Testimonials

	The Brulee Blog
	October 21, 2009 The Dish Bistro is the restaurant side of two businesses that run side by side, the other side being a catering company called The Runaway Spoon. Cute names, huh? I’ve eaten their catering before but their restaurant is one of those places that I keep meaning to go to but never got around to a visit. So one weekend, while trying to think of a simple but tasty place for lunch near downtown, I decided to try and snag a table at The Dish. The place is on the small side but is bright and sunny thanks to large windows. The place was pretty busy even though it was already past 1 p.m., and my dining companion and I were lucky to find a table. Service was attentive. My order was the Dijon Chicken on Greens – a Dijon marinated breast of chicken served on a salad made up of mixed greens, tomatoes, carrots, Spanish onions and artichoke hearts, and topped with a roasted red pepper dressing. Visually the salad looks kind of messy but the meal was quite tasty. I also wished there had been more artichoke hearts, as I think I found only one that was chopped up into a couple of pieces. The person with me ordered the Mango Curry Chicken Wrap, which was filled with grilled chicken and a curried mango chutney and vegetables, and served with a side salad of Honey Greens (same salad as above, but without the chicken and with a red wine honey vinaigrette instead of the other dressing). I think the salad serving could have been a little more generous, but the mango and curry chicken mixture was delicious. This was the perfect light lunch that we had been looking for. They’ve got some great hearty looking dishes too, and I look forward to going back and sampling them.

	"Hey diddle diddle: Whimsically named restaurant offers leisurely pace"
	July 2 2009 Jan Hostyn An excerpt from Vue Weekly Issue #715 "Surrounding us was a warm and welcoming room: dark, wooden floors offset pale green and reddish-brown walls, and the room was filled with simple tables and chairs. A half-wall divided the whole thing, giving a semblance of privacy, and a cheery bar at the back added extra character. No other nursery rhyme creatures made an appearance, though. With her genial manner and perpetual smile, our waitress delivered glasses filled with lemon-tinged water and the menus—the regular one and a paper version of the daily specials board. It was late and we were hungry, so we inspected them immediately. The specials sounded good, especially the shrimp burger with avocado slaw and a chili yogurt sauce, but they lost out to the regular menu. My friend, a cheese-and-pasta-obsessed being, spotted the Gourmet Mac & Cheese ($15.75) and abruptly closed her menu. I was in more of a crunchy mood and opted for the Raspberry Spinach Salad ($11.25 for a full order). Lunch came and, like the café, it was simply presented but inviting. My bowl full of spinach greens was neither overflowing nor sparsely populated. Deep brown clusters of caramelized onions were nestled amongst the leaves, and lots of sugary pecans and tangy feta cubes were scattered throughout. Everything was generously coated in a slightly sweet raspberry vanilla vinaigrette. The salad was good, but definitely on the sweet side. Caramelized onions, sugary pecans and a raspberry vanilla vinaigrette will do that, I guess, and I should have expected no less. My friend's plate was more interesting simply because it offered more variety. A homey individual casserole was filled with the coveted macaroni and dusted with a bread crumb crust. Two strips of garlicky foccacia emerged jauntily from the noodles and a mound of Caesar Salad completed the plate. The noodles were deemed tender but not mushy, the cheese lively but comforting and the crunchy, garlicky topping divine. The large chunks of croutons adorning her salad even disappeared; evidently they weren't of the lowly "brown Styrofoam" variety. Our leisurely meal concluded at a leisurely pace. I could have found room for one of the tempting desserts on the tray that made an unhurried trip past our table, but my friend had to reluctantly abandon her deceptively filling pasta and, by the time my spoon finished its many journeys across the table, I was mysteriously full. As we bid farewell to the sign and its endearing dish and spoon, I had a smile on my face. And this time it didn't disappear. "

Last Updated: Tuesday, September 21, 2010