wineo 0 Jan 03,2011

Wow...

Having worked in the food industry for 5 years, my review should be read with the notation that I know the industry well. Upon our arrival at Crush the service was above par. We were very kindly greeted by the hostess who seated us in a stellar location by the window (as we requested so in our reservation) and our server was by shortly to introduce himself. There were only two of us and we made a later reservation (8:45). We only wanted dessert and wine and boy, were we ever in for a treat! We both had the Cannon bomb Cab Sauv from California. You could smell the aroma of the wine as our server placed it on the table and for a by the glass wine, it was FABULOUS! The cheese platter came with such beautiful presentation that we had to take a picture. We ordered the dessert trio, which was EXTRA-ORDINARY. The apple fritter explodes in your mouth with such alovely apple flavour; your taste-buds will be tantalized. If you love chocolate, then the chocolate bomb will be explosive. For us however, we loved the pumpkin pie cheesecake which was DIVINE. I would definitely come back! Please keep a few things in mind when coming here. (1) If you want bang for your buck, this place is not for you. The portions are small, but are intended to be so as the flavours are what you are to enjoy, not the quantity. (2) If you do not want to wait a long time or are in a rush, then make an early or late reservation. Every one in Toronto wants to eat dinner on a Saturday night at 7 pm. This is a place with an intimate and laid back environment. They spend a lot of time on preparation and presentation; I did not get the impression that speed is their top priority. What a hidden gem! I love the ambiance and atmosphere. If you are looking for a night out to enjoy someone’s company or escape the ordinary, come here and be very pleasantly surprised!

Benji Jan 30,2009

Unintentional comic relief!

I booked this restaurant for myself and five friends (with busy
schedules) for Winterlicious lunch at 1:30. It took 20 minutes to
get served and we didn't get out for 2 hours! Really, how hard
is it to serve six people in a restaurant more than half empty
and after the lunch rush? While the food tasted very good, the
portions were unusually small, even for an upscale restaurant.
The house wine selection was overwhelming - in frustration my
friend decided on tap water as our server couldn't be bothered
to recommend something. And as my other friend pointed out,
the server kept rushing back and forth but didn't seem to be
doing anything. We had a great time laughing about how slow
the service was. We did enjoy ourselves but for all the wrong
reasons. Maybe the Winterlicious crowd is served by a different
set of rules. Avoid this one.

Juniper Jun 01,2006

I like Crush as a wine bar, but I haven't found that actually eating at the restaurant is a particularly good value. The food is not bad - it's actually quite decent. However, a three course dinner for two + wine, taxes, and tips comes out to about $200. There are other places in the city where I would rather spend $200, given that Crush's menu is not overly adventurous/innovative, service is adept but not outstanding, and food is decent but not great. To illustrate, Lee and Starfish are good examples of where I would rather spend $200.

Hondapendragon Feb 03,2006

Went to Crush Wine Bar last night for girls night out.
Winterlicious menu was fantastic. Lots of choices.
I went with the Butternut Squash soup which was decent. The salmon was fantastic and the brownie souflee decadent.
I loved it, so did the others.
I tried a bit of all the offerings and have to say that the Steak Frites were the best. Cooked to perfection and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

The wine suggestions were bang on and the service impeccable.

All in all, just a fantastic evening.
Highly recommended.

artificialard Feb 02,2006

Was pleasantly surprised by Crush and they have impecabble service and quality cuisine without the all-too-familiar arrogance of the better restaurants in Toronto now.

Went for the regular menu and had a great meal but really remember the tomato consomme starter. Beautifully clear, crisp, and simple.

Anonymous Mar 14,2005

Feb 2005 -went with my boyfriend to try the winterlious. surprised me b/c the winterlious menus never taste that great to me. my boyfriend had the steak and frites. the frites were so delish! you'd think they're only fries but they were gourment fries. had some sort of spice that made it yummy. we also asked for some beef gravy and that just added a special touch of flav to it. the steak was already cut into pcs not what we expected but it was good. very tender. i decided to not go with the winterlious menu. i had had the duck and it was delish and very tender as well. the scallop potatoes were sooo good. this was our first time and we loved it. atmosphere was kinda blah. too loud and tables are too close to others. kinda noisy coz we sat at the back where the open kitchen was. overall a good experience. it's always a treat when you expect it to be just ok and then it turns out so wonderfully.

Anonymous Feb 11,2005

I did the winterlicious thing, and out of all the restaurants, Crush stood out as the best. You never felt that any corners were cut. The food was simple, unpretension bistro fare, but correctly executed. I've been twice before and I found they do a solid job. They also have interesting wines by the glass at reasonable prices. Definitely a place I plan on visiting again.

Sweet Pea Feb 09,2005

I had a great experience at Crush during last year's Winterlicious. A group of five women, all ordered the steak frittes and it was divine. Perfectly grilled flank steak with crisp frittes and a mouth-watering jus. Mm. Makes me hungry just thinking about it. And the service was top-notch. Wine pairings were suggested, not only based on the food but our individual preferences as well, and we certainly didn't feel as though our table was worth less to the waiter or the restaurant simply because we were there for the licious experience. Top drawer, all the way.

Anonymous Jul 19,2004

The food was fantastic, as was the wine. Our waiter was extremely attentive and very personable. The only thing I didn't enjoy were the fruit flies that continued to reappear in my wine throughout dinner. Other than that, it was a fantastic meal!

Anonymous Jul 15,2004

We arrived for 6:30PM reservation and were seated promptly. Restaurant was busy and very noisey. Waitress very snooty and spoiled what should have been a pleasant evening. Would not go back, too many other places in Toronto with far better ambience and service..... oh yes and better food also!