Despite being in the acting business for the better part of her adult life, Montreal-born actress Erin Agostino’s career has continued on an upward trajectory. With a collection of well-known credits that include the likes of 18 to Life, Murdoch Mysteries, and The Kennedys After Camelot, Agostino has proven herself as a versatile artist across a diverse range of genres.
Her newest project, A Christmas Masquerade, finds the now-Toronto-based actress in an almost Freaky Friday-esque scenario where she is mistaken for her glamorous boss at a masquerade ball. Agostino’s character decides to continue the ruse over the holiday season, which leads to all sorts of hijinks, romance, and more.
A Christmas Masquerade is set to premiere on CityTV on December 19 at 9 p.m. (ET). Although Agostino is currently as busy as ever with multiple new projects slated for production in 2023, she recently took some time to share a few tasty recommendations for food and drink in Toronto.
Breakfast
This is a tough one for me because I’m not huge on anything in the a.m. other than a smoothie after my morning run. I know, I lead a very exciting life, but if I’m planning a special weekend breakfast we’d be going to Le Select Bistro.
Being originally from Montreal, I like tapping into my French half and treating myself to a little Cafe Au Lait and Croque Monsieur in the morning. Cheers your bestie with a glass of Mimosa, share Une Tarte Du Petit Dejuner, don’t look out the window and escape together to the French countryside. Bon Voyage.
Lunch
In my opinion, there’s nothing better than lunch at Bar Raval. It became a staple for us a few years ago coming back from a Sam Roberts Band concert with my husband who’s the drummer and our friend Liam O’neil (Kings of Leon) who was playing sax with them at the time.
We dropped our bags off and slowly made our way to the Spanish Tapas paradise. We met at a table, thankfully got seats and ordered a couple of Raval Coffees and then pretty much everything else on the menu…as the coffees turned into continuous glasses of Cava Rose we realized this was now our spot and we would attempt to recreate this feast every time we were all in town.
Not to be missed is The Kitchen bread, Jamon Croquetas and Tuna Pickle Gilda, but you can’t go wrong with anything on that menu, trust me I’ve tried it all. I also don’t ever leave without ordering a Hamburguesa for the table.
Dinner
Well, it would be a lie if my Toronto dinner recommendation didn’t involve a burger. The burger is an intricate masterpiece that isn’t to be taken lightly. I am very serious when it comes to the right patty, the right cheese, the right bun and most importantly—I cannot fully express the importance here—the right sauce.
After a very big shove from our friend Jimmy Shaw we found ourselves at Harry’s Charbroiled in Parkdale. I’m always hesitant to branch out when it comes to something so serious but from the first bite it was true love. The Harry’s Charbroiled experience was special, unfortunately it has since closed and reopened as a takeout joint.
Just try a Plain Jane with extra Harry’s sauce on the side; start there, get hooked, and eventually branch out to the BBQ Jane or The Red Burger. Also if you’re in a world where undoing the top button of your pants won’t offend anyone, order the Chorizo Chili Cheese Fries and call it a night. You’re welcome.
Drinks
I am oddly addicted to hotel lobby bars. You can actually hear yourself speak, the people-watching is superb and they usually come equipped with some sort of live music. Pre-pandemic, The Windsor Arms Hotel had a live pianist every Friday night.
The night would consist of you, him and maybe one other person, who you would spend the entire evening deciding a backstory for, in a dimly lit Wes Anderson-esque decorated bar. While you enjoyed a glass of wine he would belt out Joni Mitchell or Leonard Cohen with a side of passion and pain. We invited friends on this journey with us and it would always start and end the same. At first they would question why and by the end of the night they would say, same time next week? There’s just something that gets me about the weird and wonderful.
Honourable mention would be what we refer to as a 'Bird Bath Martini' in the lobby of the Shangri La (proceed with caution) and snuggling up in the Library Bar at The Royal York.
