Restaurant: Allen's

To most people, comfort food is nostalgic and generally easy-to-eat foods that have some sentimental value to them. For me however, comfort food is JUNK. You know, wings, burgers, fries, pizza, chips, etc etc. You know, everything that's bad for you. But unfortunately, I do have a little bit of understanding of my health, so I can't have that stuff every day (maybe every other day is ok. haha). So while I've kept blogto's Best Burger list around for a while, I've only been able to try them sporadically. When a friend invited me thus to try Allen's....? Of course I jumped at the chance!

Ambiance: 2.5 / 5
Cleanliness: 3.5 / 5
Service: 3.5 / 5
Taste: 4 / 5
Presentation: 3 / 5
Price: $$
Overall: 3.5 / 5

So apparently, Allen's supposedly uses fresh, organic beef for its burgers (I don't know for sure, I read it somewhere at some point). And they DO have a fairly extensive beer list. The lighting was VERY dark which made me not want to go through it. It being a pub, I ordered a black and tan. It never occurred to me to take a photo of the beer (whoops), so I thiefed this one off of the internet. I apologise in advance to the person who took the photo for not giving credit.

For anyone who ends up ordering this. Please, I implore you, DO NOT MIX IT! There's a little section in the middle where the two beers connect that's a delectable little sweet spot. Not to be trifled with and certainly not to be ruined.

I was a little disappointed that the burger comes a la carte, but I suppose I kind of expected it. And on top of that, anything toppings outside of lettuce, tomato, and pickle, is also an extra charge. But I couldn't help myself and ordered sauteed mushrooms, and sauteed onions, and cheddar cheese to top my burger off. The burger itself, was ordered medium rare.

Yes....my photography skills are SEVERELY lacking. Plus, I only had my phone with me. The toppings, actually came on separate plates. Even the lettuce that I'd asked for came beside the burger. Anyway, picking up the burger, I found the bottom piece of bread already soggy. That was a bit of a disappointment. But biting into the burger was scrumptious. Nicely seared, perfectly grilled, and nice and juicy.

If you notice in the background of the photo, we did order a side of fries as well. And quite honestly, the fries aren't even worth mentioning. A little bland, a little dry.

If you've never been, I suppose this place is worth a try, but to be quite honest, by the time you top up your burger, and add in tax and tip, you're looking at roughly $20 for the burger all on its own. And while it was well prepared and delicious, I just don't see it being WORTH that much.

Allen's
143 Danforth Ave.
Toronto, ON
416-463-3086
~Cheers.

Restaurant: Czehoski

At some point in time, they Czehoski must have changed hands because last I heard, this place was pricey and not entirely worth it. But with the most expensive entree priced at $23. How is that overpriced?

Ambiance: 3.5 / 5
Cleanliness: 3.5 / 5
Service: 4 / 5
Taste: 3 / 5
Presentation: 3.5 / 5
Price: $$
Overall: 4 / 5

A 3 floor restaurant / bar with a nice bohemian feel and a stage for live music. It's got a well stocked bar, and guess what... That third floor? Rooftop patio! Definitely a place I'm going to have to try and hit this summer.

The first thing we ordered were the onion rings. I only had my mobile with me and I'm certainly no photographer. But these rings are the best I can remember. Nice, big, juicy, plump rings of onions covered with light, fluffy, batter with the smallest kick. Very yum.

Then the entrees came. My friend ordered Pork Belly over Lentils/Tomatoes. It's not the lightest of fares, but it's pork belly. Which means the meat is nice and juicy and tender (partly because it's moist with belly fat. Haha). The lentils do have a bit of a kick, but you can ask for mild if you're not a fan.

I actually ordered their Mac & Cheese. Topped with slices of Chorizo, I found it a touch milky for my taste, but at $14.95, it's certainly no Kraft Dinner. Aside from the Onion rings, I wasn't particularly blown away by the food. But the ambiance is nice, with that old world feel, and retains a little bit of its original Butcher shop / Kalbasa store feel. The service is friendly, and the food is decent.

Czehoski
678 Queen St. W
Toronto, ON
M6J 1E5
416-366-6787

~Cheers.

Blogger's Note: Found a nice little story in blogto about this place from the daughter of the original owners (please read after the jump).