It was very nice, parking is a bit challenging but with a bit of luck you can find a good spot. The steak I got was really yummy

A wonderful celebration meal, we began with kir royale while perusing the menu. The fixed price menu offers several popular selections; great value at only $34.95 for three courses. A stand out was the beef bourguignon, absolutely perfect. Service was top notch, and the dining room is charming. I have a new favourite restaurant in Toronto! read more

Biff's Bistro - Rear entrance, accessible from parking garage. - French Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

My wife and I went recently for dinner - easily one of the best meals I have had in Toronto - excellent food, wine and service - we also had a nice table in a spot to ourselves read more

Service was non existent, some hipster waiter with a holier than thou attitude. Food was actually ok but took ages to arrive and I had to grapple the guy at the end to get the bill. Thing is our bill would've been much higher if we were asked if we wanted more drinks and apps, but no, captain hipster was more interested in his looking at his poncy suspenders in the mirror, shame. Up your game guys and girls!! read more

Went for buck a shuck with some coworkers. Horribly slow service. It took an hour just to get our oysters and it was all we ordered. It wasn't even busy in the restaurant. Empty tables allllll around. Oysters were great but definitely too slow. But the server was very kind and polite the whole time. So maybe its better on other nights. read more

I came here for dinner before heading to the Aquarium. My friend and I ordered 24 oysters that were $1, charcuterie board and pig's ears. The oysters were delicious and I have no complaint for $1 each. I also really enjoyed the charcuterie board. I've never been a fan of pig's ears but I think Biff's made it particularly poorly. I would stick to ordering it at a Chinese restaurant. I also ordered a drink - not your grandma's fruit cake. What drew me to the drink was the pumpkin cider which I could actually taste in this drink! I thought the drink was well made. Lastly, we ordered dessert. I don't remember what I ordered but my friend ordered artisanal ice creams and sorbets and I remember it being very flavourful! I definitely want to come back here and try an actually entree. It was a fun night at Biff's! read more

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Rating: 3.5/5 This weekend I had the absolute pleasure of going to Biff's Bistro with some very good friends for some great food and great stories. This was my last Summerlicious meal for the season, and I was determined to end it with a bang! Biff's is another Oliver and Bonacini restaurant so once again, my expectations were high. I started my meal with their house-cured atlantic salmon with mimosa, sauce verte and crème fraiche. Okay, I'll admit it. I'm absolutely a sucker for cured meats, especially fish! Whenever I see it on the menu, I'm immediately drawn to it, and Saturday was no exception. The salmon had such a great colour and a wonderful salty texture. It was plump and delicious. Part of me wished there was more crème fraiche to balance out some of the saltiness, but the dish overall was a treat. The best part of my meal was that I was with some of my other foodie friends. It was no question as to whether or not we would also order a serving of freshly shucked oyesters - and at $1 a shuck it was a total win. It was a nice little treat to accompany our meal. I know this might be completely inappropriate, but the only thing that I wished was that I had a couple drops of Frank's Red Hot to top it off with. Sometimes that $#!& goes on everything. Given the option, I usually order the fish when I go out, but I was drawn to the pork entree simply because I'd never had spätzle before and I really wanted to try it. The entree consisted of roasted pork tenderloin with Alsatian spätzle, boudin sausage, caramelized apples & calvados. The pork was wonderfully cooked and flavourful. A great, hearty piece of meat. I was a little disappointed with the spätzle. I obviously don't have a basis for comparison, but I did find it a bit doughy and underseasoned. For dessert, I ordered the cheese platter. I don't have an overly sweet tooth, so the cheese was a great alternative with slight sweet contrast in the artisan honey and fruit and nut loaf. The cheese was nicely aged with a bite at the end. The combination of the loaf, honey and cheese was just heaven. The only thing that soured it slighly was that we had to wait a long time inbetween finishing our entree and receiving our dessert. It wasn't until we were obviously annoyed by the wait did our server come and check on us. I completely understand that with Summerlicious, restaurants get a rush of people at a time, it would have been nice if our meal could have been wrapped up a little quicker. I think the best way to determine if a Summerlicious restaurant is good or not is whether you would go back on a regular service night. I would definitely like to return, because I can tell that Biff's has more up their sleeves in addition to what we ate. The atmosphere is classy but relaxed, and you're sure to have a great time no matter how big your group is. read more

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Can't go wrong with their $1 oysters except for the fact that me and my girlfriend had stomach cramps after which I question if they properly washed the oysters, but none the less it was good, but be aware we waited 30 minutes for 2 dozen oysters to be shucked and we were their first customers to order them....drinks are quite pricy here, draft beer was like $8 and my girlfriends sangria was $11, so here's the thing our waiter said they didn't have sangria on the menu but they could make it for us and we asked if they had fresh fruits and he was like 'of course, no problem'......LIES, the only fresh fruit we got was a slice of apple as decoration on the tip of the glass with no fruits in the sangria at all, it tasted like sprinkling white wine....so u've been warned Other than that I don't think I would ever come back to this place except for their $1 read more

