Follow-Up : Valdez has closed.
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My friend Nyla and I have stood in the reception area of this restaurant, Valdez (at 606 King Street West), twice in the past, seeing if we could get a table for dinner, and both times we were told the wait would be a long one. So this time we booked a spot in advance and then looked forward to our chance to sample what they call Latino Street Food.
[The previous unsuccessful times we’d tried to get a seat there were, by no means, a bust though, as we ended up discovering a couple of other good restaurants in the neighbourhood, each of which I enjoyed so much that I’ve already been to a second time already : Buca – here and here, and The Keg – here and here.]
Speaking of repeat visits to restaurants, this visit to Valdez with Nyla was a week ago Friday and she has already taken a friend from out of town there again this past Saturday. It’s a great place, and I totally understand why it is as popular as it is. The service was very friendly and the food, each dish intended to be shared, was creatively prepared and delicious. There is so much to choose from for both vegetarians and otherwise … take a peek at their dinner menu here.
Here’s what we had (the descriptions are taken directly from the menu) …
↑ “Cocktails by the Litre – Mo-Tio : Bacardi 8 + raspberries + mint + ginger syrup + soda” ↑
↑ “Street Corn : grilled Ontario corn + hot or sweet paprika salt + adobo lime crema + chips” ↑
↑ “Tortillas with Veggie Chickpeas curry + coconut + pickled cauliflower” ↑
↑ “Quesadillas : eggplant + artichoke + muzzarela + crema + guac + veggie bean puree” ↑
↑ That evening’s Special : “Tabasco and Cornmeal Crusted Tuna – Seared Tuna + Tomato + Avocado + Spicy Greens + Cherry & Grilled Corn Salsa” ↑
This ended up being much too much for us to finish, and we had some of everything except the corn leftover, so Nyla insisted that I bring the extra home for Nick to enjoy, which he most certainly did.
Next time she and I go, we will definitely be saving room for dessert!
We liked that our table had a great view of the kitchen, so we could watch all the food being prepared. Since dinner was made up of a series of small plates, there was certainly a wide variety of dishes being cooked up at once.
↑ The man on the left is Head Chef Steve Gonzalez “El Jefe” ↑
Aside from leaving the restaurant very well fed, we left in decidedly happy moods. The food is delicious, but the atmosphere undoubtedly contributes to the reason for Valdez’s popularity. It was a really fun place to be.
I walked by there yesterday, Sunday, afternoon at around 3pm, and I noticed the rooftop patio was open for lunch, and it looked like there was space. So, I know where I’ll be going for a late Sunday lunch sometime soon!
Thank you very much for dropping over. I hope you had a lovely weekend. It’s an extended one here in Canada, so today is another day to play!
xo loulou
