Carens Wine and Cheese Bar, Toronto, ON

I was invited to a blogger night at Carens Wine and Cheese Bar in Yorkville this evening.

Yorkville's hidden gem; Carens wine and cheese is a quaint, rustic French restaurant specializing in a vast selection of wine and cheese from all over the world. Serving lunch and dinner every day of the week and classic brunch on weekends, Carens boasts a unique dining experience and a delightful summer patio unlike any other. 

First up was goat cheese, almonds, apricots and bread.  I'm not a fan of goat cheese but Gord said it was good.

Gord's plate

Matt took care of us (he's been with Carens for eight years).  Here he is explaining the first wine that was paired with the starter.

This wine was good

Next was Tuna Rothschild.  This was Gord's favourite course (I didn't have any as I don't like tuna so he had mine).

Next was French Onion Soup.  I've never had it before and it was good.

Here's the wine that was paired with it.

I liked it ... it was light

Then came the Mac and Cheese.  I only tried the prosciutto one (not a fan of lobster or truffles) and it was my favourite course of the night.  Gord's favourite was the truffle one.

Truffle

Lobster

Prosciutto

Gord's plate with all three

Here's the wine it was paired with.

I'm not a fan of Chardonays but liked this one
(it wasn't oaky)

There were two tables of us.  Here's our table of fellow bloggers ...

Vivienna and Derek

Caroline, me and Gord

The fondue came next ... I've never fondued before.  The Swiss and gruyere was the favourite of our table.

Swiss and gruyere fondue with apples and pear

Brie and blue cheese fondue with figs and walnut bread

Here's the wine it was paired with.

I love Gewurztraminers!

 The last course was dessert and it was delicious!

And it was paired with bubbly ... yum!

When we were leaving, we were given gift bags with a Carens wine glass, a wine bottle opener and some smoked cheese.  Thanks!

The food and wine were good and it was a fun opportunity to check out this restaurant as I've never been before.

Carens has two patios ... one in the front and one in the back.  Definitely a spot to check out!