Biff's Bistro - $1 oysters!!!!! - French Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Came here on a Saturday night with my bf and his family to use an O+B gift card. It was pretty decently busy when we got there and we ordered the oysters right away since there's a 40 min wait time and the max order is 24 at a time. Did I mention it's a buck a shuck? Oh, the 50 reviews before me probably did. The only downside was there were some shell bits in the oysters but for $1 I couldn't complain. I won't get into everyone else's orders since there were 5 of us. This review is based solely on what I ate. I ordered off the prix fixe menu since I wanted to try the beef bourguignon anyways from someone else's Yelp review. For $9 more I got chicken liver pate and ice cream and sorbet for dessert too! The chicken pate was a big portion that I wasn't expecting. It came with pickled beets (I think) and the house mustard which brought the pate to another level. It was a great combination and I would definitely get it again. The beef bourguignon was absolutely delicious. The beef was so tender and flavourful with a good amount of fat in it. The gnocchi, root vegetables and mushrooms were the perfect side dishes for the beef and I couldn't eat enough of it. I didn't want it to end. I'm definitely going back just for this dish. The ice cream and sorbet was pretty good too. The flavours I got were mango sorbet and milk chocolate ice cream. I REALLY liked the milk chocolate ice cream and I would probably buy a tub if they sold it! Overall: Service was excellent - waiter came around filling water and checking up on us frequently. Food was awesome - the whole meal was only $34.95 plus tax (not including the oysters which were only $1 each anyways). Decor and ambiance is nice - comfortable chairs and a nice patio. Will definitely be back! read more

Biff's Bistro - Chicken liver pate - French Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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After the great flood of Valentines Day in 2016, we were fortunate to come here again after they reopen.. We were lured by the Buck a Shuck again and this time we sat in the Bar/Lounge side. We were also tempted by the #Dirty Bits (Special Happy Hour items for $7) Along with 5 dozen Buck a Shuck Oysters, we had: Dirty Poutine - lamb kofta, cheese curds, lamb jus, harissa drizzle We ordered the first one and it was so good, we ordered it again, unfortunately, the chef at the back forgot the best part, lamb bits, so we had to send it back, they were really good about it and made us a third one and comp it. - Good customer service all around Fish, Chip and Pickle - this was disappointing, it was literally 3 pieces of bite size fish and 4 potato chips On the recommendation of our bartender, we also ordered the Giant Duck Wings - it was very tasty deep fried with a maple glaze. This item was also $7 but was not on the menu. The drinks were a great value also. We had the Vesper Martini and Goose Island Honker Ale (14oz) both for $7 each We also ordered the small size Beef Tartar, which was only ok, I think the chef forgot to add the egg yolk as it was really dry. (This was more than $7, I forgot how much it it) Since it was the first week of re-opening, the kitchen needs some seasoning but all in all, the Dirty Bits & Booze is a good value. We will return again.. read more

Biff's Bistro - French Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I would like to give 3.5 stars but Yelp doesn't allow half points. And I don't round up. Overall, the service was good except for the one waitress who was completely stupid - we were being attacked by a huge bee and asked for help. She gave the bee a look of disgust and said 'I don't know what to do with a bee!' and ran away. WHAT.THE.FUCK. At least move us to a different table or get us something to swat it away. IDIOT. Anyhow .. back to food. The tuna appetizer was deliciously cured. I think I could have eaten that as the main. Refreshingly cool. The oysters were 1$ each but were pale in comparison to Celli's Cottage - I would pay a tid bit more and visit the latter instead. The steak frites were an utter disappointment - it was rubbery and tasteless. Honestly, I was arm (steak knife was sawing away at it) and tooth (chomping down on it till my jaw was sore) wrestling with it. The dessert was great tho - it was warm and chocolatey. My companion loved this dessert ... for me tho, I was still dreaming about the Creme Brulee I had at Epic. read more

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Came here for boyfriend's birthday dinner on Saturday night. The service was excellent - servers and hosts were super friendly. They were attentive and cleaned our table quickly. We ordered 3 course dinner for each of us. Food was pretty good, but not mind blowing. They were served pretty quickly though. $1 oysters were pretty good too, but they were pretty small. But can't complain since they were a dollar each. Overall, I recommend this place... We thoroughly enjoyed our experience here. read more

Biff's Bistro - Duck confit - French Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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3.5/5 I have dined at Biff's Bistro a few times now and I can say this restaurant is good, but not overly mind blowing. It nonetheless is a solid choice for a night out. I had the Winterlicious 2016 menu last night. I didn't enjoy the appetizer (smoked whitefish) as it seemed like a bunch of vegetables thrown together. The dessert (bread pudding) was different... it was more of a french toast than a bread pudding. The entree (filet of beef) was perfectly cooked and tender. The sauce also went very well with the dish. The service was a bit weird though. We arrived 15 min early and were instructed to sit at the bar as the table was not ready, yet the restaurant was mostly empty at the time. The tables are also quite closer together so you can hear other people's conversation quite easily. Throughout the night we could hear glasses falling and breaking. Can't give a strong yay or nay for Biff's Bistro, but I would still go back as it's located quite conveniently to the downtown core. Parking details can be found on the website... "Underground parking is $2 after 5:30pm upon validation at the restaurant and is accessible off Scott Street, one block east of Yonge." read more

