Diana's Seafood Delight

Diana's Seafood Delight
2101 Lawrence Avenue East
(416) 288 - 9286
www.dianasseafood.com

So this will be my first blog about food that I've made and not eaten at a restaurant! I'm excited.. I like to cook a lot and one of my favourite places to go to is Diana's Seafood Delight. You can really find the freshest seafood there ranging from oysters, to fish, to lobsters, to sea urchins!

Portebello & scallop & brocolli cream sauce spaghetti

1. boil brocolli trees for a few minutes until slightly cooked

2. use a little bit of oil to stir fry the scallops until slightly cooked

3. add portebello mushrooms & brocolli & table cream

4. add flour and stir in until sauce thickens

5. season with salt & pepper as you desire :)

I'm sure there are more advanced recipes out there but when you want to make pasta quick, this is just how I do it.

Steamed Japanese Sea Scallops with Vermicelli

1. thinly slice the green onions & ginger.. is this called julienne?

2. remove half of the shell from the scallop.. since they're still alive you can't rip it apart with your hands (trust me I tried!) you have to stick a knife in there and remove the meat from 1 side to kill it before you can open it : (

3. immerse the vermicelli into boiling water for 5 minutes and remove

4. in a very LARGE pot bring water to a boil

5. put the scallops on half shell on a plate that fits inside the large pot and top with vermicelli & diced garlic

6. i'm not sure what this thing is called but it looks like a metal stand that you can put inside the pot.. I'll try to find a picture to show you ! but it makes sure that the plate does not get flooded with water... but yea.. put THAT thing in the pot and put the plate of scallops on top

7. put the lid over top the pot and steam for about 5-10minutes

8. in a seperate skillet use oil to fry the green onions & ginger, add in some soy sauce once it smells fragrant (this shouldn't take more than 1 minute)

9. remove the plate of scallops and pour soy sauce over top & serve!

boiled shrimp topped with the same sauce made in step 8 above

served with a side of chili soy sauce

fanny bay & kumamoto oysters :)

asparagus grilled with black pepper, butter, and sliced proscuitto (not bought from Diana's!)

Surf clam tossed in sesame oil and soy sauce with Japanese seaweed salad.

The seaweed salad can be bought premade and the surf clams are bought frozen. Defrost, wash, and cut in half!

Cherrystone clams

Stonegrill on Winchester

Stonegrill on Winchester
51B Winchester Street
(416) 967-6565
www.stonegrillonwinchester.com

I haven't been here in awhile but one thing that I loveeeeeee about this place is their filo pastry cheesecake. The waiter had actually recommended it to me and said it's not on the menu everyday and that it was a customer favourite! At the time it was the Bailey's Cheesecake baked in filo pastry. It was baked just enough so that the filo pastry was nice and warm, and tender while the cheesecake inside remained cool. Definately a must try.

The experience overall was unique but if you are looking for an outstanding steak you would have to go elsewhere. The theory behind the stonegrill is that the piece of stone is baked?? until it is at a very high temperature where the outside of your steak will immediately cook and seal off all juices from being leaked out. That way, they suggest, your steak will remain moist, juicy, and not overcooked. Sure, I didn't find it extremely dry but I also did not find it very tender. I usually prefer my steak medium rare and they say you must grill each piece that you cut off for several seconds. I kept over cooking it to the point where it was well done! It may be my fault... and I guess it was fun.. but definately not big on the steaks on stone grills.

The seared scallop appetizer was another story.. now THATTTT was unique AND delicious! The scallops were very juicy and it was complemented by what I believe is a salad made of a mixture of peas topped off with guacamole? I love avocados so they had me there...

Overall, good experience, but I don't know how many times I would go back simply because I did not love the steak. I'm not saying it was bad.. I've just had better. If you haven't tried it before it is something you should try just because it's different! Who knows, you may like it more than I did! But if they have the filo pastry cheesecake - trust me on this one.... GET IT!!! : )


Complementary organic bread & spread

Seared scallops with salad

Stonegrill steak

Stonegrill striploin

Bailey's cream cheese caked wrapped in filo pastry

Pure Spirits Oyster House & Grill

Pure Spirits Oyster House & Grill
55 Mill Street
(416) 361-5859
www.purespirits.ca

I absolutely love this restaurant! It is located in the heart of the Distillery District. Quite a neat area to check out if you haven't been you should definately check it out. Cars are not allowed in that area and there are a bunch of resto-bars, some unique stores, and a beautiful art gallery.

I've been here twice and I believe they switch their menus periodically. The second time I went I did not see any of the mains I ordered from my first visit (unless they switched chefs?) The quality of the food was just as good both times. It is a rather large restaurant (I discovered a huge party room downstairs on my way to the bathroom) but the atmonsphere is very intimate and cozy. Definately a good choice if you want to kick back and enjoy a glass of wine while enjoying some oysters and good food.

One thing that did dissappoint me was the fact that they menu changes so much. On my first visit I loved the scallops and spinach appetizer and my seared ahi tuna as a main. I was looking forward to having the two again on my second visit but neither were offered. Although I was disappointed this did force me to try something new on their menus and I was not disappointed by those either.


Grilled calamari; mango salad


Seared scallops with spinach and bacon

Grilled tenderloin steak

Seared ahi tuna

Oysters

Steak frites