Adega Restaurant

Pricey, but worth it!

Usually, for my first night in Toronto, I do something fast-foodish: small-time Chinese, for example, or a falafel platter someplace. This time, I was in the mood for a sit-down dinner so I could relax. I checked out the restaurants on Elm Street, and ended up choosing Adega, not least because it offered a $40 prix-fixe. It's actually a Portuguese-fusion place, which wasn't one of the choices above. The atmosphere is lovely: wood and brown-toned stucco, lit by what could have been track lights, had they been on a track. My opener was the "Romaine hearts" -- basically, a small Caesar salad with dried prosciutto, which was good. My entree was the pan-roasted salmon; the serving looked small, atop a bed of vegetables with two roast-potato halves, but was just the right size; the salmon was excellent. Finally, dessert and coffee: I chose the mixed-fruit sorbet, one scoop each of orange and strawberry, atop a few fruits; and first-class, strong brewed decaf. The service was attentive throughout the meal, despite the presence of several larger parties in the place; and the waiter gave me something like three coffee refills. It was lovely, and absolutely worth the money -- which wasn't as much as I thought; at the current exchange rate, it came out to about USD 32 with tip! Strongly recommended!