Biff's Bistro - Winterlicious 2016 - Bread pudding - French Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Biff's gets 5 stars for making a 50th birthday party for 20 people (with food allergies to accommodate) a flawless event! From the coordination at O&B events, the impeccable service, communication and attention to detail by the two staff assigned to our group and the delicious food, we could not have asked for better. All of our guests had a wonderful time. Thank you Biff's! *The beef tenderloin with mushrooms and foie gras was the highlight of our menu. We will be back for dinners and oysters soon! read more

One of my favourite place downtown! I went here during summerlicous and winterlicious years ago, then it became my routine Friday date place with my husband. Chicken liver parfait with the special mustard sauce is unforgettable. Most reviews talking about the duck confit but my favourite is the pork knuckle! read more

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2.5 to be honest, I have not had much of their food here. Just a soup and app a long time ago, maybe summerlicious but it wasn't too memorable. So maybe it is better and maybe their food is good...this is a narrow review. The most memorable part of the times (3 to be exact) that I have been here was the buck a shuck night. Sad to say but for the amount of oyster you get (super duper small), its like the regular price of 3-4$ an oyster but only 1$ worth in size. So it may as well have been regular oyster night. Too bad for all the effort in them shucking such tiny oysters. Could have been just that night but no thanks to another night. read more

We came here on a Sunday evening. Greeted on arrival promptly and seated right away. We had reservations for 6:00 pm. We decided on their set menu for 45.00, choices for appetizers were creme de chamignons, the soup was very tasty, salads verte truffle, the greens were fresh and had a fair amount of parmesan cheese, and mousse de foie. The mains confit de canard, came with a nice size duck leg with a crunchy skin accompany with steamed broccoli and baby potatoes. The truite came as a fillet with a nice white sauce and baby potatoes. The third choice for the main was poulet roti. Dessert was a crumble aux pommes, individual pie perfect ending to our meal or cranberry clafoutis. The bonus coming on a Sunday was the 1/2 price bottle of wine. We chose a sparkling white wine to accompany our meal. The waiting staff was very friendly and attentive, we were not rushed at all through out our dinner. I will return again. read more

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I used to love this place so much! My last visit there wasn't as exciting as the ones before, and I found the food a bit generic and the service was a bit slow. Still if you're a fan of French cuisine (like I am!) you've got to try this place. I personally recommend beef tar tar ( if you're into raw) or fillet minion (if you're not). read more

I went for the Summerlicious menu with some coworkers and I have to say I'm impressed with their menu, service, and how the food tasted overall. A lot of the menu for Summerlicious were pretty boring so this place is a must go in the future if they keep up. For appetizer it was a seafood salad: great combination of food and the dressing was just wonderful. For entree the salmon: not much to say about it. It was really good. I believe they butter poached the salmon (I love poached fishes). The veggies were okay. My coworkers seem to really enjoy it and they feature the dish at their entrance. Personally, I found the food too rich in flavour. Wish there was something to cut down the flavour. Dessert Napoleon: I found it quite average on the taste. Okay, a lil above average. :) read more

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This was my second time here at this place in a month. The food continues to be very well made and tasty. The staff there were always friendly and courteous. Never too abrupt and always wait for the right moment to ask questions. The steaks were. Well made w such fresh asparagus. The salad was nicely seasoned but too big of a portion!!! The hors d'oeuvre were absolutely delicious. Especially the spreads!!! A must try at this place. I had the same dessert both times I was there, just tells you how good it was. Will definitely return to this place. read more

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Always wonderful. Old school steak frites. Cooked as ordered to perfection with a side of rich, fragrant peppercorn sauce sitting in a shallow pool of green herb reduction. Loads of mind blowing fries on the side. As a starter, all the oysters I could eat at a buck a shuck providing we ordered a bottle of wine. Courteous and prompt service. Elegant atmosphere. Priced reasonably. Can't go wrong if you're looking for classic French bistro in downtown T.O.! David J read more

