StephenH "Never say no to cake"

Excellent tapas / small plates style food. Perfect place for a light but satisfying lunch.

I usually don’t have high hopes for the food in a restaurant / lounge place but Six Steps managed to even fall way below my expectations.

Everyone at our table (there were 10 of us) agreed that every dish, from their pizza to risotto to pasta, was over salted. Personally, I had their risotto with smoked duck breast and rapini and I would estimate that cutting the salt content in that dish by about 90% would make it palatable. I also had to send my first risotto back because it was so undercooked that I would equate it to eating a bowl of rice krispies. While my friend received a good portion of pasta, my risotto serving was so small that, at $24, my dish worked out to about $6 per spoonful. Maybe I shouldn’t complain because the dish was so bad that I wouldn’t want to eat any more that four bites.

The service was just as horrible. I would appreciate being told what items were ‘sold out’ when I am handed the menu and not when I’ve spent time looking over the menu and have decided that I wanted to order it. Our waiter was also lazy in the sense that for every course, he stood in one spot and served everyone within his reach by leaning over and across half the table… this is made worse by his lack of two other basic waitering skills: 1) knowing who ordered what dish and 2) knowing the correct side to serve from (or at least be consistent with one side).

Overall, I’ve given this place one star only because it’s the lowest rating I can give. I would not recommend this place to anyone.

First off… How can a French bistro run out of beef bourguignon by 7:30 of dinner service? That is like the equivalent of McDs running out of big macs. It really shouldn’t happen. They were also out of numerous other items on the menu.

As for the actual dinner that was available… The roasted bone marrow appetizer I had was flavourful and perfectly cooked (as was my friends’ steak tartar, cod brandade, and pate appetizers). I also enjoyed the (aged sixty days) sirloin I chose as my main… that is after I scrapped off the over-powering syrupy peppercorn sauce that it was drowned in. For dessert, I had the pear tart but I can only write a review for how the pear tasted (it was good) because the pastry crust it came in was literally impenetrable with a fork.

Thuet gets 2 stars for having s was very knowledgeable service staff and the private room we had was very nice. Too bad that does not make up for the uneven food execution and the super high mark-ups on the wine list (I’m guessing it’s a carry over from before Thuet changed the restaurant from ‘fine-dining’ to a bistro & bakery).

Overall, I expected a little more from a place that dares to be 2 doors down from Susur.

The grass fed beef is leaner than what most people are used to but the taste and flavor more than makes up for it. The sous-vide Elk was also incredible, as was the beef carpaccio.

The only hiccup was that our wine was corked (even our replacement bottle was served a little warm). However, the cocktails were probably the best any of us have had from a restaurant bar in a long time.

The service was friendly but they seemed overwhelmed at times.

If you like over paying for food you can get at Manchu Wok, then you will really like eating at Spice Route. The decor is gorgeous but this is really a bar serving food court quality food.

Oh… it’s interesting that ‘efoodie’ has written the same raving review for Spice Route (with no review of any other restaurant) on pretty much every Toronto restaurant review site.

The food was ok with the exception that the Pollo en Pipian was very dry and the sangria lacked depth. By far the best dishes were the Ceviche de Camarones appetizer and the fresh and warm churros.

Overall, it’s a cozy little place but the food lacked consistency and many items on the menu were unavailable (including running out of milk for coffee!).

I wouldn’t object to trying this restaurant again (I suspect that it’s much better on a weekend). However, based on this visit alone, I have to give it one star.

Probably the most picturesque bistro in Toronto. The menu is offers standard bistro stuff (boeuf bourguignon, steak frits.. etc) done well. Le Select also boasts about having Toronto’s ‘biggest & best’ wine list with over 1,000 different labels but there are not any really bargains at the average diner’s price point.

The brewing vats inside the restaurant made the place a little steamy and yeasty smelling… but I suppose that’s part of the charm. The tables were also a little too small for serving full meals but the prompt service (our waiter was quick to clear glasses & plates that we no longer needed) helped a lot.

My ‘brewmaster’ breakfast was well made and tasty (crisp bacon and non-rubbery eggs). However, my friend’s steak & eggs came well done when she asked for it medium rare.

Overall, a decent place to get a meal at the Distillery District.