Diana’s Seafood Bar and Grill   416.288.1588    http://dianasseafood.com/Restaurant/    open daily lunch & dinner

It’s a family oriented,  kid-friendly seafood restaurant.  Servers are quick and knowledgeable. The patio seats seventy comfortably and, in the afternoon, makes one feel as though they were on a cruise ship.  After sunset the atmosphere changes to a romantic sailboat.

First up, a daily selection of oysters:

 Noank (Maine)  – plain, no distinguishing flavour

Lucky Lime (PEI) –  salt and creamy

Coville Bay (PEI) – great crunchy texture

Glacier Bay (NB) – crisp clean taste

Wellfleet (Massachusetts) – meh

Caribou (NS) –  intense salt and brine

Giggas (Ireland) –  soft creamy texture, followed by melon

Kusshi (BC) – cucumber and freshly cut grass

CoroMandal  (New Zealand) – Divine!  Salty at first, then grassy with a cucumber finish which lingers on the palate.  An oyster lovers delight.

Orange and beet smoked trout salad is up next, with orange ginger, lemon horseradish cream and baby greens.  The trout tastes candied (I expected cured)and is texturally stiff.  The dish is tasty, however, I would lose the oranges.

Finally, in-house hickory cold smoked Atlantic salmon is served alongside a grated egg, pickled red onions, capers, a zesty lemon horseradish cream and crisp crostini.   The smoked salmon is flawless, really one of the best I have ever tried.

Weekends can be busy,  so get there early!