We came here on the last day of Winterlicious 2017.  I made a reservation, last minute after reading Danny's review for last year's Winterlicious.  It was a good decision.  Thanks to Danny. The whole experience was great.   Good Food. Great Ambiance. Excellent Service. Let's start! Service  Reservation: It is always a good idea to make a reservation because you never know when a restaurant will get busy. You can either call or book a table thru their website.  I called only the night before to reserve a table for two people on the last day of Winterlicious 2017.  The person who took my phone call greeted me very well in French .  He was polite and informative.  He took time to explain about the restaurant's reservation policy such as how long the restaurant could hold the table for us and what we needed to do if we changed our mind or we couldn't make it on time.  It was simple rules that many restaurants use, such as  the reservation would be held only for 15 minutes and if there's any changes, the customer needs to call to inform them ahead of time for an hour in order to adjust the time and they will accommodate the customer at the best.  However, it wasn't a problem for us.  We arrived there before the reservation time about 10-15 minutes.   Host: The hostess suggested to wait at the bar while she was having our table prepared.  It didn't take longer than 5-10 minutes.  My husband just ordered a double shot of whiskey and didn't even touch it yet. The hostess had to wait for us to make a payment for the drink.  She waited there with us patiently and brought us to our table.  Waiter: After sitting down for 5-10 minutes, our server "Allen F" came to introduce himself and greet us. He was polite, helpful and attentive.  Ambiance  The restaurant is decorated in a modern way.  They have a bar section on the right side which customers can use as a waiting room.  The dinning room is on the left side of the hallway.   Food We got a prix fixe dinner menu of the Winterlicious 2017.  It was $38 per person for 3 courses.  You can also add wine pairings with your food.  The price was very good.  $25 for petit (11oz.) and $28 for grande (14oz.).  I ordered only a glass of wine while my husband got wine pairings with his food. Appetizer - Lemon Parsley Cod Cake: It was juicy and not too greasy. It was pretty good.   - Spiced Chicken Pastilla Parcel: It was delicious .  They just look like Thai Chicken Curry Puffs. The parcels were wrapped in a triangular shape and served with BARISSA YOGURT dip and SUMAC.  The pastry was CRUNCHY and GOLDEN brown.  The chicken filling was very FLAVOURFUL and SPICY! The Pastilla pastry is a bit thinner than Thai curry puff pastry however they both are crispy and perfect for SNACK and LUNCH!  These Pastilla Parcels also went very well with the paring wine "2015 Grüner Veltliner, Loimer 'Langenlois', Kamptal, AT". My husband normally doesn't like white wine because they mostly are too sweet for him. However, this paring white wine was great and paired well with spicy pastillas. Entree - Pan Roasted Salmon: The salmon itself was cooked perfectly. Salmon skin was the best part. It was very crispy I normally don't like salmon skin but I couldn't deny it this time. Their CAULIFLOWER COUSCOUS was very good.  It went well with BLACK TRUFFLE VINAIGRETTE.  Really love ! . - Steak: My husband chose STEAK for his main dish. I actually didn't touch it except potatoes on the dish . I don't eat beef. I can't explain how steak was . Based on his opinion, the steak was a bit tough to chew.  It was an ok dish.  The presentation was good .  Potatoes were tasty.  However, he said he was more interested in my salmon dish .  He liked his paring wine though.  It was "2012 Gabbiano 'Solatio', Toscana, IT ."  Dessert - Camembert en croute:  This was my first time to experience Camembert en croute. It was a remarkable dessert.  It was soft and very rich in cheese .   Must try it! We had it with the sparkling red wine, "N.V. Brachetto d Acqui, Viticoltori Acquesi Sparkling from Italy ." - Chocolate cake: It was a bit hard. It seemed like it was sitting on a plate for a long time.  It might be better if they could warm it up before serving.  I'd prefer my cake to be soft and puffy~  Price: $$$ OVERALL was GREAT read more

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Before seeing the Pet Shop Boys Supertour (which was, by the way, FANTASTIC), we decided to do dinner right across the Sony Center. I felt like French food, so Biff's fit the bill for that type of cuisine and with a great ambiance to match. Service is really good here. Like really good in the very attentive, but not overbearing kind. Food, on the other hand, is so-so. My dad said everything was just overly salty - the frog leg appetizer, the fois gras, his Beef Borguignon. The mushroom soup was the same one you get at O&B so nothing different there. My Quenelle basically was bread. My mom, on the other hand, really enjoyed her Duck Confit and my husband had a very nice, tender piece of steak. The Lemon Tart was nice and refreshing and the Madelines...well, nothing can ever compare to those from Café Boulud. Would I come back here again? Don't think so...unless it's for drinks (Sunday is half-priced bottle of wines!!) and nibbles. But the overall ambiance and the service were great. read more

Today is the first day of Winterlicious in our beautiful city. Enjoyed Winterlicious at Biff's today. The food was A+ especially the Poulet Grand-Mere. The Waitstaff was excellent; especially our Waiter who was very knowledgeable of the menu offerings. FIN read more

