Translate

Sunday 19 January 2014

EXPOSURES (FOOD PLACES) -- Mariachi's, The Apricot Tree Cafe

It's been a long time since I've done an "Exposures" blog entry. I still do check out new places every once in a while, but less often these days. x.x


MARIACHI'S

Location: 2084 Yonge St., Toronto, Ontario (close to Yonge & Eglinton) Google Map
Contact #: (416) 481-7111
Website: http://www.mariachis.ca
Type(s) of Cuisine: Mexican
Specialty (if any): None
Price Range (for a main dish): Mid (Around $13-$18 for most main courses)
Restaurant Size: Small
Recommend? Yes

Brief Impression
This is actually the first time I ever visited a Mexican restaurant so I don't know how to comment on the decor (if it's authentic or whatever). The lights were dimly lit. There were festive streamers around the walls. I think it would give a very "festive" feel overall... if the lights were just a bit brighter.

The service was good overall. They were attentive and nice. The food was good, too. I honestly don't have any past experiences to compare it to, but what I had was delicious. I wouldn't really recommend the Churros, though, unless it's supposed to be plain-tasting.

I think it's worth checking out again -- if anything, for the guacamole.

What I Ate / Drank ...
Guacamole de gallo -- It was yummy. I've never had guacamole before. It's tangy and smooth. Supposedly the tortilla chips are homemade.
Taquitos -- The shell wasn't as crunchy as I thought it would be. It was good, though.
Churros -- This looked great, but tasted a bit plain...

The Guacamole de gallo. According to my team-mates, Mariachi's has one of 
the best guacamole. This means that every other guacamole I try 
elsewhere will be not as good. Hmm...


THE APRICOT TREE CAFÉ

Location: 1900 Dundas Street West, Mississauga, Ontario (close to Lansdowne Ave. & Dundas St. W.) Google Map
Contact #: (905) 855-1470
Website: http://apricottreecafe.com/
Type(s) of Cuisine: French? European?
Specialty (if any): Desserts
Price Range (for a main dish): Mid-High -- ($10-$22 for lunch; $11-$25+ for dinner)
Restaurant Size: Small
Recommend? Yes

Brief Impression
The decor is not one to write home about (Sorry!). It has a cozy enough feel with the painted walls of the night sky; I just think it would be received much better through a child's perspective. I think what I'm trying to say that is that if I grew up visiting this place, I would welcome and appreciate the decor instead of just thinking, It's nice.

I have to note that there is some noise level here. The kitchen seems to be situated right in the center of the restaurant, in view of the patrons, so it's understandable. One thing that The Apricot Tree stresses is that the food is homemade, so it would be neat to see your order being whipped up.

One really nice thing about The Apricot Tree is that they seem to have daily (or weekly?) lunch and dinner specials, so there can always be a different food experience. And the food. is. yummy! Well, at least what I had. 

The servers were really attentive, too. One of them even remembered that I left my earmuffs there when I went back later to check (I can't believe I forgot something at a restaurant! I think this was my first time).

Overall, it was a good experience, and I hope I'll be able to go back. They specialize in desserts, so if you get a chance to visit, try a dessert.

What I Ate / Drank... 
Apricot Beer -- First swig I was hit by the alcohol taste (bleh!). After more sips, the apricot taste started to kick in, and was pretty good.
Chicken Tarragon Crepe -- Yummy! I was at first wary of the sauce -- it looked like it would be thick and heavy, but it was light. Besides the chewy-ness of the chicken, the texture of everything inside was soft.
Mango Mousse -- This almost felt like eating a mango-flavoured shortbread. The top layers were soft and smooth, but the bottom layer was almost cookie-like. I enjoyed it!

Mango Mousse. The sauce on the right (white chocolate raspberry?) 
mixed well with the cake.


Thanks for reading! If you have any comments or want to know more about anything, feel free! :)

No comments:

Post a Comment