Starfish Oyster Bed & Grill, Toronto

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 18:30:12 GMT

Starfish Oyster Bed & Grill,
100 Adelaide Street East,
Lunch: Monday-Friday Noon-3:00
Supper: Monday-Saturday 5:00-10:00ish
Oyster Bar: All Day (Noon-11:00ish)

During Summerlicious in Toronto, participating restaurants
offer special 3 course menus for $15.00-$20.00 at lunch and
$25.00-$35.00 at dinner.

A friend recommended that we try Starfish Oyster Bed &
Grill, owned by Patrick McMurray, a World Champion Shucker
and world class authority on oysters (has even written a
book on the subject).

"Cape Cod ambiance" with photos of plump succulent oysters
greeted us as we entered the warm, welcoming rooms. The
oyster bar sets the mood which carries over to the glossy
wood tables, with comfy banquettes lining the walls.

No compromising here, Starfish has committed itself to
serving only the Summerlicious menus during the event. All
the 3 course meals consist of selections from the regular
menus. The goal here, as it should be, is to introduce
Starfish to potentially new customers and to reward old ones
for their loyalty.

To start, Linda chose the tomato gazpacho with poached
matane shrimp, diced vegetables and creme fraiche -
"ecstasy". I labored between the Shucker Paddy shellfish
plate (4 oysters and two scallops) or grilled whole Atlantic
sardines with black olive tapenade and preserved lemon.
Luckily I am a sardine devotee and did not miss out on these
beautifully prepared beauties.

Fish and chips is to Linda what sardines are to me, so her main
course choice was easy. But this was not your ordinary wrap
in newsprint to soak up the grease variety, this was
heavenly. Fresh halibut crusted in panko and horseradish
and baked crisp outside while maintaining the moist
freshness of the fish. Three large pieces were served with
nappa cabbage slaw, house made potato chips and an oyster
stout aioli. Hers came a few second before mine which
caused me to have an instant jealousy attack. Not to fear,
a thick seared filet of Nova Scotia char with roasted beets
and wild rice served with a carrot and orange beurre blanc
put me at ease.

Oh yes, we were in the mood for beer but were not familiar
with any of the draft beers on the list. After checking our
taste preferences our waiter suggested "Sergeant Major"
which is light brown in color and awesome in flavor. Draft
beer is $2.95 for 10 ounces and $5.65 for 20 ounces, very
reasonable.

The two desserts were a superb finish to a marvelous meal.
Chocolate brownie with chantilly cream and rhubarb jam for
the lady and a lemon square with Ontario strawberry salad
for me.

Starfish is a must for seafood lovers and we understand the
meat preparations are equally exciting. This is a kitchen
that cares - imagination, freshness, thoughtful preparation
and presentation.

MODALisboa Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2007 Portugal

Sun, 15 Oct 2006 17:36:38 GMT

MODALisboa, Fashion Week in Lisbon, Portugal -

showtime for all the best Portuguese designers -

the well-known and the new names. The industry

and press were treated to energetic performances

reflecting the themes of each collection.

The designers played to enthusiastic full houses,

who were impressed by the designs and the

stimulating productions. Models, makeup, hairstyles,

accessories and music in harmony, created a buzz

that culminated in resounding applause and accolades.

View the slide show for a taste of Portugal fashion

Spring/Summer 2007 as presented by the likes of

Anabela Baldaque, Alves & Goncalves, Nuno Gama,

Ricardo Durado, Jose Antonio Tenente, Ana Salazar,

Nuno Baltazar and Maria Gambina.

Welcome to my space

Mon, 25 Apr 2005 17:33:38 GMT

Welcome to TheTravelzine Studio where I have collected photos that did not make it to TheTravelzine.com because of space constraints.

Thanks for visiting my studio.

Ciao, Don

TheTravelzine Studio: Blog

Starfish Oyster Bed & Grill, Toronto

MODALisboa Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2007 Portugal

Welcome to my space