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The S.O: Hey, my mum wants to go to Biff's for her birthday. Me: Is that the Frenchy-looking place on Front Street? The S.O: Yeah. Me: OK, let's see what Yelp has to say. **Screech in the record** From the reviews that pre-date mine: "Subpar food...awful service..." "I would not go again." Ruh-oh. Based on these reviews, I wouldn't want to eat here. But I wasn't going to be the Yelp nazi who 'jacks an old lady's birthday plans. (At least not this time, anyway.) But, actually, our experience was not that bad. Biff's is owned by the Oliver Bonacini restaurant group (Canoe, Auberge du Pommier) and I think someone competent went in and cleaned house because both the food and service were better than previously reported. FOOD The French classics are here, and, yes, they've been tweaked. Sometimes the revamp works; the mushroom soup ($10) was enriched with earthy mushroom flavor instead of heavy cream, the way it would've been in the pre-coronary-awareness 1970s. The chicken liver parfait ($12) was a light, delicious near-foam served with croutons, and tangy cornichons and four-grain mustard, both made in house. So far, off to a five-star start. It's when the entrees arrive that the revamping seems more about the chef's conceit than delivering what diners want. Like with New Coke and words like "hubster," why do you mess with the originals if your version isn't a marked improvement? The S.O.'s boeuf Bourguignon was deconstructed to the point of ridiculousness; chunks of braised beef were served on a plate--a plate, not a bowl!--with dollops of pomme puree and Chinese cloud ear mushrooms with barely any stewing liquid in sight. This is not how Amy Adams made it in the movie, Julie & Julia. My roasted arctic char ($26) was bland and overcooked, whereas the bed of lentils de Puy it came on were bland and undercooked. The birthday girl reported that she was happy with her grilled calf's liver ($19). She also loved her dessert, a very rich and dark chocolate torte served with pear puree. Without prompting, the pastry chef scrawled Happy Birthday on the plate. Thankfully, nobody sang. They have an extensive wine list with prices ranging from moderate to my last paycheck. SERVICE The hostess, head server, and back-up server all seemed to have graduated from the Professional, Attentive and Slightly Stiff Academy. My favorite, though, was the adorable waiter-in-training wearing a white bellhop jacket who just seemed excited to be there. He didn't mind my silly questions about his jacket and the name of the restaurant. (Biff is Willy Loman's son in Death of a Salesman.) VIBE Much more classy and formal than how I usually roll but the setting was perfect for the guest of honor. Biff's looks like those grand Parisian brasseries with big mirrors, vintage posters, and cabaret music. Couples, old and young, were dining the night we were there. The space is huge, and I imagine when it's at full swing, Biff's would be buzzy and fun. BOTTOM LINE A lovely celebration restaurant with an old-fashioned vibe and new-fashioned food. The decor and service will impress dates and mothers. 3 stars read more

Falsely claims they can get people served in time for theatregoers, it is located across the street. After informing the server that we had theatre plans, 6 feet away, she said; " no problem". We were not concerned as we had 90 minutes. The main courses never arrived with 20 minutes left to get to the theatre. The server, who could not care less, said; " Sorry, kitchen backed up". Food we did get was mediocre. Sadly Fran's has closed. My poor mother and I were forced to eat stale bagel chips left over in a empty dressing room. This restaurant would be cancelled if it was a touring production. read more

I fully expected Biff's Bistro to be a bit touristy (given the location) but was pleasantly surprised with this place. On a Saturday evening it seemed to be mostly locals. There was a wide demographic of customers here, from elderly couples to a few large, boisterous groups of early 20-somethings. The patio looked beautiful here but the interior was equally pleasant. Decor was definitely a bit frou-frou (the Queen would be all over this place), but this is generally what you expect at a French Bistro. We didn't try any oysters (oyster fail!? oops) which are only $1 a pop after 5pm. I did try a scallop ceviche appetizer and the pork belly entree. Both were amazing. The ceviche was served over a flat plate rather than in a cup, the scallops were sliced thin and had a nice acidity, topped with a thin slice of lardo (Italian cured salami) for balance. I can never resist pork belly and the entree here at Biff's did not disappoint. It was very tender and not overly fatty. Bonus points for Biff's because you can get a carafe of wine here. (Too many places only serve by either glass or bottle). Service was great at Biff's, although we did seem to have quite a few different staff coming to the table rather than just a single waiter. read more

My wife and I decided to check out this cute looking french bistro one day while walking around Toronto. We come in, this not so happy host seats us and then says...you will have five minutes to order, because we end lunch at 2:30pm and then reopen at 5pm for dinner. Now that does not shock me, many places shut down between those hours to prepare for a dinner menu. But the way she said it to us, was like your mother saying "I will give you 5 minutes to decide what you want for lunch" Anywho, we look and decide to order some sandwiches. The waitress comes over and says, "the following items are no longer available for lunch and names off a few things. Well our luck, one of them was the sandwiches we decided to order. Well this waitress looked like we told her she was fired. She was so mad and stormed off before we could say anything, and comes back..."ok fine we can make them". She did not even give us a chance to tell her that we would order something else on the menu, but she just ran off in mid sentence to ask. So we get our food a few minutes later, and are told "hurry and finish up, we are closing in 10 minutes." So we are beyond pissed now, why seat us, take our damn order, make the food and then tell us hurry up we have to close???? Just tell us when we walk in that you are closing. So then some lights go off in the place, we continue eating and laughing because this shit is just insanity. The waitress comes over while we are still eating, and places the check on the table. So much for dessert haha. We pay, leave a small tip...because, well the waitress had left for her break...and I said to my wife later, "you know it would have been all worth it, if the food has actually tasted good." We also wondered...what if we did not eat our food faster? Would they have turned all the lights off and locked us in until 5pm? Subpar food...awful service...and the craziest dining experience I have had while on vacation. read more

