Restaurants
Glow Fresh Grill & Wine Bar
Glow Fresh Grill & Wine Bar, in the Shops at Don Mills, got off to a rather unfortunate start. Back in August, only a few weeks after opening a patio heater got a little too friendly with a designer chair, igniting a fire which led to extensive damages. Bummer.
Good thing owner Rose Reisman and her Pickle Barrel partner aren't quitters. After a temporary closure to clean up all the mess Glow is back in business with the same locally sourced, health-focused menu as before.
We arrive hungry and seconds after opening the menu I'm immediately attracted to the in-house burger. But what's this? Attraction quickly turns to disillusion when I realize the burger comes without a bun. Apparently the no-carbs Atkins diet fad is alive and well in this small pocket of North Toronto.
To console myself I order instead what's called the burger slider appetizer. But these three mini burgers (photo at top) are also served sans bun. One is ground turkey topped with dried fig chutney. Another is beef with caramelized onions and fingerling potato, and the third is a pungent ground lamb served with a mint infused hummus and feta topping. Bun or not, this cultural tour of pairings and flavors surprises and is a definite recommend.
Next up, our waiter brings us an amuse bouche of fresh bread and three dips - an under seasoned hummus, something with a ricotta flavor, and a refreshing melange of spinach and yogurt.
For our mains we stick with the carbs. The mac and cheese is a refreshing aternative to the often too rich and creamy upscale versions of this dish. The macaroni, cooked perfectly al-dente, is paired with gruyere, cheddar and tiny pieces of lobster under a skin of earthy herb encrusted bread crumbs. This was no Kraft Dinner my friends. It was damn satisfying and perfect comfort food for a cool Fall night.
Because Glow is on a health kick, the kitchen pairs the mac and cheese with a small side salad that comes with berries, various greens, avocado, sunflower seeds and a maple vinaigrette.
Across the table, my diner in crime chowed down on the strip loin ($26), well seasoned and cooked to a perfect medium rare. Served with grilled oyster mushrooms, fingerling potatoes, asparagus spears it too was a hit and well worth the price tag.
For dessert, we can't decide between a plate of four Canadian cheeses ($18) or an assortment of dessert shooters ($3 each). After a bit of a debate we go for the shooters and order up two of the nine options available - the carrot cake and the tiramisu. How did they taste? Exactly how you'd expect, albeit with less sugar. We were a bit disappointed though. I guess we expected something a bit more innovative.
So what did we think of Glow? Overall, we weren't a fan of the relatively small portions and moderate to high prices. But the menu is well thought out and definitely offers something different for those tired of too many carbs, butter and other fattening fare.
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the mussels i ordered were terrible.. meaning maybe half of them actually had mussels in them.
but, everything else was absolutely delicious. the desserts i thought were perfect- satisfies your sweet tooth after a hardy meal but isnt too filling or too large. The peanut butter mousse cake was to die for.. and i know good desserts.
i definitely did not find the meals too small- i suggest that anyone who thinks otherwise should rethink comparing it to the supersize options they dined on at mcdicks.
Service is terrible, management is poor and no one seems to want to take any responsibility when something goes wrong. I've eaten at a lot of restaurants and this is one you can't pay me to step foot into again. Do yourself a favour and have a better dining experience at Joey's, Jack Astor's or even the Metro has salads for all you health nuts.
if so, then you must have the palate of a 3 year old. you must think pickle barrel and swiss chalet are top flight restaurants also.
if you find 3 people that think that glow is the BEST restaurant in toronto, i will treat you all to dinner.
While it is obviously an exaggeration that Glow is the best restaurant in Toronto, I think it deserves some credit for successfully filling a much-needed niche.
...However if your offer still stands I will say it is the BEST restaurant in Toronto...looking for one more person!
The service was excellent and we greatly enjoyed our waiter. Everyone at my table enjoyed their meal. We all said that we would come back again.
Glow is definitely excellent value and best of all I felt confident that I was eating fresh and healthy food that tasted great!
The service was excellent and we greatly enjoyed our waiter. Everyone at my table enjoyed their meal. We all said that we would come back again.
Glow is definitely excellent value and best of all I felt confident that I was eating fresh and healthy food that tasted great!
would definetly recommend it to friends and family
It is rare that you go out for a meal and actually feel GOOOD after consuming it!
Glow is a real treat..everyone should eat there!
They charge $2.50/person for a serving fee if you bring your own cake and they don't let you cut it yourself. We refused to let them even touch the cake after that.
The servers don't have training. You're not supposed to count change in front of your customers, want to take all of your customers' money (even though they charged gratuity already) and refuse to give the $10 change owed. You don't give BAD LOOKS to your customer for not ordering drinks the second we sit down.
We left the place right after we finished our food, which wasn't good at all. For what you're paying and the attitude you get, I would take any other restaurant than this place.
Do yourself a favour and eat at any other restaurant at the Shops. This place is not worth it and it'll just make you angry.
food was ok...