I went to the Gordon Biersch in Whitby, Ontario (by the AMC) a few years before it folded (not hard to see why). I went there with high expectations as you should have while you're about to dine at what you think is a classy place. The service was the only good thing. I ordered the chicken marsala...I tasted like nail polish remover smells: mechanic. My boyfriend ordered roast beef with stuffed shrimp (his plate was over $25!) and the cut of roast beef had so much fat on it, it was barely edible. The cut was smaller than a normal portion, and there were only 3 stuffed shrimp (which were luke warm, unfortunately). Not to cause trouble, we didn't say anything (we were younger then), but we complained on their website later. They sent us 2 complementary meal coupons, and we gave them to his parents, too afraid to ever go back. Oh yeah, and our bill was over $70 for this "fine" experience.

I began eyeing this restaurant from my hotel on the first day of a business trip, and was pleasantly surprised. I had the fresh mozarella pizza ($10.75) and a pilsner, which was pretty good for a light beer. It seems like this place can get a little on the expensive side, but the service was good, and it was a great place to meet up with my friend and catch up. Not too casual but casual enough!