I just returned from a business lunch at Biff's. A caveat: I ordered the Summerlicious menu. Thus, I will avoid the tendency to speak on portion size, though I will say that I did leave wanting (this may or may not be related to the fact that our table was for some reason left off the "gets a bread basket" list.) I had high expectations from the O&B brand. Those expectations were immediately quashed when we had sat for around 10-15 minutes without getting a second glance from the waitstaff. Finally, someone came and asked if we had been looked after (I'm pretty sure she could have guessed from our facial expressions, but we politely told her anyway that we hadn't.) Our drink orders were taken - I had a "Lillet White Sangria", which was basically a slightly fruity white wine with a raspberry in it. For my order, I opened with the salmon tartare, which was the highlight of the meal. The mix of zucchini and carrot ribbons with the tartare, mayo and the endive was a perfect opener. I always appreciate dishes where every ingredient is easily consumed and discerned in one fork full. The tartare was followed by Cha Ca La Vong, a crispy sautéed white fish with vermicelli noodles and "Kernal Peanut Sauce." It wasn't bad - I cleaned my plate. However, I was not blown away by either the flavours or the technique. It was hoisin sauce and peanut with vermicelli and fish. Definitely a recipe easily recreated at home. Finally, as a self-proclaimed "cheese aficionado" I naturally gravitated to the "Biff's Summerlicious Cheese" dessert. As advertised, it was an ounce of cheese with some artisanal honey and either overly toasted (or stale...crispy in any case) nut bread. My best guess on the cheese is it was smoked gouda. Certainly nobody was in a rush to elucidate me, so your guess is as good as mine. All considered, the food was average, and the service not quite. I know Summerlicious can be a drag for some restaurant owners, and maybe they don't invest a lot of energy into customers that primarily expect too much for less. I'm empathetic, but I simply wasn't blown away. There are better offerings for 20 dollars in this city, and certainly there are better 10 dollar cocktails. read more

Went before a show at the Sony centre. Nice restaurant but I couldn't do more than 3 stars for the following reasons. - Oysters were poorly shucked and extremely small (even for small oysters) - Beer was flat - Mains came out before we were finished our oysters, even tho we asked that they hold off. - I had the calf liver which was great but problem was there was 2 pieces, with one being cooked perfectly while second piece was way less cooked. Not sure how the chef managed that. Overall not up to the standards you would expect from a OB restaurant. read more

A group of 6, including myself, dined here on New Year's Eve and were unimpressed with Biff's as an overall experience. Where the restaurant saves itself is in the quality of the food but we have simply come to expect a lot more from an O&B restaurant. First, the prix fixe menu for NYE did not make any sense. It was priced at $75 for 3 courses plus an amuse bouche. However, none of the items on the prix fixe were not also on the a la carte menu, and no matter what combination we tried to make, nothing came out to more $75. The prix fixe menu seemed to be kind of a rip off, so we all ordered a la carte. I had the escargots and the Lobster Newburg, which were both tasty, no complaints about that. The problem began already when we walked in, when the hostess noted that coat check was "full", even though we saw that people were leaving with their coats we arrived. Two members of our party were able to check in their coats, but the rest of us were inexplicably left out in the cold (or the opposite, if there's a pun to be intended). We sat in a booth so we had to leave our pile of parkas (it was very cold that evening) next to us, which isn't per se a problem, but in a restaurant where my entree is almost $50, I would expect less dismissiveness from the hostess. Our server, while very nice and while he profusely apologized, was also very slow. It took a good 10-15 minutes before we were even asked about drink orders, by which time we had already all decided on what we wanted to order for food. We also had a party of 6 but the serving manner was all over the place, with our food being passed over our heads and us expecting to basically serve the platters to ourselves. Overall, food was very good but service was beyond subpar for a place this calibre. If I wanted to dine at Jack Astor's, I would have chosen Jack Astor's. read more

Fantastic place on all counts. Their Summerlicious menu was top notch and so it their own pre-fix menu that they offer every day. I would disagree that the food is expensive - their entree are in the usual range of good restaurants. If you want to spend $26 on 5 dinners, you can only go to McDonald's me thinks :) Great service, friendly staff - can I point out I also loved the decor? :) read more

Great choice for pre or post theatre if you're seeing a show at Sony Centre. Literally steps from the front entrancr, Biff's provides French bistro classics well. Oddly enough we kept being sent food that had not ordered though and so did the tables near us , so that was idd and the reason for only delivering a 3 star. The prix fixed menu is a great choice if you want to try out the menu a bit but the bar menu specials look great if you want to stop of for drinks pre show too! read more

