I'm meeting a friend for lunch next week and I'm looking for a nice restaurant near Union Station in Toronto. I'd like something upscale but not too pricey ($20 max for entree). We like all kinds of food except Indian. She'll be on her lunch hour so we can't waste too much time getting there or waiting on slow service. Any recommendations?

With a max $20 price per entree, you can eat at a lot of nice restaurants in the business district. I haven't tried it, but I've heard good things about Biff's, a French bistro-style restaurant at 4 Front St East. There's also Acqua in BCE Place, Bymark in the TD Centre (lower level), Canoe (TD Centre - top of the building), Far Niente/Soul of the Vine (Soul is the less expensive but still nice cafe version of Far Niente immediately beneath it). It's possible that Bymark and Canoe will be slightly out of your price range (but only slightly, for lunch anyway) - and you might have difficulty getting a reservation at them (book first thing on Monday). All of these restaurants are within a few blocks of Union Station. They will have quick service because they're all in the business district.

You could walk across the street to the Fairmont Royal York Hotel and eat in the dining room off the main lobby, or you could have lunch in the Lobby Bar at the west end of the main floor.

Or you could walk one block west on Front street to the Intercontinental, and eat in the main floor front of the otel restaurant underneath the vast glass roof. There have been several very positive reports on the Intercontinental here recently, and I looked at the dining room and menu last week, and it looked like a good combination of food, price, location to me.

BAK

I think we're going to try Acqua. I've been to Biff's and wasn't all that impressed with it. I'll be having lunch at the Intercontinental another day during the week. I think Far Niente is a little bit further than we would like and Bymark and Canoe are a little pricier. Will let you know how we liked Acqua (and the Intercontinental). Thanks for all the help.

Acqua makes the most excellent cappuccinos.

Personally I don't like Acqua at all. It's smack in the middle of an office building lobby and the noise from the passers-by reminds me of eating in a mall food court (which I wouldn't do).

I love Jamie Kennedy's Wine Bar which is a five minute walk from Union Station. You can read a review of it at http://www.torontolife.com/cityguide...isting_id=5897

I semi-disagree with Gayle.Or semi-agree.

When I ate there, mall noise was no problem, because we were seated by a fountain that provided so much noise it drowned out the mall sounds.

I couldn't hear my host, nor he me, without strain.

Food was good, but my memory is that there was not a lot of it, for the money.

BAK

Try

1 - Spring-Rolls pan asian Thai
85 Front Street East between
Church and Jarvis.

http://www.springrollsonline.com/

2 - Spinello - Italian
53 Colborne 1 block
north of Church and Front.
(Try soup, salad, pizza or pasta).

BAK, I hear the fountain by Acqua isn't operating right now. They've shut it off so they can put Christmas decorations there. I made reservations at Acqua but I think I'll check out the review for Jamie Kennedy's Wine Bar.