Dinner @ Joey, Don Mills

We wanted to have dinner at a Fine Dining Restaurant on Easter Sunday but all the restaurants were closed. This then leads us to Joey. A Vancouver based restaurant chain that opened up their first Toronto location at the Shops at Don Mills. I was there last night for drinks but was too full to try out their food. Having seen on the menu their Corporate Head Chris Mills was an Iron Chef Competitor on the original Japanese Series we decided to do dinner there.

One would expect an Iron Chef competitor to have a creative menu but the offering at Joey was like any other corporate Restaurant Chain; Variety, variety and even more variety to satisfy the masses. From pastas, fish, sandwiches, salads, soups and even steaks you name it they pretty much got it. That leaves us to the next question. How does the food fare with such an enormous menu? Well let’s find out…

I started with two appetizers. The first was Mushroom Soup with Sherry. The soup was creamy that the only flavor we could taste was cream. There wasn’t much mushroom flavor in the soup, which was definitely disappointing.




The next appetizer was definitely much better. Shrimp Pesto on Flat Bread. Smothered with a delicious Pesto Sauce and topped with Shrimps, Cheese, Tomatoes and Basil this was my favorite dish of the night. The shrimps weren’t overcooked and the Flat Bread was crusty and fluffy inside.




For mains I had their signature Rotisserie Chicken that was served with Mash Potatoes and Grilled Asparagus. I just had a really good Rotisserie Chicken in Scores in Quebec and this one doesn’t even come close. Although well seasoned the chicken was very dry.




Verna had their signature Lobster Ravioli which I sampled. There wasn’t much lobster filling inside the ravioli and the pasta was thick and doughy, It tasted like it came from a frozen packet.




Sam had a full Barbecue Baby Back Ribs that came with Cole Slaw and Fries. The ribs were decent but again a little dry on some parts.




Ian ordered the Ultimate Beef Sandwich. I had two big bites of the sandwich and did not find anything special about it. The bread was crusty but the brisket was dry.




Calvin’s Tuna Tataki Salad was the best entree. I did not try his greens but the Tuna was seared lightly leaving the middle raw and was very tender.




Despite the disappointing main courses the desserts came back with a vengeance. They only had two desserts and we ordered both. The first was their Molten Chocolate Cake. Like any good molten chocolate cake it had a nice crust and was oozing with chocolate upon breaking it apart. The chocolate was very rich and creamy but it wasn’t sweet. It went well with the mixed berry sauce and vanilla ice cream.




Their Apple Pie was another excellent dessert. The combination of warm cinnamon apples, caramelized walnuts and puff pastry was divine. It tasted like a supped up version of Cinnabon.




The Entrees were disappointing but if one were to compare with similar restaurant chains such as Milestones and Moxies, Joey is better. It is definitely not a fine dining restaurant but rather a typical North American "Bar and Grill" where you would hang out with your buddies for drinks and a decent meal on a game night.

Food: 3/5
Ambiance: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Price: $$$ (Under CAD $35 per person including tips and taxes)


Contact Information
Address: Shops at Don Mills, 1090 Don Mills Rd.,
Tel: +1 416-445-6391,
Web: www.joeyrestaurants.com.
Map:

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