i'm here for the food, which is seriously as good as it gets! The ambiance and atmosphere has my thumbs up too, but let's not digress...we're here for classic french cuisine and i'm keen to see if there's any other restaurant in Toronto that can upseat the #1 Didier. For the hors d'oeuvres, i ordered frog legs which is a uniquely Provencal dish. Well fried in fritto batter and soft moist meat indicates care and technique. Saucing was a tiny bit on the sweet side for me, i understand the chef is trying to go the off-beat route for a classic dish but if he would just reduce the sweetness by 15% it would be a perfect dish that's accompanied by perfect greens with a hint of vinaigrette. Steak tartare was perfectly done all around, and we ordered more due to its quality marinations, and prescient pairing with sweetbreads that begged for more! Also, tried the oysters which were a great bargain for $1 per half-shell after 5pm. However, i'm no oyster aficionado but it's considered decent for its price by my dining friends who are real oyster fans. Mushroom soup was really excellent, and on-par with auberge du pommier's legendary Cappuccine de Truffe. Here at Biff's, the mushroom soup featured roasted mushrooms that form part of the stock as the hint of smokiness really melds well with the richness of mushroom. Chives and a bit touch of creme fraiche brings the soup a touch of acid and freshness. Well-constructed. The bœuf bourguignon was well made. Classically stewed for hours with fantastic sauce to go with. Creme brulee was excellent with lots of vanilla beans in it, very generous. However, i have to fault them on messing up flambing the top layer. Some of my dinner partners had charred ones, while i had a perfect one, the layer was somewhat thick for my liking and had to use pressure to break apart. A perfect one requires a single tap. The creme caramel was perfect. Luscious and delicate texture reminding me of tofu with a touch of firmness from the yolks. Minimal number of air bubbles in the dessert is a good indication of a folding techniques when mixing. Officially the best creme caramel in town. The menu is very extensive, while there's some misses from my dining partners such as a dry duck confit (where Didier and La Palette offers excellent variations!), this is a place with excellent potential with the charming patio and friendly service. Also, it's few minutes walk from home. read more

Absolutely love their "Shucks for a Buck" event that runs every single day from 5pm to 7pm or until they run out of oysters to shuck. (They carry 500 at the beginning of their 5pm sale) Their oysters are small compared to ones that you see at Rodneys but the price you get for them is definitely worth it. It takes around 30-45 minutes to shuck 24 oysters and that's the most you can get at one time. Other than their oysters, I absolutely love their food. It's ambient and the servers are very attentive and very friendly. Their bread is absolutely fresh and the experience is just overall fantastic. I haven't had any dinners there in a while so I'll update when I get to eat there again! : ) Definite recommend for a night out or a date night. read more

Dropped in to have a quick bite before the So You Think You Can Dance show across the street at happening at 7:30 in the evening. We arrived at around 6pm, and got seated at the bar as everything else was either occupied or reserved. Our orders went in at 6:11pm according to the receipt. We ordered a dozen of the $1 oysters (we came here just for this), 2 mushroom soups and a goat cheese salad. The soups arrived at 6:40, about half an hour after we ordered. At about 7 the gentleman next to us asked the bartender to check on his order; he had been waiting for an hour. The lady next to us mentioned that her oysters took an hour to arrive also. Finally our salad came at 7:05, and it wasn't that good. At about 7:10 we decided to mention to the bartender that we had a show to catch, and she started to get the bill until I reminded her that our oysters hadn't arrived yet. She apologized profusely and went to the kitchen to check for us. Five minutes later the oysters came and I rushed to gulp them down and pay the bill. Then I realized I only got 10 of the dozen that I ordered, and had to get the bill adjusted. I don't fault the bartender too much as it was the kitchen's fault, but the speed of service was atrocious and the food was overpriced for what you get ($10 for a soup and $15 for a tiny salad with no meat), aside from the oysters. If I hadn't told to server we had a time constraint who knows how much longer we would have had to wait? read more

Why bother update with same stars you may wonder. I want to let others know it's consistent... consistently average food, but with good service & atmosphere (with exception to the bathrooms, which I feel could use either a more thorough clean or new floor tiles & paint touch ups). I had the chicken liver parfait again, which was thankfully good as the last time, although I found the melba toasts were WAY too hard (so heads up if you're the least bit concerned about your dental work). My friend had the mussels - they were fine. I had the flat iron steak frites. My bad, I should've known more about that cut, that it shouldn't be cooked mid-rare or it's chewy. (I just can't bring myself to order steak more done than that, but in this case maybe medium would've combated the toughness). Now, the server was wonderful and offered to replace it, but I let it go since it was my naiveté. The frites (aka skinny fries) were a bit cold, and over-salted. I know one should not complain about too much, but seriously, this is not fast food and I don't need a triple serving of fries that occupies more than half the plate. My big dissapointment was the Lemon Tarte. The pastry was way too thick and not flaky. There was about the same thickness of the lemon curd (1/4") as there was pastry. It was kinda smallish, about a 3" round. If there had been more curd and less pastry, the portion size would've been fine. My friend had the ice cream and she said it was nice, but I think it's hard to screw up ice cream. Maybe next time, I'll go for something more 'common' or safe like the bourguingon. Stew can't possibly be screwed up can it? Sigh... each time I eat here, I wonder "would Michael Bonacini really approve of this food?"... As before, I would return for the location and service. read more

