paintbox catering & bistro

terrible experience. as local cabbage towners at the paintbox we had brunch twice and the experience wasgood- but it is difficult to prepare a bad brunch, right? so we decided to try dinner with a show yesterday and our experience was very poor. similar to the brunch the waiting staff were inexperienced and yesterday our waiter was clueless about the wine or food they served. the meal was a set 3 course meal and my main course was the worst i have ever tried in a restaurant over the last 30 years - i ordered "duck confit" and received small bits of cubed duck scattered over macaroni cheese. i am not a chef or restaurant owner but if i were i would be very embarrassed to serve this what can only be called a kiddies dish in what purports to describe itself as a "bistro." my wife's flank steak was also disappointing. there are not manygoodrestaurants within the cabbage town neighbourhood but we will certainly be staying away from the paintbox and sticking to hop (house of parliament) where the food is consistently good. and, by the way, the serving staff are up to scratch about the food, wine and beer they serve.

irritating. although i was not there to be charitable, i support their concept of helping out and training local inhabitants to work in the restaurant. be very patient. you will be aware during all aspects of the dining experience that you are being served by trainees. very pleasant surroundings and well-meaning but not so competent staff. we went to get a meal that was outlined in the menu on their website. surprise - the website completely misinforms or un-informs. apparently there is jazz or comedy at the restaurant saturday nights when we were there and the menu is actually a prix fixe (set menu). very reasonable price and verygoodfood. two choices for appetizer and steak or fish for the entree. since i do not eat meat i chose the fish. the pickerel in a potage was excellent but it had chunks of unadvertised pork. i might actually return here one day - but call ahead to see what is going on that night and exactly what they are serving.

paintbox bistro expoerience. having lived in and around this neighbourhood since 1973, i have endured the sometimes sketchyness and lower propty values for a long time but i live here and love it.while it's great to see all this change east of yonge i think this bistro is overcharging it's worth; the food wasgoodbut a bit childish in overall presentation. i think the concept is great by trying to integrate the community, but the area is still in transition so let's not go all kingwest on us. there are dozens of good, reasonably priced, under the radar eateries in the area that have a lower profile.