I left Toronto on Saturday, actually. They seem to have closed down Pearson Terminal 2. The US gates at Terminal 2 were labelled A through U, and they were presented sequentially in a disjointed maze of modules. So long were the walking distances involved that they had, as I recall, signs telling you how far gate T was in kilometer fractions.
The US gates have been moved to Terminal 1. I was initially nonplussed that the elevators didn't work and that the departure kiosks were on the fourth floor. There are a heck of a lot of departure kiosks, so many that they are arranged in alphabetized aisles. I found the aisles extremely traumatizing, because they lacked a letter "I" aisle. The leap from "H" to "J" was excruciatingly painful, like a letter of the alphabet had been excised from my brain, and I wonder if the GTAA owes me money now
But the automated kiosks (no checked baggage for me!) were very very efficient, and they had builtin passport scanners, and there were so many of them one hardly risked waiting in line. Very efficient compared to the old US counters at Terminal 2, which were irritating and inefficient and actually kept people from being unemployed. They gave me a relatively frontal seat on the plane, but I deliberately changed it to the last seat, because no one was sitting next to me, and I like it that way. And so I had a very comfortable flight.
Anyway, just to end on a less Toronto-bashy note, I stuffed myself on Friday at my very favouritest Toronto restaurant, the Korean Grill House not far from the Osgoode subway stop. It is a table BBQ restaurant, and as such, it blows Ottawa's Korea Garden out of the water. What's more it is only one of several Korean table BBQ places in Toronto, and I'm told that some of the others are even better if less conveniently located. I stuffed myself on chicken, fish, squid, and beef, and the little bowls of kimchi they serve it with. The beef is marinated exquisitely, and sliced so thin that it cooks in an instant on the gas BBQ in the middle of the table. It was just one big proteinfest, punctuated by kimchi and spicy bean sprouts. I did order a mango shake too, again, excellent. Toronto Korean food is unparalleled on this side of the continent, in my experience. I have a slightly negative restaurant review, but I'm going to end this on a positive note and forget about reviewing that other restaurant. Korean Grill House is good if you are having those deep cravings for the thinly sliced flesh of dead animals.
Glad you found something to eat and can stop your damn bitching.
:)
Posted by: Adorable Girlfriend | March 27, 2007 at 09:43 AM
Mandos, mandos, next time I'm in Ottawa - I'll make sure I will list all the crappy restos that ppl have even referred me to! See, the best ottawan resto is the equivalent of the most average toronto resto!!!
Posted by: AradhanaD | March 27, 2007 at 03:05 PM
I think that's just 'cause you're a vegetarian.
See, I think the difference is that Toronto has a large student population and a large Young Trendy Proffessional class who eat out all the time, and the restaurants are very much geared to them. Ottawa food is catering to a different crowd (diplomats, etc), and the demands are just different.
Here's the most average Toronto restaurant: it's a small Chinese restaurant on a block with five others, very low-priced all of them, but only one or two of them is actually any good.
Posted by: Mandos | March 27, 2007 at 10:11 PM
you have some interesting points mandos, but what good is a restaurant that does not have a good vegetarian selection? :P Or in the case of "royal thailand" in ottawa has ZIPPO! Argh!!!
I think you are right about the diplomat thing though - definitely more overpriced food, and the downtown core probably does have a stronger 'selected menu'. But even then, I really object to the Indian/Thai/Chinese and Japanese food that I've had there. Mainly because they really don't have a huge variety and the food hasn't been that good.
But logically, what you say sounds accurate. I won't go on. :)
Posted by: AradhanaD | March 31, 2007 at 12:48 AM
In a studenty youthful place, like Toronto, you will likely get better vegetarian selection. But vegetarians are heathens anyway: do they really deserve good-tasting food? Shouldn't they be dining on unsalted boiled lentils day after day, wearing sackcloth and ashes?
Royal Thailand is by a good margin the weakest Thai restaurant in Ottawa. Is *that* where your friends have been sending you? Geez. Siam Bistro or Chaophraya! (They even have vegetarian selectiosn, at least Siam Bistro does.) But they aren't Toronto-style restaurants, they're about $2-3 more expensive and cater to a fancy shmancier crowd.
Posted by: Mandos | March 31, 2007 at 01:04 AM