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It's nice if you want to feel very fancy and important but the food was expensive and the wine was ridiculous. It was good-but I'd rather spend that money on about 5 dinners at another restaurant. Dress nicely, though. The staff is nice. The photos on the wall look really nice and there's a lovely patio. The location is awesome, too. That's the only really particularly good part of the experience. Nothing bad per se, but just nothing great. read more

Had a fantastic evening here. My boyfriend and I came here for Winterlicious 2020 on a Friday night, and although it was busy, our waiter, Al, was very polite and attentive all night. The ambience is very nice, although a bit noisy but that can be because it was the first night of Winterlicious. We were celebrating an anniversary and they were kind enough to make it special. Will certainly come back :) read more

First on my Summerlicious '10 hit list was Biff's Bistro, an Oliver and Bonacini restaurant. Having had a great experience at Auberge du Pommier (S09) and an even better one at Canoe (S08), I was anticipating a great lunch. Biff's Bistro definitely delivered! Chickpea butter The buns (white) were nice and soft - freshly warmed and came with a generous chunk of chickpea butter. I'll shamelessly admit that I slathered it on like calamine after camping. Not as amazing as previous O&B bread baskets, but not bad - not too crusty, and not some crumby (hah! get my pun?) store-bought thing. Salmon tartare with crème fraîche & summer radish Yum - a perfect patio appetizer. The salmon was fresh and subtly marinated and the crème fraîche had a nice light consistency to accompany its tangy flavour. The lemon zest was slightly candied (but not too sweet which is how I like it!), the radishes were crunchily fresh, and the single olive (which I happily halved) was stuffed with something deliciously pink (should have taken a picture and asked what it was! Now I'm super curious. Lesson learned.). This was the favourite of the ladies that I was lucky enough to lunch with :) ...but not mine! Summer tomato & spinach tartlette with pistou This was my favourite. Surprising, considering that there was a gazpacho in the mix. I am a huge fan of flaky pastries that aren't so shiny that you can see your face as you eat it. I was also pleasantly surprised with the size - I assumed that the tartlette would be a round little thing and we'd have to battle it out with our forks. The pistou that accompanied the dish had a slight flavour, but the spinach did most of the (delicious) work. Gazpacho with shrimp hache & crème fraîche I will admit that I was a tad surprised at the presentation of the gazpacho. I'm used to seeing the dollop of crème fraîche and a little more care with the overall presentation. This was my most anticipated appetizer, and while good it was a tad too creamy for my taste. Still, I love a good tomato-based anything so when my friends said that I could gobble up the rest...I happily obliged. So far, the gazpacho at Boulevard Cafe is still this summer's winner. As with our appetizers, our entrees came in good time: Baked salmon with haricot salad & sauce verte The bed of salad was nicely done - definitely enjoyed the haricot greens and beans, and it was perfectly cooked (oh how I hate overcooked beans). I usually avoid salmon from restaurants - too many experiences of overcooked fillets leaving me wanting to go home and sear my own salmon steak. This was not bad - one end was quite nice and juicy, while the other end was a bit overcooked. Half a win, so half a chance that I'll re-order salmon at a restaurant in the future. Smoked ham & Gruyère crêpe with Dijonaise Well well. Who would've expected a ham and cheese crêpe to be so good? The cheese definitely sold the crêpes, which were pleasantly warm and had nice, salty cooked ham tucked inside. Caramelized onion & chèvre frittata with arugula & preserved tomato What was so special about this frittata? Nada. It was nice, but next to the other two entrees the flavour was lacking. A nice dish, but I wouldn't order it again. I liked the sundried tomato - but is that really a surprise? Nevertheless, it was time for dessert! Assorted Cookies Cookies! A nice sampling of cookies, but nothing to write home about. It certainly made for a nice picture. I like my cookies moist, not dry, and naturally I liked the chocolate square in the back the most. Lemon cake with blueberry compote & lemon crème Yum! I love lemon desserts. Bring on the lemon tarts, candied lemon rinds, sour lemon candies, and lemon poppy seed bread any day. This cake was really light and fluffy - not so much moist as really well aerated. The lemon flavour was very subtle, and paired quite well with the lemon crème (so I was glad that the cake wasn't too strong). The blueberry compote was a nice balance, although I've had better at Canoe with (surprise, surprise) with their lemon meringue tart. Warm flourless chocolate torte with strawberries & Grand Marnier Like many girls, I love chocolate. A chocolate torte? You have to beat me away with a stick. As I am not well-versed when it comes to liquers I can't really comment on the Grand Marnier strawberry mix, except to say that it complimented the warm, soft torte extremely well. It was not too sweet, and the torte was very rich so the flavours blended quite nicely. My favourite out of the three, hands down. Overall, I was very happy with my Summerlicious lunch at Biff's Bistro. For $15 prixe fix, you get quite the sampling. I wholeheartedly recommend it, and noticed that they have $1 oysters after 5pm! Given their nice, spacious patio and location near the entertainment district, Biff's is great for a night out or a casual lunch. Will return for non-licious menu! read more