Magical Mystery Tour!

#12: Eight Wine Bar.

The first time going to Eight Wine Bar started with a couple of pleasant surprises.

The first surprise was for Piera, that being the the location itself.  I had decided to make the evening a little more interesting by arranging drinks and dinner in advance, and revealing the details only as we arrived at our destinations.

The second surprise was that the wine bar had a wide selection of bottles available for tastings at a dollar per ounce.  It doesn't get a whole lot better than that!  Advantage: Us!

Eight Wine Bar is situated in the Cosmopolitan Hotel on Colborne St., near Yonge and King.  It's a great little place, with very friendly serving staff (not the snooty types you get in some wine bars).

The prosciutto-wrapped figs with bocconcini were just enough to tide us over until dinner...speaking of which...

#13: Gate 403.

When I started this blog, I anticipated that every now and then, I would try a first that would have me wanting seconds!  This is one of those firsts.

I had sketched out an evening of dinner and jazz, but took a bit of a chance with the venue.  I didn't have a whole lot to go on, and had no idea how things would turn out.

While the location was a surprise for Piera, the surprise for both of us was how much we enjoyed the place.  The food was excellent, and I had my customary pasta arrabiata (my dinner of choice, whenever it's my first time at a restaurant), and it was one of the best plates I've had anywhere in the city.  The jazz was top-notch as well, and well-situated so that you could hear it clearly and cleanly, but not find it overpowering.

Again, I was very happy with the serving staff.  In fact, I feel like I've been on a roll lately when it comes to waiters and waitresses.  It's been nothing but good reviews for the entire first month of this adventure.

Gate 403 is a real find, and I would highly recommend it.  I can't wait to go back.

Disclaimer: As cool as the wine bar and the dinner/jazz club were, the best part of these firsts was, to be sure, the company. :)