hate or like the idea of being served by females dressing in tiny shorts; I am neutral. I care more about the food, and the idea of AYCE wings appealed to me.

Hooters offers the typical bar fare such as salads, wings, burgers, sandwiches, and etc. ... Both my friend and I opted to get two of their AYCE Wings deal ($12.99 x 2). Note that since my last visit; they have increased the price by a $1.00.

They have a laminated place card at each table indicating the rules of AYCE Wings. It's as followed:

Rules:

Hooters has 13 wing sauces on their menu and my favorite was probably their "honey garlic". For those who like their wings hot; their two hottest sauces are "Habanero BBQ" and "911" (4 flames). We didn't order either of those, so I can't comment on their hot levels. Each wings order arrived on a round tray with 10 wings. I have had Hooters wings before (on a regular night) and the ones served every Monday are slightly smaller in size. Unfortunately, some pieces barely had any meat on them, but hey ... it's AYCE so you can always order more. Overall, my dining experience was rather okay as the wings weren't too bad, and our waitress was friendly, and quick.

The curly fries were good, and it was only $1.99 per basket. Super cheap!

St.Louis Wings and Ribs is a popular chain with multiple locations all over Ontario. I have been to a couple of different locations, but the location that I frequent the most is probably the one on King St E. The restaurants are relatively large, and the tables are spaced out enough to give you privacy. St.Louis Wings and Ribs' menu offer the usual bar food such as flatbread, starters, burgers, sandwiches, chicken wings, and etc... at reasonable prices.  I love wings, and this place is one of my favorite places in Toronto for wings. Every order of wings come with a side order of golden fries, and they are delicious. The fries are large and crispy.

Back in early April; I went to their Wingsanity event. A majority of St.Louis Wings and Ribs locations was celebrating their 50th anniversary and offered an AYCE wings deal for $19.99 (per person). I grabbed a couple friends of mine and we went down to the location on King St E for some AYCE wings. The first order came with 1 1/2 pounds of wings (one flavor) and an order of fries. After finishing the first order, you can order any other flavors from their list. Each additional order arrived with 5 wings (and fries are optional).


I really enjoy their fries, so this deal sounded rather awesome to me. The wings were crispy and full of flavor on the outside, and the meat was juicy. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal that night. For those who missed out on this deal; fear not! St.Louis Wings and Ribs do offer half price wing night every Tuesday from 4 pm to close. It's not exactly AYCE but it's still cheap regardless.

The Oasis Rooftop Patio is the name of the patio belonging to Wayne Gretzky's Toronto. They have recently undergone renovations earlier in the year, but it's now open for business. I believe that the patio is only open from May to October. The patio has a 200 person capacity so it's a rather spacious space upstairs. The decor is summery with a fountain and comfortable furniture. Dress code is casual, and it's a nice place to sit down for a drink during the hot summer months.

Oasis Rooftop Patio has a small menu offering the typical bar food such as burgers, chicken wings, fries, salad, and a few more items. As for price-wise, it's on par with the surrounding patios in the Entertainment District.

The Southwest Chicken Quesadilla ($14) - seasoned chicken, corn, tomato, cheddar, mozzarella, Monterey Jack cheese with chipotle, BBQ sauce, salsa and sour cream, was disappointing. This dish fell particularly flat as the chicken inside of the quesadilla tasted rather bland.

The shrimp tacos ($15) - Mexican spice marinated grilled jumbo shrimp, flour tortillas, jalapeno mayo, crisp lettuce, avocado salsa, and cilantro, was a lot smaller than I expected. The shrimp was small but plump with a spicy flavor.

I don't think people really go up to Oasis Rooftop Patio for the food, but more so for the lively atmosphere and alcoholic drinks. Their bar menu consists of signature cocktails, bottled beer, draught beer, wine, classic drinks like martini, cosmopolitan, and margarita, and frozen cocktails.

RATINGS: